Business Leader Traits

• Problem solving and decision making skills
• Strategic thinking skills
• Networking and influencing skills
• Financial results focus
• Change management skills

Do I have any of these --- ??????

More I travel... Simpler I become

Have now traveled to Thailand, UK, Malaysia, Indonesia, Luxembourg, Hungary, Sweden, Austria, France, Switzerland and Italy (makes it one more the TEN to tango.....)

What have I learnt--

1. Have learnt to be sensitive to cultures -speak slowly and understand the sensitivities -someone likes his coffee, some his meat and some his wine
2. There is much more than the English language - most of the countries had their own local languages - Do I need to learn any of them?
3. Professional writing is a key strength. Am lucky to learn from Ted's 56-year experience of British english :) - Write short, precise and powerful sentences.
4. Core principles of business remain the same - but decision making cycles differ and complexities are sometimes accepted as inherent
5. Fewer the words, the better - every word introduces a perception
6. Smile often - it is better to be perceived as a fool who smiles unnecessarily than as a guy who is an energy sucker, who frowns and grunts - reminds me of the Mr. Energy Sucker :)
7. Keep team structures simple - everyone wants to be a reviewer and a business leader - but the key contributions come from the doers
8. What makes a successful team - ample work to keep the team busy, followers who look up to leader(s), respect for each other's private space and goals, ability of the team to articulate a problems/challenge in one sentence (Richard's famous last words) and of course an adequate pay-scale
9. Portuguese have a standard perception on the Germans, Germans think of British in a different way, The British and the French blame each other for their invective(s), Italians are mindful of not having any coffee beyond 5 PM, the Swiss are confused due to a tri-lingual existence, Luxembourg is nothing but a commercial district whose population doubles during work hours (with people coming in to work from neighbouring countries)
10. Beyond topline and margins, it is also about sustaining an investor eco-system and a customer base (through brand building)
    

Doing business is not a monotone.... treat is just as you would want to treat your life... !! Find examples from real-world visuals, motions, conversations and facial contortions - Nature houses numerous novel ideas to do better business

Relieved Or Not??

Have a lot of ideas in mind, but am spoilt for chances and choices and my decision-making finesse seems to have taken a sabbatical; and the solvent is surely making it difficult for me.

It is the time when I need to put hard stops and initiate hard starts in life. Impatience is beginning to overpower my though circles and suspicion seems to expand its ripples beyond the peripheral concentric.

But to swing the discussions, life took the much required U-turn and came alongwith ample fresh air to kicstart new initiatives....

What might have been ramifications turned into claw backs all the way to the root structure. Have met some reasonably good people and some extremely learned gentleman. The past 5 months in UK have made me value experience and I welcome each and every moment as it comes.... the fact that I don't battle unreasonable expectations does give me the much required breather

Having hot chocolate at Paul's outside The Strand

Having lunch at Sally Luns at Bath - famous for its buns

Having dinner at Asha's in Birmingham

Having the wretched risotto at the Leux de Salons

The stroll through the old city of Stockholm

The few minutes by river Danube in Vienna

The wilderness of the Friday evening in Yates or MetroClub

Is everything comforting or relieving or gratifying?? - Nothing more than the change that you have brought along !!

What Einstein had to say... and What we have to comprehend

"How strange is the lot of us mortals! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he sometimes thinks he senses it. But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people -- first of all for those upon whose smiles and well-being our own happiness is wholly dependent, and then for the many, unknown to us, to whose destinies we are bound by the ties of sympathy. A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving... "

I have never looked upon ease and happiness as ends in themselves -- this critical basis I call the ideal of a pigsty. The ideals that have lighted my way, and time after time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Kindness, Beauty, and Truth. Without the sense of kinship with men of like mind, without the occupation with the objective world, the eternally unattainable in the field of art and scientific endeavors, life would have seemed empty to me. The trite objects of human efforts -- possessions, outward success, luxury -- have always seemed to me contemptible.

"My passionate sense of social justice and social responsibility has always contrasted oddly with my pronounced lack of need for direct contact with other human beings and human communities. I am truly a 'lone traveler' and have never belonged to my country, my home, my friends, or even my immediate family, with my whole heart; in the face of all these ties, I have never lost a sense of distance and a need for solitude..."

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Right said mate........ and I would echo the above words to a great extent. It has been these unusual thoughts that have usurped my mind of late. I am beginning to realise the larger intended purpose of my creation. And the incorrigible entropy is to facilitate the much needed change in others' lives. We all know that entropy increases as a matter and energy in the universe that eventually culminates into a state of inert uniformity... but then its the entropy that brings about the uniformity. This is a logical testimony to the fact that there exists within us a supernatural capability of becoming the harbinger of change in other people's lives....... and keep bringing them until they fear no further change, a state where they would accept change as visceral.

Lot of things have happened of late. Visited the environmentally blessed UK (although with a task to point out chasms in BT's environmental strategy), travelled extensively (although had only 2 completely free weekends out of the total of 6 weekends) and most importantly developed the art of initiating new conversations and making new friends. Although, there seems to be a lot of uncertainity in the future in terms of my location and profile... even at a month's interval......... I seem to be enjoying the precarious signals that life seems to offer. However, all said and done - the recent travails have instilled a sense of self belief along with an evident boldness to give it back during times of opprobrium. And this is what I call the state of verity, where there exists a judicious mix of immanence and transcendence in thoughts, actions and words.

Swati would definitely agree that I would have brought tons of change in her outlook towards life. Although, we may take different roads up north and south some time soon, there remains the fearless ability to darn that we would call a mutual contribution to each other's strenghts. I may not be able to do a lot for her as it has always been the other way round.

Pankaj may struggle with his work-life balance, but I have always tried to wrap that blanket of positivity that he so crazily aspires for. Pessimism does him in on most occassions but I should continue to give him my wise (atleast I would want to believe that) conunsel time and again.

Ruch had a huge conundrum to come out of....... and I guess my perspectives brought about the much needed change in her life. I would always have to play the role of the precursor and ensure the sustenance she so richly deserves. Notwithstanding, all that she is doing for me.

Bangalore Gang has been the highlight of the numerous memories of late. I played the role of a mere observer on most occassions, often leveraging on the good work of many others. But here I am, at a stage when I can effectively hearld the change that each one so dearly wishes to have. Badly want to help Dhruv and Yatendra get a new chore for themselves, but my realm of influence seems to be extremely limited now. Its been great to have Anuj in my team and it would be great if we could complement each other in the MBS initiatives as well. I am sure for the numerous questions he has, my answers would fortell a stronger approach for him. Would want to spend a few hours with Dhawal, Anubha, Suman and Marut and am sure can bring out a novel thought dimension in their outlook towards life (Dhawal seems to be toughest nut to crack... although he easily wilted under the lavish praise that I subjected him to in my recent email)

Corbett Gang has an intersection with the Bangalore Gang, but have to revive my interactions with each one to a degree beyond the cursory greetings (read ridiculing). Did try to find a chore for Khandu ji but it was heartening to know that he found his way to Mumbai and is doing what a Baniya does best. Jayant continues to crib but its more about the cup he choses to have the coffee rather than the coffee. But the contemporary highlight has been the stitch in the straw with Sharma and I tried to the best of my limited abilities to help him with his letters and essays. It was a great meeting him (...I just cannot wait to get back to London to visit the unexplored). Akshay, Alok and Uniyal would have their own turbulations but I have noticed that pep-talks have started to make unimaginable differences now. Looking beyond the gang, I would consider myself grown in stature if I manage to change the two unfathomable examples of obstination - Johney and Sanjay. These guys are gems who have to be told that to shine is an obvious trait they need to exhibit. I sometimes wonder at the ways in which they tried to enshroud their skill sets.

It is also a time when I strive to bring about the difference in my family beyond monetory and proletarian contributions. Although the efforts would entail statutory warnings, I guess every change requires one and it is only me who can do so.

Of late... quite a few friends have voiced their concerns over me being single. At the same time, they agree that I have evolved as a person and their perception of me has undergone volumes of change (for good .. is my understanding). Although it catches me unawares every single time (and am quite bemused whether I am really so)... but the retort I gave to Anubha today caught my attention. I told her that I will be the changed person, that I am, only till the time I fall for someone (yet again...). For a change, the distant relationship(s) ensured that I took time out to explore many more personas (read Bangalore Gang and many other common friends) and it has been an enthralling experience.

PS: Feel sorry for Ipek. She brought me a drink and I was not there to acknowledge the kind gesture. Someone please activate my international connection soon so that I call and apologise. I might need an approval from Doc... but what reason do I give him???????????

Frustrations turned down

Even my writing sometimes smells of hypocrisy to me. Time and again, I go on this spree to kill the prevarications but to no avail. Such times bring back immediate memories of misery and solitude. However, the only way I have grown is that I am able to immediately switch my thinking jumpers to memories that take me on a sway to cloud number 9. This realization only reinforces the abstract fact that I now have a lot more benevolent memories to drub the malevolent ones. And I guess this is what makes me the Strong one - whose existence seems to be so difficult to believe for Hippo.

This concurrence of thoughts and events has to end at any cost. We take steps only to kill the immediate apprehensions but the long-term view seems missing in most of us. And for a change, I am one who believes that there need not be any short-term compromises for achieving the long-term goals..... I have been doing so ... winning immediate battles and at the same time am well in control of the steps required to win the war !!

Vishu Sahasranama Adhyaya comes as the guide that helps me navigate the eternal misappropriations !!

Palimpsest

The title means a manuscript that has been written with the previous text incompletely erased. We all write palimpsests in our minds in forward (or rather) backward looking ways. We do not seem to do away with our past, we are most often anxious as to what future beckons and in the process, we seem to minimize our existentialism in the present.

I used to regret, brood or envy my past and was always of the opinion that I could have achieved much more. It is a different proposition altogether, that I was (in most occasions) the focal point of envy for a lot many others and what amazes me is that each one managed to convince himself/herself that their envy was genuine. The reasons attributed towards such staunch convictions were plausible maws in my overarching speech in life (I meant plausible gaps in my personality). However, when I sit back and try to be envious, my thoughts seem to get caught in an immanent web and I fail to transcend across to look at faults with others. According to me, the entire mankind is sinful, then why do we attribute others as reasons to defend our contemporary sins (read envy in particular)?

Voila!! I now know how to delicately dictate my immanent and transcendent thoughts towards greater glory..... Immanence when down and out.... AND transcendence when elated... because ambitious goals will assuage humility... and propel me towards greater achievements. In the process of realizing and writing these musings, I guess I have overcome the envious vibes to a great extent. But definitely, there is still a long way to go ... before I surmount all the negativity...... and work towards serving mankind is ways that will be rightfully austere; without any disposition for brownie points... :)

I have always wanted to write about her.... my fingers are rearing but my mind has come to a stand-still. Very seldom does it happen that the body concurs but the mind stops......

Aah.. now I remember, that Coorg... thank you buddies.... I am sure all of us had a great time...
As always, Salman Khan rocks... though not many steps to imitate this time around..... neither do I have the college audience nor the critics to downplay upon.......

Love all and hate none.... I am writing this because I am sensing adequate envious vibes from a lot many these days....

Congeries is the way forward

I used to be the most ruffianly cribber in life... Although never in front of the exterior.. I challenged every success or failure, every recognition or lack of it, every expectation or absence of any; and every expression or deficiency. In the process of challenging every dash, I had begun to wither my insouciance. Every success was rolled over when there should have actually been drum rolls. Every minuscule recognition in terms of people and processes should have been digested before setting a target for the subsequent one. Every expectation should be set without any alignment to realistic offerings and every expression should emanate irrespective of the populace.

In short, I used to crib about everything in this world until the moment I looked within... and arrived at a conclusion that if the world is accommodating someone as self-interested as I , I better start respecting every decision and every action directed at me or anyone else for that matter. It is one of my ardent beliefs now that congeries is the way forward and I should strive to evolve as an amenable conciliator.

Ever since, I have been at peace both with myself and my expectation settings. Life appears to be drum-roll and I have begun to savour every visual and grimace has become a word of the past. I started looking forward to vibes from the exterior and bumped onto loads of benevolence.

And let me try to something similar to what Dhruv last entry...

1. He does not quite realise the mess he is getting into. He may be enjoying the time and company right now... but I guess it will not be long before the discommodes commence
2. She believed that she had found the perfect match- her soul mate. But then came the day when she found out that her match did house similar doles of passion. Agonised and deeply pained, she moved on but looked for him in every other guy. She kept going back ... and still does the same... I wish she gets some respite from her emotional quagmire
3. He is one of the most prodigiously talented individuals I have come across... but pessimism and a laid-back approach rule the roost in most of his decisions. He does get an opportunity to come out of his cocoon but these opportunities are never the ones with complete independence... as always.. I wish him all the success in life...
4. Riding on to the second boat of relationships, she stumbled a bit but eventually found true love. She even went to the extent of searching about his parents on public domain... a weird act of adhesiveness.. and one find day she decided to close her relationship with him. I just cannot fathom the rationale behind her decision... but my sympathies for him
5. He is by far luck-personified... and I have observed opportunities walking all the way to his doorstep only for the entry to be stalled for a little while; courtesy his laziness. He has added a whole new dimension to his existence and I sincerely hope that he is adding feathers to himself rather than trying to stitch the wings (because we need two hands to clap.. and he can afford to dedicate only one hand)
6. Her cheer has always brought a smile ... and her vibes rejuvenated the entire surroundings..... but some strange decisions clipped her wings .. and she feels that she can no longer take the exponential growth curve ... because she cannot fly. I can only wish her all the best...
7. She may have taken a different path altogether ... without exhaustively experiencing the materialistic world in its entirely. My only wish is that her realisations and learnings do not translate into arrogance whereby one looks down upon people who do not take similar paths. If all of us take that path, then selected individuals will be no longer be of the chosen pedigree.
8. He is finally at peace with whatever he is doing in life. He has stopped questioning himself with issues that have no meaning in life. I am extremely happy for him because he has finally deciphered himself after an internal melee.
   

Congeries is the way forward... especially when there has to be a substantial savings on the energy front... am participating in a defining phase of my life as a part of Doc's team....

I challenged everyone's intention... until I looked within.... and like Charles De Gaulle.. started adoring dogs more than humans..