Third in the Series: “Interesting People” – Meet Vani Mahesh

Tags

books and reading, Easy Library, on-line business, Vanishree Mahesh

Did you know that the word “entrepreneur” comes from the old French “entreprendre” which meant to undertake? Undertaking a business of any kind comes with its fair share of, and here I can’t help using a cliché, agony and ecstasy.  Today we see more and more entrepreneurs taking the plunge to manage their own enterprises, and either sinking or taking off depending on the success or otherwise of their ventures.

What Gets You Up In The Morning?

Tags

career change, self-motivation

” What Gets You Up In The Morning?”. I loved this phrase from leadership consultant and coach, John Baldoni. In his guest blog in HBR, he says this is one of five crucial questions you need to ask yourself, if you are contemplating a change in your career.

Over Identification?

Ms. ABC had the right qualifications and the personality to make an impact wherever she worked. In her organisation, she was quickly taken under the wings of a very senior executive. He recognised her potential and her obvious strengths. He soon gave her a free rein, perhaps more than he did with others. Over time, Ms. ABC came to be known as the power behind the throne even if this was an exaggerated description. It was rumoured that she had a role in important decisions and that the Big Chief consulted her more than he ought to.

Relationship Deal Breakers

Tags

EHarmony, relationships

Came across this interesting article in the New York Times where Tara Parker-Pope writes about Relationship deal breakers. I liked the concept of  ”must haves” and “can’t stands”. They make so much sense. If you know what you want and likewise what you don’t, you have a far better chance of making a successful relationship. 

The Corporate Psychopath

Tags

corporate psychopath

I am very excited as my debut novel “It Can’t Be You” is slated to be launched soon. On November 29. It is about an officer in the Indian Army who has been described as being a “charismatic psychopath”. Have a look at the book when it is released and I hope you will like it! This post is however about another interesting specimen called the corporate psychopath.

Today’s Entrepreneur

Increasingly, you come across people, many of them fairly young, choosing to strike out on their own. Being an entrepreneur has acquired a whole new meaning these days. Quite contrary to the conventional wisdom in days gone by of taking up a highly paying job in a prestigious company. Entrepreneurs need more than just the ability to take risks. They typically lead an “on the edge” kind of life -bursting with energy and ideas.

Reflections- A Second Career

I have started a blog called ” Writing To Be Read ” which I hope many of you will follow. In this I hope to blog about an interest I have had all my life- for reading books and for writing- which have given me countless hours of enjoyment. Convalescing after my heart surgery in July 2010 gave me a fair amount of time for introspection and reflection. I realized that God had been kind to me. As on May 2010, I had worked for 36 years on the trot- 26 years as a corporate executive and 10 years as a first generation entrepreneur.

Gender Parity

Tags

gender parity

In most cases when both the husband and wife are pursuing their respective corporate careers, a time comes when they need to decide who will sacrifice their career. In India, it is most common for social and other pressures to fall upon the woman to make the sacrifice. It is commonly believed that she has a bigger role in managing the house and looking after the children. Of late, I know of several cases where men have chosen to give up their careers to act primarily as care givers.

Unforced Errors

Tags

career mistakes, Jeffrey Krames, tennis

I like this idea of using lessons from tennis to describe mistakes we commit in our careers. That’s what Jeffrey A. Krames does when he writes about the 7 Worst Career Mistakes You Can Make. A well compiled list with mistakes all of us can relate to as we have come across them in our careers.

Building on this theme, some of the common ” unforced errors” I have seen include:

India- Big Market for LinkedIn

Tags

career management, LinkedIn, online recruiting, Social networking

Everyone speaks of social networking and building your net image these days. I have written of LinkedIn from time to time- having joined it way back in 2005. I am not one bit surprised to see that India has emerged as the fastest growing market for LinkedIn as per their CEO, Jeff Weiner.