The amazing INTERVIEW(ee)..

I wanted to share the experience I had while interviewing a candidate for a position in my organization.

He happens to come to us through reference of a very good friend and I decided to give him a chance to show me what he has got. My friend had already vouched for him and wanted me to be more considerate while I was interviewing him since he wanted me to place the guy somewhere within my team. I also made my mind that if the person shows some level of commitment and has some content only, I will groom him to be a part of highly aggressive and productive team we have at our office.

Last evening, I get this call and the person on the other side says,” Mr X must have spoken to you about me”.” I am Mr Y”, he said. “Could you please confirm me the time when I should come to your office to meet you?” was what he asked me straight away. I took it very lightly and briefed him that since next day I have a meeting in the morning, so I will reach office only after 11 and he can come after that to see me.

But, the gentlemen didn’t settle for that much. He shot another question at me and this time it was a little upsetting. He wanted me to speak out the entire address of my office to him over the phone. Well, I know that telling addresses to people is a very common phenomenon, but is it really common to ask that question to your prospective employer whom you might have to impress by your analytical abilities and smartness?

Anyway, I had to speak the entire address to him on the line and not to mention the landmarks and major junctions that he might have to cross to reach the place.

I hung up the phone (only after he was comfortable that he can reach the place without any trouble) and went on with whatever I was doing (actually had completely forgotten by then).

Next day, at about 9 o’clock in the morning I got a call from the same gentleman saying that he was already there at the gate of my office and there was no one in the office For a moment I felt as if I was talking to some inspector from FLYING SQUAD who has come to inspect if my office opens up in time.
I calmly reminded him of our last day’s conversation where I had asked him to come after 11 AM. But this man turned out to be a very enthusiastic fellow and he claimed so for himself. He said, “I thought that I should reach early so that you do not have to wait for me before the meeting.” I was zapped for a moment and didn’t know what to say. However, I appreciated him for what he has done and asked him to wait for his watch to tick 11 since I was unable to make it before that.

He agreed readily and assured me that he shall wait and believe me I was so glad that he didn’t create any fuss out of that (pun intended).
So, there I was, in the first hour of a long day, feeling like a criminal who has made someone wait for 2 long hours. I was feeling do guilty for what I had done.

I somehow did not happen to meet that person due to some reason but I really wanted to meet him and know more about him...

Better luck next time... :)

Simple ways to reduce STRESS.. TRY THEM.. they actually work..

Sometimes it seems as if we're on a collision course with insanity. The pace of life, the endless demands and incessant contact through email, cell phones, and other "electronic leashes" seem to keep us in a constant state of alert. I'm convinced that stress management is as much about the little ways we decompress daily as it is the big annual "week at the beach" vacation.

Here is a list of a few simple ways to reduce stress...most of which I've used regularly. Many of them may be a "blinding flash of the obvious" but if you practice one, several or all of them on a regular basis, I predict your life will become more peaceful, less stressful and more joyful to live.

Spend some time everyday just sitting...watch clouds float by or listen to the birds;

Savor a cup of tea or other soothing beverage;

Give time to someone who cannot repay you;

Pray or meditate;

Laugh at yourself...lots!;

Enjoy the company of a pet;

Watch children playing at the park;

Take a nature walk;

Read poetry;

Look around and find five things to be thankful for...write them down;

Stretch your body from head to toe;

Arrange a bouquet of flowers or work in a garden;

Call a friend;

Burn candles and watch the flame;

Massage your hands or feet;

Ask someone else to massage your hands or feet;

Breathe deeply;

Have something beautiful in your office to reflect on;

Send someone a handwritten note of thanks or simply a "thinking of you";

Walk through the produce section of a grocery store or market and marvel at the colors, smells and textures;

Drive the speed limit;

Reduce your caffeine;

Listen to music that soothes...classical, baroque and jazz are proven stress-relievers.

Our lives are made up of thousands of moments, lived one at a time. Taking a few minutes everyday in which to relax, reflect and rejuvenate is a great way to remind us that we can choose peace anytime of day.

"Be happy with what you have while working for what you want."

7 POWERFUL TIPS FOR LASTING MOTIVATION AND GREATER SUCCESS

If you could sustain lasting motivation, how much more successful would you be? Wouldn’t it make a dramatic difference to your life?
With that in mind, here are seven tips to help you stay motivated and to achieve much more...

1. Success is not achieved accidentally. It is a systematic, deliberate process of deciding what you want to do with your life, what you will do when you get there, and what the steps are to get you where you want to be. One of the most important aspects of success is the ability to visualize your path and stay focused on your goal until you reach it.
   
   
2. The sooner you envision your dreams and develop a plan to turn them into reality, the faster you will accomplish your goals. Mental pictures are a mechanism to lead you down the path of true independence and motivation.
   Procrastination is a self-defeating behavior that develops in part due to low self-esteem and fear of failure. Your imagination is like a preview of your future. If you don't use your imagination your life will remain mundane and unfulfilling.
   
   
3. Overcoming procrastination is the first step in helping you create the lifestyle you desire. You must change the habits and behaviors that led you to procrastinate in the first place. Change is a slow process so be sure to reward yourself along the way for small achievements.
   Instead of focusing on the difficulty of a large task, break it into smaller jobs and create a timeline for finishing them.
   
   
4. small jobs done over time are much more manageable that one large task with no end in sight. You'll be astonished at how much you can get done if you concentrate on one thing at a time instead of cluttering your mind with multiple tasks. Try tackling the more undesirable tasks early in the day so that by afternoon you can pursue more pleasant activities.
   
   
5. Relieve yourself of the pressure created by clutter in your office or home. Develop a filing system, rid yourself of unnecessary papers, and give yourself an organized place to work. When you exercise self-discipline in your surroundings as well as your behaviors, you will make major strides in accomplishing your goals in a shorter period of time. No matter what is happening around you, keep your mind focused on the reward you'll receive by reaching your goals.
   
   
6. If people or outside forces distract you, use the power of the human mind to block out what impedes your progress and concentrate solely on the task at hand. You will make remarkable progress by refusing to let others alter the path you have chosen. Overcoming procrastination and staying motivated is the way to lifetime success and happiness. You'll achieve your goals rapidly when you stay focused on your destination and the rewards that will follow.
   
   
7. Review your habits and way of thinking to determine what you are visualizing most of the time. If your visions do not lead you in the direction of accomplishing your goals, then you must change them. Discipline yourself to concentrate on your goals the majority of the time, and if you stray from the path, get promptly back on. Imagine what the rewards will be when you finally reach your destination and keep that thought foremost in your mind.

Procrastination is of no use to you in your quest to fulfill your dreams. Lose those old habits and replace them with habits that lead to self-motivation and control over your life.
You know what to do. The big question is how do you find the inspiration to begin and how do you stay motivated over time despite setbacks?


You already know what procrastination and low motivation is costing you. And you know deep down that nothing is going to change for the better until you do.

MENTORING: An intervention for success in professional life

"Mentoring" as an intervention can help new recruits and interns to understand the JOB well and reduce the frustration and confusion that they have to go through during the first few weeks of joining a new organisation.

A person can not have too many mentors. As a student, one might have several formal and informal mentors at the same time.

Mentoring, therefore, is a relationship rather than an activity. The relationship between the mentor and learner is unique, since mentoring is a protected relationship in which learning and experimentation can occur, potential skills can be developed, and results can be measured in terms of competencies gained rather than in curriculum covered.

What is a MENTOR?

The word "mentor" has its origin thousands of years ago in Greek mythology, in the tale of Odysseus. When Odysseus was away from home for many years, he encouraged and entrusted his son, Telemachus, to his friend and advisor, Mentor. When Odysseus was gone, Mentor served as guardian, teacher and father figure to his young protege.

In modern-day terms, mentors are influential people who significantly help one reach one's major life goals. They have the power -- through who or what they know -- to promote one's welfare, training, or career.

Mentors, according to Webster, are:

A wise, loyal adviser

A teacher or coach


What Do Mentors Do?


Mentors help students in several ways. Mentors give advice and constructive feedback of the student's actions and products, formal and informal instruction (on organizational politics as well as on more technical information), introductions to people who can help, and opportunities for students to demonstrate their skills.

During the mentoring relationship, the mentor is a major source of information as students look to "Bridge the Gap" from the academic world to the world of work.


What Are The Benefits Of A Mentoring Program?


Students have opportunities to observe and interact with experts: receive encouragement; acquire knowledge and numerous professional skills; save time by learning shortcuts and strategies that are normally learned by trial and error; ask specific questions and get one- on- one feedback on their planned careers; gain important personal contacts and other resources; and make a smoother bridge to adulthood and maturity.

Mentors have opportunities to: increase their mentoring skills, which they can use in numerous areas of their lives; learn new technical knowledge and skills; indirectly "pay back" their own mentors for help received; increase their professional network as they interact with other mentors, students, guests, managers, and others; and gain tremendous satisfaction from contributing to the development of capable individuals.

Understand the question well to answer better: Few interview questions

During my own preparation for job interviews while I was studying management, I listed down various questions that are generally asked in interviews to assess an individual's competencies (skills, knowledge, attitude) for the desired position.

Then while working for corporates in Competency development area, I began to understand these questions better and you can only answer well if you know the question well..

The following are a few questions generally asked in the Interviews to understand the level of competency possessed by the individual in the respective area (sub-heads). Interviewees tend to misunderstand the question and end up with a irrelevant answer.

The following set of questions shall be of help to those who might know all the answers about their skills and abilities but might not be sure of which question to attribute them to during the interview. Please read them and make notes of your best answers to them..

CORE COMPETENCIES

Adaptability

• Tell me about a time when you changed your priorities to meet others' expectations?
• Describe a time when you altered your own behaviour to fit the situation?
• Tell me about a time when you had to change your point of view or your plans to take into account new information or changing priorities?

Client Focus

• Give an example of how you provided service to a client/stakeholder beyond their expectations. How did you identify the need? How did you respond?
• Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a client/stakeholder service issue?
• Describe a situation in which you acted as an advocate within your organization for your stakeholder’s needs, where there was some organizational resistance to be overcome?

Communication

• Describe a situation you were involved in that required a multi-dimensional communication strategy?
• Give an example of a difficult or sensitive situation that required extensive communication?
• Tell me about a time when you really had to pay attention to what someone else was saying, actively seeking to understand their message?

Organizational Awareness

• Describe the culture of your organization and give an example of how you work within this culture to achieve a goal?
• Describe the things you consider and the steps you take in assessing the viability of a new idea or initiative?
• Tell me about a time when you used your knowledge of the organization to get what you needed?

Problem Solving and Judgment

• Tell me about a time when you had to identify the underlying causes to a problem?
• Describe a time when you had to analyze a problem and generate a solution?
• Tell me about a situation where you had to solve a problem or make a decision that required careful thought. What did you do?

Results Orientation

• Tell me about a time when you set and achieved a goal?
• Tell me about a time when you improved the way things were typically done on the job?
• Describe something you have done to improve the performance of your work unit?
• Describe something you have done to maximize or improve the use of resources beyond your own work unit to achieve improved results?

Teamwork

• Tell me about a time when you worked successfully as a member of a team?
• Describe a situation where you were successful in getting people to work together effectively?
• Describe a situation in which you were a member (not a leader) of a team, and a conflict arose within the team. What did you do?

ROLE SPECIFIC COMPETENCIES

Developing Others

• Tell me about a time when you coached someone to help them improve their skills or job performance. What did you do?
• Describe a time when you provided feedback to someone about their performance?
• Give me an example of a time when you recognized that a member of your team had a performance difficulty/deficiency. What did you do?

Impact and Influence

• Describe a recent situation in which you convinced an individual or a group to do something?
• Describe a time when you went through a series of steps to influence an individual or a group on an important issue?
• Describe a situation in which you needed to influence different stakeholders with differing perspectives?

Innovation

• Describe something you have done that was new and different for your organization, that improved performance and/or productivity?
• Tell me about a time when you identified a new, unusual or different approach for addressing a problem or task?
• Tell me about a recent problem in which old solutions wouldn't work. How did you solve the problem?

Leadership

• Tell me about a time when you had to lead a group to achieve an objective?
• Describe a situation where you had to ensure that your "actions spoke louder than your words" to a team?
• Describe a situation where you inspired others to meet a common goal?

Relationship Building

• Describe a situation in which you developed an effective win/win relationship with a stakeholder or client. How did you go about building the relationship?
• Tell me about a time when you relied on a contact in your network to help you with a work-related task or problem?
• Give me an example of a time when you deliberately attempted to build rapport with a co-worker or customer?

Resource Management

• Describe a situation in which you took a creative approach to resourcing to achieve a goal?
• Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a particular resource management issue regarding either people, materials or assets?
• Describe the options you would consider to resource a project or goal if you did not have the available resources within your own span of control?
• Describe a situation in which you established a partnership with another organization or stakeholder to achieve a mutual goal. What steps did you take to ensure the partnership was effective?

Self-Management

• Describe the level of stress in your job and what you do to manage it?
• Describe a time when you were in a high pressure situation?
• Describe a time when things didn't turn out as you had planned and you had to analyze the situation to address the issue?

Strategic Thinking

• Describe a challenge or opportunity you identified based on your industry knowledge, and how you developed a strategy to respond to it?
• Describe a time you created a strategy to achieve a longer term business objective
• Describe a time when you used your business knowledge to understand a specific business situation?

The questions actually asked must be different from the above, however the intent shall be the same.

INTERVIEW QUESTION

"Tell Me Something About Yourself?"

"Tell me about yourself" is a question that most interviewees expect and it is the most difficult to answer as well. Though one could answer this open- ended question in a myriad of ways, the key to answering this question or any other interview question is to offer a response that supports your career objective. This means that you shouldn't respond with comments about your hobbies, spouse, or extra curricular activities. Trust me, interviewers aren't interested. To start with there is no correct answer to this interview question. I would lean in the favor of a quick reference to some personal traits that give a quick-view of who you are. From there one could move to a one sentence of any relevant education/qualification. There should also be a mention of employment history.

Purpose of the Question:
There always is a purpose of asking each and every question in the interview. One cannot ask anything and everything. Again, set of interview questions varies from industry to industry and position to position. Interviewers use the interview process as a vehicle to eliminate your candidacy. Every question they ask is used to differentiate your skills, experience, and personality with that of other candidates. They want to determine if what you have to offer will mesh with the organization's mission and goals.

What type of answer is Expected???
Try to avoid this type of answer: “I am a hard-worker who is good with numbers. After I worked as a financial analyst for a few years, I decided to go to law school. I just finished and now am looking for a new challenge.”

Speak something like this: “I began developing skills relevant to financial planning when I worked as a financial analyst for three years. In that role, I succeeded in multiplying the wealth of my clients by carefully analyzing the market for trends. The return on the portfolios I managed was generally 2% more than most of the portfolios managed by my company. My initiative, planning, and analytic skills were rewarded by two promotions. As the manager of a team, I successfully led them to develop a more efficient and profitable strategy for dealing with new accounts. My subsequent training in the law, including tax law and estate law, gives me an informed view of what types of investments and charitable gifts would be most advantageous for your clients.”

This way you discussed everything about your abilities without leaving the interviewer wanting to know more since by now he might have had an idea about your clarity about your own self and how well you know that you are suitable for the position.

Preparing for the Answer:
Follow the following steps as outlined below to ensure your response will grab the interviewer attention.

1. Provide a brief introduction. Introduce attributes that are key to the open position.
2. Provide a career summary of your most recent work history. Your career summary is the "meat" of your response, so it must support your job objective and it must be compelling. Keep your response limited to your current experience. Don't go back more than 10 years.
3. Tie your response to the needs of the hiring organization. Don't assume that the interviewer will be able to connect all the dots. It is your job as the interviewee to make sure the interviewer understands how your experiences are transferable to the position they are seeking to fill.
4. Ask an insightful question. By asking a question you gain control of the interview. Don't ask a question for the sake of asking. Be sure that the question will engage the interviewer in a conversation. Doing so will alleviate the stress you may feel to perform.

There you have it - a response that meets the needs of the interviewer AND supports your agenda.

When broken down into manageable pieces, the question, "So, tell me about yourself?" isn't overwhelming. In fact, answering the question effectively gives you the opportunity to talk about your strengths, achievements, and qualifications for the position. So take this golden opportunity and run with it!

When Asked by Different People?
HR manager or CEO of the company or the Departmental Head can ask the same question and your answer should vary. The expectation of each such person is different.
When asked by HR Manager your response must be like this: "My career has been characterized by my ability to work well with diverse teams. I seek out opportunities to involve others in the decision-making process. This collaboration and communication is what has enabled me to achieve success in my department. People are the most valuable resource of any organization."
When asked by CEO your response must be like this: "I have achieved success in my career because I have been focused on the bottom line. I have always sought out innovative solutions to challenging problems to maximize profitability. Regardless of the task or challenge, I always established benchmarks of performance and standards of excellence. I have never sought to maintain the "status quo." An organization that does not change and grow will die. I would enjoy working with you to help define new market opportunities in order to achieve the organization's goals."

In each instance, we responded to the "needs of the individual." It is almost guaranteed that, when you respond appropriately to the diverse needs of the different managers, you will become the standard by which all of the other candidates will be measured.

Conclusion:
The question is very tricky and being the first question of the interview…one need to be a bit more careful in answering the same. This question can make or break the interviewer’s interest in you.

KNOWING THYSELF!!!!!!

I am too much into introspection these days, you see.. last time with the DRINKING thing and now with the AIM OF LIFE!!
I was wondering if I am overdoing myself? Is it that I am expecting too much out of myself? Do I actually understand my limits and boundaries? Because if I don't know them, how will I cross them!!
I think and think and think!! and what do I realise?? Well.. nothing actually.. :(
In a moment I am fill with faith and trust in myself and I start pushing myself to achieve something.. nothing seems impossible, unachievable, undoable!!!
But, after a while when I actually am on to do something, I start feeling dejected, demotivated and feel low about it. May be that's a reason why inspite of doing well in all the endeavors in the past I still feel hollow and empty from within..
I never wanted to grow on money or name or fame, but to mature as a person and have a strong character and intellect.. I have achieved that as well to some extent.. but I feel that I have got so obsessed with this thing that I am loosing on the actual aim of life that is "LIVING IT"!!
I had a great childhood, wonderful schooling, amazing colleges, a great and a very learning youth.. now I am happily married (just for 2 month though ;).. My parents are proud, my wife is glad and happy, my brother feels great about me, my friends love me.. but the most important question of all is that am I happy with myself??
I don't know!!! I always wanted to make people around me proud and happy.. there they are!! Proud, happy as never before.. but still I am missing something..

And that tells me that what I beleived about myself for all these days and years was not the truth.. it is something else.. and I need to figure it out.. soon..
Prey for me..

Bye.. Good night.. I know I m crazy.. ;)

Am I GREAT?? No!!! Why??

Oh my god!! I don't believe this!! Its almost 2 at night, I was almost as asleep as dead when I wake up suddenly with a weird.. yup.. a very WEIRD thought up in my mind...that WHY THE HELL I DON'T DRINK?? Can u believe this??? 
I mean, what is it that I am trying to ask myself?? or probe?? or prove?? may be... 
Is it that i am some kind of NICE GUY here, who does all things right.. who thinks too much to NOT TO DRINK because that wouldn't be GOOD??? Do all of them who drink or smoke think that much about what they are doing?? Or is it just another thing that they do in life??
I mean its kind of strange!! Isn't it?? Does being a NON SMOKER and a NON DRINKER (I don't know if that word actually exists) make me better than others who do that stuff?? If yes, then how?? What is that they probably don't have that I have?? Or what is it that they loose and i save?? Going as per what is said, they loose valuable days of life, will get sick at some stage in life and will face serious medical consequences due to their habits... But is that actually the reason why I stay away from it?? May be not so exactly..
There are many things which can have adverse effects at some point in life but still most of us do these things.. don't we?? Even I keep doing certain things like over eating, less of physical work, improper sitting and standing postures, high calories and fat in diet, excess of watching TV and working on computer etc... But hey... all these things are not declared as social evils???.. whereas SMOKING and DRINKING are!!!
So, am I convinced here that I am a better person than all those in the world who drink or smoke??? Well, I don't actually know as yet!! I guess I need more probing, more introspection here... need to ask a few more questions to myself and find answers to them... but one thing I am sure about is that whatever the answers may be, i am always going to be a NON-SMOKER and a NON- DRINKER (I don't know what they call'em ;)..)
By the way, now since i am going to stop here to get back the bed; I really feel strange for what I am thinking and doing for last 30 mins.. I mean.. that's outrageous... How can I.... arggg..... forget it... bye... good night...

MBA: How effective is it anyways?

I often get into a discussion on Business Education System in our country with a cousin of mine who herself is an MBA.

We discuss lots of things about the management education, the career prospects for an MBA, career paths, importance of a strong curriculum during the coarse of education, how important is the brand (college) and things....

And surprisingly, most of the times the discussion boils down to a point that the BRAND of the college is the most important factor that helps students find a high place for themselves in industry.

My argument always has been that the college's brand equity can only help students to break into the corporate world but how they fair in the challenging environment and grow is just based on the skills they have acquired and how well they apply them at work!

The biggest drawback of an MBA is that it is pan-industry in its outlook. A business education course does not factor in the different challenges presented by different industries.

Most MBA courses are too broad-based to effectively prepare their students for the intense competition in today's business environment - each industry requires a different skill set, but the typical MBA programme does not equip you adequately to meet industry or sector-specific demands.

Of course, you now hear of several companies that are designing their own management education programmes. As an effort to make the white-collar workforce more relevant to the needs of a sector, it is commendable. But perhaps still more can be done to help bridge the gap between what is taught and what is required.

The other issue most B-schools overlook is working in a team. To be fair, all management institutes emphasise the importance of being a team player. But what they teach and how that learning actually manifests itself in corporate corridors are two different things. In the "real world", the roles of a leader and a team are not always cut and dried. Some times, the leader is at the forefront of the action; on other occasions, he may decide to set the tone and then sit back, while the team takes the lead.

B-schools instruct you in neither the existence of such scenarios nor how to deal with them. Other important issues of dealing with and working with teams - how to interact with and within a team, how to motivate your team members - are also inadequately addressed.

Also, management students are taught extensively about the importance of strategy. What they are not taught, however, is how to implement a strategy and make sure an idea goes the planned way.

That's important: after all, implementation accounts for about 80 per cent of job delivery. But, somewhere along the line, it gets short shrift.

LIFE: Wish I could find some definition to it..

Many a times, I hold a pen in my hand, take out a note pad and feel like writing... I don’t know what, but I want to write something.. Its not so that I am not good at speaking or am an introvert.. no.. not at all.. I am infact very good with expressions and verbals.. but its just that I feel comforted when I am talking to the pen and paper..

May be its because my pen doesn’t ask me questions… The paper doesn’t complain.. the ink doesn’t criticize… but all of them just be with me throughout.. stand by what I say to them.. accept that readily and gracefully and make me feel so comfortable that I feel like writing on and on…

This is the hard fact of life… We are living creatures… PEOPLE.. we dwell among them.. but are we really dwelling?? It’s a tough question for anyone to answer.. because it takes a lot of introspection, a lot of critical analysis, a lot of understanding of oneself and one’s surroundings.. a lot of study of the society and its elements…

Let’s talk about hundreds and thousand of Ants who live and DWELL together.. If you observe them carefully, you will notice an amazing characteristic of these creatures that despite of walking swiftly they never collide!!! Its because they know their job.. they know their responsibilities and work to fulfill it with complete devotion.. they never cross the way of others since they do not loose their own track…

This very characteristic is very rare in the most intelligent creature of all… HUMAN BEING… We do everything better than these tiny ants can do.. but where they supersede us is in the clarity of the vision and goal in life and the dedication to achieve it..

It may be hard to understand where am I actually coming from when I say all these things.. I am pondering upon my past experiences with people and the journey of life so far… Today, I am what time has made out of me.. I am, probably what people wanted me to be… I am liked by most, not so liked by some.. but is it what I wanted to be?? May be yes.. may be not..

In the management school, we learnt about Role Conflicts, Goal Conflicts and other kinds of Inter and Intra personal conflicts… we always applied them on the people, situations, organizations and what not… but never ever thought about it that it can be applied on ourselves the most..

And that is what I am learning with every passing by day.. the hard way… I am feeling strangled in these conceptual realities.. I want to do something because I like it, but am doing something else because others don’t like it… am following the stupid principle which says, “ If you can’t do what you like, start liking what you do”... Its not easy for me to decide that what should I actually believe in.. what I think about myself or what others believe me to be???

And the worst part of it is that more I think about this, more confusing it becomes… May be that’s why its called LIFE.. can one define it???

INDIAN INTELLIGENCE SERVICES: How intelligent are they actually to let MUMBAI happen??

The hot question of the time is not 'WHY' did the MUMBAI massacre happened but 'HOW' it happened? We all are in know of the fact that we do not share very good terms with our neighbours and hence asking a question that WHY such a thing happened does not stand an answer....

But the question which is continuously nipping me is that how intelligent our INTELLIGENCE Forces are??? In the post operation analysis, the revelations are shocking and unbelievable!!!!

Terrorists staying in hotel rooms, working in Taj in the crew, setting up of a control room inside the hotel, Marine wing of LeT training them, carrying heavy ammunition inside the hotel.. all these things do not look realistic if we trust our INTELLIGENCE services... But the sad part of the story is.. IT'S ALL TRUE!!!!!!

Does that mean that the people who are responsible to take care of the citizens of this nation are not very serious about this?? Is it that they do not value the lives of the innocent people of the country who are paying heavy cost for the failure of our bureaucratic system???

I believe that our system has always been asking for a wake up call... but why do 183 people had to loose their lives to make these irresponsible people to wake up???? And I am not at all sure that they actually are awake even after all this!!!

India is in such a sorry state today that we are not feeling safe in our houses.. we do not know what is going to happen tomorrow.. where is the next bomb going to explode... where is the next shootout going to happen... and all this is with due thanks to our incompetent Intelligence Services.

These INTELLIGENCE SERVICES have FAILED to perform their duties and common man is paying the cost for that.. sadly, with his life....

Now, common Indian have to come forward.. take charge of his own life and give it back hard to the face of terror.... We cannot just let ANYONE decide our fate...

INDIA: Crushed, Crippled and sabotaged yet again; is there any end to it??

I do not actually understand as to why do we, INDIANS let any tom, dick and harry to walk into our homes easily, create ruckus, kill our loved ones and then walk away unpunished???

Have we lost the true sense of being a nation with the greatest history of HEROISM in the god damn world?? Or should we start to believe that all those HEROES we always have known and believed to exist at some point in past are all stories, penned in books???

NO..., at least I am not ready to accept that!!!!

We have sacrificed a lot, have tolerated a lot,,, but this time, its not just about that.. These handful of scoundrels shall not be allowed anything on this holy earth to take charge of our lives.. They cannot be let loose to move freely amongst our people and kill anyone, anywhere, any time!!!

The seekers of POWER, sitting up somewhere in the sound proof cells of theirs' should think beyond their selfish chase for money and power and come out in open against such barbaric acts on mankind; precisely on INDIANS...

Its time now that we work towards putting an end to this ever existent tale of terror, which is striking us unnoticed anytime of our lives.. and it doesn't cost these evil sons anything, but yes, if it costs something, it is to us and its our peace, our serenity, our culture, our growth, our future... Are we ready to accept such a bargain??? I say NO.. and its not just my voice but am sure I am sounding the entire nation here.. the entire INDIAN community, which wants to stand up against this engulfing face of terror and wants to get rid of this...

We want our peace and freedom back... It was the martyrs of the freedom fight, who gave their lives to make us breathe in a free INDIA.. then how can we be so coward to give away that freedom in hands of a few Animals????...

All I solicit now, at this point is an open retaliation, let it be an open attack, a WAR against the guardians of these evil forces. The people who are sabotaging us every time we lend a hand to settle things should be brought down on their knees and should be destroyed to their core...

Lets not forget, if America & England can retaliate so strongly to just one attack on their land and people and de-root the very cause of the terror; we INDIANS have seen a lot already and so our response should be much stronger and gritty...

Its time that we rise against this face of terror and let the generations to come open their eyes in a secure, safe and prosperous INDIA...

And I personally believe, without an ounce of doubt that we can... "YES, WE CAN"

Food for thought: Short Management stories ...

1. The CROW and THE RABBIT:

A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day. A small rabbit saw the crow, and asked him, “Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?”

The crow answered: ” Sure, why not.”

So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow, and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Management Lesson: To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.

Source: Unknown


2. THREE MONKEYS: HOW THE CORPORATE CULTURE IS FORMED!

When I hear about culture issues from executives I always relate a favorite anecdote about how organizational culture is formed.
There are three monkeys standing in line in a cage, and above the third monkey there is a bunch of bananas. The third monkey naturally reaches for the sweet treats, and as he takes one, the other two monkeys are drenched with water. So they immediately start at the third monkey who is busily munching on his favorite food. But he doesn.t realize what.s happening, so he reaches for another banana and the other two are deluged.
By the time the third monkey has eaten the bunch of bananas, the other two are quite annoyed. So in steps the scientist, and replaces the third monkey with a new monkey. He espies the bananas and as he stretches out his arm, he is attacked by the other two monkey.
The new monkey doesn.t quite understand why, but quickly stops going after the bananas. Some time passes and the scientist comes back and takes one of the drenched monkeys and replaces him. This new monkey again goes for the bananas and the other two attack him.
Then the scientist replaces the third of the original monkeys, with a new one. This new monkey is immediately attacked, and has no idea why. Even when the banana/water system is disabled, and another monkey introduced, he is attacked immediately.
And if the scientist keeps repeating the experiment, the two monkeys in the cage attack the new ape being introduced, though nobody can remember why, its just the way it is.

Source: "Five ways to develop your copropate culture" by Naomi Moneypenny / ManyWorlds


3. GREAT VALUE IN DISASTER: (That's my favourite one: INDEED)

In 1914 Thomas Edison’s factory in West Orange, New Jersey, was virtually destroyed by fire. Although the damage exceeded $2 million, the buildings were insured for only $238,000 because they were made of concrete and were thought to be fireproof. Much of Edison’s life work went up in smoke and flames that December night. At the height of the fire, Edison’s 24-year-old son, Charles, searched frantically for his father. He finally found him, calmly watching the fire, his face glowing in the reflection, his white hair blowing in the wind.

“My heart ached for him,” said Charles. “He was 67 — no longer a young man — and everything was going up in flames. When he saw me, he shouted, “Charles, where’s your mother?” When I told him I didn’t know, he said, ‘Find her. Bring her here. She will never see anything like this as long as she lives.’”

The next morning, Edison looked at the ruins and said, “There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.”

Three weeks after the fire, Edison managed to deliver the first phonograph.

Source: "Persistence Goes the Distance" / Jim Clemmer