July 2010 – another spectacular month came to an end, and I didn’t notice that in frenzy of things going around. In this month, we welcomed monsoon and said good bye to the sweltering heat. Monsoon continues in August as well, and I look forward to another exciting month. In case you missed reading any […]
I have believed that most good things in life are either free or inexpensive. A good walk, a great hug, a few moments spent together, a long drive, a free lecture, time spent with friends and so on. I write this because over the weekend, I experienced some of these. Monsoon is at its best. […]
Sure, as a project manager / business leader, you: Completed the project in given time frame. Within the budget. With minimum schedule deviation. Utilized your resources optimally. Filled up all the required templates. Did retrospective. Celebrated completion. Shared statistical reports with the top management. But did you: Think about “value” (remember 102%) you will deliver? […]
Consider the following scenario: You go to a new restaurant for the first time. You evaluate quality of food and quality of service. Your first visit was about experimenting with a new place and getting an experience. A few weeks later, you go there again. You get a similar or a better experience this time. […]
A few weeks back, my friend Becky Robinson at Mountain State University gifted me with a copy of John C. Maxwell’s latest book “Everyone Communicates, Few Connect”. The book, as the title suggests, is all about establishing meaningful connections to build great relationships at work and in personal life. The book introduction says, “Connecting is […]
As a business leader, if you think “costs” are only the ones where you spend real money, think again. Have you ever realized the costs of: having an inefficient leadership team? setting wrong examples? not treating people well? not aligning middle managers with vision at the top? long unnecessary meetings and deadlocked debates? efforts spent […]
One of my friends recently joined a new organization at a senior position. When we met over a cup of coffee a few days before his joining, he mentioned to me that his primary challenge would be to build trust. As professionals, we interact with a wide variety of people including our customers, suppliers, new […]
Quality of relationships between the team members is one of the determinants of success as a team – be it project, process improvement initiative or an organization building one. Success of projects/initiatives is generally attributed to processes and rituals. Processes are crucial but not sufficient. It is people who work, co-operate with each other, demonstrate […]
Many years ago, I had a chance to visit a friend’s farm on a weekend. My friend owned a huge farm on the outskirts of the city where they had employed farmers. A farmer’s outcome was quality of the crop. To ensure this, the farmer worked the soil, got the best seeds from the marketplace, […]