No Arms, No Legs … No Worries

FEELING DOWN?

The world is in a depressingly precarious condition right now – one crisis away from a global meltdown.

ECONOMY HAVE YOU WORRIED?

The US is borrowing $188 million dollars - per hour. How long can that insanity go on?

$$$$ PER GALLON GAS?

Not making enough money to keep up with over $4.00 per gallon gas prices? For some commuters it’s making unemployment the only viable option. It’s also sucking the economic life blood out of many businesses as people cut back or delay all unnecessary spending.

WORK WORRIES?

Been to a work meeting where everyone seemed on edge – arguing and backstabbing each other over precious resources, strategy or just plain surviving? If you have a job, you probably have.

PROBLEMS TOO BIG – PROBLEMS TOO HIGH

Our times are piled high with difficulty and uncertainty. Stress and anxiety. Problems too big to get your arms around and too high to climb. It’s easy to get down. Easier to get angry at the world for all the injustices done to you.

TOO HARD TO GRASP?

But maybe, just maybe, if you watch the video below, you might come away with …

Life is not Fair but then depends from which direction you are looking from.

Courtesy – Steve Kayser

When……Well…..When…..

They say goals are important, they say paths are important, they say life is important, they say death is important but then they also say – its destined.

For all those who are Qawwali, Sufi or A.R. Rahman fans. This is one such Qawwali that seems to connect with the whole mighty – Allaha, Jesus, God, Guru, and of course you can name it anything you like, but you and me knows its all going to the same person….

I was able to connect to this piece of music and more so the the entire theme of the songs and its picturization, due to the fact I know how ones feel when -

When you are sitting on the opposite side of the world or society,

When the only belief is the disbelief in you,

When the only agreement is the disagreement,

When your luck turns unlucky for others,

When the love in those eyes turn to hatred,

When love that felt like a dream actually turns a dream,

When people turns to picture,

When you being wanted adds the “UN” to it – Unwanted

When Hi’s turns to Bye’s

They Say life is a journey with ups and downs but then its when we have ups don’t forgot the people who are down because you never know when the tables flips their side. Equally, its important to embark the journey of life because sometime your path takes you to your destiny.

“I thought I will have all the answers at the next corner, just forgot that the earth is round”

For those who will like to understand the lyrics of this songs and understands meaning of Urdu and Hindi Words, Click Here

The Future of the Way We Make Things? They’ll Make Themselves

Skylar Tibbits, a researcher at MIT, presents a fascinating preview of the wonders and possibilities of molecular manufacturing. In the future, we won’t make things—they’ll make themselves. It’s a concept called self-assembly.

Self-assembly is a big concept. Instead of building something (a table, a car, a building), we can create nano-materials that will build themselves.

Some call the self-assembly concept early stage, but it’s been around for some time. Eric Drexler, author of the seminal work, Engines of Creation, wrote about it in 1986. In 1987, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Cram, Pedersen and Lehn for their work in building large molecular structures from self-assembling parts.

Self-assembly sounds freaky-deaky. It is. But it also has humanity-changing  potential—both positive and destructive, as Drexler notes in chapter 11 of his book titled, Engines of Destruction.

Tibbits shows us, in this TED talk, three in-the-lab projects that hint at what a self-assembling future might look like.

Courtesy – Steve Kayser

The Confusion between Leadership and Manager

I sometime wonder that why Managers think of them as leaders. For the benefit for all, let me describe the both:-

A Manager is the person responsible for planning and directing the work of a group of individuals, monitoring their work, and taking corrective action when necessary. For many people, this is their first step into a management career.

While Wikipedia explains the trait of Leadership as the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task”. Definitions more inclusive of followers have also emerged. Alan Keith of Genentech states that, "Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen." According to Ken "SKC" Ogbonnia, "effective leadership is the ability to successfully integrate and maximize available resources within the internal and external environment for the attainment of organizational or societal goals."

Now purely based on the definition itself, these are two different definitions and an entirely different traits. So why anybody should refer as themselves as Leaders. The right to call a leader is entirely with the followers.

Equally, the true leaders are not worried about any “titles”, they are more worried about doing things. Who takes what credit is something beyond true leaders. True leaders are something made of deliveries and not credits.

I wonder if people like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and such people were worried about what people call them. They are part of the what they called was a “movement” or a “thought”. A thought of – freedom, right, win, teams, etc. 

I myself is yet to discover any traits of a leader within me, however clear about one thing that I have worked hard to only achieve the title of a manager but certainly need to do much more to earn the the title of leader with the work I may do…

Have a good day!

Delicate, Demanding, Yet Delightful – The Art of Delegation

Sharing a great piece of articulation by an inspirational figure with whom I had an opportunity to work and learn from – Tom Nies. He is one who performs the art of diligent delegation and develops a sense of belongingness within each and every member of its organization. Hence it no surprise that the average is over 10 years at Cincom. This not only makes his employees happy but equally due to higher productivity and commitment of employees, it trickles into making of a happy customers.

Delegation is the essence of leadership. It is the soul of management and the empowerment of the organization.

Those who will not delegate cannot lead, cannot manage and cannot help grow an organization through the empowerment of its most important resources and assets.

All leaders and organizations achieve their goals and their visions through their people. The strength of an organization comes from the diversity, not the conformity, of its skills and capabilities. An organization is a team of individuals with unique gifts, backgrounds, personalities and strengths. The key is to realize that all of these individuals, with all of their unique strengths, are using their energy working towards the same goal of completing a project, improving the bottom line or growing the organization.

WHO TO CHOOSE?

The first key to delegating is choosing the right people to whom any authority or responsibilities will be delegated. There  is such a wide spectrum of people ranging from the outspoken to the reserved, from extroverts to introverts, from technicians and administrators to marketing and sales to management, from experienced to relatively newer staff that no cookie-cutter approach could ever be effective or successful.  But certain character traits surface in successful examples of delegated authority.

RIGHT ATTITUDE

The right attitude is one of the most important aspects to be considered. To determine ones attitude, their beliefs must be determined. Beliefs govern behaviors and behaviors determine what one becomes – attitudes are begotten from beliefs.

DELICATE

Attitude is also a function of character, personality and core values. One can’t readily or easily guide a rude, dishonest, abrasive, amoral, insensitive, bigoted, lazy or narcissistic person to be polite, virtuous, genial, principled, thoughtful, tolerant, energetic or selfless.  This is an assessment that has to be personal and delicate. One who falls short today might learn, grow and become the superstar of tomorrow.

For some people, good character and simple human decency are not in their current nature and may never be.  But many people are self-starters and self-motivated, flexible and adaptable, they do take responsibility and admit mistakes, are energetic and resourceful, are goal oriented and achievement driven.

It’s this kind of person to whom we must ultimately delegate authority. So, the people one recruits and selects today will largely determine the culture of an organization, the service an organization renders to the public, and the reputation and success the organization will enjoy (or endure) in the future.

DEMANDING

Once you’ve identified the correct person to delegate responsibilities and authority to, you can’t just throw tasks at them. You must use one-on-one mentoring, group learning, team dynamics and on-the-job experience to guide and shape the capabilities of the person to make sure the task will be successfully completed. The proper budget, technologies and facilitating and enabling support must also be provided.

Effective communication is imperative in a delegation situation. The delegator should not dictate the communication, Rather, the delegator should inquire, question, guide and support the chosen person to clarify and enhance mutual understandings, agreements and accomplishments.

Just as the delegator should not dictate communication with those to whom they delegate tasks, they should also not lapse in communication. Delegation is not an abdication. The person to whom something is delegated takes on some of the responsibility and accountability of the task, but the delegator must take responsibility for making the decision – be it good or bad – of whom to transfer power to.

DELIGHTFUL

Always remember: everyone who has responsibility is always responsible to someone else. And, you are all working together to empower your organization or realize a goal. And there is no greater joy than seeing your company soar on the wings of people you have empowered by trusting and delegating responsibilities and authority to.

We end as we begin. Delegation is the essence of leadership. It is the soul of management and the empowerment of the organization

DELEGATION - a delicate, demanding, yet delightful art of business.

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Foot Steps

Some Stories are not meant to be told, but then some are meant to be the other way around. So here is a small one to end the week with. I guess few of you must have already heard this one as it has told many times. But again, its worth telling many more times.

Foot Steps….The Story

One Night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the Lord. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonged to him and the other to the Lord.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life.

This really bothered him and he questioned the Lord about it. "Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you you'd walk with me all the way, but I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me." The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child, I love you and would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."