Job Change...

I have been talking to my friends on how much attrition has been going on around for the IT industry as a whole. I just came across this article.
Some key tips...
ASK YOURSELF
1. What does this job involve and are the tasks to your liking?
2. Do you have the requisite skills to be a top employee in this job?
3. Are these the kind of people you would be comfortable working with?
4. What makes you different from other people vying for the same job?
5. Can you persuade the potential employer to hire you at a salary you need or want?

MUST DOs OF JOB-SWITCH
* Do homework on your industry or function.
* Pay attention to a potential employer's financial stability.
* Don't leave a job only for an increase in compensation.
* Make realistic assessment of your skills.
* Assess how the job will fit into your career plan.

Babies

Well... I admire my 2 year old daughter, how she learns, speaks, expresses with face, doesn't find the right words, sings, dances & so many things.
It is very obvious that she learns from everything what her people, that is we, around her do. Like it's so amazing that she is singing some of the verses without any intention to learn. That's cool. But you know something... She has made herself like a third person. She puts "her" or "her name" in all the sentences & says like "Can you please give this for her?", "She did this"...

Twin Babies of IT Couple:)

Let's wish them a very cute, sweet life...

Unlock your car

It seems you can unlock your car using your mobile phone. Well, I haven't tried it but thought of sharing...

• Give your car remote to your friend in some other place.
• You stand next to your car & have your mobile.
• Call your friend.
• Let your friend press the unlock button in your car remote, having the remote close to his mobile.
• Your car is unlocked. Is it?

All Body

This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.
There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it.
It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

Tips for Better Life from ISHA YOGA

1. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
3. Sleep for 7 hours.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
5. Play more games.
6. Read more books than you did in 2007.
7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.
8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
9. Dream more while you are awake.
10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
11. Drink plenty of water.
12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
13. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
14. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
15. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
16. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
17. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
18. Smile and laugh more.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about. Don't compare your partner with others.
24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
25. Forgive everyone for everything.
26.. What other people think of you is none of your business.
27. GOD ! heals everything.
28. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
29. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
30. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
31. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
32. The best is yet to come.
33. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
34. Do the right thing!
35. Call your family often.
36. Your inner most is always happy. So be happy.
37. Each day give something good to others.
38. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
39. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
40. Preach others with above...

Car Learning

Recently I attended one video session by Zig Ziggler. In that he was mentioning about how to effectively use our time. One such thing is to start learning when you are in your car - It's like read a book when you are caught in traffic jam. You don't need Ziggler to give us this great idea, but sure it is an eye opener.
So, it is very obvious that I started looking for alternatives, options, resources which I can utilize when I go in car to office in Indian roads. Well, I thought I'll browse through the FM radios - Freely available, no extra efforts:)
To my surprise, I ran into one station which broadcasts some real good, thought provoking & knowledge sharing information, that too in English. It turned out to be one station from IGNOU. I felt really great on hearing that.
But it seems like the broadcast is only from 7:30AM to 9AM. That's bad... If at all someone related does look here, please do the broadcast for the whole day if possible.

Delegate

Well.... Today when I was discussing something with the team, I remembered the following 5 levels of delegating which I heard recently & I was telling the same.

1. Collect me the information
2. Do 1 & analyze.
3. Do 2 & tell me what & why you would do
4. Do 3. In case I'm not available, you do it.
5. Just do it.

Well, there is also something called SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP, related to the above.

• Directing
• Coaching
• Supporting
• Delegating

Runnin Man

• A man is running on a bridge at 5KMpH
• After he has crossed 3/8th the distance of the bridge, he realizes that a train is coming behind him.
• If he continues to run, then he & the train will reach the end of the bridge at the same time.
• If he turns back & starts running, then he & the train will reach the start of the bridge at the same time.
• What is the speed of the train?

Sixth Sense... Pranav

Temporary Mailbox

Gosh man... I recently ran into an issue with this MS Outlook 07, where everytime I open the Outlook, a dialog prompts which says like 'Use Temporary Mailbox' along with couple of more buttons. Though using temp mailbox seems to be working without much of hassles, this just frustrates me.
I have googled, yet haven't got any proper solution. Any help?

The iRace

Everyone is aware of the promotion policy changes which Infosys made in the last quarter of last year. And everyone kind of know that Infosys has in fact faced too much of attrition starting 2010. There is more rumour in the air that Infosys is giving hike in the range of 40% this year to have its employees retained...
At the same time, it seems they are also reconsidering iRace. Withdrawing iRace sure will not a good strategy, considering so many human talents involved in IT field & the resources growing without any gain of talents or showcasing of skills.

Responsibilities

Whenever, whereever & whatever you are thinking about doing, think about the following

• The Basic Task Responsibility
• The Link Responsibility
• The System Responsibility

SNIOP

Recently, I came across a new term called SNIOP - Susceptible to Negative Influence of Others. Well, that reminds me of some good story...

2 goats out of a bunch fell in a small well with no water. Both the goats started trying to climb up. All the other goats watched & after sometime, started shouting like "The well is too deep. You won't be able to climb. It is going to be tough."

One goat gave up after sometime & eventually died. The other goat kept trying & finally came out of the well. When asked for, the goats realized that the goat that came out is DEAF. It in fact thought that the goats around him are motivating him to jump up more & never lose hope.

Now, it's better to show a deaf ear to such negative remarks or consider them as stepping stones, rather than getting demotivated.

Good News & Bad News

In Motivation, there is a good news & bad news...

Good news is "Everyone is already motivated"

Bad News is "No one can be motivated"

Remember, you can only create an atmosphere around a person to get motivated.

7 habits

• Be Proactive
• Begin With the End in Mind
• Put First Things First
• Think Win-Win
• Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood
• Synergize
• Sharpen the Saw

Well, I just found a card with all these written with the tile reading 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' -FranklinCovey. Thought Provoking!

9 dots

There are 9 dots. Connect these with 4 straight lines without lifting your hand.

. . .
. . .
. . .

Babri

Yet another time, it has surfaced... The Babri Masjid demolition charges against Advani. If this is really true, I feel so bad that India is still a secular country where a candidate for Prime Minister takes pride for such a shame.

''No sooner had Advani arrived than the situation became tense. It worsened as
he spoke. When the first, second and third domes fell, Uma Bharti and Sadhvi
Rithambara hugged each other and distributed sweets. They expressed happiness by hugging Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and S C Dixit. After the domes fell, they
congratulated each other," Advani's PSO Anju Gupta had told CBI in 1993.

The Books

If you are looking for any books to read or thinking of gifting someone, why don't you look for these?
· The greatness guide – ROBIN SHARMA
· The icecream maker – SUBIR CHOWDHURY
· A to z book of managing people – VICTORIA KAPLAN & ROBERT KUNREUTHER
· Principle centered leadership – STEPHEN R.COVEY
· Who says elephants can't dance? – LOUIS V.GERSTNER, JR
· Straight from the gut – JACK WELCH
· See you at the top – ZIG ZIGLAR
· The fifth discipline – PETER SENGE
· Reimagine – TOM PETERS
· Peak performance – CLIVE GILSON, MIKE PRATT, KEVIN ROBERTS, ED WEYMES
· Exceptional customer service – LISA FORD, DAVID MC NAIR, BILL PARRY
· Mavericks At Work - WILLIAM C TAYLOR/POLLY LABARRE
· Execution - RAM CHARAN AND LARRY BOSSIDY
· The 8th Habit - STEPHEN COVEY
The Success Principles - JACK CANFIELD
Blue Ocean strategy - W CHAN KIM/RENEE MAUBORGNE
Zig - The Autobiography - ZIG ZIGLAR
The Carrot principle - ADRAIN GOSTICK & CHESTER ELTON
Leverage your best Ditch the rest - SCOTT BLANCHARD AND MADELINE HOMAN
7 spiritual laws of success – DEEPAK CHOPRA

Pizza - 8 Pieces

How can we cut a perfect round pizza into 8 pieces by doing only 3 straight cuts?

Mix & Match - Labels & Contents

• 3 boxes are there
• One box has apples, one has oranges & the last has both apples & oranges
• Each box is labelled but wrongly.
• You are allowed to take one fruit from a box. This is considered as one chance. Based on such chances, we need to match label with the content...
• How many chances do we need to match the contents & the labels?

Hats & Persons

• A, B & C are 3 persons standing in straight line.
• A can see B & C
• B can see C & not A.
• C is standing facing the wall & can't see both A & B.
• There is a bag with 3 black hats & 2 white hats.
• Randomly the hats are picked & placed on the persons.
• A person doesn't know what hat he/she is wearing.
• When A is asked for the color of his hat, he sees B & C & says 'I don't know'. B & C analyzes the response with care.
• When B is asked for the color of his hat, he sees C & says 'I don't know'. C analyzes the response with care.
• When C is asked for the color of his hat, he says 'I know... It is ____'...

What is C's hat color? How did he find out?

4 Persons Problem

Well...

• There are 4 persons in one side of the river.
• There is only one boat available.
• They need to use the boat to cross the river.
• The boat can take a max of 2 people.
• When 2 people are in the boat, both need to row.
• Based on the rowing style, the speed with which a person can make the boat cross the river is 1Min, 2M, 5M & 10M.
• When 2 people go in the boat, the slowest person overtakes the other.
• So, what is the least time by which all four can cross the river?

12 Balls Problem

1. There are 12 balls in a basket.
2. Only one of them is heavier or lighter.
3. We have a balance scale which can be used only thrice.
4. Find the Ball...

React?

Never ever REACT to situations in Life. Try to RESPOND.

Recession?

It looks like the recession is taking back seat. I hear a lot about the huge amount of hiring that goes in Indian IT companies now a days. And the hike percentage which these companies are giving for retaining their employees are also huge for this coming financial year.
There is sure a huge amount of organization switching happening around.
BTW, if you know anyone on the look out for some IT jobs, just ping me:)

Hurt

If you are being hurt by someone, understand that the person is getting hurt too

MoT

Recently, I was involved in quite a bit of disucssions about 'How to see organization from Customer's eyes?'. People started mentioning about the 'Moment of Truth' & 'Coffee Stains' which in fact gets the customers to start making perceptions.
Every single interaction which a customer undergoes, is a Moment of Truth. So, it should be made more of a MAGIC. There are couple of other moments - MISERY, MEDIOCRE.
The first thing that comes to my mind is 'Shell Gas Stations' in India - A lady with both hands together to say Pranaam & then informing all the services available which can be done with no pain to the customer.... All those are MoTs

Targets

When you set your goals or targets, you better set it ACHIEVABLE & HIGH.
Because, if you set low targets, you'll become satisfied soon once you reach the limits. Laziness sets in before we even think of achieving more.

More...

1. Set SMART goals - Specific measurable Achievable Relevant & Time Based. I think every single organization in their goal setting process tries to do this but I doubt if it is followed to the spirit...
2. When you appreciate, let it be TRUE - Timely, Responsive, Unconditional & Enthusiastic.
3. Become responsible & take ownership for all the errors & wrongs. At the same time, be honest in sharing the pride of goodness with the real owners & all others who are truely responsible.

Black & White

In a big white board, even a small black dot attracts attention. Well, we can consider that as modern art.
But in real life, we should never allow a person's black dot to overshadow on top of all the white board the person's heart/mind/body/soul, essentially his deeds & characters are made of.
There are some generic issues which should be addressed with a person but we should never go behind the person's traits or be a fault finder

The Boy - The Inspirer

Leader - Born or Made?

Forgive

We’ve all been hurt by another person at some time or another — we were treated badly, trust was broken, hearts were hurt. It not only causes us to be unhappy, but can ruin relationships, work, family and other important things, make us reluctant to open up to new things and people. We get trapped in a cycle of anger and hurt, and miss out on the beauty of life as it happens.

We need to be able to forgive, so we can move on and be happy. Forgiveness does not mean you erase the past, or forget what has happened. All it means is that you are letting go of the anger and pain, and moving on to a better place. It’s not easy. But you can learn to do it. If you’re holding pain and can’t forgive, read on for some things below.

1. Commit to letting go. You aren’t going to do it in a second or maybe not even in a day. It can take time to get over something. So commit to changing, because you recognize that the pain is hurting you.
2. Think about the pros and cons. What problems does this pain cause you? Does it affect your relationship with this person? With others? Does it affect work or family? Does it stop you from pursuing your dreams, or becoming a better person? Does it cause you unhappiness? Think of all these problems, and realize you need to change. Then think of the benefits of forgiveness — how it will make you happier, free you from the past and the pain, improve things with your relationships and life in general.
3. Realize you have a choice. You cannot control the actions of others, and shouldn’t try. But you can control not only your actions, but your thoughts. You can stop reliving the hurt, and can choose to move on. You have this power. You just need to learn how to exercise it.
4. Empathize. Put yourself in that person’s shoes. Try to understand why the person did what he did. Start from the assumption that the person isn’t a bad person, but just did something wrong. What could he have been thinking, what could have happened to him in the past to make him do what he did? What could he have felt as he did it, and what did he feel afterward? How does he feel now? You aren’t saying what he did is right, but are instead trying to understand and empathize.
5. Understand your responsibility. Try to figure out how you could have been partially responsible for what happened. What could you have done to prevent it, and how can you prevent it from happening next time? This isn’t to say you’re taking all the blame, or taking responsibility away from the other person, but to realize that we are not victims but participants in life.
6. Focus on the present. Now that you’ve reflected on the past, realize that the past is over. It isn’t happening anymore, except in your mind. And that causes problems — unhappiness and stress. Instead, bring your focus to the present moment. What are you doing now? What joy can you find in what is happening right now? Find the joy in life now, as it happens.
7. Allow peace to enter your life. As you focus on the present, try focusing on your breathing. Imagine each breath going out is the pain and the past, being released from your body and mind. And imagine each breath coming in is peace, entering you and filling you up. Release the pain and the past. Let peace enter your life.
8. Feel compassion. Finally, forgive the person and realize that in forgiveness, you are allowing yourself to be happy and move on.

Appreciate

Whenever you get a chance APPRECIATE others for their goodness & deeds. It's
free & effortless... Just clap hands. Give or send the person a 'Memo Of
Recognition'.

Spread the joy & love...

R u tough?

When the going gets tough, the tough gets going

Motivation

Be it personal or professional, if you want to motivate anyone, give more of the INTANGIBLES to the person. Though TANGIBLES are good, they'll be soon forgotten.

Goals

Well, if you know what your goal is, then you better make your move towards it, TODAY.

If you want to walk thousand miles to cross a path, you better start your first step.

Word a Day

There is a great momentum is learning a word a day amongst everyone. It's very much known that even mobile service providers are coming up with such services.
Recently I heard about this website, WordSmith - is sure one wonderful resource to take you in that direction.

Relations

Work is a rubber ball. Even if you throw, it can bounce back.
Relationship is a galss ball. If you throw, it'll break

CEO

Quote of the day

You are the CEO of your LIFE

Linked

Probably at my life stage, I feel socializing is good but obviously I look for how much the same can add value to my life & for people around me ... I feel so impressed by the way LinkedIn site is designed & implemented that, it sure not only gets me to know so many individuals & their history but also the way I can help them & they can help others.

Foreign Univs

The bill that passed the union cabinet recently allowing the Foreign universities to expand themselves into in India, is truly good in every sense. Every single biggie in India now a days tries to get only professors from such foreign soil.

Well, the other perspective is here too...

TM

Knowledge retention & Talent Management is one of the key issues which the Indian IT Giants are facing today.... Here are the various factors which HR team should be addressing.

Competency

Personal
Technical
Domain

Performance Mgmt

Salary
Bonus
GE/ME
PM
Promotions

Issue Resources

Team Building
Manager Trust
Rewards
Recognitions
Successor Plan
Retention
Townhall
Skip levels
Proj meetings
Personal
Meetings
Good Practices
Job Security

What is evaluated?

Here is a nice article on Yahoo on what you'll be evaluated on when you go for an interview...

We deliberately ask difficult questions to get a sense of how they'll hold their ground. Anyone who keeps their nerve through that is at least likely to have a better handle on stress...

Mongoose

God knows why it is named as Mongoose bat, but sure Hayden has got everyone's attention for it. It seems more like going towards a baseball bat where all those cricket stylish shots may not be there...

KKR

Something is very seriously wrong with KKR. They win 2 matches, then lost to CSK. Now, when the RR are in their most vulnerable best, when KKR is really stronger than any other previous IPL, why would they lose? KKR & DD seem like the contenders for finals but both of them are not even showing quality.
No team work... Show of Individuals

Social Networking

Why is Social Networking Site becoming more powerful?
Facebook overtakes Google

9 Balls

1) There are 9 balls, where 1 ball is heavier than the others.
2) A scale is available to be used only twice to find the heavier ball.
How?

Traffic Jam

Here is a problem… Work for your mind

There are 4 persons standing in each side of a empty space where are 4 in one side is in same direction

1 2 3 4 _ 5 6 7 8
-> -> -> -> _ <- <- <- <-

Here are the only allowed movements
1. If a person is facing the empty space directly, then he can move into it.
2. If a person(1) has another person(5) in the opposite direction next to him & if 5 has empty space next to him, then 1 can jump on top of 5 to the empty space.

The required end result it
5 6 7 8 _ 1 2 3 4

Try…

Bulbs puzzle

1) We have 3 bulbs inside a room.
2) There are 3 switches outside the room.
3) You are allowed to walk inside the room only once but can't walk out.
4) You need to map the bulbs to the respective switches.
5) How?