Muses Of The Gleep

Photo Feature – Geneva Old Town (Part 2)

noreply@blogger.com (Shubhadeep B.) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:46:00 +0000

This was my fourth business trip to Europe. I finally got a chance see more than the business hotels & offices that I am accustomed to from my previous visits. This series of posts covers my 5 hour walk of Old Geneva Town & its surroundings. I experienced all that I had imagined of Europe – cobbled streets, flower pots in window sills, inspiring architecture, al-fresco cafes, marquee brands, and more.

<< Part 1 | Part 3 >>

Creeping Colors

I am sucker for the sight of greenery & floral colors amidst concrete jungles. I find it more interesting when the display is an eclectic mix of individual tastes, as compared to a coordinated effort & controlled taste of a city council. Needless to say, the variety keeps those bitten by the photography bug busy.

Charming Tavern

I took at least ten pictures at this location trying to capture the charm of the place ..without success. It finally came down to identifying the various components that made the place so charming & clicking them individually. This particular combination of tiles, the wooden clad windows & the signage against the multi-hued leaves of the tree in the foreground stood out for me.

Mini Poetry

Cobbled street, an old Mini, a backlit tree & a window – what more could I have asked for in this picture! Maybe less, because this was another location whose charm just could not be captured in a singular photo.

Shoot The Lover

When the locale & the weather is good, can the lovers be far behind? In such surroundings, everything starts seeming beautiful & we are lulled into capturing more of our loved ones on picture. I have more pictures of my family around Sydney Opera House than anywhere else in Sydney .. even though most of these snaps have just them & not much of the Opera House itself.

Pristine Window Art

It is such a pleasure to see windows decked with multi-colored blooms. While I’m sure it is satisfying for the residents to tend to these plants, I was left wondering if the sight for the residents is as good as that for a pedestrian outside. After all, those outside get to see the cumulative display across all windows.

Brighten-It Window Art

I usually travel with just one lens on short business trips. More often than not, the weight is the decider. On this trip, I travelled with the nifty fifty (Canon 50mm f/1.8). I do feel limited by what the lens can or cannot do. But this lens also stretches one’s photographic skills. I often end up capturing pictures of subjects that wouldn’t have interested me otherwise.

Alone In My Last Days

My colleagues were especially bewildered by the awkward positions I was getting into to capture pictures of strange subjects. Just months ago, I would think twice (or more) before doing this in public places. I guess I have grown into this hobby over time.

In Indian Range

Thanks to corporate acquisitions, an additional billion odd people notice some marquee brands now. Whatever is said and done, I think we Indians are just discovering the additional pride one feels when such brands are owned by MNCs from your land.

The DoF versatility of the nifty fifty allows a hobbyist to venture into the artsy space of photography (as in the above two photos).

Road At The End Of Tunnel

I noticed this inclined passageway connecting two streets at differing levels – made for a nice light at the end of tunnel shot. An example of the limitations of the lens forcing me to notice perspectives that I wouldn't normally do.

<< Part 1 | Part 3 >>

Love the iOS Reader feature

noreply@blogger.com (Shubhadeep B.) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 01:07:00 +0000

One of my favourite features in iOS 5 has been the Reader. This feature strips the usual distractions on web pages (advertisements, widgets, badges, etc.) & provides the reading content in an easily readable format. The same distractions that fund the free content on the web. Another disruptive feature that will have an impact on online advertisers.

It has become my most used new feature on iDevices quickly. And nowadays, I have started missing a similar feature in desktop browsers as well. Got to check on one of those add-in or extensions.

Runner Extraordinaire

noreply@blogger.com (Shubhadeep B.) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 04:55:00 +0000

Most of the times, we give excuses (to ourselves, more than anything else) why not to do certain things. Bad knees, lack of stamina, no running track, too old to run, etc. – have all featured in my excuse list for not running. But, it is precisely the act of overcoming some of these debilitating voices inside our heads that takes us places.

Simon Wheatcroft – Ultra Runner With A Twist

Read more from this inspirational runner at his blog Adapting To Going Blind.

Photo Feature – Geneva Old Town (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Shubhadeep B.) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 03:50:00 +0000

This was my fourth business trip to Europe. I finally got a chance see more than the business hotels & offices that I am accustomed to from my previous visits. This series of posts covers my 5 hour walk of Geneva Old Town & its surroundings. I experienced all that I had imagined of Europe – cobbled streets, flower pots in window sills, inspiring architecture, al-fresco cafes, marquee brands, and more.

>> Part 2 | Part 3 >>

The Jet d’Eau is a remarkable piece of engineering landmark that is symbolic of Geneva (much like the Petrona Towers for Kuala Lumpur or Opera House for Sydney). Seen from a wide area & even from the flying planes above, this fountain spews water 140m into the air. When operational, there is about 7000 litres of water in the air at any moment of time. I can only imagine how magnificent this would look against the bright blue sky .. which was missing during this part of my day.

I did the first half of my walk in dull cloudy weather. Most of the photos came out dull & grey – almost monochrome. The gold from the Rolex logo brings some life into this photo & signifies the co-existence of the old with the new (relatively). I bumped up the saturation levels quite a bit to bring out the golden colour here.

The fall brought in some colours into this photo. And the weather was just chilly enough to remind me where I was.

I was looking forward to the architecture in the city, and Geneva Old Town was the right place for this. I just had to look up to find something interesting all around the place. They are impressive photography subjects, the grey skies notwithstanding.

The tram lines bordered by ageing buildings lend a charm to this part of the town. I had to crop this photo in size to bring about some balance into the final product.

Glass stands out on these buildings to lend a touch of modernity. While in the country side there is an effort to conceal the glass with wooden shutters (more to address climatic requirements than architectural or photogenic), urban landscape struts glass as a feature.

The tiles, sandstone, arches, shapes deployed – all go to make these structures photogenic. This one above is a monochrome version of a different perspective of the same building as above.

Cobbled streets are another signature feature of European cities. They never fail to remind me of scenes & sounds from the original Sherlock Holmes tele-serial (Granada Productions / Jeremy Brett in the lead role).

I still tend to go overboard with the DoF (depth of field) that the 50mm lens provides. This photo above is one such example. I have learnt recently that the sweet spot for lenses is usually a couple of stops higher than their maximum aperture. So, for my Canon 50mm f/1.8, I ought to be shooting more in the f/2.2 – f/2.8 range.

>> Part 2 | Part 3 >>

What do you make of EQ in the online world?

noreply@blogger.com (Shubhadeep B.) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:36:00 +0000

Over the last decade, email has become the cornerstone of business communication across industries & geographies. They are good at handling the transactional communication that most of our business roles involve. But they suck in communicating emotions or feelings. I routinely check myself against reading the emotions of the email sender and actively profess against it to anyone who cares to listen.

Over the same period, Emotional Quotient as a business competence has grown in stature & importance. Reading any content about EQ, you find out that that the ability to actively respond to others feelings & emotions in our interactions (business or otherwise) is a key requirement.

So if emails are bad in communicating emotions & EQ is critical to building positive relationships, where has the email era left us wrt positive relationships in business?

Taking this further, if email-like communication is taking over our personal lives too (via social networking sites), what is in store for personal relationships?

Thankfully, Facebook is already thinking on these lines & is taking steps to address such needs. Read more about this initiative here.

[Picture courtesy: flickr | aaipodpics]

Aakash Tablet – More Than Just the $35 Price Tag

noreply@blogger.com (Shubhadeep B.) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 04:37:00 +0000

It was a revelation for me to read the background story about Aakash ($35 tablet) in this FastCompany write-up.

Firstly, its impressive to know that the design for this potential-commercial-success is coming from an academic campus (IIT). The design is then sold to a commercial manufacturer (DataWind) with a challenging price target to meet. The challenge for the manufacturer is sweetened with access to a large protected market (subsidized purchases by the government). This sounds like a good example of the value chain making the best of the strengths of the individual players (IIT / design – DataWind / commercial manufacturing – Indian government / distribution with a cause). The understanding of this definitely increases the credibility of the project for me.

Secondly, the fact that the IIT students (& professors) are getting involved in a live product development experience is amazing. And that too a ground breaking product (price point) of a worthy impact (distribution across government schools). Kudos to the people involved.

Photo: Man & Peace

noreply@blogger.com (Shubhadeep B.) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 04:43:00 +0000

Man & Peace

The UN building in Geneva is a huge tourist attraction. The buildings, lawns & commemorative structures apart, this painting on the outer wall of the building is an eye-catcher. This picture is a small portion of a much bigger painting. My inspiration for this capture is a Ken Rockwell post on composition (specifically the Example: SEX and Balance section) that I had read a long time ago.

Top Ideas From 2011's Best Employers

noreply@blogger.com (Shubhadeep B.) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 04:11:00 +0000

Going through Fortune’s 25 Best Global Companies to Work For feature, some practices of these organization caught my attention. Below is a collation of some of these that might be useful for anyone.

Catch Them Doing The Right Stuff Top executives spend 3 hours each week making personal calls to thank employees for specific positive behaviour.
Horizontal Growth If your employee has doubts about having made a wrong career choice, let them try out jobs in different areas of the company through formal job rotation.
Work - Life Balance To help maintain work - life balance, make a rule that senior executives cannot call meetings before 9:30 in the morning and cannot hold a meeting after 5:00 in the afternoon.
Transparency Hold Know Your Compensation (KYC) sessions, where employees learn where their compensation is compared to their colleagues & also the salary ranges in their organization.
Diversity Maintain a healthy male to female ratio at the executive/senior management level with as much as 50% the positions filled by women.
Positive Networking Allow promoted employees to name colleagues who helped them along the way; those colleagues are reached out to with personal thank-you emails from company leaders.
Societal Contribution Allow employees to contribute to a social cause of their liking at the company's cost to address both the individual & organizations' social responsibilities.
Networked Organization Senior leaders spend a large amount of time with employees via skip level meetings, birthday get-together, personal thank-you sessions, coffee with high performers, etc.

Photo Feature – Fall in Geneva

noreply@blogger.com (Shubhadeep B.) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 04:51:00 +0000

While fall is a grim reminder of the impending winter for some & the inevitability of death to others, it is a fantastic opportunity to get your creative juices flowing if you are interested in photography. Geneva provided the backdrop when I capture some images of the season recently.

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because death is very likely the single best invention of life. It is life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.”

- Steve Jobs

The lawns & gardens that surround the United Nations building in Geneva is a beautiful place to walk around & enjoy a beautiful day.

The early morning sun & shadows cast by the tree made for a wonderful photo opportunity.

Zooming into the details of this wonderful place was a breeze with my nifty-fifty (Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens).

One could spend hours with a camera here. Unfortunately, I had but a few minutes at the location.

Photo Feature - Linger At Balur Estate

noreply@blogger.com (Shubhadeep B.) — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 08:11:00 +0000

Amongst one of best drives going out of Bangalore is the NH48 going to Mangalore via Hassan. The fields, windmills & streams offer ample opportunities for the adventurous to take breaks exploring the Malnad.

Balur Estate is about 300kms from Bangalore in Mudigere. It is a 400 acre plantation (or 1200 acre depending on the source of information) growing Arabica coffee & pepper amidst thousands of silver oaks.

Nestled within this huge estate is this colonial style bungalow – which is not only the centre piece of the estate, but also the warm host to Linger at Balur Estate guests.

A walk around the estate would cover a nursery – that is used nurture coffee, silver oak & pepper saplings. And a bunch of dilapidated knick knacks lying around – like the press below.

This aged rim is used as a bell announce the various shift timings to the staff working around the estate. Apparently, during harvest time, there are as many as 2000 people working at the estate.

The interiors of the bungalow is neat, clean & simple …yet elegant. The polished wooden furniture & the white - red colours of the structure make for a wonderful combination.

The long corridor is ideal for doing just nothing – just what the Linger tagline recommends.

The library that Sameer & Co. dutifully mention about in all their communications offers the reader in you an opportunity to indulge. A warm cuppa coffee, the drizzle outside & the view of the mountains are idyllic.

The bungalow is tastefully peppered with interesting house hold utilities of an era passing by.

Balur Estate houses a couple of dining rooms. One with a spectacular view (as above) & other a cozy hall used for dinners. A high point of Linger at Balur Estate was the hospitality of its hosts who make you feel at home away from home. The local delicacies that they dish out are just YUM – akki rotti, neer dosa, kadabu, kai obattu, etc. – try them all.

The charming living area with a rocking chair, a hat stand, warm lighting & the small library.

The property has an ancient swimming pool with a view of the mountains.

The view from the bungalow.

Balur Estate & its surrounds offers some fantastic views & walking opportunities. You can opt for either a plantation walk (mild | 60 mins) or a mountain trek (medium | 4 hrs). If you are there during the rains, be prepared for a leech fest ..& some exotic insects.

If possible, plan for a break by one of the fields / streams on the way back to Bangalore. The Linger – Balur Estate hosts were generous to pack us a fantastic lunch that we feasted on under a jackfruit tree in the middle of ginger farm.

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Related Posts:
~ Pictures From Lunuganga
~ Visiting Taj Mahal – Quick Tips
~ Linger

Steve Jobs: What An Impact!

noreply@blogger.com (Shubhadeep B.) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 03:55:00 +0000

(Picture courtesy Jonathan Mak)

Grainy Ganesha

noreply@blogger.com (Shubhadeep B.) — Sun, 11 Sep 2011 09:03:00 +0000

Came across this bigger-than-lifesize Ganesha idol made completely with rice grains & other edible grams. The idol was part of a promotional stall set up by a prominent rice brand.

The Ganesha lingers on beyond his festival.

Chip Conley: Count what really matters?

noreply@blogger.com (Shubhadeep B.) — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 04:24:00 +0000

Below are some interesting quotes from this talk:

And one of the simplest facts in business is something that we often neglect. And that is that we're all human. And each of us, no matter what our role is in business, actually has some hierarchy of needs in the workplace.
And what we can measure is that tangible stuff at the bottom of the pyramid. They didn't even see the intangible stuff higher up the pyramid. So I started asking myself the question: How can we get leaders to start valuing the intangible? If we're taught as leaders to just manage what we can measure, and all we can measure is the tangible in life, we're missing a whole lot of things at the top of the pyramid.
"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted."
I asked him (Bhutan Prime Minister), "How can you create and measure something which evaporates, in other words, happiness?" And he's a very wise man, and he said, "Listen, Bhutan's goal is not to create happiness. We create the conditions for happiness to occur. In other words, we create a habitat of happiness."
GDP counts everything from air pollution to the destruction of our redwoods. But it actually doesn't count the health of our children or the integrity of our public officials. As you look at these two columns here, doesn't it make you feel like it's time for us to start figuring out a new way to count, a new way to actually imagine what's important to us in life?

What are the right motivators to keep employees engaged?

noreply@blogger.com (Shubhadeep B.) — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 04:02:00 +0000

This blog post talks about the right motivators that managers & leaders should deploy for effectiveness & longevity of top talent within organizations.

More often than not, individuals don't realize themselves what their primary motivators are.
The challenge for leaders / managers / organizations is to align individual’s personal strengths / goals towards organizations goals. While this is easier said than done, it could be a very effective talent management strategy.
I'm sure many of you come across this animation by Dan Pink about Drive. If not, its a highly recommended watch.

Trust Maketh A Good Day

noreply@blogger.com (Shubhadeep B.) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 16:46:00 +0000

(Photo courtesy flickr | soonerpa)

With Lightening McQueen back in town, it was just a matter of time before we had to make a trip to the cinemas. While making reservations online, I ran into connectivity issues that left my transaction incomplete – a depleted bank account, but no reservations. Having heard of prior instances, I readied myself for time consuming multiple calls to the vendor call centres. The reservations were completed with a new transaction (twice the amount spent so far) & the sorting of the issue relegated to the weekend.

After having watched the movie, we grappled with a bout of flu over the rest of the weekend. The task of having to recover the extra ticket money was a nagging thought through the weekend & Monday.

Come Tuesday morning, a surprise awaited in my mailbox. A mail letting me know that the ticketing vendor has initiated a refund for my failed transaction! And I had not called any call centre yet. It was such a thrill, a relief & a hope-instilling event. In this big bad world where opportunism rules people’s behaviour, it was pleasant to experience something as basic as a fair business practice. There is hope :-)

The incident reminded me of what I had read about one of Omidyar Network’s investing philosophy – investing in ventures that promote mutual trust via online business. I so understand this thought process now.

Update (19th July 2011): Check out this article (Digital Oxytocin: How Trust Keeps Facebook, Twitter Humming) that postulates that Internet use (the likes of Facebook & Twitter in particular) promotes trust amongst its users.

Memory In A Tube

noreply@blogger.com (Shubhadeep B.) — Fri, 27 May 2011 18:12:00 +0000

(Picture courtesy www.thehenryford.org)

Every once in a while, you stumble across an astonishing fact about a well know personality that shakes up the image you held of the personality. This one involves Henry Ford & Thomas Edison.

Ford first worked for Edison. Over time, the two became good friends & spent quite some time together. When Edison was on his deathbed, Ford apparently convinced Edison Jr. to catch the great inventor's last breath in a test tube. This test tube is now on display at the Henry Ford Museum.

Stories about why Ford did what he did include references to reincarnation & buddy souvenir. Check out the below links for more details:

~ http://www.thehenryford.org/exhibits/pic/2004/july.asp
~ http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/the-last-breath-of-thomas-edison

Quotes To Live By | Spreading Light by Edith Wharton

noreply@blogger.com (Shubhadeep B.) — Thu, 26 May 2011 03:49:00 +0000

(Photo courtesy Wikipedia | Edith Wharton)

“There are two ways of spreading light:

to be the candle

or the mirror that reflects it.”

- Edith Wharton -

Drivers on Indian roads are so undisciplined because ..

noreply@blogger.com (Shubhadeep B.) — Mon, 23 May 2011 12:09:00 +0000

1. We Are Still Learning

The vehicular density on Indian roads has shot through the sky only in the last 20 years. The society as a whole is still groping & learning the tricks of the traffic - what works, what doesn't, how it works, why it should work in a particular way, what's good for the long term, etc. Give it some time & we will be up there with the rest of the best wrt traffic as well.

2. Its A Jungle Out There

We are a country where basic Maslowian needs are not met for a majority. The scarcity mentality that we deploy in most facets of our life, flows on to the roads as well. It is the survival of the fittest & each one for herself. Thoughts of a long term greater good is not something that most Indian driver can afford.

3. Values Gone Wild

Equality, fairness & discipline – all very important & we value them a lot. But, valuing is one thing and practicing yet another. Count us out of the practicing part - we have far too many other things to worry about.

Equality, Fairness & Discipline easily give way to the more practical Jugaad, Me First & Might Is Right.

4. The System Sucks

Even if individuals do the right thing, the overall system just sucks. The infrastructure is bad. Rules are not implemented. Cops are corrupt. The government doesn't do enough. Fellow roadies have horrendous attitudes / practices. Why should I fight against the odds? It’s beyond one’s control & much easier to flow with the tide.

Matt Cutts | The 30 Day Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Shubhadeep B.) — Fri, 20 May 2011 07:09:00 +0000

Matt Cutts is the Head of Google’s Webspam team. Apart from taking the Google story to the world, he also talks about an interesting method to achieve more in your personal life – the 30 day challenge. Check out this 5 minute YouTube video where he introduces this concept & shares his experiences using the same. Could be an effective personal kaizen tool.

The entire video with a lot more ideas is on YouTube (~60 mins).

Jobs & Ballmer Advise Finding Passion

noreply@blogger.com (Shubhadeep B.) — Wed, 18 May 2011 07:17:00 +0000

(Photo Courtesy LATimes Framework)

In a previous post about Steve Job’s innovation secrets, we saw how Steve Jobs thinks it is important for you to find your life’s passion. He believes that only when this passion is engaged, will we see excellence & innovation in our pursuits – job or otherwise. We now have another Steve advising students to find their passion in life – Steve Ballmer.

In a commencement speech at USC, Ballmer mentions that finding passion is one of the three most important things anyone ought to be doing. This is what he had to say on the topic:

Find passion. This is not an easy one. People think passion is something you either have or you don’t. People think passion is something that has to manifest itself in some kind of explosive and emotional format. It’s not. It’s the thing that you find in your life that you can care about, that you can cling to, that you can invest yourself in, heart, body, and soul. Finding passion is kind of your job now. It’s been your job the last four years at USC, or shorter, or longer, depending on which program you’re in. And it’s your job as you go forward into the world. You won’t necessarily find it the minute you get out.

I think about my own personal sort of discovery of passion. I didn’t come to the technology industry naturally. I wrote my first computer program in ninth grade, and I hated it. I was shy as a kid. I don’t think that I qualify on that anymore. I got to college and I was going to be a physicist or a mathematician. I decided I had way too little patience after about the end of my freshman year, and I groped for other things to do. The thing that switched me on, actually, I was the football manager for our college football team. And I discovered through that that I like to organize things, that that was kind of my passion. I got out of college, as many of you are, and I went to work for a great company, and I found I didn’t have the patience to work marketing brownie mixes and cake mixes. I had to give it up after a year or two.

Then by luck, as I was thinking about a career in the movie business, another business that I thought might match my patience and attention span, my buddy called and I was introduced to this fast paced, wonderful industry, where I could be a little organizer of a 30-person company from day one. And I found my passion. It takes a lot of trial and error. It takes a lot of experimentation. Find your passion, so that every day you can get up, even on the bad days you can get up and say, I really do love what I’m doing. This really does fire me up.

Full transcript of the speech is available at GeekWire.

My Take: The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs

noreply@blogger.com (Shubhadeep B.) — Tue, 17 May 2011 11:20:00 +0000

Though I haven't read the book itself, I have come across a fair share of references to the book & also interviews of the author Carmine Gallo. Listed below are a few of my notes from the book & its message:

Do What You Love
- Do what you love. For anyone who has not found their passion yet, Jobs recommends they keep looking till they find it rather than getting into something one don’t care about.
Put A Dent In The Universe
- Have a vision that is much bigger & more impactful than your product / service.
Kick Start Your Brain
- The most important skill that separates innovative people from others, is their ability to connect seemingly unrelated issues or concepts from diverse experiences. Opt for varied life experiences.
Sell Dreams, Not Products
- Advertising should show how the product can make life better, rather than flashy visuals and texts. The iPad + Velcro video popped to mind.
Say NO To 1,000 Things
- Eliminate clutter & keep it simple. Apple is as proud of all the things they don’t do, as they are about the things they do.
Create Insanely Great Experiences
Master The Message
- Explain your product / services in three precise points to make the message easy to remember. Consistency of messaging is as important as the message itself.

Resources:
~ Technometria with Phil Windley (podcast)
~ Fast Company (article)

Get Entangled

noreply@blogger.com (Shubhadeep B.) — Tue, 17 May 2011 03:35:00 +0000

http://entanglement.gopherwoodstudios.com/

Check out this engaging & slick online “solitaire - like” game by Gopherwood Studios.

Sustainable Architecture – Living Bridges Of Meghalaya

noreply@blogger.com (Shubhadeep B.) — Mon, 16 May 2011 03:29:00 +0000

Strangler Fig Living Bridges in Meghalaya, India
(Video courtesy YouTube | raahulworld)

Why are drivers on Indian roads so undisciplined?

noreply@blogger.com (Shubhadeep B.) — Tue, 10 May 2011 23:30:00 +0000

(Photo Courtesy flickr | Alex Graves)

For a long time, I believed that the chaos on Indian roads can be explained with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Most drivers on Indian roads are yet struggling to address basic physiological needs. How then can we expect them to even think of a greater good of disciplined traffic?

I am now convinced of my wrong belief that Maslow could explain this.

On my return from a recent Sri Lankan vacation, I found myself telling people that SL was quite a bit like coastal India with a few differences. The biggest being that traffic is a lot more peaceful on SL roads. I observed that a lot more people follow rules, there is visible empathy to fellow road users, there are fewer incidents of road rage & pedestrians have the right of way! While my visit was short & limited to just one province, my observations were validated & reinforced by many others who have experienced SL roads. I have heard similarly impressive stories about many African nations (though I haven't experienced it first hand).

So, why are drivers on Indian roads like the way they are?

Update: Check on the next post on this topic Drivers on Indian roads are so undisciplined because …

Roadblocks To Achieving Goals

noreply@blogger.com (Shubhadeep B.) — Mon, 09 May 2011 09:48:00 +0000

(Photo Courtesy flickr|thomas.hahusseau)

There are six roadblocks to achieving goals. Knowing them will help you set & achieve goals betters – for yourself & for others you are trying to help.

1. Ownership: Only YOU can make YOU better. In goal-setting, you need to ensure that you own your change objectives – because they are yours. You are responsible for your behaviour.

2. Underestimating Time Involved: Positive change in perception does not occur overnight. Habits that take 30 years to develop won't go away in a week. And as they change your behaviour, others may not recognize it for months. Ultimately, changed behaviour will lead to changed perceptions and more effective relationships.

3. Underestimating Difficulty: The optimism bias of goal-setters applies to difficulty. Your challenge in achieving goals is not understanding what is to be done, but in actually doing! Real change requires real work.

4. Assuming Lack Of Distractions: Assume that there will be unexpected distractions and competing goals. By planning for distractions, you are less likely to give up on the change when problems or opportunities appear.

5. Expectation of Rewards: While you do the “what’s in it for me” analysis, realize that the fruits might take a long time in coming. Its important to see personal change as a process that will help you become more effective over time. Short-term price is to be paid long-term gain.

6. Maintenance Effort: Personal kaizen is a perennial “getting there” process as compared to an “arrived” state. Changes & goals also need to be maintained with the “sharpening of the saw”. Especially when relationships are involved – people change, relationships change – and maintaining any positive relationship requires ongoing effort over time.

This post is inspired by Achieving Goals by Marshall Goldsmith.