Here comes 2010. A new year starting to rise & bring with it hope & faith. Faith that things will be better for us & all of mankind. Hope that there will be lots to hope for!!!!
Yes!!! Hope of a better world, better sense, better economy, better growth in all sense. Have you ever thought what would we do if lose the essence of life - HOPE!!!
For me 2010 is an year of INTROSPECTION, QUESTIONING SELF, CHALLENGING the INNER CRISIS & create a new "YOU".
I think Recession & the global slowdown taught us all the more the value of HUMANITY, PEACE, EQUALITY, FAITH in VALUES with LESS focus on PERSONAL GREED. To all the economists proclaiming & counter-claiming the real reasons of the slow-down, I think the root level reason for all of it was our SELFISH needs. Somewhere deep down it was a lesson for us in VALUES.
I wish 2010 brings for us a SUN SHINE which never fades or sets down. The year 2010 also brings with it a new leash of FAITH & TRUST & a lot of DIS-CONTENT to check on your FAITH & TRUST.
When we talk of FAITH, it is important to understand that LIFE is about PRO & ANTI co-existing. +ve can not exist without the -ve. We need both. I quote BAPU (Mahatma Gandhi) here - "Discontent is a very useful thing. As long as a man is contented with his present lot, so long is it difficult to persuade him to come out of it. Therefore, it is the every reform must be preceeded by discontent."
I wish for us a life full of loving & helpful pressures & faith enough to endure that pressure because it is at pressure which enables & enriches "you".
Remember FAITH is the beginning, not the end of it. Sometimes you don't need to see the whole stair case so "KEEP WALKING" my friend.
Here is wishing you a great 2010, an year of FAITH & FUN filled PRESSURES :).
Hurray 2010 is here !!!!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
NEUTRALITY
NEUTRALITY is about NOTHING & yet EVERYTHING. It is not only about desire but also about attainment.
There is a strong connect between the STATE of NEUTRALITY & the DIGIT ZERO.
You can't understand NEUTRALITY till you understand the ZERO. The digit which has significant importance in INDIAN Mythology as "SHUNYA". SHUNYA or ZERO is NOTHING & yet INFINITE. It is the only element which signifies fulfilment & yet the want or desire.
Like in the STATISTICAL WORLD, you have the ZERO in the CENTER of -VE & +VE. In today's world LEADERSHIP is about NEUTRALITY.
In the context of the thought NEUTRALITY is about being at a ZERO most often & more so in today's times. In the world full of hatred, stress, pain, anger, job losses, contempt & frustration there is a state of NEUTRALITY.
This state of NEUTRALITY is the STATE which comes from your CENTER. Your own SPIRIT.
NEUTRALITY is the STATE of SILENCE, a STATE OF NOTHING, a STATE OF YOUR SPIRIT a STATE of your ZERO (0).
There is a strong connect between the STATE of NEUTRALITY & the DIGIT ZERO.
You can't understand NEUTRALITY till you understand the ZERO. The digit which has significant importance in INDIAN Mythology as "SHUNYA". SHUNYA or ZERO is NOTHING & yet INFINITE. It is the only element which signifies fulfilment & yet the want or desire.
Like in the STATISTICAL WORLD, you have the ZERO in the CENTER of -VE & +VE. In today's world LEADERSHIP is about NEUTRALITY.
In the context of the thought NEUTRALITY is about being at a ZERO most often & more so in today's times. In the world full of hatred, stress, pain, anger, job losses, contempt & frustration there is a state of NEUTRALITY.
This state of NEUTRALITY is the STATE which comes from your CENTER. Your own SPIRIT.
NEUTRALITY is the STATE of SILENCE, a STATE OF NOTHING, a STATE OF YOUR SPIRIT a STATE of your ZERO (0).
EGO
Interesting piece of contradiction is this word EGO. As human beings we don't like it but we own it. When we talk of the word EGO we need to understand some fundamentals. There are only two kinds of environment in our WORLD, that we should watch carefully - The Outer & The Inner.
In the SPIRITUAL WORLD (The Inner) when the high source of our energy & passion comes from BEING, one becomes just like a little child - without resentment, without attachment, without EGO but full of life & joy. Yes we do get caught up in scenarios which create circumstances to test our EGO CENTRIC approach (I) or in short our SPIRIT (The SOUL).
We can't understand EGO till we understand GOD/ SPIRIT/ ENERGY. God is both infinite WISDOM & infinite FEELING. When GOD manifested itself in creation, god gave WISDOM a form in the FATHER & gave FEELINGS in form of the MOTHER. As human beings we need to experience both the MOTHER & FATHER in our dealings & everything we do. However, EGO & SPIRIT are both parallel strengths of a BEING.
Your SOUL/ SPIRIT is absolutely perfect, but when identified with the physical body as EGO, its expression becomes distorted by human imperfections. Man has falsely identified himself with the PSEUDO-SOUL or EGO. When the man transfers his sense of identity to his true being, the immortal soul, he discovers that all the pain, the suffering & even the joy is unreal.
We do everything & rather attempt everything to attain JOY. But the real joy is the joy of SPIRIT. EGO centric thought takes us away from BEING what we could be. It also leads to BAD JUDGEMENTS. It is also important to understand that Good judgement is a natural expression of WISDOM, but it is directly dependent on the HARMONY (the PEACE) within, which is the POISE of MIND. When the mind lacks harmony, it lacks harmony, it has no peace; and without peace it lacks both judgement & wisdom.
In such hours people generally turn to EGO for advise & the advise by EGO is always an advise of OUTER & not INNER. The stimulus to EGO is the WORLD. The stimulus to PEACE is YOU, yourself. May God Bless you all.
In the SPIRITUAL WORLD (The Inner) when the high source of our energy & passion comes from BEING, one becomes just like a little child - without resentment, without attachment, without EGO but full of life & joy. Yes we do get caught up in scenarios which create circumstances to test our EGO CENTRIC approach (I) or in short our SPIRIT (The SOUL).
We can't understand EGO till we understand GOD/ SPIRIT/ ENERGY. God is both infinite WISDOM & infinite FEELING. When GOD manifested itself in creation, god gave WISDOM a form in the FATHER & gave FEELINGS in form of the MOTHER. As human beings we need to experience both the MOTHER & FATHER in our dealings & everything we do. However, EGO & SPIRIT are both parallel strengths of a BEING.
Your SOUL/ SPIRIT is absolutely perfect, but when identified with the physical body as EGO, its expression becomes distorted by human imperfections. Man has falsely identified himself with the PSEUDO-SOUL or EGO. When the man transfers his sense of identity to his true being, the immortal soul, he discovers that all the pain, the suffering & even the joy is unreal.
We do everything & rather attempt everything to attain JOY. But the real joy is the joy of SPIRIT. EGO centric thought takes us away from BEING what we could be. It also leads to BAD JUDGEMENTS. It is also important to understand that Good judgement is a natural expression of WISDOM, but it is directly dependent on the HARMONY (the PEACE) within, which is the POISE of MIND. When the mind lacks harmony, it lacks harmony, it has no peace; and without peace it lacks both judgement & wisdom.
In such hours people generally turn to EGO for advise & the advise by EGO is always an advise of OUTER & not INNER. The stimulus to EGO is the WORLD. The stimulus to PEACE is YOU, yourself. May God Bless you all.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
RECESSION - A LEADERSHIP OPPORTUNITY
KEY CULTURE Leadership Challenges in RECESSSION:-
LEADERSHIP – This is where it begins & ends. We are all good in our own rights but we have to distribute LEADERSHIP around people. Make them capable enough. Leadership of future requires ENERGY, VIBRANCY, PASSION, DEDICATION, CALCULATED RISKS & A COMMON GOAL. All of us in our careers & lives become somewhat routine & we do not realizing the missing element for that. In RECESSION I am seeing many LEADERS have started giving up to CHANCE what they were given a CHOICE to achieve. DESTINY carves a masterpiece when CHOICE overtakes CHANCE.
The missing elements in today's LEADERSHIP (much needed in SLOWDOWN) are :-
a) PASSION - Passion doesn't necessarily implies age or YOUTH. Though people generally associate PASSION with YOUTH. YOUTH is important as well. I have seen plenty 60 Year "YOUNG" professionals in my career making a difference. Being YOUNG & VIBRANT at heart & mind means we are willing to take responsibilities & not pass the BUCK around. When you are young at heart & mind, you invoke ENERGY & PASSION in everything you do, you are then a PROBLEM SOLVER & not a PROBLEM CREATOR.
b) HUNGER FOR MORE - Hunger for Results from SELF & TEAM. Hunger for LEARNING & Hunger for ACTIONS. DO, rather than talk alone or passing the responibility around. I hear this statement from many "it is not my job. Many a time from some of my own team members too. I always ignite a curious questioning on that -
How can something that has an impact on our Co. not be our job? GROWTH is critical & the only requirement of life but can we grow by staying where we are & doing what we have done so far alone. The answer is "NO".
We need to really question ourselves & think can we do better than what we are doing & then act on it. There's always a way to do things better & better. Continue to "RAISE THE BAR". Can we invoke passion & energy in our teams. Are we doing that yet? Again PASSION is & will always be the key.
c) LISTEN TO YOUR PEOPLE to MAKE THEM BETTER - People working with us look up to us for SUPPORT, COMMITMENT, DIRECTION & MENTORING. Are we spending enough time & efforts in grooming our people & teams.
When was the last time, we sat in a room & actually honestly LISTENED to our teams. Their problems, issues, concerns & offered them solutions or else taught them how to find solutions, which is the best way. Demonstrating by examples has always been and will be the only successful LEADERSHIP principle.
d) Experience Vs Creativity - Importance of Experience can't be doubted but importance of CREATIVITY, INNOVATION is much more critically making its impact in ORGANIZATIONS.
Gone are the days when experience alone validated solutions. Today's PEOPLE problems require a SOLUTION of today's times. Our basic aim has to be better than earlier anytime & everytime. Are we doing that in enough quantum. Let us check ourselves & see whether we are trying to LEARN everyday something new & implementing the same in our organization.
Experience is as good as today because tomorrow, you might face an all the more newer challenge. Being future ready comes with the ability to be CREATIVE & INNOVATE.
"FOR ATTAINING GREATNESS PROFESSIONALS HAVE TO FIGHT A WAR BETWEEN LISTENING TO GREY MATTER or GREY HAIRS". None of the biggest INNOVATIONS of today's times were a matter of CHANCE, they were a matter of CHOICE. Taking RISK over Being CONSERVATIVE. Being CONSERVATIVE comes naturally when the only thing you look for is your EXPERIENCE.
My honest choice, let's listen to both. Don't avoid any. Experience is good & required to solidify base but its only when EXPERIENCE & WISDOM, collective combines with PASSION, MATURITY, INNOVATION & CONTINUOUS CHANGE which wins you the final goals.
e) SPEED - Importance of SPEED is all the more critical. By the time we decide a solution, the problem changes or grows bigger. SPEED of DECISION & IMPORTANCE of the RIGHT DECISION at the RIGHT TIME is the most critical component, which would matter for us for us now & even tomorrow.
Friday, July 10, 2009
STRENGTH IS WITHIN US - The Beginning
The Strength is Within Us - Article By Ashutosh Labroo
The famous Bruce Lee once said “If you follow the classical patterns, you are understanding the routine, the tradition, the shadow - you are not understanding yourself.” There’s magic in these words, to me it’s the essence of being one with one-self.
What follows below, is not a philosophical write up on some spiritual ways of living or even anything near that.
My attempt is to evolve for my own sake a thought which will try to answer the essential questions in my mind on what stops average people from becoming excellent in their own way.
Since time immemorial we have had times where because of something not moving the way we wanted it to, we believed in it not being worthwhile.
I have myself struggled with million of such moments where I had personal battles but mostly with my own convictions to do or not do a thing because of acute pressures.
People who have been immensely successful in the way they did things have for me one common thread to catch and that is “They believed in doing a thing for themselves and not for the world around”.
Don’t mistake the statement for the act of not doing things for the world, as my story is actually about two such people who created a world in their own ways and made it a much better place to live in.
I strongly believe that millions of Einsteins, Galelios, Marconis, Aryabhattas died unknown in the last 1000 years because of them not realizing what was their calling and they believed in always being led rather than leading “essentially themselves”.
The essence of success is not knowing what the world in general wants you to do but what you feel has to be done because you don’t feel the other way round, and this will get supported further below with a few examples, I would share below.
I have in the past seen innumerably talented & knowledgeable people giving into what they believe they have to do to “fit in”. That is another story that, for the next part of their lives they would essentially miss what they always wanted so much to be and to be able to do.
My take is not on any of our current Business Leaders or any of our Business Gurus, rather I want to talk of two of my own inspirations, who perhaps are the best examples of how a man can ably lead a life successfully with his own thoughts and strong values, even when the world felt otherwise. _________________________________________________________________________________
STRENGTH IS WITHIN US - Life & Times of Bruce Lee
He was my icon and he still is one of my icons today, though the reasons for the same are different today.
He was perhaps the only CHINESE (Chinese believe in Buddha and not in Idols) who is today worshipped like a god by many in the Martial Arts schools he opened.
We all have actually seen him & known him on the wide screen as the world famous actor “Bruce Lee”.
There was a time when I loved Bruce Lee, the actor, today I admire Bruce Lee, the man.
Not many people know of his life’s story, which is nothing short of spectacular. His life was filled with so many awe inspiring events that its difficult to document it here but as the attempt is to learn from the same, I will try and mention some of them which had profound impact on me and the way I think today.
Not many people know of his life’s story, which is nothing short of spectacular. His life was filled with so many awe inspiring events that its difficult to document it here but as the attempt is to learn from the same, I will try and mention some of them which had profound impact on me and the way I think today.
Some people believed he was a messenger of god. I have no doubt when I see what he did in his really short lifetime (He died mysteriously at the age of Thirty Three).
He came from an extremely poor family and loved his father the most. He wanted to learn Martial Arts and learnt it in a traditional school, the hard way and not with the technology support of today. Martial Arts, if considered an ART, would need an artist to render it to us. Anyone can draw or paint, also anyone can strum a guitar, bang a piano or ‘like me’ write a story, but true artists are like interpreters of personal insight and that is what Bruce Lee was for Martial Arts.
His love for Martial Arts was so strong that he worked the whole day to earn money for paying for his Martial Arts education.
In his thirty-three years on this planet, Bruce produced volumes of writings on a multitude of subjects. He eventually developed his own “System” of Martial Arts called Jeet Kune Do (JKD).
Still, I believe, it wouldn’t be possible for us to understand his life till we trace some events in his life: -
Still, I believe, it wouldn’t be possible for us to understand his life till we trace some events in his life: -
1953 (Age 13): - Hong Kong - After being beaten up by a street gang, Bruce began to take Kung-Fu lessons, despite local Hong Kong laws, outlawing street-fights. This was the first & the last time Bruce ever lost a fight. He began to train under Sifu Yip Man, a master of the Wing Chun system of Kung-Fu.
1958 (Age 18): Hong Kong- Bruce entered the 1958 Boxing Championships and defeated the reigning three year champion, Gary Elms.
1959 (Age 19): Hong Kong - Because of numerous street fightings, causing police involvement, Bruce's father and mother decided that Bruce should take a three week voyage to the United States.
1959 (Age 19): San Francisco - Seattle - With $15 from his father, and $100 from his mother, Bruce arrived in the United States, living with an old friend of his father's. He worked odd jobs around the various Chinese communities. Later, he moved to Seattle to work for Ruby Chow, another friend of his father's.
He lived in a room above her restaurant while working as a waiter downstairs. He eventually enrolled in Edison Technical School and earns his high school diploma. Bruce began to teach his Martial Art skills in backyards and city parks.
1961 - March (Age 21): Seattle- Bruce enrolled at the University of Washington, studying Philosophy. He taught Kung-Fu to students at school.
1963 - October 25 (Age 23): Seattle - Bruce started his first Jun Fan Kung-Fu Institute. When he came to US, he realized that people didn’t knew Martial Arts the way he knew it, and had lots of misunderstandings about it as a way to fight like kick boxing.
The passion for Martial Arts was so strong in Bruce’s heart that he wanted everyone in US to
learn about it and therefore Bruce moves his Jun Fan Kung-Fu Institute into a building (4750 University Way) near the university campus.
He taught any person of any race. (Most Asian Martial Arts schools would only teach people of their own race). Chinese Idealists in US & China shunned this move and created a huge uproar on the same and abolished him from all Chinese gatherings and cultural events as well as publicly denounced him,
These actions infact motivated him to more strongly pursue the spreading of Martial Arts amongst people. It was like a mission, which revolved as the purpose of his life.
His life was actually built with spectacular events, once on the sets during a fight sequence, he went below water and remained there without breathing for more than two minutes, people feared he is dead, but he came out to everyone’s surprise and completed the sequence. The same sequence went on to get Bruce’s skills noticed at global movie scene much later.
1964 - June (Age 24): - Bruce planned to open a second Jun Fan Kung-Fu Institute in Oakland, CA. Plans are finalized, and Bruce leaves Seattle to start a second Jun Fan Kung-Fu school in Oakland. His good friend, Taky Kimura, takes over as head instructor.
1964 - August 2 (Age 24): Long Beach, Ca - Ed Parker, known as the Father of American Karate (Kenpo), invites Bruce to give a demonstration. He actually wanted to test his abilities. Bruce goes there and shows off his "one-inch punch," and his two-finger push-ups, where he literally does "two" finger push-ups.
1965 (Age 24): Oakland - Several months after he begins teaching, he is challenged by, Wong Jack Man, one of the biggest names in Kung Fu and a leading Kung-Fu practitioner in the Chinatown Community who also is one of the people who publicly shunned Bruce for sharing Martial Arts with people from outside Asian Communities. Bruce agreed to fight.
The conditions for fighting were: If Bruce loses, he will, either close his school, or stop teaching Americans; and if Jack looses, he will stop teaching. Jack Man Wong had a strong clout & name for his fighting skills amongst Chinese in US, he was considered impossible to be defeated in a fight/ a match.
He believed Bruce wouldn’t actually come to fight, also to irritate Bruce; he tried to delay the match. Bruce insists that they shouldn’t wait for the decision. Wong then tried to put limitations on techniques.
Bruce refused "rules of fighting” and the two go no holds barred in a free style of fighting. As soon as the fight began, Bruce began to pound Jack Wong in only a couple of seconds. As Bruce was winning, Jack Wong attempted to flee, but gets caught by Bruce. Bruce finally pinned him on the ground in less than a minute.
This till 1995 was the fastest ever pin down in a martial arts fight.
Bruce’s self belief was so strong that he was actually bothered on why the fight took so long and begins to re-evaluate his style. He was determined that he is not in his top physical condition and started to work on his mental and physical self and the result was for everyone to see. Thus, the early concepts of Jeet Kune Do (JKD), "The art of the intercepting fist" is created.
JKD is an art including techniques of all types of fighting. (i.e. American Boxing, Thai Kick Boxing, Japanese Karate, etc.) Bruce Lee’s style was “no style” and that was the belief and vision behind “Jeet Kune Do”.
1970 (Age 30): Los Angeles - Bruce injured his sacral nerve and experienced severe muscle spasms in his back while training.
His condition was so severe, Doctors told him, that he would never be able to kick again and will possibly have to use support to even walk. Bruce took his condition as a personal challenge and started to chart his own journey to recovery, he started to document his training methods and his philosophy of Jeet Kune Do. Later after his death, his wife in memory of Bruce Lee published The Tao of Jeet Kune Do.
1973 - February (Age 33): Hong Kong - Bruce got his chance at American stardom as filming of Enter the Dragon It was the first-ever production between the U.S. and Hong Kong film industries.
1973 (Age 33): Los Angeles - Grace Lee, Bruce's sister, sees Bruce in Los Angeles, CA. Bruce tells her that he does not expect to live much longer but that she shouldn’t worry about finances as he will make sure she is provided for all that she wanted in life. She rebukes him for talking that way.
1973 - April (Age 33): Hong Kong - Filming of Enter the Dragon is completed.Bruce was at Golden Harvest Studios in Hong Kong dubbing his voice for "Enter The Dragon". The air conditioners had been turned off, so the microphones won't pick them up. Bruce took a break looping lines to go to the bathroom and splash water on his face. In the bathroom, he passed out on the bathroom floor.
He revived twenty minutes later just as an assistant sent to find out what was keeping him walks in and discovers him on the ground. He tried to conceal his collapse by acting as though he has dropped his glasses on the floor and is searching for them and is helped up by the assistant. As they are walking back to the dubbing room, Bruce collapses again and is rushed to a nearby hospital.
1973 - July 20 (Age 33): Hong Kong - Bruce Lee dies in Hong Kong of an apparent cerebral edema (swelling of the brain). After much confusion and debate, doctors declared the death of Bruce Lee as "death by misadventure." Enter the Dragon was delayed from its initial premieres four days later because of the actor’s death.
Though the world in general is always curious and interested enough to talk of how Bruce died under mysterious circumstances, I personally would rather find meanings from the way he lived his life. The question that I am sure you have on your mind, is why was Bruce Lee so famous, and why is he still thought of as the Master of Chinese Martial Arts?
Actually, Bruce criticized Karate for its broken motions, and Wing Chun for its flashy techniques. Both, he said, were not ideal to use in actual combat. This is the reason for the creation of Jeet Kune Do (JKD). JKD was designed to be used in real life situations.
It's style was no style. The goal of JKD is not to master certain techniques, but to let your body express the techniques in its own way. Everyone has his own style, and JKD is a form of bringing it out.
Bruce once said, "Many people come to instructors and say, like a man, ”what is the truth? Hand it over to me.” So therefore the instructor would say, 'I'll give you my Japanese way of doing it.' And another guy would say 'I'll give you the Chinese way of doing it.' But if you only have two hands and two legs, nationalities don't mean anything.
When you go with a particular style, you're expressing that style. You are not expressing yourself." What a statement and what a reflection of a life led with a purpose of being one with oneself.
"Jeet Kune Do was really intended as a means of self discovery or enlightenment. In the linear notes of his album, Tauhid, saxaphonist Pharaoh Sanders (who follows Jeet Kune Do) describes it as a process of self-discovery: 'I don't see the horn anymore. I'm trying to see myself. If you have the discipline, you can do whatever you want to. You yourself are the key to yourself.'"
Robert Clouse recalls Bruce : "The first time he would meet you, you'd expect him to shake hands but instead he'd step back and flick out his foot so fast you could feel the air move right at the tip of your nose. Then he'd take your hand and place it on his stomach. It was kind of his calling card."
Bruce had the courage to move away from the shackles of what were general beliefs and practices. He created & rather carved his iconic stature with his own hands & literally “his legs”.
As a man, he was so agile and fast, that there were researches done on the same, his mind control was so impactful that in the most severe of fights with tens of people, he always insisted on being hit as bad as it can get and never used a double.
To this day many Bruce Lee Imitators have tried to be just like him, but have all just faded. Even a star like Jackie Chan said “There can never be a NEW Bruce Lee”. That was Bruce Lee...... The Legend !!!
STRENGTH IS WITHIN US - Life & Times - Chanakya
Many of us have heard his name, and read about him too but today seem to have forgotten him and his contribution. Ironically, he was perhaps the most impactful personality & a true leader who was an inspiration to millions of people in INDIA during his lifetime.
His subjects have ranged from Leadership, Politics, Morals, Values, Integrity, to Family Life and many other wisdoms. the man had a kitty of wisdom which was passed on from generations to generations.
Unfortunately, with time, people seem to have forgotten him and only remembered what he did or said and that too only the actions & not the creator.
Chanakaya was “the best example of a man who followed his own convictions with all spirit and vigour” and perhaps unraveled many mysteries of how a man can believe in anything and even achieve that.
His was the time when INDIA was emerging out of “Dark Age”. That was the time when the old values were losing their relevance and the new were yet to be established. It was an age of confusion which permeated every walk of society.
The Dharma, which was so far a guiding force was being subjected to the contradictory interpretations.
Taking the advantage of this confusion, Alexander invaded INDIA with the help of the selfish rulers of border states. Chanakya witnessed and felt the severe trauma of this major invasion by a foreigner.
Contrary to Alexander, the earlier invaders settled down in INDIA, but here was an invasion of a totally “alien culture & army” which had its own traditions & strengths.
Interestingly, this shattering jolt helped efface the prevailing confusion in INDIA and expedited the emergence of a new system, which was actually authored by none other than “CHANAKYA”.
He was indeed the first thinker of the ancient time who established the sense of nationalism and the love of the country in the minds of general public.
He was the first man who ensured that people don’t blindly bow towards their DHARMA as the discipline of their actions, he nurtured and sometimes with force ensured people owe their basic allegiance to the RAJYA (State of Nation) and not to the DHARMA.
He was the essential nationalist who made the concept of the State as Paramount. Nation comes first.
Imagine what CHANAKYA might have faced in doing so, perhaps he was fighting everyone in this country as the DHARMA was the only rule at that time.
He strongly felt the need to renovate the system of our country and went all out to carve the new INDIA at a time when INDIA was moving towards self-destruction.
Though some historians might dis-agree that the situation in INDIA was so bad or whether DHARMA was ever straying in hands of wrong doers, the essential thing to understand here is that the man had the GUTS & CONVICTION to stand against almost a NATION to establish what he believed was right.
Chanakya was indeed a true leader who demonstrated in real sense how to “WALK YOUR TALK”, and he believed not only in imparting instructions but in also seeing their practical implementations.
Chanakya actually carved a major part of what we know today as our country along with his disciple Chandragupta and also ensured people respect their nation and love it.
What is a better proof of the results of this magnanimous person that for a coming full millennium no major invasion was undertaken towards the INDIAN Borders.
Also the social, civil & political norms that Chanakya established had the concept of Democracy in its embryonic form.
Chanakya’s greatness is evident in two of his shlokas (CHANAKYA NITI), where he said :-
Shloka 1 :- “The best metal Gold satisfies all other senses but has no fragrance, sugarcane, the best stem is fruitless and the sandal, the best wood has no flowers.” Essence - “Nothing is perfect in this world”, every creation will have scope to improve further”.
Shloka 2 :- “Rains over the sea are useless, so is feeding the well fed, giving alms to a rich man and burning a lamp in daytime is a wastage.” Essence - “There is time for doing for every action, No action should be taken without knowing the subject and an objective in mind.”
If we look inside, most of us in our lifetime have more or less developed an accurate habit of fixing blames of our failures on either the things we don’t have or can’t have, or resources we can’t possess or own.
Interestingly Chanakya was an example of very few people who made their weaknesses or scarcity their major strengths, especially Chanakya.
The things which separated CHANAKYA from others during his time, who had perhaps stronger body, younger age, more ability, higher resources, and better knowledge.
Courage – Ability to withstand anything in life.
Conviction – Belief in self and an unsatisfied hunger to do more and more
Wisdom – Read people, environment, situations, & take planned & calculated actions
Leadership – Lead people to what they can do by being a teacher-coach-guide-friend Coaching/ Mentoring – Coach by examples & principles Have a strong Vision/ Purpose for yourself.
His subjects have ranged from Leadership, Politics, Morals, Values, Integrity, to Family Life and many other wisdoms. the man had a kitty of wisdom which was passed on from generations to generations.
Unfortunately, with time, people seem to have forgotten him and only remembered what he did or said and that too only the actions & not the creator.
Chanakaya was “the best example of a man who followed his own convictions with all spirit and vigour” and perhaps unraveled many mysteries of how a man can believe in anything and even achieve that.
His was the time when INDIA was emerging out of “Dark Age”. That was the time when the old values were losing their relevance and the new were yet to be established. It was an age of confusion which permeated every walk of society.
The Dharma, which was so far a guiding force was being subjected to the contradictory interpretations.
Taking the advantage of this confusion, Alexander invaded INDIA with the help of the selfish rulers of border states. Chanakya witnessed and felt the severe trauma of this major invasion by a foreigner.
Contrary to Alexander, the earlier invaders settled down in INDIA, but here was an invasion of a totally “alien culture & army” which had its own traditions & strengths.
Interestingly, this shattering jolt helped efface the prevailing confusion in INDIA and expedited the emergence of a new system, which was actually authored by none other than “CHANAKYA”.
He was indeed the first thinker of the ancient time who established the sense of nationalism and the love of the country in the minds of general public.
He was the first man who ensured that people don’t blindly bow towards their DHARMA as the discipline of their actions, he nurtured and sometimes with force ensured people owe their basic allegiance to the RAJYA (State of Nation) and not to the DHARMA.
He was the essential nationalist who made the concept of the State as Paramount. Nation comes first.
Imagine what CHANAKYA might have faced in doing so, perhaps he was fighting everyone in this country as the DHARMA was the only rule at that time.
He strongly felt the need to renovate the system of our country and went all out to carve the new INDIA at a time when INDIA was moving towards self-destruction.
Though some historians might dis-agree that the situation in INDIA was so bad or whether DHARMA was ever straying in hands of wrong doers, the essential thing to understand here is that the man had the GUTS & CONVICTION to stand against almost a NATION to establish what he believed was right.
Chanakya was indeed a true leader who demonstrated in real sense how to “WALK YOUR TALK”, and he believed not only in imparting instructions but in also seeing their practical implementations.
Chanakya actually carved a major part of what we know today as our country along with his disciple Chandragupta and also ensured people respect their nation and love it.
What is a better proof of the results of this magnanimous person that for a coming full millennium no major invasion was undertaken towards the INDIAN Borders.
Also the social, civil & political norms that Chanakya established had the concept of Democracy in its embryonic form.
Chanakya’s greatness is evident in two of his shlokas (CHANAKYA NITI), where he said :-
Shloka 1 :- “The best metal Gold satisfies all other senses but has no fragrance, sugarcane, the best stem is fruitless and the sandal, the best wood has no flowers.” Essence - “Nothing is perfect in this world”, every creation will have scope to improve further”.
Shloka 2 :- “Rains over the sea are useless, so is feeding the well fed, giving alms to a rich man and burning a lamp in daytime is a wastage.” Essence - “There is time for doing for every action, No action should be taken without knowing the subject and an objective in mind.”
If we look inside, most of us in our lifetime have more or less developed an accurate habit of fixing blames of our failures on either the things we don’t have or can’t have, or resources we can’t possess or own.
Interestingly Chanakya was an example of very few people who made their weaknesses or scarcity their major strengths, especially Chanakya.
The things which separated CHANAKYA from others during his time, who had perhaps stronger body, younger age, more ability, higher resources, and better knowledge.
Courage – Ability to withstand anything in life.
Conviction – Belief in self and an unsatisfied hunger to do more and more
Wisdom – Read people, environment, situations, & take planned & calculated actions
Leadership – Lead people to what they can do by being a teacher-coach-guide-friend Coaching/ Mentoring – Coach by examples & principles Have a strong Vision/ Purpose for yourself.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
INDIAN BUSINESS - WINDS OF CHANGE (HR) - PREFACE
Jun-2003 WINDS OF CHANGE – HR –
Article by Ashutosh Labroo
PREFACE - BEGINNING THE UN-ENDING
I believe Indian business today is entering an age of ‘Un-Reason’ -- a time when the future in so many areas is to be shaped by us and for us; a time when the only prediction that will hold true is that no prediction will hold true; a time, therefore, for bold imagining in private life as well as public; for thinking the unlikely and doing the so called ‘Unreasonable.’ In Unreasonable times the traditional and old ways of thinking are no longer enough; take an example of any HR strategy.
When the future was ‘predictable’ – or at least, when we believed it to be predictable – companies could chart their people-strategies with confidence. Today, however, we cannot talk of change and future separately because it is the change which leads us to what we term as future.
The people dimension has come a long way from being considered as a mere pawn to a tool or component in the pre-industrialization era, to today being considered a resource, asset or capital.
However attractive the statement though, as an HR professional, I clearly disagree with people in an organization being called ‘Assets’ or as ‘Capital’. To me, people in any organization cannot be merely understood by a definition. Our biggest challenge in India today, is to get over this mindset of people as Assets or Capital, for these are meant to depreciate. People are neither of these and thus, should purely be considered a Resource.
Human Resource is a paradigm and a system in itself and probably the most important in today’s business; if companies utilize the talent of their people well, they can bring about a revolution in any dimension or perspective.
We have seen the Japanese do it; we are seeing the Chinese Dragon rising sharp and high today. How is that for a reason enough to believe that people themselves are capable of becoming more powerful and strong to rewrite/ change ‘predicted’ future! But can we talk about the ‘Winds of Change’ in HR and not look at its past as a function or as an integral part of business processes today? We need to understand HR in the context of its past, its present and ‘staring in our faces’ future:
INDIAN BUSINESS - WINDS OF CHANGE (HR) - HR Roles And Responsibilities Today
HR Roles And Responsibilities Today :
• Personnel Administration : This is largely an operational role, dealing with welfare activities, administration of company, workers, staff, security, well-being and upkeep of people policies.
• IR (Industrial Relations) : Deals with labour union interface, negotiations, litigations if any, pro business labour policy design and implementation. This HR function is probably the most challenging. Yet, it is usually under-estimated to be a merely operational function, though it plays a strong and critical role in company’s labour strategies. With the outsourcing of major processes under this umbrella, there is a popular notion that IR is an unimportant and unattractive career option. However, if one wants to be an HR professional of repute, one needs to spend a fair amount of time in IR as an HR professional; there is no other function which teaches you real people skills at the grassroots level.
• Human Resource Development : Largely a role which caters to skills, competency and talent development in the company by tapping the inherent capabilities, attitude and behaviour of people and making sure the gaps between required levels and present levels are mapped scientifically. This is a highly specialized field today and is considered a science (I still don’t know why, because to me it is just a study and interpretation of human behaviour to make it better suited to the business environment). However, with the reality of Assessment Centres, Behavioural Training and Competency Modelling, HRD as a function is on an unending journey of discovery and exploration.
• Learning & Development : This, to me, is the lifeline of any Company and the sooner we realize this, the better. From a business perspective, there still exist companies where training is seen as an expense. But we are soon approaching a ‘Mutual Understanding Arena’ where training will be understood as important as the job itself. There are companies where the concept of a learning organization has come of age and they have made training and learning a concrete part of their existence, for e.g., HLL, P&G, Castrol, etc.; and yet there are companies which are hugely successful and yet, have not realized the value of what they can achieve by training their employees. Finally, to come back to the point, learning is now like ‘breathing’ for the business world. No business today will remain unaffected by opportunities to learn / develop. Here are just a few refuting facts -- almost 40 per cent of the companies which comprised the fortune 500 list a decade ago, no longer exist. Of the 1970 Fortune list, 60 per cent have disappeared (either acquired or out of business). Out of the 12 companies which comprised the Dow Jones Industrial Index in 1900, only General Electric survives as a giant. Of course, GE itself made learning and development and Six Sigma a way of life quite early, when in our country we had probably not even thought about it. The results are for everyone to see - with GE’s huge success and its pride - now famous boundaryless organization, and workout methodology.
• Knowledge Management : With e-business becoming a reality and the Internet coming of age, all businesses and related functions including HR have been affected. Gone are the days when ‘what you already know’ was sufficient to ensure that you have arrived. Information today has grown in magnitude and proportion and its impossible to know everything; yet, from a business perspective, it is critical to ensure that we know what we need to ‘at the right time and at the right speed’.
With market giants in ERP, implementations like PEOPLESOFT, ORACLE, SAP, etc. e-HR has come of age. Imagine, sitting here in India, I can find a replacement for a position in Egypt; or, I can ensure that a person from the US who is excellent in a particular function or skill with respect to my business processes can come down and train my employees; or better still, I can arrange a Video Conferencing and put my batch of people to learn from the person himself!
Knowledge is infinite and it is up to us to explore the relevant and required portions of it. In many companies, HR has successfully transcended from a ‘Limited Knowledge Sharing’ towards ‘available to all for use’ and better for ‘Innovation Capability’. HR Intranets today play a big role on the platform of ‘Knowledge Sharing’ and ‘Knowledge Management’.
What we know will always be less than someone else out there who knows better; so it is up to us to share and explore knowledge. If you look at Indian businesses, you will realize that we are bad planners but excellent executors.
We are also extremely good at Theorizing Change, though in practical context we give up easily on the implementation. We, Indians, need to be inspired, motivated and retained to give our best. Look at any MNC’s business statistics in India; if they are doing good, it is as much because of our ability as it is their failures too. Indian business still has a long way to go. The seeds of change, though, have already been sown in many places -- due credit to some people and organizations. Change is being justified to the ‘T’ in many ways by some and totally denied or faked by others.
Let’s understand the simple phenomenon from the following : If you put the frog in cold water and start heating the water slowly, the frog will eventually let itself boil to death, since the change is gradual. By the time it realizes what is happening, it is too late. We too will not survive if we are not ultra sensitive to the radical way in which the world is changing. From now on success will come to those who understand the ‘Boiled Frog Syndrome’. Change today, is worldwide issue, which, naturally affects our country too. In the context of a larger framework, we too are rapidly emerging as a Knowledge Economy from a Skilled Manpower Economy.
At the same time the challenges confronting the Indian HR Fraternity today, are multi- dimensional and multi-focused fight inconsequential labour practices and ineffective labour legislations, cut through bureaucracy, unethical behaviour and red-tapism ...... the list is endless.
• Personnel Administration : This is largely an operational role, dealing with welfare activities, administration of company, workers, staff, security, well-being and upkeep of people policies.
• IR (Industrial Relations) : Deals with labour union interface, negotiations, litigations if any, pro business labour policy design and implementation. This HR function is probably the most challenging. Yet, it is usually under-estimated to be a merely operational function, though it plays a strong and critical role in company’s labour strategies. With the outsourcing of major processes under this umbrella, there is a popular notion that IR is an unimportant and unattractive career option. However, if one wants to be an HR professional of repute, one needs to spend a fair amount of time in IR as an HR professional; there is no other function which teaches you real people skills at the grassroots level.
• Human Resource Development : Largely a role which caters to skills, competency and talent development in the company by tapping the inherent capabilities, attitude and behaviour of people and making sure the gaps between required levels and present levels are mapped scientifically. This is a highly specialized field today and is considered a science (I still don’t know why, because to me it is just a study and interpretation of human behaviour to make it better suited to the business environment). However, with the reality of Assessment Centres, Behavioural Training and Competency Modelling, HRD as a function is on an unending journey of discovery and exploration.
• Learning & Development : This, to me, is the lifeline of any Company and the sooner we realize this, the better. From a business perspective, there still exist companies where training is seen as an expense. But we are soon approaching a ‘Mutual Understanding Arena’ where training will be understood as important as the job itself. There are companies where the concept of a learning organization has come of age and they have made training and learning a concrete part of their existence, for e.g., HLL, P&G, Castrol, etc.; and yet there are companies which are hugely successful and yet, have not realized the value of what they can achieve by training their employees. Finally, to come back to the point, learning is now like ‘breathing’ for the business world. No business today will remain unaffected by opportunities to learn / develop. Here are just a few refuting facts -- almost 40 per cent of the companies which comprised the fortune 500 list a decade ago, no longer exist. Of the 1970 Fortune list, 60 per cent have disappeared (either acquired or out of business). Out of the 12 companies which comprised the Dow Jones Industrial Index in 1900, only General Electric survives as a giant. Of course, GE itself made learning and development and Six Sigma a way of life quite early, when in our country we had probably not even thought about it. The results are for everyone to see - with GE’s huge success and its pride - now famous boundaryless organization, and workout methodology.
• Knowledge Management : With e-business becoming a reality and the Internet coming of age, all businesses and related functions including HR have been affected. Gone are the days when ‘what you already know’ was sufficient to ensure that you have arrived. Information today has grown in magnitude and proportion and its impossible to know everything; yet, from a business perspective, it is critical to ensure that we know what we need to ‘at the right time and at the right speed’.
With market giants in ERP, implementations like PEOPLESOFT, ORACLE, SAP, etc. e-HR has come of age. Imagine, sitting here in India, I can find a replacement for a position in Egypt; or, I can ensure that a person from the US who is excellent in a particular function or skill with respect to my business processes can come down and train my employees; or better still, I can arrange a Video Conferencing and put my batch of people to learn from the person himself!
Knowledge is infinite and it is up to us to explore the relevant and required portions of it. In many companies, HR has successfully transcended from a ‘Limited Knowledge Sharing’ towards ‘available to all for use’ and better for ‘Innovation Capability’. HR Intranets today play a big role on the platform of ‘Knowledge Sharing’ and ‘Knowledge Management’.
What we know will always be less than someone else out there who knows better; so it is up to us to share and explore knowledge. If you look at Indian businesses, you will realize that we are bad planners but excellent executors.
We are also extremely good at Theorizing Change, though in practical context we give up easily on the implementation. We, Indians, need to be inspired, motivated and retained to give our best. Look at any MNC’s business statistics in India; if they are doing good, it is as much because of our ability as it is their failures too. Indian business still has a long way to go. The seeds of change, though, have already been sown in many places -- due credit to some people and organizations. Change is being justified to the ‘T’ in many ways by some and totally denied or faked by others.
Let’s understand the simple phenomenon from the following : If you put the frog in cold water and start heating the water slowly, the frog will eventually let itself boil to death, since the change is gradual. By the time it realizes what is happening, it is too late. We too will not survive if we are not ultra sensitive to the radical way in which the world is changing. From now on success will come to those who understand the ‘Boiled Frog Syndrome’. Change today, is worldwide issue, which, naturally affects our country too. In the context of a larger framework, we too are rapidly emerging as a Knowledge Economy from a Skilled Manpower Economy.
At the same time the challenges confronting the Indian HR Fraternity today, are multi- dimensional and multi-focused fight inconsequential labour practices and ineffective labour legislations, cut through bureaucracy, unethical behaviour and red-tapism ...... the list is endless.
Monday, February 2, 2009
INDIAN BUSINESS - WINDS OF CHANGE (HR) - CHALLENGES
Challenges Confronting HR Professionals Today:
1] Establishing Values: The Indian population suffers from the ‘short cut mentality’ and the ‘sab chalta hai’ attitude. It is up to us, the HR professionals to ensure business is done -- but not at the cost of values. Let us remember the time is gone when the results justified the means. In today’s time only those businesses will survive which believe that the means justify the ends and not the other way round. The Enron and Arthur Andersons stories, are examples of the same worldwide issues.
2] Corporate Social Responsibility : A few companies of the likes of Wipro, Infosys, Castrol, Tata Honeywell, etc. in India have also realized the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility and how strong a role it plays in building the character of a company. HR today, has started placing the necessary emphasis and focus on ‘Business with Values.
3] Global Resourcing & Talent Management : We need to work on selecting and cultivating a ‘Talent Pool’ of efficient and effective manpower. It is as easy to talk about as much difficult it is to exhibit; but if one has to look at examples -- Castrol, P&G and INFOSYS amongst many others, who are true to life examples of companies who have invested time, effort and money into building such talent pools.
4] Flat Organizations : We need to cut flab and hierarchy and make our Companies leaner and flatter, to work with speed and flexibility. Talent retention would be the key challenge for Indian businesses.
5] People : New skills, new competencies, knowledge base, careers and challenges for top talent by grooming them for senior positions.
6] Society: Building channels for employment and demonstrate high social ethics.
7] National : Building fair, ethical, upright, committed, dedicated and a patriotic work force which not only adds value to us but to the country as well. Finally, if HR has to implement change, it has to directly involve and alter the perceptions and behaviour of people. It also has to carry people along with it, as they will implement the change. All of us as Indians have to play a strong role in the country to ensure that the ‘Winds of Change’ take us forward into a new direction of growth and prosperity.
In the end I will just say that all of us need to remember : “A Butterfly is not more caterpillar, or a better caterpillar, or improved caterpillar; it is simply a different creature !” HR today needs to create butterflies and not caterpillars every time and any time.
ASHUTOSH LABROO
1] Establishing Values: The Indian population suffers from the ‘short cut mentality’ and the ‘sab chalta hai’ attitude. It is up to us, the HR professionals to ensure business is done -- but not at the cost of values. Let us remember the time is gone when the results justified the means. In today’s time only those businesses will survive which believe that the means justify the ends and not the other way round. The Enron and Arthur Andersons stories, are examples of the same worldwide issues.
2] Corporate Social Responsibility : A few companies of the likes of Wipro, Infosys, Castrol, Tata Honeywell, etc. in India have also realized the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility and how strong a role it plays in building the character of a company. HR today, has started placing the necessary emphasis and focus on ‘Business with Values.
3] Global Resourcing & Talent Management : We need to work on selecting and cultivating a ‘Talent Pool’ of efficient and effective manpower. It is as easy to talk about as much difficult it is to exhibit; but if one has to look at examples -- Castrol, P&G and INFOSYS amongst many others, who are true to life examples of companies who have invested time, effort and money into building such talent pools.
4] Flat Organizations : We need to cut flab and hierarchy and make our Companies leaner and flatter, to work with speed and flexibility. Talent retention would be the key challenge for Indian businesses.
5] People : New skills, new competencies, knowledge base, careers and challenges for top talent by grooming them for senior positions.
6] Society: Building channels for employment and demonstrate high social ethics.
7] National : Building fair, ethical, upright, committed, dedicated and a patriotic work force which not only adds value to us but to the country as well. Finally, if HR has to implement change, it has to directly involve and alter the perceptions and behaviour of people. It also has to carry people along with it, as they will implement the change. All of us as Indians have to play a strong role in the country to ensure that the ‘Winds of Change’ take us forward into a new direction of growth and prosperity.
In the end I will just say that all of us need to remember : “A Butterfly is not more caterpillar, or a better caterpillar, or improved caterpillar; it is simply a different creature !” HR today needs to create butterflies and not caterpillars every time and any time.
ASHUTOSH LABROO
INDIAN BUSINESS - WINDS OF CHANGE (HR) - Milestones
Milestones In The History Of HR
1920’s :
Labour Union Movement in India got its impetus; around the same time, the term Labour Officer was coined.
1950’s :
Saw the emergence of Labour Unions as a powerful force; a force that will probably have the most interesting, if not dangerous, impact on Indian businesses and the way people in them are managed. Perhaps during the same time the term Labour Officer was interchanged with many a term and some of them are used till date.
HR Roles And Responsibilities In The Pre-Liberalization Era :
• Labour Officer – Largely dealt with recruitment of labour, general welfare and upkeep of labour class in big plants and manufacturing sites. His / her regular jobs were to plan and implement processes pertaining to salary, wages, welfare, etc.
• Safety/Security Officer – Generally dealt with regular security and safety (understood as welfare conditions today) in the plant to ensure proper and safe working conditions.
• Welfare Officer – Generally a cross role between labour officer and safety / security officer.
• Personnel Officer – A high-end version of Labour Officer’s role with added responsibilities of general administration in the plants.
• Administration Officer – Dealt with general administration and maintenance of the plant. • HR Officer - Very few companies had the role of HR professionals as it is understood today. This role actually evolved in a major way only post liberalization and globalization in the early 90’s. The biggest dilemma for HR as a function in the past (perhaps till today, in some companies) was that it was never considered a ‘line’ function and always given the status of a staff role; thus there were hardly any positions like that of HR Managers or Vice President or Director - HR.
1980’s :
It was during this decade (till the 90’s) that the term HR came into being and the function which had the mere responsibility of taking care of the needs, general well being and security of the labour class, started getting a phenomenal thrust in role responsibility and job classification. Businesses during this time started realizing that people management is not an easy task and it needs specialized attention. Thus came into reckoning the erstwhile term HR; a term which served the longest tenure till date, to recognize people who are doing everything but were seldom seen as a line function. However, that paradigm is coming to an end with HR being further converted into a strategic function largely playing a developmental role in the company’s future. 1990’s : In the last decade HR has come a long way -- from being merely a function which was an interface between unions and workers and Management, merely doing operational and administrative jobs in a company, to a function which has classifications with a range an umbrella of job roles and responsibilities today.
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