People at Work & Play » A Step A Day

One More Time-To Help People Grow

Prem Rao — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:30:00 +0000

Even if I say so myself, I am honestly amazed and quite gratified to see that “A Step A Day” has completed one year. Yes, there have been 365 posts in this series which was kicked off with the first being posted on November 27, 2007.

The objective of the series was to ” provide perspective and provoke thought to facilitate self-development across a wide spectrum of issues-big and small- crucial for executive success”. This flowed from my blog being based on Building A Successful Career While Maintaining A Strong Work-Life Balance.

The series has posts covering a wide array of topics. Many are based on newspaper reports and articles and blog posts which I have enjoyed, sprinkled with my own comments and take aways. I also had what I called my “7″ series – posts off my own bat on different topics – the last of 31 of these being: “7 Barriers To Coaching”.

I hope my readers have enjoyed this series as much as I have in putting this together.

As Oscar Wilde said: “The aim of life is self-development. To realize one’s nature perfectly-that is what each of us is here for”.

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This is Post No: 365 of the “A Step A Day” series : To provide perspective and provoke thought to facilitate self-development across a wide spectrum of issues- big and small- crucial for executive success.

Nandan Nilekani

Prem Rao — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 01:15:17 +0000

India over the last few decades has thrown up a good number of self-made successes who have become globally famous. Many of them belong to an industry, I have watched closely for several decades, the Information Technology industry. One among them is Nandan Mohan Nilekani, one of the co-founders of Infosys and currently it’s Co-Chairman. He was listed as one of the 100 Most Influential Persons in the World by Time magazine in 2006.

Nandan has had a very successful executive career in the course of which he has seen Infosys grow from a small start up to be the global giant it now is. This post is about a very interesting interview with Nandan that I came across recently. It is by Shoba Narayan in Livemint and is to my mind an extremely well written interview. It captures different facets of a business leader and makes you feel as if you are interacting with him in person. This is a hallmark of a great interview.

Nandan’s book “Imaginging India” has just been released and I look forward to reading it sometime soon.

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This is Post No: 364 of the “A Step A Day” series : To provide perspective and provoke thought to facilitate self-development across a wide spectrum of issues- big and small- crucial for executive success.

The Taj & The Oberoi

Prem Rao — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 01:15:47 +0000

The guns have fallen silent. The terrorists are dead. The city of Mumbai limps back to normalcy after an unforgettable ordeal. It is estimated that 195 people -of many nationalities lost their lives and over 300 are injured-some of them very seriously.

Even as we reconcile ourselves to getting on with our lives, many stories emerge of heroism. Not only of the famed National Security Guard, and the Marcom-the naval commandos, but also of the perhaps less glamorous wings of the police forces. We can’t forget too the firemen who worked tirelessly to put out the flames despite grave risks to themselves.

There are stories too of the extraordinary help provided by the employees of the two luxury hotel chains- The Taj and The Oberoi. In TV interviews and the print media, guests at the hotel have without exception spoken of the resourcefulness, tact and courtesy exhibited by hotel staff despite very trying circumstances. Here’s an account given by an Irish lady. A guest who had gone out of the hotel explained how he received a SMS from the hotel staff warning him not to return to the Taj as it was under fire.

Mr. Oberoi, Chairman of the Oberoi group praised his staff for helping many guests. Others spoke of how the employees helped them go to safety first.

Hats off to the employees of the Taj and the Oberoi. They have made their organizations proud. By all accounts most of them showed tremendous customer orientation under the most difficult circumstances often in life risking situations. Truly, the strength of an organization is its people.

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This is Post No: 363 of the “A Step A Day” series : To provide perspective and provoke thought to facilitate self-development across a wide spectrum of issues- big and small- crucial for executive success.

Gary Hamel on Management 2.0

Prem Rao — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 03:36:59 +0000

To students of management and business leaders alike, Prof. Gary Hamel needs no introduction. He is currently the Visiting Professor of Strategic and International Management at the London Business School. The Wall Street Journal called him the world’s most influential business thinker recently. He has started a new blog in the Wall Street Journal called Management 2.0 -which appears to be promising for those interested in learning and discussing about new age management.

Is management out of date, asks Prof. Hamel. What are the key features of new age management? What are your views?

I believe the principles remain pretty much the same. However, the resultant impact of wrong decisions is much much higher because of the huge increase in scale. The sub prime crisis in the US is one example. Early cases of lending too much too soon snowballed into a national economic crisis. The basic principle that a bad decision implemented efficiently only make things that much worse will always remain valid.

I am sure, like me, you will look forward to reading Prof. Hamel’s new blog.

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This is Post No: 362 of the “A Step A Day” series : To provide perspective and provoke thought to facilitate self-development across a wide spectrum of issues- big and small- crucial for executive success.

Life Balance Ebook

Prem Rao — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 07:46:03 +0000

For those of you who, like most others, are struggling with life balance issues, I would like to recommend “How To Practice The Art Of Life Balance”. This is an ebook complied by Stacey Hoffer Weckstein of Create A Balance which you can download for free:). It is a compilation from 32 bloggers who participated in a group writing project. The topics are diverse, the perspectives are manifold but they all have a common theme- attaining and maintaining life balance.

I hope you will read this, enjoy it as much as I did and pass the word around.

Disclaimer: Believe me, this book is well worth a read. I am not recommending it only because I too am a proud contributor.

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This is Post No: 361 of the “A Step A Day” series : To provide perspective and provoke thought to facilitate self-development across a wide spectrum of issues- big and small- crucial for executive success.

Staying In Touch

Prem Rao — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 09:18:29 +0000

In this day and age as families drift apart due to better career opportunities in distant cities, keeping in touch has in itself become a challenge. Recently, a young lady living by herself in Bengaluru told me that her mother, who lives in Chandigarh, ( over 2200 kilometers away) was very annoyed with her. The reason: she hadn’t spoken to her in weeks. Her mother, she said somewhat contritely, had threatened to take her back by the next plane if she didn’t call within the next 12 hours. Obviously, the girl was occupied with her work and many other things in a big city. With so much to do, that call assumed lower priority for her. Yet at my age, I can empathize with her anxious mother.

Millions of people worldwide have found a relatively new way to stay in touch. Amy Harmon writes a delightful article in the New York Times about how the webcam has brought families close together though they are physically thousands of miles apart. The technology is not perfect yet and yes, there are frequent technical glitches but the experience of seeing their loved ones and interacting with them- although virtually- is extremely gratifying. I particularly liked the accompanying video ” Everything But The Hug “.

So as I was saying, though our work takes us far away there is no need to be cut off from our loved ones. I hope the young lady I spoke off, or indeed so many others who are losing touch with their families, reads this and invests in a webcam.

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This is Post No: 360 of the “A Step A Day” series : To provide perspective and provoke thought to facilitate self-development across a wide spectrum of issues- big and small- crucial for executive success.

Thanksgiving

Prem Rao — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 07:30:21 +0000

Thanksgiving Day is observed to express thanks for one’s material and spiritual possessions. It is said that the first Thanksgiving took place in Plymouth Colony in present day Massachusetts way back in 1621 .God knows what the people of those times would say when they see our troubles and problems despite far more affluence. Perhaps they were more easily satisfied with less. Perhaps affluence itself makes us want more and in the process gets us stressed and unhappy.

We live in difficult times. We in India are yet to get over the horrific events that took place in Mumbai yesterday and today following multiple terrorist attacks. In many parts of the world, we are uncertain of the future of the economy. In other parts, thousands have been displaced due to conflicts within the country itself.

As we see the troubled world around us, we realize that we still do have some things for which we should be grateful. Unlike many we are alive and have good health. We look ahead with optimism.

Make someone’s day by thanking them for their friendship and care.
Make someone happy by acknowledging the help they may have given you.
Make someone who has guided you in the past proud of your achievements.
Make someone feel cared for by offering to help them in their hour of need.

Last but not the least, offer a prayer to God for all that we have been blessed with.

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This is Post No: 359 of the “A Step A Day” series : To provide perspective and provoke thought to facilitate self-development across a wide spectrum of issues- big and small- crucial for executive success.

XLRI-The Good Old Alma Mater

Prem Rao — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 03:42:03 +0000

Irrespective of whether you have left the portals of your business school last year or 30 years ago, the good old alma mater continues to be a big draw. It influences our thinking and approach to issues in many ways. It builds a strong network which can provide you with different perspectives in times of need. I am proud of my Alma Mater, XLRI in Jamshedpur, in the state of Jharkhand in India. XL , as it is widely known as, completes 60 glorious years in 2009.

In this connection, I have kicked off a discussion in the XLRI Alumni Group in LinkedIn. I asked: ‘What Have You Gained From XLRI ? “. I believe the results will be useful to the present leaders and students -as they look at themselves and reflect on the years and challenges ahead.

For my part, here’s what I have gained:
* Deep insight into the power of people relationships. ( Thanks to Fr. McGrath )
* A collaborative rather than confrontation approach to issues
* The value of superior communication skills ( This one is for Fr. Tome )
* Simplicity and non-hierarchical way of managing.
* Friendships that have lasted for keeps:)

Much of your network flows from contacts made with people you studied with. It gives you access to their networks. Use them with care. Networking is not one way street where you take without giving back anything in return. There is a delicate balance between professional and personal relationships. Recognize and honor these differences.

XL has done so much for me. It has been- and will always be- an integral part of my life as I am sure your Alma Mater is for you.

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This is Post No: 358 of the “A Step A Day” series : To provide perspective and provoke thought to facilitate self-development across a wide spectrum of issues- big and small- crucial for executive success.

Who Is Accountable?

Prem Rao — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 07:40:46 +0000

There is news of economic downturn wherever you look. The press and media in general don’t seem to be getting enough of “bad news” all around. Big names which once were synonymous with performance looked ready to shut shop. General Motors, Ford, Chrysler and Citibank are but a few examples. Feeling pressurized with likely job losses and a somewhat uncertain future, affecting not only the US but many other countries as well, it is understandable that everyone wants to know: ” Who is responsible for this mess? Who is accountable? “.

What makes the situation more intriguing is that we are in the very end of one Presidency and moving swiftly to the start of another.

Lee Thayer, a distinguished management thought leader writes about accountability in his blog The Leader’s Journey. I wonder who really is accountable. Is it the top management team responsible for strategy? Is it the shareholders who didn’t bother too much how the company made money-as long as it did? Is it a general failure of management primarily because of complacency?

I wonder if time will tell us who is/was accountable?

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This is Post No: 357 of the “A Step A Day” series : To provide perspective and provoke thought to facilitate self-development across a wide spectrum of issues- big and small- crucial for executive success.

What Does Work/Life Balance Mean To You?

Prem Rao — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 01:10:21 +0000

I enjoyed reading a post by Stephanie Vora called ” Are You Happy With Your Work/Life Balance? ” . Ms. Vora, a certified coach in the UK lists a series of questions to prompt you to think about how “in-balance” your life is. So much is said and talked about work/life balance these days. I ask: What does it mean to you? Is it about the number of hours you spend at work? Is it about the lack of time and energy to do anything other than work?

To my mind, work/life balance, as is often said is not about a mathematical equation of the amount of time spent at work-or indeed at home.There are two parts to the equation. One is the work you do, irrespective of where and when you work for a living. The other is the aspect relating to your family, your health and other interests which taken together form the ‘life’ part of the equation.

The need for the balance becomes acute when havoc is created in one dimension of the equation- either work or life -because of the poor management of the other. More often than not, work takes priority and the other aspects are neglected till they assume crisis-like proportions. Sometimes, though not often, family and health issues can take up so much time and energy that they have an adverse effect on your job performance and over a period of time, even your career prospects.

What, may I ask, does work/llfe balance mean to you?

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This is Post No: 356 of the “A Step A Day” series : To provide perspective and provoke thought to facilitate self-development across a wide spectrum of issues- big and small- crucial for executive success.