Leadership

L&T could not find a clear next leader to Mr Naik is a poor reflection where an individual is perceived to be more important than the institution. Remember when Ratan Tata stepped into the foot steps of legendary JRD, it was mainly because He had that famous surname. That was the reason that most experts at that time had to say. But look what accountability and responsibility do to a person. Ratan Tata transformed the Tata Group and left His stamp. 20 years back no one would have thought that He will succeed the way He did. Therefore to think a responsible professional can not run a company and requires hand holding is far from true. Mrs Kochar stepped into the shoes of Mr Kamath quite well And they were big, considering the pace with which He grew ICICI Bank. There were questions about Apple after Steve. But look at apple today. In the last one year it has grown in market valuation by 45% and Tim Cook will bring in his own authority over the company, which today is the most valuable company in the world.

So to say that leadership transition is a challenge for company, sound like a logic with no sound reasoning. Give a person a chance and he/she will perform. Heavy engineering is no different.

Steve, Bill and We

Recently while taking the tour of Harvard Business School, the guide showed where Bill Gates room was in the dorm. He left Harvard as we all know and went on to establish one of the most successful companies, Microsoft formed till date. He has left that too also now and focus on healthcare. On the other hand Steve never went to Harvard, so to Him did not matter- WHAT THEY TEACH OR NOT TEACH AT HARVARD. He went on to form another game changer company in world called Apple which redefined that way product and services integrate. Steve left the world last week as we all know.
There has been debates on how Microsoft left Apple stranded in 80'S and what will happen to Apple now? World will keep moving. Apple will do fine so will Microsoft and there will be new Bill and Steve as we move along . Already there is Facebook and Mark. Lets recognize all these individuals got the world to change from the product and services they came up with. It shows the power what an individual has and what a person can do in one own life. Back home Dhrirubhai Ambani is an example. What ever any one might say how He did it, He did it. Every one want to so some thing , but only few can do some things, and more so which change the world.

So to Steve, Bill, Mark, Dhirubhai words own a great deal in what we are and what we can be in near future and to so many others who do not get the media attention they deserve. So lets THINK BIG-SOMETHING SMALL WILL HAPPEN.

Where it went wrong

Anna got on with right point 4months back to bring bout the corruption that has engulfed our system. He made a point which every one seem to listen and made government to listen. What followed was looks an classic example of following the heard. Bhushan of the world who are commercial lawyer, Kiran bed who I believe government takes government pension and kejriwal who is a intelligent guy becoming the face. Too many things too soon spoil the party baba rammed who also became too big for his shoes paid the price. It shows a very good example of how technology made Anna and camp powerful and how behavior is making them do silly mistake. Let's not go into numbers as people follow herds first ask how many of us had read both versions of the bill? Anna had a point and government was listening. It was a question of keeping the pre sure with technology on his side I.e the media they could have eventually made government listen. Gandhi philoshly is patience. Indian did not achieve independence in one day. It was Gandhi patience and his non violence movement which took us to a sustainable independence. So what is the hurry of putting the deadlines of lokpal bill? Few thousand does not make large crowds" let's not get fooled by media who need news and hence eye balls. A simple step is to ask your self, if you are not happy with the lokpal bill have you met the elective representative whom you voted to parliament . Did you told your reservations? If not them what we are complaining about. Technology or behavior?
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Cars and Drivers

Cars are symbol of Technology Innovation and Drivers are symbol of Behavioral progression on the roads and India is a country which is the example of mismatch between the two. It is a simple demand and supply mismatch. Wheres as car are in ample supply , thanks to global major presence in India and behavior is in short supply thanks to our DNA, which treats good behavior as once in a year ritual like Diwali and holi.

Seeing more and more cars on Indian roads brings more and more drivers. These boys, girls, men and women, some educated, some highly educated and some un-educated, drives these TECHNOLOGY wonders seating on the front seat and keeping the BEHAVIOR on the back seat , some even leaving it behind home and some WHO do not have it at all. Like the licence , which we can manage, they also some how manage , by some time hitting, some time missing, and always blaming the guy in the next car.

Car companies have a responsibility, government has a responsibility and together they can do something. What?- stop making cars in India for next 5 years!!!!!!!!. In the interim [period make the GM, Ford of the worlds partners in developing roads and changing behavior of the drivers.

That will be CSR of auto industry towards India.

Whose companies are these

The bigger the company becomes, the further it goes from the customer. Walk into a store or customer services of a company and you can see or experience the truth. Their leaders who once created these companies gets involved into bigger picture of nation building or participating in economic forums or becoming global companies. This bring in the question, how big the company can be and who owns the company and who owns the accountability.

Public companies have board? but can a customer call a board? companies have employees, who call WE, as they move from one company to another. Technology has given the scale but in the process killed the human interface. Call any back office of a bank and be ready to face the music.

So how do you make the companies more human? It is a challenge. As we get engaged in wiring the world, creating virtual networks, social networks the touch and feel of the real world will start moving to the background. So while we need to keep working on the technology , it is the HUMAN BEHAVIOR which need to be tuned to current times

Companies need to work on the training of their employees from the perspective, where they not only know how to handle the technology but also how to handle another human
beings.

1st day of 365 in 2011

It's an another day in the calendar, but a leader. And we look towards leaders. Don't we?So every one wishes that leader day is a good day so that followers days also happen to be good. But if one were to keep this aspect silent then there is a catch people celebrate and party the last day of the year or to welcome the new year. Quite a few then do not go to work and quite a few places are now officially off. So the leader day becomes the off day and if the leader day is the off day then followers day also becomes off to some extent. Therefore people who party on the eve of new year are not productive as they could have been.in contrast are the people whom it is another day and if they do not go to work they do not get for the day. Their leader day is same as any of the follower day. So they remain stagnate throughout the year as they have been in years before that. So people who party on the eve and also start the leader day with work makes the most of it . They are not only effective but also efficient and their follower days remains the same for them .so make the Leader day especially day so that the follower day becomes good and who benefit You.

India 2010 or 1990?

India 2010 is suppose to be anchor of sinking world, considering China does not exist. So are we make to believe. USA economy is on the downhill, like what happened to the British empire a century ago. European crisis is not of banks but of countries. So on and so forth. Various TV debates, commentaries, essays and books talks of one or the other way. One economist say THIS and other say THAT. But fact of the matter is reality on ground.

India 2010 is not much difference to India 1990, except few changes on the built scape across the country, where few people have been able to take advantage of INDIA SHINING. But as a country we are still a century behind USA and Europe in terms of quality of life for common man. It will require structural shift in the behavioral of not only who govern India but also WE THE PEOPLE, who let governed.

The glaring example of India's failure is whats happening in Delhi. It is city in shame. Delhi and its glorified cousin GURGAOAN are examples of how things can go wrong. t GURGAON is nothing more than a glorified GAON. On one hand where as government has failed to deliver the infrastructure in Delhi for the common wealth gales, Gurgaon stakeholders who made all those buildings failed to create a urban community which is URBAN. It is pity that people have no option but to opt for what has been imposed on them. There are various such examples across the country.

India needs to THINK and THINK HARD , otherwise 2020 might look like 1980!!!