Month: September 2008

count.. Seriously, no1 cares about how well the team plays if they don’t win trophies..

ideally, of course, there would be both.. but that’s tough…

So, move! :)

but the performance..

Staying silent is not an option..

coz it never helps you, the person or the situation..

This one goes out to all of us who take lots of pride in being fantastic last minute people..

I, for one, have always been very happy(proud even..) for having accomplished most of what I have done in the very last minute.. However, there was this one time when I was standing in front of a mountain of a target and typically, I procastinated.. and guess what.. it didn’t happen! Somehow, the magic didn’t seem to work.. and that failure seeped into everything else. Suddenly nothing worked when I did things in the last minute..

I have never considered myself disciplined but hey.. that is the name of the game. When employed, its about waking up in the morning every day and going to work and performing..and then coming back home and performing and doing that again and again..and again..

Hard reality..

Shakespeare wrote his sonnets within a strict discipline, fourteen lines of iambic pentameter, rhyming in three quatrains and a couplet. Were his sonnets dull? Mozart wrote his sonatas within an equally rigid discipline – exposition, development, and recapitulation. Were they dull?” – David Oglivy

when they are on the ground..

The 20mile lesson is all about discipline. You do business or grow your company in a steady manner without compromising your values, culture, etc for business opportunities. So in good economy, when you have multiple opportunities, you only take the ones which fit your company’s strategy. And in bad years you work 3 times harder just to maintain your strategy.

A good example is Southwest airlines: at every given year they get requests from 10-20 airports/cities to open hubs there. Southwest will only do 3 or 4. The reason is maintaining their unique strategy (fun culture, operations, etc.). If they would open 10 hubs for example they will have to, by definition, compromise on several attributes of their strategy. That might give them short term advantage but over the long term it will hurt their business.

is the name of every game..

for eg: I am arguing with this friend who I just kicked(by mistake) during a football game. I am tempted to shout at him saying ‘You always kick me. I don’t think you think of anything except the ball. And I don’t think you will ever learn because you always do it..’.

The great thing is that this is great feedback! I do know that I need to work on my aggression. However, what makes it difficult to stomach is the ‘always’ bit.. we lose that when are emotional.

The ‘always’ often stops any rational discussion. So, beware generalizing.. :) Having been on both sides of this just like everyone else, I guess I know it is very easy to generalize and infinitely tougher to accept feedback once generalization has been done..

Another question is – what if it is true that it is done always. For eg: if it is something like eating properly with knife and fork. Even then, I feel it is helpful stating the situation that has just occurred.. and if the person is of good character.. he will ask you at some point if he/she can improve..

Now I am assuming that we are helping someone we believe has a good character… :)

there are things we know.. there are things we don’t..

‘Never give up on anyone..miracles happen every day’..

And believe in the miracle.. if you dont see it happening.. ha ha..

It hurts when such an accusation is made though. Its good to understand that there is lot of caring behind the whole veil of anger etc. In my case, I do know I have very less awareness about things that happen around me. For instance, I am generally not as aware of the small things as I should be.. and I do know I can improve on my sensitivity.. but that doesnt mean I am unaware..

because..there are times I do surprise myself..he he..