Successful Marriages.

Remember 3Cs in Married life.
Commitment, Compromise and Communication.
If you have these 3Cs with your best half, life will be smooth!

- Yours Truly!

And remember to have these with with only one ;)

Innovation

In the recent past, for all good reasons, there were a lot of dicussions that I happened to be on where Innovation was a term that was coming across as the most important thing. I do not deny it and for an organization that is as huge as mine, innovation should be the bare minimum we have to have in us.

However, when I heard something like let us start innovating, bring people together to innovate, I was a bit amused.

Is Innovation so simple? Can I bring in a few people together and say Innovate and they start doing that. I mean not just straight away, but say within an years time can they innovate? I bet no. Because, there is something called lateral thinking which is very important in any innovation as is the ability to have crazy ideas. People have to have it in them to be innovative. It needs a lot of passion, commitment, courage, hard work and ability to perservere as the pressure of time will always be there.

To me, Innovation can neither be a choice nor a force. I cannot, one day, stand up and say from today on I'll be an innovator, nor my boss can come and say, come on Raj you will have to be an innovator and I feel very stupid to even think that from next day onwards I shall start doing things differently.

Innovation is not just doing things differently. It is also doing different things. It requires will to change the way of life. It needs support. It can be in any form or department of the organization. It can be anything technical, operational and a lot of times even in management.

Innovation has to be a culture. It has to be in the DNA of a person and in the larger context, should also be in the DNA of the organization. As always, culture can only be fostered and not forced. We will have to give and take time to bring in the culture or even change or nuture this culture.

And in today's world, with everyone talking about time and cost (not price) it is not easy for someone to just innovate as he/she will need time and space to even think, then execute, test and have the fruits of the results.

Looking back, I know I have a few things that I have innovated at work and I think it helped. I just have to document them and may be share it with larger audience.

So in essence, innovation can never be forced upon. It can be fostered by instilling passion within the organizaation to be different and think differently.

- Raj.

Management Vs. Leadership

There is an ever ending debate and discussion on Management and leadership.

This recently surfaced in a forum called Key Talent @ HP and I was part of it. Don't ask me if I'm key to HP or if I have the talent ;). I, in fact asked the same question myself to the anchor.

Never the less, that is not the topic of discussion now. I thought of penning down my thoughts on these two and what differentiates a Leader from a Manager. Of course both these roles are good, equally important, and I mean no disrespect to management.

- Raj

Here we go....

Of course, the simple meaning could be Leaders lead and Managers manage. But the question always lingers on what more do the leaders bring in. How do they ensure the organization sees the difference. Here are my simple and short thoughts.

Managers Manage the battle; Leaders Lead the war.

Managers Plan; Leaders Stratergize.

Managers Debate; Leaders Decide.

Managers Delegate; Leaders Own.

Managers are for a Team no matter the size of it; Leaders are for an organization and no matter the size of it.

Managers enforce Processes; Leaders define Policies.
Managers Train; Leaders Mentor.

Managers Challenge; Leaders Inspire.
Managers Solve Problems they live with; Leaders Choose what Problems they live with.

Managers Manage Change; Leaders are the Change.

While the debate can invariably go on for ever, the fact is leaders inspire change in the minds and lives of their team. Leaders make people believe in the cause and galvanize them to march towards the cause, no matter how grave or great that could be!

As they say, leaders are not made; they are born. It has to come from within.

One cannot be a leader because he/she was appointed. He/She should have inherent capabilities of decision making and owning them immaterial of their results! Most importantly, he/she should have ownership towards the followers and understand that each and everyone is unique and has something to offer towards the cause.

Well, in today's corporate world, these may be hard to exhibit and sometimes ones who have these qualities may even be ridiculed, but only by people above them and if you are a leader you will not be judged by people above you but by people who follow you.

Leadership is all about coaching, mentoring, guiding, inspiring, enabling and empowering the next level people and after which I sit in the grand stand enjoying the view of them succeeding! And the grand stand view would simply be very amazing while it is not so easy to get into that!

Be the Leader and be the Change!

- Raj

Hi 2012; Ta Ta 2011!

I know its been a while since I've blogged. It was kind of a planned absence and forced upon myself. So here I'm and am back ;).

I thought of penning down what every human being on this earth would got out of 2011 and I fairly sense that it would remain the same for every year. An honestly, it was my first post on FB this year! Just sharing it here.

Enjoy reading.

- Raj

Thanks 2011.

As Always, Life - you were wonderful,

throwing me challenges so I could learn,

giving me problems so I remain vigilant,

putting me in difficult situations so I remain to value people,

and sometimes giving me success so I remain afloat!

There were,

joy even out of pains,

cheer even out of failures,

happiness even out of challenges,

success out of no where!

I know am more a better person than what I was on 1st January, 2011. I prevailed with the support of every individual who knew me!

Welcome 2012. I'll learn and I'll prevail. This is not arrogance, but something born out of self-assurance ;). And I really do not have a choice too!

And I start my year with a clean slate so successes of the past are not counted, but memories of them will!

Happy New year to everyone! May the New Year, bring in a lot of joy, cheer, happiness, success, growth, peace and harmony into our lives.

- A normal Human Being