– A Business Week Article
Carmine Gallo's research reveals techniques common to the leaders who best know how to inspire their employees, investors, and customers. According to a recent Maritz Research poll, only 10% of employees look forward to going to work and most point to a lack of leadership as the reason why. But it doesn't have to be that way.
Mr. Gallo has interviewed renowned leaders, entrepreneurs, and educators who have an extraordinary ability to sell their vision, values, and themselves. What he found were seven techniques that you can easily adopt in your own professional communications with your employees, clients, and investors.
Click here to view the Slideshow (Recommended)
Click here to read the Article
Sunday, November 23, 2008
What Leaders Can Learn from Children
– A Harvard Business Publishing Article
Author Vineet Nayar says, “Unlike children, we adults draw comfort working within predictable boundaries. The sudden turn that used to delight us when we were kids raises our guard as adults.” When children are caught in the rain they splash in the water and find new games to play. Once you are wet, the fear of getting wet is over and you start enjoying the rain. With the fear gone, you return to your work with unmitigated enthusiasm. However, if you freeze indoors because of rain, there is no way you will reach anyplace. There is a forgotten lesson we leaders can learn here as we deal with the thundering rain in the world of business right now.
Click here to read about other lessons that leaders could learn from children as observed by Vineet Nayar.
Author Vineet Nayar says, “Unlike children, we adults draw comfort working within predictable boundaries. The sudden turn that used to delight us when we were kids raises our guard as adults.” When children are caught in the rain they splash in the water and find new games to play. Once you are wet, the fear of getting wet is over and you start enjoying the rain. With the fear gone, you return to your work with unmitigated enthusiasm. However, if you freeze indoors because of rain, there is no way you will reach anyplace. There is a forgotten lesson we leaders can learn here as we deal with the thundering rain in the world of business right now.
Click here to read about other lessons that leaders could learn from children as observed by Vineet Nayar.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Quotes on "Solution"
"To solve any problem, here are three questions to ask yourself: First, what could I do? Second, what could I read? And third, who could I ask?"
- Jim Rohn (American Speaker and Author. He is famous for motivational audio programs for Business and Life)
"Impossible only means that you haven't found the solution yet."
- Anonymous
"Sometimes a scream is better than a thesis."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes (American Poet, Lecturer and Essayist, 1803-1882)
"The important thing about a problem is not its solution, but the strength we gain in finding the solution."
- Anonymous
"If you find a good solution and become attached to it, the solution may become your next problem."
- Dr. Robert Anthony (Self-help author)
Reference: http://thinkexist.com/quotations/solution/
- Jim Rohn (American Speaker and Author. He is famous for motivational audio programs for Business and Life)
"Impossible only means that you haven't found the solution yet."
- Anonymous
"Sometimes a scream is better than a thesis."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson quotes (American Poet, Lecturer and Essayist, 1803-1882)
"The important thing about a problem is not its solution, but the strength we gain in finding the solution."
- Anonymous
"If you find a good solution and become attached to it, the solution may become your next problem."
- Dr. Robert Anthony (Self-help author)
Reference: http://thinkexist.com/quotations/solution/
Difference between Focusing on Problems and Focusing on Solutions
- Shared by Rohit Puri. Thank you!
Rohit shared this article to highlight the point of looking for simple solutions to seemingly complex problems. This article shares two examples – one from NASA and one from Japanese Soap Manufacturer to bring about the point.
The Story
Case 1
When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found out that the pens wouldn't work at zero gravity (ink won't flow down to the writing surface). To solve this problem, it took them one decade and $12 million. They developed a pen that worked at zero gravity, upside down, underwater,in practically any surface including crystal and in a temperature range from below freezing to over 300 degrees C. And what did the Russians do...?? They used a pencil.
Case 2
One of the most memorable case studies on Japanese management was the case of the empty soapbox, which happened in one of Japan's biggest cosmetics companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soapbox that was empty. Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly! line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soapbox went through the assembly line empty. Management asked its engineers to solve the problem.Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soapboxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty. No doubt,they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent a whoopee amount to do so. But when a rank-and-file employee in a small company was posed with the same problem, he did not get into complications of X-rays, etc., but instead came out with another solution. He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on,and as each soapbox passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.
Moral
Always look for simple solutions. Devise the simplest possible solution that solves the problems. Always focus on solutions & not on problems. So the end of the day the thing that really matters is "How one looks into the problem".
Rohit shared this article to highlight the point of looking for simple solutions to seemingly complex problems. This article shares two examples – one from NASA and one from Japanese Soap Manufacturer to bring about the point.
The Story
Case 1
When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found out that the pens wouldn't work at zero gravity (ink won't flow down to the writing surface). To solve this problem, it took them one decade and $12 million. They developed a pen that worked at zero gravity, upside down, underwater,in practically any surface including crystal and in a temperature range from below freezing to over 300 degrees C. And what did the Russians do...?? They used a pencil.
Case 2
One of the most memorable case studies on Japanese management was the case of the empty soapbox, which happened in one of Japan's biggest cosmetics companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soapbox that was empty. Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly! line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soapbox went through the assembly line empty. Management asked its engineers to solve the problem.Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soapboxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty. No doubt,they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent a whoopee amount to do so. But when a rank-and-file employee in a small company was posed with the same problem, he did not get into complications of X-rays, etc., but instead came out with another solution. He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on,and as each soapbox passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.
Moral
Always look for simple solutions. Devise the simplest possible solution that solves the problems. Always focus on solutions & not on problems. So the end of the day the thing that really matters is "How one looks into the problem".
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Three Steps to Innovating in Struggling Industries
Innovation is tough in the best of times. What do you do when times are tough and your industry's very survival is in question? It's a tough challenge, and it highlights just how important it is to start innovation efforts when times are good, when you have the time and resources to allow your efforts to reach escape velocity. Telling people they should have done something a decade ago isn't particularly helpful, of course. Giving the example of the Newspaper Industry, author Scott D. Anthony, an Innovation Consultant, provides some good advice on innovating in struggling industries.
Click here to read the complete article on Harvard Business Publishing.
Click here to read the complete article on Harvard Business Publishing.
The Mayonnaise Jar and Two Cups of Coffee
- Shared by P. G. Kamath. Thank you!
"All our lives we strive to achieve our ambitions. Somewhere in between, we often forget the very reason for our living - our family & friends. The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee is a telling truth of what we need to keep reminding ourselves on before it is too late. Please share it with your readers." - P. G. Kamath
The Story
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes".
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, " I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things in life. Your God, your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions: things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car.
The sand is everything else: the small stuff.
"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean house and fix the disposal.
Take care of the golf balls first; the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."
"All our lives we strive to achieve our ambitions. Somewhere in between, we often forget the very reason for our living - our family & friends. The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee is a telling truth of what we need to keep reminding ourselves on before it is too late. Please share it with your readers." - P. G. Kamath
The Story
A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.
He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes".
The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, " I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things in life. Your God, your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions: things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car.
The sand is everything else: the small stuff.
"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean house and fix the disposal.
Take care of the golf balls first; the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.
One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."
Quotes on "Innovation"
"Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower."
- Steve Jobs (American Entrepreneur Apple co-Founder, b.1955)
"Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity - not a threat."
- Anonymous
"If you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative."
- Woody Allen (American Actor, Author, Screenwriter and Film Director, b.1935)
"Innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship. The act that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth."
- Peter F. Drucker (American Educator and Writer, b.1909)
"Innovation is not the product of logical thought, although the result is tied to logical structure."
- Albert Einstein (German born American Physicist who developed the special and general theories of relativity. Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921. 1879-1955)
Reference: http://thinkexist.com/quotations/innovation/
- Steve Jobs (American Entrepreneur Apple co-Founder, b.1955)
"Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity - not a threat."
- Anonymous
"If you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative."
- Woody Allen (American Actor, Author, Screenwriter and Film Director, b.1935)
"Innovation is the specific instrument of entrepreneurship. The act that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth."
- Peter F. Drucker (American Educator and Writer, b.1909)
"Innovation is not the product of logical thought, although the result is tied to logical structure."
- Albert Einstein (German born American Physicist who developed the special and general theories of relativity. Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921. 1879-1955)
Reference: http://thinkexist.com/quotations/innovation/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)