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VertigoAugust 08 After BurnersInterestingly, however powerful a jet engine is, it is kinda incomplete without its After Burners. These actually provide upto 50% additional thrust - just when you want it. Be it a dog fight or a take off from a short runway.
No No! Before you close the window - I have not shifted my vocation from IT to Jet Propulsion!
Most of us, have been these afterburners and will certainly get a chance to be the turbines soon enough. But when we do, lets not forget to acknowledge those who will always be there at the fag end to provide you that extra thrust in a dog fight. This is the time to reward these unsung heroes.
True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others, at whatever cost.
-Arthur Ashe July 20 When push comes to shoveHaven't written in a while as I was up to my nose in work. We are in the midst of a very critical and high pressure project. This is the time to deliver and this is the time that will separate the men from the boys. Having said that, when dealing with people in such situations, it brings out various aspects of their personalities which are usually tucked away in one corner.
One of the dimensions that I inadvertently explored was what kind of a lead do you want to be? I was talking to one of the leads on my team who is extremely timid in the way he approaches work. In the last 3 odd years that I have known him, I cannot recall one incident where he might have raised his voice. We were discussing whether or not - and how much to push our people. Interestingly, we realized that if we stop pushing our people, we are in fact depriving them of an opportunity to excel. Indeed, you keep your resources happy through out the year but when it comes to their performance evals, they usually loose out to others who have been under enormous pressure and yet delivered. Now these are very good resources but then they did not get any opportunity to take on additional responsibility or put their neck on the line - and unfortunately - most don't have an insight into their destiny until it is too late. As a lead it is your responsibility to make opportunities available to your people - even if it means that you aint the most popular guy around. What they make of it is determined by their ambition. But we miss this - in a bid to keep everyone happy, we might actually end up damaging their careers. A fine line to tread there - but as for me, I would like a boss who rides me all year but gives me the returns I deserve at the end of it !
And you? May 18 Comfortably NumbThats exactly how I feel now. Just got back from the dentist's office. Had to get a wisdom tooth surgically extracted. It was a different experience all together. The only time I felt any pain was when he injected me with the anesthesia. After that I have been comfortably numb. But what is interesting the games that your mind plays. Each time he dove into my mouth with a menacing looking implement, I winced but felt absolutely nothing. My dentist is a nice old man and I am usually a very peace loving person but today I really felt homicidal :) All I wanted to do was to reach out and strangle him. It was really funny. All my senses very heightened and focused simply on my tooth. Then after about and hour when he finally stitched me up, all was back to normal again and I warmed up to him again.
So now patiently waiting for the numbness to fade and the pain to settle in - 2 hrs from now. January 21 An idea - Whose time has come...Just yesterday I met up with my cousin after a good 6 mths. He is more of a friend actually - we been giving our parents hell ever since I remember. He is now on the brink a of a brave decision, a decision which will turn his life upside down - for good.When he started off, he was a real brat, never attended any classes barely graduated and always got into trouble. People had always given up on him but today he is a different man. He has come up the hard way and has really emerged victorous. He started off in the airline industry merely as a pen pusher but he gave his company a good 6 years. During these 6 years, he rose from strength to strength. He not only graduated but also completed his MBA. The airline industry is a very small world here in India. He has the distinction of being amongst the most popular and respected guys around. He is now with the second best airline in India and as if thats not enough he is on the verge of becoming a pilot!! Yup. One more year and he will be a high flier. This for me is an achievement. Couldn't be more proud of my kid bro.
No army can withstand the strength of an idea whose time has come -- Victor Hugo January 04 Classes vs. Masses2007 raked in another lesson in life. My first day this year at work and a very senior person actually wished me a Happy New Year. Wait, before you dismiss this as "So whats the big deal?" hear me out. True this might not have been a big deal but the question is how many people do this? Building goodwill is by far the most important thing in the workplace and is easily forgotten. This guy is way up in the food chain and he really needn't have done what he did but the man has foresight. 3 words and im his fan for life. When was the last time we thanked a bus conductor or a waiter or even a friend. Interesting isn't it, the way we tend to take things and people for granted. Another reason that set me thinking in this direction was when the other day - on two separate occasions - I had sent out a mail to 2 guys - barely 2 career levels above me and they didn't bother to reply. Funny thing is that it was in their interest to do so. I guess an overwhelming ego will ensure failure in the long run.
So while I continue to admire Mr. Hunting, Mr. Tracy will continue to be one ! if you see what I mean ;) I guess this is what separates the classes from the masses. The most tragic thing in the world is a man of genius who is not a man of honor - George Bernard Shaw December 31 Burn out or Fade away ?I have been hanging on to this cliché for a while now but I guess it is now time to really choose one. Best laid plans often don't work out and this is especially true now. But no sweat. I can live with what I have now, only thing is how to make the most & best of it. One of the things I learnt over the last week is that when you are in a position of power (at least in the IT world) the one most important thing for you to do is to make sure you don't rock the boat. Whatever it takes. It doesn’t matter if it is the right thing to do as long as it meets your goal. I see the merit in this but can't comprehend it - at least yet. Maybe when I become incompetent at my current level and rise to the next I might be able to figure it out
 . So when some Sr Manager reaches out to you in some forum and says that he/she wants people to provide "Thought Leadership" or "Think out of the box" rest assured they are so full of sh*t. No one likes a maverick. We all want cattle that can be herded in a direction that suits all. No this new year does not begin on a spiteful note - no way. 2007 is my Everest - on all aspects of life - personal and professional. Coincidentally, I cracked open 2 fortune cookies in 2006. The first was at a Barista in Mumbai on 31 Dec 2005 with a dear friend. It said "Each obstacle on your path is becoming the gateway to a new life!” The second one was over a delicious Chinese meal in Newport Beach, CA with a gracious host. It read "You will attain the highest levels of intelligence". Both of these are quite in-sync with my frame of mind as I step into yet another year.
Wish you all a very Happy New Year.
"The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail." -Napoleon Hill December 18 Cause n Effect
Corporate Social Responsibility [CSR] is the new buzz word and my company has also jumped onto the bandwagon. Last weekend they had an event held in an orphanage for girl children. The idea was to spend some time with them and to get them gifts and stuff. So around 10/12 of us boarded a bus and went to Dharavi, which is one of the biggest slums in Asia and went to this shelter. The children were ecstatic to see us there. A magic show was arranged and we got the girls food n stuff and at the end of it all, Santa Clause gave them pre Xmas gifts. The kids put on a nice show for us - they danced their hearts out on popular Bollywood numbers. Our folks joined them in the festivities and the whole thing went on for a good 3 hours. But I really felt lost. The kids had a good time and also got some good food and gifts but where was the cause? We were just throwing money at the problem. All of the people that had come had taken time off - on a weekend - from their busy schedules and seemed committed to the cause. The cause - I totally failed to see it. The way I look at it and with due respect to all those who had volunteered - we were just a bunch of people who boarded a bus, went to a place none of us want to be seen in and tossed some tit bits around in an attempt to make the problem go away. I was transported back to my numerous weekends in Oxfam. The whole damn shop was run by volunteers. I was only a small cog in the wheel but I did my part. I worked for a cause - weekend after weekend. Those were amongst the most satisfying moments of my life. I'm done with this CSR thing - for good. Let your heart feel for the afflictions and distress of everyone, and let your hand give in proportion to your purse. -George Washington |
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