Challenge is to be on the edge!

A beautiful thought crossed my mind that it's always challenging to play on edges. It always required more skill to stick or cross an edge of a cliff/mountain. In a similar way in an organisation how two or more functions interact with each others becomes very critical for the success of that organisation. Also inter-disciplinary problems are more challenging and require mastery of more than one disciplines.

Act of Sabjiwala

Only yesterday i heard my sabjiwala speaking through the loudspeaker and telling evryone the new prices of sabji. To my surprise more no of people came out of their houses to check him out and see his new marketing gimmick. People also bought sabji from him as the prices were really competitive compared to the mandi. In these testing times even a sabjiwala has learnt to use technology to increase his reach and thereby also increase his sales. Indeed we can learn something from him.

New story everyday

I have a habit of writing something at the end of the day in my diary. I believe that this practice can be great value add to yourself as you can think and see for yourself how you responded in a particular situation or things you have learnt. Everyday life weaves a story in which we play different roles and so it teaches us something everyday. It is up to us to take note of those teachings as well as our failures as they will someday be stepping stones to success.

Learning Accounts can help

In the time of financial slowdown reducing costs have become major priority of most firms. I personally feel that the reason why most of companies are not good at managing their costs is because they are dependent on their CFO's or person/team handling the company's finance. Managing cost should not be the pererogative of the company's finance team. In fact each person in a company should have knowledge about finance so that He/she can better contribute towards reducing the overall costs on a day to day basis. I have found this knowledge lacking in many companies where even the managers use wrong forecasting methods which can create a cash flow problems in the company- and this is irrespective of Managers being very skilled in their respective functions.

New Ideas

I believe that if each one of us can think of a need which has not been satisfied till now it can act as a starting point of many new product ideas. Those ideas then can be further researched and tested before the decision is taken to market them. This idea factory can be created within your organization and the stakeholders like your employees can be rewarded suitability. There are many organizations that are successfully doing this but this does not mean that you should completely emulate them but rather you should decide your own framework and work on it in a regular manner.

Low turnout in Mumbai

On April 30, 2009 third phase of the elections for 15th lok sabha and there was a lesser turn out than in year 2004. It really feels strange that in spite of so many actors/public personalities appealing to people to vote and after such carnage in Mumbai by militants there was such a slag response! I had not expected this out of Mumbai.

We should learn from stories

I am particularly fond of stories as they convey a deeper meaning with a message to your audience . The story I am about to tell is about a man who had to move to an apartment in the city. Circumstances did not allow taking his dog with him. He offered the dog to a farmer who turned him down. The man related the experience to a friend who was a salesman who went to see the farmer. He told the farmer that he often drove by the farm and and was so impressed by the appearance that he wanted to meet the owner. The farmer offered to show him around and pointer with pride to his building. The friend asked the farmer whether he had problems with rats. The farmer said yes. When the friend saw the heard of cattle he asked the farmer whether he had problems getting them into barn at night. The friend also asked him about robbers. He finally sold him the dog. I hope you did learn something!

Learning from a book

I remember reading a book titled “Sun Tzu- strategies for selling” by Gerald and Steven . Few things which I learned/observed from this book are as under:-

a. That selling is a trade for the ignorant and a science for the professional. Professional skills are honed through study and practice. People who think that their skills are naturally born will not focus on self improvement and their personal growth will be stalled.
b. Instead of saying “How much do you want to pay?” it’s better to say “How much are you thinking of investing?”
c. Learn from experience of others as well as from your own.
d. Strategy is an idea seeking its means of execution. Tactics are the means of execution used to carry out ideas.
e. To subdue an enemy without fighting is the supreme excellence.
f. The best policy is to attack the strategy of your enemy next best is to disrupt his alliances through diplomatic means next best is to attack the enemy in the field and the worst is to attack walled cities.
g. Ask such questions if you have lost a sale “Just for my information would you mind telling me what I/we did wrong?”
h. One should use normal force to engage and the extraordinary to win.

Stimulate your brain

Very few people these days read poems but the reason behind this is that most of us have got so entangled in his/her work that we don’t have time for these things. Only yesterday when I was searching through some notes that I came across a poem by Mr. H W Longfellow, I had long forgotten. I touched my heart and I am sure it will touch yours. Here it reads:-

“I shot an arrow into the air
It fell to earth, I knew not where,
For so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could not follow it in its flight
I breathed a song into the air
It fell to earth, I knew not where
For who has sight so keen and strong
That it can follow the flight of song
Long, long afterward, in an oak
I found the arrow, still unbroke
And the song, from beginning to end
I found in the heart of a friend”

I often feel that we should more often read poems as they tend to stimulate a different part of our brain which remains rusted due to no stimulus.

Now Everyone can acquire knowledge

Internet is a great medium to acquire knowledge but you should know where to go. You can go to MIT open courseware and see for yourself what is taught at MIT(http://ocw.mit.edu), Also Edcorner at standford(http://ecorner.stanford.edu) is one of best resource for entrepreneurs. Project Gutenberg(http://www.gutenberg.org) is one such resource where you can download free e-books for free. Such a vast sorehouse of knowledge and so less time to learn!