Four Indian Americans in Forbes List

Four Indian Americans feature in Forbes List of Richest Americans.

The four are:

1. Dr. Amar Bose, Acoustics pioneer who founded Bose Corporation in 1964.
2. Kavitark Shriram, Founder Director of Google
3. Vinod Khosla, venture capitalist
4. Bharat Desai, CEO of Syntel an info-tech outsourcing firm

All are well known names who have become famous- not so much for their riches- but for their being eminently successful in their business /profession.

Succeed in business and riches follow?

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Green MBAs

“Green MBAs Aim To Balance Profit, Planet” says an article in the US & World News Report.

The article quotes Rich Leimsider, Director of the Center for Business Education at the Center for Business Education at The Aspen Institute, as saying the move to balance economy and ecology is showing up all over. The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering enlightened leadership and open-minded dialogue.

MBA programs are adding social and environmental issues to their courses. Schools which are ahead in such initiatives include Stanford, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and Dominican University of California.

In its biennial report “Beyond Grey Pinstripes”, World Resources Institute, and the Aspen Institute identified the Stanford Graduate School of Business as the leader among business schools that are incorporating academic content involving ethics, corporate social responsibility, and environmental sustainability into their curriculums and activities. The ranking was based on an extensive survey in which schools were asked to describe cases, research, and course content that address these issues.

Ideas for Success- Assertiveness

Continuing the series of posts on Ideas for Success, here are my 7 Ideas for Success on Assertiveness:

1. Prepare for the worst: Lack of assertiveness often stems from fear of consequences of being assertive. Be assertive and you will find consequences are not as bad as you feared.
2. Use appropriate body language: Support your words with appropriate body language: Assertive words are ineffective if delivered with poor posture, lack of eye contact and subdued tone of voice.
3. Learn to say “No”. For me, not saying “No” means “Yes”. Thumb rule in business and indeed in all walks of life.
4. Appreciate assertiveness in others: Being assertive does not mean that others will accept all that you say or do. Understand their need to be assertive too.
5. Understand reasons : There are many reasons why people are unassertive. What applies most to you? Knowing why is half the battle won.
6. Change but change gradually: Unassertive people tend to become aggressive when they try to change. Make the change in gradual steps without swinging to the other extreme.
7. Practice makes perfect: Assertiveness, like any other skill, can be developed primarily through practice.

Heartwarming. A "pucca" village road..

The urban-rural divide is a big issue in India. Connectivity in terms of roads is no where as good as one would expect it to be.

Here’s some heart warming news from Thooni Ahiran, a village some 45 kilometers from Jaipur.
The city of Jaipur is one of India’s most famous tourist destinations.

The road was constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna. About 368,000 km of new road construction and 370,000 km of upgradation/renewal is expected to be done at a cost of about $26 billion.

Hopefully, the urban-rural divide will be diminished by such initiatives.

Included in Personal Development List

Felt nice to be invited by Priscilla Palmer to join her Personal Development List.

“People at Work & Play” is a medium for me to share my thoughts and ideas with those who wish to lead a better life- both professional and personal.

At a recent workshop, we were discussing ” Personal Life Goals”. When asked what mine was, I replied that at this stage of my career- and life- it is simply to: “Help People Grow”.

I derive considerable satisfaction from thinking that after every interaction someone some where can pick up an idea to improve their lives.