Inspirational and Motivational Articles

3 Questions to Get Feedback You Need

2011-10-05T06:40:00.001-04:00

- Harvard Business Review Blog Article by Thomas J. Delong

Excerpt from the Article:

No leader improves without feedback. But getting people to be honest about your performance isn't always easy. Give your team a way to supply you with the candid information you need to change by asking them these three questions:

What should I stop doing? Ask which behaviors stand in your way of success.
What should I keep doing? Inquire about what you do right, and should continue to do.
What should I start doing? Once you've stopped unproductive behaviors, you'll have more time and energy for new behaviors.

The author calls this feedback mechanism "SKS", a process whereby we would ask others what we should stop (S), keep (K), and start (S) doing.

Click here to read the complete article.

Sugata Mitra: The Child-Driven Education

2011-09-21T13:43:00.000-04:00

Shared by Dr. Vandna Dharmar. Thank You!

Education Scientist, Sugata Mitra tackles one of the greatest problems of education - The best teachers and schools don't exist where they are needed the most. In a series of real-life experiments from New Delhi to South Africa to Italy, he gave kids self-supervised access to the web and saw results that could revolutionize how we think about teaching.

In case the above video does not play, please click here to view the video.

The Right Way to Respond to Failure

2011-05-13T15:53:00.000-04:00

It's been over two years that I've updated my blog on a motivating management-related article but this HBR blog article prompted me to get started with my blogging efforts again.

Here's the HBR excerpt of the blog-article by Peter Bregman on "The Right Way to Respond to Failure".

When people fail at work, your instinct may be to go into problem-solving mode. You search out reasons for the failure, try to figure out how to avoid it in the future, and draw out the lessons to be learned. But when people who have failed are in the depths of despair, they need empathy more than your rationalizations and encouragements about the future.

A concerned response is not only compassionate but productive. Empathy communicates trust, and people perform best when they feel trusted. Next time one of your people falls short, listen. Don't interrupt, don't offer advice, don't say that it will be all right. Just reflect back what you hear them say. There will be time to solve the problem later.

Click here to read the complete article. I'm sure there's something to learn as a manager, parent, friend or as any other relationship.

Retaining Customers Through the Downturn

2009-03-16T23:10:00.003-04:00

- A Business Week Article

How do you deepen relationships and drive growth when customers pull back? The Corporate Executive Board's Sales and Marketing Practice surveyed more than 5,000 individuals at its members' customer organizations to find out what makes them willing to 1) keep buying from that supplier, 2) buy even more over time, and 3) advocate on that supplier's behalf across their organization. The results reveal clear, if somewhat unexpected, strategies for winning that kind of loyalty in a down economy.

Conclusion No. 1: It's Not What You Sell, but How You Sell It
Conclusion No. 2: It's Not About Discovering Needs, but Sharing Insights
Conclusion No. 3: Don't Lead with Your Differentiators, Lead to Them
Conclusion No. 4: Ignore Advocates at Your Own Risk

Click here to read the complete article with more explanation of the conclusions made above.

How to Lead When You're Not the Boss

2009-03-16T23:00:00.001-04:00

- A Harvard Business Publishing Article

Real leadership is never a matter of mere formal authority. Leaders are effective when other people acknowledge them as such--by listening seriously to their ideas, valuing and following their suggestions for action, and turning to them for advice.

Opportunities to lead aren't limited to times when you have formal authority over a particular team or venture. When you step forward and demonstrate leadership, you will contribute value to the project or enterprise--and strengthen your leadership skills.

In their book Lateral Leadership: Getting Things Done When You're Not the Boss (2nd ed., Profile Books, 2004), Harvard negotiation specialist Roger Fisher and coauthor Alan Sharp lay out a useful five-step method for leading when you are not formally in charge. Its steps can be applied to virtually any project you're involved in or team or meeting you participate in.

Five-Steps include:

Establish Goals
Think systematically
Learn from experience--while it's happening
Engage others
Provide feedback

Click here to read the complete article with more explanation on each of the five steps mentioned above.

New Story of the Hare and Tortoise

2009-03-16T22:56:00.004-04:00

- Shared by Piyali Mantha. Thank You!

Old Story
Once upon a time a tortoise and a hare had an argument about who was faster. They decided to settle the argument with a race. They agreed on a route and started off the race.
The hare shot ahead and ran briskly for some time. Then seeing that he was far ahead of the tortoise, he thought he’d sit under a tree for some time and relax before continuing the race.
He sat under the tree and soon fell asleep. The tortoise plodding on overtook him and soon finished the race, emerging as the undisputed champ. The hare woke up and realized that he’d lost the race. The moral of the story is that slow and steady wins the race. This is the version of the story that we’ve all grown up with.

New Story
The hare was disappointed at losing the race and he did some Defect Prevention (Root Cause Analysis). He realized that he’d lost the race only because he had been overconfident, careless and lax. If he had not taken things for granted, there’s no way the tortoise could have beaten him. So he challenged the tortoise to another race. The tortoise agreed. This time, the hare went all out and ran without stopping from start to finish. He won by several miles. The moral of the story？- "Fast and consistent will always beat the slow and steady."

If you have two people in your organisation, one slow, methodical and reliable, and the other fast and still reliable at what he does, the fast and reliable chap will consistently climb the organisational ladder faster than the slow, methodical chap. It’s good to be slow and steady; but it’s better to be fast and reliable.

The story doesn't end here. The tortoise did some thinking this time, and realised that there’s no way he can beat the hare in a race the way it was currently formatted. He thought for a while, and then challenged the hare to another race, but on a slightly different route. The hare agreed. They started off. In keeping with his self-made commitment to be consistently fast, the hare took off and ran at top speed until he came to a broad river. The finishing line was a couple of kilometers on the other side of the river. The hare sat there wondering what to do. In the meantime the tortoise trundled along, got into the river, swam to the opposite bank, continued walking and finished the race. The moral of the story? - "First identify your core competency and then change the playing field to suit your core competency."

In an organisation, if you are a good speaker, make sure you create opportunities to give presentations that enable the senior management to notice you. If your strength is analysis, make sure you do some sort of research, make a report and send it upstairs. Working to your strengths will not only get you noticed but will also create opportunities for growth and advancement.

The story still hasn’t ended. The hare and the tortoise, by this time, had become pretty good friends and they did some thinking together. Both realised that the last race could have been run much better. So they decided to do the last race again, but to run as a team this time. They started off, and this time the hare carried the tortoise till the riverbank. There, the tortoise took over and swam across with the hare on his back. On the opposite bank, the hare again carried the tortoise and they reached the finishing line together. They both felt a greater sense of satisfaction than they’d felt earlier. The moral of the story? - "It’s good to be individually brilliant and to have strong core competencies; but unless you’re able to work in a team and harness each other’s core competencies, you’ll always perform below par because there will always be situations at which you’ll do poorly and someone else does well."

Teamwork is mainly about situational leadership, letting the person with the relevant core competency for a situation take leadership.

OTHER LESSONS TO BE LEARNT FROM THIS STORY

Note that neither the hare nor the tortoise gave up after failures. The hare decided to work harder and put in more effort after his failure.
The tortoise changed his strategy because he was already working as hard as he could. In life, when faced with failure, sometimes it is appropriate to work harder and put in more effort. Sometimes it is appropriate to change strategy and try something different. And sometimes it is appropriate to do both.
The hare and the tortoise also learnt another vital lesson. When we stop competing against a rival and instead start competing against the situation, we perform far better.

Inspiring Video on Nick Vujicic

2009-02-01T22:23:00.009-05:00

– Shared by Rahul Kunderan. Thank you!

A must watch video of about 3 mins that beautifully conveys the message – “It does not matter how many times you fail in life but what matters is that you finish strong”. Nick’s positive attitude to life is truly contagious. I am sure this video will make your day!

To know more about Nick Vujicic check his website - Life Without Limbs.Org. Because of Nick's unique personal story, he is able to speak to groups of all kinds. It gives him entree with both the young and old, impoverished, imprisoned, business people, children, young people, peoples of all races, those with disabilities and those without them.

Below, I've added some more videos on Nick that you might like as well.

Nick's Story

Nick Vujicic, No Arms, No Legs, No Worries!

Nick - "I Love Living Life, I Am Happy!"

Nick Vujicic Revolution Video

What a Real Leader Knows

2009-02-01T22:12:00.004-05:00

– Shared by Narayan Khushalani. Thank you!

This article on MindTools.com claims that one can learn to be a leader, just as long as you put in the time needed to learn the fundamental skills needed. How these skills are applied on a day-to-day basis, however, is what sets good leaders apart from mediocre ones.

J. Sterling Livingston, a professor at Harvard Business School, studied the connection between formal education and successful leadership. In 1971, he published "The Myth of the Well-Educated Manager" in the Harvard Business Review. One of Livingston's conclusions was that a formal business education, such as an MBA, was not a good predictor of leadership success in the long term. This finding is much less surprising today than it was back in the early 1970s. However, his other main observation is as relevant today as it was back then – namely, that four key skills define successful leadership:

Effective decision making
Successful problem finding
Effective opportunity finding
Leadership style

Click here to read the complete article where it further discusses each of these four skill areas in more detail.

By developing your skills in these fundamental areas, Prof. Livingston argued that you can lead people, and inspire them to change. You can also be dynamic and effective in how you tackle the problems and challenges you face on a daily basis.

Key points:

Leaders aren't created overnight. Strong leadership is something you need to work on every day.
Leadership is more than learning how to solve problems and make decisions – you must focus on making your organization better through everything you do. This means that you need to understand how and when to make a decision, recognize problems before they appear, constantly look for opportunities to improve, and be aware of your leadership style.
When people believe in you, they'll likely trust your decisions and actions –and that's the mark of a true leader.

Quotes on "Attitude"

2009-02-01T22:09:00.004-05:00

- Shared by Herman Carneiro. Thank you!

The only disability in life is a bad attitude.
- Scott Hamilton

I've never been poor, only broke. Being poor is a frame of mind. Being broke is only a temporary situation.
- Mike Todd

Don't compromise yourself. You are all you've got.
- Betty Ford

The significance of a man is not in what he attains but rather in what he longs to attain.
- Kahlil Gibran

I take nothing for granted. I now have only good days, or great days.
- Lance Armstrong

Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes.
- Norman Vincent Peale

Best of 2008

2009-01-12T00:22:00.006-05:00

Best and Worst Managers of 2008

The best leaders have not only ridden out the crisis so far but also gleaned valuable, often profitable, lessons from it. The worst? Well, some helped set the economic crisis in motion; others became paragons of bad judgment in a time of trouble. Here are the leaders of 2008 with all their successes and failures.

It’s not easy to measure excellence in a year like 2008. While some managers can be judged by the bottom line, others merely had the good fortune to be running a food company instead of a financial firm. Then again, with volatile commodity prices, succeeding in the food business wasn’t such an easy task.

BusinessWeek has singled out 12 executives who did a remarkable job of navigating stormy waters. Some have posted stellar results. Others are struggling. But there are lessons to be learned from each of them.

2008 Top Employers to Work For

Fortune surveyed nearly 100,000 employees from 406 different companies and asked them to evaluate their employers. Click here for the full list of America's top 100 employers, including detailed company profiles, top locations, and contact information.

Best Global Brands – 2008 Rankings

Interbrand takes many ingredients into account when ranking the value of the Best Global Brands. Even to qualify for the list, each brand must derive at least a third of its earnings outside its home country, be recognizable outside of its base of customers, and have publicly available marketing and financial data.

Click above to see the list of all the 100 top brands

Click here to see the slide show and get a snapshot of each of the 100 brands.

Best and Worst Tech Products of 2008

Apple (AAPL) led the charge, updating its bestselling iPhone with innovative new software and hardware, while Research In Motion (RIMM) and Google (GOOG) dipped their toes into the smartphone space with daring designs of their own.

The year in tech had its share of superb follow-ups, like the practical and hip Flip Mino camera and Mozilla's instantly popular Firefox 3. But there were plenty of spectacular surprises as well, from Google's out-of-left-field Web browser to Netflix's entrance into the hardware business.

Click above for the 20 best tech products of 2008, as selected by BusinessWeek's technology writers and editors, as well as five highly anticipated products that failed to meet expectations.

Best Business Architecture of 2008

As commercial construction falls deeper into recession, it seems fitting that the winners of this year's BusinessWeek/Architectural Record awards show the payoffs of investing in smart design.

The contest, in its 11th year, honors buildings that adhere to the sponsors' semi-official tagline: "Good design is good business." A jury of editors from BusinessWeek and Architectural Record (both owned by The McGraw-Hill Companies (MFP)) analyzed more than 100 submissions from around the world, paying particular attention not to showy facades or flashy foyers but rather to the impact of a design on a company's bottom line.

Click above to check out the best business buildings of 2008.

Airline of the Year 2008

For the 3rd time in 10 years, Singapore Airlines has been named World's Best Airline, winning the 2008 Airline of the Year title in the latest World Airline Awards.

Over 15 million eligible survey interviews were completed during the 11 month Survey period. From Seoul to Sao Paulo, Copenhagen to Cape Town, the scale and breadth of the 2008 survey further strengthens the well-established reputation as the World's Largest Passenger Survey.

Click above to find the Top 10 airlines of the Year 2008.

Click here to get the 2008 Worldwide results breakdown in terms of Best Regional Airline, Best by Cabin Type, and Best Low-Cost Airlines.

Click, Ten Truths for Building Extraordinary Relationships, by George C. Fraser

2009-01-11T23:56:00.006-05:00

Book recommended by Harold Schroeder. Thank you!

Harold Schroeder always makes it a point to share something interesting and inspirational in the New Year. Thank you so much for keeping up the tradition.

In his email, Harold states “Vishal, as you may know, I believe that ...it is all about relationships. So within that context, I believe the book "Click" might interest you as an inspirational piece for the New Year. The book offers Ten Truths on how to find your social voice, cultivate beneficial offerings to others, and how to truly click with like-minded counterparts. Traditional networking is broken and backwards. A different way of meeting, greeting, and ultimately clicking with colleagues and friends is required. Networking is goal-based. Clicking is value-based. Networking is often selfish and one-sided. Clicking is mutually beneficial. Hope you enjoy the read. Again, wishing you a very happy New Year!”

Brief Summary:

In Click you will discover the Ten Truths for connecting with people. In today’s high-tech, isolated world, individuals have a difficult time connecting with others. Networking offers a venue, but Fraser’s Ten Truths can help individuals truly click:

Be Authentic — Be true to real self
Communicate With Your Heart — Cultivate a new source of intelligence
Love, Serve, Give and Add Value First — Good deeds return to the giver tenfold
Nurture Your Relationships — They are the core of personal and professional success
Bless Them and Release Them — Cut damaging unions loose and move on
Trust First; Distrust Must Be Earned —Trust breeds more trust, and open communication
Tailor Your Relationships — Consciously create the "perfect fit"
Make Peace, Not War, With Words — Use the power of speech and writing for good
Be Open to Everything — And attached to nothing
It Takes Teamwork to Make the Dream Work — Seek caring, creative allies

But George Fraser doesn't stop there. He shows you how to go from networking to connecting - when you experience that heartfelt feeling of trust and exciting burst of energy with someone. And then when you each willingly add special value to each other and achieve more together than either of you could achieve alone, that's when you're clicking.

Below you will find a 9-min movie where the author George Fraser talks about his new book Click. I think the first 6-mins of the movie where George introduces the concept of the book is pretty interesting.

Finding Joy - Movie by Mac Anderson

2009-01-11T23:43:00.005-05:00

- Shared by Sangeeta. Thank you!

Mac Anderson: “As we all know, for many people, 2008 has been filled with personal and professional challenges. Therefore, I hope you'll reach out to encourage those who may be going through difficult times. Sometimes a kind word at the right moment can change a life forever. There are times when I need to remind myself that life can be complicated, but happiness is really pretty simple. Like everyone else, I have doubts, fears and disappointments in my life, and need to remember what's most important. That's when I turn to Finding Joy. In just a few minutes it puts a smile in my heart when I need it most. The music, the photos and the words always take my breath away".

Click here to watch the inspirational movie "Finding Joy".

The World's Most Influential Companies

2008-12-22T00:39:00.004-05:00

- A Business Week Article

"Power lasts 10 years," goes an old Korean proverb. "Influence, not more than a hundred."
In a year that brought the mighty to their knees, some of the biggest players in business have seen their power whittled away. As the proverb points out, influence has a shelf life, too. And it's probably getting shorter as the cycle of change accelerates. Companies that once wielded a seemingly unshakeable hold over their industries—General Motors (GM), Sony (SNE), Microsoft (MSFT)—now find themselves following the lead of more nimble players such as Toyota (TM), Apple (APPL), and Google (GOOG). "There's no standing still," notes veteran strategy guru Gary Hamel. "Influence is like water, always flowing somewhere."
The core characteristics of influence are unchanged, whether it's inspiring a loyal following, spawning big ideas, or building up mammoth market share. What has changed is how players achieve it. A company's physical assets are less important now than the force of its ideas. In the age of blogging and instant communication, consumers are less the recipients of corporate influence than powerful actors who help shape it.
With that in mind, BusinessWeek developed a list of the World's Most Influential Companies. BW chose 10 companies that have devised winning strategies in their industries. They are the ones with the game-changing ideas, the greatest impact on consumers, and the bold tactics rivals emulate. None is infallible or without controversy. BW believes that each company played a major role in business over the past year and could shape the corporate landscape for years to come.
In honing the list, BusinessWeek worked with an advisory board of 14 academics, consultants, and industry leaders worldwide. Several themes emerged. For one, the developed world is no longer the sole repository of influential companies. Nearly a third of the board's suggestions were for companies based in emerging markets, where a vibrant workforce and global capital play a vital role.

Click here to check the slideshow.

Click here to read the complete article.

Eat That Frog!

2008-12-22T00:36:00.003-05:00

- Movie by Mac Anderson

The founder of Simple Truths, Mac Anderson says, "I heard Brian Tracy's "Frog Story" about 5 years ago. I immediately began to apply it to my business and personal life. It's made a huge difference in my ability to take action on things that matter most. So here it is, a little piece of Brian Tracy's best-selling book...Eat That Frog! It takes less than 2 minutes to watch, but here's betting...you won't forget it!"

Click here to see the movie.

Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture: “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”

2008-12-08T03:13:00.007-05:00

Article Shared by Atul Shinde. Thank you!

Randy Pausch (Oct. 23, 1960 - July 25, 2008)

Randy Pausch was a professor of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. He was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer at 47 and survived more than 10 months before he lost his battle this past July. Randy gave his last lecture at CMU on Sept 18, 2007, before several hundred in a packed McConomy Auditorium. The Last Lecture was his farewell speech to the CMU students and has been acknowledged as one of the finest inspirational discourse.

In his moving presentation, "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals. This video has now been viewed on YouTube by millions of people. It’s enormously inspiring, tear-rendering and well worth your time if you haven’t seen it. Click below to see the video.

Click here to read the transcript of Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

Click here to read select quotes from Randy Pausch's Last Lecture

Click here for Randy Pausch's Website

21 select quotes from Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture

2008-12-08T03:06:00.004-05:00

“Experience is what you get when you didn’t get what you wanted…”
“Be good at something; it makes you valuable…. Have something to bring to the table, because that will make you more welcome.”
“Brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want something badly enough. They are there to keep out the other people.”
“Be willing to apologize. Proper apologies have three parts: 1) What I did was wrong. 2) I’m sorry that I hurt you. 3) How do I make it better? It’s the third part that people tend to forget…. Apologize when you screw up and focus on other people, not on yourself.”
“Find the best in everybody. Just keep waiting no matter how long it takes. No one is all evil. Everybody has a good side, just keep waiting, it will come out.”
“It is not about achieving your dreams but living your life. If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself, the dreams will come to you.”
“Be prepared. Luck is truly where preparation meets opportunity.”
“Better to fail spectacularly than do something mediocre.” [Randy Pausch gave out a First Penguin award each year when he was teaching to the biggest failure in trying something big and new because he thought this should be celebrated. First Penguins are the ones that risk that the water might be too cold.]
“Loyalty is a two way street.”
“Get a feedback loop and listen to it. Your feedback loop can be this dorky spreadsheet thing I did, or it can just be one great man who tells you what you need to hear. The hard part is the listening to it.”
“You can’t get there alone. People have to help you and I do believe in karma. I believe in paybacks. You get people to help you by telling the truth. Being earnest. I’ll take an earnest person over a hip person any day, because hip is short term. Earnest is long term.”
“When you are doing something badly and no one’s bothering to tell you anymore, that’s a very bad place to be. Your critics are the ones still telling you they love you and care.”
“Don’t complain, Just work harder.”
“If you want to achieve your dreams, you better learn to work and play well with others…[you have] to live with integrity”
“The best piece of parenting advice I’ve ever heard is from flight attendants. If things get really tough, grab your own oxygen mask first.”
“Tell The Truth. All The Time. No one is pure evil.”
“Show gratitude. Gratitude is a simple but powerful thing.”
“I’ve never understood pity and self-pity as an emotion. We have a finite amount of time. Whether short or long, it doesn’t matter. Life is to be lived.”
“Never underestimate the importance of having fun. I’m dying and I’m having fun. And I’m going to keep having fun every day because there’s no other way to play it….Having fun for me is like a fish talking about the importance of water. I don’t know how it is like not to have fun…”
“Never lose the child-like wonder. It’s just too important. It’s what drives us. Help others.”
“To be cliché, death is a part of life and it’s going to happen to all of us. I have the blessing of getting a little bit of advance notice and I am able to optimize my use of time down the home stretch.”

The Seven Secrets of Inspiring Leaders

2008-11-23T18:03:00.002-05:00

– 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

What Leaders Can Learn from Children

2008-11-23T17:47:00.004-05:00

– 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.

Quotes on "Solution"

2008-11-20T18:01:00.005-05:00

"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/

Difference between Focusing on Problems and Focusing on Solutions

2008-11-20T17:55:00.006-05:00

- 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".

Three Steps to Innovating in Struggling Industries

2008-11-02T22:38:00.000-05:00

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.

The Mayonnaise Jar and Two Cups of Coffee

2008-11-02T22:20:00.000-05:00

- 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."

Quotes on "Innovation"

2008-11-02T22:12:00.000-05:00

"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/

Quotes on "Water"

2008-10-19T23:45:00.000-04:00

Water quotes - Initially compiled by the Water Office -US EPA

Some quotes from the above link:

“Water has become a highly precious resource. There are some places where a barrel of water costs more than a barrel of oil.”
- Lloyd Axworthy, Foreign Minister of Canada (1999 - News Conference)

“More than one-half of the world's major rivers are being seriously depleted and polluted, degrading and poisoning the surrounding ecosystems, thus threatening the health and livelihood of people who depend upon them for irrigation, drinking and industrial water”
- Ismail Serageldin, Chairman of the World Commission on Water for the 21st Century- Water Forum, Netherlands, November 30, 1999

“Water has no taste, no color, no odor; it cannot be defined, art relished while ever mysterious. Not necessary to life, but rather life itself. It fills us with a gratification that exceeds the delight of the senses.”
- Antoine De Saint-Exupery, (1900-1944), Wind, Sand, and Stars, 1939

“Children of a culture born in a water-rich environment, we have never really learned how important water is to us. We understand it, but we do not respect it.”
- William Ashworth, Nor Any Drop to Drink, 1982

“When the well is dry, we know the worth of water.”
- Benjamin Franklin, (1706-1790), Poor Richard's Almanac, 1746

Woopidoo! biography: T. Boone Pickens

2008-10-19T23:28:00.000-04:00

T. Boone Pickens is a well known American investor, hedge fund manager, and oil billionaire. In 2008 the Texan billionaire developed what he calls "The Pickens Plan" which puts forwards a plan to move the United States from oil dependence to using alternative sources of energy like natural gas, wind, and solar power. Pickens, the BP Capital Management Chairman and CEO, has also been listed as one of the richest Americans by Forbes magazine and has given over $700 million to charity. To read the complete biography click here.

Water May Be the New Oil in a Thirsty Global Economy

2008-10-19T23:08:00.000-04:00

Knowledge @ Wharton discusses if water is truly the new oil in their recent article "Ebb without Flow: Water May Be the New Oil in a Thirsty Global Economy".

Excerpts from the article are highlighted below:

Is water the new oil? The answer is yes, according to a number of economists, business leaders, scientists and geopolitical strategists, who argue that it's time to stop taking for granted the substance that covers 70% of the planet and makes up a similar proportion of the human body. Just as the late 20th century saw an oil shock, the early 21st century may feature a water shock, where scarcity leads to a sharp price hike on a resource that has always been plentiful and cheap. Such a scenario could have an even bigger impact than peak oil, transforming markets, governments and ecosystems alike.

Some quick facts:
- 97% of the world's water is salty. Humans use the remaining 3%.
- 10% of the globe's fresh water goes into ordinary people's drinking glasses, showers or cleaning buckets. Twice that amount is devoted to industrial use, while 70% -- higher in many developing countries -- is taken up by the agriculture sector.
- 40% of Fortune 1000 companies believed the impact of a water shortage would be severe to catastrophic, only 17% said they had prepared for such an eventuality.
- It takes 13,000 liters of water to raise one kilogram of beef. A similar amount of wheat requires 1,300, and a like quantity of potatoes takes just 100 liters.
- Over the past decade, oilman T. Boone Pickens began buying up acre after acre of subterranean water rights across the Texas panhandle. Today, he owns more water than any other individual in the United States. His plan: Build a pipeline across the state in order to sell the water to the city of Dallas.
Plain old water is fast on its way to becoming "blue gold," a commodity to be sought out, fought over, trundled from country to country and possibly sold to the highest bidder -- a situation that represents a threat and an opportunity all at once.

“Great Quotes from Great Leaders”

2008-09-29T01:07:00.000-04:00

“Throughout history the words of great leaders have inspired us to do great things”, say author Mac Anderson. His recent book “Great Quotes from Great Leaders” is a beautiful coffee table edition with 160 pages, 75 wonderful photographs and over 400 great quotations from leaders in all walks of life. To watch this short movie presentation of Mac’s 15 favorite quotes click here and scroll below to see the link “Watch this Movie”.

America's Best Young Entrepreneurs 2008

2008-09-29T00:57:00.000-04:00

In the fourth annual America's Best Young Entrepreneurs contest, BusinessWeek readers nominated candidates aged 25 and under who are running their own companies that show potential for growth and establish the talent of the founders behind them. Richard Branson, BusinessWeek contributor and Duke University executive-in-residence Vivek Wadhwa, and the Kauffman Foundation's Bo Fishback helped to pick the 25 most impressive candidates from among this batch.

A few of the top 25 finalists include Richard Ludlow, 22, who turned down a job offer from McKinsey and deferred admission to Harvard Business School to start New York's Academic Earth, an online hub for videos of university lectures and other educational content. In between homework and basketball practice, high school senior Jasmine Lawrence, 17, landed deals with Wal-Mart (WMT) and Whole Foods (WFMI) to carry her line of natural cosmetics.

Check out all the top 25 finalists. Also, the top five winners of the contest were announced on September 26, 2008.

Three years of sharing articles!

2008-09-15T01:08:00.000-04:00

This month is our third anniversary of sharing articles since September of 2005. Thank you so much for sharing management-related inspirational and motivational articles over the last few years. A lot of members have been suggesting for quite some time to have an online repository of the shared articles. Hence, to celebrate our third anniversary today I am launching our blog named “Inspirational and Motivational Articles”. Moving forward, all new articles will be shared on the blog. All the old articles since 2005 have been segregated by topic and presented in today’s blog. Please feel free to let me know in case you have any ideas/ comments/ suggestions on improving the blog - blog name/ content/ organization, or anything else.

230 articles have been shared in the last three years. They are organized by different topics on the blog.

Biographies (22)
Book Recommendations (12)
General Management (22)
Leadership (16)
Movies (11)
Short Stories & Notes (29)
Success (26)
Workplace (46)
Miscellaneous (46)

Thank you for again for sharing such wonderful articles.

Keep sharing and have a great year ahead!

Vishal

Miscellaneous articles shared since 2005 to 2008

2008-09-15T00:34:00.000-04:00

Teamwork
A short presentation that shares some valuable lessons on teamwork. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Dr. Ira Dash Rajguru on August 09, 2008

Think differently and creatively
A nice story that depicts the value of creative and positive thinking. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Chandresh Limbachiya on August 09, 2008

ANTS’ Philosophy
Four good lessons that we can learn from Ants! Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on August 09, 2008

Promising business ideas from Springwise.com
Check out their latest newsletter on http://www.springwise.com/weekly/2008-07-09-message.html to know some new business ideas like a Fashion brand launching its own second-hand store, Prepaid card to lock-in gas prices, Café’s for senior citizens, and more

Shared on July 14, 2008

90/10 Principle by Stephen Covey
Stephen Covey, the management guru, says that 10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react. We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us. We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic. We have no control over this 10%. The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%. Read some good examples and lessons on: http://www.irastimes.org/The_90-10_Principle.htm

Shared by Christopher Thomas on April 14, 2008

Best of 2007

100 Best Products: http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,131935-page,13/article.html
Best Business Books: http://800ceoread.com/bookawards/
Best Product Design: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/07/0723_idea_awards/index_01.htm
Three best and worst CEOs: http://www.bloggingstocks.com/2007/12/31/2007s-three-best-and-worst-ceos/
Best Young Entrepreneurs: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/10/1022_25and_under/index_01.htm?chan=smallbiz_best+u.s.+entrepreneurs+25+and+under+2007
Most Important Trends: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/12/1210_bestworst_trends/index_01.htm?chan=autos_special+report+--+best+and+worst_best+%2B+worst+products%2C+peoples+and+trends+2007
Top Brands: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/07/0726_globalbrands/index_01.htm?chan=search

Shared on January 06, 2008

The New Language of Competition: Are You Friend or Froe?

This is a short article by William (Bill) C. Taylor, an agenda-setting thinker, writer, and entrepreneur. He talks about clever little terms like ”Frenemies”, a combination of both friends and enemies, which has caused a huge transformation in the way competition is viewed today.
Check the article on: http://discussionleader.hbsp.com/taylor/2007/09/the_new_language_of_competitio.html?cm_mmc=npv-_-listserv-_-NOV_2007-_-StratExec

Shared on December 03, 2007

Death by PowerPoint (and how to fight it)

Presentation consultant Alexei Kapterev put together a must-see slideshow on creating great presentations. Flip through it and see how to stop killing your audience with boring PowerPoint presentations (no audio, the slides speak for themselves). This one's essential (and entertaining) viewing for students and professionals alike.
Check the slideshow on: http://lifehacker.com/software/presentations/stop-death-by-powerpoint-323554.php

Shared by John Dillard on December 03, 2007

Innovator? Problem-solver? Learner?

This is one of the most interesting articles on the mind of an innovator. Author Matthew E. May points out the traps of traditional thinking through some very interesting examples.
May suggests that we need to stop thinking about innovation as an outcome, and start thinking about innovation as a process. Because as a practical matter, innovation, problem-solving and learning employ the same iterative process—blending supposition, logic, creativity and reflection. Time frames and territories always change, so the central challenge is having the proper mind-set, discipline and tools at our disposal so that we’re able to combine “blink” and “think” strategies in an effort to create something new.
Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by John Dillard on August 12, 2007

Buffett’s Biggest Blunders

Warren Buffett is an investing legend, but he's also human. Even the man behind Berkshire Hathaway has been way off from time to time.
Check out the slide show and read the story on: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/07/0702_buffett/index.htm

Shared on 16th July 2007

Social Networks

Interesting article on growing Social Networks. For example - CarbonNYC is an exclusive social network targeted at Manhattan’s highly successful, thirty-something, male community. To join, you not only have to be invited, but must pass an approval process for membership that ranks “success” as its primary criterion. Carbon describes its membership as “founders and CEOs of public companies, entrepreneurs, leading actors, entertainment and media executives, renowned doctors and restaurateurs.” Read more on: http://www.frogdesign.com/?p=251

Shared by Dr. Marty Roth on 28th January 2007

Smart Small-Business Ideas

BusinessWeek.com asked four experts with backgrounds in franchising, social entrepreneurship, retailing, and trend spotting to tell which types of small businesses or franchises they encourage entrepreneurs to start in '07.
Read on for their responses on: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/01/0110_smallbiz_ideas/index_01.htm

Shared on January 21, 2007

Best of the Year 2006

The Best (and Worst) Leaders: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/12/1207_bestleaders/index_01.htm

The Best (and Worst) Ideas: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/12/1207_bestideas/index_01.htm

The Best (and Worst) Products: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/12/1207_bestproducts/index_01.htm

Top 10 business stories: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16327022/

Best Inventions of Year: http://www.time.com/time/2006/techguide/bestinventions/

Best Books of the Year: http://www.economist.com/books/displaystory.cfm?story_id=8380365

World’s Top airlines:
http://www.worldairlineawards.com/Awards-2006/AirlineYear-2006.htm

Tech's Hot Growth Companies: http://bwnt.businessweek.com/tech_hot_growth/2006/

Best Companies to Work For: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/bestcompanies/full_list/

Shared on 7th January 2007

Taking Tiny Loans To The Next Level

Article on microfinance published in BW issue 11/27/06. It is especially timely given the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize award to Muhammad Yunis and his Bangladesh-based Grameen Bank, pioneers of micro financing. Microfinance is micro credit, the practice of offering small, unsecured loans to poor people not served by banks.
Read the article on: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_48/b4011089.htm?chan=search

Shared by Dr. Marty Roth on 18th December 2006

Where Entrepreneurs Find Inspiration

Who do Richard Branson, Hugh Hefner, and other marquee-name entrepreneurs and innovators look to for wisdom? Who inspires the inspired? How do some of the most successful entrepreneurs view their own innovations? What is the best piece of advice they ever received? BusinessWeek.com put these questions to a group of eight top entrepreneurs and innovators who have shaken up industries or started new ones.
Find the answers on: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/11/1120_heroes/index_01.htm

Shared on 2nd December 2006

Karma Capitalism

Times have changed since Gordon Gekko quoted Sun Tzu in the 1987 movie Wall Street. Has the Bhagavad Gita replaced The Art of War as the hip new ancient Eastern management text?
Check out the article and the slideshow on: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_44/b4007091.htm

Shared by Dr. David Schweiger on 19th November 2006

Is There a Gene for Business?

BusinessWeek.com recently asked a cross-section of experts if entrepreneurs are made or born. When it comes to being an entrepreneur, is it simply a matter of physiological hard wiring? Or is the entrepreneurial spark something that can be lit? Clearly, qualities such as risk taking and determination, common traits in many entrepreneurs, are part of one's DNA. However, transforming inspiration into a business concept is one thing, and transforming a concept into an actual business is another. Can the characteristics often associated with entrepreneurs—drive, confidence, insight—be acquired? Can they be learned?
Read the article on: http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/oct2006/sb20061030_540336.htm?link_position=link2

Brand Mantra: Going Global, Think Local

An interesting read about how large companies have made marketing blunders and what should be done to avoid them.
Read more about: http://www.samachar.com/showurl.htm?rurl=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2172805.cms?headline=Going~global?~Think~local

Shared by Piyali Mantha on 22nd October 2006

6 Money Mistakes to avoid

We all make mistakes. But, where your money is concerned, they can cost you dearly (literally). Here we bring you the six most common money mistakes. Avoid these to ensure that your finances are on track.
Read more on: http://in.rediff.com/getahead/2006/aug/14money.htm

Shared on 8th October 2006

The 10 Cs of Branding

“In building and nurturing a strong brand, you have a lot more to think about than these 10 Cs; but no brand is truly a strong brand if it doesn't pass the Ten C Test. So whether you're managing your company's brand or building your own personal brand, think about these 10 Cs”, says William Arruda, a brand consultant and the President of Reach Communications, the global leader in personal branding. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on 16th October 2006

Something to smile
Three-Minute Management Course. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Shashank Desai 16th October 2006

Consumer’s Awareness Guide to Sales and Marketing Execution
As the CEO of Awaken TheAuthorWithin.com, Glenn F. Dietzel globally consults entrepreneurs, business owners, speakers and coaches on how to build a business using sales and marketing skills not taught in any education program. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Sangeeta Puranam on 24th September 2006

Is there value in your value proposition?
With all the emphasis these days on getting your message out using online media—blogging, viral marketing, email marketing, online text, image and video advertising, and so on—we simply forget to focus on how to develop the right message. Many a company goes to market without having fully defined its customer value proposition. Instead, companies market a nice list of "powerful" benefits (which their competitors most likely state they have too). Enclosed is a list of activities (methodology) that can be used to define your company’s value proposition. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on 6th August 2006

111 ridiculously obvious thoughts on selling compiled by Tom Peters
Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on 6th August 2006

Award winning Ads
Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on 6th August 2006

How to have a great day compiled by Christopher Guerriero
Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Herman Carneiro on 6th August 2006

One thing I wish I knew when I Started my Business

If you were given one chance to do it over again, what is the one thing you wish you knew when you were launching your business? Here's what a slew of big wigs had to say would be the one thing they learned that all entrepreneurs should know when starting up.
Please view the slideshow on: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/06/sb_onething/index_01.htm?campaign_id=rediff

Shared by Rick Rowland on 30th July 2006

The Six Types of Salespeople

Here are the classic types of sellers you may recognize—along with some ideas on how to manage them effectively.
Please view the slideshow on: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/06/six_salespeople/index_01.htm?campaign_id=rediff

Shared by Rick Rowland on 30th July 2006

Seth Godin’s Blogs
Rick has enjoyed reading Seth Godin’s work on Permission based marketing and he shares Seth’s blog on the net which includes articles like “How to give feedback”, “If you can’t make it, fake it”, “Clueless in your world”, and many more. Read Seth’s blog on: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/

Shared by Rick Rowland on 23rd July 2006

Top 100 IT companies

You won’t believe this but I had heard of only 3 companies among the Top 10 companies in this list. Yes, there is one company from India on the Top 10 list and it is not Infosys, TCS, or Wipro!
BusinessWeek short listed companies and ranked them on four criteria: return on equity, shareholder return and revenue growth (which were given equal weight), and total revenues (which was weighted). Then, the top 100 companies were reranked as a group.
Check out the list on: http://bwnt.businessweek.com/it100/2006/index.asp?sortCol=rank_2006&sortOrder=ASC&pageNum=1&resultNum=100

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on 30th June 2006

How to make mistakes
It would be a mistake to try to avoid all mistakes. Indeed, it would be a colossal blunder to attempt doing things right the first time, every time. In today's light speed economy, ("new" economy and "old" economy) if you don't fall on your face both regularly and painfully, you are likely to end up dead instead. The only people not making mistakes are ones playing their game without risk and without novelty - and I might add - without progress. If your company cannot accommodate, even reward, failure - in the long run, you cannot succeed. Read the complete article of author Paul Lemberg on: http://www.learningfountain.com/mistakes.htm

Shared on 5th June 2006

Good Learning
A set of slides with very good sayings. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on 27th May 2006

Top 50 jobs in America http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/top50/index.html

Shared on 22nd April 2006

Interesting six-figure jobs
You could not have thought about this but it’s true! A look at lucrative careers that let you roll the dice, defend against terror and write about drugs. Read more on http://money.cnn.com/2004/09/08/pf/sixfigs_seven/

Shared on 16th April 2006

Comparison of India (1975 – 2005)
Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on 3rd April 2006

The 9 Personality Types of Entrepreneurs
Starting and growing your own business requires many skills to be successful. Take a look at the business personality types and find out what you need to succeed. Are you Bill Gates, a Visionary, or an Improver like Body Shop founder, Anita Roddick?

Shared on 17th March 2006

Attitude (Recycled)
In this article, the research team shares some of the basic personality traits as well as tips for making a choice to operate from the positive of your attitude. They state that each person has a basic personality trait and there are seven of these: Skeptic, Idealist, Stoic, Spiritualist, Cynic, Realist and Pragmatist. From these descriptions, you should be able to determine what your attitude is according to their system and take tips to work on the positive of your attitude. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Nitin Agarwal on 26th February 2006

10 Keys to Happiness by Deepak Chopra
A five minute read through. Great pieces of advice! Read the article on: http://www.freeonlineschool.manila.ph/deepak-chopra/

Shared by Swamy Ramchandran on 19th February 2006

Lakshmi Mittal’s article on Jamshedpur and on TATAs
“I visited Jamshedpur over the weekend to see for myself an India that is fast disappearing despite all the wolf-cries of people like Narayana Murthy and his ilk. It is one thing to talk and quite another to do and I am delighted to tell you that Ratan Tata has kept alive the legacy of perhaps India’s finest industrialist J.N. Tata. Something that some people doubted when Ratan took over the House of the Tatas but in hindsight, the best thing to have happened to the Tatas is unquestionably Ratan. I was amazed to see the extent of corporate philanthropy and this is no exaggeration.” Says Lakshmi Mittal, Steel Mill Billionaire. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Herman Carneiro on 6th February 2006

The Top Creative Minds of 2005
http://www.fastcompany.com/slideshow/slideviewer.cgi?list=creative-minds05&dir=&config=&refresh=8&direction=forward&scale=0&cycle=on&slide=8&design=default&total=10?partner=rediff

Shared on 29th January 2006

25 Top Jobs for 2006
Finding your dream job can be a real nightmare. Career counselors suggest following your passion, and that's sage advice. Yet outstanding opportunities -- jobs that offer high growth potential, good salaries, and intellectual stimulation -- aren't always easy to come by. That's why, for the second year in a row, FastCompany.com has surveyed the labor landscape to determine where the best prospects for the coming years can be found. What's changed in the span of just a year? Not a whole lot -- but more than you might expect. You'll find many similarities between this year's 25 Top Jobs and last year's list: Lawyers, financial advisors, computer software engineers, and stockbrokers all rank highly once again.

Check out the rankings on:
http://www.fastcompany.com/slideshow/slideviewer.cgi?list=top-jobs-2006&refresh=8?partner=rediff

Shared on 29th January 2006

10 smart eating habits
Dr Neeru Dhingra is the COO -- North India, Gold's Gym. Gold's Gym has more than 680 branches in 24 countries and adheres to global standards with state of the art equipment, cutting edge technology and scientifically designed fitness programs. Read more on: http://in.rediff.com/getahead/2006/jan/16health.htm

Shared on 21st January 2006

How to manage Anger; Techniques to eliminate worries
Last fortnight, columnist Claude Arpi recounted the lessons a heart attack taught him. Last week, in a follow-up piece, he listed an action plan to tackle stress. In the concluding segment of this series, Claude lists advice he was given on anger management by the fine doctors at the Institute of Cardio-Vascular Diseases in Chennai. Read more on: http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/jan/19spec2.htm

Shared on 21st January 2006

Best of 2005
Best Leaders, Best Ideas, Best Products (http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/toc/05_51/B39640551best.htm)

The 100 best IT products of 2005 (http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,120763,pg,12,00.asp)

Top 50 Books (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/feature/-/593615/ref=amb_right-2_132875901_2/104-0773624-8126323)

Shared on 8th January 2006

Simplify
May I suggest that you un-complicate your life? Keep things on the simple side. Try to see difficult, all-consuming problems in another light--as the sum of a lot of little parts. Break down tasks into manageable, little steps. Only do things that are going to bring you joy, peace, and prosperity. Don't do it unless there's some good to come of it. Don't do anything out of guilt, shame, resentment, anger, dread, hostility, or if you are forced or coerced. Look at your schedule, and everything you want or need to do today. Is everything on that big list completely necessary? Can some things wait, or be put aside? Finally, be sure to include some re-creation and reflection time for yourself today—and every day.

Shared by Girija Jethwani on 20th November 2005

Inspirational words of wisdom
Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Prasad Mamidanna on 14th October 2005

Workplace-related Articles shared from 2005 to 2008

2008-09-15T00:12:00.001-04:00

Why Some Teams Succeed (and So Many Don’t) – A Harvard Business Review Article

Workplace teams have been studied to death in recent years, and the verdicts are in. They’re a success—and a disaster. They lead to big productivity improvements—and they peter out ineffectively. People love ’em. People hate ’em.
The good news is that teams have been so well studied and that people at so many companies have worked in teams for many years. All this research and experience have produced new insights into what distinguishes the successes from the failures. What matters most, it turns out, is how teams are managed—and whether the organizations they’re part of provide them with the support they need.
Read the complete article on: http://discussionleader.hbsp.com/hmu/2008/02/why-some-teams-succeed-and-so-1.php?cm_mmc=npv-_-LISTSERV-_-JUNE_2008-_-ORGDEV

Shared on July 27, 2008

5 career needs of every professional

In today's economy, you need to evolve constantly if you want your career to go places. If you don't, there is every possibility that one of your colleagues/ classmates will walk away with the coveted position that you aspired to. So how does one add value to oneself? This article presents five steps that will meet all your career advancement needs. Check the article at: http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2008/jun/06career.htm

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on June 15, 2008

Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time – Article from HBR Editor’s Blog

Organizations are demanding ever-higher performance from their workforces. People are trying to comply, but the usual method—putting in longer hours—has backfired. They’re getting exhausted, disengaged, and sick. And they’re defecting to healthier job environments.
Longer days at the office don’t work because time is a limited resource. But personal energy is renewable, say Schwartz and McCarthy. By fostering deceptively simple rituals that help employees regularly replenish their energy, organizations build workers’ physical, emotional, and mental resilience. These rituals include taking brief breaks at specific intervals, expressing appreciation to others, reducing interruptions, and spending more time on activities people do best and enjoy most. Through this article, the authors Schwartz and McCarthy recommend several practices for renewing four dimensions of personal energy.
Read the entire article on: http://www.harvardbusiness.com/hbsp/hbo/articles/article.jsp?articleID=R0710B&ml_action=get-article&pageNumber=1&ml_subscriber=true

Shared on June 02, 2008

Lessons from GE's Approach to Personal Productivity – Article from HBR Editor’s Blog

If it’s accepted wisdom that businesses should revisit their strategies and organizational structures and processes on a regular basis to ensure that they are still relevant, doesn’t it make sense to periodically take stock of how you’re spending your time? Given the current economic climate, there’s no better occasion than now to step back and make sure you’re maximizing your value to your organization. Through this article, the author highlights some basic steps to get managers better manage their time and focus on pursuing innovation and growth. Read the entire article on: http://discussionleader.hbsp.com/hbreditors/2008/04/lessons_from_ges_approach_to_p.html?cm_mmc=npv-_-listserv-_-APR_2008-_-OrgDev

Shared on June 02, 2008

Ten Tips for Engaging Employees

Managers get overworked, sidetracked, and ridiculed to boot, but there are some simple ways they can keep in touch and in sync with their teams. Here are 10 painless, cost-free ways to keep your team in the loop and feeling appreciated that even the most time-starved manager can deploy. Read more on: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/08/01/0128_ryan_engage/index_01.htm?link_position=link1

Shared on March 17, 2008

Driving Business Results Through Pay-for-Performance

More successful small and mid-sized companies are beginning to tie compensation directly to employee performance to drive incredible business results. Originally believed only for sales professionals, pay-for-performance is proving to be effective at all levels and in all functions of an organization.
Written with input from leading HR professionals, this guide provides valuable, real-world insight into how to build a successful pay-for-performance culture that can literally transform your business.
This guide is attached. It can also be downloaded fromhttp://www.successfactors.com/docs/P4P_MissingLink_eGuide_SMB2.pdf

Shared on February 18, 2008

The Ownership Culture (Article from The National Center for Employee Ownership)

Compelling research and decades of experience show that employee ownership is a powerful tool to improve corporate performance. This research and experience has shown two distinctive realities: first, overall, employee ownership gives companies a performance advantage-"the ownership edge." Second, there is no ready-to-use process to guarantee that a company will achieve the ownership edge. There are, however, six clusters of practices that appear again and again in successful ownership companies. This article describes these six components of ownership management and illustrates the myriad ways in which companies implement them.
Read the entire article on: http://www.nceo.org/library/ownership_culture.html

Shared by N. R. Khushalani on November 05, 2007

The Best and Worst Corporate Practices
Read Business week’s article on Top 10 Best and Worst Corporate Practices on http://www.businessweek.com//careers/content/mar2007/ca20070328_625625.htm?link_position=link1. Check out the slideshow link on the same page.

Shared on August 27, 2007

Why employees leave organizations
Check out the article on: http://akssara.blogspot.com/2007/04/why-employees-leave-organizations.html

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on July 29, 2007

Want to retain staff? Think beyond money
How satisfied are your talented people with their everyday tasks? Do you know enough about your employees' values to answer that question? Values are not difficult to uncover, but they are powerful forces in an employee's decision to stay or leave. Imagine your employees as your customers. Now, what do they value most? How can you help them attain it? Read more on: http://inhome.rediff.com/money/2007/jan/12spec.htm

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on March 25, 2007

How Internal Communications Can Engage Employees

According to research conducted by The Gallup Organization, there are three types of employees: engaged, not-engaged, and actively disengaged. According to the U.S. Employee Engagement Survey recently published in Gallup Management Journal, a startling 69% of workers are either not-engaged or actively disengaged on the job. Further research from the firm estimates that approximately $370 billion is lost annually due to lower productivity from actively disengaged workers alone.
Read more about how to keep employees engaged and increase productivity, worker retention, and gain enthusiastic advocates for your products and services.
Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on December 10, 2006

How to Answer The 64 Toughest Interview Questions?

A good set of questions and answers that I enjoyed reading. I am sure this can be of great help to individuals looking for good job opportunities as well as to organizations which can use some of the behavioral questions while selecting candidates.
Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by N. R. Khushalani on November 12, 2006

Are you losing your temper at work?

Long and hectic work schedules, lack of sleep, colleagues you dislike, a domineering boss -- these and other factors could lead to one becoming snappy at work. The result -- we slam doors, yell at co-workers, pull faces, snap at our boss, and end up saying things we may regret later.
It takes years to build up a reputation, and only seconds to destroy it. No matter what, you shouldn't snap. Replace negative emotions with self-confidence and manage difficult situations with grace. Here's how you can keep your emotions under control at work and maintain an unblemished reputation at: http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2006/oct/16snappy.htm

Shared by Sandhya Gopinath on November 06, 2006

Ten Attributes of a Good Employee

“Little do we realize that unless each of us as individuals are committed to excellence in our daily actions there is no way we can create and/or sustain a great enterprise.”, says Prasad in his synopsis of the article - “Ten Attributes of a Good Employee: Bill Gates". Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Prasad Mamidanna on October 29, 2006

How to Conduct a Brainstorming Session

Many brainstorming sessions are not as productive as they could be, typically because they are poorly conceived, planned or managed. Here's a proven way to trigger imaginative solutions. And although we use marketing and advertising examples, this method can work for any creative endeavor.
Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on September 24, 2006

Talking Straight: Helping Others to Handle "Bad News"

The author Kim Barnes is President and CEO of Barnes & Conti Associates, an independent learning and organization development firm. She holds a Masters degree in Human Development and has over 30 years’ experience, including both internal and external roles for companies in a variety of industries. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared on August 13, 2006

Make It or Break It – The First 90 Days At Work

It can be very challenging to successfully navigate through the first weeks on a new job, leaving the impression that you are, indeed, the right person for the right job! It’s natural and normal to have some anxiety during the early days and weeks—everybody does. So, while every situation will have its unique challenges, read some guidelines for getting your feet on the ground at a new job and calming those jitters on http://www.management-advantage.com/products/First90Days.htm

Shared on July 10, 2006

Quitting your job? How to resign

You have found a new job! However, before popping the champagne, you have some unfinished business. You must resign, serve the notice period and make a smooth transition. Don't brush it off. The way you quit is just as important to your career as your hot, new job. Read more on tips to resign: http://in.rediff.com/getahead/2006/jun/21job.htm

Shared on June 25, 2006

How to PowerPoint like a Pro!

“Microsoft's PowerPoint program is a blessing and a curse for business professionals. Most of us use it to convey information, but many of us are bored to tears when we watch the finished product. The problem is not in the software itself, which can be an incredibly valuable tool to enhance the transfer of knowledge. It's how we use it”, says Gallo, a Pleasanton (Calif.)-based corporate presentation coach and former Emmy-award winning TV journalist. He’s the author of the new book, 10 Simple Secrets of the World’s Greatest Business Communicators. Visit him online at www.carminegallo.com. Read the complete article on: http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/jun2006/sb20060602_100148.htm?chan=careers_careers+insider+newsletter&campaign_id=nws_career_Jun6

Shared on June 12, 2006

How to cope up with a High-Pressure job

The frantic pace of the corporate rat race could very well leave you feeling exhausted -- physically, mentally and emotionally. While increasing your intake of caffeine or taking refuge in chain smoking may get you going for a while, it is certainly not a long-term solution to cope with stringent deadlines and work-related stress. Follow these work strategies and stress-busting tips on http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2006/may/25sld1.htm to capitalize on the current high-pressured demands.

Shared on May 27, 2006

How to avoid office politics

The author says that office politics takes up too much space and time. Moreover, by being political, it does not appreciably contribute to his overall efficiency or productivity. So he stays out of it. Being apolitical is both simple and sublime. He gives several tips on how to avoid office politics on: http://slackermanager.com/2006/04/how-to-avoid-office-politics.html

Shared on May 22, 2006

Doing well by doing nothing

Feeling unfocused? Try doing nothing. Or rather, try sitting in a quiet room thinking about nothing for at least 20 minutes, twice a day. It sounds simple, even boring, but transcendental meditation isn't just for mantra-chanting yogis or herbal-tea-drinking hippies. Maxed-out professionals are turning to daily meditation to lower blood pressure, prolong concentration, and crank up creative juices. Read more on: http://www.inc.com/magazine/20040701/perspective.html

Shared on May 22, 2006

Company extensions

An important document to have for reference. It provides definitions of company "extensions" and security identifiers used by organizations across the world.

Shared by Raghuveer Vadlakonda on May 13, 2006

Execution without excuses

Dell's sustained competitive advantage is due to more than its famous business model. Consistent execution requires real-time P&L management, an emphasis on ingenuity rather than on investment, and a culture of accountability. An Interview with Michael Dell and Kevin Rollins. Read the article on: http://www.job.dell.sk/buxus/docs/tlacove_spravy/HarvardBusinessReview_March2005_eng.pdf

Shared on May 08, 2006

Tips to give sensational presentations, by Steve Jobs

Tip 1: Sell the benefit
Tip 2: Practice, Practice, and Practice some more
Tip 3: Keep it Visual
Tip 4: Exude Passion, Energy, and Enthusiasm
Tip 5: And one more thing
Read the complete article on: http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/apr2006/sb20060406_865110.htm?link_position=link2&campaign_id=nws_smlbz_Apr12

Shared on April 22, 2006

Time management skills and techniques

With good time management skills you are in control of your time and your life, of your stress and energy levels. You make progress at work. You are able to maintain balance between your work, personal, and family lives. You have enough flexibility to respond to surprises or new opportunities. All time management skills are learnable. More than likely you will see much improvement from simply becoming aware of the essence and causes of common personal time management problems. With these time management lessons, you can see better which time management techniques are most relevant for your situation.
The complete article can be read on: http://www.time-management-guide.com/time-management-skills.html

Shared on 22nd April 2006

The Latest in Recruitment Procedures

A funny article on recruitment procedures…JJJ! Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by P. G. Kamath on April 10, 2006

10 Worst Presentation Habits
“Speakers can be their own worst enemies. Here are our expert's tips on how to make a presentation sing”, says Carmine Gallo. View the slideshow on: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/02/mistakes/index_01.htm

Shared on 10th April 2006

The Myths of Executive Compensation
There’s a major concern out there for all of us: the perception of excess compensation received by CEOs. And it’s getting worse year by year. The author deals with this concern by describing several myths about compensation. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Raghuveer Vadlakonda on 3rd April 2006

Sharpening your Business Acumen

“The art of business acumen is to link an insightful assessment of the external business landscape with the keen awareness of how money can be made — and then to execute the strategy to deliver the desired results”, says author Ram Charan (editors@strategy-business.com), a Dallas-based advisor to boards and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and the author of Know-How (forthcoming from Crown Business). He is also the coauthor, with Larry Bossidy, of Confronting Reality (Crown Business, 2004) and Execution (Crown Business, 2002).
Read the article on: http://www.strategy-business.com/press/enewsarticle/enews033006?pg=all

Shared on 3rd April 2006

Be smarter at work, slack off

In a world of too much work and too much multitasking, the best way to beat the competition may be to do less, article by Anne Fisher, FORTUNE senior writer. Read more on: http://money.cnn.com/2006/03/16/news/economy/annie/fortune_annie0317/index.htm

Shared on 24th March 2006

How to make good with the boss

A very good article on Rediff.com, written by Scott Reeves, Forbes. He says, “A good boss depends on you. The reward for good work is challenging assignments in the future. In return, make your boss look good to The Grand Pooh-Bahs who inhabit the executive suite and the corner offices. If nothing else, boosting your boss will advance your career.”
Read more on: http://in.rediff.com/money/2006/mar/17forbes.htm

Shared on 17th March 2006

Appraisal vs Resignation
An interesting note and a fact to some extent. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by N. R. Khushalani on 4th March 2006

Why smart people under perform?

It could be ADT (Attention Deficit Trait)! says Edward M. Hallowell, MD, psychiatrist and the founder of the Hallowell Center for Cognitive and Emotional Health in Sudbury, Massachusetts.
Like the traffic jam, ADT is an artifact of modem life. It is brought on by the demands on our time and attention that have exploded over the past two decades. As our minds fill with noise -- feckless synaptic events signifying nothing -- the brain gradually loses its capacity to attend fully and thoroughly to anything.
The symptoms of ADT come upon a person gradually. The sufferer doesn't experience a single crisis but rather a series of minor emergencies while he or she tries harder and harder to keep up. Shouldering a responsibility to "suck it up" and not complain as the workload increases, executives with ADT do whatever they can to handle a load they simply cannot manage as well as they'd like. The ADT sufferer therefore feels a constant low level of panic and guilt. Facing a tidal wave of tasks, the executive becomes increasingly hurried, curt, peremptory, and unfocused, while pretending that everything is fine.
To control ADT, we first have to recognize it. And control it we must, if we as individuals and organizational leaders are to be effective. In the article, the author has offered an analysis of the origins of ADT and provided some suggestions that may help you manage it.
Read more on: http://lucypevensie.livejournal.com/471731.html

Shared on March 04, 2006

The Essence of Great Workplaces
One-third of all Fortune 500 companies fall off the list after a seven-year ride. To understand the impact of this churn on employees and companies alike. Business world spoke to Wayne Brockbank, the Clinical Professor of Business at the University of Michigan Business School. Brockbank - who has consulted for the Tata group, ICICI Bank, Unilever and Marico - believes that career planning is not in the hands of employees anymore. As companies try to respond to a fast-changing marketplace, they will have to continually shuffle their employees to businesses with the highest returns. And how well they do that depends on their culture.

Shared by N. R. Khushalani on 26th February 2006

How to survive through career shift
Madhu Menon took his big leap during the recent IT industry bust. A software engineer by profession and a chef at heart, he gave up his job to start 'Shiok Far eastern cuisine' in Bangalore. Menon provides a checklist that he followed during his career transition. Read the article on: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1413347.cms

Shared on 19th February 2006

Seven things to ask your prospective boss
http://www.forbes.com/2006/01/11/cx_sr_0112bizbasicslide.html?partner=rediff

Shared on 21st January 2006

Seven Interviewing Mistakes
http://www.forbes.com/2005/10/05/cx_sr_1006interviewslide.html?partner=rediff

Shared on 21st January 2006

Three rules to impress your client - http://in.rediff.com/getahead/2006/jan/17client.htm
Yati Doshi is a corporate trainer based in Mumbai. She has eight years of experience in the corporate arena and two years of experience in training.

Shared on 21st January 2006

Ready to start a business - http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/01/sbiz_quiz/index_01.htm
Take this quiz and see if the time is right for you to start making your vision a reality

Shared on 21st January 2006

Coping with Stress: Management and Reduction Techniques
A very helpful article on www.helpguide.org. The topics covered are:
- What is stress management?
- What can you do to reduce stress?
- Developing coping skills for stress relief
- When should you seek professional help?
- Causes of stress at work
- Health effects of stress
- How can stress at work be alleviated?

Shared on 15th January 2006

Ideas & Innovation
A short two page article on myths and facts on management of Ideas & Innovation. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared on 15th January 2006

Marketing IQ Test (http://www.copernicusmarketing.com/iq/index.htm)

Copernicus has found that the average marketing IQ of senior executives is just 79 (with 100 being 'average' and 160 the top score possible). Just 10 points less, and the average business executive would have been ranked as an "Intuitive Marketer." The following quick Marketing IQ Test will help you assess where your stack up against your peers in marketing knowledge.
Simply read each question and mark the answer True, False, or I Don't Know. If you don't know, you're better off choosing "I don't know" rather than guessing. In this test, as in the real world, you pay a penalty for a wrong decision. After you answer each of the 20 questions, your quiz will be automatically scored.

Shared on 8th January 2006

Right Postures Ergonomics
A wonderful presentation guiding us on the right postures while working on the computer, in front of which we practically spend most of our time! Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared on 25th December 2005

Strategy+Business 10th-Anniversary Retrospective: Our 10 Most Enduring Ideas by Art Kleiner

New York, N.Y., December 12, 2005 -- Since its launch, in 1995, strategy+business has sought out the smartest and most provocative ideas. To mark our first decade, we asked our readers -- who are, after all, the real users of those concepts -- to tell us which ones will most strongly influence the way business is done over the next decade. Their top 10 answers provide an intriguing glimpse of the management issues that continue to matter. Read the full article on:
http://www.strategy-business.com/enewsarticle/enews121205

Shared on 19th December 2005

Move from one job to another, but only for the right reasons – Message from Dr. Gopalakrishnan

Dr. Gopalakrishnan succeeds Mr. Ratan Tata as Chairman of Tata Sons Ltd., the holding company for many of the Tata blue chips like Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Tata Power, Tata Chemicals, Voltas, etc. Possibly he is the first Non - Tata person to head the Tata Empire. In his message, Dr. Gopalakrishnan claims that an honest answer to a few questions will decide where we will go in our career - to the top of the pile in the long term (at the cost of short - term blips) or to become another average employee who gets lost with the time in wilderness?.

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on 19th December 2005

Success-related Articles shared from 2005 to 2008

2008-09-14T23:49:00.000-04:00

The Contradictions That Drive Toyota’s Success – A Harvard Business Review Article

Stable and paranoid, systematic and experimental, formal and frank: The success of Toyota, a pathbreaking six-year study reveals, is due as much to its ability to embrace contradictions like these as to its manufacturing prowess.
The authors Hirotaka Takeuchi, Emi Osono, and Norihiko Shimizu studied Toyota for six years, during which time we visited facilities in 11 countries, attended numerous company meetings and events, and analyzed internal documents. They also conducted 220 interviews with former and existing Toyota employees, ranging from shop-floor workers to Toyota’s president, Katsuaki Watanabe. Their research shows that TPS is necessary but is by no means sufficient to account for Toyota’s success.
The access to the complete HBR article will need subscription but the excerpt of the article available on the link below helps us to understand the message that the authors are trying to convey. Check the link: http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/hbsp/hbr/articles/article.jsp?ml_action=get-article&articleID=R0806F&ml_issueid=BR0806&ml_subscriber=true&pageNumber=1&_requestid=127442

Shared on June 30, 2008

Principals of Eagles
Interesting to note the principles that Eagles follow to survive and succeed. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by N. R. Khushalani on August 27, 2007

Great Advice from Serial Entrepreneurs

There's something a little bit magical about serial entrepreneurs-that rare breed lucky enough to hit on a great idea, skilled enough to ride it to the top, and then crazy enough to try to do it all over again from the beginning. BusinessWeek spoke to five success story heroes who weren't content just to cash in and check out. Flip through the slide show for their advice to those hoping to duplicate their successes.
Check the slideshow on: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/06/0602_serial_entp/index_01.htm

Shared on June 18, 2007

The Luxury Touch – A Strategy+Business exclusive, published by the leading global strategy and technology consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton.

Superb service is the indispensable ingredient of successful high-end brands. Research by authors Robert Reppa and Evan Hirsh have lead to four principles to deliver customer satisfaction year after year. Find out some great inside stories and best practices followed at the Ritz-Carlton, Nordstorm, and Lexus, among others.
The article is enclosed. You can also read the article on: http://www.strategy-business.com/press/enewsarticle/enews040307

Shared on April 15, 2007

Golden rules for Career Success by Richard Moran

“Working as a business consultant all over the world I have discovered some basic career-related rules that everyone should know - but many don’t.” – Richard Moran.
Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Sandhya Karthikeyan on March 25, 2007

The Silent Language of Success

Did you know that 55% of communication is visual (body language, eye contact) and 38% is vocal (pitch, speed, volume, tone of voice)? That means only 7% involves your actual words. And when the spotlight is on you- whether one-on-one in an interview or when making a presentation to a large group—you need to communicate effectively on all levels. Here's a look at common body language mistakes, and winning techniques for avoiding.
Check out the presentation on: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/07/02/0208_bodylanguage/index_01.htm?link_position=link1

Shared on March 18, 2007

Seven Secrets of Success

I found the answers in my room – Roof said: Aim high, Fan said: Be cool, Clock said: Every min. is precious, Mirror said: Reflect before you act, Window said: See the world, Calendar said: Be up-to-date, Door said: Push hard to achieve ur goals.

Shared by Sandhya Karthikeyan on February 25, 2007

Strategies of Winning Sales Organizations – Executive Summary of a webminar in which Vishal K participated this week.

Over the past four years, Miller Heiman has been surveying sales professionals from thousands of companies around the world, collecting and analyzing data, and learning why some sales organizations consistently outperform others. By comparing themselves to WSOs and to their peers, sales organizations can learn about strategy, processes, skills and other practices that will propel them toward WSO-like results.
Please contact Vishal for an executive summary of the 2007 Miller Heiman Sales Best Practices Study. I thank Ms. Stefanie Guerra from Miller-Heiman, who gave me the permission to share this study with our group. In case any of you have any questions or needs in regard to sales development and training, please feel free to reach Mr. Guerra on sguerra@millerheiman.com

Shared on February 10, 2007

Lalu to teach management at IIM-A

Lalu may be the quintessentially rustic politician whose 15-year-rule in Bihar as chief minister was dubbed by critics as 'jungle raj,' but India's Railway Minister Lalu Prasad is set for an image makeover when he dons the role of a lecturer at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad on September 18, 2006.
Today it is not only IIM Ahmedabad that wants to fete Prasad for posting a fund balance of Rs 15,000 crore ($325 million) in 2005-06. Even premier international business schools like Harvard and HEC Management School, France, have shown interest in turning Prasad's experiment with the Railways into case studies for aspiring business graduates.
Read this interesting article on: http://us.rediff.com/money/2006/aug/30iim1.htm

Shared by Prasad Mamidanna on September 18, 2006

The new rules of Corporate America

Once upon a time, there was a route to success that corporate America agreed on. But in today's fast-changing landscape, that old formula is getting tired. Read about the rules followed by today’s CEOs on: http://money.cnn.com/2006/07/10/magazines/fortune/rules.fortune/index.htm?cnn=yes

Shared by Scott Biocic on July 23, 2006

Successful Negotiations

We all negotiate in our personal and professional lives. We negotiate when we go to a garage sale, or when we want to do something different at work, or when we are dealing with members of the public. Negotiating is an important part of our lives – like it or not!
Read several tips on Successful Negotiations on http://www.business-english-training.com/nego.htm

Shared on July 10, 2006

How Failure Breeds Success

Everyone fears failure. But breakthroughs depend on it. The best companies embrace their mistakes and learn from them. The article highlights on how CEOs of Coke, IBM, Intuit, GE, among others embrace failure. In fact, last October in front of some 200 Intuit marketers, an Intuit team received an award from Intuit Chairman Scott Cook, who said "It's only a failure if we fail to get the learning". Interesting article!
Read the complete article on: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_28/b3992001.htm?campaign_id=nws_insdr_jul1&link_position=link1

Shared on June 30, 2006

Narayana Murthy’s 5 tips for success
BusinessWeek Senior Writer Steve Hamm interviewed N R Narayana Murthy, the founder and longtime chairman of Infosys, who stopped in New York on June 15 on something of a farewell tour. After 25 years at the helm, he's stepping out of his executive role and handing the baton to the next generation of leaders. Read the interview on: http://in.rediff.com/money/2006/jun/21murthy.htm

Shared on June 25, 2006

Lessons from Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz
Three qualities that have helped Schultz stand out as a persuasive business communicator are - (i) Dig deep to identify what you are truly passionate about, (ii) Inspire your colleagues, investors, or employees, (iii) To get the most out of your people, a leader has to tap into their emotions as well as their minds. Read more on how Schultz applies these at Starbucks: http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/may2006/sb20060505_893499.htm?link_position=link1

Shared on May 13, 2006

Never Give up
Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Sandhya Karthikeyan on March 12, 2006

104 Practical Considerations for International Success

Business survival in the 21st century will depend on just how much firms are willing and able to compete in the global marketplace. Where at one time international expansion was a “desirable” element for senior executives of mainly large corporations, firms of every size can now no longer afford to ignore the consequences of remaining a domestic player. They realize that they must change, and accept the reality of becoming an international player.
104 Practical Considerations for International Success are flags in the ground. The busyexecutive should treat them as observations, a set of practical tips and a quick reference guide for constant referral at every stage of the international expansion process.
Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Raghuveer Vadlakonda on March 12, 2006

Seven mantras to succeed at work
“Nothing succeeds like success, you see, and living is all about winning”, says Azim Jamal, author of bestsellers like The Power Of Giving (No 4 on Amazon.com), 7 Steps To Lasting Happiness, Corporate Sufi and The One-Minute Sufi. Read the article on: http://www.rediff.com/getahead/2006/feb/08jamal.htm

Shared on February 19, 2006

Startup Secrets of the Successful
What does it take to become an entrepreneur and get your business off the ground? Here are some tips from those who have done it. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared on January 29, 2006

Notin Nohria – Tips for ambitious managers
Nohria is Richard P. Chapman Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School. His research centers on leadership, corporate accountability and organizational change. He has served as an advisor and consultant to several large and small companies in different parts of the world. A world acclaimed management guru. Nohria has some interesting tips for ambitious managers. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Swamy Ramchandran on January 29, 2006

Six Habits of Highly Effective Marketers (http://www.copernicusmarketing.com/univers/docs/six_habits_of_highly_effective_marketers.htm)
The six habits of highly effective marketers enable the kind of transformational marketing that changes brand trajectories, career paths, sometimes entire companies and even industries. The six habits include:

Making Marketing Dollars Work Harder.
Challenging Conventional Approaches to Targeting.
Taking a Position—Make Your Brand Stand for Something
Selecting the Most Profitable Product, Not the Most Appealing.
Connecting Inputs to Outputs in Marketing Plans and Compulsively Implement Them.
Building a Great Brand While Your Competitors Commoditize.

Shared on January 08, 2006

Overachievement – The new model for exceptional performance by John Eliot
Overachievers think differently compared to the average person. How differently? John Eliot compares the overachiever’s mindset with that suggested by the traditional quick-fix motivational speakers and self-help speakers. In short, to join the ranks of the high performers, think differently. Develop the mindset of an overachiever and stay there. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Swamynathan Ramchandran on December 19, 2005

Formula for Success
The winners in life know the rules of the game and have a plan. Whether you're looking to heal a relationship, get a new job, lose weight or find inner peace, consider these characteristics which are common to people who succeed. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Avani Gondalia on December 11, 2005

Improve your life in One Minute
One page note by Dr. Jill Ammon-Wexler suggesting an approach of just focusing on something you can accomplish in one minute – just 60 seconds. He says, still, the highest mountain is scaled only one step at a time, and the biggest goal is only accomplished one step at a time. So why not just commit to take one small step right now? Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Nitin Agarwal on November 12, 2005

A Mantra for Success
One page article on importance of perseverance and persistence to Success. It includes excerpts from the life of Honda, Einstein, Norman Jean Baker, among others. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on November 06, 2005

Be obsessive about details – BusinessWeek Online interview with Michael Levine

According to author and media expert Michael Levine, the biggest problems in business stem from ignoring the smallest of details. In his new book, Broken Windows, Broken Business, Levine applies the approach of a social psychologist and criminologist to business. Using the theory that if broken windows in a building go unfixed, the other ones will soon break -- and the neighborhood will deteriorate -- Levine asserts that in order to succeed, business owners must monitor the tiny details or risk failure. BusinessWeek Online reporter Stacy Perman recently spoke with Levine about the importance of appearance and why "big equals stupid" in business. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared on October 22, 2005

Defining Success
The enclosed document is an address by Subroto Bagchi, Chief Operating Officer, MindTree Consulting to the Class of 2006 at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore on “Defining Success”. [Subroto Bagchi was head of Wipro Global R&D division]. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared on October 03, 2005

Short Stories and Notes shared from 2005 to 2008

2008-09-14T23:25:00.001-04:00

The Fallen Tomato Cart

A short article written by Subroto Bagchi, Co-founder & CEO of MindTree Consulting, on how we can learn from a tomato vendor. Through a short story, Mr. Bagchi conveys the message that “All too often we exaggerate our risks. We keep justifying our professional concerns till they trap us in their vicious downward spiral. Devoid of education, sophisticated reasoning and any financial safety net, a tomato vendor is often able to deal with life much better than many of us.”
The article is attached in this email and can also be found on the link: http://www.mindtree.com/knowledgecenter/fallen-tomato-cart.html

Shared by Avani Gondalia on July 14, 2008

A short story on “Excellence”

A gentleman once visited a temple under construction where he saw a sculptor making an idol of God. Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby. Surprised, he asked the sculptor, "Do you need two statues of the same idol?" "No," said the sculptor without looking up, "We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage." The gentleman examined the idol and found no apparent damage. "Where is the damage?” he asked. "There is a scratch on the nose of the idol." said the sculptor, still busy with his work. "Where are you going to install the idol ?" The sculptor replied that it would be installed on a pillar twenty feet high. "If the idol is that far, who is going to know that there is a scratch on the nose?" the gentleman asked. The sculptor stopped his work, looked up at the gentleman, smiled and said,
"I know it and God knows it!"

“The desire to excel should be exclusive of the fact whether someone appreciates it or not. Excellence is a drive from inside, not outside. Excel at a task today - not necessarily for someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction.”

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on June 30, 2008

The Law of Garbage Truck
A short story to illustrate the point that we must focus on what’s important in life and not get affected by the negativity around us. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on August 27, 2007

Knowing makes us different

A short story on how knowledge makes a difference. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Sandhya Karthikeyan on August 12, 2007

Big Rocks
Short story on the subject of time management. Read it on: http://www.inspirationalstories.com/14/1416.html

Shared by Narayan Khushalani on July 29, 2007

One page story on “Don’t resist change; embrace it”
Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Narayan Khushalani on July 16, 2007

Confidence
Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Narayan Khushalani on June 03, 2007

Sharpen da Axe
A short story sharing a good lesson. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Nitin Agarwal on February 18, 2007

Lasting Legacies of JRD Tata
I will purposely not brief you on this story…since it is worth spending every minute of your reading time! Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Nitin Agarwal on September 11, 2006

Azim Premji on Change
This is an excerpt of a speech given by Azim Premji, Chairman of Wipro Corporation, at the 37th Annual Convocation 2002, IIM, Ahmedabad. Through his thought provoking speech, he shares his guiding principles to stay afloat in a changing world. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Herman Carneiro on August 27, 2006

When you leave office today
A small story hoping to cause a BIG change. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Herman Carneiro on June 19, 2006

'You've got to find what you love,' says Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios
Jobs talks about three stories that shaped his life. This is one of the best real life stories that I have read. Read more on: http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html

Shared on April 16, 2006

A Boomerang World
Our concept of “Karma” has been explained well as “A Boomerang World” by the author Tim Wright. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Nitin Agarwal on March 17, 2006

Keep Going
“One paragraph that explains Life”, comments Sandhya. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Sandhya Karthikeyan on February 11, 2006

Seasons of Life
A short story of four sons relating their experiences of different seasons to their father. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Nitin Agarwal on February 11, 2006

Enjoy the Coffee
A few paragraphs on the way we lead our lives. This article will surely bring a smile to your face JJJ! Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by P. G. Kamath on February 06, 2006

You have two choices
A nice story of Jerry, a restaurant manager and his motivating positive attitude. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Sandhya Karthikeyan on December 25, 2005

Butterfly – Struggle a little and then Fly
A short half page story that emphasizes that a little struggle is beneficial in our lives. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Sandhya Karthikeyan on December 25, 2005

Value has value only if its value is valued by you

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $ 100 note. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $ 100 note?” Hands started going up. He said, "I am going to give this note to one of you but first let me do this.” He proceeded to crumple the note up. He then asked, "Who still wants it?". Still the hands were up in the air.” Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. "Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $ 100. Many times in your lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value.”

You are special. Don't ever forget it! Never let yesterday's disappointments overshadow tomorrow's dreams.

Shared by N. R. Khushalani on December 04, 2005

An Unwise Investment
A small story highlighting that Work is not the Final thing in life. It can get u the money but not the hearts which care for you. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Nitin Agarwal on December 04, 2005

The Best Investments by J. Rajagopal
J. Rajagopal talks about life investment strategies' that may seem as simplistic as 'buy low, sell high', but if carried out systematically, they can enrich your life beyond imagination. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on December 04, 2005

A Thousand Marbles

A good note on having our priorities right and enjoying our Saturdays! Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Nitin Agarwal on November 20, 2005

A Carrot, an Egg & a Cup of Coffee
An interesting note on how some of us handle change and adversity. Something to learn from what we see in our everyday life. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Mythili Ravishankar on November 20, 2005

It is indeed more blessed to give than to receive
A half a page story effectively bringing out the above value. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Mythili Ravishankar on November 12, 2005

Time for coffee
“When things in life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee”, says a philosophy professor to remind us the basics of working life. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Sandhya Karthikeyan on November 12, 2005

A few nuggets of Optimism, Hope and Motivation
Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Nitin Agarwal & Mythili Ravishankar on October 30, 2005

Make the best of everything that comes your way
Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on October 14, 2005

There’s always a better way
Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Nitin Agarwal on October 08, 2005

Perspectives
One day a father and his rich family took his young son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose to show him how poor people can be. They spent a day and a night in the farm of a very poor family. When they got back from their trip the father asked his son, "How was the trip?" "Very good, Dad!". "Did you see how poor people can be?", the father asked. "Yeah!" "And what did you learn?" The son answered, "I saw that we have a dog at home, and they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of the garden, they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lamps in the garden, they have the stars. Our patio reaches to the front yard, they have a whole horizon. When the little boy was finishing, his father was speechless. His son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are!" Isn't it true that it all depends on the way you look at things? If you have love, friends, family, health, good humor and a positive attitude toward life, you've got everything! You can't buy any of these things. You can have all the material possessions you can imagine, provisions for the future, etc., but if you are poor of spirit, you have nothing!
Author Unknown

Shared on September 18, 2005

Movies shared from 2005 - 2008

2008-09-14T23:12:00.000-04:00

Movie by Mac Anderson – “Finish Strong”

The author, Mac Anderson states that the difference in success or failure is not chance, but choice. Because when adversity strikes, it's not what happens to us, but how we react to what happens that will determine our destiny. Check out his new video on this topic titled as “Finish Strong” - http://www.finishstrongmovie.com/

Shared on August 09, 2008

Lesson of the week from www.fiftylessons.com - “Focus on Sales to Re-Ignite Growth”

The website FiftyLessons.com offers a vast library of video interviews of most respected and influential business leaders in the world. The featured lesson of this week is “When sales slow down, you need to return to the fundamental business principles that spurred growth. In these fundamentals you’ll find the answers to what you need to be focusing on to spur growth.” Check out the complete interview with Todd Flemming, President/CEO of Intrasafe on: http://fiftylessons.com/

Shared on August 09, 2008

What It Takes To Be # 1, a book where Vince Lombardi, one of football's most accomplished and respected coaches, shares nine key principles that shaped his father's philosophy of coaching and of life. Presentation link: http://www.lombardimovie.com/

Shared on April 28, 2008

Paper Airplane, a 3 minute inspirational movie by Michael McMillan teaches a valuable lesson about courage and creativity for people of all ages. Just click on the link below and share it with friends and co-workers. Movie link: http://www.paperairplanemovie.com/

Shared on April 14, 2008

Walk the Talk, by Eric Harvey and Steve Ventura reminds us that having values is very important, but it's much more important to live them. So sit back, turn up your speakers, and enjoy 3 minutes of inspiration from our new movie...Walk the Talk. Just click on the link below...and don't forget to share it with your friends and your team. Movie link: http://www.doyouwalkthetalk.com/

Shared on March 30, 2008

A short movie by Mac Anderson on “You Can’t Send a Duck to Eagle School”
The movie is a quick presentation on how attitude makes all the difference. Hiring the right people is the key to any company’s success. Check out the movie on http://www.eagleschoolmovie.com/

Shared on October 07, 2007

Movie: The Power of Attitude by Mac Anderson, Founder of Simple Truths
The difference in success or failure is not how you look, not how you dress, not even how you’re educated. It’s how you think! In many ways we’re all alike; however, one little difference always makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. In this 3 minute inspirational movie Mac shares with us some of the keys to staying positive in today’s world. So sit back, turn up your speakers and click on the link: http://www.powerofattitudemovie.com/

Shared on September 23, 2007

A short movie by Mac Anderson on “Nature of Success”
The movie is quite refreshing, inspirational, and interesting. Check out the movie on http://www.natureofsuccessmovie.com/

Shared by Sanjiv Mehrotra on September 09, 2007

Customer Service Story in a Short Video (for the people who liked the http://www.212movie.com/ inspirational movie, you will like this link too). Check out the story on: http://www.stservicemovie.com/

Shared on April 15, 2007

Movie 212°...The Extra Degree

Two months ago a 3-minute movie titled: 212° was released ...The Extra Degree. The response to this simple, but powerful video has been overwhelming..!!!
Check out the movie on - http://www.212movie.com/ ...A wonderful inspiration!!!

Shared by Nitin Agarwal on March 12, 2007

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

This video is from the library of Microsoft, where Malcolm Gladwell, Staff Writer, The New Yorker Magazine, gave a live presentation. I heard Malcolm’s presentation for 5 mins and then got engrossed in it for the next 50 minutes hearing his eye opening speech.
Malcolm talks about how we make decisions -- good and bad -- and why are some people so much better at it than others? Drawing on cutting-edge neuroscience and psychology, he shows how the difference between good decision-making and bad has nothing to do with how much information we can process quickly, but on the few particular details on which we focus. Gladwell reveals how we can become better decision makers -- in our homes, our offices, and in everyday life. Never again will you think about thinking the same way.
Watch the video on http://www.researchchannel.org/prog/displayevent.aspx?rID=4571&fID=1122

Shared by Shiva Choudhary on September 18, 2006

Leadership Articles shared from 2005 to 2008

2008-09-14T22:54:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow’s Leader: Identifying the Next Generation

In this article, author Carlton D. Becker highlights that organizations that flourish in this new global market will be those that do the best job of developing their people to support strategic initiatives, building high-performing work teams around the world, and functioning effectively in virtual environments. Traditional organizational structures and thinking are incapable of meeting these dynamic demands.
Carlton talks about current trends and their implications for tomorrow’s leaders. Also, he gives a few examples of taking current competencies and redefining them to reflect future needs.
Read more on: http://www.talentmgt.com/succession_planning/2008/February/543/index.php

Shared by N. R. Khushalani on March 03, 2008

Leading by Example

This article talks about the role of leaders in creating and maintaining an innovating organization. Business pundits are tired of stating the importance of innovation. But the fact that they continue to do so is indicative of the business world's inability to abide. Thankfully, it is neither the lack of belief in the importance of innovation nor inertia that prevents organizations from innovating. Nearly 65 percent of business leaders believe that it is innovation that will guarantee them a berth in future. Of the 800 CEOs interviewed in a survey, each one of them had a game plan to enhance and sustain innovation. So where are things going wrong? Experts believe that there might be a gap or two at the senior leadership level that needs plugging. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Nitin Sangle on January 20, 2008

Colgate-Palmolive’s Mark Ruben: On Leadership and ‘Moving the Bell Curve’

After unusually long 23-year tenure as chief executive, Reuben Mark, who is still chairman of Colgate-Palmolive, sees corporate leadership like a baseball game that is won, not by spectacular homeruns, but by singles and doubles. In the enclosed article Reuben Mark shares his views on corporate leadership and attitude.
This article is published by Knowledge @ Wharton and can be accessed online at: http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1815

Shared on October 07, 2007

A Leader’s Legacy

Contact Vishal for this pdf book summary [a short easy read] - an inspirational piece on Leadership. It mentions that Leadership isn’t solely about results. Success in leadership isn’t measured only in numbers. Being a leader brings with it a responsibility to do something of significance that makes families, communities, work organizations, nations, the environment and the world better places than they are today.

Shared by Harold Schroeder on July 01, 2007

Why Leadership means Listening

Over the past several weeks, Carmine Gallo interviewed half-dozen well-known business leaders for a new book on communications. One theme came up repeatedly—great leaders are great listeners. Extraordinary men and women solicit feedback, listen to opinions, and act on that intelligence. Listening skills have always been important in the workplace, but are even more so when dealing with young employees. Today's employee wants to be asked for feedback and he wants to be heard. Here are some tips for becoming a better listener.
Read the article on: http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/jan2007/sb20070131_192848.htm?link_position=link6

Shared on April 01, 2007

The Pillars of Self-Mastery

Good presentation on habits to lead a successful and disciplined life. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Sriram Dharmapadam on January 14, 2007

The Art and Science of Leadership

This leadership guide is for supervisors, managers, leads, and anyone wishing to move up through the ranks as a leader. The first chapter, Concepts of Leadership, provides a basic background on leadership, while the following 18 chapters provide the skills and knowledge needed to implement effective leadership.
Access the guide on: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/leader/leader.html

Shared on May 08, 2006

Dress the Part of the Leader

Whether they -- or you -- realize it, your business associates will judge you by your attire. Check out this advice before suiting up”, says Carmine Gallo. a Pleasanton (Calif.)-based corporate presentation coach and former Emmy-award winning TV journalist. He is the author of the new book 10 Simple Secrets of the World's Greatest Business Communicators.
Slideshow: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/03/dressthepart/index_01.htm?link_position=link1&campaign_id=nws_smlbz_Mar29

Shared on April 10, 2006

12 secrets of greatness: A dozen leaders share "How I work"

E-mail and voicemail; yoga and personal assistants; structure and grooving: A dozen accomplished people tell what works for them.
Read more on: http://money.cnn.com/2006/03/02/news/newsmakers/howiwork_fortune_032006/index.htm (Click on any of the lines 'hyperlinks' on the webpage to get the presentation where 12 CEOs discuss their lifestyles)

Shared on March 24, 2006

Lessons learned from 20 Young Business Entrepreneurs

Inspiring stories of young entrepreneurs. I personally found the ‘Lessons learned’ section very interesting.
Check it out on http://freeonlineschool.manila.ph/entrepreneur/

Shared by Swamy Ramchandran on February 19, 2006

Leadership and Stories

"Stories constitute the single most powerful weapon in a leader's arsenal." Dr. Howard Gardner, Professor, Harvard University, and Author of Leading Minds.
The article also includes topics like - How companies are using stories, How to tell stories and Story telling techniques.
Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by N. R. Khushalani on February 11, 2006

25 Lessons from Jack Welch
A quick read through, highlighting Jack Welch’s management style. The presentation has four parts:
- Lead More, Manage Less
- Build a Winning Organization
- Harness your people for competitive advantage
- Build the Market-Leading company

Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared on January 15, 2006

General Collin Powell on ‘Leadership’
General Powell was the first African-American and the youngest officer ever to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, ranking officer in the United States military. His articulate, forthright manner and unassuming dignity made him a favorite of statesmen, journalists and the general public. In 2001, President George W. Bush appointed him Secretary of State, a position that placed him at the head of America's foreign policy, and fourth in line of succession to the Presidency itself. He remains one of the most admired Americans, a leader whose prestige transcends party and ideology. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by N. R. Khushalani on December 25, 2005

FedEx chief takes cues from leaders in history – An interview by USA TODAY
Founder, President, and CEO of FedEx, Frederick Smith, says that he has learned far more from historical figures than from trendy leadership gurus. Whatever he's digesting, it seems to be working. FedEx stock is up 400% since the Fourth of July a decade ago. Smith, 60, sat down with USA TODAY corporate management reporter Del Jones at the FedEx Washington office, appropriately at 101 Constitution Ave., and a few hundred yards from the Capitol building. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared on December 04, 2005

Five traits of a brilliant team leader – Rediff.com Specials

Open communication channels
Anticipate problems
Be helpful, not forceful
Trust is the key
Show the way
The detailed presentation on these five traits is available on: http://specials.rediff.com/getahead/2005/oct/20sd.htm

Shared on October 22, 2005

How Leaders Gain (and Lose) Confidence
An interview with Rosabeth Moss Kanter, the author or coauthor of many best-selling books, is the Ernest L. Arbuckle Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. Reference: http://www.pfdf.org/index.html

Shared on October 14, 2005

General Management Articles shared from 2005 to 2008

2008-09-14T22:16:00.000-04:00

Management Time; Who’s Got The Monkey? – A Harvard Business Review article by William Oncken Jr., and Donald L. Wass

This article was originally published in the November–December 1974 issue of HBR and has been one of the publication’s two best-selling reprints ever. Why is it that managers are typically running out of time while their subordinates are typically running out of work? In this article, the authors explore the meaning of management time as it relates to the interaction between the manager and his boss, his own peers, and his subordinates.
Read the article on: http://www.agiconsulting.com/downloads/monkeys.pdf

Shared on April 28, 2008

The Hidden Traps in Decision Making
When it comes to business decisions, there’s rarely such a thing as a no-brainer. Our brains are always at work, sometimes, unfortunately, in ways that hinder rather than help us. At every stage of the decision-making process, misperceptions, biases, and other tricks of the mind can influence the choices we make.

This HBR (Harvard Business Review) article discusses six traps in organizational decision-making that can adversely affect performance and the different ways in which we can overcome these traps.
These six decision-making traps and solutions are highlighted in six different blogs at

http://thinking.bigskyassociates.com/

Article excerpts are shared through blogs by Vishal Khushalani on February 04, 2008

Masters of Networking
This article is a good inspirational piece to begin the New Year. Harold states that this piece is “Something to reflect on … especially in today’s world with social networking sites gaining in popularity ...”

Excerpt from the article – “The central principle of networking is a spiritual ideal common to all the world's great moral systems: the concept of gaining through giving. Master networkers live that ideal. They do not turn on their networking prowess in the morning and switch it off when they go home at night. They believe it, they breathe it, they live it - every day, all day. They believe in co-operating with others and helping others achieve success. They have discovered how being supportive in a human relationship will help them achieve professional success and live satisfying personal lives.”
Contact Vishal to receive the complete article.

Shared by Harold Schroeder on January 06, 2008

'The Art of Woo': Selling Your Ideas to the Entire Organization, One Person at a Time – Article from Knowledge @ Wharton

Former Chrysler chairman Lee Iacocca once noted, "You can have brilliant ideas; but if you can't get them across, your ideas won't get you anywhere." In their new book, The Art of Woo: Using Strategic Persuasion to Sell Your Ideas, Wharton legal studies and business ethics professor G. Richard Shell and management consultant Mario Moussa provide a systematic approach to idea selling that addresses the problem Iacocca identified.
Through several examples, Shell and Moussa explain what they mean by "woo": It's the ability to "win others over" to your ideas without coercion, using relationship-based, emotionally intelligent persuasion. The Art of Woo presents a simple, four-step approach to the idea-selling process.
Read the complete article at

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article.cfm?articleid=1823

Shared on November 18, 2007

Exercising Common Sense – Article from Strategy + Business Newsletter published by Booz Allen Hamilton

The article includes a 10-point checklist that can help leaders of large-scale transformation put their wisdom into practice.
The authors, Gary Neilson and Jack McGrath, have worked with more than 50 organizations involved in large-scale transformation and have realized that success is rarely a matter of applying the latest breakthrough techniques or jargon-laden formulas. Successful transformation requires the common sense of experienced management. Unfortunately, the ability to apply that common sense, especially over the long time frame of a serious change in organizational culture, is all too rare.
Although many readers are likely to think, “I’ve heard this before,” there’s a reason these 10 factors keep coming back as prerequisites for success. They’re as vital as common sense suggests they should be. But it takes a lot of uncommon concentration and awareness to put all of them into practice.
Read the article on http://www.strategy-business.com/resiliencereport/resilience/rr00050

Shared on September 23, 2007

Why Wait for Trouble? By Kenneth W. Freeman – Article from Strategy + Business, Booz Allen Hamilton newsletter.

Today, hundreds of businesses are in crisis. In many cases, the numbers are going south — profitability, cash flow, and even revenues are declining. Or the numbers may be stable, but the company habitually fails to meet the needs of its customers. The symptoms vary, but the result is usually the same: The board of directors loses confidence in management and calls in an outsider to lead the company and bring it back to life.
In a wide variety of industrial sectors, from manufactured components to medical diagnostic services, the author Kenneth W. Freeman has learned that the problems that lead to crisis often start in the same way, and he has always applied a common set of diagnostics to uncover the causes. The diagnosis essentially starts and ends with three vital questions.
Read about these vital questions and turnaround examples at the link: http://www.strategy-business.com/press/enewsarticle/enews072607?pg=all

Shared on July 29, 2007

The CEO’s New Role: Head of Sales

Over the past few years we've seen the CEO's role evolve into one that's intimately connected to sales. Analysts are looking at a company's sales performance more closely than ever before. In today's climate, if a new product falls on its face... analysts will look closely at the sales process.
Because we live in an increasingly complex world, your sales organization is the most critical link to your customer. It should drive everything you do. And that's why you, the CEO, must understand every aspect of the sales process—to ensure the accuracy of your strategy execution.
Please find this article on http://www.marketingprofs.com/7/ceo-new-role-head-of-sales-thull.asp

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on July 01, 2007

Three components of business creativity
Research by Teresa Amabile suggests that other than creative thinking two other components are required if you want to be creative in the workplace – Expertise and Motivation. Read this short note on:

http://www.buildingbrands.com/goodthinking/13_business_creativity.php

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on June 03, 2007

How to Develop Client and Customer Trust by Paul McCord
Selling is not so much about the features of our products or services—or even the benefits the customer receives. Rather, it is about our relationship with the customer. People do business with people they trust. Read the article on:

http://www.marketingprofs.com/7/how-to-develop-client-trust-mccord.asp where the author highlights the keys to building client trust.

Shared on May 20, 2007

Seven Hurdles to Marketing Effectiveness—and How to Surmount Them
Marketing effectiveness—achieving it—requires an organization with the resources and know-how to achieve the fine balance between art and science that it takes to create marketing programs that meet measurable business objectives. And these days, that's a mandate—not an option. Read more on: http://www.marketingprofs.com/7/seven-surmountable-hurdles-marketing-effectiveness-pierce.asp

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on April 23, 2007

Tips on Great Time Management

Great time management is one of the most vital skills leaders can develop. All of us have the same number of hours in a day, and no amount of effort can change that. What we can influence is how we spend those hours. A quote from Stephen Covey sums up how we can best use our time: "I am personally persuaded that the best thinking in the area of time management can be captured in a single phrase: Organize and execute around priorities."
Read about the Time Management Grid, Goal Planning, and Tips on: http://www.teal.org.uk/sv/timemgnt.htm

Shared by Alpa Shah on February 25, 2007

Thoughts on Authority, Responsibility, and Accountability

Quality guru and evangelist Y Tsuda, who has driven the total quality management learning in many Indian companies, emphasizes on the involvement of people at every level. However, this involvement is different at different levels. Although a common mission and vision guide every employee, there is a difference in the level of accountability, responsibility and authority. Please find enclosed the article on these thoughts followed by quotes from great business leaders.
This article was also recently published on Rediff.com - http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/feb/07man.htm (The key to great quality management)

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on February 18, 2007

Face the customer or Face the music
The wellbeing of your business depends on the way your company interacts with its customers. This sounds obvious, but many companies—large and small, unknown and well-known—do not act that way. Read the article on: http://www.womeninconsulting.org/company/articles/0906_facecustomers.html

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on October 01, 2006

Small Business Advantage

The message column on this website talks about several issues like – Low Cost Marketing, Retaining Good Employees, Tips for buying a business, among others. Most of the advice is given by Ms. Marcia Layton Turner, a business journalist and author whose work frequently tackles business strategy and marketing issues. To-date she has authored, co-authored, or ghosted 15 books for major publishing houses, such as McGraw-Hill, John Wiley & Sons, Simon & Schuster, and Macmillan.
Read Ms. Turner’s advice on:

http://forums.businessweek.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=messages&webtag=amex

Shared on August 21, 2006

Commit and Deliver
From the outside, a CEO’s job looks difficult. From the inside, it’s merely impossible — unless you take charge of the company’s agenda. Former Booz Allen Hamilton Vice Chairman Cyrus Freidheim describes how, as CEO of Chiquita Brands, he led that company out of bankruptcy and achieved financial and operational success. Read the article at:

http://www.strategy-business.com/press/enewsarticle/enews060106?pg=all

Shared on June 12, 2006

Five Myths of Management
Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert Sutton of Stanford University share their comments on five myths of management with some wonderful examples from their research. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Raghuveer Vadlakonda on June 05, 2006

Creating Powerful Management "Synergy" Via Executive Compensation

Executive synergy can't be nurtured unless an organization is able to attract and hold onto intellectually powerful and experienced management talent. And let there be no question, a chief recruiting and retention consideration for the best and brightest will always be your executive compensation program. Here are four keys to building and retaining an effective management team through a well functioning and competitive executive compensation program.
Read the article on:

http://www.refresher.com/!bercompensation.html

Shared on March 12, 2006

Great Attitude = Great Managers
“Beyond the management concepts and skills that you imbibe at B-school, the one critical aspect that makes or mars your career is attitude. Tfhe right attitude centers on the WIN principle -- Work hard, Innovate and Never give up”, says Ajai Chowdhry, Chairman and CEO, HCL Infosystems. Contact Vishal to receive the complete article.

Shared on February 06, 2006

The First Minute
Are you way too busy to get something done? Then go ahead and do it as soon as you can. Waiting until the last minute never makes the task any easier, and it always makes the work more stressful. Going ahead and doing it at the first minute, as soon as you know it must be done, can save you an enormous amount of time and energy. Because when you go ahead and do what must be done, you don't have to waste a lot of time worrying about it and wondering how you will ever find the time. Putting something off in order to save time really ends up costing much more time. So the next time you're tempted to wait until the last minute because of time pressures, think of what you would be doing. You would, in fact, be making things worse. Instead of putting something off until the last minute, put it on your schedule the very first minute possible. Then go ahead and get it done. The time you save will enable you to get much more done. The peace of mind you gain will be priceless.

Shared by Nitin Agarwal on November 20, 2005

Delegating Power
Short note on benefits of delegating power and recommendations for executives. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Avani Gondalia on November 20, 2005

Managing Difficult People
The author, Paul B. Thornton discusses about how difficult people can absorb a lot of manager’s time and attention. He classifies difficult people as - ‘Aggressor, Victim and Rescuer’ and gives tips on understanding and managing them. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared on November 12, 2005

Discounts: The Devil of Our Own Making
One page article discussing the effects of discounting and questioning its value. Contact Vishal for the complete article.

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on November 06, 2005

Book recommendations from 2005 - 2008

2008-09-14T18:42:00.000-04:00

"Transparency – How Leaders Create a Culture of Candor"

In the today’s world, transparency – acting with candor, disclosure, integrity, and honesty – is increasingly linked to both survival and success. Not only does transparency enhance individual and organizational performance, but it also has the potential to tap into previously unthinkable levels of collective wisdom.
In Transparency, authors Warren Bennis, Daniel Goleman, James O’Toole, and Patricia Ward Biederman use three essays to explore the complexities of transparency and reflect on becoming a transparent leader, working within a transparent company, and thriving in an increasingly transparent world.
It is clear that our world is becoming increasing transparent, and it is equally clear that there is no turning back. The technologies that have facilitated this change are here to stay. As a result, it is easy to anticipate only a further emphasis on transparency. Given this state of affairs, individuals and organizations who maintain a “culture of candor” will hold a competitive edge.

Shared by Harold Schroeder on June 30, 2008

“Put The Moose On The Table” by Randall Tobias
Randall Tobias, former CEO of Eli Lilly, has shared what it takes to get to the top. This book details key traits of leadership, including:

How leadership means establishing boundaries based on values and proper priorities
What integrity means
How 'putting the moose on the table' can help

Shared by Sandhya Karthikeyan on 10th December 2006

"The World Is Flat" by Thomas Friedman
Friedman proposes that an extraordinary series of events and technological developments in recent years is leading to a revolution in social and economic globalization. His keynote provided an overview of his flattened world thesis – from his metathesis of the three historic stages of globalization, to the ten “flatteners” that have created the flat-world transformation, to the “triple convergence” that is accentuating the effects of the ten flatteners and bringing business into a time of profound uncertainty, unless we fully understand the dynamics of the flattened world and are prepared to play its rules. Read the keynote on: http://thinkflat.infosys.com/pdf/Friedman (A copy of the same also enclosed)

Shared on October 02, 2006

"NUTS" by Kevin & Jackie Freiberg
The book provides an insight into the day to day working of the Southwest Airlines. You can see how motivated employees drive a company's success.

Shared by Vinay Rajadhyaksha on 10th April 2006

"Only The Paranoid Survive" by Andy Grove
The book talks about the need of companies to be agile to change that affect the way they do business. An interesting read.

Shared by Vinay Rajadhyaksha on 10th April 2006

“Leading at the Speed of Growth: Journey from Entrepreneur to CEO” by Katherine Catlin and Jana Matthews.

Excerpt - “Your Company is your idea, your risk, and your life. You are the leader. But as it grows, it needs to change — and your role must evolve to match those changes. Your challenge is to become the dynamic leader your company needs through every stage of its growth.”
This book explains how to lead a company through growth once you've survived the start-up stage. This book is full of stories of entrepreneurs who have faced the same issues you are facing - men and women who have made the journey from entrepreneur to CEO. Their companies range in size from 10 – 800 employees and from $1 million to $150 million in revenue. We've provided the context, and then organized their stories (their words are in italics) to illustrate the points.
Read more about the book on: http://www.ceoexchange.com/ultimate1.htm

Shared on 26th February 2006

“Exit Strategy” by Eugene O'Kelly

Eugene O'Kellywas chairman and chief executive of the American arm of KPMG, one of the world’s biggest accountancy firms, when in May 2005 he was diagnosed with late-stage brain cancer and given just three to six months to live. He radically reoriented his life to prepare for his death, chronicling his thoughts and deeds in this surprisingly well-written and moving book.
Mr. O'Kelly approached this personal task as he would a professional project. He defined his goals, redefining death as something to be accepted rather than avoided. He wanted to “succeed” at death, in his words, “to try to be constructive about it, and thus have the right death for me. To be clear about it and present during it. To embrace it.” He made “to do” lists for his final days. He tried to use the skills, knowledge and optimism that had served him well as a chief executive to help him on this final undertaking.
This book also serves as a guide to living, reminding the reader to slow down, accept certain things as they are, and to value moments with family above time at work. Full review available on Economist.com - http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=5489398

Shared by Rick Rowland on 11th February 2006

"Who says elephants can't dance?" by Louis Gerstner
“Here's a book I have been reading some days back by Louis Gerstner. It is a good book about the day to day challenges a CEO faces. This is about the amazing turn around IBM achieved in the early nineties. Louis was the CEO at the helm of IBM during that time.”

Shared by Vinay Rajadhyaksha on 11th December 2005

"How to be a GREAT Coach" by Marshall J. Cook
A great book that gives about 22 tips on working towards being a good Coach. Presentation on the key notes of the book shared by Prasad Mamidanna on 4th December 2005

"Rich Dad Poor Dad " by Robert T. Kiyosaki
"Rich don’t work for money. Money works for them". This quote is the tip of the ice berg. Robert Kiyosaki's style of writing and his experiences are unique and radical with regard to money management. He says children learn chemistry, physics, math, etc., in school but they lack knowledge about the most important thing in the real world - MONEY. He talks about on what rich teach their kids about money that the poor and the middle class don’t. An interesting read on basic tips to make money work for us.

Shared by Atul Shinde on 6th November 2005

"Who Moved My Cheese" by Dr. Spencer Johnson
For those who have not read this book as yet, pls. don’t miss this opportunity. This one hour of investment can change this one life that we have…!!!

Shared by Sanjiv Mehrotra on 24th September 2005

"You Can Win" by Shiv Khera
Shiv Khera's You can win is a step-by-step tool for `top achievers'. The secret is out on the cover page of the book: ``Winners don't do different things. They do things differently.'' Here are more tips from Khera:

We are born with five senses. Successful people have a sixth sense -- common sense.
Ability without dependability, responsibility and flexibility is a liability.
Failure is a detour, not a dead end. It is a delay, not a defeat.
Commitment says, ``I am predictable in the unpredictable future.''
Sincerity is no measure of good judgment. Someone could be sincere, yet wrong.
Sympathy is, ``I understand how you feel.'' Empathy is, ``I feel how you feel.''
Auto-suggestions are like writing a commercial to yourself, about yourself, for yourself.

Shared by Atul Shinde on 9th September 2005

Biographies shared from 2005 - 2008

2008-09-14T18:11:00.000-04:00

I take this opportunity to thank Mr. Dion Archibald for allowing us to share the links to several biographies on his motivational business portal - Woopidoo!

Biographies shared from 2005 - 2008 are listed below.

Ratan Tata is a wealthy billionaire Indian businessman and chairman of the Tata Group, one of the largest conglomerate companies in India. Ratan Tata became the Chairman of the Tata Group in 1981 after serving as Chairman in charge of the Nelco division of the group. Tata is India's largest conglomerate and includes the brands Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Power, Indian Hotels, as well as other brands labeled under the Tata name. Read the complete biography on: http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/ratan-tata/index.htm

Shared on June 15, 2008

Jeff Bezos is the president, founder, and CEO of Amazon.com where he also acts as chairman of the board. Bezos is famous for being one of the richest men in America and for founding the popular online book store Amazon.com. Bezos has been listed on the Forbes richest people in the world list since 1999 with a multi billion dollar net worth. Bezos was Time magazine's Person of the Year for 1999. Read his entire biography on: http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/jeff-bezos/index.htm

Shared on March 30, 2008

Ray Kroc was the mastermind behind the worldwide McDonald's fast food franchise. He bought the fledgling restaurant chain in 1955 and grew it into the largest, most influential fast food chain in the world. Read the entire biography on: http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/ray-kroc/index.htm

Shared on March 17, 2008

Colonel Sanders otherwise known as Harland Sanders, was the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken and it's famous seasoned chicken. Although he was always a cook, Harland, later known as the Colonel, didn't harness his talent for commercial use until he was over 40 years of age. Read the entire biography on: http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/colonel-sanders/index.htm

Shared on March 03, 2008

John Ilhan founded the Crazy John's company and became one of the largest privately held mobile phone companies in Australia. Ilhan succeeded in a competitive industry and overcame the challenges of growing up in a poor migrant family to become a wealthy businessman and respected leader in his community and around Australia. Read more on: http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/john-ilhan/index.htm

Shared on November 05, 2007

Mark Cuban is the outspoken owner of the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, billionaire internet entrepreneur, and chairman of the high-definition television station HDNet. Read the biography on: http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/mark-cuban/index.htm

Shared on 28th January 2007

How Warren Buffett made his billions
Warren Buffett is a man who has made millions but he also started working at his father's brokerage when he was 11 years old, that's an age when most other kids were playing hide-n-seek and didn't know how to spell 'brokerage'. This financial wizard is by recent estimates, worth $46 billion but how he got there is the fascinating story. (Article attached)

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on 27th December 2006

Warren Buffett: Interesting aspects of his life
There was a one hour interview on CNBC with Warren Buffet, the second richest man who has donated $31 billion to charity. Enclosed are some very interesting aspects of his life. (Article attached)

Shared by Kaushal Khandor on 27th December 2006

Zig Ziglar is a popular American motivational speaker and self help author. He came from humble beginnings to be an expert sales person, best selling author, and highly sought after public speaker. Ziglar has successfully blended his own religious beliefs with positive thinking to create a philosophy that is his own.
Read more on: http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/zig-ziglar/index.htm

Shared on 8th October 2006

Michael Dell is the founder of the computer company Dell, Inc. He created one of the most profitable computer companies in the world with annual sales of up to $50 billion American dollars. Dell has also become one of the wealthiest people in the world with a 4th place listing on the Forbes rich Americans list in 2005 with an estimated worth of $18 billion. Read more on http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/michael-dell/index.htm

Shared on 30th June 2006

Carlos Slim Helu is a Mexican entrepreneur and businessman involved in a varied group of companies that include telecommunications, retail, banking and insurance, technology, and auto parts manufacturing businesses. He is the wealthiest Mexican man, the richest Latin American, and one of the top ten richest men in the world.
Read the complete biography on: http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/carlos-slim-helu/index.htm

Shared on 12th June 2006

Warren Buffett was born in Nebraska, Omaha USA on the 30th of August in 1930. He is one of the worlds richest men, with a fortune that is only surpassed by Bill Gates of Microsoft fame. He is considered one of the most successful investors of all time and has picked up the nickname of the "Oracle of Omaha".
Read more on: http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/warren_buffett.htm

Shared on 10th April 2006

Brian Tracy is one of America’s leading authorities on the development of human potential and personal effectiveness. He is a dynamic and entertaining speaker with a wonderful ability to inform and inspire audiences toward peak performance and high levels of achievement. Originally from Canada, Brian started on his own “road to success” in his twenties when he left Canada to travel across the world. As of today, Brian Tracy has produced more than 300 different audio and video learning programs covering the entire spectrum of human and corporate performance. These programs, researched and developed for more than 25 years, are some of the most effective learning tools in the world. Read the complete biography on: http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/brian_tracy.htm

Shared on 3rd April 2006

Rupert Murdoch has grown the giant mammoth of a media company "The News Corporation" into one of the largest and most influential media groups in the world from a small town newspaper in Australia. Murdoch wields considerable power with his global media company and is often wooed by politicians to persuade him to favorably cover their campaigns. His empire covers television, filmed entertainment, cable network programming, book publishing, direct broadcast satellite television, magazines and newspapers operating in the United States, Australia, Continental Europe, the United Kingdom, Asia and the Pacific Basin.
Read more on: http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/rupert-murdoch.htm

Shared on 24th March 2006

Sergey Brin is the cofounder of the Google search engine. He and fellow Stanford University student Larry Page worked together on a project while doing a Ph.D. in Computer Science. The Pair left their studies to focus on developing the Google search engine. Sergey Brin and his partner Larry Page went on to become two of the wealthiest young entrepreneurs in America with the success of their university project, Google. Read more on: http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/sergey-brin/index.htm

Shared on 17th March 2006

Li Ka Shing is the wealthiest man in Hong Kong and East Asia. The Hong Kong billionaire started in the plastic-toy industry in the 50s and has moved into many other areas of business over the years, including telecommunications, shipping, financial services and real estate. Forbes business magazine estimated the wealth of Li Ka Shing to be $13 billion US dollars in 2005. Read more on: http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/li-ka-shing/index.htm

Shared on 12th March 2006

Oprah Winfrey comes from an abusive upbringing to become one of America's most wealthy and influential women. Winfrey has amassed a great fortune through her media and publishing interests and uses her fame and wealth to positively influence the lives of people in need. Read more on http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/oprah-winfrey.htm

Shared on 4th March 2006

Richard Branson is a flamboyant British entrepreneur with a seemingly insatiable appetite for starting new businesses. His internationally recognized brand "Virgin" is splashed across everything from credit cards, to airlines and music "megastores". Branson was awarded a Knighthood in 1999 and became Sir Richard Branson for his contribution to entrepreneurship. Branson is married with two children and currently lives in London.
Read more on http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/richard_branson.htm

Shared on 26th February 2006

Carl Icahn is a well known investor and businessman who has amassed a great fortune from buying and selling major companies. Some have labeled Icahn a "corporate raider" or "imperial shareholder" that is only out to tear companies apart for short term profits, but he refers to himself as a "shareholder activist" that is keeping managers accountable. In 2005 Forbes business magazine estimated Carl Icahn's net worth to be $7.8 billion US dollars, making him the 49th richest person in the world. Read more on http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/carl-icahn/index.htm

Shared on 19th February 2006

Donald Trump is a famous New York real estate developer billionaire. He is also famous for starring on the hit reality show "The Apprentice", and the term "You're fired!" The biography can be read at: http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/donald-trump.htm.

Shared on 11th February 2006

Rajinder Gupta writes a rags-to-riches story
He is one of Wal-Mart’s favorite suppliers, hates capitalists and is well on his way to steering his company towards the No.1 slot — Rajinder Gupta, who has spun a modern rags-to-riches story with his Rs 1,500 crore Trident group, is clearly a picture of contrasts.

Shared on 29th January 2006

Online presentation on Billionaire College Dropouts

Part I: http://specials.rediff.com/money/2005/sep/15sld1.htm - This even features our Dirubhai Ambani & Subhash Chandra Goel…JJJ…makes you feel so proud…!!!

Part II: http://specials.rediff.com/money/2005/sep/16sld1.htm

Shared on 18th September 2005

Essence of Leadership

2008-08-24T23:45:00.000-04:00

Book and Movie by Mac Anderson

In his book and movie, the author Mac Anderson has tried to capture the most important qualities that separate the good from the great leaders. In the movie, Mac has shared a few lessons that he learnt over the last 30 years of working and meeting with many great leaders and entrepreneurs.
To watch the movie click here and scroll below to see the link “Watch this Movie”.

Keep the Spark - Inaugural speech at Symbiosis Institute

2008-08-24T23:24:00.000-04:00

Article shared by: Sanjiv Mehrotra

Chetan Bhagat, an author, speaker, and an investment banker recently gave an inspiring speech to a new batch of students at the Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune, India. Seen more as the voice of a generation than just an author, this IIT/IIM graduate is making India read like never before.
Read this speech on Chetan’s blog