News, Opportunities, Inspiration, Business, Success

The 3 Things That Steve Jobs Taught Us About Creative Leadership

2011-11-02T11:37:00.000-07:00

Jobs was different from many other corporate leaders in that he always knew what he wanted. When he returned to Apple after his decade-long banishment starting in the mid-80′s, the company was on the verge of bankruptcy. He actually wrote some of the better lines of the famous “Think Different” manifesto ad that helped refocus the company and bring it back from the brink, and even got personally involved in the editing of the finished spot (see the rare Jobs-narrated tribute commercial, below). The bar was always raised very high for his team, almost preternaturally. This tyranny of unreasonableness in demanding of those around him to leap above and beyond what they assumed was only just possible, was a reflection of his complete belief, almost a religious devotion, in explosive inspiration over process.

Jobs traveled around India in the mid-1970s for 7 months, and in the process discovered Zen. It influenced his thinking, and instilled in him a confidence to trust in his intuition when it comes to making decisions. He famously said, “You can’t ask customers what they want and then give it to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new”. Creative leadership is also about anticipating needs, and the confidence to rely on intuition to complement market and consumer understanding

Lastly, to Jobs, design was never for its own sake, but for something greater – the shaping of experiences. He thought as marketer but also as a consumer. And, from that vantage point, he understood how to simplify design and make devices part of our everyday experience, thereby enabling people more enjoyment of their complicated lives. He believed in simplicity as a means of engaging people and letting them feel close to something as overwhelming as technology. In an interview to Business Week in 1998 he said, “That’s been one of my mantras — simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”

For Jobs creativity was about knowing what you want, applying intuition, and keeping it simple. And maybe his genius is in how deceptively uncomplicated it seems. Yet at the end his approach to creative leadership required raising the bar remarkably high, inspiring others to do the impossible, and an almost unwavering ability to focus.

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/avidan/2011/10/31/the-3-things-that-steve-jobs-taught-us-about-creative-leadership/?partner=smallbusiness_newsletter

Lead Like Winston Churchill

2010-10-16T19:13:00.000-07:00

As the battered British nation stood alone against the vicious and victorious Nazis, Winston Churchill, with no resources other than his vision of the future and his courage, refused to be defeated.

Seventy years and one World War victory later, it’s easy to forget that when Winston Churchill became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the British looked to be finished as a going concern.

Two weeks after Churchill came into power, France was knocked out of the war, and 340,000 British troops had to scramble to escape over the beaches at Dunkirk. The Germans had absolute control of all of Europe. It seemed impossible that Britain could survive.

In May 1940, when there seemed to be almost no hope left, the nation turned to Winston Churchill, who until a year earlier, was a political has-been and widely considered a crackpot for saying nasty things about Adolf Hitler and the Nazis. Churchill had been the one man who had spoken the truth for years, even though it cost him in terms of political success and personal reputation.

Churchill’s first speech to the British people as PM laid out his program bluntly, “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.” He followed that with another speech shortly thereafter: “. . . we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.”

In other words, his plan for success: Complete and total defiance.

“We shall never surrender.” When you have nothing left but defiance, commit to it with everything you have. Like Prince Hal in Shakespeare’s Henry V, Churchill used language to rouse the fighting spirit he believed was still alive in the British people, saying, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” And the line that summed up his personal career and the spirit that led the British people to victory: “Never, never, never give up.”

Churchill would later describe what he did this way, “It was the nation and the race dwelling all round the globe that had the lion’s heart. I had the luck to be called upon to give the roar.”

He was right about the lion’s heart. Within months, the Luftwaffe would duel the Royal Air Force in the Battle of Britain. The RAF was badly outnumbered by its German opponents, but that didn’t stop it from beating the Germans day after day, month after month. Finally the Germans admitted defeat by changing tactics and began the Blitz, the strategic bombing of London and southern England.

Londoners proved Churchill’s lion’s heart remark again, taking care of each other in the tube stations during the air raids while firefighters made sure that St. Paul’s survived the bombing.

As we emerge from the Great Recession of the last few years, it’s good to remember things could be a lot worse. Take a few pointers from Churchill as you try to lead your organization into recovery:

Remember that “Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference,” as Churchill said.

No matter what kind of shape your business is in, if your attitude is never, never, never give up, you stand a much better chance of succeeding. The folks you work with will pick up on your sincerity and conviction, and they’ll begin to operate the same way. And it will enable all of you to take the difficult steps necessary.

Be absolutely honest. Has any organization’s leader ever been blunter than Churchill when he told his desperate countrymen that he had nothing to offer them “but blood, toil, tears and sweat”? If Churchill could be that forthright as he faced annihilation, you can be too, no matter what it is you’re facing. So . . . never surrender. If you need to:

Declare bankruptcy and reorganize, do it.
Renegotiate debt and lines of credit — what are you waiting for?
Innovate in the making of your products and services — get to it.
Be straight with “your people”: shareholders, customers, and employees.

For Churchill and England surrender was not an option, which freed Churchill to do whatever he had to do, including making some brutally harsh decisions. As the Battle for France raged in May 1940, French leaders begged Churchill for British air support. But the RAF’s commanders told Churchill that it was urgent that they conserve their fighters for the anticipated battle in their own skies. Churchill left the French to fend for themselves and held back the fighters, positioning the RAF for its triumph in the Battle of Britain.

Support innovation. Churchill had been one of the early backers of tanks, hoping they could be deployed in World War I to break the awful stalemate of trench warfare. In 1944, he would champion the use of artificial harbors called mulberries — cement-filled ship hulls that could be sunk where needed to create instant harbors for troop deployments and supplies.

But the most innovative and most important thing Churchill supported was a British invention: radar. The Brits created a number of radar stations in southern England to use as an early-detection system, and coupled it with a brilliant fighter-command system that allowed the RAF’s air marshals to dispatch fighters where and when they were needed. Radar went a long way to neutralize the Germans’ gigantic superiority in numbers. (The Brits, at Churchill’s urging, shared radar’s secrets with the United States, and the Americans put it to very good use as well.)

Once America entered the war, as Churchill later confessed in his history of World War II, he knew that the Germans would be defeated. But for nineteen months, Churchill had to rally a beaten people against an unstoppable foe. How did he do it? He understood the people he was leading — and he understood what it was they wanted, what it was that the Nazis were trying to destroy. He said, “All the great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope.” He was able to lead because he knew the people he was leading and never separated himself from them. He was, quite literally, willing to die for them.

Most managers aren’t asked to be that willing. But your commitment should be close to Churchill’s — as close as you can get when the situation is not life-and-death. If you haven’t got that commitment, maybe you should be looking for another line of work.

Just in case you were asleep for a large portion of the 20th Century (or were born very late in it), I’ll catch you up on what happened to Mr. Churchill. After saving his country from the brink of destruction, Churchill was forced out of office by a vote of the British people just before the end of the war in 1945.

Churchill was hurt but showed the classic British stiff upper lip by saying, “History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.” Write it he did, a six-volume history called The Second World War, which was the primary reason he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953.

But history was going to be kind to him whether he wrote it or not. The British people returned him to the office of Prime Minister, 1951-1955. Queen Elizabeth offered to create Churchill as Duke of London, but he declined. In 1963, by an act of the U.S. Congress, he was the first living person named Honorary Citizen of the United States.

When Winston Churchill died on January 24, 1965 at the age of 90, the Queen decreed that he should have a state funeral, the first ever in English history for a non-royal. The former has-been and crackpot had journeyed a very long way on the strength of his courage and commitment.

source: http://blogs.forbes.com/geoffloftus/2010/09/30/lead-like-winston-churchill/

6 important financial lessons from the King of Pop

2009-07-12T23:35:00.000-07:00

The King of Pop died. Michael Jackson may go down in the history as one of the most successful entertainers the world has ever seen. The world will remember him for his albums “Thriller”, “Dangerous”, “Black or White”; or his various controversies and lawsuits; or his ranch “Neverland”. But, I think the world may also remember for the huge debt he left unpaid.

While dying at an early age of 50 years, he reminded us of some very basic but extremely important lessons in personal finances.

Let us look at each of these lessons:

Income, assets, expenses and liabilities are the four most important components of one’s personal finances. Whereas he did a great job with income and acquisition of some income generating assets, the liabilities and expenses did him in. However much you have on the income or assets sides, the expenses and liabilities can wreck havoc.
When one gets financial success at a very early age, it is important to check whether the same is sustainable. Projecting the current income assuming the same will continue could prove to be a costly mistake. This is especially true in cases where the income is on account of natural talent rather than acquired skill. The difference between the two is “hard work”. Whereas natural talent may not have to work very hard to get success, acquired skill requires lots of perseverance. It is this ability to continue sweating it out that helps when one passes through bad times.
Extrapolating the current income into the future is a common disease among many. Human beings are by nature optimist about their own future. Such a tendency often leads one to upgrade the lifestyle to such levels that it becomes impossible to fund it through one’s income. Then one resorts to debt. Debt, while giving instant access to cash, increases the cost of living through interest payments. The year 2008 came a rude shock for many, who had projected their income to grow and borrowed for houses larger than they needed. It was just stretching one a bit. In 2008, job security became a foreign word, incomes were cut and some people went through extremely tough periods.
Your possessions are not your assets. A huge house, the latest car, designer dresses and accessories may increase your social acceptance. But somewhere you need to stop. All may not be lucky to find support from friends and relatives when the party gets over.
How does one know whether a possession is an asset or not? The answer is simple – an asset has to pass at least one of the two filters: ability to generate income above the cost of servicing or possibility of price appreciation in future. And, the appreciation part should be explained by economics and not wishful thinking.
How much one borrows needs to be a function of one’s ability to service the debt. Only the Governments are privileged to borrow to repay old debt. Individuals must stay away from the debt trap.

Let us learn the personal finance lessons from one of the finest entertainers in the history. May his soul rest in peace!

Source: http://moneycontrol.com/india/news/mf-experts/6-important-lessons-fromkingpop/405946

Good one! please think over it....Current state of India

2008-11-19T04:32:00.000-08:00

An Old Story:
The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter. The Grasshopper thinks the Ant is a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away.

Come winter, the Ant is warm and well fed. The Grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.

Indian Version:

The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The Grasshopper thinks the Ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering Grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the Ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.

NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering Grasshopper next to a video of the Ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.

The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor Grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the Ant's house.

Medha Patkar goes on a fast along with other Grasshoppers demanding that Grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter .

Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticize the Indian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the Grasshopper.

The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the
Grasshopper (many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance).

Opposition MPs stage a walkout. Left parties call for 'Bengal Bandh' in West Bengal and Kerala demanding a Judicial Enquiry.

CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among Ants and Grasshoppers.
Lalu Prasad allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Indian Railway Trains, aptly named as the 'Grasshopper Rath'.
Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the ' Prevention of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act' [POTAGA], with effect from the beginning of the winter.

Arjun Singh makes 'Special Reservation ' for Grasshoppers in Educational Institutions & in Government Services.

The Ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes,it's home is confiscated by the Government and handed over to the Grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV.Arundhati Roy calls it ' A Triumph of Justice'.Lalu calls it 'Socialistic Justice '.

CPM calls it the ' Revolutionary Resurgence of the Downtrodden '
Koffi Annan invites the Grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly.

Many years later...

The Ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi-billion dollar
company in Silicon Valley ,

100s of Grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere
in India,

.
.AND

As a result of loosing lot of hard working Ants and feeding the
grasshoppers,

.

India is still a developing country?!!!

What is Sub-Prime Crisis - A Good Article

2008-09-18T05:42:00.000-07:00

What is a sub-prime loan?

In the US, borrowers are rated either as ‘prime’ - indicating that they have a good credit rating based on their track record - or as ‘sub-prime’, meaning their track record in repaying loans has been below par. Loans given to sub-prime borrowers, something banks would normally be reluctant to do, are categorized as sub-prime loans. Typically, it is the poor and the young who form the bulk of sub-prime borrowers.

Why loans were given?

In roughly five years leading up to 2007, many banks started giving loans to sub-prime borrowers, typically through subsidiaries. They did so because they believed that the real estate boom, which had more than doubled home prices in the US since 1997, would allow even people with dodgy credit backgrounds to repay on the loans they were taking to buy or build homes. Government also encouraged lenders to lend to sub-prime borrowers, arguing that this would help even the poor and young to buy houses.

With stock markets booming and the system flush with liquidity, many big fund investors like hedge funds and mutual funds saw sub-prime loan portfolios as attractive investment opportunities. Hence, they bought such portfolios from the original lenders. This in turn meant the lenders had fresh funds to lend. The sub prime loan market thus became a fast growing segment.

What was the interest rate on sub-prime loans?

Since the risk of default on such loans was higher, the interest rate charged on sub-prime loans was typically about two percentage points higher than the interest on prime loans. This, of course, only added to the risk of sub-prime borrowers defaulting. The repayment capacity of sub-prime borrowers was in any case doubtful. The higher interest rate additionally meant substantially higher EMIs than for prime borrowers, further raising the risk of default.

Further, lenders devised new instruments to reach out to more sub-prime borrowers. Being flush with funds they were willing to compromise on prudential norms. In one of the instruments they devised , they asked the borrowers to pay only the interest portion to begin with. The repayment of the principal portion was to start after two years.

How did this turn into a crisis?

The housing boom in the US started petering out in 2007. One major reason was that the boom had led to a massive increase in the supply of housing. Thus house prices started falling. This increased the default rate among subprime borrowers, many of whom were no longer able or willing to pay through their nose to buy a house that was declining in value.

Since in home loans in the US, the collateral is typically the home being bought, this increased the supply of houses for sale while lowering the demand, thereby lowering prices even further and setting off a vicious cycle. That this coincided with a slowdown in the US economy only made matters worse. Estimates are that US housing prices have dropped by almost 50% from their peak in 2006 in some cases. The declining value of the collateral means that lenders are left with less than the value of their loans and hence have to book losses.

How did this become a systemic crisis?

One major reason is that the original lenders had further sold their portfolios to other players in the market. There were also complex derivatives developed based on the loan portfolios, which were also sold to other players, some of whom then sold it on further and so on.

As a result, nobody is absolutely sure what the size of the losses will be when the dust ultimately settles down. Nobody is also very sure exactly who will take how much of a hit. It is also important to realize that the crisis has not affected only reckless lenders. For instance, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, which owned or guaranteed more than half of the roughly $12 trillion outstanding in home mortgages in the US, were widely perceived as being more prudent than most in their lending practices. However, the housing bust meant that they too had to suffer losses — $14 billion combined in the last four quarters - because of declining prices for their collateral and increased default rates.

The forced retreat of these two mortgage giants from the market, of course, only adds to every other player’s woes.

What has been the impact of the crisis?

Global banks and brokerages have had to write off an estimated $512 billion in sub-prime losses so far, with the largest hits taken by Citigroup ($55.1 bn) and Merrill Lynch ($52.2 bn). A little more than half of these losses, or $260 bn, have been suffered by US-based firms, $227 billion by European firms and a relatively modest $24 bn by Asian ones. Despite efforts by the US Federal Reserve to offer some financial assistance to the beleaguered financial sector, it has led to the collapse of Bear Sterns, one of the world’s largest investment banks and securities trading firm. Bear Sterns was bought out by JP Morgan Chase with some help from the Fed.

The crisis has also seen Lehman Brothers - the fourth largest investment bank in the US - file for bankruptcy. Merrill Lynch has been bought out by Bank of America. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have effectively been nationalized to prevent them from going under.

Reports suggest that insurance major AIG (American Insurance Group) is also under severe pressure and has asked for a $40 bn bridge loan to tide over the crisis. If AIG also collapses, that would really test the entire financial sector.

How is the rest of the world affected?

Apart from the fact that banks based in other parts of the world also suffered losses from the subprime market, there are two major ways in which the effect is felt across the globe. First, the US is the biggest borrower in the world since most countries hold their foreign exchange reserves in dollars and invest them in US securities.

Thus, any crisis in the US has a direct bearing on other countries, particularly those with large reserves like Japan, China and - to a lesser extent - India. Also, since global equity markets are closely interlinked through institutional investors, any crisis affecting these investors sees a contagion effect throughout the world.

Source: By forwarded E-mail.

Ratan Tata's words of inspiration

2008-09-02T07:19:00.000-07:00

today's environment:
I think it's a tougher environment from what it was about 15 years ago. The demands are far greater, many of the sectors are moving faster, and technology change is quicker. The luxury of having time to make decisions no longer exists. Decisions need to be taken faster and, unlike in the past, they have to be based on more on information and less on intuition. The impact of wrong decisions is greater today. Furthermore, people today are, if I might say so, more opportunistic, materialistic and rebellious. So you are managing a different type of environment: less protected, less feudal, and more demanding in terms of speed, in terms of technology.

On employees:
The way to hold employees today is to make their work and their day-to-day activities in the company exciting enough for them to stay. Not everyone will stay, but I think if we can empower more people and are willing to pass on the responsibility for that, and if people are satisfied and motivated, there's less chance of them wanting to leave and go to a competitor.

low-cost products:
It should not be, cannot be, that low-cost products come to mean inferior or sub-standard products and services; definitely not. The aim is to create products for that larger segment -- good and robust products that we are able to produce innovatively and get to the marketplace at lower costs.

On customers:
We should be treating the customer in the same way that we would want to be treated as customers.

On business:
Business, as I have seen it, places one great demand on you: it needs you to self-impose a framework of ethics, values, fairness and objectivity on yourself at all times. It is easy not to do this; you cannot impose it on yourself forcibly because it has to become an integral part of you.

feedback:
Market feedback is very important, but it has to be stripped of its colour. You have to be able to strip away the vested interest or the bias that sometimes comes in. You have to view it objectively, not defensively.

This was take from rediff.com. You can find the details at:

http://specials.rediff.com/money/2008/aug/26sli3.htm

Businesss Rules

2008-08-07T03:06:00.001-07:00

I found some business rules while browsing thru some business magazines. I hope, these rules may help you out in your personal life and your work environment.

They are as follows:

Rule One: CHECK YOUR EGO AT THE DOOR

In order to keep dialogue open, realize you don’t know everything. Without a heightened awareness of the development of your own ego, healthy characteristics and unique, powerful talents can become destructive and degenerate into weaknesses.

Rule Two: CREATE CURIOUSITY

What you currently know sometimes gets in the way of what you need to
know, but don’t know. Be a sponge for information and use it to refresh your experience and knowledge rather than allowing yourself to feel as if new information puts you at risk.

Rule Three: MOVE OFF THE SOLUTION

Don’t prematurely focus on the solution itself. You need to get to the underlying business issues and work from there. Remember, a solution is worthless unless and until it creates business value, prevents a problem or invents a new result the business needs. Otherwise, a solution ismerely an event.

Rule Four: GET EVIDENCE

Some of the best businesspeople ask the obvious questions, the answers to which are almost never obvious. In fact, it’s the obvious questions or the politically sensitive questions that many are afraid to ask. Collect soft evidence and then turn it into hard evidence that the business can measure.

Rule Five: CALCULATE THE IMPACT

Businesspeople never let cash out the door that doesn’t strictly ultimately bring more cash back. You must convert hard evidence into a financial equivalent; a move from ‘the could’ to ‘the should’ that shows the basic economic return.

Rule Six: EXPLORE THE RIPPLE EFFECT

It is imperative to figure out who or what else in the company is affected by the current problem or the opportunity under consideration. The people who get sucked into isolated and exclusionary thinking lose sight of the big picture of the business as a whole.

Rule Seven: SLOW DOWN FOR YELLOW LIGHTS

If the problem or opportunity is so big, ask what has stopped us in the past from doing something about it, and what could stop us in the future. If

you get a yellow light early, take your best shot at resolving it. Even if you fail and get to a red light, you’ll have saved time and money at the very least.

Rule Eight: FIND THE CAUSE

Simply asking why will give you the tools to dig for the underlying reason for the problems, and to make sure you’re treating the source, rather than the effects. Having proof you need a solution (the effects), and knowing what solution you need are two different things.

Winners... Not Quitters...

2008-05-30T04:47:00.000-07:00

A candidate for a news broadcaster post was rejected because of his voice. He was also told that with his obnoxiously long name, he would never be famous.

He is Amitabh Bachchan.

A small boy- the fifth amongst seven siblings of a poor father, was selling news papers in a small village to earn his living. He was not exceptionally smart at his school but was fascinated by religion and rockets.
The first rocket he build crashed. A missile that he build crashed multiple times and he was made a butt of ridicule. He is the person to have scripted the space Odyssey of India single-handedly.
He is Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam.

In 1962,four nervous young musicians played their first record audition for the executives of the Decca recording company. The executives were not impressed.

While turning down this group of musicians, one executive said,
"We don't like their sound. Groups of guitars are on the way out".

The group was called, "The Beatles".

In 1944, Emmeline Snivel y, director of the Blue book modeling agency told modeling hopeful Norman Jean Baker,

"You'd better learn secretarial work or else get married".

She went on to become,

Marilyn Monroe.

In 1954, Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry fired a singer after one performance. He told him,

"Your ain't goin' nowhere...son. You ought to go back to drivin' a truck".

He went on to become,

Elvin Presley.

When a gentlmen invented a cmmunication machine in 1876, it didn't ring off the hook with calls from potential backers. After making a demonstration call, president Rutherford Hayes said,

"That's an amazing invention, but, who would ever want to see one of them?".
He said this to, Alexander Graham Bell.

In the 1940s another young inventor named Chester Carlson took his idea to 20 corporations, including some of the biggest in the country. They all turned him down.

In 1947, after seven long years of rejections! He finally got a tiny company in New York, the Haloid company, to purchase the rights to his invention - an electrostatic papery copying process. Haloid became Xerox corporation.

He is, Chester Carlson.

A 4 year old girl, the 20th of 22 children, contracted double pneumonia and scarlet fever at a very early age, which paralyzed her left leg. Thereafter 9 year of age, she removed her left braces and started walking without them. At 13 she decided to become a runner but kept failing miserably in all races that she entered in. she kept trying in spite of several detractors and finally started winning every race she entered.
She is,
Wilma Rudolph, who went on to win three Olympic gold medals.

A school teach scolded a boy for not paying attention to his mathematics and for not being able to solve simple problems. She told him that he would not become anybody in life. His mother, however believed in him and coached him in maths.
The boy went on to become,

Albert Einstein.

A winner is not one who never fails, but one who NEVER QUITS.

Enjoy the game... Instead of avoiding challenges, jump into them

2008-05-30T03:34:00.000-07:00

It is worth spending time in reading it and charging yourself !!!

The Japanese have always loved fresh fish। But the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades। So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever. The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring in the fish. If the return trip took more than a few days, the fish were not fresh. The Japanese did not like the taste.

To solve this problem, fishing companies installed freezers on their boats। They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea। Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer। However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen and they did not like frozen fish। The frozen fish brought a lower price. So fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired and dull, but alive. Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the difference. Because the fish did not move for days, they lost their fresh-fish taste. The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish.

So how did Japanese fishing companies solve this problem? How do they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan? If you were consulting the fish industry, what would you recommend?

As soon as you reach your goals, such as finding a wonderful mate, starting a successful company, paying off your debts or whatever, you might lose your passion। You don't need to work so hard so you relax। You experience the same problem as lottery winners who waste their money, wealthy heirs who never grow up and bored homemakers who get addicted to prescription drugs।

Like the Japanese fish problem, the best solution is simple। It was observed by L. Ron Hubbard in the early 1950's.

"Man thrives, oddly enough, only in the presence of a challenging environment."- L. Ron Hubbard
The more intelligent, persistent and competent you are, the more you enjoy a good problem. If your challenges are the correct size, and if you are steadily conquering those challenges, you are happy. You think of your challenges and get energized. You are excited to try new solutions. You have fun. You are alive!

To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks. But now they add a small shark to each tank. The shark eats a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a very lively state। The fish are challenged.

Instead of avoiding challenges, jump into them। Beat the heck out of them। Enjoy the game। If your challenges are too large or too numerous, do not give up। Failing makes you tired। Instead, reorganize। Find more determination, more knowledge, more help। If you have met your goals, set some bigger goals.

Once you meet your personal or family needs, move onto goals for your group, the society, even mankind.

Don't create success and lie in it. You have resources, skills and abilities to make a difference.

Put a shark in your tan. If you have met your goals, set some bigger goals. Once you meet your personal or family needs, move onto goals for your group, the society, even mankind. Don't create success and lie in it.

You have resources, skills and abilities to make a difference. Put a shark in your tank and see how far you can really go!

Management Lessons not taught in Business School.

2008-05-21T01:01:00.000-07:00

Lession one:

A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day. A small rabbit saw the crow, and asked him, 'Can I also sit like you and do nothing all

Day long?'

The crow answered: 'Sure, why not.' So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow, and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared,

jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Management Lesson: To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.

Lesson Number Two:

A turkey was chatting with a bull.

'I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree,

' sighed the turkey, 'but I haven't got the energy.

'Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?' replied the bull.

'They're packed with nutrients.' The turkey pecked at a lump of Dung and found that it actually gave him enough strength to reach the first branch of the tree. The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally after a fortnight, there he was proudly perched at the top of the tree. Soon a farmer, who shot the turkey out of the tree, promptly spotted him.

Management Lesson: Bullshit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.

Lesson Number Three:

When the body was first made, all the parts wanted to be Boss.

The brain said, 'I should be Boss because I control the whole body’s responses and functions.

'The feet said, 'We should be Boss as we carry the brain about and get him to where he wants to go.'

The hands said, 'We should be the Boss because we do all the work and earn all the money.'

And so it went on and on with the heart, the lungs and the eyes until finally the asshole spoke up.

All the parts laughed at the idea of the asshole being the Boss. So the asshole went on strike, blocked itself up and refused to work. Within a short time the eyes became crossed, the hands clenched, the feet twitched, the heart and lungs began to panic and the brain fevered. Eventually they all decided that the asshole should be the Boss, so the motion was passed.

All the other parts did all the work while the Boss just sat and passed out the shit!

Management Lesson: You don't need brains to be a Boss - any asshole will do.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lesson Number Four:

A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold; the bird froze and fell to the ground in a large field. While it was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on it. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, it began to realize how warm it was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy and soon began to sing for joy. A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate. Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung and promptly dug him out and ate him!

Management Lessons: 1) Not everyone who drops shit on you is your enemy.

2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.

3) And when you're in deep shit, keep your mouth shut!

Best way to make your life happy

2008-05-09T05:15:00.000-07:00

1) Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

2) Marry a man / woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as important as any other.

3) Don’t believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want

4) When you say, “I love you”, mean it

5) When you say, “I’m sorry”, look the person in the eye.

6) Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

7) Believe in love at first sight.

8) Never laugh at anyone’s dreams. People who don’t have dreams don’t have much.

9) Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it’s the only way to live life completely.

10) In disagreements, fight fairly. Please No name calling.

11) Don’t judge people by their relatives.

12) Talk slowly but think quickly.

13) When someone asks you a question you don’t want to answer, smile and ask, “Why do you want to know?”

14) Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

15) Say “bless you” when you hear someone sneeze.

16) When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.

17) Remember the three R’s:

Respect for self;

Respect for others;

Responsibility for all you actions.

18) Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship

19) When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediately steps to correct it.

20) Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

21) Spend some time alone.

Mail sent by Narayana Murthy to all Infosys staff........nice one(please do read this..................)

2007-11-22T03:46:00.000-08:00

Mail sent by Narayana Murthy to all Infosys staff:

It's half past 8 in the office but the lights are still on...
PCs still running, coffee machines still buzzing...
And who's at work? Most of them ??? Take a closer look...
All or most specimens are ??
Something male species of the human race...
Look closer... again all or most of them are bachelors...
And why are they sitting late? Working hard? No way!!!
Any guesses???
Let's ask one of them...
Here's what he says... "What's there 2 do after going home...Here we get to surf, AC, phone, food, coffee that is why I am working late...Importantly no bossssssss!!!!!!!!!!!"
This is the scene in most research centers and software companies and other off-shore offices.Bachelors "Time-passing" during late hours in the office just bcoz they say they've nothing else to do...
Now what r the consequences... "Working" (for the record only) late hours soon becomes part of the institute or company culture.With bosses more than eager to provide support to those "working" late in the form of taxi vouchers, food vouchers and of course good feedback, (oh, he's a hard worker... goes home only to change..!!).
They aren't helping things too...
To hell with bosses who don't understand the difference between "sitting" late and "working" late!!!
Very soon, the boss start expecting all employees to put in extra working hours.
So, My dear Bachelors let me tell you, life changes when u get married and start having a family... office is no longer a priority, family is... and that's when the problem starts... b'coz u start having commitments at home too. For your boss, the earlier "hardworking" guy suddenly seems to become a "early leaver" even if u leave an hour after regular time... after doing the same amount of work.
People leaving on time after doing their tasks for the day are labeled as work-shirkers...
Girls who thankfully always (its changing nowadays... though) leave on time are labeled as "not up to it". All the while, the bachelors pat their own backs and carry on "working" not realizing that they r spoiling the work culture at their own place and never realize that they wuld have to regret at one point of time.
*So what's the moral of the story?? *
* Very clear, LEAVE ON TIME!!!
* Never put in extra time " *unless really needed *"
* Don't stay back un-necessarily and spoil your company work culture which will in turn cause inconvenience to you and your colleagues.
There are hundred other things to do in the evening..
Learn music...
Learn a foreign language...
Try a sport... TT, cricket.........
Importantly Get a girl friend or boy friend, take him/her around town...
* And for heaven's sake net cafe rates have dropped to an all-time low (plus, no fire-walls) and try cooking for a change.
Take a tip from the Smirnoff ad: *"Life's calling, where are you??"*
Please pass on this message to all those colleagues And please do it before leaving time, don't stay back till midnight to forward this!!!

IT'S A TYPICAL INDIAN MENTALITY THAT WORKING FOR LONG HOURS MEANS VERY HARD WORKING & 100% COMMITMENT ETC.
PEOPLE WHO REGULARLY SIT LATE IN THE OFFICE DONT KNOW TO MANAGE THEIR TIME. SIMPLE !

Self appraisal... nice one

2007-11-22T03:32:00.000-08:00

A little boy went into a drug store, reached for a soda carton and pulled it over to the telephone. He climbed onto the carton so that he could reach the buttons on the phone and proceeded to punch in seven digits. The store-owner observed and listened to the conversation: The boy asked, "Lady, Can you give me the job of cutting your lawn? The woman replied, "I already have someone to cut my lawn." "Lady, I will cut your lawn for half the price of the person who cuts your lawn now." replied boy. The woman esponded that she was very satisfied with the person who was presently cutting her lawn. The little boy found more perseverance and offered, "Lady, I'll even sweep your curb and your sidewalk, so on Sunday you will have the prettiest lawn in all of Palm beach, Florida." Again the woman answered in the negative.With a smile on his face, the little boy replaced the receiver. The store-owner, who was listening to all, walked over to the boy and said: " Son... I like your attitude; I like that positive spirit and would like to offer you a job." The little boy replied, "No thanks, I was just checking my performance with the job I already have. I am the one who is working for that lady, I was talking to!"

A Lession .... to be leart

2007-11-22T03:23:00.000-08:00

A turtle family went on a picnic. The turtles, being naturally slow about things, took seven years to prepare for their outings. Finally the Turtle family left home looking for a suitable place. During the second year of their journey they found it. For about six months they cleaned up the area, unpacked the picnic basket, and completed the arrangements.

Then they discovered they had forgotten the salt. A picnic without salt would be a disaster, they all agreed. After a lengthy discussion, the youngest turtle was chosen to retrieve the salt from home. Although he was the fastest of the slow moving turtles, the little turtle whined, cried, and wobbled in his shell.

He agreed to go on one condition: that no one would eat until he returned. The family consented and the little turtle left. Three years passed and the little turtle had not returned. Five years â Six years... Then in the seventh year of his absence, the oldest turtle could no longer contain his hunger. He announced that he was going to eat and began to unwrap a sandwich. At that point the little turtle suddenly popped out from behind a tree shouting, "SEE I knew you wouldn't wait. Now I am not going to go get the salt."

Lesson Learned:
Some of us waste our time waiting for people to live up to our expectations. We are so concerned about what others are doing that we don't do anything ourselves.

Management pot - pourri --- nice one to read

2007-11-22T03:18:00.000-08:00

Why Employees Leave Organizations ?....views by WIPRO CEO

2007-10-29T22:06:00.000-07:00

WHY EMPLOYEES LEAVE ORGANISATIONS ? - Azim Premji,CEO- Wipro

Every company faces the problem of people leaving the company for better pay or profile.
Early this year, Mark, a senior software designer, got an offer from a prestigious international firm to work in its India operations developing specialized software. He was thrilled by the offer.

He had heard a lot about the CEO. The salary was great. The company had all the right systems in place employee-friendly human resources (HR) policies, a spanking new office,and the very best technology,even a canteen that served superb food.

Twice Mark was sent abroad for training. "My learning curve is the sharpest it's ever been," he said soon after he joined.

Last week, less than eight months after he joined, Mark walked out of the job.

Why did this talented employee leave ?

Arun quit for the same reason that drives many good people away.

The answer lies in one of the largest studies undertaken by the Gallup Organization. The study surveyed over a million employees and 80,000 managers and was published in a book called "First Break All The Rules". It came up with this surprising finding:

If you're losing good people, look to their immediate boss ...Immediate boss is the reason people stay and thrive in an organization. And he 's the reason why people leave. When people leave they take knowledge,experience and contacts with them, straight to the competition.
"People leave managers not companies," write the authors Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman.

Mostly manager drives people away?

HR experts say that of all the abuses, employees find humiliationthe most intolerable. The first time, an employee may not leave,but a thought has been planted. The second time, that thought gets strengthened. The third time, he looks for another job.

When people cannot retort openly in anger, they do so by passive aggression. By digging their heels in and slowing down. By doing only what they are told to do and no more. By omitting to give the boss crucial information. Dev says: "If you work for a jerk, you basically want to get him into trouble. You don 't have your heart and soul in the job."

Different managers can stress out employees in different ways - by being too controlling, too suspicious,too pushy, too critical, but they forget that workers are not fixed assets, they are free agents. When this goes on too long, an employee will quit - often over a trivial issue.

Talented men leave. Dead wood doesn't.

How do you Negotiate your salary

2007-10-07T04:32:00.000-07:00

Recent graduates are often so happy about being hired they don't think about negotiating their salary and benefits. Not only can they negotiate, they should. Here are some tips:

Study Up
Negotiating salaries is a skill that's learned, so read everything you can get your hands on about the topic. Go to the library and check out books on salary negotiations, read Web sites devoted to it and ask friends and colleagues about their own success stories.
Know Thyself
Don't simply ask for money. Before entering into a negotiation, you should calculate both the salary you'd like and the bare minimum amount you're willing to accept. The range between that high and low number will provide you with what experienced negotiators call a "zone of possible agreement."
Turn The Tables
If a potential employer asks you what kind of salary to expect, ask what has been budgeted for the position and go from there. The idea is to always to have the employer make the first offer. If you absolutely must answer, be as vague as possible. Answer with something like "I'm currently making in the low six figures."
Honesty Is The Best Policy
No matter what, never, ever lie about your salary. All you will manage to gain is a reputation for dishonesty.
Bidding War
Searching for a new job isn't fun. But when employees talk to multiple companies, that works to their advantage. If you're lucky enough to have multiple offers, feel free to pit one offer against another.
Survey Other Salaries
Employees should research what their colleagues are making so they know if their offer fits into that range.
Keep An Eye On Outside Opportunities
Staying in a job too long keeps employees from increasing their salary, since companies typically don't give raises more than a few percentage points. Larger raises tend to come when switching jobs and companies. Employees should try to keep one foot in the job market to keep tabs on what other opportunities are available.
Role-Play
Employees should ask a colleague to play out how negotiations might go. Make sure you come up with as many scenarios as possible so you don't hit any unexpected situations.
Negotiate Collaboratively
If you get a job offer with a higher salary and would like to see your current boss match the salary, you shouldn't say, "Unless you match the offer, I'm leaving." Instead, try taking this approach: "I have another job offer, but I'd like to stay here because I like working for this organization. Can you match the offer?"

To know more, hit the links below:

1) http://www.forbes.com/2007/10/03/work-pay-boss-lead-careers-cx_tw_1003raise.html?partner=leadership_newsletter
2) http://www.negotiationlawblog.com/
3) >http://www.latpro.com/USER/articles/resourcesforhumans/content.php?rfh=Latpro_NegotiatingIncrease.htm%20
4) >http://www.acetheinterview.com/

Lessons from ChakDe - Thoughts and dialog by Narayanamurthy

2007-09-27T23:35:00.000-07:00

Narayana Murthy's experience with ChakDe - India movie:

The other day, my wife and I were perhaps among the very few over 50-year-olds in the mostlytwentyish crowd watching the film Chak De in Bangalore.
You had to be there to believe the shouts of joy that accompanied every goal India scored in the imaginary tournament in the movie. The mood at the end was
as if India had actually won the women’s world cup in hockey.

I can appreciate this mood since I too felt similar joy and pride when hundreds of cameras clicked at me holding our national flag, on India and my being declared the winners of the prestigious world entrepreneur award among the forty-odd competing nations at Monaco in 2003.

As I exited the theatre after watching Chak De that day, several youngsters asked me for my reaction to the movie. My answer was simple. I said I wanted to see the movie become a reality not just in hockey but in every sphere.
The recipe for such a success was most wonderfully conveyed by Shah Rukh Khan and those wonderful women hockey players in the movie. Let me recount them here.

We have to identify as Indians first and rise above our affiliations with our states, religions and castes.

We must accept meritocracy and
enthusiastically play the role we are best
suited to.

We must embrace discipline to strictly follow
every step required for success.

We have to put the interest of our nation ahead of our personal interests, subordinating our egos and biases.

Finally, we have to put in tremendous hard work
and make short-term sacrifices for long-term glory.

I have immense faith and optimism in the youth of this country.But, will we get our leaders to set examples for hundreds of millions of Indian youth? I wish more and more of our leaders see Chak De and learn these precious lessons.

At 17, she has built a million-dollar web site

2007-09-20T23:25:00.000-07:00

At 17 going on 37 (at least), Ashley is very much an Internet professional. In the less than two years since Whateverlife took off, she has dropped out of high school, bought a house, helped launch artists such as Lily Allen, and rejected offers to buy her young company. Although Ashley was flattered to be offered $1.5 million and a car of her choice--as long as the price tag wasn't more than $100,000--she responded, in effect, Whatever. :) "I don't even have my license yet," she says.

To read her complete success story, hit the link below:

http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/aug/29bspec.htm

At 28, a paraplegic, she makes her living from the stock markets

2007-09-20T23:16:00.000-07:00

Sujata Burla's life took an ugly turn on June 9, 2001.she met with an accident.

Four months later, the doctors and physiotherapists treating her told her she could not walk for the rest of her life. The accident had turned her into a paraplegic. It meant Sujata was immobile below the shoulders. She was just 21.

Now, she trades like a pro and earns anywhere between Rs 200,000 and Rs 250,000 every month. On a day like Wednesday, September 19, 2007, when the Nifty was up 186 points, Sujata made a cool Rs 600,000 in a single day. She has still not sold her position.

For the complete story, hit the link below:

http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2007/sep/20pras.htm

Do you wanna start your own business? Looking for fund?

2007-08-23T06:08:00.000-07:00

If you think, you have a very good idea,which can make a great business, but don't have enough funds to implement that,

Submit your business plan to the following business plan competitions,which will turns the heads of investors to pour the funds for your idea.

Here are the list of the business plan competitions:

1) Wharton Business Plan Competition to Test India’s Entrepreneurship Prowess

2)Business Ideas contest from ISB[Indian School of Business]

3)Microfinance Business Plan Competetion

4)IIM Kozhikode Business Plan Contest

5)IIT business plan competetion

What are you waiting for?....
Hurry up....

10 steps to open for business

2007-08-23T03:48:00.000-07:00

Do you wanna start your business?
And wanna make it a very big successful business?

Before that, read 10 steps to start, which are proven step by step process to help you achieve startup success from the below link:

http://startupnation.com/steps/55/10-steps-open-start-business.htm

Stronger Rupee = Stronger India = Gold India

2007-08-05T23:57:00.000-07:00

Stronger Rupee = Stronger India

Let me ask a question first.

What type of economic strength is preferable to India?
A) A strong Indian economy fueled by its cheap labor due to a weaker rupee against dollar, where the Indians end up working in shifts, late nights, whole nights and what not… only doing low profile jobs which foreign companies want to offload to India, so that they can concentrate on high end works and become even better. For instance in IT field, providing BPO services, support and maintenance work for products…
OR
B) A strong Indian economy fueled by its strong innovations and products, no matter whether the rupee is strong or weak against dollar.. where Indians work only in regular office hours of 9 to 6, developing cutting edge technologies and solutions, selling our world class products both inside and outside India. For instance in IT field, imagine operating systems, compilers, databases etc all coming out of India..

I do not deny the fact that the IT boom in India came to a large extent because of (A). Well and good, we have had the benefits of our cost being cheap in western markets due to a weak rupee against dollar.. We have had our share because of this advantage in the past 2 decades..

But at the same time doesn't it make sense to move towards (B), instead of crying foul against rupee becoming stronger against dollar?

What a pity! Indian IT companies are feeling bad because rupee is becoming stronger against dollar! Reason, their profits will go down when the value of rupee is stronger, as every single dollar that comes into their account now means lesser rupee than earlier..(if for instance earlier they used to get 47 rupees for every dollar that comes in, but today its about 40!)

But isn't this a matter of celebration? Our rupee is gaining importance internationally and is becoming stronger again .. How many of us know that in 1947 when India got independence 1 Rupee was 1.2 US dollars?

These Indian IT companies instead of relying on a weaker rupee for their profit should now look at coming out with innovative products and technical solutions. What have these companies done in the arena of core system products? Why don't we have any operating systems, compilers, database systems, development platforms etc coming out of India? Why don't we develop tools like photoshop or flash? We have talent, but they all are working in American companies on these products.. Cannot our Indian IT companies setup at least small teams to develop such products?

Instead they are planning to make their employees work on saturdays too ! So that their profits can increase due to extra hours the employees put in.. As if India doesnt have any other option other than cheap labour, workaholic labor!! Are there no brains in India who can setup companies developing products and make money just by printing out more serial numbers and burning their product DVDs?

If Indian companies continue to depend on its weak currency, then how would Indian economy survive in a world where all currencies have equal value? Survival of the fittest.. Only greater innovation can help us in that case..

We need to have knowledge and technological advantage if India wants to become a superpower, not low cost based cheap labor advantage! Let the Chinese do it..

I hope that rupee becomes more and more stronger so that Indians are forced to use their brains and come up with innovative products and next generation technologies, than to provide low end services…

We need to create a situation where other countries line up to buy our F-16s, to buy our operating systems, to buy our mobile phones and I-pods, to buy our Boeing, to buy our Mercedes…

A stronger rupee means we can easily afford foreign trips! This is what I wrote in one of my earlier blogs.

"A stronger rupee means Indians can buy things anywhere in the world on par with developed economies! We dont have to spend crores of rupees then to buy a Boeing! We don't have to pay tens of thousands of rupees for international air travels! A stronger rupee means greater international exposure! There wont be a difference between buying a Maruti and buying a Mercedes! One can go on a trip to the Grand Canyon just like the way one goes to Ladakh or Nepal ! How do you think american citizens are able to tour all over the world? Because they earn more? No. But because their currency USD is stronger.. and this is where a strong rupee will lead us to!… "

I am not saying providing low end services is wrong .. It gave us a very good start in the 90s. But that should definitely not be the bread and butter fueling our economic boom indefinitely in the future.. For the simple reason that it can't continue to do so any longer.. other low cost destinations, cheaper than India are already coming up in the world… Let us move ahead… become more innovative.. the journey has just started… This is just the beginning of all the beginnings…

So friends mail or share your concepts, ideas and any new project to following email ids, we will work as a Gold India Team…

We will create Golden INDIA once again….

Getting What (You Think) You're Worth

2007-05-10T21:55:00.000-07:00

Once you take the offer from a company, you have to consider so many things like competitive salary,share benfits, etc...

Wanna know all those details, hit or copy and paste the link below in your browser:

http://www.forbes.com/2007/05/09/graduates-salary-negotiation-lead-careers-cx_tw_0508bizbasics.html?partner=leadership_newsletter

Celebrity First Jobs

2007-05-10T21:46:00.000-07:00

First jobs don’t often portend future careers.

Most of the celebrities did small jobs which are nowhere related to their current status or job profile.

Hit the link below or copy and paste it in your browser to know about some of the big shots first job. Michael Dell, Donald Trump...etc...

http://www.forbes.com/2007/05/04/celebrity-careers-jobs-lead-career_cx_0507celebjobs.html?partner=leadership_newsletter

TCS business case contest

2007-05-03T00:07:00.000-07:00

The TCS SMART Manager Case Contest provides you an opportunity to showcase your abilities and stand out from the crowd. Read the case, submit your smart insight and remember to keep a b&w pix ready just in case you are the chosen one!

You can win Rs. 25,o00/-

For details : http://www.thesmartmanager.com/tcs/tcscasestudy.asp?

templates to write a good essay

2006-12-27T02:18:00.000-08:00

1) Improve your essay writing skills with the templates provided at:

http://admissionessays.blogspot.com/
http://search.essayfind.com/cgi-bin/query?mss=essayfinder&q=entrance+essay

2) Find out Good material and tips to crack the GMAT test at:

http://crackthecutoffs.blogspot.com/

This link provides information on,

a) Numbers and their specialities,
b) Geometry tips
c) Logical reasoning tips
d) Data sufficiency
e) Data interpretation
f) Equations tips
g) Basic strategies to crack the GMAT,CAT,XAT,SNAP,etc...
h) Top indian b-schools info

and many more...

Interview on CNBC with Warren Buffet, the second richest !!!!!!!!!

2006-12-11T06:25:00.000-08:00

There was a one hour interview on CNBC with Warren Buffet, the second
richest man who has donated $31 billion to charity. Here are some very

interesting aspects of his life:

1) He bought his first share at age 11 and he now regrets that he
started too late!

2) He bought a small farm at age 14 with savings from delivering
newspapers.

3) He still lives in the same small 3 bedroom house in mid-town Omaha,
that he bought after he got married 50 years ago. He says that he has
everything he needs in that house. His house does not have a wall or a
fence.

4) He drives his own car everywhere and does not have a driver or
security people around him.

5) He never travels by private jet, although he owns the world's largest
private jet company.

6) His company, Berkshire Hathaway, owns 63 companies. He writes only
one letter each year to the CEOs of these companies, giving them goals
for the year. He never holds meetings or calls them on a regular basis.

7) He has given his CEO's only two rules. Rule number 1: do not lose
any of your share holder's money. Rule number 2: Do not forget rule
number 1.

8) He does not socialize with the high society crowd. His past time
after he gets home is to make himself some pop corn and watch
television.

9) Bill Gates, the world's richest man met him for the first time only
5 years ago. Bill Gates did not think he had anything in common with
Warren Buffet. So he had scheduled his meeting only for half hour. But
when Gates met him, the meeting lasted for ten hours and Bill Gates
became a devotee of Warren Buffet.

10) Warren Buffet does not carry a cell phone, nor has a computer on his
desk.

11) His advice to young people: Stay away from credit cards and invest
in yourself.

Ace your year-end review

2006-12-06T23:12:00.000-08:00

With all the distractions the end of the year brings, it's easy to neglect your day-to-day work. But this might be the most important time of year to focus on your job and your career. Many organizations hold year-end performance reviews, and acing them is often your ticket to a pay raise or promotion.

Find out the details at:
http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Story.aspx?guid=%7B9C38A00D%2D46C8%2D49BD%2D98B1%2D1738E01BD9DF%7D

Good Quotes from Bruce Lee

2006-12-06T23:08:00.000-08:00

Good Quotes from Bruce Lee:

• Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself; do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.
• A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.
• A quick temper will make a fool of you soon enough
• A goal is not always meant to be reached, it often serves simply as something to aim at
• I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times
• If you make an ass out of yourself, there will always be someone to ride you
• If you think a thing is impossible, you'll make it impossible.
•
• A good martial artist does not become tense but ready. Not thinking yet not dreaming, ready for whatever may come. A martial artist has to take responsibility for himself and face the consequences of his own doing. To have no technique, there is no opponent, because the word "I" does not exist. When the opponent expands I contract and when he contracts, I expand. And when there is an opportunity, "I" do not hit, "It" hits all by itself.
• All fixed set patterns are incapable of adaptability or pliability. The truth is outside of all fixed patterns.
• Art is the expression of the self. The more complicated and restricted the method, the less the opportunity for expression of one's original sense of freedom. Though they play an important role in the early stage, the techniques should not be too mechanical, complex or restrictive. If we cling blindly to them, we shall eventually become bound by their limitations. Remember, you are expressing the techniques and not doing the techniques. If somebody attacks you, your response is not Technique No.1, Stance No. 2, Section 4, Paragraph 5. Instead you simply move in like sound and echo, without any deliberation. It is as though when I call you, you answer me, or when I throw you something, you catch it. It's as simple as that — no fuss, no mess. In other words, when someone grabs you, punch him. To me a lot of this fancy stuff is not functional.
• As long as I can remember I feel I have had this great creative and spiritual force within me that is greater than faith, greater than ambition, greater than confidence, greater than determination, greater than vision. It is all these combined. My brain becomes magnetized with this dominating force which I hold in my hand
• As you think, so shall you become.
• Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way round or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.
• Before I studied the art, a punch to me was just like a punch, a kick just like a kick. After I learned the art, a punch was no longer a punch, a kick no longer a kick. Now that I've understood the art, a punch is just like a punch, a kick just like a kick. The height of cultivation is really nothing special. It is merely simplicity; the ability to express the utmost with the minimum. It is the halfway cultivation that leads to ornamentation. Jeet Kune-Do is basically a sophisticated fighting style stripped to its essentials
• By adopting a certain physical posture, a resonant chord is struck in spirit
• To hell with circumstances. I create opportunities
• Do not deny the classical approach, simply as a reaction, or you will have created another pattern and trapped yourself there
• Eventually, you learn to read groups of words. Where a student will see three motions, the experienced man will see one, because he sees the overall energy path
• Give up thinking as though not giving it up. Observe techniques as though not observing.
• I am learning to understand rather than immediately judge or to be judged. I cannot blindly follow the crowd and accept their approach. I will not allow myself to indulge in the usual manipulating game of role creation. Fortunately for me, my self-knowledge has transcended that and I have come to understand that life is best to be lived and not to be conceptualized. I am happy because I am growing daily and I am honestly not knowing where the limit lies. To be certain, every day there can be a revelation or a new discovery. I treasure the memory of the past misfortunes. It has added more to my bank of fortitude
• I am not teaching you anything. I just help you to explore yourself.
• I'm not a master, I'm a student-master, meaning that I have the knowledge of a master and the expertise of a master, but I'm still learning, So I'm a student-master. I don't believe in the word master, I consider the master as such when they close the casket.
• If I tell you I'm good, you would probably think I'm boasting, If I tell you I'm no good, You know I'm lying.
• If there is a God, he is within. You don't ask God to give you things, you depend on God for your inner theme.
• If you don't want to slip up tomorrow, speak the truth today
• If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of.
• In building a statue, a sculptor doesn't keep adding clay to his subject. Actually, he keeps chiseling away at the inessentials until the truth of its creation is revealed without obstructions. Thus, contrary to other styles, being wise in Jeet Kune-Do doesn't mean adding more; it means to minimize, in other words to hack away the unessential.

Find out more at: http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Bruce_Lee

Peter Lynch famed investor and manager

2006-11-29T07:34:00.000-08:00

Peter Lynch, famed investor and manager of the Magellan mutual fund, went to work at Fidelity as a textile analyst. From 1977 to 1990, the Magellan fund rose more than 2,700%. These articles, interviews, and resources all contain information on Peter Lynch, the mutual fund industry, and Fidelity.

To find out all those, hit the link below:

http://beginnersinvest.about.com/od/peterlynch/Peter_Lynch_Fidelity_Magellan.htm

Warren Buffett Biography

2006-11-29T04:50:00.000-08:00

Warren Buffett is perhaps the greatest investor of all time. His company, Berkshire Hathaway, has grown from over $8 a share when he started acquiring its stock back in the 1960's to over $71,000 today, ballooning Buffett's personal holdings to over $36 billion. These Warren Buffett resources include a biography, articles, timeline, and investing notes at:

http://beginnersinvest.about.com/od/warrenbuffett/Warren_Buffett_and_Berkshire_Hathaway.htm

Quotes on Leadership

2006-11-27T22:37:00.000-08:00

Good Quotes on Leadership Qualities from Mark Sanborn, CSP, CPAE

* Managers try to be heroes; leaders try to make heroes

* People who lead – whether or not they have a title – strive to make things better for those around them. They increase what I call ROI. In this instance ROI doesn’t stand for “return on investment,” but rather

* I define leadership as an invitation to greatness that we extend to others

* Managing is Power over People but Leadership is Power with People

* While most people tell, leaders sell, or persuade. Telling is about providing information; selling is about influencing action

* You and I know how good we have become, but we don't have any idea of how good we could be

* More important than achieving your goals is pursuing your potential

* Use your past as a springboard instead of an anchor. Deal with the issues that are holding you back

* Losers make excuses. Winners make explanations. Excuses don't teach you anything and keep you from making needed changes. Explanations help you learn what went wrong and give you insights for needed changes

* The elimination of foolishness and stupidity is the beginning of excellence

* Don't copy the crowd--follow the leaders

* In the past, leaders were those who knew the right answers. Today, leaders are those who know the right questions

* A wise person once said, 'The bad news is that you can't have it all. The good news is that when you know what's really important, you don't want it all anyway

* "Focus on your MVP activities (Most Valuable and Profitable activities)

* Continually ask yourself, 'What gives me the biggest payback on my investment of time and energy?

* Spend 60-80% of every day on your MVP activities. That still gives you 20-40% of each day to deal with interruptions, emergencies and the unexpected

* You can't put more time in your life but you can put more life into your time

* Discipline is the ability to do what needs to be done even when you don't feel like doing it

* The difference between excellence and mediocrity is usually the difference between common knowledge and consistent application

* Learn to walk away from an unprofitable sale. You'll do a better job of selling and serving customers when you feel you've received a fair price for your effort

* Always be yourself, but choose to be your best self

* Take what you do in this life seriously, but don't take yourself too seriously

* No matter how good a product, service or idea is, somebody has still got to sell it

* Happy buyers take credit. Unhappy buyers place blame

* A sales professional who doesn't beat the bushes gets beat

Do u wanna have more quotes?

Hit the link below or Copy the link and paste it in your browser: :)

http://www.marksanborn.com/store/Quotes.asp

The best leadership resource - Learn Like A Leader

2006-11-26T06:50:00.000-08:00

"Communication is both a science and an art"
—Mark Sanborn

Everybody leads...
...but not everybody leads well.

The ultimate resource for the leadership.

Do you wanna know,
* How Leaders Communicate
* Strategies for self motivation
* How to be a great coach
* Leadership at Event Level
* Always pay for free advice

and lot many more to learn ....
Copy the link and paste it in your browser:

http://www.marksanborn.com/store/Leadership_Lessons_04-21-05.asp

admission criteria for PGP at ISB

2006-11-25T02:38:00.000-08:00

Post Graduate Program at ISB, Hyderabad.Selection criteria:

1) Bachelor’s degree in any discipline
2) Minimum 2+ work experience [full time]
3) GMAT score [last year minimum score 706] or CAT score

Note:
1) GMAT scores of the last five years are valid
2) CAT scores obtained since 2002 will be considered

To know more about PGP like, important dates, feel details, etc... hit the following link:

http://www.isb.edu/pgp/visit/admissions_criteria_whatisb.htm

Ultimate information about BILL GATES

2006-10-17T02:50:00.000-07:00

Findout a lot of things to know about bill gate's.
Bill Gate's car:

His school life, his family background, relations with IBM, his views ,his thoughts etc... http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/comphist/gates.htm#tc1" target="_blank">http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/comphist/gates.htm#tc1

What is the actual meaning for Entrepreneur

2006-10-09T04:14:00.000-07:00

Findout the exact def from wikipedia :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entrepreneur

Case Study of the Indian Cement Industry

2006-10-09T04:02:00.000-07:00

Do you want to know about indian cement industry?
like, nature of the cement industry, cartels and price rigging, and obersvations ,and also about steel industry and many more...

click the link: http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:EITRM7538MUJ:www.cuts-international.org/documents/Day2/Competition%2520Issues%2520in%2520Manufacturing%2520Sector.ppt+indian+manufacturing+industry&hl=en&gl=in&ct=clnk&cd=3

Future of INDIAN manufacturing industry

2006-10-09T03:53:00.000-07:00

Do u want to know the analasys of indian manufacturing industry?
The following link provide you complete analasys of manufacturing industry PRODUCT WISE"

http://www.timesb2b.com/etigManu/etig10.html

India's current and future position in the global IT market place by N.R.Narayanamurthy

2006-10-07T10:59:00.001-07:00

Known as "The Bill Gates of Asia," N.R. Narayana Murthy.

Gartner Fellow, Bob Hayward, spoke with Mr. N.R. Narayanamurthy in Mumbai about India's current and future position in the global IT marketplace.

Details at: http://www.gartner.com/research/fellows/asset_52308.jsp

Who inspired N.R. Narayanamurthy

2006-10-07T10:59:00.000-07:00

Do you want to know who is the role model and who inspired N.R. Narayamurthy in his career ?
What prompted Narayanamurthy to opt for the unconventional job offer from IIM?
What was the initial business plan of Infosys based on?
Does ever at any point Narayamurthy feel like giving up?
What was the turning point for Infosys?
What has kept the Infosys team together through all these years?
And find out many more about infosys and Narayanamurthy at :http://www.india-seminar.com/2000/485/485%20interview.htm

How to build a great company By N.R Narayanamurthy

2006-10-07T10:49:00.000-07:00

N R Narayana Murthy, Chairman of the Board and Chief Mentor, Infosys Technologies, outlines the key ingredients to building a great company and the role of 'compassionate capitalism' in society.
To find out the details, look at: http://in.rediff.com/money/2005/jan/31spec.htm

about this site

2006-10-07T09:45:00.000-07:00

Hi,

This site is dedicated to provide information about business interviews, latest trends in business,top business school information, business giants details , etc...

I hope this will helpful to many ppl... :)