In The Orbit - Current Affairs, Innovation, Society, Business

Madness - The best bet to building a successful team

2009-10-08T05:45:00.000-07:00

Unlimited energy, passion to make a difference, dying to work, motivated like hell...Can you imagine the efficiency of a team, all of whose members possess the above attributes? These are the exact attributes that created the likes of Microsoft, Google and Apple. Bill Gates and Paul Allen, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, Larry Page and Sergey Brin. These are the teams that went on to become huge success stories. If you ask any of these people the secret behind their success, they would have just one statement to say "Passion to the extent of madness". Luckily for me, I've had some opportunities to work in a couple of similar teams. However, sadly enough, such teams are extremely rare.

What most teams fail to realise is the importance of self-starters. They wait for someone to provide them the push. Its almost like they consider team tasks to be some kind of a work which is only supposed to be done in specific timeslots. The attitude of "lets start right away" is as rare in teams as drops of water in a barren desert. According to researchers, this is primarily the reason why most teams fail to achieve their objectives. These teams go on the backfoot at the very first instant and from there on are always making up for it. Personally for me, I absolutely relish working in teams which demonstrate passion to the extent of madness. The experience of working in such teams comepletely puts you in a positive state of mind. There's absolutely no room left for negativity for the simple reason that you are working on something or the other all the time. 'An empty mind is a devil's brain', this is one philiosophy which such charged up teams completely negate.

In most of my leadership stints, I've tried to inculcate this quality of madness into my teams and its a lovely feeling when such attributes form the DNA of your tea. The problem however is that most people tend to confuse it with "over-excitement", which to some extent is fair as far as their observation is concerned. But then what's the point in being plain mundane and conventional. After all, there couldn't be a bigger satistfaction than the feeling of giving your best 24 X 7. At the end of the day success truly lies in the philosophy of "you might not be the best, but try to be different from the rest" and in case this difference comes in the form of the desire to give your best, nothing like it.

So all you crazy people out there, in case you feel that energy and excitement runs in your DNA, do get in touch with me. We'll sure end up taking a new initiative, irrespective of whichever corner of the world you reside in.

Being a 'big match player'!

2009-10-02T07:55:00.001-07:00

No, I'm not talking about one of those numerous lingos that cricket commentators use on air, but yes I'm definitely referring to the pedigree of people they designate using the phrase 'big match player'. A big match player is basically someone who raises his performance to the highest level when the stakes are really high. They strike just when it matters the most and roar only when they know that the stage couldn't get bigger than that very moment. In short, these are people who take full advantage of crucial opportunities and make the most out of it.

On a normal day, a big match player wouldn't ideally be wasting his time and energy trying to impress the multitude. Instead he would be busy preparing and nurturing his skills for the big day. But how exactly does a big match player manage to deliver his best performance on the D-day? The secret lies in a sense of motivation and boundless energy that he feels on the big day. The feeling that he would have to face the toughest possible competitors boosts up his morale instead of making him nervous. Failure doesn't scare him one bit. The challenge of beating the best in the business makes him enter a zone of his own, a zone where he knows he is unbeatable. Pitch him against competitors of the highest pedigree and he would still consider them to be midgets. This sense of extreme confidence doesn't come from his past history but from an extremely charged up mindset which is competing only against itself, irrespective of the gap between the individual and the competition. However, at the same time a big match player knows the difference between being super-confident and overconfident. The reason why a big match player never veers into the territory of over-confidence is because at the back of his mind he knows that he would be facing just a single competitor, "he himself".

When an individual gets into the mindset of competing against oneself, the standards of performance cross all limits. There's a sense of aura around him which clearly distinguishes him from the rest and its easy to notice it on the big day. People react differently to crucial moments. Some go silent, some go into a shell owing to nervousness but a big match player is at his active best on the big stage. Extremely relaxed, calm and composed. Often you would noticed people who normally seem to be reserved, being extremely active on big occasions. That's because the magnitude of the event makes them feel at home. Psychologists say big match players need really tough challenges to perform at their level best. Mediocrity doesn't impress them. Its precisely the reason why some students with excellent grades end up nowhere in their professional lives whereas an average student ends up raking in the best of the jobs and speeding across the corporate ladder. Its all got to do with raising the bar on the big stage.

Human mind is a never ending mystery and so is the case of spotting big match players. Psychologists say that the only way of spotting big match players is by observing them on the big day. On normal days you wouldn't have a clue that they exist right amongst you. On being questioned on the process of being converted into a big match player, psychologists are of the opinion that its all in the mind of the individual. An individual needs to feel a genuine sense of supremacy from within to be termed a big match player. Its a skill that simply can't be taught! So in case you feel self-motivation is one of your strengths, be sure you pretty much have the traits of a big match player. Now whether you are able to leverage that on the big stage is a different case all together.

The Art of Dominance

2009-09-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

They say that to be a king one must behave like a king. I'm not sure how useful this statement would have been to the warriors and rulers of the past but yes, a mindset similar to this does make a lot of difference when it comes to making a mark in today's ultra-competitive age. These days when you have people breathing down each other's neck, trying to create a space for themselves, itself really important to hold fort. The moment you let your guards down, you would end up losing your identity. So how exactly do you dominate when you actually need to?

On a personal level, a couple of strategies that have always helped me at crucial junctures are:

(1) The Art of Selective Dominance
(2) Unpredictability Quotient

Dominate, but only when its worth it!

Imagine being in a situation wherein the stakes are extremely high, competition is really tough and performance is the only way out. How do you handle the pressure of such a must win situation? The answer lies in a single phrase, "Ruthless Dominance". Think of yourself as being the "all powerful leader" of the pack, irrespective of what the reality is. Once you get into the mindset of being better than the best, you would automatically start feeling a sense of endless confidence, something that would help you cross any mental hurdle (nervousness, anxiety, poor self-esteem) that might creep up from time to time. However, this is just one aspect of the story. To be really successful at dominance, one must know when to utilize this trick. As is the case with all strategies, overuse of one renders it useless. All the cards you play should come in as a surprise to the rest.

On a personal level, I normally tend to reserve all my energy and aggression for just the day it matters the most. For the rest of the time, I absolutely don't mind being lost in the crowd. Moreover, its real fun watching people react when they get to see some of your personality traits they had least expected.

Predictability is equivalent to non-existence

Adding to the dominance aspect is the invaluable trait of being unpredictable. In short, one must keep on honing new skills on an almost regular basis so that every single encounter with competition is met with a force least expected by the crowd. On the contrary, once you start getting predictable, its very easy for people to work out your strengths and weaknesses, something they can easily take care of at crucial junctures. Probably, this is why they say that someone who's an open book can never make a good leader. So the next time you are working on a certain skillset, make sure you don't end up on a self-promotion spree for just those couple of seconds of fame. Rather reserve the art of marketing your skills for the crucial moments.

Although the effectiveness of such tricks is bound to vary from person to person, depending on his/her inherent traits, successful mastery of these does provide you an edge over the rest. At the end of the day something that does command tremendous significance these days is the attitude of "You might not be the best but you can certainly be different from the rest."

Grab them damn it!

2009-05-17T06:59:00.000-07:00

In today's age of cut throat competition, opportunities are anyway hard to come by. To top it all you have challenges like the global economic crisis breathing down everyone's neck. In such a scenario when people fail to prove themselves at crucial junctures, it clearly indicates lack of preparedness. Whether they lose out owing to shortage of wits or skills hardly makes a difference as at the end of the day, they are termed 'losers'. As they say, "Strike the iron when its hot".

Lets take the example of something as inconsequential to our lives as the Indian Premier League (IPL). The tournament presents a golden opportunity for youngsters to prove their mettle. Yet you have some of these Indian fringe cricketers failing to perform at crucial situations and making a complete mockery of themselves. Obviously, there would be some who would say that performing under pressure isn't such an easy task. Well my answer to them would be, there couldn't be a better chance to prove yourself than when the spotlight is on you. One has to be ruthless in pursuit of goals, irrespective of what the external factors are. If you are unable to maintain the level of intensity during tough times, you surely don't deserve to be one amongst the rare breed of successful people.

From a moment lets shift our focus from sports to politics. The recent election results highlighted a fundamental set of values which was neglected by the BJP and they had to bear the brunt for it. How many times have you heard the learned scholars talk about the importance of concentrating on your own strengths instead of focusing on the opposition's weakness. In the pre-poll days, the BJP had tons of opportunities to promote itself on the basis of its strengths and highlight its USP but alas it got way too busy criticizing the Congress and its leaders. You had someone like Mr. L.K.Advani screaming his lungs out, inviting Dr. Manmohan Singh for a live debate but not for once did you hear him talk about what he had in mind when it came to nation's development. You had the BJP coming up with campain tracks like 'Bhay Ho' in response to Congress' 'Jai Ho'. Initially people did respond to these negative tactics but eventually they backed out for the simple reason that they didn't come across anything that BJP was offering to them except for negative comments. Deservedly so, the BJP suffered mass demolition.

On the contrary you had the Congress (read UPA) doing the basic groundwork, reaching out to people, talking about policies and governance and spreading its network with a positive intent. You had someone like Rahul Gandhi travelling from village to village trying to connect to people. Fine, some may argue it was a case of political necessity but so was the case for BJP. The difference lies in the fact that while the Congress made full use of its opportunities to promote its intentions, BJP was found making a fool out of itself.

On a more general basis, its a well known fact that socializing and networking skills are of paramount importance these days. Digging and maintaining contacts is the need of the hour for the simple reason that you never know who might help you out in desperate times. Yet, I see people neglecting contacts either by getting judgmental about them or merely acting lazy. Either way, its a loss for them and I seriously pity their mindset and attitude. These are the times when you even need to get well along with people you detest to the core. The good old "I don't care" attitude just doesn't work anymore. One needs to be smart enough to realise where the opportunity lies and take full toll of it.

The art of networking has drastically evolved over the past few years. Gone are the days when you would think about the utility of a person before trying to befriend him/her. These days almost everyone you come across is a potential useful contact, be it a top notch business executive or a cab driver. So you would do well to leave your ego aside and be in the good books of anyone and everyone. Moreover a large contact base could never prove to be a drawback anyway.

Eventually its your ability to take advantage of the limited opportunities that would decide your fate. The difficulty level and multiplicity of hurdles just can't be excuses to escape from your true worth. So before the golden goose slips away, GO GRAB IT!

Making the best out of 'Online Networking'

2009-05-09T02:12:00.000-07:00

Let me begin by asking you three straightforward questions:

Are you a part of any of the following social networking platofrms - Orkut, Blogger, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Wordpress, etc ?

What exactly is your purpose behind the association with such platforms? Casual timepass, professional networking, increasing contacts, covering up for lack of social circle in the real world.

Have you ever been left in a dilemna with regards to the time you've been committing online for such networking sites?

Before reading ahead, its important that you try and come up with honest and precise answers to the questions above. In today's age of Web 2.0 technologies, social networking sites are springing up everywhere, but which ones are actually capable of solving your purpose? I recently came across a post which seemed to provide a decent methodology to the madness. Let me state a simple real life analogy which would help you understand the utility of the various networking tools in a more precise manner.

When you happen to select someone as a prospective future member of your professional /social network (not the online one), you probably wish to know more about him/her before reaching a final decision. You wish to know about the person's profession, thought process, etc which helps you form an opinion. In contrast, how do you get to know an absolute stranger on the internet. In case you happen to be on Orkut or Facebook, for starters you have to send an add request, right? In case the personal profile does have some info, its an added advantage. But what next? Are you sure that the content that has been put in the personal profile is actually correct? Can the profile help you decode an individual's nature with precision? The answer is 'NO'. But, hold on...platforms like Orkut and Facebook anyway don't intend to provide you serious background info before you befirend an individual. So, what do we do? Explore other options before we turn back to them... The likes of Blogger, Wordpress & Twitter.

If you've been following someone's blog for quite some time, you probably know half as much about the individual as his real life friends. After all, a set of 10-15 posts is more than enough to expose the basic mindset of an individual. Imagine this...you happen to be a hardcore corporate guy. You've been following someone's business blog pretty closely and most of his posts make a hell lot of sense to you. What do you wish to do next? Get in touch with the blogger on a personal level and add him to your contact group. The point to be noted here is that, its the blogger's thought-process which motivated you to get in touch with him. This clearly isn't a case of coming across a random stranger and adding him to your network just for the sake of it. There's some serious reasoning behind your approach, right? This is what differentiates tools like blogging from hardcore networking sites like Orkut. But hey, this doesn't mean that platforms like Orkut and Facebook don't solve a purpose. They do! They could help you cement your contacts. May be you could add the business blog's owner to your Orkut network and get in touch with him every now and then. The point is, its the purpose behind each of these online networking tools that needs to be clearly understood. Here's a process chart which might help you network online in a more meaningful and methodical manner. It might prove specially effective for professional networking.

Professional Online Networking

Now you know how to make the most out of online networking tools. However, at the end of the day despite all the hype around online networking, nothing could be more effective than face-to-face networking. Hence, online networking should never really be considered as a replacement for social networking, just an added advantage.

Diversification or Core functionalities?

2009-04-28T05:12:00.000-07:00

In a recent interview to The Economic Times, Chris Zook, a noted business writer and partner at Bain & Company talks about the importance of focusing on the core functionalities of an organization. Not just that, Zook advocates the cause of concentrating on the core business to the extent of ‘outinvensting’ competitors in that particular domain. In Zook’s words, “The number one rule is that if you can discourage your competitors from investing in attacking your core, it is ‘game set & match’ “.

Chris Zook’s thoery is based on the fact that the average growth investment has a success rate of one in four. Though in such turbulent times when most businesses are cutting down on diversification and risk-taking, his views are pretty much justified but is it really worth sticking to the same principle all the time? The classic case which brings out a completely new dimension to the concept is that of Microsoft vs Google.

As a matter of fact, Microsoft has always focussed on its core business (software products) ever since its inception. Microsoft’s strategy has always been in complete adherence to Zook’s views, even to the extent that when the internet boom had started gathering momentum, MS didn’t take it seriously enough to start tapping into the huge opportunity lying ahead. By the time it realised its folly, it was too late. Google had already become a dominant force in the search engine market and was rapidly diversifying with utilities like Gmail, Gtalk, online advertising, etc. Microsoft remained stuck to its core business, in which it still remains the undisputed leader but look at the irony….Google despite being focused on its own core (internet based applications) has started diggning into Microsoft’s business. First came Google’s online office applications, then the browser and now its making a big time entry into the OS market and guess what even the OS would be have the internet as its base.

Doesn’t this make for a really interesting case study? Both companies have remained focused on their core domains yet Google’s core has started eating up Microsoft’s business. Microsoft has always followed Zook’s policy of out-investing its competitors by maintaining absolute monopoly even to the extent of stepping over ethical boundaries at times, yet Google has managed to create some serious holes in Microsoft’s umbrella without even touching it. Howzzatt?

On a completely different note, right from the very beginning, Apple’s strategies have blown apart Zook’s thoughts left, right and center. Apple started off, focusing equally on both hardware(Macintosh) and software(OS). It continued to build a strong base in both the domains. Then came some serious diversification in the form of the ipod and iphone. Interestingly, Apple’s core strength at this point of time is neither the Mac nor the OS, its actually the mutimedia market (ipod/itunes/iphone). Yet, it continues to focus equally on all its domains and has managed to carve out a niche for itself as a company dedicated to innovation.

Despite all the anomalies mentioned above, Zook’s theory does get vindicated in numerous cases like Daewoo’s obsession with diversification which eventually resulted in the company going bankrupt or for that matter failed attempts by companies like P&G and Escorts to move away from their core LOBs. Probably at the end of the day, its all about being flexible without sticking to a pre-meditated set of strategies.

Wonder what Chris Zook would have to say about Oracle’s acquisition of Sun Microsystems. On a much lighter note, he would probably be hoping that someone like Dr. Vijay Mallya stays in business for as long as possible. The man has made investments in all sorts of domains starting from alcohol to airlines to sports (read Formula One and IPL). However, unfortunately for him (and fortunately for Zook’s theory), all his ventures apart from the alcohol line have bombed bigtime (at least financially), thereby making him Chris Zook’s ideal muse.

Footnote: All opinions stated in this post are completely analytical without any intentions of presenting companies or individuals in an embarassing light.

Unreal Expectations? You've got to face them...

2009-04-24T19:37:00.000-07:00

Recently a US publication came up with a list of the "20 Best & Worst American CEOs" of all time. The list features quite a lot of expected names with the likes of Henry Ford, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Warren Buffet making the cut in the "Best CEOs" category while the "Worst CEO" tally is headed by the recession critics' favourite boxing bag i.e Lehman Brother's chief Richard Fuld. Some other names which seem to be quite an obvious inclusion in the Worst CEOs category are Enron's Ken Lay and WorldCom's Bernie Ebbers.

An interesting selection in the Worst CEOs category is John Sculley, the infamous former Apple CEO who as per common perception had Steve Jobs literally thrown out of Apple. However, the most striking name in this particular category is Vikram Pandit, Citigroup's current chief. Hold on...before you start getting emotional about him, given his Indian lineage and humble beginnings, here's a food for thought. The explanation provided for his inclusion in the list is:

Pandit didn't create a mess Citi is in, but he is the Financial-Services equivalent of the Titanic's Edward Smith - a commander ill-equipped to save his ship.

When Vikram Pandit tookover from his predecessor Sir Winfried Bischoff in December 2007, the recession crisis had just started showing its true colors. Citi was already on a tough road and there were huge expectations from Pandit to guide the ship out of the rough waters. Unfortunately what was to follow was a literally uncontrollable global economic storm and Vikram Pandit (by choice) was caught right in the midst of it. Citigroup went from bad to worse and Pandit faced most of the flak for it. Experts feel that Vikram Pandit was plain unlucky to have got the reigns of the company during arguably the worst of times when even the best of the lot couldn't have done much about the dooming economy. However, today's leadership dynamics point towards a newer leadership approach "Making the best out of the worst". Call it badluck or incompetency, the inability of Pandit to weather a ruthless storm has landed him in the list of the worst American CEOs ever, displacing numerous others who have literally single-handedly been responsible for the downfall of some huge organizations.

All these facts point towards a simple fact, "when the stakes are high, even poor performance appears worse than absolute failure." Over the past year or so, Citigroup has been through the worst of the lot, raking in bailout packages on more than a couple of occassions and facing some serious flak for baseless mismanagement of funds. Even now when the company is showing signs of recovery, Vikram Pandit is seen facing verbal bullets from enraged investors who for starters simply want him to be thrown out of power. Again, you may call it a game of luck or helplessness, the fact remains that gone are the days when people would feel for you if they knew that you can't do much about something uncontrollable. Today's ultra competitive environment expects you to deliver as per expectations, no matter how 'unreal' they are and this stands true for each one of us.

Keep the Spark by Chetan Bhagat

2009-04-22T04:48:00.000-07:00

Chetan Bhagat is an Indian author. He is the author of three bestsellers: Five Point Someone, One Night @ the Call Center, The Three Mistakes of My Life.

Below is an inaugural speech by him for the new batch at the Symbiosis BBA program 2008.

Good Morning everyone and Thank You for giving me this chance to speak to you. This day is about you. You, who have come to this college, leaving the comfort of your homes (or in some cases discomfort), to become something in your life. I am sure you are excited. There are few days in human life when one is truly elated. The first day in college is one of them. When you were getting ready today, you felt a tingling in your stomach. What would the auditorium be like, what would the teachers be like, who are my new classmates - there is so much to be curious about. I call this excitement, the spark within you that makes you feel truly alive today. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.

Where do these sparks start? I think we are born with them. My 3-year old twin boys have a million sparks. A little Spiderman toy can make them jump on the bed. They get thrills from creaky swings in the park. A story from daddy gets them excited. They do a daily countdown for birthday party - several months in advance - just for the day they will cut their own birthday cake.

I see students like you, and I still see some sparks. But when I see older people, the spark is difficult to find. That means as we age, the spark fades. People whose spark has faded too much are dull, dejected, aimless and bitter. Remember Kareena in the first half of Jab We Met vs the second half? That is what happens when the spark is lost. So how to save the spark?

Imagine the spark to be a lamp's flame. The first aspect is nurturing - to give your spark the fuel, continuously. The second is to guard against storms.

To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive, improve and achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what is possible for you. It isn't any external measure - a certain cost to company pay package, a particular car or house.

Most of us are from middle class families. To us, having material landmarks is success and rightly so. When you have grown up where money constraints force everyday choices, financial freedom is a big achievement.

But it isn't the purpose of life. If that was the case, Mr Ambani would not show up for work. Shah Rukh Khan would stay at home and not dance anymore. Steve Jobs won't be working hard to make a better iPhone, as he sold Pixar for billions of dollars already. Why do they do it? What makes them come to work everyday?

They do it because it makes them happy. They do it because it makes them feel alive. Just getting better from current levels feels good. If you study hard, you can improve your rank. If you make an effort to interact with people, you will do better in interviews. If you practice, your cricket will get better. You may also know that you cannot become Tendulkar, yet. But you can get to the next level. Striving for that next level is important.

Nature designed with a random set of genes and circumstances in which we were born. To be happy, we have to accept it and make the most of nature's design. Are you? Goals will help you do that.

I must add, don't just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.

There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.

You must have read some quotes - Life is a tough race, it is a marathon or whatever. No, from what I have seen so far, life is one of those races in nursery school. Where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth? If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same with life, where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success,
but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.

One last thing about nurturing the spark - don't take life seriously. One of my yoga teachers used to make students laugh during classes. One student asked him if these jokes would take away something from the yoga practice. The teacher said - don't be serious, be sincere. This quote has defined my work ever since. Whether its my writing, my job, my relationships or any of my goals. I get thousands of opinions on my writing everyday. There is heaps of praise, there is intense criticism.

If I take it all seriously, how will I write? Or rather, how will I live? Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up? It's ok, bunk a few classes, goof up a few interviews, fall in love. We are people, not programmed devices.

I've told you three things - reasonable goals, balance and not taking it too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there are four storms in life that will threaten to completely put out the flame. These must be guarded against. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and loneliness of purpose.

Disappointment will come when your effort does not give you the expected return. If things don't go as planned or if you face failure. Failure is extremely difficult to handle, but those that do come out stronger. What did this failure teach me? is the question you will need to ask. You will feel miserable. You will want to quit, like I wanted to when nine publishers rejected my first book. Some IITians kill themselves over low grades - how silly is that? But that is how much failure can hurt you.

But it's life. If challenges could always be overcome, they would cease to be a challenge. And remember - if you are failing at something, that means you are at your limit or potential. And that's where you want to be.

Disappointment's cousin is frustration, the second storm. Have you ever been frustrated? It happens when things are stuck. This is especially relevant in India. From traffic jams to getting that job you deserve, sometimes things take so long that you don't know if you chose the right goal. After books, I set the goal of writing for Bollywood, as I thought they needed writers. I am called extremely lucky, but it took me five years to get close to a release.

Frustration saps excitement, and turns your initial energy into something negative, making you a bitter person. How did I deal with it? A realistic assessment of the time involved - movies take a long time to make even though they are watched quickly, seeking a certain enjoyment in the process rather than the end result - at least I was learning how to write scripts , having a side plan - I had my third book to write and even something as simple as pleasurable distractions in your life - friends, food, travel can help you overcome it. Remember, nothing is to be taken seriously. Frustration is a sign somewhere, you took it too seriously.

Unfairness - this is hardest to deal with, but unfortunately that is how our country works. People with connections, rich dads, beautiful faces, pedigree find it easier to make it - not just in Bollywood, but everywhere. And sometimes it is just plain luck. There are so few opportunities in India, so many stars need to be aligned for you to make it happen. Merit and hard work is not always linked to achievement
in the short term, but the long term correlation is high, and ultimately things do work out. But realize, there will be some people luckier than you.

In fact, to have an opportunity to go to college and understand this speech in English means you are pretty darn lucky by Indian standards. Let's be grateful for what we have and get the strength to accept what we don't. I have so much love from my readers that other writers cannot even imagine it. However, I don't get literary praise. It's ok. I don't look like Aishwarya Rai, but I have two boys who I think are more beautiful than her. It's ok. Don't let unfairness kill your spark.

Finally, the last point that can kill your spark is isolation. As you grow older you will realize you are unique. When you are little, all kids want Ice cream and Spiderman. As you grow older to college, you still are a lot like your friends. But ten years later and you realize you are unique. What you want, what you believe in, what makes you feel, may be different from even the people closest to you. This can create conflict as your goals may not match with others. . And you may drop some of them. Basketball captains in college invariably stop playing basketball by the time they have their second child. They give up something that meant so much to them. They do it for their family. But in doing that, the spark dies. Never, ever make that compromise. Love yourself first, and then others.

There you go. I've told you the four thunderstorms - disappointment, frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot avoid them, as like the monsoon they will come into your life at regular intervals. You just need to keep the raincoat handy to not let the spark die.

I welcome you again to the most wonderful years of your life. If someone gave me the choice to go back in time, I will surely choose college. But I also hope that ten years later as well, you eyes will shine the same way as they do today. That you will Keep the Spark alive, not only through college, but through the next 2,500 weekends. And I hope not just you, but my whole country will keep that spark alive, as we really need it now more than any moment in history. And there is something cool about saying - I come from the land of a billion sparks.

Thank You.

Peculiar Anomalies!

2009-04-11T04:08:00.000-07:00

With the global economic recession at its peak, terrorism transcending all sorts of boundaries, ethics & morals taking a heavy beating owing to the upcoming polls, the time is ripe for the uncertainty factor to play its tricks and its certainly doing so in a big way. Here are some of the weirdest global happenings that have sprung up off late, thereby leaving one and all scratching their head:-

1. Japan to provide a $1 Billion aid to Pakistan

Of all the countries that one could expect financial aid from, Japan wont probably even figure as the last option. Given the fact that the country is the second worst hit economy in the world and is almost at the verge of a financial breakdown, the reverse could have very much been on the cards. To add to that, of all the countries that one could provide financial help to, Pakistan would be an absolute no-no at this point of time, given the fact that Taliban seems to be tightening its clutches around the country's political administration neck with every passing day thereby capturing the country's resources inch by inch. Yet, we are witnessing the unthinkable take shape. Now whether this is utter stupidity or over-ambitiousness, is something only the people behind this move could explain.

2. Tit for tat? Naah...that's passe...Gandhigiri is the way to go!

A couple of months ago, when Obama was elected the President of the United States he came up with a long list of priorities amongst which featured a policy that sent shivers down the Indian IT industry's throat. In no uncertain terms, did Obama state that he was hell bent on saving American jobs which would mean that outsourcing would have to come to an absolute standstill. He even went ahead and deprived companies (which outsourced jobs) of all tax benfits. In return one would have expected the Indian IT companies to come up with alternatives in order to tackle Obama's bold moves. Well, they've pretty much done just the opposite.

Pramod Bhasin, the chairman of NASSCOM has come out in the open and advocated the cause of Indian IT companies hiring big time in the US in order to help the crippling American economy stabilize. On the first look, the strategy doesn't make much sense but dig deeper and you would be convinced that this is probably the smartest move that the Indian IT community could undertake in order to safeguard its future interests. Its a well known fact that the Indian IT companies would always be banking on the American market for their business. So instead of trying to show them the back, why not be one amongst the American community and be invited to have a pie of the cake. A damn smart move indeed!

3. Young politicians? They are no better than the old corrupt lot

When 26/11 occured, a lot of hopes were banking on the next elections. The nation was expecting to see young and fresh leaders come up with innovative ideas to set the nation back on track. Yet if the recent happenings are anything to go by, the future of Indian politics seems set to be doomed. Forgive me for being so pessimitic but what else can you think of when a certain Varun Gandhi resorts to the dirtiest of politics by induldging in outright communalism and trying to divide the nation into pieces. What else can you think of when a certain Navin Jindal is literally booted by one of his own men..What else can you contemplate when Rahul Gandhi seems to lack even the slightest pinch of aggression that his father pretty much oozed of. Where are the young guys who could actually make a difference? Now please do not post a comment saying, "Why don't you go ahead and become a politician?". It just adds to the anomaly, isn't it?

4. Backward is the new forward

My laptop too seems to have been affected by the strange happenings that have been materializing off late. What else do I say when I type "blogger" in the browser's address bar and instead see the cursor moving backward and leaving "reggolb" on display? When I press 'Enter', out of nowhere the CD drive springs out, thereby literally inviting a disc to enter its confines. (No double meaning intended here :) )

Oh, by the way just to break away from the trend, here's something that's not at all an anomaly. It certainly didn't seem so to a certain Karl Max some 140 years ago.

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse

2009-04-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine asked “Did you like the book The Alchemist?”
I replied “No doubt about it”. She said “If you like The Alchemist, you are surely going to like Siddhartha”. The same evening, I went ahead and bought the book.

The book emphasizes on the fact that “Knowledge can be communicated, but not wisdom. One can find it, live it, be fortified by it, do wonders through it, but one cannot communicate and teach it. The wisdom which a wise man tries to communicate always sounds foolish.”

The story takes place in India during the time of Gauthama Buddha. Siddhartha, the son of a Brahmin leaves home with his friend Govinda to lead an austere life to seek Nirvana. Siddhartha goes through a lot of transitions before he attains Enlightenment.

Few excerpts from the book that challenged and changed my thought process:-

When you throw a stone into the water, it finds the quickest way to the bottom of the water. It is the same when Siddhartha has an aim, a goal. Siddhartha does nothing; he waits, he thinks, he fasts, but he goes through the affairs of the world like the stone through the water, without doing anything, without bestirring himself; he is drawn and lets himself fall. He is drawn by his goal, for he does not allow anything to enter his mind which opposes his goal.

Just as the potter’s wheel, once set in motion, still turns for a long time and turns only very slowly and stops, so did the wheel of the ascetic, the wheel of thinking, the wheel of discrimination still revolve for a long time in Siddhartha’s soul; it still revolved, but slowly and hesitatingly, and it had nearly come to a standstill. Slowly, like moisture entering the dying tree trunk, slowly filling and rotting it, so did the world and inertia creep into Siddhartha’s soul; it slowly filled his soul, made it heavy, made it tired, sent it to sleep. But on the other hand his senses became more awakened, they learned a great deal, experienced a great deal.

It was the goal of all of them, yearning, desiring, suffering; and the river’s voice was full of longing, full of smarting woe, full of insatiable desire. The river flowed on towards its goal. Siddhartha saw the river hasten, made up of himself and his relatives and all the people he had ever seen. All the waves and water hastened, suffering, towards goals, many goals, to the waterfall, to the sea, to the current, to the ocean and all goals were reached and each one was succeeded by another. The water changed to vapor and rose, became rain and came down again, became spring, brook and river, changed anew, flowed anew. But the yearning voice had altered.

When someone is seeking, it happens quite easily that he only sees the thing that he is seeking; that he is unable to find anything, unable to absorb anything, because he is only thinking of the thing he is seeking, because he has a goal, because he is obsessed with his goal. Seeking means: to have a goal: but finding means: to be free, to be receptive, to have no goal.

It’s a very short book which can be completed in one sitting. There is not a single moment where you feel the author is dragging on. If you are feeling too low, this book will enliven your spirits. If you are flying too high, this book will ground you.

The verdict –

A true masterpiece!!! A must have in your library.

Seize the day. Never have regrets

2009-04-02T22:01:00.000-07:00

A poem by an anonymous poet that really touched my heart.

Around the corner I have a friend,
In this great city that has no end,
Yet the days go by and weeks rush on,
And before I know it, a year is gone.
And I never see my old friends face,
For life is a swift and terrible race,
He knows I like him just as well,
As in the days when I rang his bell.
And he rang mine but we were younger then,
And now we are busy, tired men.
Tired of playing a foolish game,
Tired of trying to make a name.
'Tomorrow' I say! 'I will call on Jim
Just to show that I'm thinking of him.'
But tomorrow comes and tomorrow goes,
And distance between us grows and grows.
Around the corner, yet miles away,
'Here's a telegram sir,' 'Jim died today.'
And that's what we get and deserve in the end.
Around the corner, a vanished friend.

Remember to always say what you mean.
If you love someone, tell them.
Don't be afraid to express yourself.
Reach out and tell someone what they mean to you.
Because when you decide that it is the right time it might be too late.

Seize the day. Never have regrets.

And most importantly, stay close to your friends and family, for they have helped
make you the person that you are today.

Message from George Carline

2009-03-20T04:26:00.000-07:00

George Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian. He was also an actor and author, and he won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums.

Below is a small write up by him, which is quite soul stirring, something to really ponder on.

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.

Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Balancing act with balanced scorecards

2009-02-26T12:33:00.000-08:00

Today it is imperative for managers to recognize the impact that measures have on performance and be prompt at locating any aberrations from the target. Effective measurement must be an integral part of the management process.

Balanced Scorecard—is one such management tool that provides executives with a comprehensive framework that translates a company’s strategic objectives into a coherent set of performance measures.

The balanced scorecard is a strategic planning and management system that helps everyone in an organization understand and work towards a shared vision. Strategic performance measures are used to better inform decision-making and show progress toward desired results. It was originated as a performance measurement framework that added strategic non-financial performance measures to traditional financial metrics to give managers and executives a more 'balanced' view of organizational performance. The balanced scorecard has evolved from its early use as a simple performance measurement framework to a full strategic planning and management system. The “new” balanced scorecard transforms an organization’s strategic plan from an attractive but passive document into the "marching orders" for the organization on a daily basis. It provides a framework that not only provides performance measurements, but helps planners identify what should be done and measured. It enables executives to truly execute their strategies.

The balanced scorecard is not a rocket science, designed formula, template or software that can be applied to businesses in general or even industry-wide. Unfortunately, many people believe that implementing software amounts to implementing a balanced scorecard. But the fact is different market situations, product strategies, and competitive environments require different scorecards. Business units devise customized scorecards to fit their mission, strategy, technology, and culture. . In fact, a critical test of a scorecard’s success is its transparency: from the 15 to 20 scorecard measures, an observer should be able to see through to the business unit’s competitive strategy.

The balanced scorecard emphasizes that financial and non- financial measures must be part of information system for employees at all level of organization. Front-line employees must understand the financial consequences for their decisions and actions and similarly the senior-level executives must understand the drivers of long term financial success. Balanced scorecard retains the traditional financial measures. However it expands business objectives beyond summary financial measures. Corporate executives can now measure how their business units create value for current and future customers and how they must enhance internal capabilities and the investment in people, systems and procedures necessary to improve future performance. The objectives and measures of the scorecard view organizational performance from four perspectives: financial, customer, internal business process and learning and growth. These four perspectives provide the framework for the balanced scorecard.

The balanced scorecard provides managers with the instrumentation they need to navigate to future competitive success. Today, organizations are competing in complex environments so that an accurate understanding of their goals and the methods of attaining those goals is vital. The balanced scorecard translates an organization’s mission and strategy into a comprehensive set of performance measures that provides the framework for a strategic measurement and management system.

P.S.: This post is based on my understanding of a balanced scorecard. Anybody who can throw further light on the subject can feel free to give their views on the same in the comment box.

The Art of Getting Things Done at the Workplace

2009-02-24T20:37:00.000-08:00

Right, so you work in a team of some extremely excitable characters and some pathetically lazy ones. Its a well known fact that for a team to perform well, each and every team member should contribute to the best of his/her potential. Somehow you feel that one of your colleagues simply doesn't want to work. The moment you request him to do something, he comes up with tons of excuses. How do you deal with him? How would you make sure that he's forced to contribute his part without you actually imposing yourself on him?

Can you think of something??

Oh come on, its pretty simple..

Email him a list of tasks and in the Cc field mark a copy to your boss. Howzzat? Once he realizes that the boss has also been informed of his tasks, he's bound to act on them. Well, this is just one of the many ways of getting things done in a graceful manner. I personally find this particular technique extremely effective.

Alright now lets move on from working with colleagues to actually leading them. Leading a team...Passing orders...Making people dance to your tune...Sounds exciting, isn't it? If it does then for sure you are not cut out for leadership. Read this piece for better understanding. Since my previous article clearly mentions some essential traits of being an effective leader, let me state for the first and last time as to how one should 'not' be leading a team.

By bossing around....

Yes, you've read it right. If you are the boss and seriously want your team to do well, never try being a 'Hitler'. Contrary to popular perception, leadership is not about flaunting your power. Its more about motivating people to give their best. So, how exactly do you motivate people? Again, its not some kind of rocket science. You just need to make them fall in love with their work. How? Well, that's for you to discover. Hint: Make them work to their strengths. Now keep twinkling your brains for solutions.

P.S.: Refer to my previous article on leadership for probable methods.

Is the Indian domestic market mature enough to attract IT biggies?

2009-02-21T07:57:00.000-08:00

Off-late there's been a lot of talk of how the obsession of Indian IT companies with the western market is costing them business in times of recession. There are some who say that the Indian IT companies should have been more into the domestic market instead of eyeing the US for business. Some accuse the Indian IT companies of being anti-Indian. On a personal level, I feel that the sect which comes up with such opinion, either lacks knowledge about the industry or is simply too obsessed with nationalism.

Let me displace this hypothetical notion by providing an insight into the working of the IT Services sector. To begin with, similar to all other business domains, even the IT industry functions on the demand-supply model. However, what sets it apart from industries like manufacturing, FMCG, etc is that while most of the other domains look at the common public as their consumers, the IT service industry depends on an exclusive customer base as its earning potential. This exclusive customer base includes investment banks, eilte healthcare groups, automobile majors, telecom leaders, etc. In short, the elite corporations around the world.

Some would argue as to whether its necessary to go for such high-end customers instead of targeting the mid-range ones. Well, the answer is yes and absolutely yes and the reason is that these elite customers are the ones who desperately need to outsource their technology needs in order to cut down costs and bring in skilled labour. Moreover, only if an organization is large enough, it would think in terms of using technology in a big way in order streamline its core processes. This is where the the IT service companies with their attractive pricing model and unlimited skilled and cheap labour come into the picture. So the point is, where in India do we find these elite customers? How many investment banks actually exist in India? How many Indian automobile majors can claim to be amongst the biggest in the world? Where exactly do we find such customers if we target India? As per stats, only 6 of the global Fortune 500 companies are Indian. Just an SBI or a Reliance cannot ensure continous business to the IT services sector.

I can already see some fingers being pointed at me. There would be a few out there who would say that if the Indian IT companies can't find their market in the country then ain't they simply using national resources like manpower and land for their personal benefits. Well, I'm sure its a known fact that Indian IT companies provide employment to millions and millions of people out here. These days almost every single engineering graduate dreams of getting into an IT company and the reason is that not only does it provide a headstart to their career, its very much possibe to get through one of those. If we go by history, its the Indian IT sector that put India on the economic world map and changed the perception of India simply being a land of snake charmers.

For those who still feel that despite providing significant employment, the Indian IT companies are not doing much for the nation, well I'm sorry to say but there's a difference between NGOs and professionally run business corporations. It might sound a bit blunt and forthright but that's what the fact is. There are basically two stages of an evolving business organization. First, it needs to set its operating model in place and ensure a consistent inflow of revenue. Next, when it has established itself as a successful and stable business house, it can look forward to giving a part of it back to the society. This is something that we CSR (Corproate Social Responsibily). If I'm not wrong all the major IT biggies in India are focussing big time on CSR, be it by building schools and colleges for the underprevilledged or by doing welfare work in the lesser known parts of the country. Just beacause a particular company doesn't run a strong PR activity to highlight it social doings, it doesn't mean its ignoring its responsibilies towards the society.

On a brighter note, with India slowly but steadily gainig ground on the global economic scale and with Indian companies starting to get bigger day by day, the time many not be far when Indian IT companies can look for serious business within domestic shores. In fact most Indian IT companies, after having spotted a potenial domestic market, have already fastracked their domestic business consolidation policies. However, to be realistic, the Indian market is currently way too immature to be generating significant revenue for the IT biggies. Lets end this discussion on a positive note by hoping that India's economic upswing continues at a significant rate so that very soon we could have the majority of corporate domains looking inward for some serious business.

Personal Leadersip Lessons

2009-02-21T07:55:00.000-08:00

Its not been too long since I assumed leadership positions at the workplace, but its already been a hell of an experience...a thoroughly enjoyable one. I've always been fond of reading sensible management stuff and all that has come pretty handy off-late. Anyway, so here are a few pointers (some pre-defined, some self-created) which have kept me in pretty good stead when it comes to leading a team.

1. Be a team member first and then a boss: One of the biggest mistakes that most people new to leadership roles commit is to think that they are the ultimate authority. I personally feel, there couldn't be bigger disaster than adhering to such a mindset. The true essence of being a leader lies in added responsibilities and not power.

2. Respect comes from work, not from position: You've just been given the responsibility of leading a business commitment. Great, so does that mean you are only supposed to sit in an air conditioned cabin and pass orders? Absolutely not. Just being the boss won't help you gain the respect of your colleagues. Its your work that would. I guess its really important that team members start respecting the leader from the bottom of their heart and not just for the sake of it. In all probability the best way to make your team members respect you is through dedicated work. Once the leader is seen as someone committed to his work, the ones under him would automatically start following him. In short, action speaks louder than words.

3. Imposing something on your team members is synonymous to killing their natural abilities: I'm a big fan of this theory and my personal experience has further vindicated my faith in it. Most newborn leaders feel that people under them are supposed to do only what they are told to. This is to me is the biggest hole that a leader could dig for his team. Allow the team members to chose their own roles and they would be smiling and shining all the time. Let people play to their strengths and specializations. This way they would be fall in love with their work and there couldn't be a more efficient person than one who loves his work.

4. Appreciate in public, criticize in private: This is something I learnt from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. During my college days, he had once visited our campus. In a personal interaction session, I had asked him as to what according to him was the most important trait of a boss. Every single word that he said in return is still deeply embedded in my mind. His answer was, "When your team does well, let your team members take the credit. Appreciate their work in full public view. However, when things start going wrong, you as the leader should be the one accepting the responsibility and facing criticism. Even if you know that it was your team mate's fault, not yours, never let it out in public. Finally to make sure that the person at fault learns from it, talk to him in private and let him know where he went wrong. This way not only would the people under you gain immense respect for you, they would also seek comfort in the fact that they have a leader who would always safeguard them in times of trouble." These are some golden words and certainly the best piece of advice ever given to me. (I guess he had also stated something similar in one of his interviews for the print media)

5. Never lose your cool: There could be nothing more putting off than having a leader who gets irritated and starts screaming and shouting every now and then. On the contrary stay calm and cool and it would rub off on your team members as well.

6. Create leaders in your team, do not interfere in every single activity: My personal experience says that people generally tend to shine the most when they know they are their own boss. Try giving some powers to your team members and they would become more responsible. Something that I keep on telling my team is that "This is your space. Decorate it the way you want to. When you are stuck up, call me and I would be there to help you out but till then you are the boss." This single statement has a profound effect on all my team members and its really satisfying to see each one of them excited about their responsibilities.

7. Its your responsibility to safeguard the reputation of everyone working under you: Pretty much self-explanatory.

8. Be assertive, not autocratic: If you observe Corporate Inc, you would notice two major leadership groups. Ones who tend to create a one-man army kind of an illusion and ones who let others in their company shine equally well. An example of the first kind is someone like Vijay Mallya. Despite him being labelled successful and the so called "King of good times", I personally hate his style of leadership. I wonder how effective he would be when things start going wrong . His company is so very dependent on his reputation that even a slight bit of tinge on him would end up ruining the entire company. A great example of this was the last year's IPL. Remember the Bangalore team split? Another prime example of this form of leadership is Satyam's Ramalinga Raju. On the other hand you have someone like Narayan Murthy who despite being an influential figure has made sure that his colleagues at Infosys (Nandan Nilekani, Mohandas Pai, etc) are equally well known. As a result despite his voluntary retirement from executive activities, the company's leadership team has remained equally competent.

9. Think out of the box: One of the biggest advantages of being the decision-maker is that you are free to explore innovative and uncharted territory. Lateral thinking is something that would enable you to come up with new ways of improving team efficiency. Of course, for this you've got to possess risk-taking abilities as well and this where I would say for the nth time, trust your instincts.

10. Keep your personal grudges aside, your team comes way ahead of your personal ego: Do I need to say more?

11. Promote two-way communication and an open work culture: I suppose a leader is as good as his team and in such a scenario, more is the input from the team in every single decision making process, more would be the options available. Of course, one must also keep in mind the good old phrase "Too many cooks spoil the broth".

'Online Survey' Analysis - Revealing the Facts

2008-12-12T20:29:00.000-08:00

The 'Rebuild India' Online Survey got underway on 8th December, 2008 with a set of 17 questions compiled and based on prospective solutions from the blogger community on how India needs to address the current hostile scenario prevailing in the country both in the long-term and short term basis. With a pretty lengthy but equally important poll set to adhere to we thought not many would be willing to spend a significant amount of time answering but we are glad we were proved wrong. In a matter of five days (as on 13th Dec,2008), the survey has manged to attract over 500 responses.

However, what's really heartening is not the number of responses but the fact that citizens of India are dead serious this time around. They are willing to put their brains into issues related to the nation. To add icing to the cake, the survey results have proved once and for all that the common man really knows his stuff. How? Click on the following links to explore:

Online Survey - Participation Officially Closed

2008-12-07T04:52:00.000-08:00

Note: Though the 'Rebuild India' Online Survey widget continues to be active below, participation has been officially closed. The widget has been kept active just to provide visitors access to the list of suggestions and opinions mentioned in the survey. Further participation would have no impact on the survey analysis

Survey Results -

Basis of the Survey

The 'Rebuild India' online survey is based on the suggestions and opinions collected from bloggers who possess a sound knowledge of the Indian administrative system. These bloggers include prominent business personalities, administrative experts, media professionals, socialists, socialites and of course the most important sect i.e. the 'Aam Aadmi'.

We received over a 100 entries suggesting action steps that need to be taken in order to get the nation back on track post the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Thereafter these suggestions were short listed on the basis of their validity and practical application. Based on these suggestions, we now present the 'Rebuild India' Online survey.

Survey Details

The motive behind conducting this survey is to get the suggestions presented by bloggers, certified by general internet users. (For further details on the 'Rebuild India' plan of action, please click here). The survey comprises of 17 questions, which would hardly take around a couple of minutes to respond to. However, since the survey consists of proposed actions steps as options, it is advisable to ponder over each and every option mentioned in order to gain valuable perspective on where the nation stands at this point of time. If done with the focus and attention, the survey in itself would prove to be a huge learning curve with respect to where the nation stands as of now.

Survey Results

The survey results are immediately available once the submission is done. However, the detailed analysis and inferences can be accessed by clicking here

Online Survey Analysis

2008-12-06T10:38:00.003-08:00

We won't give up this time around : Citizens of India

Over the past decade or so, Indians have been accused of being too soft and forgiving. Every time there's a terror attack, we are expected to forget it in a flash and get going with our lives. However, this time around not many are willing to do so. The citizens are serious and they mean it. 81% of the respondents say they are determined to fight it out till things are brought to where they are supposed to be. A mere 14% have doubts as to how long they would be able to sustain this enthusiasm and determination.

The participants sign off on an encouraging note with 75% or 3/4th of them confessing that despite what's been happening off late, they still see their dream India emerging from the ashes and that they would make try and make sure their dreams come true.

Online Survey Analysis

2008-12-06T10:38:00.002-08:00

Here's how we should be dealing with Pakistan : Citizens of India

Around 78% of the respondents felt that India definitely needs to be more aggressive in their stance towards Pakistan, however this aggression should be in the form of diplomatic strategies rather than military initiatives. 20% feel military action against Pakistan would be the best option. In short, the citizens wan't a more pronounced stand against Pakistan but they are not quite in favour of war.

When it comes to citizens of the two countries, its very clear that Indians have managed to seperate the grains from the chaff. Close to 63% of the respondents said they were willing to participate in initiatives meant to enhance people-to-people contact between the citizens of the two countries. Around 25% felt that though they didn't have any issues with the interactions, it would hardly solve any purpose.

Online Survey Analysis

2008-12-06T10:38:00.001-08:00

Here are a few measures which we feel could strengthen the national security system : Citizens

This is yet another category that provides some truly logical and practical solutions to a series of very important issues.

A whopping 89% of the respondents advocated the establishment of a centralized security and intelligence agency in the country in order to channelize security information interchange and subsequent action.

88% felt that implementing a national helpline number (something similar to 911 in the US) would make them feel more safe, secure and under protection. Another 88% demanded complete delinking of the police and security agencies from political influence.

Yet another 88% feel that the elite commandos are simply wasted in providing security to politicians and VIPs and that these commandos should rather be deployed in service of the national citizens.

Citizens unimamously appealed for adopting strict measures in dealing with refugee intake with around 84% casting their votes for the same.

Interestingly, not many showed confidence (59%) in increasing the strength of the army in and around the border region.

Instead citizens were more in favour of installation of sophisticated security gadgets and enhancing military equipment around the borderline. Close to 86% voted for these measures.

On an individual level, close to 71% of the respondents are willing to be in possession of national identity cards at any point of time outside their residential premises in order to make citizenship identification easier for the authorities.

At the same time, around 88% are willing to go through extra security checks on a daily basis in order to ensure more secure surroundings.

These figures should definitely encourage security officials to put on their thinking caps.

Online Survey Analysis

2008-12-06T10:38:00.000-08:00

Citizens propose the prospective measures for making the ruling Government more accountable..

This particular category needs to be seriously scrutinized as it provides answers to some really tough administrative questions.

1. Putting in Annual Checks

Close to 70% of the respondents voted for annual checks to be put in place in order to measure the level of confidence that the citizens have in the ruling Government. These steps however would be mere reality checks meant to convey to the Government where they are going wrong and not full fledged elections that determine the change in political administration.

2. Introduction of more measures pertaining to transparency of the system

94% feel there is a serious need for further expansion of laws like the RTI in order to bring about more transparency in the administrative system.

3. Bring in the Professionals

85% of the repondents felt the presence of professionals (business people, scientists, IT Professionals) in specific ministries aligning with their area of expertise would increase the efficiency of the Government.

Close to 70% also advocated the deployment of retired professionals as consultants to the ruling Government.

Online Survey Analysis

2008-12-06T10:32:00.000-08:00

1. Democracy is still the way to go : Citizens of India

A mere 22% of the respondents were in favour of the Presidential or Dictatorial forms of Government. The rest either voted for the current democratic form or an improved version of the same.

2. You current set of politicians? We are way too confused. You know why? It's because of your 'divisive' politics : Citizens

While 49% of the voters felt there a few in the current political community who can still make a difference, the rest were either not sure or simply had no confidence in the politicians, irrespective of the parties they belonged to.

As far as the reasons for this lack of confidence are concerned, a whopping 70% attributed it to divisive/votebank politics. Politicizing terror attacks and meaningless criticism of opposition parties came a distant second and third. Can the politicians expect a more clear cut answer of where they are going wrong?

3. There are certain activities that should simply be avoided after major disasters

Almost 90% of the respondents protested against the opposition politicians trying to gain political mileage out of terror attacks/disaster incidents. This should be a stark warning to the likes of L.K.Advani, Rajnath Singh and many more who seem to have mastered the art.

68% of the respondents felt VIPs hovering around ground zero immediately after disaster incidents is a case of adding salt to injury. Interestingly close to 65% were also in favour of restricting media's coverage domain during such moments.

4. This is how the politician's candidature should be evaluated...

Close to 85% of the respondents rated the weightage of a politician's criminal record as extremely high '5' (on a scale of 1 to 5) while evaluating his/her political candidature, thereby giving a clear signal that criminals should simply be debarred from contesting elections irrespective of their conviction status. 91% rated the weightage of academic credentials in the range of 3-5, thereby demanding the inclusion of more educated people in the political community. Another aspect that the respondents zeroed in was the importance synchronization of thoughts between that of the politicians and the citizens.

Online Survey Analysis

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1. We know we are equally responsible : Citizens of India

Close to 78% of the total respondents agreed that we as citizens are responsible to a 'huge extent' for the current scenario prevailing in the country. To add to that, around 20% felt they were responsible to some extent. That's a whopping 98% who are willing to accept the blame for what's been happening. Just 2% of the respondents said they were not willing to share the blame in any form whatsoever. If a poll conducted with just politicians and administrators as the participants could reveal similar results, it would be an absolute wonder.

2. We are willing to put in the hard yards but we are not too sure of the results: Citizens

Around 65% of the respondents were in favour of making voting mandatory. At the same time 56% advocated the cause of compulsory military training for every single citizen. Though the figures ain't overwhelming, they do provide enough evidence of the fact that people know things need to start changing at their end if the nation is to move towards stability.

3. We are extremely angry but we do not believe in adopting short-term measures : Citizens of India

This is one attribute that the entire nation should be proud of. 75% of the respondents unanimously made it clear that boycotting elections and refraining from paying taxes as a form of protest was simply 'not an option' for them. A mere 17% felt such extreme forms of rebellion were worth it. The rest weren't too sure.

4. We definitely need to be professional in our day-to-day lives

For far too long, Indians have been criticized for being unprofessional and simply too casual about the way they go about their daily chores. If one thought the citizens didn't realize this, here are a few facts that would clear the air:

An astounding 91% of the respondents feel, they need to get rid of the 'chalta hai' attitude and get more serious about the way they operate.

To add to this, a whopping 90% of the respondents said they were willing to refrain from bribery in any form in order to bring about more efficiency in the administrative system. Not just that, around 86% are willing to strictly follows laws made by the Government and authorities instead of trying to find their way around the system.

To add icing to the cake, almost 96% of the respondents pledged to be more active in being aware of the nearby happenings.

These are surely signs of better things to come. After all the disaster that the terror attacks have caused, if there's one positive emerging, its that fact that citizens know they are the ones who need to get the act together in order to demand the same from the people in power.

The 'Rebuild India' Mission

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'Rebuild India' Mission Preview

What Mumbai witnessed on the 26th of November 2008, simply shook the entire nation. Citizens, irrespective of their religion, region, caste and creed, knew that things had gone out of control. However, what everyone also realised is that for far too long we as citizens had stayed quiet, thereby letting the evil forces dominate our minds and souls. These evil forces constituted not just the obvious terrorists but also a certain faction of our own society i.e. the politicians and the rule-makers.

For ages we have placed our trust and hopes in politicians and the redundant policies that they adhere to, but with each passing day these hopes have been diminishing. Today its at its peril. No longer do we have the confidence in the political machinery of this nation and no, we are not proud of it. No longer do we have confidence in the manner in which the nation is governed. Doesn't matter if its a Sonia Gandhi or a L.K.Advani, whether its a Raj Thackery or a Narendra Modi. They all have proved that at the end of the day they are mere greedy politicians who have just a single agenda on their minds i.e. votebank politics. Can we entrust in them the responsibility of safeguarding our nation? Should we let their actions go unquestioned? Should we leave the system run the way it has been for decades? If one were to read your mind, your answer would probably be a clear 'NO'.

'Rebuild India' Plan of Action

The diagram above demonstrates the three major major steps that would help in pinpointing the deficiencies in the Indian administrative system and subsequently initiate a movement (backed with proof and facts) for the changes to be implemented.

Stage 1 (Status: Over)

Bloggers would come up with detailed suggestions and opinions on where exactly the faults lie. All these proposals would be stored as a part of the 'Article Repository'. Thereafter the submitted content would be analysed at the micro level in order to make way for the next stage.

Stage 2 (Status: Currently In Progress)

The analysed content would form the basis of an online survey which would be conducted using a dedicated survey engine. The survey would consist of questionnaires and solutions that have been conveyed by the blog community. Internet users would vote on these prospective solutions and if desired even come up with their own ideas.

Stage 3

Backed with full proof statistics, facts and figures generated by the survey engine, we would have a very clear idea of what exactly are the citizens' demands. Thereafter its our duty to make as many efforts as possible in order to make sure that the changes get underway.

Lets join hands

We, as the web community constitute a huge group who could play a significant role in forming and moulding national opinion just the way it should be. Today is the time to wake up. Lets use our most powerful weapon i.e the internet to question and provide solutions to national issues. Lets present our thoughts on how we would want the nation to look like. Lets get together and initiate the 'Rebuild India' mission.

How can I be a part of the 'Rebuild India' mission?

An internet user can get involved with the 'Rebuild India' mission in three different or combined roles:

As a blogger, good at analysing the current state of affairs in the country and possessing the ability to come up with prospective solutions and action steps required to fill in the loopholes. This role would be active from the very first stage of the action plan.

As a general internet user, by voting and selecting the corrective measures , based on personal opinion and suggested by the blog community through their articles. This role would be active during and after the second stage.

As a mindful citizen of the nation, by promoting the action steps that have been identified during Stage 1 & Stage 2.

I want to be a part of the mission. Now how do I get into action?

In case you are willing to participate as a blogger, please post an article based on the above mentioned criteria on your blog and submit the link in the comment section right here. You may also mail the link to ashutosh@intheorbit.com. If found of some value, your article link would be added to the 'Rebuild India' Article Repository'.

In case you wish to be a part of the survey process, please wait till the first stage gets over. Once stage 1 is complete, the link to the survey would be posted on this very site. Thereafter you can participate in the survey and advocate your cause.

In case you wish to be a general volunteer, who could help in promoting the cause in any which way, please drop in a mail at ashutosh@intheorbit.com.

All said and done..Let the articles start flowing...Let our opinions be heard. Lets keep in mind that even if we are able to get our voice heard, the people in power would be forced to respond and react.