OpeN sEsaME

Will Cloud Computing get Thin

2010-10-04T11:19:00.000+01:00

Thin Computing…Sounds familiar !!! I surely had joined the people who thought this was now an elapsed innovation until recently when it rang a bell while I was thinking about Cloud Computing. What has Thin computing got to do in or with Cloud? I wanted to share what I drew out of my thoughts.

Either newly forming or expanding Small and Medium enterprises spend a lot on the technical infrastructure. while Cloud Computing gives them the advantage on scalability and accessibility fronts, Thin Computing can double the benefit by reducing the initial TCO on the tech infra significantly by having most of the Server-Ware and App-Ware pushed on to cloud. This not just saves the enterprises’ costs upfront but in a long term too as they expand further beyond geographies and into any new lines of business (by mergers and acquisitions). All the new employees/entities can access the App-Ware from across geographical locations and there again enabling Thin Computing across the geographies would increase the savings.

With companies (very few today but increasing by every month) offering a variety of services on cloud (remotely set up tailored hardware) it has now started to get commoditized. With new equipments like Smart Phones and Tablets getting more and more advanced I do foresee a time when some of these equipments will be used as extended clouds for any lighter Applications to made run for a small number of employees/people :-)

A thorough diagnosis to gauge your adaptability and readiness to Thin/Cloud Computing will undoubtedly be the first good step towards knowing what’s in it for you. There are quite a few firms which can offer this kind of assessment, I would recommend you to go with a larger player just for the assessment piece as they would be able to set the perspective right not just for your current state but future too and will be able to point out the gaps and solutions through their experience and expertise.

Most importantly both Thin and Cloud Computing are very environment friendly initiatives which message I request all the readers to spread within their known circles and groups.

Any questions/remarks, please feel free to share at your leisure

Business, the B2P way

2010-08-30T19:15:00.000+01:00

I am sure I am not the only one thinking and writing about this – B2P (Business 2 People). Most of us know the very usual sound alike tags B2B and B2C. What is B2P, is it new, does it co-exist with B2B and B2C or does it have it’s own identity.

With software vendors and software services providers all focusing on B2B and B2C (not to forget the reverse directional C2B and in addition C2C) B2P has already started gaining steady market share. By People in the B2P I mean the entire set of people/citizens across the world who continuously shape and influence Customer’s decisions. Let’s go an inch deeper to understand what it means and how it happens.

Across the Social Media channels including Facebook, Twitter, Linked In and many others there are People some of who are not Customer/Consumer at all within the targeted media, some of them might become a C later on and some might be active Cs.

If the Bs can target all the potential influencing Ps within and beyond the social channels by means of number of potential Cs they are connected to or by number of public forums they are a part of and position their offerings tuned in P’s view that’s perfect Localization and Internationalization for me

Many of us might think that the regular marketing, advertising and sales activities do target these Ps but the only difference according to me in all or most of those approaches is that they target the Ps as they target any potential C which wouldn’t be the most effective way.

Just would like to illustrate this through an example before we reach the last dot of this post, chances of me or someone like me buying an iPad if marketed by any B directly via email, social media or online (news sites, search engine ads, etc.) compared to suggested by someone who has recommended me on Linked In or who writes regularly on my wall on Facebook or whom I follow on Twitter.

Ps are heterogeneous and based on the relationship B establishes with P the wallet share of C can grow.

Hope I have succeeded in conveying the significance of the P in the growing multi channel communication world, please feel free to reach me to query, share your opinion on this at your leisure

Ideas around Agility in Technology Services Sales in this emerging era for beginners

2010-01-31T15:20:00.002Z

What is now being dubbed as ‘Crowd-Sourcing’, ‘Out-Sourcing’ certainly has reached the masses through masters and otherwise. As companies out there demand more and more agility in the solutions it raises the bar for us the sales professionals to get equally or more agile to create that successful end to end experience. Enclosed below are few ideas which I felt could offer certain help, these could be of benefit to sales/business development professionals who have just recently taken up their career in this technology solutions/services sales or are at the initial stages of it

2 Ps and the P : I could as well have said 3 Ps but the symmetry between the 2 and the 1 prompted me to keep them that way … the 2 Ps are Play and Pause which signify the judgement we as sales professionals make while dealing with a client/prospect, this is at its best and successful when is truly personal without any external influencing. It would be tough to understand and justify the reactions of people in the first go but the more we interact (exchange ideas, try understanding their needs, point them to few good sources of information, take help of any of the contacts you would know in common who could value add to the interactions) the stronger the bonding gets. The third P which plays a critical role complimenting the two Ps is Perseverance. Many a times Perseverance is taken too literally where a contact is not made for the duration agreed between the client/prospect and the Sales individual, it doesn’t have to be that way. Professional relation is as important (sometimes more, but certainly not less) as personal, vital care and contemplation is involved in selecting a partner as people would otherwise do in personal life, as most of us would have noticed many a professional relation extend becoming allies sometimes cutting the borders, cultures and languages.

Intermittently people get judgmental on the basis of prior experiences (of interactions with people), yes, it does work but not for the majority, reason being people are people. If I were to say that I experienced a Sony Vaio or an Apple Mac or Windows XP in the States and I found them to be different or similar in UK it makes a case, but if I say a person from a line of business in the States would transact largely the same way to a person of a similar profile in UK or Europe I am going awfully off beam

Mode of communication : is as crucial as the communication itself. It is for us sales people to know which means of communication is our client/prospect comfortable with – eMail, Snail Mail (there still are people/organizations which are comfortable, ritually may be, in dealing initially this way), Phone (Mobile and/or Landline) and Mobile-Text, this does now and then would make or break a contact

Whether it is about involving relevant subject matter experts or someone who would influence the relation/decision making you are the best judge on timing their entry into the relation.

Prescriptive to Facilitative : Selling has come a far way from just being a part of trade, it is much more today than getting the show on the road. Client/Prospect expects the sales individual and the transactions with him/her to be educating to either party involved in the discussions, a true partnership is envisaged. Lot of times with the outsourcing organization limiting the scope of work to their business perspective technology companies will have to shape up considerably being a consulting arm to an outsourcing arm, then an architecting arm and eventually a delivery one. Sales professionals have to fervently accept this need of the hour and equip themselves with knowledge of the arena they operate in much beyond their own offerings. More than mapping client’s needs to the organizational capabilities or offerings sales individuals would have to engage in knowledge-sharing, brain-storming sessions of course along with the key stake holders from both the parties involved which would not only result in sound solution ideas but leave very few stones (almost negligible) unturned along the way.

Subject Matter Expertise (SME) and Selling : The SME has been in existence for long, in fact due to the longer existence it has shaped up to a robust matrix with the organizational divisions (Operations, HR, Finance, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, of late Procurement, Outsourcing and more) as subjects on one axis and on the other axis it would be the service(s) offered by the consulting partner in areas like and including Productivity assessment and enhancement, Operational Management and many other quantifiable RoI oriented ones.

SME was largely practised by one or two Tier 1 players for long before becoming a part of the portfolio of many of the Tier-1 players and only a handful Tier-2 ones, I mean in an established and thoroughly practised sense. Many Tier-1 companies have budgeted to have around 40-100 or more SM experts each on permanent rolls this year (2010) alone who bring wealth of SME with them to the organizations and to the larger community in a wide range of subjects

Knowing more about our client/prospect : Market expansion is chiefly being driven by demand as a result of which most of the companies are exploring places they hadn’t planned or thought of. It would be momentous for us sales professionals to possess knowledge of any foreign languages (widely spoken ones to start with) which would not just help us help our organization but enrich our own knowledge on international cultures, cuisines, people and a lot more, travelling (as a visitor/tourist) indubitably would help extensively, virtual at times though not ideal ;-)

Latent Transparency : Lot of times both the client/prospect and the individual(s) representing potential partner organization tend to shy away from discussing few things assuming the aspects either aren’t of relevance or are not of immediate importance which unnoticingly slip through the cracks. So we from the sales front would have to capture this delicate information by holding talks with both client/prospect and the team(s) involved from our end. We also have to perseveringly carry out this activity of bridging the gaps and as we do that it is also imperative for us to document the transactions as otherwise the essence vanishes

Being adaptable : With signs of market upturn now being seen and felt there would be many reorganizations taking place in both our own and the client/prospect organizations at times posing new challenges, we have to be ready to face the switch boldly and come out with flying colours.

wishing you the best always, all ways

In-Sourcing, Out-Sourcing & Multi-Sourcing

2009-11-02T11:09:00.004Z

In-Sourcing, Out-Sourcing & Multi-Sourcing

If the last 100 years have brought to us (internet, WWW, Mobile etc…) what the last few centuries prior to them haven’t in general, the last 20 years have embraced every channel available to explore new territories, people, cultures and have succeeded in establishing trend-setting partnerships across the globe.

Getting into sourcing what was just ‘In-Sourcing’ for many years until few decades ago has been experimentally expanded by deploying team(s) in different location(s) within the country, outside of it, outside the company’s framework and so on, the need drove companies to be creative and so eventually sourcing evolved to what it is today

We will in this post get introduced to In-Sourcing, Out-Sourcing and Multi-Sourcing

In-Sourcing

Assigning the responsibility of a project to a team which is internal and which has been either set up specifically to deliver the task or has been in the system for some time and has been trained to deliver the task.

There are multiple aspects to be noticed in this mechanism like for example the team need not be Full Time Employees, they can be either part time or be contractors hired just for the task. Also the team need not be based in the same location as the (IT) Head Quarters or the location where the solution needs to be deployed. With an effective Programme and Project Management the task can be executed from any location that has decent network connectivity.

The most critical of all aspects in this model is Profit and Loss (P&L) ownership which is vested in the team which is given the responsibility of the deliverable. Many a cases this becomes the Achilles Heel, in very few a boon.

This model has been and is favoured by many organizations and there are few very big labels which pursue this route to this day like Tesco, Vodafone, Boeing etc…Yes, these companies also do some Out-Sourcing

Out-Sourcing

Out-Sourcing wont be a lot onerous because of a fair bit of commonality it has to In-Sourcing; let us see how and why. In Out-Sourcing too drawing the requirements together and weaving a scope happens very similar to as it does in In-Sourcing but because of the work being sent outside the legal walls of the outsourcer due diligence becomes de rigueur (Essential). The inquiry happens two ways, by the Outsourcer and by the Outsourcee

It would be hard to itemize all the aspects that are vital in Outsourcing; I have attempted summing up few.

The most crucial factor for success of an engagement or a partnership is the relation between the parties involved. Success and failure coexist in an outsourcing relation, quite a few companies fail not because having botched delivering the project but because of not having established a sincere affiliation with the client. There certainly are companies even today on the supplier’s side of the business which do not maintain a ‘open book’ policy with the clients specially around highlighting any hiccups as they come up, sharing the impact the hitches would have on the delivery of the task. In most of the times it is usually in the eleventh hour the client gets to know about the damage; not in all the cases but surely in few the setback is irreparable.

Cost, is not everything, but definitely plays a big role in clinching a relation. Costing differs a lot based on the experience both the organization has in delivering similar projects in the past and the individuals involved in estimation have experience in delivering that too. With many clients having learnt the hard way that cheapest option is not always the best they do wish to see both quality and quantity but just not money in a relation especially when someone envisages a long term one. Also because of the economy crisis if any suppliers can do their bit in offering cost effective solutions by lowering margins clients would absolutely be ready to consider such proposals

It is an endless debate to have whether a project lost is a relation lost, I would agree that the supplier who wins the deal has demonstrated that extra care in a relationship perspective which goes a long way beyond that assignment but the other suppliers involved in the process would undoubtedly stand a chance in the future provided they have showcased strong commitment throughout. Relationship, a lot is about understanding the priorities of the client, accepting or sharing the inability as a supplier on any of the aspects with the client upfront. We have seen in many occasions client setting out to procure a service/solution on a specific technology and with the rapport the supplier establishes with the client they make the client change their mind/approach by suggesting that some other technolog(ies)y would best suit their needs.

Because of the variety market/Supplier today has got to offer clients are expecting suppliers to be proactive than reactive. Proactive here means supplier engaging with client in a series of discussions which will give the supplier a fine understanding of the client’s the then existing business, technology scenario and needs and will help to get back to the client with a winning proposition of what new and unique benefit can the client get from them if given an opportunity. Here sometimes a supplier might have to demonstrate the technical and operational deliverability and knowledge by offering a portion of the target deliverable as Proof of Concept at their expense, history has many examples which have proven that client does get into a relation with that supplier further to that

An aspect worth citing would be that no definitive scope of work is required as highlighted in most of the forums, yes it would aid in accelerating the whole development but it surely is not the ‘show-stopper’ ingredient. It infact has been demonstrated many a times that without a strict scope of work projects were delivered to mutual satisfaction of the vendor and the client solely because of a worthy exchange of expectations.

Multi-Sourcing

This is still evolving conceptually but indubitably offers best of both (Insourcing and Outsourcing) worlds. By parts the concept was and is being practised and serviced across various geographies. In this model the client goes an extra mile backward to invite a supplier (of course after due diligence) to assess their current set up/investment and map out the benefits the client can get out of it with minimal or some changes and define what would they need in addition. Further to this another partner selection programme is conducted by the client to identify the right supplier who can deliver what they want, here comes the benefit and inimitability of Multi-Sourcing. The client should from the earlier exercise have got an output that offers the clarity on what’s missing and what needs improvement; that report when appropriately synchronized with the potential supplier’s capabilities client will realize that each of the potential supplier has something distinct to offer and they have proven expertise within that space.

Yes, it would be challenging to coordinate with multiple suppliers on a single assignment as the task would be broken into multiple modules and outsourced amongst few but if we look at the precision each of the suppliers would offer, the amalgamation would result profits.

For example: if we consider a company wanting to start offering their business online or enhance their existing online portfolio depending on the business if it is a retailer they can fragment the target chore into multiple tasks like building an appealing User Interface which can be outsourced to a supplier who has demonstrable expertise in that space, then look at the layout, design and architecture and partner with a supplier who specializes in those, then partner with a testing services provider to gauge and ensure that the solution in hand is robust and scalable enough, then a good hosting partner and so on. Also there are suppliers who are good in support and maintenance of this kind of solutions who can offer quality service economically once the solution has gone live.

Not to forget Multi-Sourcing can be applied to a project or to multiple projects based on a technology stream.

If we consider the above example in a typical ‘In-Sourcing’ or ‘Out-Sourcing’ angle the client will be able to find very few suppliers who can offer everything (specially when the project is of very large scale) which indeed does reduce the cost of having to evaluate suppliers and coordinate with quite few of them to achieve desired results but as we are all aware the investment would be so significant compared to the ‘Multi-Sourcing’ mechanism.

I am sure you would appreciate that there is a lot to In-Sourcing, Out-Sourcing and Multi-Sourcing; we will try digging Multi-Sourcing more as that’s going to dominate the Sourcing arena in the coming years.

Outsourcing X.0

2009-08-16T18:09:00.002+01:00

OutSourcing X.0

Food, Shelter, Money, many out there know about outsourcing as much as they know about these aspects. Historically outsourcing has proven to be a significant way of doing business as the outsourcer gets to focus on their core business areas by offloading the aspects which are better done at a location and by people or organization(s) economically and quality wise apt

If I could recall relatively older success stories like the ‘Ford’ to more recent ones like DELL, companies have prospered by choosing the outsourcing conduit. There are very successful stories on the Insourcing and Multisourcing side too

From the need and the action came the processes to qualify the quantification.

We have seen the CMMs, the CMMi’s, the ISOs, the SIX SIGMAs circumscribing Outsourcing in the last couple of decades making it a more stronger, indispensable and trusty course

With the upsetting economical climate in the last few months outsourcing, by few, has been translated being anecdotal which is alarming. This should in fact be the time for an organization with outsourcing potential to look for the right partner as companies which have the capability to deliver have stood up with time and have a great lot to offer. The key is though for both the buyer and the seller to evaluate each other unlike one evaluating just one in many cases till now

Increasingly as I find organizations wanting to find the key aspects of any project management process that would reduce the risk in an outsourcing assignment I feel like sharing with them these thoughts:

As the acceptance of Six Sigma has grown and is penetrating deeper into common business culture, a question arises when is the right time to determine when a process needs to be improved versus designed?

Let’s examine two established and proven methodologies Six Sigma DMEDI and DMAIC which would benefit companies from many industry backgrounds and people working on various projects of both technical and non-technical in nature if implemented for the right variety of projects. In many occasions organizations are convinced/sold on Six Sigma ‘DMAIC’ as a quick fix to internal organizational issues and problems. However, the true benefit Six Sigma can be realized when it is applied in scenarios involving building processes from scratch than fixing issues or processes

DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control)

DMAIC is an analytical, data driven approach to eliminate weaknesses in active processes, products and services. DMAIC brings incremental improvements.

DMEDI (Design, Measure, Explore, Develop, Implement)

DMEDI is more of a creative approach to designing new robust processes, products and services. This roadmap is focused purposed to obtain significant competitive advantages or quantum leaps over current environments. However DMEDI Projects tend to be more time and resource intensive.

Enclosed below is a high level comparison of DMAIC and DMEDI Six Sigma methodologies

DMAIC	DMEDI
Define – Review project charter, Validate problem statement and goals, Validate voice of the customer and voice of the business, validate financial benefits, validate high level Value-Stream map and scope, Create Communication plan, Select and launch team, Develop project schedule and Complete Define gate	Define – Almost similar to Define in the DMAIC methodology
Measure – Value Stream map for deeper understanding and focus, Identify Key Input, process and Output metrics, Develop operational definitions, Develop data collection plan, Validate measurement system, Collect baseline data, Determine Process capability and Complete Measure gate	Measure – Define Customer’s needs using VOC and QFD, determine CCR’s
Analyze – Determine critical inputs, Identify potential root causes, Reduce list of potential root causes, Confirm root cause effect on output, Estimate impact of root causes on key outputs, Prioritize root causes and Complete Analyze gate	Explore – Develop Design concepts, and High-Level design
Improve – Develop potential solutions, Evaluate, select and optimize best solutions, Develop ‘To-Be’ value stream maps, Develop and implement pilot solution, Confirm attainment of project goals, Develop full-scale implementation plan and Complete Improve gate	Develop – Develop and optimize detailed design
Control – Implement mistake proofing, Develop SOPs, training plan and process controls, Implement solution and ongoing process measurements, Identify opportunities to apply project lessons and Complete control gate. Transition Monitoring/Control to process owner	Implement – Validate design with pilot, establish controls, full scale implementation

Both the methodologies bring strengths when used in a right environment, right situation, right industry on the right project (ideally when being built from the scratch as highlighted in one of the aspects above), with the right team. A thorough monitoring (checking and re-checking) should yield best results

We will look at how Insourcing, Outsourcing and Multisourcing are different in their approach and what benefits do they bring to a client in the coming posts

We can win TOGETHER

2009-03-16T23:10:00.001Z

We can win TOGETHER

Sorry for the long silence as it has been really tough to balance work-life in this tough economic climate and my latest article presents a unique dimension to the downturn/recession and how could we possibly minimize the impact together

I am sure all of us have learnt a lot about Recession, Subprime crisis, stock markets, price indices and few more aspects which wouldn't have meant much to us prior to this unpleasant, unexpected and unwanted change that has hit many places and people globally.

I see property (houses, apartments etc…) ads on television, newspapers and other media trying to convince us with astonishing rates and everyone there trying to sound as promising as they can to win the buck. On the other hand, shops and retail businesses are trying to make the best use of every opportunity – Valentine’s Day, Easter, and Mother’s Day to weather the recession.

Technology companies around the world are confused unaware of what is the next potential market for them which can mitigate the risk they have from economies who have been the heart of their outsourcing action and who today are shying away or atleast trying to do so. Emerging markets all said and done haven't shown any great positive difference except the resilience which could pay off in the long run

I was wondering is there something we all can do at an individual level which when combined will make a world of difference!!! I wish I was an economist, I would have carved out a very convincing plan or may be would have tried convincing people with whatever I have in hand even if it’s unrealistic as it happens in most of the political scenarios around the world :-), just kidding. But but but, I have a story which I had fortunately read around twelve years ago which bears a very strong relevance to the current economic situation which I felt can trigger a thought in most of us to do something to minimize the damage this downturn has caused and is causing to our society. May be unknowingly or knowingly we might help someone save their job, or give one a peaceful life even if it’s for a day, or spread smiles across miles

A story set in the ancient times around a fantasy town called Pumpelsdrop with the story titled ‘The man who saved Pumpelsdrop’, I truly wish every nation, city, town or village experience a magic that Pumpelsdrop goes through in the story. I have tried as much as I could to know and publish the author’s name here but I have not been successful in finding the right details, however the closest I can recall I guess is ‘Mr. Walter J Turner’. Also about the story I have tried to cover the essence to the best possible extent, please excuse me if I have missed out any key points if you are aware of the story!!

The story is about a stranger, whom the author calls as a Lunatic and considers him to be the greatest benefactor, the town of Pumpelsdrop had ever known. The story refers to the time in the history of ‘Pumpelsdrop’ when the town would be experiencing a terrible economic turmoil, when everything seems to be deteriorating - businesses, agriculture and so on. Many who would have had lost hopes would have started leaving the town to make a better living or just ‘a living’ elsewhere. It was a defining movement for Pumpelsdrop and no one had a clue what would or who would save them

On a particular morning a stranger walks into the local car showroom which was the only showroom, selling expensive cars though. Due to the recession there wasn't any stock for a ready dispatch and it would have been more than a year since the showroom saw a car actually sold. This stranger who walked in to the showroom orders for a fleet of cars (may be around 6-10 ten of those) which startles the showroom owner and makes him ask the stranger for an advance. The Stranger pulls out a cheque book and signs a cheque for the bulk of the amount and says he would pay the rest when he returns to collect the vehicles.

With the joy that his business has seen some light the car showroom owner gifts his wife some cash on the same evening asking her to buy some jewelry for herself, she falling short of words shops to her delight the same evening. With the money flown in to the Jeweler’s hands he shares his content with his wife by giving her some cash to spend, the lady buys some furniture and I am sure you have guessed it right by now, the fun goes on and on.

Before one could realize the town was fully back in action and finally the day had come when the stranger had to pick up the cars. The car showroom owner was going through the most exciting day of his life with the satisfaction and confidence that this order has given life not just to them but to the whole town and they have already seen small orders coming in

A while later a van (which appears to be an ambulance) stops slightly away from the showroom and three people exiting from it walk towards the showroom. They show a photograph to the showroom owner and ask him if he can identify the person in that photo, the showroom owner is shocked to find that it’s the stranger who had placed the magical order and asks those three people curiously if everything is fine. The Showroom owner is told that the stranger was a mentally challenged person and had escaped from the hospital recently and they have been trying to fetch him.

Finding it hard to digest the twist the showroom owner gets to his home in the evening to realize that the stranger has actually been the savior, he thinks that if it wasn't for the stranger his wife wouldn't have bought the jewelry and the jeweler’s wife wouldn't have bought the furniture and the town would have never come back to life again. The showroom owner next day wakes up to a new and positive morning to contribute his part to rebuilding the town

Moral of the story to me is that if all of us contribute to the society we live in to our best extent possible either by buying goods or educating people around us on how to spend effectively, I am sure we will get out of the crisis sooner than later

We can win TOGETHER

Take ownership of your own development

2008-07-07T19:57:00.003+01:00

Take ownership of your own development

I as usual picked up the free daily Metro on the way to work this morning which made a mentioning of the cataclysm the city experienced three years ago on the same day, I later in the day read about the brutal episode in Afghanistan today at the Indian embassy, now though completely disconnected both these thoughts engendered a thought in me to think of CHANGE, such as inspirational word/thing. Amassing the positivity that’s tagged with all the people who have demonstrated bravery by saving many lives and their own selves to come out of the acute events and have given a new dimension to the change they can bring in to the world, I salute them all

As you all might be aware there might have been many comparatively insignificant occurrences we would personally have had in our lives but CHANGE (ofcourse positive) is something that we would be constantly looking forward to. Change which is positive refills the cavity and puts us back into action. Now on a related note this reminds me of the challenges we individuals face every day at work and in life and the change we desire quite often.

I was reading the 'Google' paperback and have just completed the first 100 leaves, it is such a fantastic tome which illustrates the story how two people wanted to bring some change in the way things are looked at by people and are used by people, the way it started as a brand and has over a period matured to be a globally renowned name. Today the value and comfort they have delivered to the world as a technology supplier will remain close to the hearts of many of us

It (Change) becomes so essential at times that you would want to willingly or unwillingly bring it in. I have thought of and have successfully implemented a formula which would bring positive change to you...3A's...Aspire, Admire and Acquire. Imagine something you have been longing to do and the care you have given to your thought and if fortunately you have achieved the effort you might have put in to retain the success, that's the point I am trying to drive home. There are many theories around this aspect which I will try bringing to you in one of my later updates with a reference to this which I am confident will strengthen your belief that you if Aspire to do something and Admire your plan till you achieve and move up the ladder from there on, you will evolve as a WINNER. I wish you all the best and I look forward to your unique success

Earlier connotation for your reference, enclosed below

As I have just begun this positively long and mutually enriching journey I would appreciate if you could feed me back with your constructive comments and significant inputs which will rally round me in making this journey memorable

I have captured below a story that inspired me which I am certain will grab your interest till the last period. The title of the story is "Take Ownership of Your Own Development" which is a real life experience of Mr. Jay Conger (Henry Kravis Research Chair Professor of Leadership at the Kravis Leadership Institute, Claremont McKenna College), a very exciting chronicle which gives a lot of food for thought. This is just for the starters; whilst you are enjoying this bit I will be working on our next gathering. Don't miss the footer space...See you soon

Take Ownership of Your Own Development:

Every Manager and Executive basically owns his or her own development as a leader. Let me illustrate with this story, which captures the fact that you and I have to be masters of how we develop as leaders.

The story is set many, many years ago when I was a little boy, actually four years old, and my parents took myself, my older brother, and little sister to southern France. On a very beautiful day, my mother took us all down to the hotel swimming pool. What we hadn’t known was that she’d gone out and hired the lifeguard to come and teach my older brother how to swim.

We arrived at this very enormous-looking pool-certainly through the eyes of a four-year-old-and out of the corner of my eye, I captured the image of a young Frenchman walking in our direction-lifeguard kind of character-and he headed over directly to us. He must have known that my mother had selected the oldest of the three kids, because he walked right up to my brother, gave him an enormous smile. He said, “Bonjour, mon petit ami.” And with that he scooped my brother up in his muscular arms, a bit like a piece of Styrofoam, and walked him down to the deepest end of the pool, where the high board was.

Now remember, I’m the second son, and I actually thought this looked pretty good. Well, it was a great idea. The man plunks my brother down on the side, right at the edge of the water. The lifeguard then turns over to a pile of little rings, and you’ll remember as a child, you have to put little life rings around children to support them in the water. He pulls one of these rings out and he pops open the air-stopper, and he begins to pat all the air out of the ring. From my eyes as the competitor, the younger brother, this is looking very, very interesting.

With that, the man slides the empty ring around my brother’s waist. He gives him another simile, this is one a little more devilish, and he says, “Bonne chance, mon ami,” and he throws him into the very deepest end of the pool. Well, as you might imagine, my brother immediately goes under; there’s nothing to hold him up. And I’m sitting there again, with kind of a hidden grin, as my brother goes under the water.

Then I looked back. My little sister and mother are just in a panic, but they’re like deer in a headlight; they’re just not sure what to do. Meanwhile, the lifeguard is simply standing by, watching. My brother goes under, as I mentioned, and then he pops up, gasping for air and flailing. The next thing I know, he heads back under. At this point, even I’m getting in a panic; I’m thinking, “oh my gosh, this guy’s going to actually kill my brother. This is pretty bad!”

Well, my brother pops up again, and this time, he’s actually able to stay up. He’s figured out a fundamental swimming stroke called the doggy paddle, and he’s paddling furiously, and he’s able actually to keep himself up for the rest of the lesson.

Now, let me argue that that lesson is how organizations will develop their talent to be leaders. Let me also point out that it’s in many ways a flawed way of development. But let’s go back to the beginning of the story. What organizations say is that you’re good, you’re talented, and the way they are going to develop you is by throwing you into jobs that are over your head, because that seems to be the best way to develop people. The lifeguard in this story is your boss.

Now, you notice the boss does not go into the pool with you; and many bosses are actually busy, so they may actually head off to another swimming pool while you’re flailing around in your pool. But the boss says to him- or herself, “You know I’ve been in that water before; I figured out how to do it; I’m sure you will.” They also put a little ring around you. What’s that? Well, that may be HR policies or a training program or the boss saying, “You know I’m here whenever you need a little help.” But basically, it’s illusionary; the support’s not there.

Now, the idea is that you’ll figure out how to swim on your own. And if you don’t-well, the idea is that you just weren’t up to this task-sadly, they’ll probably move you back to a smaller pool, maybe even a kiddie pool, and maybe even take you out of swimming for good. The moral of the story is that you own your own development, that organizations have a fairly primitive view of how they develop talent. And it’s a shame; because ultimately the boss should help you, should be more direct-that life ring should be full of air, and we should move you more gradually into the deep end of the pool.

The lesson is that you, yourself, have to take initiative in order to develop yourself as a leader. You have to proactively seek our coaching and guidance. At times, it’ll be awkward, because you’ll feel you’re revealing your own weaknesses. You may have certain bosses who may not be open to people seeking out coaching and feedback, but find those opportunities whenever you can. You yourself may have to propose taking courses, seeking experiences, getting a personal coach; but in many ways, you own your development.

In the best organizations, they take it a step further. They actually reward bosses for stepping in and guiding and providing coaches; they actually teach bosses how to coach people; they actually reward bosses for people development. They think much more cautiously and deeply about jobs; and the right jobs, given who you are and what you need in this moment, versus, “Well, let’s just throw them in, see how they do.”They’re also very clever about how you transition into a job, and as you get to more senior levels, they provide support and feedback along the way, as you learn the skills you need in the transition.

Takeaways from the story:

Most organizations throw talented people in over their heads, figuring they will learn to develop on their own, rather than moving them gradually into areas of greater responsibility. If you find yourself in this situation, speak up

Managers and executives should be proactive in seeking help to grow as leaders. You should seek out mentors, courses and experiences that will help you develop your leadership abilities.

The best organizations reward bosses for developing leaders-but these organizations are rare. You must take responsibility for your own development.

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