Donned in white,
Many of them combined together,
Jump up with vigor,
Each trying to out beat the other!
Dance they do,
All day and night,
With neither shame,
Now with any aim!
We know not,
How high will they jump,
We know not,
Which side would they take,
But, fall, they will,
One day or another!
Yet, Dance they do,
All day and night,
With neither shame,
Now with any aim!
Fall, they will,
Only to mix with others,
Re-appear; they will,
When and where is their will!
But, Dance they do,
All day and night,
With neither shame,
Now with any aim!
They come and go,
They go up and down,
We know them,
Neither by names,
Nor by their fame!
Yet, Dance they do,
All day and night,
With neither shame,
Now with any aim!
They continue to repeat the dance,
All through the year,
Till they evaporate into thin air,
Who they are, what they are….well,
They are mere fountains,
In the garden of parliament!!
- T. Sabapathy
Dec 1993
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
News in Brief
I wanted to read this as news in some fun event. Having fun
====
This is All India Radio, the news read by Sabapathy Thiru
News Headlines Today
• Dr Manmohan Singh has come out of his silence
• Rahul Gandhi is on padayatra by car
• Anna Hazare wants all governments under lokpal
• Sachin Tendulkar awarded Param Veer Chakra
• National Debate on using surnames
News in Brief
• Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh has come out of his silence after nearly one year. He muttered “Mmmm…” today. Leader of opposition Mrs Sushma Swaraj complained that the PM has to state his views and just purring sound is not enough. While doctors believe that the PM will eventually regain his voice, Congress President Mrs. Sonia Gandhi blasted opposition for raising a non-issue. She said that the PM does open his mouth at least three times a day, even if it is only for eating his food and that it is his birth right to open and close his mouth.
• Mr Rahul Gandhi has taken to one more padayatra by car. He promised to continue with padayatra every day until Mrs. Mayawati quits CM post. He said “Padayatra is very good for the farmers of UP and I would continue to walk the car.” Mayawati quipped that Rahul Gandhi is walking for her health too since she is a former farmer of UP.
• This is All India Radio, giving you the news
• Mr. Anna Hazare wants all governments including that of USA under lokpal. He said that no person on earth can be above law or Lokpal. He will go on fast from US Independence day. Meanwhile, Baba Ramdev said that he is in full agreement to Anna and said that he has requested Mr. Obama to learn pranayama in the first place. Mr. Kapil Sibal said that it is good to hear that all governments to be included. He quipped that the Government of India will agree only after China and Pakistan agree.
• Since the constitution does not permit giving Bharath Ratna to sports persons, government will confer Param Vir Chakra Medal to Sachin Tendulkar. Since Tendulkar already enlisted as air force personal, conferring PVCM to him will be completely under the law.
• …. And, this is All India Radio, giving you the news
• Congress President Mrs. Sonia Gandhi has imposed ban on using Nehru as surname. She said that India has gone global and have to carry such surnames that will identify itself with the world. She strongly recommended that the congressmen use Quattrocchi as surname and she should be addressed Sonia Quattrocchi henceforth. Mr. Rahul Gandhi… sorry… I mean Mr. Rahul Quattrocchi will take one more padayatra to change the surnames of UP villagers.
• …. And, this is All India Radio, the news read by Sabapathy Quattrocchi
• Anna Hazare remarked that most weather reports are wrongly predicted and the wrong information is passed to the public. He doubted whether there is one more scam in weather bureau. Meanwhile, Minister of Information & Broadcasting has passed a resolution that weather should be more broad based so as to eliminate the error in predictions.
• Weather today….
• Chennai – temperature will vary between -30 degree Centigrade to +72 degree Centigrade. While some part of Chennai will face snow, heavy rains in some other parts and heat wave in few other parts. Rest of the country will face similar weather except in PoK.
• Possibilities of tsunami, earth quakes, volcano eruptions and other natural calamities are possibilities in some parts of the country.
====
This is All India Radio, the news read by Sabapathy Thiru
News Headlines Today
• Dr Manmohan Singh has come out of his silence
• Rahul Gandhi is on padayatra by car
• Anna Hazare wants all governments under lokpal
• Sachin Tendulkar awarded Param Veer Chakra
• National Debate on using surnames
News in Brief
• Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh has come out of his silence after nearly one year. He muttered “Mmmm…” today. Leader of opposition Mrs Sushma Swaraj complained that the PM has to state his views and just purring sound is not enough. While doctors believe that the PM will eventually regain his voice, Congress President Mrs. Sonia Gandhi blasted opposition for raising a non-issue. She said that the PM does open his mouth at least three times a day, even if it is only for eating his food and that it is his birth right to open and close his mouth.
• Mr Rahul Gandhi has taken to one more padayatra by car. He promised to continue with padayatra every day until Mrs. Mayawati quits CM post. He said “Padayatra is very good for the farmers of UP and I would continue to walk the car.” Mayawati quipped that Rahul Gandhi is walking for her health too since she is a former farmer of UP.
• This is All India Radio, giving you the news
• Mr. Anna Hazare wants all governments including that of USA under lokpal. He said that no person on earth can be above law or Lokpal. He will go on fast from US Independence day. Meanwhile, Baba Ramdev said that he is in full agreement to Anna and said that he has requested Mr. Obama to learn pranayama in the first place. Mr. Kapil Sibal said that it is good to hear that all governments to be included. He quipped that the Government of India will agree only after China and Pakistan agree.
• Since the constitution does not permit giving Bharath Ratna to sports persons, government will confer Param Vir Chakra Medal to Sachin Tendulkar. Since Tendulkar already enlisted as air force personal, conferring PVCM to him will be completely under the law.
• …. And, this is All India Radio, giving you the news
• Congress President Mrs. Sonia Gandhi has imposed ban on using Nehru as surname. She said that India has gone global and have to carry such surnames that will identify itself with the world. She strongly recommended that the congressmen use Quattrocchi as surname and she should be addressed Sonia Quattrocchi henceforth. Mr. Rahul Gandhi… sorry… I mean Mr. Rahul Quattrocchi will take one more padayatra to change the surnames of UP villagers.
• …. And, this is All India Radio, the news read by Sabapathy Quattrocchi
• Anna Hazare remarked that most weather reports are wrongly predicted and the wrong information is passed to the public. He doubted whether there is one more scam in weather bureau. Meanwhile, Minister of Information & Broadcasting has passed a resolution that weather should be more broad based so as to eliminate the error in predictions.
• Weather today….
• Chennai – temperature will vary between -30 degree Centigrade to +72 degree Centigrade. While some part of Chennai will face snow, heavy rains in some other parts and heat wave in few other parts. Rest of the country will face similar weather except in PoK.
• Possibilities of tsunami, earth quakes, volcano eruptions and other natural calamities are possibilities in some parts of the country.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Goals & Planning
#82: Goals & Planning
Study of historical data at CNPL, my observations on goal setting and goal achievements have gaps that can be categorized into two; namely Goal Identification and Planning.
Goal Identification: Many a times some of the teams chose goals which are not closely aligned to the tasks those they do and therefore, the goals are more of desires rather than needs of the team. There is another inherent problem within it. The goals are stated at very macro level and not enough thoughts and effort spent in detailing the goals. Thus, the goals are either not achieved or shown as achieved but not at desired level.
Goals, according to me, should be based on GAP Analysis. The gaps that are biggest should be the ones that should be addressed first. We did gap analysis few years back. It would be great to do another round in order to identify gaps.
Gaps could be further classified broadly into technical knowledge gap, skill gap, process gap and delivery gap. Leads could measure or rate the team strength in each of these and identify where they could focus this year in order to improve. Thus, Gap identification is critical to Goal setting.
Goal Planning: Planning for attaining goals is critical for achieving success.
For better planning, each goal should be analyzed by breaking them into smaller units in terms of what is the objective of the goal, what the goal aims to achieve, where it will be applied within the projects that team handles, will it result in adding value or cut cost or improve efficiency, how the progress will be measured and rated, who will control the project progress, at what point in time will it be escalated, how to stay focused, what kind of motivation will drive momentum, how to make it visible across the company and lastly, how to celebrate achievement of goals.
I am sure that most teams have not thought in these lines of planning. It is time that we spend some time to redefine goals if required and make plans. I hope to see better planning from the leads this year and thus, I would map these plans into KRA.
Study of historical data at CNPL, my observations on goal setting and goal achievements have gaps that can be categorized into two; namely Goal Identification and Planning.
Goal Identification: Many a times some of the teams chose goals which are not closely aligned to the tasks those they do and therefore, the goals are more of desires rather than needs of the team. There is another inherent problem within it. The goals are stated at very macro level and not enough thoughts and effort spent in detailing the goals. Thus, the goals are either not achieved or shown as achieved but not at desired level.
Goals, according to me, should be based on GAP Analysis. The gaps that are biggest should be the ones that should be addressed first. We did gap analysis few years back. It would be great to do another round in order to identify gaps.
Gaps could be further classified broadly into technical knowledge gap, skill gap, process gap and delivery gap. Leads could measure or rate the team strength in each of these and identify where they could focus this year in order to improve. Thus, Gap identification is critical to Goal setting.
Goal Planning: Planning for attaining goals is critical for achieving success.
For better planning, each goal should be analyzed by breaking them into smaller units in terms of what is the objective of the goal, what the goal aims to achieve, where it will be applied within the projects that team handles, will it result in adding value or cut cost or improve efficiency, how the progress will be measured and rated, who will control the project progress, at what point in time will it be escalated, how to stay focused, what kind of motivation will drive momentum, how to make it visible across the company and lastly, how to celebrate achievement of goals.
I am sure that most teams have not thought in these lines of planning. It is time that we spend some time to redefine goals if required and make plans. I hope to see better planning from the leads this year and thus, I would map these plans into KRA.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Self Realization: Part-I
Thanks to my parents, I have developed philosophical bend of mind. And, thanks to my nephew, I am attempting to capture my understanding of certain aspects of philosophy into my blog.
In this brief, I will capture my understanding of Self Realization, a concept that I feel every human being should understand and implement.
“What is that if you know, you know everything - Self Realization” is the definition.
My father spoke about this concept more than two decades back and I never understood. I kept thinking about it but I had little understanding of it. When I enquired my father about it, he only uttered “Self Realization cannot be understood, it can only be experienced”.
For years I could not solve the puzzle as to how if one knows about self can know everything – everything to me meant knowing of physics to meta-physics, how to make an atom bomb to cooking delicious dishes, to speak all languages of the world, to compose music, and so on. It made no sense that if we know self, we know everything.
One day I sat and explored what is that making me stay confused in this matter and that was everything… I mean the word everything in this definition - “What is that if you know, you know everything - Self Realization”.
Then I started wondering what “everything” means – does it mean everything in this universe or something related to a subject!!
In this brief, I will capture my understanding of Self Realization, a concept that I feel every human being should understand and implement.
“What is that if you know, you know everything - Self Realization” is the definition.
My father spoke about this concept more than two decades back and I never understood. I kept thinking about it but I had little understanding of it. When I enquired my father about it, he only uttered “Self Realization cannot be understood, it can only be experienced”.
For years I could not solve the puzzle as to how if one knows about self can know everything – everything to me meant knowing of physics to meta-physics, how to make an atom bomb to cooking delicious dishes, to speak all languages of the world, to compose music, and so on. It made no sense that if we know self, we know everything.
One day I sat and explored what is that making me stay confused in this matter and that was everything… I mean the word everything in this definition - “What is that if you know, you know everything - Self Realization”.
Then I started wondering what “everything” means – does it mean everything in this universe or something related to a subject!!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Building the Landscape of the mind
#56: Building the Landscape of the mind [Feb 2009]
Infosys declared their workforce as an asset years back. That caught attention of many. Some companies named their workforce as Human Capital and so on.
Adam Smith defined four types of fixed. The four types were: 1) useful machines, instruments of the trade; 2) buildings as the means of procuring revenue; 3) improvements of land and 4) human capital. Human Capital refers to the stock of productive skills and technical knowledge embodied in labor.
In the knowledge industry, Human Asset is the key of the four types of assets named by A. Smith. Just having people will not translate into Human Asset. We need to question whether each one of us are Human Capital or not. Are we on the debit side or the credit side of the human capital, depends upon Acquiring, Sharing and Applying model of building this Human Capital.
We need the intellects acquiring relevant knowledge on constant basis, sharing that knowledge with the colleagues, and applying the knowledge to build their skills with intent meet the defined goals.
Process
The company will provide an eco-system to achieve it. Leads would identify areas where training is required that are most relevant to the company. A well define plan is made to clearly state what training required to whom by when. The plan will also elicit where the acquired skills will be used and state the expectations for each of the identified training element.
Monitoring, course correction and reviewing the intent is very critical for the success of this goal. We should probably include “Human Capital” rating in future HR surveys. To me, Human Capital is all about building the landscape of the mind.
Hoping to see the value of Human Capital raise!
Infosys declared their workforce as an asset years back. That caught attention of many. Some companies named their workforce as Human Capital and so on.
Adam Smith defined four types of fixed. The four types were: 1) useful machines, instruments of the trade; 2) buildings as the means of procuring revenue; 3) improvements of land and 4) human capital. Human Capital refers to the stock of productive skills and technical knowledge embodied in labor.
In the knowledge industry, Human Asset is the key of the four types of assets named by A. Smith. Just having people will not translate into Human Asset. We need to question whether each one of us are Human Capital or not. Are we on the debit side or the credit side of the human capital, depends upon Acquiring, Sharing and Applying model of building this Human Capital.
We need the intellects acquiring relevant knowledge on constant basis, sharing that knowledge with the colleagues, and applying the knowledge to build their skills with intent meet the defined goals.
Process
The company will provide an eco-system to achieve it. Leads would identify areas where training is required that are most relevant to the company. A well define plan is made to clearly state what training required to whom by when. The plan will also elicit where the acquired skills will be used and state the expectations for each of the identified training element.
Monitoring, course correction and reviewing the intent is very critical for the success of this goal. We should probably include “Human Capital” rating in future HR surveys. To me, Human Capital is all about building the landscape of the mind.
Hoping to see the value of Human Capital raise!
Egoless Organization
#57: Egoless Organization [Mar 2009]
Collaboration is all about building relationships, communicating, give & take, empathizing, enjoying every moment together, going thru thick & thin with same level of motivation, passion, recognizing and appreciating others, staying emotionally and professionally connected, …
But key to build relationship is to lose ones ego; the most poisonous three letter word.
DNA for Egoless Organization
Work must be fun
No one should be doing the job for the sake of it
Confidence spells success
Change is crucial to business, welcome it willingly
Focus on building great team and sharing ideas
Walking the talk
Self motivated
Remaining inspired
Speed an indispensable ingredient of competitiveness
Respect one another and sink your personal differences
Maintaining ethics
Be thoughtful and responsible to all actions
Accept mistakes, learn from it, and not repeat it
Act with sensitivity
Reinvent, constantly
Learn, continuously
Review and audit everything one does
Nurture and harvest talent
I wonder how we can measure the ego level of the company! Any ideas!!
Some Quotes on EGO:
Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls; your ego goes with it.
A discussion should be a genuine attempt to explore a subject rather than a battle between competing egos. [Edward de Bono]
Black & WhiteIn life, a lesson learned in your past that you will never forget completely. 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 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 learned 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.
Tough Times, Tougher People
#58: Tough Times, Tougher People [Apr 2009]
“When the going gets tough, the tough gets going” – an adage that befits organizations that not only takes recession in its stride but uses the recession as an opportunity.
Few questions would arise in your minds when you read the sentence above.
Are we tough enough to survive?
Is each of our team tough enough?
What core factors that would ensure that we survive?
What opportunities that one can foresee?
Survival depends upon two sides of the coin; on one side we have individuals and the other side the organization. Let me discuss, roadmap for success at Individual level.
I recall a quote; “Great people are ordinary people with extraordinary amounts of will power”. The will to survive, the will to overcome an obstacle, the will to win, the will to learn from anyone & everyone, the will to change, the will to challenge and get challenged – is one of the fundamental characteristic that one should build in order to be tough.
Once the “Will Power” is in place, the attitude of “Yes – We can do it” falls into place automatically.
There are four pillars of strength to build on top of the foundation called “Will Power”. They are a. Learnability, b. Efficiency, c. Agility and d. Attitude.
We are in the knowledge era. The world is constantly changing with time. If we do not build the ability and willingness to learn, we are sure losers. So, Learn. Learn to learn what to learn. Learning unwanted things would yield undesired results.
To be competitive one need to be efficient which in turn reduces the cost and to be extremely agile else you are too late. Efficiency is build by changing or adopting processes, by adopting technologies, by innovative thoughts and the will to change. You can’t build efficiency if you do not measure the level of your efficiency. So, measure efficiency, change and re-measure to verify whether you have met a desired efficiency level.
Change is one thing and changing fast is altogether another thing. If one has to win a 100 meters Olympic race, changing the physique is critical but within the time before the Olympics qualification round starts. Hence, agility is a key factor.
The last but not the least is attitude of every person for the deliveries to be successful. Attitude to share and grow, attitude to learn new things, attitude research, attitude to create bond between people, attitude to empathize and help others, attitude towards commitment, etc would make an individual to mature as a person as well as a professional.
I am sure we will survive any business or market change if we adhere to these basics.
I will cover the drivers that would make an organization to be successful in the next issue.
“When the going gets tough, the tough gets going” – an adage that befits organizations that not only takes recession in its stride but uses the recession as an opportunity.
Few questions would arise in your minds when you read the sentence above.
Are we tough enough to survive?
Is each of our team tough enough?
What core factors that would ensure that we survive?
What opportunities that one can foresee?
Survival depends upon two sides of the coin; on one side we have individuals and the other side the organization. Let me discuss, roadmap for success at Individual level.
I recall a quote; “Great people are ordinary people with extraordinary amounts of will power”. The will to survive, the will to overcome an obstacle, the will to win, the will to learn from anyone & everyone, the will to change, the will to challenge and get challenged – is one of the fundamental characteristic that one should build in order to be tough.
Once the “Will Power” is in place, the attitude of “Yes – We can do it” falls into place automatically.
There are four pillars of strength to build on top of the foundation called “Will Power”. They are a. Learnability, b. Efficiency, c. Agility and d. Attitude.
We are in the knowledge era. The world is constantly changing with time. If we do not build the ability and willingness to learn, we are sure losers. So, Learn. Learn to learn what to learn. Learning unwanted things would yield undesired results.
To be competitive one need to be efficient which in turn reduces the cost and to be extremely agile else you are too late. Efficiency is build by changing or adopting processes, by adopting technologies, by innovative thoughts and the will to change. You can’t build efficiency if you do not measure the level of your efficiency. So, measure efficiency, change and re-measure to verify whether you have met a desired efficiency level.
Change is one thing and changing fast is altogether another thing. If one has to win a 100 meters Olympic race, changing the physique is critical but within the time before the Olympics qualification round starts. Hence, agility is a key factor.
The last but not the least is attitude of every person for the deliveries to be successful. Attitude to share and grow, attitude to learn new things, attitude research, attitude to create bond between people, attitude to empathize and help others, attitude towards commitment, etc would make an individual to mature as a person as well as a professional.
I am sure we will survive any business or market change if we adhere to these basics.
I will cover the drivers that would make an organization to be successful in the next issue.