Wrost Leaders - The Lessons

The 10 Most Common Failures of Bad Leaders

After scrutinizing 360-degree feedback data on over 11,000 leaders and evaluating the 10% considered the least effective, Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman found the 10 most common leadership shortcomings. These are ranked according to the size of the difference between successful and unsuccessful leaders' scores; successful and failed leaders differed most significantly in their energy and enthusiasm.

Lack energy and enthusiasm - They see new initiatives as a burden, rarely volunteer, and fear being overwhelmed। One such leader was described as having the ability to “suck all the energy out of any room.”

Accept their own mediocre performance - They overstate the difficulty of reaching targets so that they look good when they achieve them। They live by the mantra “Underpromise and overdeliver.”

Lack clear vision and direction - They believe their only job is to execute। Like a hiker who sticks close to the trail, they’re fine until they come to a fork.

Have poor judgments - They make decisions that colleagues and subordinates consider to be not in the organization’s best interests।

Don’t collaborate - They avoid peers, act independently, and view other leaders as competitors। As a result, they are set adrift by the very people whose insights and support they need.

Don’t walk the talk - They set standards of behavior or expectations of performance and then violate them। They’re perceived as lacking integrity.

Resist new ideas - They reject suggestions from subordinates and peers। Good ideas aren’t implemented, and the organization gets stuck.

Don’t learn from mistakes - They may make no more mistakes than their peers, but they fail to use setbacks as opportunities for improvement, hiding their errors and brooding about them instead।

Lack interpersonal skills - They make sins of both commission (they’re abrasive and bullying) and omission (they’re aloof, unavailable, and reluctant to praise)।

Fail to develop others - They focus on themselves to the exclusion of developing subordinates, causing individuals and teams to disengage.

Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman are the authors, with Scott K. Edinger, of The Inspiring Leader: Unlocking the Secrets of How Extraordinary Leaders Motivate (McGraw-Hill, 2009).

Source: Harvard Business Review, June 2009

Giving ??

Giving??

by Ankit Sinha (adapted from an article published in corporate dossier by Devdutt Patnaik)

Once upon a time there was a king was called Indradyumna and after a long reign he passed away and went to heaven, where he spent centuries, enjoying the rewards of his good deeds on earth। Then, one day, the gods told him, “Indradyumna, you have to go back to earth. You are no longer welcome in heaven.”

“Why?” asked a perplexed Indradyumna। “Because,” said the gods, “No one on earth remembers your good deeds.” “But how can that be?” wondered the king, “I spent all my life doing good deeds.” “If,” said the gods, “You can find at least one creature who remembers you for your good deeds then you can come back to heaven. Otherwise you will have to leave. That is the rule.”

Time flows differently on earth than in heaven। When Indradyumna reached earth, he realized that centuries had passed since his reign. The trees were different, the people were different, even his kingdom looked different. Who will remember me, he wondered. The buildings he built were all gone. The temples he built were no where to be seen. The people who were beneficiaries of his largesse were all dead. No one he met remembered any king called Indradyumna.

Disheartened, Indradyumna went in search of the oldest man on earth। He found Rishi Markandeya. But the Rishi did not remember him. “There is an owl who is older than me,” said the sage, “Go to him.” Markandeya did as advised. He found was owl and asked him, “Do remember King Indradyumna?” and the owl said, “No, I do not remember such a king but ask the stork who is older than me.” Even the stork did not remember. “But I know someone who is much older than me, who may know of King Indradyumna,” said the stork, “He is an old tortoise who lives in a lake.”

Indradyumna went to the tortoise who was very old and slow and tired. But, to Indradyumna’s great relief, he did remember a king called Indradyumna. “He built this lake,” said the tortoise.
“But I never built this lake,” said Indradyumna, rather bewildered by this piece of information। “This lake did not even exist when I was king.”

The tortoise explained, “My grandfather never lied। He told me that this king spent his entire life giving cows in charity, hundreds of thousands of cows?” Indradyumna recollected that he had. He had been told that gifting cows assures one a place in heaven. Yes, it had, but only for temporarily. Now, where were his cows? Where were the people who he gave the cows?

The tortoise continued, “As these cows left Indradyumna’s city, they kicked up so much dust it created in a depression in the ground; when the rains came water collected this depression and turned it into a lake। Now that lake provides sustenance to innumerable plants and animals and worms and weeds and fishes and turtles and birds. So we remember the great King Indradyuna, whose act of charity resulted in a lake which for generations has been our home.”

Indradyumna was pleased to hear what the tortoise had to say। So were the gods who welcomed him back. As Indradyumna rose to heaven, the irony did not escape him: he was remembered on earth for a lake that was unconsciously created, and not for the cows that was consciously given. He benefited not from things he did, but from the impact of things he did.

This story draws attention to the notion of legacy। In ancient India, the greatest good deed that outlived anyone was go-daan or gift of a cow. In modern times, most unfortunately, this is literally translated.

In a cattle-herding community, gifting cows was gift of a livelihood। But as society evolved, the phrase was carried forward to convey a different meaning. It came to mean “gift of an opportunity.”

The greatest gift a man can give another man is an opportunity that will enable the other to survive, to grow and to thrive। This could be education or a job or a loan to start a business. Gifting cows is about ‘teaching a man to fish’ as the proverb goes; it is not about ‘giving him fish’.

What are we missing out?

Perception, taste and priorities of people are today's quest

A man stood at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that thousand seven hundred people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

Three minutes went by and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping continued to walk.

A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work.

The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on.

In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace.. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world। He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written with a violin worth 3.5 million dollars. Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell sold out at a theatre in Boston and the seats average $100.

This is a real story। Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organised by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and priorities of people.

The outlines were:

“In a common place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Yes/no
“Do we stop to appreciate it? Yes/no
“Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context? Yes/no
One of the possible conclusions from above experience could be:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing in our life???

Worth sitting up and taking note of it

Think!!!

Source: Vivek Khare

Serving and Working

Serve Don't Work

One evening a Swamiji (holy man) was addressing the participants of an MNC company on the concept of work culture.

One of the participants asked the following question to the Swamiji: I am a senior manager of Materials Department and I joined an organization 25 years ago as a Trainee and over the last 25 years I have gone through every experience in the organization and I am now the senior manager looking after the material function independently.

During the initial part of my career, the job was very challenging and interesting. Every day was exciting and I looked forward to each day with lot of interest. However, all those exciting days are gone since I do not find my job any more interesting because there is nothing new in my job.

As I have seen and handled every conceivable situation there are no more challenges in my work. I am now feeling bored because I am doing a routine job.

However, Swamiji, I am living in the same house for over forty years, I am the son for the same parents for over forty five years, and I am the father for the same children for the past ten years and the husband for the same lady for the past twenty years.

In these personal roles I do not feel bored and the passage of time has not taken away the zeal from me. Please tell me why I am bored of the routine in the office and not in the house?

This was a very interesting question and we were all very anxious and curious to know what the Swamiji had to say. The response from him was very interesting and convincing.

He asked the executive the question: Please tell me for whom does your wife and the mother of children cook ?

The executive replied that obviously my wife cooks for all of us - the family.

Then the Swamiji said that because the wife 'Serves' others and because of this service mindedness, she is not feeling tired or bored. Similarly when you are at Home you do not perceive your role as the necessary work. But in an office, we 'Work' and not 'Serve'. Anything we consider, as service will not make us feel bored. That is difference between Serving and Working.

He asked the executive to consider his work as service and not merely a work....

Serve Don't Work

The Supreme Pilot

Positive Thinking: Confidence Level

This is a story told by a man which is most frightening yet thought-provoking experiences of his life.

He had been on a long flight. The first warning of the approaching problems came when the sign on the airplane flashed on: "Fasten your seat belts." Then, after a while, a calm voice said, "We shall not be serving the beverages at this time as we are expecting a little turbulence. Please be sure your seat belt is fastened."

As he looked around the aircraft, it became obvious that many of the passengers were becoming apprehensive. Later, the voice of the announcer said, "We are so sorry that we are unable to serve the meal at this time. The turbulence is still ahead of us."

And then the storm broke. The ominous cracks of thunder could be heard even above the roar of the engines. Lightening lit up the darkening skies and within moments that great plane was like a cork tossed around on a celestial ocean. One moment the airplane was lifted on terrific currents of air; the next, it dropped as if it were about to crash.

The man confessed that he shared the discomfort and fear of those around him. He said, "As I looked around the plane, I could see that nearly all the passengers were upset and alarmed. Some were praying.

The future seemed ominous and many were wondering if they would make it through the storm. And then, I suddenly saw a girl to whom the storm meant nothing. She had tucked her feet beneath her as she sat on her seat and was reading a book.

Everything within her small world was calm and orderly. Sometimes she closed her eyes, then she would read again; then she would straighten her legs, but worry and fear were not in her world. When the plane was being buffeted by the terrible storm, when it lurched this way and that, as it rose and fell with frightening severity, when all the adults were scared half to death, that marvelous child was completely composed and unafraid."

The man could hardly believe his eyes. It was not surprising therefore, that when the plane finally reached its destination and all the passengers were hurrying to disembark, he lingered to speak to the girl whom he had watched for such a long time.

Having commented about the storm and behavior of the plane, he asked why she had not been afraid.

The sweet child replied,

"Sir, my Dad is the pilot and he is taking me home."

When you are sure of your self and your confident level is steady you will be able to do the things calmly and successfully.

Source: Unknown

Self Confidence

Building Confidence in Your Self


This is an old story about a business executive who was deep in debt and could see no way out. Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were also demanding payment.

He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy.

Suddenly an old man appeared before him.

"I can see that something is troubling you," he said. After listening to the executive's woes, the old man said, "I believe I can help you."

He asked the man his name, wrote out a cheque, and pushed it into his hand saying, "Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time." Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.

The business executive saw in his hand a cheque for RM500, 000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, at that time one of the richest men in the world!

"I can erase my money worries in an instant!" he realized. But instead, the executive decided to put the un-cashed check in his safe. Just knowing it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to save his business, he thought.

With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.

Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the un-cashed check.

At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.

"I'm so glad I caught him!" she cried. "I hope he hasn't been bothering you. He's always escaping from the rest home and telling people he's John D. Rockefeller."

And she led the old man away by the arm.

The astonished executive just stood there, stunned. All year long he'd been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half a million dollars behind him.

Suddenly, he realized that it wasn't the money, real or imagined, that had turned his life around. It was his newfound self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.


Think Positive and Have Faith in Your Self

Thinking From Others Point of View

Working with People: Thinking From Others Point of View

When I was in elementary school, I got into a major argument with a boy in my class। I have forgotten what the argument was about, but I have never forgotten the lesson I learned that day.

I was convinced that "I" was right and "he" was wrong - and he was just as convinced that "I" was wrong and "he" was right। The teacher decided to teach us a very important lesson. She brought us up to the front of the class and placed him on one side of her desk and me on the other. In the middle of her desk was a large, round object. I could clearly see that it was black. She asked the boy what color the object was. "White," he answered.

I couldn't believe he said the object was white, when it was obviously black! Another argument started between my classmate and me, this time about the color of the object। The teacher told me to go stand where the boy was standing and told him to come stand where I had been. We changed places, and now she asked me what the color of the object was. I had to answer, "White." It was an object with two differently colored sides, and from his viewpoint it was white. Only from my side was it black.

My teacher taught me a very important lesson that day; you must stand in the other person's shoes and look at the situation through their eyes in order to truly understand their perspective.

If you want to work with people (everyone has to work with or through people), you must first put yourself in their shoes and see the problem as they see it. Always visualize the results of your decision from the other person’s point of view. Consider all angles, only then you will arrive at a proper decision.

Source: M Peer Mohamed Sardhar

Recession

Recession…

This story is about a man who once upon a time was selling hotdogs by the roadside। He was illiterate, so he never read newspapers. He was hard of hearing, so he never listened to the radio. His eyes were weak, so he never watched television.

But enthusiastically, he sold lots of hotdogs। He was smart enough to offer some attractive schemes to increase his sales. His sales and profit went up. He ordered more a more raw material and buns and use to sale more. He recruited few more supporting staff to serve more customers. He started offering home deliveries. Eventually he got himself a bigger and better stove.

As his business was growing, the son, who had recently graduated from College, joined his father। Then something strange happened.

The son asked, "Dad, aren't you aware of the great recession that is coming our way?" The father replied, "No, but tell me about it।" The son said, "The international situation is terrible. The domestic situation is even worse. We should be prepared for the coming bad times."

The man thought that since his son had been to college, read the papers, listened to the radio and watched TV। He ought to know and his advice should not be taken lightly. So the next day onwards, the father cut down the his raw material order and buns, took down the colorful signboard, removed all the special schemes he was offering to the customers and was no longer as enthusiastic. He reduced his staff strength by giving layoffs. Very soon, fewer and fewer people bothered to stop at his hotdog stand. And his sales started coming down rapidly, same is the profit.

The father said to his son, "Son, you were right"। "We are in the middle of a recession and crisis. I am glad you warned me ahead of time."

Moral of the Story:

It's all in your MIND! And we actually FUEL this recession much more than we think we do!!!!!!!!!! !!

What can we take away from this story??

1. How many times we confuse intelligence with good judgment?
2. Choose your advisers carefully but use your own judgment
3। A person or an organization will survive forever, if they have the 5 Cs

*Character * Commitment* Conviction* Courtesy* Courage

The more practical and appropriate views on this economic recession is –

This is the time to reunite together for any small or a big organization
This is the time to motivate and retain people which are the biggest asset
This is the time to show more commitments to the customers
This is the time show values of our company to the world
This is the time to stand by our nation

For the Winning Edge…


Employee "A" in a company walked up to his manager and asked what my job is for the day? The manager took "A" to the bank of a river and asked him to cross the river and reach the other side of the bank."A" completed this task successfully and reported back to the manager about the completion of the task assigned. The manager smiled and said "GOOD JOB"

"Next day Employee "B" reported to the same manager and asked him the job for the day. The manager assigned the same task as above to this person also. The Employee "B', before starting the task saw Employee "C" struggling in the river to reach the other side of the bank. He realized "C" has the same task. Now "B" not only crossed the river but also helped "C" to cross the river. "B" reported back to the manager and the manager smiled and said "VERY GOOD JOB"

"The following day Employee "Q" reported to the same manager and asked him the job for the day. The manager assigned the same task again. Employee "Q" before starting the work did some home work and realized "A", "B" & "C" all has done this task before. He met them and understood how they performed. He realized that there is a need for a guide and training for doing this task. He sat first and wrote down the procedure for crossing the river, he documented the common mistakes people made, and tricks to do the task efficiently and effortlessly. Using the methodology he had written down he crossed the river and reported back to the manager along with documented procedure and training material. "The manager said "Q" you have done an "EXCELLENT JOB".

The following day Employee "O' reported to the manager and asked him the job for the day. The manager assigned the same task again. "O" studied the procedure written down by "Q" and sat and thought about the whole task. He realized company is spending lot of money in getting this task completed. He decided not to cross the river, but sat and designed and implemented a bridge across the river and went back to his manager and said, "You no longer need to assign this task to any one". The manager smiled and said "Outstanding job 'O'. I am very proud of you."

What is the difference between A, B, Q & O????????

Many a times in life we get tasks to be done at home, at office, at play….,

Most of us end up doing what is expected out of us. Do we feel happy? Most probably yes. We would be often disappointed when the recognition is not meeting our expectation.

Let us compare ourselves with "B". Helping some one else the problem often improves our own skills. There is an old proverb "learn to teach and teach to learn". From a company point of view "B" has demonstrated much better skills than "A" since one more task for the company is completed.

"Q" created knowledge base for the team. More often than not, we do the task assigned to us without checking history. Learning from other's mistake is the best way to improve efficiency. This knowledge creation for the team is of immense help. Re-usability reduces cost there by increases productivity of the team. "Q" demonstrated good "team-player" skills

"Now to the outstanding person, "O" made the task irrelevant; he created a Permanent Asset to the team.

If you notice B, Q and O all have demonstrated "team performance" over an above individual performance; also they have demonstrated a very invaluable characteristic known as

"INITIATIVE"

Initiative pays of every where whether at work or at personal life. If you put initiative you will succeed. Initiative is a continual process and it never ends. This is because this year's achievement is next year's task. You cannot use the same success story every year.

When you judge your performance, analyze have you acted as A, B, Q or O?

Source: Vikas Seth

The EYES of a Leader...

The EYES of a Leader...

The Mahabharata tells the story of a kingdom where the royal couple has no EYES. The king, Dhritarashtra, was blind and his queen, Gandhari, blindfolded herself. The result: children who were unobserved. The father cannot SEE; the mother chooses not to SEE. The children grow up with a warped value system. Since no one is seeing them, they feel they can get away with anything. As a result the law of the jungle reigns supreme in the kingdom of Dhritarashtra. A woman is publicly disrobed and lands are grabbed by force.


Leaders must have the EYES to SEE his people. He must recognize them for who they are, rather than what he wants them to be. More often than not, leaders don't have EYES – or rather they SEE only themselves. Their EYES are only for their vision of the world. They do not realize there are others around them with other visions of life. This lack of EYES strips them of all empathy. Everything is measured and valued against their narrow vision. Those who support, praise and align with their vision are good; while those fail to do so or provide constructive criticisms are bad. Intellectual leaders with an intellectual outlook of things therefore look down upon people who are not intellectual. Emotional leaders keep advising non-emotional team members to transform for their betterment. Task oriented leaders do not value people oriented team members and vice versa. In other words, they SEE nothing but themselves and constantly seek themselves in others. They notice no one else. They SEE others as they SEE themselves.


The ability to recognize and nurture talent is often missing in people who are assumed to be leaders by their respective organizations. Some leaders recognize talent but do not know what do with it. Others, envious of talent, reject or ignore them deliberately. Some leaders recognize talent but do not know what do with it. Others, envious of talent, reject or ignore them deliberately. The character Karna in the Mahabharata is a case in point. Karna was always seen as a charioteer's son and never as a great archer by the Pandavas. It was Duryodhana who saw Karna's talent but used him unfortunately for his villainous goals. This is what happens to talented people who are rejected in organizations or in countries – they end up with competitors. These talents are like stallions, they know their value and can move anywhere with tremendous speed. The leaders must have the EYES to spot and develop talents within their organizations.


In the Upanishads, it is said that it is an observer who creates an observation. It is our attention that creates the world around us. Likewise, it is the EYES of the leader that creates an organization around him. In Mahabharata Dhritarashtra's lack of sight and his wife's refusal to SEE created the Kauravas. It is not so much about sight as it is about attention – how much attention do we put in people around us.


As leaders, do we SEE people around us and pay attention to them? Do we SEE what they SEE? Do we try and align our vision to theirs or do we simply impose our vision onto them? It is time for leaders to open their EYES to these questions, otherwise they should not be in leadership positions.

Source: Dr Devdutt Pattanaik

The BUS DRIVER

The BUS DRIVER

CEOs Must Know How to Drive the BUS…

If an organization is a bus, then the CEO must know how to drive the bus. The CEO must be able to get the right people onto the bus, get the wrong people off the bus and set the direction for the passengers.


Get the right people onto the bus. I think this is a key concept that most organizations do not do well at all. How can you achieve success if you have the 'wrong' team? One of the mistakes most organizations make when they recruit is to select people based solely on their technical qualifications and skills. This is important, but I would suggest a better option would be to select based more on behavioral rather than technical skills. I would rather employ a manager with satisfactory technical skills but with an excellent attitude rather than the most technically qualified manager, but with a terrible attitude. Working in organizations is not only doing your work well but importantly, interacting and assisting other people in doing their work well too. In a nutshell, the right people would be people with the right skills/competencies, attitude, team players and critically, those who can take your organization to the next level. In the process make sure that the right people in your organization are also sitting in the 'right' seats in the bus! And finally, make sure you are the right driver; otherwise, the right people may get off the bus prematurely at the next stop!!


Get the wrong people off the bus. How do you get rid of your employees who are constantly underperforming or are the deadwood in the organization? I would suggest that you can do this by borrowing an idea from Jack Welch when he was the CEO of GE. He ranked all his employees into three categories, category A were the high performers, category B were those who had the potential but lacked certain skills and experience, and lastly category C were those who were underperforming. Every year, managers had to brief their superior about actions they had taken in relation to people in category C. Termination was always an option that was considered because one bad apple can make a whole team under-perform, which is usually disastrous. Marcus Buckingham in his book, "First break all the rules", says that most CEOs spend a lot of time on underperformers when if they spend the same time on high performers, the returns would be so much greater. Although it is difficult to terminate people, however not terminating them would be more disastrous option for your organization. Please also remember that even if you have excellent goals and strategies, but with the wrong people on the bus, you will continue to achieve mediocre results.


Set the Direction. When you board the bus, you always want to know where the bus is going. If you are not aware, then it is most certain that you will feel uncomfortable. Bus drivers must therefore always keep their passengers informed. It is okay to change direction every once in a while, because passengers understand the volatile state of the business environment and the need to change course. They however would like to always be kept informed of the 'new direction', so that they can work towards assisting the driver to reach the new 'destination'. When you are kept in the 'dark' there is nothing much you can do to assist the driver. Vision/mission statements and organizational strategies must therefore be made known to everyone in the bus inclusive the ones at the lower levels!! I have many times in the course of my work, seen vision/mission statements that were there to be used more as marketing tools and also because 'everyone is doing it', rather than as a tool to drive the organization. Ask your management team today about what your organization's vision/mission statement is and I am most certain 90% will not know!! Think about it! If you do not know where you are going, how can you get there!!


Source: Jim Collins

The Peter Principle

The Peter Principle

The Peter Principle concept was introduced by Dr. Laurence Johnston Peter in his book of the same title. The concept of this principle is that in organizations, new employees typically start in the lower ranks, but when they prove to be competent in their job, they get promoted to a higher rank and to a new job. This process goes on indefinitely, until the employee reaches a job where he or she is no longer competent! Although incompetent, they are kept in the job as it is very difficult to 'demote' someone. The net result is that most of the management levels of a bureaucracy can be filled by incompetent people, who got there because they were quite good at doing different work than the work they are currently expected to perform.

As an example, it is usual for organizations to promote their best sales person to a management position. The nature of the new job however is totally different i.e. managing a sales force. The sales person may be very good at doing sales but falls short when it comes to managing people. Hence he has been promoted to a job that he is incompetent in, triggering the concept of the Peter Principle.

How many times have we seen this principle being demonstrated in organizations? How many times have we all some times wondered about how certain people got promoted to their present positions? Ironically they are there not because they are good at their present job, but because they were good at their past jobs. And the trouble with people like these is that they then carry on doing the tasks involved in 'their past jobs' because they cannot do their present ones well. How many times have we seen managers go on and on about the font and format of a report rather than the substance of it; How many times have we seen a sales manager trying to teach a sales person how to sell when his priority should be drawing up sales strategies for his sales force: How many times have we seen CEO's getting involved in the administration of the annual dinner when the mission statements and strategies for the organization have yet to be drawn up. The list is endless. There is no escaping this concept in organizations.

However a good way to overcome this would be to ensure that whenever a person is promoted, it is ability in the future job that will play a critical role in the promotion process, and not ability in his present job. I must admit that this is easier said than done!

Related article:
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/manager/2006/12/11/stories/2006121101301000.htm

Measure your True Efforts…

Measure your True Efforts…

Shivangi was a God loving young girl. Unlike most of her peers she would spend a lot of time in prayer and devotional singing. Her parents married her to a boy from a very good family. Much to her dismay, Shivangi learned soon after her wedding that her husband Abhay was a compulsive alcoholic and had no interest in anything Godly.

Every evening when Shivangi would sit down to offer prayers to the Lord, Abhay would abuse her and show his annoyance. He would ask her to sit with him and give him company because he loved her so much. Shivangi had to give up her evening prayer routine to please her newly wed husband.

As months and years passed, Shivangi slowly persuaded her husband to let her sit for her evening bhajan for an hour everyday. He had grown more considerate because of the love and affection she showered on him. He was also drinking lesser because she impressed upon him time and again about the evils of alcohol.

Every evening Abhay would sit down to have his drink, but he would miss his wife's company. He kept thinking of her. He kept visualizing her in the prayer room, singing bhajans. Time and again he would wait for the hour to be over, so that she would come and join him.

In the prayer room, Shivangi would play the Harmonium and sing for the Lord. But, her thoughts would drift towards her husband. In her minds eye, she would picture Abhay, taking one drink after the other. She prayed to the Lord, to change her husband's habits. Months passed like this.

One night, Shivangi had a dream: Abhay and Shivangi were kneeling before the Lord.

God said: Shivangi, Abhay is more devoted to me than you. Shivangi: Lord! How is that possible? I sing your glory, but he drinks all evening.

God: When you are physically in the prayer room, you are mentally drinking. You think only of Abhay. "The drink is in you and you are in the drink."

But, when Abhay is drinking, he constantly thinks about prayer and bhajan. He even mentally sings the songs he imagines you to be singing. "The prayer is in him and he is in prayer."

Shivangi: But Lord...!

God: No my child! It is only when you remember me from the core of your heart that you can feel that "I am in you and you are in me." Prayer is talking to God. The time you spend in 'prayer' is of no significance unless you are able to establish the connection that makes you feel that, "God is in you, with you and around you!"

"What counts is not the number of hours you put in, but how much you put in the hours."


Contributed By Rakesh Bisht


yoginAm api sarvesAm mad-gatenantar-AtmanA
sraddhAvAn bhajate yo mAm sa me yuktatamo mataH (Gita, 6.47)

Man-manA bhava mad bhakto mad yAjimAm namaskuru,
mAm evaiyasi satyam te pratijAne priyo 'si me (Gita, 18.65)

The Elephant and the Fly

The Elephant and the Fly


A disciple and his teacher were walking through the forest. The disciple was disturbed by the fact that his mind was in constant unrest.

He asked his teacher: "Why most people's minds are restless, and only a few possess a calm mind? What can one do to still the mind?"

The teacher looked at the disciple, smiled and said: "I will tell you a story. An elephant was standing and picking leaves from a tree. A small fly came, flying and buzzing near his ear. The elephant waved it away with his long ears. Then the fly came again, and the elephant waved it away once more".

This was repeated several times. Then the elephant asked the fly: "Why are you so restless and noisy? Why can't you stay for a while in one place?"

The fly answered: "I am attracted to whatever I see, hear or smell. My five senses pull me constantly in all directions and I cannot resist them. What is your secret? How can you stay so calm and still?"

The elephant stopped eating and said: "My five senses do not rule my attention. Whatever I do, I get immersed in it. Now that I am eating, I am completely immersed in eating. In this way I can enjoy my food and chew it better. I rule and control my attention, and not the other way around."

Upon hearing these words, the disciple's eyes opened wide and a smile appeared on his face. He looked at his teacher and said: "I understand! If my five senses are in control of my mind and attention, then my mind is in constant unrest. If I am in charge of my five senses and attention, then my mind becomes calm".

"Yes, that's right", answered the teacher, "The mind is restless and goes wherever the attention is. Control your attention, and you control your mind".


Remez Sasson


AtmAnam rathinam viddhi, sariram ratham eva ca; buddhim tu sArathim viddhi, manah pragraham eva ca. indriyAni hayan Ahur, visayAms tesu gocarAn; atmendriya-mano-yuktam, bhoktety Ahur manisinah - Katha Upanisad 1.3.3-4

An Old Story with New Learning

Do you recognize a DIAMOND when you see one?

An Old Story with New Learning


There was a farmer in Africa who was happy and content. He was happy because he was content. He was content because he was happy.

One day a wise man came to him and told him about the glory of diamonds and the power that goes along with them. The wise man said, "If you had a diamond the size of your thumb, you could have your own city. If you had a diamond the size of your fist, you could probably own your own country." And then he went away.

That night the farmer couldn't sleep. He was unhappy and he was discontent. He was unhappy because he was discontent and discontent because he was unhappy.

The next morning he made arrangements to sell off his farm, took care of his family and went in search of diamonds. He looked all over Africa and couldn't find any. He looked all through Europe and couldn't find any. When he got to Spain, he was emotionally, physically and financially broke. He got so disheartened that he threw himself into the Barcelona River and committed suicide.

Back home, the person who had bought his farm was watering the camels at a stream that ran through the farm. Across the stream, the rays of the morning sun hit a stone and made it sparkle like a rainbow.

He thought it would look good on the mantle piece. He picked up the stone and put it in the living room.

That afternoon the wise man came and saw the stone sparkling. He asked, "Is Hafiz back?"

The new owner said, "No, why do you ask?"

The wise man said, "Because that is a diamond. I recognize one when I see one."

The man said, no, that's just a stone I picked up from the stream. Come, I'll show you.

There are many more." They went and picked some samples and sent them for analysis. Sure enough, the stones were diamonds. They found that the farm was indeed covered with acres and acres of diamonds.

Learnings

When our attitude is right, we realize that we are a walking on acres and acres of diamonds. Opportunity is always under our feet. We don't have to go anywhere. All we need to do is recognize it. Attitude determines the altitude.

The grass always appears greener on the other side (ikkarai ke akkarai pachai)। While we are dyeing the grass on the other side, there are others who are dyeing the grass on our side.

When people don't know how to recognize opportunity, they complain of noise when it knocks. The same opportunity never knocks twice. The next one may be better or worse, but it is never the same one.

Contributed by Sharad Singh

Good News or Bad News

Good News or Bad News

Riches, mediocrity and poverty begin in the mind.

Good news or bad news? It depends on how you see things. You can be bitter after being cheated. Or you can choose to move on with your life…

Robert De Vincenzo, the great Argentine golfer, once won a tournament and, after receiving the check and smiling for the cameras, he went to the clubhouse and prepared to leave. Some time later, he walked alone to his car in the parking lot and was approached by a young woman.

She congratulated him on his victory and then told him that her child was seriously ill and near death. She did not know how she could pay the doctor's bills and hospital expenses.

De Vincenzo was touched by her story, and he took out a pen and endorsed his winning check for payment to the woman. "Make some good days for the baby," he said as he pressed the check into her hand.

The next week he was having lunch in a country club when a Professional Golf Association official came to his table. "Some of the boys in the parking lot last week told me you met a young woman there after you won that tournament." De Vincenzo nodded. "Well," said the official, "I have news for you. She's a phony. She has no sick baby. She's not even married. She fleeced you, my friend."

"You mean there is no baby who is dying?" said De Vincenzo.

"That's right," said the official.

"That's the best good news I've heard all week." De Vincenzo said.

You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses.

When you consistently maintain a positive frame of mind, you'll become known as a problem-solver rather than a complainer. People avoid complainers. They seek out problem-solvers.

You can give in to the failure messages and be a bitter deadbeat of excuses. Or you can choose to be happy and positive and excited about life. The difference between can and cannot are only three letters that determine your life's direction.


Being positive or negative are habits of thoughts that have a very strong influence on life.

The Best Contribution You Can Make

The Best Contribution You Can Make …


An elderly couple retired to the countryside - to a small isolated cottage overlooking some rugged and rocky heath land. One early morning the woman saw from her window a young man dressed in working clothes walking on the heath, about a hundred yards away. He was carrying a spade and a small case, and he disappeared from view behind a copse of trees.

The woman thought no more about it but around the same time the next day she saw the man again, carrying his spade and a small case, and again he disappeared behind the copse. The woman mentioned this to her husband, who said he was probably a farmer or gamekeeper setting traps, or performing some other country practice that would be perfectly normal, and so not to worry.

However after several more sightings of the young man with the spade over the next two weeks the woman persuaded her husband to take a stroll - early, before the man tended to arrive - to the copse of trees to investigate what he was doing.

There they found a surprisingly long and deep trench, rough and uneven at one end, becoming much neater and tidier towards the other end.

"How strange," the old lady said, "Why dig a trench here - and in such difficult rocky ground?" and her husband agreed.

Just then the young man appeared - earlier than his usual time.

"You're early," said the old woman, making light of their obvious curiosity, "We wondered what you were doing - and we also wondered what was in the case."

"I'm digging a trench," said the man, who continued, realizing a bigger explanation was appropriate, "I'm actually learning how to dig a good trench, because the job I'm being interviewed for later today says that experience is essential - so I'm getting the experience. And the case - it's got my lunch in it."

He got the job.


Moral of the story

Don't wait for anything। Start today if you want to be successful in your life. The best contribution one can make to humanity is to improve oneself. Only the player with the initiative has the right to attack.

Action plan

Times will change for the better when you change। So start taking initiatives whether it is at your work place or at your home. Initiatives are first step towards Self Development.

Rajesh Seshadri

The Comfort Zone

The Comfort Zone...
by Megan Gebhardt

Over time, we all gather a set of constricting habits around us—ones that trap us in a zone of supposed comfort, well below what our potential would allow us to attain। Pretty soon, such habits slip below the level of our consciousness, but they still determine what we think that we can and cannot do—and what we cannot even bring ourselves to try. As long as you let these habits rule you, you'll be stuck in a rut.

About 10 years ago, I started a job as a trainer for a Telemarketing agency। In one of my first classes the head trainer told a very motivating story about Comfort Zone that I would like to share with you.

He began by drawing a diagram of a stick man standing in the middle of a circle। To make it more interesting, he drew things like a house, a car, and a few friends inside the circle.

He asked the question "Can anyone tell me what this is?" In a long silence, one guy decided to throw out "the world?" The trainer said "That's close, this is your Comfort Zone। Inside your circle you have all the things that are important to you. Your home, your family, your friends, and your job. People feel that inside this circle they are safe from any danger or conflict.

"Can anyone tell me what happens when you step out of this circle?" A strong silence came over the room। The same eager guy abruptly announced "You are afraid". Another guy said "You make mistakes". The silence continued and the trainer smiled and said "When you make mistakes what can the result be?" The first guy shouts "You learn something."

"Exactly, you are learning." The trainer turned to the board and drew an arrow pointing from the stick man directly to the outside of the circle. He proceeded to say "When you leave your Comfort Zone you put yourself out there, in front of the world to be in a situations that you are not comfortable with. The end result is that you have learned something that you did not already know, you expand your knowledge to become a better person." He turned again to the board and drew a bigger circle around the original circle, and added a few new things like more friends, a bigger house etc.

"The moral of the story is that if you stay inside your Comfort Zone you will never be able to expand your horizons and learn. When you step out of your Comfort Zone you will eventually make your circle bigger, to challenge your mind and grow to be stronger, and all in all a better person."

OPEN THE DOOR OF YOUR SELF-IMPOSED PRISON AND WALK FREE

Lesson from a Tea Cup

More often we hear people complaining that "what have I done to deserve this?" Why God is not listening to my prayers? They also ask other people to pray for them as they have lost faith in God। Please read this little story of a cup as it explains why God doesn't listen to your prayers when you want Him to listen. We all go through very difficult and painful time in life that we think that it is the end of the world. Most people run here and there in search of new God, new religion or quick fix. But we can all understand God's grace from this little story of a Tea Cup...

Lesson from a Tea Cup

Once there was a young man। He was rather immature and inexperienced, but was ready to learn new things। He had a strong liking for antiques and was happy to visit different antique stores when he was on holidays. He traveled all over the world and collected many antiques. Over the time he developed a strong interest in antique pottery and especially in tea cups. He felt that they all had their unique stories to tell.

Once while he was in an old fortress in Serbia which had been partially transformed into a museum, he spotted an exceptional tea cup in a dusty antique store which clearly had Turkish influences। He asked the seller: "May I see that exceptionally beautiful tea cup over there? It seems to come from Turkey. As the man handed him the tea cup, our young man suddenly heard the tea cup speak up:

"Thank you for liking me," it said, "I have not always been a tea cup। There was a time when I had no idea what service meant. I was just a dumb lump of red clay. Let me tell you my story and I am sure you will learn from it.

I've lived for many, many thousands of years। I've witnessed wars and peace coming and going. Whole civilizations rolled over me as I sat there waiting. Then one day my master came. He took me, brought me home, rolled and pounded me on a wooden table. Again and again, he poked his fingers into me until finally I yelled out "don't do that!' Imagine someone would take you like this. , Leave me alone!' But he only smiled and gently said "Not yet!"

The tea cup became more and more alive as he spoke to the shocked young man "Then, whoommmm! I was placed on a spinning wheel and suddenly spun around and around and around until I lost all my sense of direction: Stop it, don't you see that I'm getting sick? Quickly, take me from the spinning wheel!' But the master only nodded in understanding and quietly said "not yet!'

He only bent me in and out of shape to suit his plan with me॥ "Then he placed me carefully into an oven। I never felt such heat. I yelled and knocked and pounded at the door: It is hotter than hell - I'm burning to ashes. Please get me out of here before it is too late.' I could see him through a tiny hole. I could only read his lips as he shook his head from side to side and silently pronounced, "Not yet!'

"When I thought I could not bear the heat for another minute, the door opened। He carefully took me out and put me on a shelf where I began to cool. It felt so good to be left alone. "But more was going to come. After I had cooled down he carefully picked me up, looked at me and brushed some dust away. Then he brought the colors and something transparent - the glaze. The fumes were horrible! I thought I would suffocate! , I said please... have mercy! Don't you understand my misery? Please, please, please! Stop it! "But he only shook his head and said "Not yet, you're not yet ready!"

"Then unexpectedly and very quickly he put me back into the oven। Only it was about twice or trice as hot as the first time - this was the most intense. From the beginning I felt... this is my death... I begged... I pleaded ... I threatened ... I screamed ... Finally, I cried without tears. Not even hot tears. I was convinced I will never make it. I was ready to give up॥ "Just then - in the last second as I was slowly fainting, the door opened and he took me out. And again placed me on the shelf - where I cooled and waited... and waited ... and waited.

"What was he going to do next? An hour or so later he came back and placed a mirror before me and said: ,Look at yourself!' And I did। "What I saw amazed me. It is what you see now. That's not me! I said. That cannot be me... It is too beautiful, "With a very compassionate voice my master spoke "This is what you are meant to be" and then he explained everything that was needed for me to look so beautiful.

He said "I know it hurt you when I rolled and kneaded you on the table। But if I had not gotten the air out of you, you would have broken.' "I knew you must have lost all your sense of orientation when I was spinning you. But without this you would never have come into this form. I know the fumes of the colors in the glaze were intolerable when I painted you all over. But if I had not done that, you would not have had any color in your life and you would not have hardened. And when I placed you in the second oven I knew that this would be the most severe part. But without it you would have broken very easily when the realities of life would have come. Believe me all I did was for your good. Now you are what I had in mind when I first saw you on the ground. Now you are a finished product."

With this the tea cup stopped speaking - but there was a tear of gratefulness coming from its beautiful rim।

The young man purchased the tea cup and only used it when he offered something to God। He never forgot the lesson he received from it. Whenever he was in a difficult situation and he felt like calling out, stop it! Leave me alone!', he remembered the words of the tea cup maker: "Not yet...!" However, he also became grateful - for he knew that everything that happened was designed by the Lord to make him what he was meant to become.

We should also have complete faith in God that HE knows what HE is doing for each of us. He is the potter and we are the clay. He will mold us and make us ready. He will also expose us to just enough pressures that we will become a perfect piece of His liking. So we should not misinterpret his divine grace and run here and there to search for new master. We should have faith in our master and learn to tolerate whatever we go through in our life as whatever he is doing is for our own good. Build such a relationship with him that he will become your parent and will be always around you to protect you and grant you all the happiness you deserve.

V RENGARAJAN

The Traveler and the Tiger…

This story is from the Hitopadesa

Once upon a time in the southern forests there dwelt a certain old tiger. Everyday he would take a ceremonial bath and, gathering some sacred grass in his paw, he would call out to the passers-by as he sat at the edge of a pond: come travelers, come! Someone come and take this gold bracelet which I am giving away free!

This attracted a traveler, but he felt some hesitation. He thought within himself, "bonanza here! But there may be a trap. Therefore, I must not be hasty where a risk is involved. People say, the result of getting a desirable object from an undesirable source is not good; indeed, even nectar, when tainted with poison, brings about one's 'death. But then, any enterprise involves risk. Playing, safe, you win nothing. To gain success you must take calculated risks. Let me examine this offer closely”. There upon he called aloud: "Where is your bracelet?"

The tiger stretched out a paw and showed it to him, but the traveler said: “How am I to trust someone with a murderous nature like you”. The tiger replied: “My friend, your doubts and fears are certainly justified as I was killer once. In my youth I killed so many human beings and cattle that my sins destroyed my wife and children. And now I am without heirs. Then, by Divine Grace, I met a holy man, who gave me wholesome advice. Obeying him, I repented all my sins, gave away all I had in charity. I am old, my teeth and claws are gone: no one need fear me. I spend my time in ritual baths and alms giving. The scriptures prescribe the eightfold path of virtue - sacrifice, religious study, charity, penance, truthfulness, patience, forgiveness, and lack of greed. Of these, the first four may be practiced merely for ostentation, but the last four belong to the truly great. And I, being, free from greed, wish to give away, somehow to someone this gold bracelet, my last possession. I admit it is difficult to refute the belief that tigers eat people. For the world never thinks for itself, but blindly does what has been done before. But I have studied the scriptures diligently, and I follow their teachings. Let me remind you of them.

It is said:

1. "As rain to a desert, as food to the hungry, so satisfying is a gift to the poor",

2. "As one's life is dear to oneself so is life dear to every creature. The good think of others as themselves, and show compassion".

3. "While giving or while refusing, in joy or in sorrow, in liking, or in disliking. A man should judge by placing himself in the other's position. You are a poor fellow, and so I would like you to have this bracelet".

4. "Give to the needy; do not add wealth to the rich. The sick man needs medicine. What use of it to one in health"

5. "The best charity is giving for giving’s sake, at the proper place and time, to one who deserves it, and from whom nothing is expected in return".

Therefore, have a Holy bath in this lake, and then take this golden bracelet as a gift from me. The traveler felt confidence at the tiger's words, but no sooner did he enter the pool in order to bathe than he found himself stuck fast in the mud and unable to run away. When the tiger saw him held deep in the mud he said: Oh! You have fallen into the mud; I will just lift you out of it. With these words he gently approached the traveler.

As the tiger seized the traveler, he (the traveler) thought to himself, “I was a fool to trust this killer. I did not do well in having faith in this murderous beast" With these and other thoughts passing through his mind, the traveler was killed by the tiger and eaten.

The above story proves how greed robs learned man of his wisdom. It also tells us that animals (also animals in human form) do not deviate from their instinctive behavior – (Swabhava). However, human beings have intellect and power of discretion, which when used in deviation of their value based instinctive behavior (Swabhava), lead to all sort of problems.