Reality Bytes - Wired Perspectives #AnandKumarPadmanaban

T oday is the day when I was able to start to digest the hayhem that had happened in mumbai for the last 3 days. The audacity with which the attackers entered india and the macabre way in which they mauled Mumbai, the financial capital of India was infuriating. But not for the brave soldiers  -  Inspector General of Police Hemant Karkare, Deputy Inspector General Ashok Kamte, Sub Inspector Prakash More, Sub Inspector Dudgude, Police Inspector Vijay Salascar, Police Inspector Shushant Shinde, Assistant Sub Inspector Nanasaheb Bhonsle, Assistant Sub Inspector Ombele, Constables- Vijay Khandekar, Jaywant Patil, Yogesh Patil, Ambados Pawar and from the National Security Guards  Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan and at this time unknown number of commandos.  They were the epitome of leadership and did all the things we in the corporate world talk about but struggle to do - some of the thoughts which come to mind are : Walk the talk ( it would have been very easy for them to walk away from what wa...

Responsibility is something which is very much in the air ...look at the statements of President Elect Obama on auto companies CEO's to walk the talk and cut costs was a prime example of taking ownership and taking responsibility. I believe admitting your accountability and recognizing your influence and the role you play is key to being responsible. there are some individuals who are intent on making a difference like Navi Radjou from Harvard who writes about bridging the suitability of the workforce in india where he stresses that people are looking at eligibility enhancement (soft skills enhancement, technical skills enhancement) and not enough at suitability (aptitude, moral compass, values, ethics). He also talks about social entreprenuership as well. Some key individuals like Emmanuel Justus in the HR community have also been taking responsibility and questioning the task of preparedness of our workforce, do we as human resource professionals prepare individuals for failure...

I was thinking amount the massive change taking place in the US of A with Obama  taking over as the president come Jan 2009. I also had a chance to ruminate on the role of communications in terms of making or breaking personalities ... obama won most people over with his strong communication skills while George Bush  lost a lot of his support with his policies but also his communication skills (or lack of it ) .. I am listing a top list of all of George Bush's statements (or misstatements ;=) ) .... hope you have a laugh ... have a good rest of the week and focus on what you mean to say rather than what you end up saying ..... AH... THOSE HISTORIC STATEMENTS   a. "The vast majority of our imports come from outside the country." b. "If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure." c. "One word sums up probably the responsibility of any Governor, and that one word is 'to be prepared'." d. "I have made good judgments in the pas...

Healing in my definition would mean the ability to restore yourself to your well being or be at peace. I have seen so many people talking to me and conveying that they are stressed and are not able to eat well, sleep well and struggle with coping with what life has to offer.  This could be in the form of a tough workplace or a tough family atmosphere or something similar to this. I ask them what is troubling you and most of the times I find that it is frustration from not being able to manage somebody else or problems arising due to somebody else. Daniel Goleman's    perspective on healing  where he talks about authentic response and the ability to stay true to yourself is also very relevant for individuals coping with the challenges of life. I tell them, why do you let others affect you ? Even if somebody has caused some harm to you, can you not allow things to be and heal yourself and just let things be ...Marshall Goldsmith in the book-    M any Facets Of Leadership  shares h...

I thought it was best to start off the week with cause or causality (acknowledging that you probably are the source of what happens to you )- check out wikipedia   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cause .  This is a very powerful word especially in times of distress and downturns when we would like to look for the cause of what happened and why it happened.     I have seen so many individuals in my coaching sessions and in my feedback sessions resorting to the easy way out - what I mean is - attributing failure to perform to the boss's approach, attributing things that dont go well on others on the team or on the weather ;=) or pretty much on anybody except themselves.  I have always believed that we are like mirrors - what we get is what we show in most cases. We need to make sure that we look at the cause from a holistic perspective - if my boss behaves odd with me , what have I done in return ? Have I been able to showcase committed and concerned behavioral traits OR have I been beh...

Awareness in my sense is being fully conscious of the moment at that point in time. Many times, we are not aware and start preparing for a rigirous defence in case we have an opposing point OR start dreaming in case the other individual is praising us OR we are not there mentally at all. I have seen this being reflected many times where my bosses would be yawning and looking away or being distracted by their blackberries while I am in all earnest giving them an update. I have also seen many individuals start to speak before the other person completes sharing his/her thoughts. I have also seen many many times where people keep on working on their laptops or indulge in small talk as somebody else is doing a presentation or sharing. What does this do to the person who is trying their best to do their job ? The worst form of disrespect in my opinion is not paying attention to somebody who is sharing their thoughts or ideas. It makes them feel not appreciated and leads to alienation and eve...

I have been wanting to pen my thoughts for a long time, more around sharing some perspective I have but more around sharing what I have learnt. Acceptance is key for success in life and also in corporate life. I have seen so many individuals fighting againts accepting what has been laid down and often causing harm to themselves mentally and physically. I am not saying lie down and accept what is being handed out but know when the cause you are fighting for is a lost cause or you are fighting against odds which have been stacked against you.  why not just embrace what is offered to you if you see that as a fair deal and let live ? Examples of acceptance at the workplace could be : your manager behaves in a rude manner and does not give you the respect you feel you deserve, just accept the fact that he/she is that way and make peace with yourself and look at the choices and options you have around this.  you could choose to move out if you plan that but if you do stay, do not grumble and...