Back again

I have been off the blogging arena for a long time... was busy with work & was out of the country for some time now...
But i am now back & will start the blogging afresh....

Accident on Kokan Railway...

It was really sad to hear about the derailment of MatsyaGandha Express today in which around 25 people were killed.
This was the same train I had taken when I travelled to Mumbai from Mangalore some months back. The Konkan Railway though a man made wonder and extremely beautiful, still is not free from accidents. I remember another accident about a year back.
Although the rocks around tracks have been covered up properly by steel meshes, when it rains the boulders still roll on to the track. Something needs to be done urgently to reduce the accidents especially in the monsoons. Maybe the rail minster Laloo Yadav can take this as a priority.

HR folks at the TOP...

Hey it has been a long time since I blogged.. lots of reasons.. but now I intend to be more punctual..
I picked up this from Gautam's Blog.. since I also a HR person it made good reading to know that lots of HR people are at the top. Of course Sujith Bakshi is the one who comes to my mind immediately.

Well I am not talking about the usually understood contexts of glass ceilings as applied to minorities in the corporate workplace.

Instead, I am referring to the functional glass ceiling. For years, accounting, sales, marketing and finance people were usually the first choices to lead businesses as CEOs. Most people who had spent their careers in a support function like HR had to be content with a job like Director HR in the corporate ladder. The only route that was open to them to actually head businesses were in niche industries like HR consulting outfits.

No longer.

In India at least I see a rash of HR honchos who've made it to the corner office, and interestingly its in the people intensive BPO industry. There are several reasons for this but lets take a look at the people:

- Sujit Bakshi of vCustomer
- Aadesh Goyal of Hughes' BPO unit
- Bhaskar Das of Sutherland Technologies
- Prashant Sankaran of Digital Contact Centre (a part of HP)
- Vinoo Thimayya of Honeywell's BPO

I am sure there are others in the non-BPO industry too ( I know of Dr. Ajoy Kumar who briefly headed Cummins Deisel Sales & Service after a stint as GM HR of the Tata Group, but then he wasn't a career HR person). And a lot of CEOs have done some stints in HR.

Coming specifically to the case of HR people heading BPO operations, I have the following theories:

- BPO work is quite content-free and the essential skill required for a leader is people management skills, where HR people are the assets
- When BPO organizations mushroomed in India there were not too many top leaders available and with the reason given above HR directors were given the chance

The First big blow to the NDA

The first big blow to the NDA led alliance was felt when the TDP lost badly in the AP elections. There is a landslide victory for the Cong alliance here.
If these results are anything to go by then the Lok Sabha poll resukts suggest a similar sweep to the Cong. This will be a real disaster for the NDA which hopes to do well in AP & TN.
The results of these two states could well decide who forms the next Govt.
Eagerly awaiting the results on May 13.

exit the polls...!!....

It is that time of the elections when the pollsters take over... television channels are oudoing each other in analysing exit poll results... and the political parties are crying hoarse that these polls do not reflect the true character of the indian voter.
anyway I guess it is too early to make any predictions about the outcome of this election. even some months back the pollsters had got it terribly wrong on the assembly elections in MP & Rajasthan. there is no evidence to suggest that such a thing will not repeat again that too for a national level poll.
better to wait till May 13..

GMAIL

started using the google's much hyped email service, which could usurp yahoo's position as a leading provider of free email service.
the service is good.. no worry about mail storage space etc.. over 100 MB free space..
looks good maybe i might shift completely to this in some more days..!

India goes to polls

India today Apr 20 went to polls to elect its MPs to the 14th Lok Sabha. These elections will be spread over 4 phases and the counting will begin on May 13. It is a long drawn affair and will test the EC to its core.

As Indians most of us are waiting for these results. Will NDA repeat its performance of 1999? Will it get a reduced majority as some opinion polls are suggesting? Will Mulayam or Laloo become king makers? All these answers will get answered partially today when the results of exit polls start coming in. Anyway the polls are yet to begin in other parts of the country like UP etc which are more crucial to the NDA.

This is probably the first poll to have development as its core agenda and a good majority to NDA will help the reform process greatly.

Nikhil Shembekar & his blog

Picked up from gautam's blog.

This is Martin Bower's memo on behaviors he wanted to be admired in McKinsey


I want the newcomers to know what kind of behavior we admire, and what kind of behavior we deplore:
1. First, we admire people who work hard. We dislike passengers who don't pull their weight in the boat.
2. We admire people with first-class brains, because you cannot run a great (organization) without brainy people.
3. We admire people who avoid politics--office politics, I mean.
4. We despise toadies who suck up to their bosses; they are generally the same people who bully their subordinates.
5. We admire the great professionals, the craftsmen who do their jobs with superlative excellence. We notice that these people always respect the professional expertise of their colleagues in other departments.
6. We admire people who hire subordinates who are good enough to succeed them. We pity people who are so insecure that they feel compelled to hire inferior specimens as their subordinates.
7. We admire people who build up and develop their subordinates, because this is the only way we can promote from within the ranks. We detest having to go outside to fill important jobs, and I look forward to the day when that will never be necessary.
8. We admire people who practice delegation. The more you delegate, the more responsibility will be loaded upon you.
9. We admire kindly people with gentle manners who treat other people as human beings--particularly the people who sell things to us. We abhor quarrelsome people. We abhor people who wage paper warfare. We abhor buck passers and people who don't tell the truth.
10. We admire well-organized people who keep their offices ship-shape, and deliver their work on time.
11. We admire people who are good citizens in their communities--people who work for their local hospitals, their church, the PTA, the Community Chest, and so on. In this connection, I am proud of the example set by some of my colleagues during the year."

Infy crosses 1 billion

Infy declared its results today & as expected crossed 1 billion in revenues.. it is a great achievement for an Indian company. consider that for a company which was just 250 mn 4 years back. & you can see that the growth has been tremendous. When i joined last year I was told that it might take 6 quarters for it to cross.. but it has taken just four. so it has been excellent progress.
Of course challenges remain for the company:
1. managing career aspirations of an ever increasing workforce. (last year was particularly bad when attrition reached flashpoint)
2. managing salaries of workforce due to competition from MNC's who have set up shop in India
3. to develop a different (consulting?) kind of mindset in the employees to take on challenges from MNC's
4. managing a rising rupee and dipping margins
5. creating that top of the mind recall for CXO's in the US
6. creating a scalable & efficient global delivey model & offering not only cost effectiveness but also great quality "solutions" to client. As Nandan said " we want to be active business solution providers not reactive problem solvers"
Of course Infy will benefit with an ever increasing interest in Outsourcing and the future looks good for a great company.

Mitti map recasts farm future

Mitti map recasts farm future
National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning (NBSS&LUP), under special mandate from the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR).

Following exhaustive work spanning three decades, the bureau has created a databank guided by 40 different parameters — including pH level, water holding capacity, texture, depth, stoniness, microbe content, salinity, minerology, irrigability — to determine the quality of various kinds of soils in the country. If intelligently used, the inventory can revolutionise the way agriculture is managed in the country.

excellent work done by the ICAR.. and this should revolutionised Indian agriculture.. sort of news which should make headlines..

Outsourcing: Long-term gains for all

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Outsourcing: Long-term gains for all
an article by economist kaushik basu who raises important points for the opponents of outsourcing
also a letter to this article sums up everything..
Outsourcing frees up resources which should, in theory at least, allow those resources to become more productive in other or new areas of the economy. The governments of those countries being adversely affected by outsourcing (with the loss of jobs in the short term) should focus on creating an environment that fosters and promotes an innovative, entrepreneurial culture to enable this migration to better jobs in the long term. Better tax incentives, funding channels, start up promotion and less red tape - all these and more will help to combat job losses.

Music Review of YUVA

I was waiting for this album for quite some time now. I couldn’t wait because the combination of AR Rahman & Mani Ratnam has always worked magic on the music front. Roja, Bombay, Dil Se, Thiruda Thiruda, Iruvar, Kannathil Mutthamittal, Alaipayuthey being some of the movies which instantly come to one’s mind.

With bated breath I put on the CD and lo, there was the heavy beat of Rahman’s music and boy wasn’t it good.

1. The album opens with Rahman, Karthik & Mehboob (the lyricist) singing Dhakka Laga Bukka. The song has got good beats and the lyrics convey a youthful energy. This song will definitely become a hit and has all the trappings of a typical Rahman number (similar to Mustafa Mustafa or Urvashi Urvashi)
2. The second number is the one currently showing on the small screen. Khuda Hafiz is a good sensual number by Lucky Ali (who seems to be Rahman’s favorite nowadays) and is a very soothing number.
3. The third number Kabhi neem neem is by new comer Madhushree. She sounds very much like Alka Yagnik and also sings well. The lyrics are good but I liked Rahman’s background vocals very much in this composition.
4. I was a trifle disappointed with the rap number Dol Dol by Blaaze. Somehow the tune seems incoherent and hopefully may sound good with the movie!!
5. The number Badal, is very good and is rendered by Adnan Sami & Alka Yagnik. I would have preferred Asha Bhonsle here, but Adnan Sami’s high pitch voice and Rahman’s excellent sound mixing make it a good song. It also reminds me of Rahman’s Boom Boom from Boys.
6. The piece de resistance is reserved for the last with Fanaa. This song is my favorite in this album. Rahman’s classical interludes coupled with the synthesizer sounds are simply mesmerizing. This song will surely be a hit.


All in all a good Rahman album, but somehow one is not very happy after listening to it. The combination of Ratnam and Rahman haven’t really made waves this time. Some critics have said that this album is Rahman’s best. I am not sure and I do not agree. There have been better albums by Rahman and I sure liked Meenaxi more than this.

IIM, the accidental brand

IIM, the accidental brand
good article.. & says what many corporates & MBA's do not want to hear... ask me..!!..


The broad objectives of management education should be to develop competent managers to run various kinds of institutions (profit-oriented corporations, non-profits, government and social sector organisations) and create intellectual capital through cutting-edge research that can influence practice. There can be several other objectives, too, but these are certainly the most important.

In these two crucial tests, the IIMs -- and other B-schools in India -- have flunked

the IIMs do not produce great managers; it is cut-throat competition for IIM seats that ensures high-quality MBAs.

it matters little whether the IIMs charge Rs 30,000 per annum or Rs 1.5 lakh. Either way they don't produce the kind of managers India needs.

Equally, it matters little whether the IIMs are autonomous or not. They have done little with whatever autonomy they had so far. The unvarnished truth is that the IIM brand was not the creation of a far-sighted government or of the people managing these institutions.

It was an accident resulting from the sheer quality of students getting in. The issue before both the government and the faculty is simple: accident or otherwise, they have a good brand on their hands. Should they acknowledge their undeserved good fortune and make joint efforts to make the IIMs really worthy of their reputation or should they destroy it, since they did little to create it anyway?

What children should watch on the idiot box, according to experts

What children should watch on the idiot box, according to experts
No saas-bahu melodrama
Family dramas result in premature exposure to too much negativity.
The study states that programmes for kids should ideally

• be positive and encourage a child’s cognitive development

• be simple, more visual, and less verbal

• showcase bright colours, fun characters and music

India ready to compromise with Pakistan for peace: Advani

India ready to compromise with Pakistan for peace: Advani
Advani statement is welcome, but will the hardened elements in India allow him to do so?
But in today's scenario it may not be possible to claim the territory that India ceded to Pak (or Pak took it away from India?). So in the best interests India can come to a working relationship with Pak. For everlasting peace this line of thinking needs to be taken on further. But what will that entail for India?
1. Parliament passed a resolution demanding accession of POK to Indian Union. Who will undo this? & how will it be done?
2. What is the guarantee that tomorrow Pak will not play tricks again? Can they be trusted?

Forgotten day in Kashmir's history

Forgotten day in Kashmir's history
excellent article from Aravind lavakere.. where he talks about kashmir's irrevocable accession to Indian Union, something which the assembly of kashmir wanted... something which the people of Kashmir wanted.
So the rumblings over kashmir seem ridiculous now.. guess politicians can make a simple issue seem so complex..!!..

what is Reliance doing...??

On board with Mukesh Ambani - The Economic Times
Reliance is now
1. Reliance Infocomm is looking at an acquisition in the telecom space and it could be on the lines of its recent takeover of Flag Telecom.
2. Reliance Infocomm is working on buying rail tickets through mobiles.
3. Plans are to own several lines of stem cells and work with global institutions and companies to build products. We will be just like Microsoft in IT, which supplies software but doesn't build the entire system
4. Possibility of taking hydrogen out of water and using it as the cleanest fuel.

Great news for all...!!.... Reliance & its legendary vision...

Hers not to inherit

Ed in Indian Express
Last week the legislative assembly passed a bill to deny equal property and employment rights to women who choose to marry ‘‘non-state subjects’’

The triumph of human crossing - The Economic Times

The triumph of human crossing - The Economic Times: sumantra ghoshal again... Ach's experiments in psychology found that "there is a barrier that people have to cross before a wish or a desire becomes an unwavering commitment. "
When people move from ‘I’d like to’ to ‘I shall’, they cross their personal Rubicon. After that crossing, there is no more hesitation, no more intellectual weighing up of alternatives, and no way back.
There are three phases in the journey across the Rubicon. The first phase is that of intention formation. Next comes the actual crossing over to the domain of will and volition. After that, in the course of action-taking to achieve the goal, lies the phase of intention protection.
Intention Formation
The first phase of intention formation is triggered by the perception of an opportunity. The opportunity must not be routine. To stimulate the process of intention formation, the opportunity has to be exciting, something special, something that really makes a difference.
Crossing the Rubicon
There can be no crossing of the Rubicon unless there is a genuine feeling of choice. Without choice, there can be no ‘free will’, no volition. Another essential requirement is the recognition and acceptance of personal responsibility.
Intention Protection
Some shield their intentions by deliberately controlling their work context.
They restructure their work to reduce fragmentation, reserve parts of the day for reflection, and manage the expectations of others — bosses, colleagues, subordinates — so as to broaden the scope of discretionary behaviour.
They also create sources of positive energy — ‘personal wells’ that they can access to draw energy from. For some, it may be a long walk or intensive sports; for others, it may be a conversation with a close friend or partner. At work, they re-energise themselves by celebrating successes along the way.
Perhaps the most important requirement for intention protection is the protection of one’s courage and self-confidence.

Where there is a human will... - The Economic Times

Where there is a human will... - The Economic Times: sumantra ghoshal makes a "distinction between motivation and volition; between action driven by calculative self- self-interest and action driven by the power of the human will. "
Create a Desire for the Sea Leaders can strengthen peoples’ volition by helping them create a vivid picture of what they wish to achieve. It is this picture, more than anything else, that allows people to activate their emotions, commit, and protect their intention through the action-taking phase.
Does it Feel Right?
Volitional commitment requires that the cognitive and intellectual dimension must come together with the intuitive and emotional dimension so as to make the resulting intention something that exists beyond the reach of calculative rationality and constant cost-benefit analysis. For engaging their will, people have to confront their feelings, not just their thinking, and reflect on whether they can personally stand with their head and heart behind an intention. Leaders who unleash the force of the human will encourage their people to ask “Does it feel right?” and “Do I really want it?”
Create Rites of Passage
Leaders who foster volition formation do exactly the opposite. They prevent people from making hasty commitments. They don’t make things look easy. They build in concrete steps that people have to consciously take in order to test their own readiness to commit.
Build in Stopping Rules
Finally, perhaps the most important senior management task in engaging people’s willpower is to ensure that for each volitional initiative, there is a clear stopping rule that is specified in advance.