What makes a winning CULTURE ....

There is a general tendency of we humans to compare whatever we can. One thing that gets compared first when someone joins a new company is the "Company Culture". Culture becomes SO very important especially if you are a startup.

Just came across quite an interesting presentation that describes NetFlix's winning culture especially focusing on it's core points which are listed below:

• Values are what we value
• High performance
• Freedom and responsibility
• Context, not control
• Highly aligned, loosely coupled
• Pay top of market
• Promotions and Development

As you can see it is more for reading than for presenting; hope you enjoy reading the same.

Thanks to JoeManna for the tweet

Characteristics of SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEURS

In continuation to my previous article , today we would look into another interesting topic from my current read What Self-Made Millionaires really think,know and do. Due to my association with an early stage startup, the current article on "Successful Entrepreneurial Qualities" looked very much relevant.

Well, I should agree that I could really feel the things during the process of writing this article Though, Qualities and Execution may sometimes seem disjoint , it is only when they get married; a successful business is made !!!!

A sense of mission :
Successful entrepreneurs set out to improve the lives of their customers.They do not simply set out to make a big pile of money.They are workaholic and love working hard at something that they love doing.

Self-Belief :
They believe that they will be successful.They expect to be successful.Even when bankrupt, they still believe that one day they will be successful.

Acceptance of responsibility :
Successful entrepreneurs are found to accept responsibility for themselves and not to blame others.

Resolution to pay the price :
Entrepreneurs understand the price that must be paid to achieve their goals, and they resolve to pay the necessary price.

Commitment to success :
Successful entrepreneurs have a 100 percent commitment to becoming successful.They focus and concentrate on their area of excellence.

Judgement :
They are not necessarily clever with words,arithmetic or mechanics.However,they have developed social skills, intelligence and judgement.

The helicopter view :
Entrepreneurs can see the big picture, acticipate trends.They have foresight in that they always look to the future, understanding that the rest of our business lives will be spent in the future.

Leadership skills :
They set goals, have high expectations of themselves & others and listen carefully.They have the ability to draw extraordinary performance from ordinary people.

Excellence in selling :
Entrepreneurs generally are excellent at selling.They focus on benefits to the customer, satisfying customer desires and relieving customer fears.They make excellent presentations and show the product or service in its best light.

Managing time effectively :
They develop the ability to focus on the 20 percent that brings in the 80 percent of success, and delegate the 80 percent to others.

Excellent communications :
Successful entrepreneurs tend to be excellent in private discussions, conducting meetings, giving presentations and submitting reports.

Persistence :
Successful entrepreneurs persist.They understand that it takes time to make it really BIG !!! They are prepared to go the extra mile and do that little bit extra for which they do not get paid.


Related Article
Money - A startup Killer

Major reasons for Business Failure

My apology for not having been active on Thoughtsprevail , was held up in activities that kept me away from my blog This week, I picked up a book titled "What Self-Made Millionaires really think,know and do" which has some exceptional content on business.Though reading the book won't make me/you a millionaire but it would definitely help in understanding business in a much better sense !!! After reading a few chapters from the book, I came across a very interesting topic that focused on BUSINESS FAILURE and this article would be a GIST of that chapter.

The reasons are split across four categories, namely:
a) Specialization b) Differentiation c) Segmentation & d) Concentration

Note:
Though many of these reasons might be quite common, but it is important to keep them in mind since , most of the times, we forget the so called COMMON THINGS

SPECIALIZATION

1. No mission, no clear goals, stated OBJECTIVE to make a pile of money.
2. CUSTOMER not perceived as a top priority.
3. Loss of momentum in sales, poor SALES performance.
4. Impatience, trying to get RICH quickly.
5. Operating outside own area of excellence, diversification into UNASSOCIATED BUSINESSES.
6. Failure to focus on PRIORITIES, failure to focus on 20 percent that brings in the 80 percent.

DIFFERENTIATION

1. Failure to establish COMPETITIVE advantage, failure to be better, cheaper, faster or nicer , trying to sell a commodity.
2. Product not suited to customer REQUIREMENTS.
3. Poor QUALITY of product and support.

SEGMENTATION

1. Failure to IDENTIFY CUSTOMERS.
2. REACTIVE rather than proactive SELLING.
   
3. INCOMPLETE marketing STRATEGY, poor sales performance.

CONCENTRATION

1. POOR LEADERSHIP, lack of integrity and COMPETENCE of KEY STAFF, lack of commitment & persistence.
2. MISMANAGEMENT of working CAPITAL.
3. Failure to analyse and respond to trends, CHANGES in MARKET PLACE.
4. No BUSINESS PLAN.
5. Inadequate financial records, POOR BUDGETING, poor cash control.
6. Action without planning, FAILURE to collect the RELEVANT FACTS.
7. Paralysis by analysis, TOO much ANALYSIS, not enough action.
8. Poor RELATIONS with STAFF and employees, poor communications, command and control mentality.

As this book is a great resource hence, the next series of articles on Thoughtsprevail would be focusing on such interesting topics[from the book] that relate to business, hope you enjoy them !!!

Web 2.0 Product Management

There is always a debate over PRODUCT and PROJECT management and the responsibilities of each of them.Just came across a very informative presentation by Mr. Olsen of Olsen Solutions which was presented at Web 2.0 Expo, San Fransisco.

| View | Upload your own

Key responsibilities of Web 2.0 Product Manager

1. Embrace Web 2.0 marketing aspects of your role.
2. Create customer satisfaction feedback loop.
3. Define the equation of your business.
4. Instrument your site to track key metrics.
5. Prioritize product ideas by ROI.
6. Optimize your viral loop.
7. Learn more about the UI Design Iceberg [More on Slide 45].
   
8. Iterate quickly and continuously improve.

Ten mantras to be become a more PRODUCTIVE Entrepreneur

Time management is a very important factor; consider your work, personal life or anything related in your day to day life. May be that is the reason we have post-its, diaries,hand-held gadgets etc. that come to our rescue Effective time management[coupled with proper priority scheduling] leads to better productivity !!!!

To explore more on productivity, we have a guest writer - Heather Johnson, who would give us some insights into what best practices would make an Entrepreneur[and his/her team] more efficient & productive.

About Heather Johnson:

Heather Johnson is a regular writer on the topic of Top credit cards.Heather welcomes questions, comments and writing job opportunities at her email address heatherjohnson2323@gmail.com

Ten tips for becoming a more PRODUCTIVE ENTREPRENEUR:
Being self-employed is both a blessing and a curse at times. Without a boss standing over your shoulder every hour of the working day, you might find it difficult to always stay abreast with your daily tasks. Time really is money, however -- especially when you are solely dependent on your own work performance. If you would like to change your lifestyle in order to become a more productive entrepreneur, follow the ten tips given below:

1. If you work from home, designate an area that is specifically for work. Don't let your personal life cross into your workspace.
2. Do not put a television set anywhere near your workspace.
3. Keep your desk tidy, as you will lose precious time hunting for things. Not only that, but a clean environment will invigorate you.
4. Eat three well-rounded meals a day and drink plenty of water to keep your energy up [May be I should start practising this one ].
5. Set regular work hours and stick to them.
6. Take a day off [when your innovative mind is blocked and you are mentally tired]. Some entrepreneurs are workaholics and feel they can't afford to take a day off. Wrong -- this will actually lead to work burnout, which will cost you much more.
7. Screen your calls when you are in the middle of a time-sensitive project.
8. Keep an efficient work calendar and to-do list.
9. If you work online a lot, there are many distractions that can sap your productivity.If you love checking the headlines, make that part of your lunch hour ritual.
10. Document everything business-related and save all receipts in a designated file. This makes tax season much easier on you and your accountant. Don't have an accountant? Get one.

Thanks Heather for these simple and wonderful tips , since simplest things are the ones that we take for granted and your tips would definitely help many people[not only Entrepreneurs] to be more productive !!!!

Related Article:
Ten steps to improve your eCommerce business

Employee Management in a startup

Have been pretty busy off late and hence , not been able to blog much and in the process have been missing many interesting events happening in Bangalore and Chennai

Few days back, I came across this article in LiveMint, which focussed on an important discussion from the perspective of a startup - Hiring the RIGHT kind of employees for a startup.Needless to say that every employee in a startup should have that KILLER GENE to make HIS/HER startup successful.Very important to note the term HIS and HER in the previous statement, which indicates that these employees are very clear about their basics - "If they fail, the startup fails and if they succeed , the startup succeeds".







But there are many issues in finding this perfect set of people for your startup and even if you get you MR/MISS RIGHT, it would be a much bigger challenge to retain them !!! This was the topic of discussion in the April edition of the Open Coffee Club, Chennai. Below are some of the excerpts from that meet.

[Thanks to Siddartha Govindraj for the minutes of the meet].

1.
The first step is Hiring good employees. Good here means that they should have the attitude to learn and grow with the company. Better having someone who wants to work with you and then train them , rather than get someone who may have better skills but who doesn't have the attitude and would leave you, when given a better offer. Best is the right combination of attitude and the skills.

2.
Once you get your right set of people , the next big challenge is to Manage them.Freshers can't be left alone because they need someone to guide them, so you need to continuously interact with them, help and guide them.This would help in boosting their confidence , so that they can take up more challenging roles in future and be a valuable asset to your startup.

3.
Experienced people can be left alone, but many of them who have worked in larger organizations may not have the attitude of working in a startup. So, there are two things which are possible in this case - either they get frustrated or they get accustomed in doing all the work by themselves.

4.
Generally, experienced people are good for high level strategy/marketing/advisory positions, and fresher/intermediates for development kind of work [but there has to be someone to nurture them & guide them). But if you get experienced people with the right attitude for startups, then thats great in any position

5.
You need to interact with everyone continuously, so that they know where they stand. In case someone is not performing, you need to bring this to their notice.This should not be done in a confrontational way, but rather you can mentor them ,so that they can perform better.But if there is no further improvement than you need to tell them that either they are not right for us or we are not right for them.

6.
Different people are good in different roles, so you need to keep an eye on mismatched roles. For example: Someone might be good at learning new stuff but may not be detail oriented, this kind of person might be good for research/prototype projects, while a detailed oriented person might be better for client production products. If they take up opposite roles, than it would be a complete disaster for your startup.

7.
Avoid a situation when you hire some people and then don't interact much with them.In this case there would be a series of confusions about their role, their expectations, your expectations; which may subsequently result in a drip in their performance.This would in turn be a cost to your company and there is no time for such confusions in a startup !!!

8.
At every moment of time, we should remember that the motivation level of the employees would always be different from the motivation level of the founders of the company hence, as discussed before[during the start of the article] always thrive the OUR attitude from the beginning.As long as your employees remain motivated and enjoy the work , they would stay and if they are not, you can be sure that they would join your competitor

9.
Sometimes whatever you do, your employees would leave you...in which case, you need to check your attitude, hiring strategy and other important aspects which may lead to such serious decisions. Always remember,"One person might be wrong in judging you, but if there are a series of people who follow their footsteps, than it is high time, you raise the ALERT signal and get your officials to discuss this issue"

10.
There are many proactive people in the crowd who would follow you and your startup from the day your startup was born.Always keep an eye on such people, since they can be future partners or employees in your company.You can always use the Stanford Shopping Center test to get your MR/MISS right in your company.

Management MANTRAS from Dabbawalas

Being from Mumbai and having spent most of my time traveling in the local trains of Mumbai, life was always difficult. But even during these tough times, when there was so much crowd in the trains, you would always see Gandhi-Topi people also called Dabbawalas [or Tiffin Carriers ] , who are trying hard to serve food to their customers on time; or should I say give an On-Time Delivery

One of the most impressive things about them is the cycle that they use, the same old famous Hero Cycle and the same tradition still continues...nothing has changed yet their delivery-cycle still remains the same. If you check them out on any station, you can learn "Team Building Lessons" from them !!!.

So many dabbas taken everyday, yet very very few errors, this is the amazing story of "The Mumbai Dabbawalas" who have become a WORLDWIDE BRAND yet their work is not affected with the newly branded Image

While reading about them, there was an amazing presentation that came to my notice on their website....Yes, they are also changing with times, but the presentation titled "Management Lessons from Dabbawalas" would surely teach "Too much change is also bad" !!!

Management MANTRAS from Dabbawalas:

1. Keep the operational costs as low as possible.
2. Keep capital investments bare minimum.
3. Just serve your customer - nothing else.
4. Customer is not the Raja, but the Maharaja.
5. Complexity opposes compliance.
6. Never deviate from your core competency.
7. Don't be over dependent on technology [surely not applicable to a technology company] .
8. Flat organization, Fast decision making.
9. Co-operation inside, Competition outside.
10. Keep extras for Full Tolerance.
11. Commitment matters.
12. Keep the implication of failure.
13. Build your ideas around existing infrastructure.
14. Abandon bad customers.
15. Strike means suicide, labor means life.
16. Penalize employees for non-compliance.
17. Do not transfer your employees very often.
18. Keep your employees emotionally united.
19. High salary alone cannot retain employees.
20. Be humble and don't boast your success.

You can view the complete presentation from here

Three key LEARNINGS Dabbawalas:

1. Open Culture is the key:
When you come to work, you can have only two reactions - "Either you feel, you have come to a work (indicating you are bored with your work) or party(indicating you are enjoying your work) One of the key drivers to this is "Open Culture".Culture has become an integral part of any organization, try building it from day one !!!!
Gone are the days, when you can say that "I manage a team of XYZ people", now have to refine this statement to : "We are a team of XYZ people". Well it sounds the same, but the difference is huge !!!

2. Turn your Customers into Evangelists:
Even though there was not much money spent in their[Dabbawalas] marketing , they still managed to become a household name" and I am sure the first person who might have given the dabba had played a major part in this !!!
This customer was the one who acted as a evangelist for them so, create a long lasting impression from the beginning and soon your company would have a large no of evangelists !!!

3. Use the Keep It Simple Stupid[KISS] principle wherever possible:
Even though Dabbawalas don't use technology, they managed to clinch Six Sigma. 85% illiterate people, no technology yet so few errors !!! The answer is to ask the question : "Do we really need XYZ simply because others are using XYZ?".For example: If you are a startup, your main focus should be great software and not great office/furniture (which would follow soon after the success of your product/service).
So evaluation of an option becomes a key, so as the KISS principle says:

A very straightforward approach may seem less glamorous and less dramatic, but the trivial approach should indeed be taken. Surprisingly, the very obvious approach is often the best.

Do not miss to have a look at the various other articles on Dabbawalas Official Website

Other articles on Dabbawalas [covered on Thoughtsprevail]:

Dabbawalas, Building lasting success based on values
Dabbawalas - Straight from the Gut

Avenues, 07 : IITB Golden Jubilee Celebration

Indian Institute of Technology ,Mumbai (IIT-B) will celebrate its Golden Jubilee this year.Shailesh J Mehta School of Management,IIT Mumbai celebrates this occasion with Avenues 07, its Annual International Business Festival.

The festival is from 27th-28th October,2007.

Events for which registrations are open:

1. Samadhan - The Operations Case Analysis Competition
2. Chitra Katha - The Short Film Contest
3. Udgam - A Consulting Challenge
4. Prashnavali - The Mega Quiz
5. Jantar Mantar - The Systems Game
6. Mudra - The Finance Games
7. Yukti - The Marketing Game

How to register:
To register for the event, please follow this link

For more details:
More details about the schedule here & here
Details about the speakers here

For any queries, please contact at:
Vishakha Mittal: vishakha.mittal@iitb.ac.in
Bhupendra Jagdev: bhupendra.jagdev@iitb.ac.in

Related Links:

B - Competitions : Vista and Lakshya
ET Business Plan Competition 2007
Eureka 2007 : The B - Plan competition

B - Competitions : Vista and Lakshya

It is the season of Business Competitions and this time , we have Vista & Lakshya[on the same days(12th-14th) in the month of October,07].

Vista - IIM Bangalore (IIMB) Annual Business Summit:
Vista is IIMB's business competition that would be showcasing the latest trends in industry over the years. The theme of Vista 2007 is ReBusiness. The theme highlights the paradigm shift in manner of conducting business and the same would be reflected in the events hosted during Vista 2007 - to be held between October 12th and 14th,07.

You can find more details here and here
[Thanks Alok Padhi for this information]

Lakshya - NITIE(National Institute Of Industrial Engineering) B-Competition:
As mentioned on the Lakshya website:

Organized by PGDIE students of NITIE, Lakshya aims at broadening the outlook and honing the skills of practicing managers. The middle level managers present live industrial projects which brought significant change in the performance of their organization.

You can find more details here and here

Seth Godin - Ideas that spread win !!!

Below is an old but a very(very...) worthy video where Seth Godin speaks about "Importance of sharing ideas" taking the example of Slice Bread invention.

[Seth Godin on 'Importance of sharing ideas]

No wonder why "We have so many websites where people can post ideas or pitch online"

Interesting One liners on "LEAD"ership

While reading the book "Leadership when the Heat's on" , came across some interesting lessons(at the end of each chapter). After reading the one liners(listed below) , I am sure like me; you would also feel that there is always something in each one of us, that requires change; which would help us in achieving our goals.

Below are some of the lessons(which are listed in the form of one liners) :

1. The ultimate reward for the leader of people is to be able to say, "I saw someone grow today and, I helped".

2. Intensity (Goal, Focus, Action) + Enthusiasm (expectancy of better things to come) = Charisma.

3. High Performance is often the result of a sudden change in direction.

4. Accomplishment is your birthright. Limitations are adopted.

5. To achieve great things, know more than the average person considers necessary.

6. An organization quits improving RIGHT after the manager quits improving.

7. Help a team member grow and you will receive respect in return.

8. Team morale and customer service, on a scale of 1-10 receive the same score.

9. Take a mentor to lunch before somebody else eat yours

10. Determination makes failure impossible.

11. Be aware of their weaknesses, but talk to their strengths.

12. An organization will never rise above the quality of it's leadership.

13. A person out of a place in his/her vocation is only half a person.

14. Deciding not to have a specific goal is a specific goal.

15. If you don't know what to do on a daily basis to achieve your goal, then it is not a goal- It is a fantasy.

16. Goals are all found upstream.

17. Your team members are no better at planning time than you are.

18. Team member's morale will never be higher than the leader's morale.....for long

19. Aim for striking originality, it gets attention.

20. A leader never forgets that creativity is contagious and can build enthusiasm.

21. Conflict overcome is strength gained.

22. "Embrace Change" , it's saying "Yes" to Tomorrow and "No" to repeated yesterdays.

23. Some of the world's greatest achievements were made by those who were self-instructed.

24. Fear has strength of its own , only that which you choose to give it.Ironically, that's the very strength you need to overcome it.

Related Posts:
Good Leader or great leader

If you have a BLOG , than you have the JOB !!!

Every blogger who actively blogs and makes his/her blog as a part of the daily has a reason to blog.For some it is to express themselves, create awareness, share knowledge, experience and for some it is a new & unique way to network with people.Oops not to forget money , at least it fetches a few $$ for some of them On one hand , there are several reasons to blog and on the other side, there are equal of reasons NOT TO BLOG as discussed in one of my previous articles here

In one of my conversations with my friend(and fellow blogger) Ramjee Ganti, we compared blogs with Fire since, you never know when someone has blogged about you or your product and that post could be from a blogger lying in other corner of the world !!! Definitely, Blogs can never replace Mass Media and this thought would also never come in the mind of any blogger(when (s)he starts blogging)

While reading Rohit Agarwal's How Innovators Connect, a statement in the book caught my eyes (as a blogger), "In the Silicon Valley, major companies look one additional thing in the resume(apart from the education and experience) , and as per your guess - It is BLOG.

Blogs are already being watched by startup companies in India but now the pendulum has swung 360% and now blogs have also become prospective platform for recruitment by recruiters from big corporates as well.For example , check the image below which is taken from the careers section of a startup company in Bangalore

An article which was recently published in the Times Of India, Ascent , gave a clear indication that Blogs would slowly become a key aspect;not only in judging the candidate's attitude but his(her) willingness to be more innovative & research oriented. Some important excerpts from the TOI Ascent article :

Several HR managers are following "Hiring by the Blog", a practice that looks to be the newest hiring trend.Though this practice is still in the nascent stage , corporate recruiters are surfing blogs to unearth candidates , expanding their talent pool and gaining insights that they can't get from resumes and interviews - Sapna Agarwal , Director HR GlobalLogic. Blogs also helps employers probe further into the qualifications of the potential hires. As Sapna mentions : If I am impressed by the points the blogger is making and the way (s)he is making them, the potential hire will jump up a few notches in my opinion.

Recruiters believe that blogs help them to understand the likes and dislikes of the candidate.But IMHO(as a blogger), there are some things that should definitely be considered when employers start hunting for people, who also blog:

• The theme of the blog [personal , business, technology ....].
• Frequency of blogging [How any articles are posted per week/month?].
• Reply to the comments [This would give an impression as to how much the blogger cares for his/her customer(readers)].
• Research done in writing the posts [This can be considered as the one with the least priority].
• The difference between in the personality of the person(as a blogger) and as a potential candidate for a job.

Definitely, bloggers are getting more and more visibility and time would soon come, when blogs would also be considered as a vital part of a candidate's resume So, if you are the one looking out for a job, than start blogging since, you never know that an XYZ company's HR may be following your blog

Have your say about "BLOG RECRUITMENT" :

Innovation : Myths and Facts

How many times in a day , do you listen to the words "No,it won't or No,you cannot" Yes , be it anywhere but this is one of the most simplest things to tell anyone and the most surprising part is that "Most of them who say a No, themselves don't know why they are saying a NO"

For instance,when I shared my blog with a couple of known people, I was given a comment "Your blog is very much like an ....... blog" and this could/can be true since, there being around 70 million blogs all over, there is a high level of possibility that Blog 'A' could be somewhat similar to Blog 'B' (in terms of style , not content).This brings some level of dejection but is also a learning for all the guys who want to go an extra mile Similar is the case when you have an idea and try to seek the first level of feedback, there could be mostly one of the reactions, listed below(from the book 'Myths of Innovation') :

• This well never work.
• No one will want this.
• It can't work in practice.
• People won't understand it.
• This isn't a problem.
• This is a problem, but no one cares.
• This is a problem and people care, but it's already solved.
• This is a problem, and people care, but it will never make money.
• This is a solution in search of a problem.
• Get out of my office/cave now.

As stated in "The Myths of Innovation" , it is not only ordinary people who give vague comments ; Sometimes very smart people say these things. Ken Olsen, founder of the Digital Equipment Corporation, said in 1977, "There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." The leading art critics in France, in response to the opening of the Eiffel Tower, made comments like, "That tragic lamppost springing up from its bowels…is like a beacon of disaster and despair."

Innovator and Spectator Gap:
The gap—the difference between how an innovator sees his work from how it's seen by others—is the most frustrating challenge innovators face. Creators expect to be well received. They look at accepted innovations and the heroes who delivered them and assume their new innovations will be treated the same way.

Notice, there is a 180% difference of view between the innovator(ideator) and the viewer(listener of the idea).

Bottom Line:
Sometimes from the negative feedback, you may germinate another idea !!! but no matter how brilliant an idea is, the gap exists. Until the innovation is accepted, it will be questioned relentlessly

Quotes of the day

1. Peter Drucker on "Enjoyment of work" -

Those who perform love what they are doing,I(Peter Drucker) am not saying that they like everything they do;but there's something quite different.

Everybody has to do a lot of routine,there's an enormous amount of routine.Every great pianist has to do three hours of playing scale each day and nobody would tell they love it,but they have to do it.It's not fun but even after 40 years you feel the experience.
Pianists have a wonderful expression I heard many years ago,I practice till I have life in my fingers.I am sure it is a dull routine but you enjoy it.

Same is the case with people in business who enjoy the work,the routine is that it's got to be done but still I enjoy the routine.This is not the difference between Mediocrity and Performing but between "A Learning organization where the organization grows(& than the whole process changes) and an organization that may be doing very well,but no one misses it after 5 o'clock !!! "

2. Bill Gates on "Team Building" -

While building a team, search for people who love to win;if it is difficult to find them, atleast look for people who hate to loose...

A Good or great Leader ??

Everyone is a leader irrespective of the role they follow yet,there are some of the common qualities that each one of us need to follow to be a leader.As every big change is a combination of every small change, same is the case with leadership.Just happened to check out a book "24 Lessons in High Performance Management" ,where they have listed the top 10 characteristics of Leaders and if a leader meets all the 10 characteristics,than kudos!!!, he/she is a Great Leader

1. Uncompromising integrity:
It's the foundation for quality and service to both internal and external customers.

2. Absence of pettiness:
The greatest drain of energy in an organization is pettiness.Leaders understand the difference between interesting and important.

3. Works on things by priority:
This results in stability under pressure and makes for an excellent problem solver.A leader who works by priorities prepares a daily priority list:he/she starts with #1 and doesn't deal with #2 when finished, but instead deals with the new #1 and so on.

4. Courageous:
Leaders don't lead life meekly.They know there is a deep well of courage within each of us,whether or not we use it.Their creed is "It's always too soon to quit" so,keep on fighting and fighting..

5. Committed:
Leaders know that they won't die an early death by working hard in a job they love.They never hear low achievers saying,"Slow down!You're going to ruin your health!!!"

6. Goal oriented:
Leaders understand that a lack of goals starts the process of both physical and mental shutdown.Great leaders are always goal oriented(A lesson for me as well )

7. Unorthodox:
These are the creators,the innovators and the think-outside-the box types.They learn from their successes and from their failures.They are originals and not copy-cats.

8. Inspired enthusiasm that's contagious:
Leaders grow enthusiastic as they achieve their daily goals,which are part of the larger plan,not just daily tasks.They are acutely aware that without this contagious enthusiasm whatever mood they have will be contagious.

9. Levelheaded in times of crisis:
These are the people who do not come apart and remain steady during the time of crisis.They know that conflict overcome is strength gained.

10. Desire to help others grow:
Leaders know there is no saturation to education and that passing along knowledge and experience build synergistic relations.Have a two way feedback so that it gives the leader more room for improvement.

Work hard to achieve these qualities and if they are not fulfilled then:

An organization quits improving right after the manager quits improving !!!

Business Model Innovation...

Just came across an interesting and pictorial presentation on Business Models development.Excellent material but my "very" favourite slides were:

1. Open Business Models # Slide 58
2. Business process outsourcing “up-side down” in India # Slide 62

Enjoy the complete presentation !!!

Azim Premji : Adapt change or be the change....

A very inspiring, interesting and thought provoking speech by Azim Premji of Wipro at the 37th Annual Convocation 2002, IIM, Ahmedabad.A small gist of his drivers that would change the world:

Be alert for the first signs of change

Change descends on every one equally; it is just that some realize it faster.Some changes are sudden but many others are gradual.While sudden changes get attention because they are dramatic, it is the gradual changes that are ignored till it is too late.

Anticipate change even when things are going right

Guard against complacency all the time.Complacency makes you blind to the early signals from the environment that something is going wrong.

Always look at the opportunities that change represents

For every problem that change represents, there is an opportunity lurking in disguise somewhere. It is up to you to spot it before someone else does.

Do not allow routines to become chains

While routines are useful, do not let them enslave you. Deliberately break out of them from time to time.

Realize that fear of the unknown is natural

Courage is not the absence of fear but the ability to manage fear without getting paralyzed. Feel the fear, but move on regardless.

Keep renewing yourself

You have to constantly learn about people and how to interact effectively with them. In the world of tomorrow, only those individuals and organizations will succeed who have mastered the art of rapid and on-going learning.

Surround yourself with people who are open to change

Spend time with people who have a "can-do" approach.Reasonable optimism can be an amazing force multiplier.

Play to win..!!

Playing to win would help you to concentrate your energy on what you can influence instead of getting bogged down with the worry of what you cannot change. Do your best and leave the rest.

Respect yourself. The world will reward you on your successes

If you succeed 90 per cent of the time, you are doing fine. If you are succeeding all the time, you should ask yourself if you are taking enough risks. If you do not take enough risks, you may also be losing out on many opportunities.

Never change: your core values

In spite of all the change around you, decide upon what you will never change: your core values.

Succeeding in a changing world is beyond just surviving

All of us have a responsibility to utilize our potential for making our nation a better place for others, who may not be as well endowed as us, or as fortunate in having the opportunities that we have got. Let us do our bit, because doing one good deed can have multiple benefits not only for us but also for many others.

You can have a look at the complete presentation below:

Some interesting links...

I have been receiving e-mails in last few weeks,which would be of some help and interest to some of us in the crowd(Copy of the Email's below):

• Mail from Manufacturing News (wf@world-foundation.org) :

Small and Mobile Production (SMP) to resolve giant problem in developing regions

SMP developed a revolutionary production method that is self-contained, immediate, portable, competitive, accessible because it is so cost-effective and transportable by any means whatsoever: by land, sea, railroad or air with more than hundreds Small and Mobile Production systems. From a technological standpoint, it is an incontrovertible fact that this system is aimed at solving very serious problems, starting with that which is most basic: the survival of millions of human beings.

The SMP is the only system in the world that can provide up to six of the most essential products for basic sustenance for just one dollar per day. SMP will supply to countries and developing regions the technology and necessary support for these Small and Mobile Units.

If you are interested in being a partner in your country or region, you can send your CV to SMP Partners Program Marcia Anderson, Project Manager

• Mail from ISBM,Ahmedabad (ahmedabad@isbm.org.in) :

MBA in six months

Dear Student,

ISBM is the corporate incubator presenting the unique culture of the 21st century for preparing a candidate for handling the dynamics of business and to apply business know-how to real life professional experiences.

ISBM offers short duration programs in various faculties, which enable the students to acquire value based and world-class Management qualifications while working. These qualifications will obviously enhance the career of students in Business and Management sector.

For further details and prospectus: -
www.isbm.org.in/ahmedabad

Indian School of Business Management & Administration.
1st Floor,
House No 1678 'A',
60 Feet Nehru Rd,
Near kammanahalli Police Station,
kammanhalli,
Bangalore-84. Ph :- 9227159444

Manage transparency as a Manager - "BPO king" Raman Roy

When it comes to the Indian BPO industry,we can never miss out two gurus of the industry,

1. Genpact MD - Pramod Bhasin
2. Quatrro CEO - Raman Roy

In fact,Raman Roy can be undoubtedly referred as the "Father of Indian BPO industry" Economic Times had an interview of the Guru,where he touches upon his journey from Spectramind(now called Wipro Spectramind) to Quatrro.

Some of the excerpts are given below:

What's your management style?
Do unto other that you wish others to do unto you. Fundamentally, I have worked with all levels of people in my professional life and the only principle that has survived the test of time is that you have to treat subordinates with respect and dignity. At the end of the day, every activity you follow is people centric - they expect a pat on the back when they have excelled and they don't have to be let off if they mess up. But the thumb rule is their has to be a cord of mutual respect binding the employer and the employee.

What's your biggest challenge as a manager?
Managing transparency. When I go and break bad news to my team, they think I must be holding back a lot so the news is perceived as much worst than what I actually tell them. When I say good things, they think I must be holding back stuff so that they don't bloat. Due to the legacies in earlier assignments, people have still not learned to take me on face value when it comes to being a celestially transparent manager.

Two lessons learned in life
We in India believe in rebirth and go by the philosophy that whatever good or bad one does in this lifetime comes back to you in the next life. But I know for certain that one does not have to wait till the next lifetime. Everything you do unto others comes back to you in this very lifetime. The other thing that stands out as a lighthouse in my life is what I learned partly by working with Azim Premji - money, power and position are all transitionary. So when in position of power and riches, don't develop a chip on the shoulder. You are always as big as your humility.

Read the complete article here

Understanding your customers : The (only) Key

Few days back,I had an article on my blog "Say yes or no to MBA?" and there was an interview,which answered some of the questions also giving an insight into the journey of Naukri man, Sanjeev Bikhchandani's entrepreneurial journey.

The bottom line of the interview : "Entrepreneurs fail because they don't understand consumers well"

Important excerpts from the interview:

Was there fear or anxiety when you started this long entrepreneurial journey?

Yes, because I came from background where no one from our family was in business and there was no great financial acumen or anything. I got over the fear in the first two years. We struggled a lot but somehow muddled through.

What is your advice to young people who want to pursue entrepreneurship?

Two most important things according to me are good work experience and a good institute. I strongly recommend MBA aspirants to get experience in a good organization before they start their MBA -- because it will enable them to get the maximum out of their MBA education. I think MBA without prior experience is just an extension of college. Experience helps aspirants to understand things more easily and clearly because after experience a person can relate everything they learn with the reality of organizations and understand how organizations really work.

Even the best international B-schools favour work experience. Unfortunately, Indian B-schools largely take fresher for MBA.

Also, a good management institute always adds more value. So work hard to get admission to a good school. It is worth the effort.

What are some common but important mistakes young entrepreneurs are making in their plans to build businesses?

I think it's the lack of understanding their customers. Many people start their business without understanding their target audience and customers well.

Read the complete interview here