City scapes-Pace off

Metro life, high pace, loads of money, tons of stress, false sense of security, High profile meetings and hobnobbing, high power snobbish culture and the muwaah, muwaah that go around in black dressed Armani or D&G party animals,high Octane night life upto the wee hours of the morning, 4 hours a day journey time, 11 hrs of work time,1 hour of breakfast, lunch and dinner if you get that time of course, and for a few 2-3 hours in airline security and lounges,1 hour on the internet ,and if there is time catch up with some sleep where ever.Work hard and party harder philosophy till the knee joints require replacement, the heart arteries require a cholesterol flush and the lungs a vacuuming to clear the smoke and tar.

Then you are jet setting and earning mileage points ,hoping to spend those with the family or upgrading your self to Business class from economy.The family time rarely comes because you are wedded to work, work and work.So you are hopping airports, drinking coffee and beer , skipping lunches and breakfast  to earn those brownie points or impress the boss. and in the process mess up your health.No time to jog, walk or relax.

Earning money is the sole objective, give the family and yourself what the peers and neighbours expect to see you in as a high flying executive working with a MNC devoting those precious moments for someone else and some other brand.By the time it tires you out and you are high on caffeine  and or booze in your blood stream that gives you insomnia and BP.You seldom realize, that it ends up putting you years back when it is time to enjoy.If you have taken a health cover , you are saved.If not, god be with you.When its time to enjoy your hard earned money your heart and feet don't allow you.Whats the point?

With electronic devices and social network you are on face times and g-talk and chat and wassup trying to touch base with the people who you love.They too start looking at you as a virtual Dad or mom and there is trouble brewing for sure.The crazy i-world is making people sit next to each other and busy looking at their phones every 30 seconds instead of having a nice chat face to face.

I stepped out of this 6 years ago and came into a smaller city giving up all this frivolous life and instead enjoying quality life with me and my family and friends in person, at my own pace and also keep in touch on the social networking and business networking sites expanding my horizons, learning all the time and relaxing in a hammock with an" Absolut" :).What a peace of mind.You can introspect, share , learn and absorb the beauty of nature and live life to the fullest with what you have rather than run after something that you will not have time to enjoy.

Think.........................apply...............shift gears and relaxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx..............................Its time!!!!!

Pschycological promotions

Games people play and make employees wedded to organizations for life.Of course that also depends on who gets conned and which section is gullible.This is a narration of how one can lift a persons mindset and make him feel superior within ,yet he doesn't want to see the game.

At the beginning of ones career, you sit with all your colleagues and face in one direction at par.This happens for a year or two as the expectations are less and one wants to prove more to his bosses.Then Boss is happy and says ,now you step out of the clutter and sit in the front row closer to his cabin and calls you a permanent employee with the so called perks.This goes on for a year plus and during the next appraisal you are declared as a senior executive now having spent 3-4 years in the organization and sensing the loyalty you are annoited.Hmm the feeling is great, yet you remain in the same place , except the business card changes or may be the name plate on the table where you sit.Year 5 you are moved 180degrees opposite to face your team and are designated team leader.Bravo.!!!2 more years of committed service.You now face your team and sit and feel different than the rest in the same surrounding mind you.

Year 6-8 you now can be groomed into an Asst.Manager and have been delinked from your team with a waist high partition made of wood that makes you feel important.This is just a cubicle , waist high with no extra features.Ahem!!!You have a table and 2 chairs exclusive maybe to cater to team meets and attend visitors.year 9-10 alas you become Dy.Manager and the name plate outside your cubicle changes.11-12 years and now you become a full fledged manager.The cabin is created but without a door.The partition goes full height.Maybe an AC thrown in!!.Now we move to the next levels.

The door arrives with the Senior Manager position and then we have the bells and whistles tossed in.

The real tests start hereafter and you join the politics and play up to your boss and his whims and fancies or stand upright and bear the consequences as the top of the Pyramid is narrow.The blood bath may take place or the smart guys maneuver their way up the walls and use all possible methods to go to the top.Is that worth the moves???God only knows!!

its TIME

"Time is the essence" , "Time is money"..........wow!! They all sound so good to hear.How many of us really understand the importance and of course respect time?

We keep people waiting be it a few minutes or hours!!If there is a time slot which you have allocated to someone, its your valuable time given by god in one lifetime which doesn't come back.Yet , people merrily come at will and give excuses sheepishly.Hate such people who don't see the watch and wall clocks inspite of having the best brands and number of them all over.The clocks may be running behind time, may have stalled and may be running ahead but seldom on time.Who cares??For seconds and minutes , we care a damn.Though that split second could change the course of your life.But till we don't  experience it , till such time all izzz well.Once you get the jolt, then one may change.There are many who still continue to stick to the same attitude and will never change.

If one wants to reach at a time "x" and knows that he needs 20 mins to reach that place, we still see them doing their last minute beauty touch ups, or calls and unwanted stuff 10-15 mins before the meeting time.Then when they land up late, blame it on traffic.No plan "b"!!!Knowing fully well that it is bound to hit heavy traffic we still don't give any buffer and keep committing the same errors.

At the time of birth, if the newborn says " hey, hang on , I will come 30 minutes behind schedule, imagine what happens to the mother to be, the family around stressed for 30 more minutes, doctors working 30 minutes more and so on.See how valuable time is?The time of death, frail and sick you are suffering from everything bad possible or on a ventilator and its still is far away from that "TIME"....THAT LAST SECOND.....THAT LAST GASP.......!!!!Keeping the ventilator on and which second to switch of is the matter of life and death,Only when we reach such a stage that we respond to minutes and seconds.

Wish we all understand the importance of the word T.I.M.E.,value it and respect the same.

Quack

The rate at which we have establishments and institutes springing up in India offering MBA ,medicine and Engineering degrees, private sector specially, with huge capitation fee/Management quota per seat ranging from 100-200,000 USD is mind boggling.

Leave aside the quality of students that will subsequntly pass out of college with proxy candidates giving exams or by other means , but imagine the lives of human beings in the hands of such Doctors for instance.The infrastructure for such institutes is pathetic, the teachers most of them underqualified or hanging in there as they don't get another job, so imagine their attitude.Who has validated their credentials??The same dummies who set up the institute?Just see the names of these institutes who are using money and muscle power to set up this brick structures with no knowledge of what these degrees mean or what implications they will have on public at large.Imagine constructing a sea link bridge with a "QUACK" who got admissions on the basis of money power and passed on the same grounds!!!Will the link hold up?What about major operations and surgeries??.The doctors strolling out of these colleges are going to look at first recovering the management fee they have "invested" in their education and will go to any lengths to recover the same asap.What about the frustrations of childern who really study and miss out by a few marks and have to compromise their careers? They don't have so much to throw in and get admissions.It is possibly a saving of a life time for many people.It means the parents slog their backside for 22 long years to collect money to give  to an idiot running a college to see his child become a doctor or an engineer!!!!

Not surprised that every one is busy trying to outdo the other in making money any which way but survive.Jungle law, producings QUACKS who should be chucked out .The caste based reservations add to the woes of general public and leading to stress etc that effects health.Is it worth the grind.?

Those who have it in them can send their children abroad and maybe hope to get a better footing .Others fight it out hammer and tongs to get yourself into some quirky institute with a quirky name and try to make their future.Where is this all leading too!!!

Fear factor

Its so easy to get sucked into the fear vortex and life around us suddenly seems to be at the nadir of things.We find nothing positive, sometimes the end of the world feeling, the breathing is high the mind spaces get choked and we cannot think straight.The palpitation leads to sweating and the fear of the unknown or the times to come become a huge problem for us.

All of us come to this stage in our lives and each one has a different way to tackle the same.We tend to accept the negatives so easily and assume that everything is not going to work in our favor.Why is it so?To do something bad is so easily accepted by our mind but accepting that this would work out positively for us is difficult even from the start.The relative positivity has to be accepted and remember everything you may wish happens need not take place.But given the right attitude and approach to that situation we can find solutions that bring us joy and happiness in the outcome.One may study well for a competitive exam and may not come out with flying colours.That doesn't stop the progress one makes in life.There are plenty of other exams one has to pass and the biggest one is what next?

Search, find, discuss, probe, stretch and you will find the possible alternatives that may lead you to a much better path in life that what you had envisaged.One must think that way.We must remember that life has 3 lanes on the express way, think way, cruiseway and Dash.We have to travel on all the routes and switch lanes appropriately so as to get maximum mileage.Stop at all fuel stations and take a break that is much needed to introspect.You can make short exits if so required and only remeber there is no "U" turn.Keep cruising till you reach your milestones.Check your average and time taken to travel and plot your coordinates so as to win the next stage.Its a cross country ,rough terrain drive that you need to win , overhauling your batteries and suspensions if required to give meaning to LIFE.

9,9 Theory

I like this concept of management( behavioral leadership ) by the grid taught to us a few years back( almost a decade) and the way it enables you to transform by sheer experiential learning.

It simply assesses the abilities of a person to measure and utilise the human factor versus the outcome.Concern for people versus concern for results in short.Lets take the Y axis and say that is where the Human emotional and ergonomical factors are pitted and on the X axis the results from 0-100% achievement.Based on Human Psychology , a (9,0) Person is classified as a downright hardcore boss who simply wants his results and doesn't care about the emotional quotient.How many of us are like that?On the other hand the (0,9) Manager , is out and out a PR man , and for him or her he just wants to be the goody goody guy to ensure he is always in the good books irrespective of the results.

A(1,1) guys is obviously the one is who is at the lowest rung and not bothered either ways.The (5,5) guys is generally the most found person who does the tightrope walk trying to balance everything and ultimately have a harrowing time.

Ideally speaking one must gun for the(9,9) man, who is assertive and uses his commonsense and intellect in the right quadrants to dish out the best outcome managing the Human resource diligently.He or she is the result oriented, well balanced manager , who manages all the resources in the most optimal way.What has to be done has to be done and how and where and who etc will be supported in a way that a solution is sought every time rather that raising flags stating a problem.His whole attitude is always towards a solution for every problem.Ability to hear, comprehend,act, deliver, in the most meticulous manner is the art.Not giving up, rolling up your sleeves where required, using that extra effort to make it happen, and not wait for miracles.Leadership, motivation , direction, clarity of thought and reason is uppermost in him or her.Communication with clarity and wisdom, short and to the point, crimping the flab and providing the tools to deliver makes the team working with such a person so engaged that they start owning every bit of their task.That makes the difference.

Ownership vs Responsibility and if that is achieved at all levels we have won the game.

The GRIND

In a place like ours , every young couple getting married is also eager to start a family.On one side we have the economy in a bust, GDP down, gold down, sensex on a roller coaster on the whims and fancy of a few big shots,the inflation at 10%, the petrol and diesel prices rock and roll, the Dollar kicking the living daylights of the rupee and we are all set to add one more mouth to the exploding population of India.

It may sound unjust, cruel to some, rash and hard to others and also throw up a question why did we or our generation then go bringing the current generation into this world.Agreed.We too have done our share of errors, but when we weave our story in life we realise the errors and would like to caution the GEN-X about the implications of the new born , in the real world and the spiritual world.

Imagine the poor new entrant has to face the disasters of life based on his karma's of course and tread the path for 70-90 years .Imagine the treacherous path right from the time of birth to the various stages of childhood, teenage and adulthood followed by old age and creaking bones.The 9 month wait and tensions galore, the time of birth and the after effects, the suggestions and advises freely flowing from everyone who has made the mistake and yet wants others to commit the same,the costs, the joy of parenting , the sleepless nights, the red eye syndrome,the feeds and the timings, the clothes and the paraphernalia,the toddler years, the schooling and your interview sessions to get them admitted:) and then the cycle continues.And as if one is not enough we go for the second, and what if those were twins!!

The person then struggles through school and peer pressures, college and the love affairs, graduation and ecstasy till a good job is found and then , get married to start the cycle back again , same errors or get in a job , live in with some one with no commitments and face life all alone.The job , the money, the promotions, false appreciations, bonuses, property, fights, misunderstandings, depressions that are larger than the craters on the moon, envy and pride,anger and love, hatred and passion,all tied into one hell of an experience.The grind is on till we get churned and our body is pestled into powder that finally mixes with the earth, where you belong till.....possibly your next life.....where some one else decides to bring you back with a mistake:)

WHAT A LIFE!!!!

voice over

The voice...female or male....across the table, over the phone, or just at a distance.It could be soothing to the ears, or may be harsh and unwanted,a screech , a melody or just plain dull and dead.How much of an impact it has on the listener.!!

Pick up a phone and call any organisation and you may hear the following:
Hellooooooooo. heloo . halo, hmmmm bolo,yes and many other forms in a shrill , feeble, husky, drone from the other side.This then becomes your first impression about the individual and possibly the company you are calling into.

On the other hand if you have a sexy , confident , sweet , crisp voice saying" Good Morning, xyz company , this is abcd how may I help you?Wow!! You start imaging the person on the other side and start the conversation as if you are sitting across the table.The throw of the voice, the pitch, the clarity and the first impression becomes a lasting one.Even if a male voice that exudes confidence, freshness, crispness and compassion , trying to listen and step in and out of the caller's shoes would make that impact.

Creating a visual that is so important , without actually being there is an art.Its not the ooh and aah that matters which are used by certain agencies to entice people to achieve their business objectives, but the content and end result that matters.The language and the prowess on ones vocabulary and can sweep someone of their feet as well as the sheer freshness that one experiences as if you you have just walked through a dense bunch of citrus trees or lavender and rose gardens maybe.You tend to remember the conversation and content as well as look at the same positively.It helps convert negative situations to a positive.Helps console a grieving soul.Helps give moral support to a person in need.Helps someone understand love through words and, if not done well on the other side it may destroy and tear into someones character, patience and drive him or her up the wall also.

Thats how important the voice is and even silence is felt on the other side if expressed well.Go ahead , learn to use this beautiful gift given to most of us by almighty and spread love, happiness and dispense with hatred and anger globally.Create a new order that can be felt across the oceans and deliver confidence and substance to one and all.

The Guru

In life many of us are in search of a Guru, a guide, a mentor and someone who gives you that confidence or assurance to live life, inspite of all the ordeals one has to face.

I too went through this phase in the 90's and thereby had adopted a strict single point devotion in my Guru who inspite of not being around me physically is present everywhere showing me the directions I need to take .His presence is felt and experienced so often that it is difficult to describe in words and may sound foolish to many,but it doesn't bother me about what others may think.I know what it means and I have experienced it for myself and each person in this world is privy to his own unique experience.

Having said that, he also taught me "YOU ARE YOUR OWN GURU" and are guided by your own soul if we look deep within.No individual goes through what you have to go through and each one has to experience it himself.Each for his own.What is taught , shown by your Guru is possible to acquire through books, knowledge from interactions, observations around us, contributing to this world and yourself as you live through this life by adding value at each step without disrupting the laws of nature.If we observe and learn faster we realise that our true purpose in life is to find our self.KNOW THY SELF.Who are you?What you do , how and with whom you associate and why?If you realize that you came with nothing and are going with nothing , then why create all that BUZZ around you?What you give you get back.Balance of nature.Reach out within and see how we were yesterday and are we any better today?Do you love the other person , animal or thing as much as you love yourself?Do you value them the same as well?
A few pointers that may be of help......the way i learnt them

Be Smart but Don't be stupid!!
Be true to yourself.
If you can give 30% of your earnings for the good of this world what ever be the quantum, you will experience happiness...trust me.
Feed the animals and show compassion.
If you cann't do good for others, don't destroy them....you have no right.
Compare your self with yourself and no other.
Introspect
Don't blow your own trumpet,actions are seen and noticed and need not be highlighted.
Give 5 full minutes with single minded devotion to the entity called "GOD'  be it any form, direction, religion and see if that can be done on a specific time every day....literally only 5 minutes.God has not asked you to devote your entire day for him .You are god within.Your actions spoil you if they are not in line with his wisdom.
If you thank him for every experience that you go through every moment, be it a high or a low as perceived by our minds, you will never feel alone.
There is "NO GOOD OR BAD".It is always our mind comparing .If the outcome is peace, tranquility and inner joy....one has come close to the point of becoming his own Guru and knowing himself.

Old wine

When you cross 50 and look back over your shoulders you realise you have been fortunate to cross half a century and wisdom prevails on you that you have experienced good bit of life.....almost.You look at your journey and assess what was that you liked to be remembered for and what not for.How could you have done things differently .Then you realise the change in your social and economic stature, your health and wealth, your family and acquisitions and may be decide to change course towards a carefree life to still feel young and/or turn pure spiritual and philosophical, giving free advise to every one you meet.

Yes, one has carved his or her own story called life.But post 50,do we start becoming more aggressive in our approach towards life and things around us?Do we start loosing our patience and start expecting things the way we are accustomed to?Do we get flustered with the patterns of the Gen X?One should ideally not expect anything from anyone, spiritually.However ,in routine professional life we see the stories of many others unfolding in front of us, as we try to educate, guide, mentor the person and yet.............they write their own script in spite of our warnings and suggestions making those mistakes and possibly (not)learning from them.

What I notice is that ,the pressures all around us make us fight to the finish and hence we become aggressive in our mental approach many a times or at times you feel that there is not enough happening in life and hence one must try something new, possibly adventurous and keep your self young.We mingle with the youth but should know how to play their game being in it.Yet show them what they need to know so that they benefit from the experiences we have had.Learn from them the technology, new age wisdom,latest about the world of education and the peer pressures they face.They have to be comfortable with our presence in the company of their friends if a situation arises,We should know when and where to step in or step out and how to do that as well.The level of impatience is so high in these youngsters that it looks they want to achieve everything...yesterday.

The wine may be the same , the way it  is marketed in a new bottle may make the difference.The youngsters should feel like picking it up from the shelf and the peers know that even if externally it looks different, that is the same good old matured wine in it.That approach can help us create a life post 50 that would get us soberly intoxicated just so that we enjoy in that environment and not cause damage but create circumstances that help others gel well and make life a grand party.

Tightrope walk

At the higher echelons of the management pyramid, one needs to walk on such a thin , delicate rope at times that the belief in yourself has to be infinite %.The situations around you are pressing, the global economy depressing, the inflations going through the roof. On one hand we have the trusted set of people who along with you put their best to create a platform strong enough to see a good positive scene.On the other hand we have the accounts wizardry that just doesn't seem to allow the company to breathe or surface above the red line.The complex maze of a balance sheet that dribbles the figures around and balances both sides with jargons and loopholes makes you feel that "when will you ever see the light of the day?

On one hand revenues grow, the cost pressures are pushing you but you have kept them under strict control. you have added up all the possible avenues of generating extra bits of income through the legitimate channels and also stepping out of your zones to get that icing on the cake.Yet........the dollars seem to do the vanishing act and all reasons in this world are given to the band of people to ensure everybody remains where they were a year ago.No change to their social, economic status .
The productivity is up, manpower utilization is optimal, the boom bars prevent the expenses from getting out of the limits set and utilization of the assets is at its best.The OEM certifies it,the inventory turnaround time is almost ideal, and yet!!!!!!

No doubt you can be sure that theory and practice are miles apart.On paper the best of on ground cases could be twisted and shown as a disaster for reasons best known to the people behind them.Every query you may have , has a financial jargon tossed at.Either you become a CA and get into the Nitty gritty of these , or use your MBA skills and maneuver your team out of this maze with the hairpin bends and take them with you through another tough year , hoping to see the light of the day.Someday.A big task at hand indeed.

Image consultants

This is the new breed of gen X jargon , in my opinion, and I am amazed to see the kind of money people spend to be one consultant.Such an expensive image??

What is taught?Body language that can be downloaded from the net and practiced by the person who really wishes to implement it in real life.One who doesn't want too will attend a class but that's it.What next grooming!!Well a fashion designer and a cosmetic professional can get you a makeover that may impress the celluloid world and capture stunning photographic images ,but is that what is all that is required to impress somebody.If an old car can be dented and painted and made to look awesome with some frills and paint work, we call it restoration.Yes the body inside however has its old structure as is.The mind and the heart remain the same.The blood in the body remains same.The attitude needs to change and only if the person wants it bad will this happen.How many of us are willing to  restore?Dining etiquette's, grooming etiquette's,all this is to be done in places where it deserves that importance and carry weight.One may dress well but open your mouth and that's the end of it all.If one has to change every aspect of that human being which the creator has made, that is a task in itself.Most widely acclaimed fashion designers are pansy.Is that image!!Is this what we become if we use their dresses?If you are in the glamor world I can understand how it makes an impact.But in daily life , basic changes and etiquette's depends on the society you are in and the upbringing as well.That can take you places.You need not be Armani clad and or wear jimmy choo's to pass an interview.You can stand in a Hugo Boss and give  a presentation where you speak non sense ,do you think you can get away with it.One needs substance to support the same.Gandhi went the world over in a Dhoti and slippers, did he get butted out?Did he fail to impress the world?Bill gates is so casual and so was Steve Jobs, and yet they are the best known names in this business world.Azim Premji, Narayan Murthy all are simple , well educated , down to earth , no nonsense people who create that impact that is through substance and not frills of a superficial image.Talk to your self in the mirror every morning, see how others see you and think if that is good for the world and your business.Make the tweaks and keep going on.Instead of spending millions on superficial jargon, go earn millions instead by being deep rooted, simple and believe in yourself.That is your true image and be true to it.

Trust Quotient

We all do have trust in God.Well, most of us.We all do have faith in him as well.Blind faith in many cases .But coming to think of it just imagine these situations.

An airbus 380 super jumbo carrying 300 plus passengers flying long haul say Dubai to Los angeles a 16 hours direct flight , with pilots and commanders and a crew who is completely unknown and we buy expensive tickets to fly with them this distance, through air pockets and over 2 oceans and landmass having full TRUST that we will land on the other side!!!!

What about a doctor who is maybe known to you and you have heard about his skills and may be a relative or a friend of a friend etc or completely unknown , is entrusted with the responsibility of a brain surgery or heart by pass!!!You are in his hands and then???What if..........................But still we pay through our nose, sign documents stating we do not hold the staff responsible for any adverse situation etc etc.The doctor goes hammer and tongs, scissors and scalpel with blood oozing, heart pumping and we have no clue under anesthesia what we are going to end up with.Amazing trust quotient isn't it?

Same applies to a car drive to office and a bungee jump from a 1000 feet, we trust our own instincts.

Does god feature in this?

Yes, he does always and everywhere.This is plain and simple because had it not been for him you wouldn't be destined to travel on that superliner across the Atlantic and land up safe, whereas in some cases it turns out to be 9/11.What if the doctor who operated you was not there?Its because circumstance have made him present at that point of time with you for you.

Have undying faith in him and see the results.There is no need for overconfidence.there is no need to think you are alone in anything you do.Its just that you have to devote yourself to him sincerely and face the journey called life as you lead it and create a story behind you with confidence and fear nothing as you take up your tasks with his blessings.What is your's is your's and no one can take it away from you.Have faith in yourself and keep walking.

power of "W"

Women,are the fairer sex,the supposedly weaker amongst the 2 sexes, the meeker and definitely considered to be the first one to bow out  of challenges as is perceived by the society.These have been beliefs that are still considered true across borders and making every one think from child hood that a woman is some one you can use, abuse and discard like a door mat and even if you don't give respect or regard, this category can be twisted and manupilated by the males at large the way they want.

Who gave these males the right to decide this anyway?Who does Rahul Gandhi think he is when he states that women must get 50% participation in politics?Why not more?Is he doing a favor to them?Why do women have to struggle and fight for their own existence which god has given .?Why do they always have to prove their innocence in a case like rape and face the wrath of panchayats and corrupt , dastard officials in the police force.Why do they have to be at the receiving end all the time?

Women today work in all sectors.Defence, aeronautical, space, research, medicine, engineering and MBA's and yet manage home, husbands,children,and gossip.This indeed is phenomenal multitasking.We as males can be focused yes but that kind of multitasking needs special skills and prowess which may not be physical necessarily or be demonstrated by  the  six pack hunks and brawn torso , but mental grit, sheer perseverance and tons of patience and a large heart to accommodate and bear all the brunt of male chauvinism.Yet, the males get the heart attacks and not the fairer sex is the irony.

Why don't we learn to accept them and acknowledge their strengths as they can be strong and equally compassionate.Daughters are indeed the apple of the eye of their fathers.The Mother is the source of your very being and she is a woman.The wife is the pillar of support for the males to achieve their material success and so called happiness they claim they give to the family.The lady can work in office and manage the nitty gritties of the Kitchen and household chores, whereas we as males come back from a hectic day of office and its politics and number crunching, and want to relax and sip coffee and crib.Order around for certain types of food for dinner and get with our whims and fancies ,while she slogs it out on all fronts.

We as males probably don't wish to acknowledge their superiority or capability to challenge us and hence we try to push them out.This is certainly unfair and must be given an even turf and platform to measure and work together to get the best .The world will be a great place with the right people in the right places irrespective of gender.