Bookworm

Nebador Series: Book five - Back to the Stars

2012-01-07T03:21:00.000-08:00

Nebador series
Book Five: Back to the Stars by JZ Colby

This is the fifth book in the Nebador series. The end of the solar system is not the limit for the crew on board Manessa. The real star-drive will help Ilika and his crew (mortals of fresh and blood) to move on, with the help of the powers of the universe. But before they fly onwards to the star zone, much beyond the ‘reachable’ solar system, they have a lot to learn from planet-hopping in the solar system itself.

They travel from one strange planet to another, each planet and its environment is testing them, their skills, their learning prowess and even their readiness to die! Do they emerge successful? I shall not spill the beans, but leave it to you to find out for yourself.

Meanwhile this is what the journey of the Manessa crew and taught me.

The power of focus: The story begins with my favourite character Rini getting lost in the beauty of space, especially during high orbit excursions. Have you ever let your mind wander on the possibility of achieving multiple things, instead of focusing on that one thing, thus wasting away your entire day with nothing done at all? Rini was taught a lesson by the rest of the crew and he learnt fast. As Rini floated through the airless void high above Sonmatia-Two, he had a plan. He set his bracelet to chime every minute and on each chime he reviewed his checklist – air, thruster fuel, location, orientation, health status, mission status. This review took only a few seconds, but it left him plenty of time for work or sightseeing. To do lists, whether prepared daily or weekly would do the same. I can’t do without my to-do lists and since I have lately learnt to take better care of myself, my to-do lists not only deal with what I have to do at the work place but also have time carved out for exercise, prayer and for family and friends. It takes at the maximum half an hour to prepare an exhaustive list every Sunday, but it leaves me better organized and happier.

The power of diversity: Diversity at the workplace is being talked about a lot. Companies are increasingly looking at whether there are adequate women employees, or whether there is a proper mix of ethnicity. Diversity can be powerful as it would help bring different perspectives to the table. But Sata who connected with the navigator of another Nebador ship, learnt about a different kind of diversity. Drrrim-na, navigator of the irilana Kril, a life monitor Nebador ship was a bird! Let us take a look at the management consultancy field. Today business entities are global, you have to deal with colleagues who are not only working in different time zones but celebrating different festivals. Yet, it is this diversity which helps provide the client with a complete business solution. Or why narrow down diversity to differences in race, caste, creed or culture. Your next door cubicle neighbor could be thinking differently from you on a particular issue. Only when different points of view are discussed threadbare can a holistic solution be arrived at. Herd-think would only lead to failures.

The dangers of climatic change, what are we doing about it?
Ilika gravely told Mati and the others. “Every sapient race goes through this test, arranged by the overseers of the universe. Every planet full of people eventually discovers enough knowledge and power to change their climate. If they have also gained enough wisdom they survive. Else they die, or regress to a level that can survive on…whatever is left of their planet.” The crew first hand gets to experience what happened to an entire planet, which was wiped out.
People over-rely on energy till one fine day it runs out. Our mobile and internet service provider recently experienced a fire at its data centre and the services were down. We all wondered how people were once getting along without mobile or internet connectivity. Many nerves were frayed, people were moaning about being unable to get work done. Imagine what would happen if all energy ran out. Even the clock on the mantle piece which is run on a battery would stop ticking. We would have grown so accustomed to our comfortable cocoons seated in an air-conditioned or artificially heated environment that we would be unable to bear the vagaries of nature. Further where would we get water from? Taps would run dry, so would the stock of food, humanity would perish. Artificial paper money, gold, silver, credit cards, nothing would be of help.
Yet today, instead of conserving energy we are still thinking of reaching out for the stars, or exploring nuclear science and are battling over how and why we can prevent the polar caps from melting away. We do need to wake up before it is too late for mankind.

Live each day as if it is your last:
Neither the wise Ilika nor the able and experienced Manessa can help the crew out of a desperate situation. Each one, including the captain has to ready himself/herself to die. Yet after days of grief at the very thought of dying, the crew manages to pull themselves together and live just for today. Sometimes we humans fritter away our lives worrying, worrying about tomorrow and we forget to live in the now. While it is good to foresee problems so that one is ready to face them with appropriate solutions on hand, we also need to learn to live in the now. A hard task but one which is worth learning.
At the end of the book Manessa begins to cross the solar system called Sonmatia which taught her crew a great many things. Another new journey awaits them. So as 2012 has just dawned on us, another journey awaits us as well and it is up to us how we traverse upon life’s path in 2012.

Reviews of other books in this series:
Book One
Book Two
Book Three
Book Four

Hot Tea across India

2011-12-18T03:28:00.001-08:00

Dear Readers,
From being out-foxed (Can I use this term) by the wild-asses in the Raan of Kutch, to being politely asked by a protest group in Kerala whether he and his car could be torched, Rishad Saam Mehta regales you with tales of his travels on his bike (and on rare occassion a car), which include incidents of being caught doing potty and other incidents of slurping hot cups of tea. A good read for the couch traveler and for the traveler. I am glad I am winding up my reading for 2011 which this humorous book.
Wishing you all a joyous 2012 and HAPPY READING.
Best,
Lubna

Children of a Better God

2011-11-27T07:12:00.000-08:00

Children of a Better God
By Susmita Bagchi

I read this book several months ago, but am uploading the review today.

What is our first impulsive reaction when you see a child afflicted with cerebral palsy? Unless we are aware, we tend to think that the child would also be having a low IQ and would be unable to learn and find a place in society. Nothing can be farther than the truth. These children are perfectly normal mentally, even as they may be physically disabled.

The author, Susmita Bagchi, at the request of the Principal of the school run by the Spastics Society of Karnataka, penned this book to make us more aware of the issues faced by children afflicted by cerebral palsy. She spent time volunteering at this Society and was touched by the grit, determination and courage of the students and their caretakers. While the characters and some events in this book have been fictionalized there is nothing fictional about the issues, the struggles, the disappointments and dreams of these children and those who take care of them.

The main character in this book is Anupurba who is forced to return to India from the USA, owing to her husband’s transfer. In the USA, she was an art teacher and is now finding time hanging heavily on her hands.. She runs into a university friend and is introduced to Asha Jyoti, a school for children afflicted with cerebral palsy. Overcoming her initial fears, she volunteers as an art teacher. While she teaches the children to mix paint and obtain various shades in their paintings, it is she who learns a valuable lesson of how never to quit in the face of adversity.

While the language of this book is simple, it packs a powerful punch. Some events even made me cry. A big bonus is that it contains photographs of the drawings of the children of the Spastics Society of Karnataka. These drawings are beautiful and detailed; I only wish they were depicted in colour. They radiate joy and happiness; you can see flowers, smiling faces, a man sailing up with a bunch of balloons. Courage, faith and optimism shines through every page of this book.

You can learn more about the Spastics Society of Karnataka by visiting their website
http://www.spasticssocietyofkarnataka.org

Z 2 A by Eva Dillner

2011-11-19T03:13:00.000-08:00

Z 2 A, by Eva Dillner

It is quite rare to read a book that truly speaks to you. Well, ‘Z 2 A’ penned by Eva Dillner, Swedish- writer, artist, therapist and teacher specializing in helping people during the transformation stage did just that. It spoke to me.

She was one of the fifteen Swedish artists selected for the Tellus Art project in India in 2010 and this book, interposed with photographs of her paintings is a rich spiritual tapestry helping the reader in the entire process of transformation.
Caught up in the corporate rat race, we know how to set goals and achieve them, or rather goals are set for us and if we want to climb up the corporate ladder, the goals have to be achieved. Our life is measured by what we are, rather than who we are.

Yes, the two things are quite different. Recall the last networking dinner you attended. Let us illustrate: You went up to someone and said: I am ABC and I work as a corporate lawyer. You repeated this over and over again. Then, you found a momentary sense of achievement in obtaining the contact number of someone who could be your potential client.

When was the last time you told anyone who you are? That you are a dreamer? Or someone who finds happiness in feeling the sand beneath your toes as the sea breeze ruffles your hair? Or that you find immense joy in helping street dogs find a good home.

Or do you even have time to observe the clouds, or find joy in walking along the beach or feel happy when a dog wags its tail and jumps up to lick you?
We know how to get from A to Z. But what happens, when life as we know ends, or we deliberately break the pattern, before we see a new beginning, there is a creative void where all things are possible. This is what the book teaches us, living from 'Z 2 A'.

We all prepare plans, even if we don’t pen these down on paper or store it on our lap tops or other gizmos, at least we have plans in our mind. Yet, everything does not go as per plan, all the time, right? Eva says: “We live and learn. Might as well roll with the punches. Put another way, you can’t force your will on the universe.”
At this juncture, there is a need to do the ‘RE-words’, which are outlined below.

• RE-evaluate: We need to re-evaluate on what has worked and what hasn’t. Yet at the same time, one must remember that life is a constant change. Just because something was the right thing to do last year, doesn’t mean it still fits. The ‘Z 2 A’ period offers the time to reflect, to pause, to let thoughts drift and meander.
• RE-member: It is important to get a perspective of what we have done, where we have been. This may offer a glimmer of insight into what we may want to change for the future.
• RE-think your options: There are many alternative ways to accomplish the same thing and with this, we move on to the next ‘RE’.
• RE-consider your options: Look outside the box, look at the alternatives on the opposite side of where you are. For instance, a hard driving executive may wish to explore the softer side.

Sometimes things like an illness, an accident, a retrenchment do happen for a RE-ason. These are personal ‘earthquakes’ and give an opportunity for rebuilding.
As Eva states: “The abrupt or soft demise of what has been is a signal that the Z 2 A period has landed in your life. Take advantage of it. Stop, pause and reflect before charging ahead to rebuild what was. Perhaps, you may want to look at other alternatives for the future”.

What perhaps holds us back is fear. The status quo Is often more comfortable than embarking on a new treasure hunt. LIFE IS A TREASURE HUNT.

Look at all the explorers who went sailing off to find the new world, at a time when consensus had us believe that the earth was flat. They really didn’t know if there was an end of the world, that would have abruptly plunged them into nothingness. They went anyway. They did the ‘experience’ and trusted the universe, perhaps with a bit of prayer to help them along the way.

There is a job for everyone. And by job we mean not your work-job but what you are called upon to do. For some of us, a high flying career is our life purpose. For others, it isn’t so. If we are dragging ourselves to our corporate cubicle, just to stash away money for a nest egg, do we have any idea that there will be a tomorrow to enable us to enjoy this nest egg? Or for that matter, how are we to know that our passion, will not enable us to continue to earn?

Eva outlines another process that can help us in transformation. In the process of RE, the present-future exercise is a good way to help us get in touch with our inner dreams , to get direction and move towards the future that is calling us. Often what our conscious mind says to do is contrary to what our higher self has in mind for us. This exercise puts the higher self back in the driver’s seat. While doing this exercise we should keep three elements in mind, viz: mindfulness; gratitude; compassion especially for ourselves. This exercise may require you to move back and forth, to do a lot of homework, to tie up loose ends. Once the backlog is cleared there is a lot more clarity.

This book, which as the author admits weaves in and out, dealing with different aspects of life. But the last chapter is devoted to letting go and trusting the higher power.

In these days of economic turmoil when many of us are prompted to ask the question, what shall I do with my life, this book will act as a guide. It may or may not resonate with you as much as it did with me, but nonetheless it will offer ever reader some gems to take away.

Find this book on Amazon

Photographs:
The cover of Z2A and
One of the paintings by Eva Dillner signifying -- A Journey into Space we haven't been before

PS: I got this book as a give away on GoodReads and I am so glad that I did.

Nebador (Book 4) Flight Training

2011-05-29T09:04:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,

Each book in the Nebador series leaves me with a powerful statement, something that I can relate to and follow.

In this book - Nebador (book four) - Flight Training, as Ilika and his chosen crew set off for training sessions on board the magnificent ship Manessa Kwi, Ilika shares a lesson. "My teachers often told me," Ilika shared, "that half the job of learning anything is deciding to". Not only does everyone learn, but Kibi and Sata also learn to overcome their fears.

Crew members are permitted to choose their destinations for the training flights. Thus, Manessa Kwi is piloted to deserts, ice-lands and waterfalls. But Kibi's choice is different. It is a city, that she wanted to see. Sometimes it is difficult to understand whether a social norm is good or bad. In this city, everyone is kept alive as long as possible, even if they are in pain and begging to die. The impact of an overpopulation nation is not difficult to see, in terms of polluted rivers, starving people, lack of fertile soil.

Living in Mumbai, India, I see the sky line changing right before my very eyes. I know for a fact that water may soon be a scare commodity here. Yes, we live on the coast, but does saline water help? We still haven't learnt to distill it. Our population continues to increase. While Mumbai is an integral part of India and people will continue to throng Mumbai in search of jobs, it is essential to ensure that there is development across the nation and that cities, such as Mumbai do not get overburdened. This chapter, where Manessa Kwi zooms over the dead and decaying city provided me with much food for thought.

The space ship also had its first guests, one of whom, hijacked the pilot and the ship. But it ended well. I loved the last paragraph of this book: As he (Ilika) glanced around the bridge (at his crew), he knew that both physical and emotional weakness remained, but also the strength and determination to keep chiselling away at those weakness until the universe was theirs to explore.

I have seen people successfully overcome their own weakness, learn new skills, be more flexible at the workplace and succeed. Yet others, have withdrawn into their shells, not accepted new challenges, nor new realities of the workplace and are yet to find a solid footing.

We alone can decide what we need to learn and learn it, what our weakness are and overcome the same (with support from family/friends and even professional support). As always, this book was a great read and not a mere sci-fiction fantasy, but a book that teaches a lot, albeit in an interesting manner.

Best regards,
Lubna

Edward De Bono's Thinking Course

2011-04-15T23:04:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,
This book is a great read. My review was published in the March, 2011, edition of the Journal brought out by the Bombay Chartered Accountants Society and is reproduced below. Happy Reading and thinking!
Best,
Lubna

I have read many books written by Edward De Bono, so when this revised edition was up for sale at a recent book fair, I grabbed it. Edward De Bono is regarded as the father of ‘lateral thinking’. He first invented this term ‘lateral thinking’ way back in 1967. Today this term finds a place in the Oxford English Dictionary.

What exactly is lateral thinking? On his official website the author states: “You cannot dig a hole in a different place by digging the same hole deeper”. This means that trying harder in the same direction may not be as useful as changing direction. Effort in the same direction (approach) will not necessarily succeed.
As we age, we become more rigid in our thinking process. We develop certain preconceived notions; we set our own boundaries when confronted with a problem or even with a situation.

Edward De Bono further explains: "Lateral Thinking is for changing concepts and perceptions". With logic you start out with certain ingredients, just as in playing chess you start out with given pieces. But what are those pieces? In most real life situations the pieces are not given, we just assume they are there. We assume certain perceptions, certain concepts and certain boundaries. Lateral thinking is concerned not with playing with the existing pieces but with seeking to change those very pieces. Lateral thinking is concerned with the perception part of thinking. This is where we organise the external world into the pieces we can then 'process'.
If I were to sum up, lateral thinking, I would call it: Breaking set patterns of thinking to arrive at an optimal solution or solutions.

In his book: “De Bono’s Thinking Course”, the author brings out the difference between ‘creativity’ which he states is a value judgement and ‘lateral thinking’. Lateral thinking is both an attitude of mind (willingness to try and look at things in different ways) and also encompasses a number of defined methods. Thinking (ie: Lateral Thinking), he says, is a skill that can be developed by everyone.

I thought I was a ‘thinker’ and there was no need to do anything more about it. But, after reading this book, I’ve realized that there was much more to learn about thinking. This book will definitely help me to break out of my existing though-pattern and think differently and more efficiently.

A sprinkling of various ‘thinking-tools’ are found in this book, which are all part of the CoRT thinking process. The basic tenets of this process are: Thinking is a skill and can be developed; Most practical thinking takes place in the perception stage; and lastly the tools-method is used to teach thinking.

Let me briefly touch upon a few thinking-tools, which I found very useful. My favourite thinking-tool, today is PMI. Of course, the thinking-tools which you will find useful may differ from those below. Further, different thinking-tools are suited for different problems, situations and scenarios.

Plus, Minus, Interesting (PMI): Everyone thinks they use PMI, but in reality they don’t. Think again, when confronted with a situation, what do you look at? Of course, the plus and the minus associated with a particular choice. Do you look at the ‘interesting’ aspects of it? At least, I didn’t, now going forward I will!

The book deals with a scenario: What if all cars were to be painted yellow. However, let us alter this slightly. Let us take a news-clipping about a suggestion for a new colour for Mumbai’s traditional black and yellow taxi-cabs. Let us assume these were to be painted ‘white and blue’. Now let us analyse this situation in the context of PMI.
Plus:
• A fresh coat of paint to all taxi-cabs, would lend vibrancy to the city roads
• Paint-manufacturers would do well – time to buy shares of listed paint companies
• White and blue are my favourite colours
• It is easier to notice white colour when the light is dim, there will be fewer accidents at night
Minus:
• Taxi strikes may be around the corner. The taxi owners would not want to spend on a fresh coat of paint and would resist the change
• Taxi-cab owners would want to offload the extra cost of a new coat of paint on to the commuters by hiking rates
• White would get dirty very easily. In the monsoons, all taxi-cabs would look particularly dirty
Interesting:
• Would this bill (let us assume it were a bill pending at the municipal level) pass? Who would support it? Would the political party supporting it/not supporting it get any mileage and from whom?
• Will we see more advertisements on taxi-cabs? After all, with a new white coat of paint, the time will be right for also painting advertisements. Would advertisements be allowed on taxi-cabs? Will this lead to better maintained taxi-cabs and more comfortable rides?
• Will banks give loans to taxi-cab owners? Will these loans be at a lower rate of interest? Will the community have to bear any additional cost if these loans are subsidized by the government?
The above PMI exercise can be adopted to suit any situation. I think it can be applied much beyond mere ideas to even routine decision making at the workplace. For example, it can be implemented in an interview process.
During an interview, jot down all the pluses of choosing a particular candidate, then jot down all the minus of choosing that candidate, then all the interesting aspects of choosing that candidate. Repeat this exercise for each candidate. Perhaps, jotting down the interesting aspects may help your organization hire a candidate for a role which was not envisaged before or even think of starting that service line which was on the back burner for want of relevant skill-sets.
It is essential in this methodology that you do these one at a time, concentrate on the plus factors and plus factors alone before moving on to other aspects. In other words concentrate on the ‘P’, ‘M’ and ‘I’ aspects in turn. Further, it is also essential to jot down as many ‘Ps’, ‘Ms’ and ‘Is’ that we can think of.
What is the advantage of the PMI methodology? As Edward De Bono states in his book: “Our prejudices have already decided for us, what we should feel about an idea…The PMI exercise ensures that instead of intelligence being used to support a particular prejudice it is now used to explore the subject matter. Emotions are now applied after the exploration instead of being applied before and hence preventing that exploration.”

Considering All Factors (CAF): In doing a CAF exercise the emphasis is on: What has been left out? What ought to be considered as well? For instance, when buying a new house in a distant suburb in a gated community, the long commute time to the workplace and its impact on one’s free time should also be considered and not just the cost of this house or the amenities available in this gated community.

Consequence and Sequel (C&S): Thinking is almost always short term, because we are concerned with what will be the immediate cause of our particular choice. The C&S thinking strategy is a tool to deliberately consider the consequences of a choice/decision over a period of time. Four time zones are suggested in this tool, which may vary depending on the situation at hand. It is essential to focus on each time zone in turns.
For instance, for a graduate the decision to pursue a CA course may have the following time zones and thought process:
• Immediate up to one year: I will be forced to be a student for a few more years. This will mean a loss of income and also loss of peer standing as peers would be gainfully employed
• Short-term from one to five years: The few extra years spent in studying will reap a good dividend in terms of a well paying job with high levels of job satisfaction. However, the CA course is difficult
• Medium term from five to twenty years: If I qualify as a CA a good job and great career opportunities are assured
• Long term over twenty years: I can retire comfortably on savings made during my career.

Agreement, Disagreement and Irrelevance (ADI): Having a difference in point of view at the workplace with your superior? Try the ADI tool. Here, each party to the disagreement maps out: areas of agreement, followed by areas of disagreement and lastly irrelevant issues.
The mapping exercise can be done jointly or independently followed by comparing the mapping done individually. In fact, if the other party doesn’t agree, even one party to the disagreement can conduct this exercise.
The author points out that it often turns out that the areas of disagreement may be quite small but appear much larger because neither party to the disagreement wishes to concede a point for fear that this will be used against them. At the end of an ADI exercise both parties would be able to precisely point out the area of disagreement and this can be used as a base for designing a way around the disagreement, negotiating on a stronger footing and finding a path of resolution.

Other People’s Views (OPV): There are two parts to this exercise. The first comprises of identifying the other people who are really part of the situation. The second part involves getting into the shoes of these people and seeing things from their point of view.
There are many more thinking-tools, each of which are beautifully illustrated in the book and can be applied in our daily lives.
Edward De Bono states: “The skilled thinker can do two things: He or she can think about the subject – i.e. perform the thinking task; and second: He or she can think about the thinking used to performing the thinking task.”
It is time to put on your thinking cap and read books on Lateral Thinking by Edward De Bono.

When the penny drops: Learning what's not taught

2010-11-16T08:24:00.000-08:00

Dear Readers,
This review appeared in the November, 2010 edition of the Journal of the Bombay Chartered Accountants Society. I have pasted the review below.
Best regards,
Lubna

Title: When the Penny Drops: Learning what’s not taught
Author: R Gopalakrishnan
Publication: Penguin-Portfolio
Price: Rs 399 (Hard cover)

The ‘Foreword’, penned by Arun Maira, member Planning Commission is as riveting as the book itself. Arun Maira begins by saying: “A common joke about consultants is that they borrow a client’s watch to tell the client the time.”
He goes on to add: But, the main reason why consultants are hired is that we need insights into ourselves and this can be explained to us by good teachers and clever consultants.

This is exactly what R Gopalakrishnan’s book: When the penny drops: Learning what’s not taught, aims to do. It is often difficult for us to hear the penny drop (i.e.: to get an insight into ourselves). Yet, if we read this book with an open mind and are prepared to humbly listen - perhaps even to our own voices and the implied voices of others, and reflect upon the same, we have more than a fair chance of realizing our own bonsai traps (inherent behavioral weakness that show up in the way we conduct ourselves). Climbing out of our bonsai traps will help us be better managers, better leaders and even better human beings.

In every individual there is as much evidence of boosters such as ambition, self-confidence, hard work and sheer grit, as there are bonsai traps, such as arrogance, eccentricity, volatility and jealousy. Yes, we all have our dark side. For instance, a universal trap which most managers fall into is: I am better than my competent peers! Managing our negative impulses is vital for success. Unfortunately, this is not taught to us. It comes from experience, that of our own and the experience of others.

Self help books can be monotonous, but not if you are reading real life stories and imbibing from the experience of others. R Gopalakrishnan, who as we all know is currently the executive director at Tata Sons. This book is sprinkled with real life anecdotes, emanating from either the author’s own rich experience of over forty decades in the highest echelons of corporate life or borrowed from experiences of others. As the author states: “Reading about the learning experiences of others and listening to their stories accelerates learning.”

The author’s association with the Tata Management Training Centre which undertook collaborative research with the Center for Creative Leadership, North Carolina, helped him develop the book’s framework. It is arranged in four sections. The first section describes Ram’s career and explains the book’s framework through his career. I must say, this section really sets the tone of the book. The next three sections delve deep into the three worlds of the manager: the inner world; the world of relationships and the world of getting things done.

Let me, in this review; briefly touch upon the three worlds of the manager.
The inner world: The inner world comprises of the ‘physical self’, the ‘psychological self’ and the ‘ethical or spiritual self’. We get guidance on all three aspects. Treat your body as if it were your only car, don’t ignore the need for physical fitness or adequate sleep, cautions the author. As regards the ‘psychological self’, the author teaches us various lessons. The three common hazards in a career are: coping with unfairness; earning a living without enjoyment, not finding the time to let go.

At times dealing with unfairness may mean quitting an organization and finding another job. At this juncture, it is important not to burn your bridges. Two people can walk out of a job owing to unfairness, yet one may carry the burden along with him to his next job, whereas another one could walk out on cordial terms and find joy and satisfaction in his next job. Follow your passion is another important point that comes across in this book. And lastly, we do need to develop our inner child. Do you take your annual vacation? Well, if you don’t, it is high time you began to plan, right NOW!

Lastly, the ‘ethical or spiritual self’ has been analyzed. R. Gopalakrishnan explains the very purpose of a career: “It is to utilize your potential fully.” This applies irrespective of whether you are a chairperson or an assistant. This alone can lead to self-esteem and job satisfaction.
It is important to do the right thing, to walk the talk and perhaps most important of all, to lead as we ourselves would like to be led.

The world of relationships: Communication is the key to survival itself. This book deals with ‘Connecting’ – saying what me mean and ‘Misconnecting’ - saying what we don’t mean. In this scenario, the other person gets a message that we haven’t meant to send out. While we may have a fair idea of the concept of connecting, especially when it comes to pointing a problem, where it is better to offer a solution as well, rather than harp on the problem alone; it is the entire concept of ‘misconnecting’ that caught my attention. The author refers to the ‘Seven deadly habits’ drawn up by Prof Sydney Finkelstein of Tuck Business School, which include among others, portraying an attitude of “I know it all”, just relying on past experience thus shutting out of one’s mind the very idea of new solutions and new possibilities. As we progress in our career, we will have to deal with unknown problems which will not have any known solutions. Connecting rightly and not Misconnecting will play a crucial role.

The world of getting things done: The world comprises of thinkers and doers. Not many of us can be a perfect balance of both. In this era of slick power point presentations, it is common to mistake articulation for action. The author refers to the thinkers as ‘architects’ and the doers as ‘engineers’. While both capabilities are important, perhaps in the early stages of one’s career it is important to be able to execute well or in other words be a good engineer, at a later stage, the role of an architect – the visionary may become more important.

The book ends with real life illustrations from the life of no other than J.R.D. Tata – a true transformer. Transformers are leaders who do what is right; surround themselves with talent; have inspiring aims; patch up differences’ empathize with people and lead with affection.

The book is a good easy read, even as I revisited a few chapters, for better learning. While I was aware of a few of my own ‘bonsai traps’, I did have a few ‘Ah-ha’ moments while reading this book and I know I will spend this weekend reflecting and understanding how best to walk out of my bonsai traps.

TATA: The evolution of a corporate brand

2010-09-18T03:27:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,

I am sure everyone in India has a personal TATA story to tell. For instance, once when I just wanted to get away on a solo trip to think, I opted for TATA plantations in Coorg, near Bangalore, Karnataka. The brand name TATA meant, that I would be safe, even if in a strange cottage all alone. Yet, surprisingly, outside India, people associate TATA with say Corus or Jaguar and not with TATA Tea. This book - TATA: The evolution of a corporate brand shows how TATA, as a group has evolved over a period of time. It has built on its foundation and also in the course of its way, added various other 'brand values'. I realised that Chartered Accountants could learn a lot from this book. Hence, after a very long gap, I reviewed this book for the Bombay Chartered Accountants' Society and it was published in their September journal.
If you need to learn how to build your own brand, do pick up this book.
The review is pasted below.
Best regards,
Lubna

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Book: TATA: The evolution of a corporate brand
Author: Morgen Witzel
Publisher: Penguin Portfolio
Price: 599

Readers may wonder why I am reviewing a book based on a specific group i.e. TATA for our Journal. True, most of us in India have a TATA story to relate, some at a personal level, others at a broader level. India rejoiced when TATA acquired Corus or Jaguar. Nano has and will continue make many a dream come true, even as competitors are now coming up with smaller cars.

This book review relates largely to what brand lessons we as individual chartered accountants or firms of chartered accountants can learn from the TATA story, which is succulently captured in the book: “TATA: The evolution of a corporate brand” by Morgen Witzel.

Many of us scoff at the word, ‘brand building’. We think we are professionals and should automatically be recognized for wearing the CA badge. However, in many spheres, we compete with ‘other professionals’ from a different field. Thus, ‘brand building’ is essential at a broader level.

Further, within the CA community as well, it is essential to stand out for one’s knowledge or unique set of offerings, or qualities or any other attribute which can be a USP, whether one is in practice or in the industry. A brand, is largely a sum total of perception. But perception takes time to build. More-so once a good perception (brand) is build, the public scrutiny intensifies. You really cannot rest on your laurels.

Just like the TATA group, the CA profession is decades old. One particular paragraph in this book struck me: In the 1990s, TATA was seen as fusty and out of date. Today, Indian stakeholders in particular see the company as a ‘fighter’ - aggressive and innovative and yet strong ethical and committed still to India and its people. As the author puts it, the perception today has changed to: “No longer my father’s TATA, but my TATA.”

In the 1990s, the task was not so much to create cultural change as to steer the TATA group back to its original culture and values. This was not easy but it was done. The TATA group could then create a brand based on its existing culture, rather than having to undertake the immeasurably harder task of creating a brand and then bringing the culture into alignment with it.

Indian customers see TATA as trustworthy, safe, reliable, a provider of value for money and at the same time innovative, modern and stylish. Innovation and keeping in tune with the changing needs of its stakeholders did not mean that TATA diluted its past heritage of safety, reliability and trustworthiness; rather it took strength from its past heritage.

Initially as the author began his study and research he found that three key values lay at the heart of the TATA corporate brand: trust, reliability (especially in terms of quality and value for money) and service to the community. These were the three things that a broad spectrum of stakeholders mentioned first and most often.
As the story progressed the list expanded to cover seven facets, viz: service to the community; trust and integrity; fairness and responsibility; innovation and entrepreneurship; global aspiration; quality and value for money (reliability) and lastly perception of goodness.

Similarly, we CAs need to draw on our rich heritage and at the same time, keep pace with the times. What would be the heritage that a CA can draw upon? While I can lay down quite a few attributes, yet integrity and reliability come uppermost to mind. Not only collective efforts, such as those by BCAS but also individual efforts, say: in training juniors or for that matter constantly checking our course of action while conducting our professional duties will ensure that this attribute for CAs remains strong in the minds of the stakeholders.

At the same time there is a need to change, to develop new skills – not just technical skills, such as by keeping pace with changing tax policies in key jurisdictions, but also soft skills such as better communication; innovating ways of doing things – even in mundane things such as filing , such as by introducing a proper checklist of documents that should be kept on record; of forming alliances whether formal or informal to ensure that the best possible comprehensive service is available to clients. The areas for introducing change, for upgrading (to use the term) are endless and we need to determine, after conducting a SWOT analysis, what exactly are our weakness and/or where we need to grow.

Being perceived as contemporary is also crucial in the broader sense. Today, especially after what has been perceived as tough final examination results, youngsters are increasingly giving a second thought while contemplating a CA course. The ICAI has tried to keep its syllabus contemporary. But the challenge lies in showing that the “CA profession is not my father’s profession, but can be my profession”. The answer to that lies in ensuring that CAs are not merely regarded as bean counters but that they play an important role in a client’s business strategies or the business strategies of their employer (if they are in industry).
Another concept which is alive at the TATA group and which greatly impressed me, is the ‘Dare to Try’ campaign which began in 2007 and which offers awards and recognition to employees who come up with innovative ideas, that for one reason or another, have not taken off – such as lightweight plastic car doors by a team at Tata Motors or flavored capsules for adding flavor to water or other beverages by Tata Tetley’s team. The entire objective is to be make innovation part of the eco-system. Rewards for suggestions to create a better eco-system in a CA firm or community need not be monetary. Sometimes, recognition counts or rather plays a greater role.
There are instances in this book which show that no one is immune from mistakes, but the important part is how we tackle these mistakes. When Indica was launched there were some technical glitches and parts were replaced for free. Once the glitches were tackled Indica V2 was thereafter launched which has become a popular car.

Brand building is not a dirty word. It is the sum total of what you stand for. “A corporate brand is not what you say it is. It is what you are” cites the author. In other words you have to walk the talk. The same applies to us CAs.

The table below contains some suggestions regarding the brand attributes for a CA, I am sure you can select from this list, add your own and strive to evolve, if required, to tackle the challenges of a changing environment.
ends

Table:
Brand attributes for a CA
Traditional brand attributes
Integrity
Independence
Reliability
Financial prowess
Technical Knowledge

Emerging brand attributes
(Traditional attributes to act as the foundation, even as new attributes are built in)
Strategic thinker (Plays a role in client’s/organisation’s strategic decision making)
Contemporary technical knowledge (including basic understanding of the emerging regulations in key overseas jurisdictions)
Improved soft skills
Networking abilities

Positive thinking

2010-04-17T01:54:00.001-07:00

Life is a roller coaster ride, at times you may feel like shouting at the top of your lungs: WHY ME?
Will that help? Perhaps not. Nor will worrying about your situation. In fact, worrying will make things worse, it will add to your problems and not solve anything.
Logical thinking, exploring alternative solutions, if any, and positive thinking will alone help. In recent times, I have become a big believer of "Positive thinking". By this, I do not mean making wishes and leaving things to the Universe without lifting a finger to achieve your dreams. However, what I mean is looking at the silver lining behind each and every dark cloud.
During an especially bad patch, I came across this contest and entered and won. Here are the two winning entries and mine is on, you guessed it right: Positive Thinking.
It is called: Paint My Dreams.
Watch out for more such contests on Visual Arts Junction.
Source of the photograph

The Professional

2009-09-24T01:36:00.000-07:00

Another great book, by Subroto Bagchi, simply called The Professional. This book, now on stands and available for purchase online, has been published by Penguin (Portfolio). Priced at Rs 399, it is an invaluable tool, which guides you to reach an answer on: Who is a Professional?

While the review below, will appear in the forthcoming journal of the Bombay Chartered Accountant's Society (BCAS), I thought I should share the book review with other readers, who are not members of the BCAS. Also do hop across to the author's blog and participate in lively discussions.

Book Review:

The Satyam episode led to some uncomfortable situations for us CA-professionals. The general public did tend to paint us all with the same brush. It may have led to some uncomfortable encounters at networking events when people came up to us during the tea-break and questioned us about “our profession”. Hopefully we will never have to face such a scenario again.

This incident brought to the forefront the moot question. Does having a professional qualification (say: the much coveted CA tag), make one a professional?

The answer is no. Anyone can with the right amount of hard work (and luck, as most of us CAs would like to add) can acquire a professional degree. However, it is the ability to stay true to ourselves and our vocation that makes us a true professional.

Subroto Bagchi, Gardener and Vice-Chairperson to the Board, MindTree Limited in his latest book “The Professional” answers this important question: What does it take to be considered a true professional in any field?

“The Professional” comprises of seven distinct parts and the author does tell us to read each part sequentially in the order it is presented in the book, so as to get the maximum benefit from it. Each part comprises of short narratives drawn from real-life – both positive and negative examples – covering various professions and work-life scenarios. These narratives comprise of situations which you and I have encountered/witnessed or are most likely to encounter or witness as we move up in our professional careers.

Part 1, explains the concept of integrity and how and why it is the key stone of professionalism. In fact, during the course of writing this book, Subroto Bagchi reached out to a group of people whom he admired for their professionalism and asked them to share the qualities of a professional. Integrity was a quality that topped. Little wonder then, that Integrity is also the key stone of this book.

In Part 2, we move on to read about self-awareness and learn some valuable lessons, which include the power to say NO, which can be daunting when we have not yet risen in our career and the need to be generous, gracious and courteous to others when we are at the pinnacle of our professional career. Part 3 deals with basic qualities that makes one a well rounded professional. Subroto Bagchi calls the first three parts, the foundational pillars.

As people become more experienced they have to deal with a larger volume of work, responsibilities and complexity. Yes, Part 4 and 5 provides us tools to cope with this. Integrity also makes good business sense and Subroto Bagchi describes this with ample illustrations, those of his own and those which he witnessed. The Abilene Paradox, where people agree to do strange things, when they suppress their own voice and simply go along with what everyone else is saying has been well described in the back drop of the Satyam episode. Yes, the voice of dissent plays a very important role and this is not the same as unconstructive criticism or plain whining.
All of us increasingly have to operate in global market-place. Part 6 guides us on how best to do so. Based on his experiences, Subroto Bagchi touches upon important facets of: Inclusion and Gender, Cross Cultural Sensitivity, Governance, Intellectual Property and Sustainability. Towards the end of the book is a chapter titled ‘The Unprofessional,’ with a list of ten markers of unprofessional conduct, such as: Missing a deadline, Non-escalation of issues on time, Non-disclosure, Not respecting privacy of information, Not respecting ‘need to know’, Plagiarism, Passing on the blame, Overstating qualifications and experience, Mindless job-hopping and Unsuitable appearance.
There is no beginning or end in being a professional it is a life-long learning curve. Yet, this book provides a handy, well illustrated, tool-kit to be a better professional. Ultimately Professionalism boils down to individual choice, and indeed it is for you and me to continue on the path towards becoming a better professional.

A paragraph in the book aptly states this: “A doctor becomes part of an insurance fraud. A policeman colludes with a criminal. A lawyer bribes a judge. In each instance, the professional breach is justified as the price to be paid to be part of a system. The truth is, it is an individual choice”.

Subroto Bagchi in his book adds: “… Society on the while may not always put a premium on the practice of professional values and hence most people do not incorporate it into their lives. But practicing professional values is about who you are and what you want to be known as – a professional or merely professionally qualified. And, in the end, even the most corrupt society hails the ones that choose to be different.”

This itself, gives me hope. Amen.

PS: There is also a message by Subroto Bagchi for the members of the Bombay Chartered Accountant's Society, which I shall upload once it is publish.

Source of Photographs: Photograph of the book downloaded from the author's website
The sunrise is a photograph I shot, some years ago, at Tata Plantations, Coorg, India.

Happy Hour is 9 to 5

2009-07-19T07:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,
This book sure caught my attention. Moreso, an online version is available for free reading, even though it is best to download the book. Happy Reading.
Once again, I have reviewed it for the Bombay Chartered Accountants' Society's Journal and it appeared in the September issue.
Best,
Lubna

It was a snippet in Corporate Dossier (Management feature section of The Economic Times) dated July 3, that attracted my attention and drew me to the book: “Happy Hour is 9 to 5”. Well, work hours for most of us tend to stretch longer, all the more reason for reading this book. We may be conversant with e-filing of returns, this book is an e-book, available for download in pdf, you can order it or if it makes you happy (even as it may not make the author richer in monetary terms) you can read it online for free @ http://positivesharing.com/happyhouris9to5/

As soon as you click on the above url, you will come to face to face with quotes from a diverse range of famous personalities, all of whom agree that happiness at work is a necessity. Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple even goes on to say: “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle."

Alexander Kjerulf, the Danish author who calls himself the Chief Happiness explains: This book is about happiness at work. About loving your job - or finding one you can love. Because today, happiness at work is no longer a luxury - it's essential. People are discovering, that when they love their jobs, they are more productive, creative and motivated. They're also happier in life. Similarly, happy companies find they are more efficient, innovative and make more money than their unhappy competitors. Danes, Alexander Kjerulf explains actually have a word to define the concept of happiness at work. Arbejde means work and glæde means happiness, so arbejdsglæde literally translates into work-happiness. No wonder, he is the perfect author for this book.

That said, let us dive into the book-rather the free online version which I read, even though I realize it is better to download the pdf version and keep it for posterity.

The beginning itself is interesting. Imagine yourself early on a Monday morning. Picture yourself as you turn off the alarm clock, and lie in bed for a moment before getting up. Your bed is comfortable and warm and you really want to enjoy that feeling just a little bit longer, but just thinking about the workweek ahead of you is making you smile and get ready to jump out of bed. Well, if this is not what is happening it is time to read the book!

It is not designations, promotions, money, bonus that can make us happy. These are short term pleasures. There is much more that alone can assure happiness at work.
The book aims to convince you that:
• Each and every one of us can be happy at work.
• Being happy at work will not only make work more fun, it will also improve your quality of life outside of work and make you more successful.
• Happy businesses are much more efficient than unhappy ones—happiness makes great business sense.
• Happiness at work is not rocket science—it is simple to help yourself and your workplace to be happy.

This book explains the theory of happiness at work, based on real-life examples, which you can emulate and also provides you with exercises to undertake. To begin with, it is true that work itself can make you happy – if you have found a career which is a perfect fit.

However, happiness at work is not restricted to those who have found their calling in life. One of the chapters in this book deals with what actions you can take to be happy.

Six actions that make us happy at work

There are six simple, everyday actions that create a good mood and make us happy at work. To be happy at work we must:
• Be positive
• Learn
• Be open
• Participate
• Find meaning
• Love

People who do this at work are happy. A workplace where people can do each of these is a happy one. And it is all so simple to do.

If you want to spread positive vibes (and it all comes back to you), learn how to praise. Just walk across to your junior or even your boss and praise him/her for something you genuinely believe he/she deserves the praise for. Have a whiteboard on which people can scrawl praises of those in their department. Ensure that a stuffed toy /award is passed around to the most praiseworthy person in the office each month. No need to buy another toy – the same one can be passed around. All inexpensive gestures but they go a long way. Learning is also important, and by this I mean not learning tax or accounting standards but learning from each meeting. How could we do the next one better? Take stock and move on. Also try and learn new skills. Even if something as different as ceramic paining, believe me you, it will boost your creativity help you conceptualize tax structures more easily or your submission will flow more easily.

Be open and participate, is something which is easier said than done as it may also depend upon your organization’s framework. Yet, you can contribute to making your organization a more transparent and participative place.

Make a start, be open with your colleagues, your team members. Volunteer to set up groups such as study circles. New transfer pricing regulations? Why not set up a group which will study it and make a presentation for the benefit of all? Have a soft spot for stray dogs? Set up a box to collect money to contribute to the SPCA or any other animal welfare organization. What is stopping you? Sometimes the answer is just YOU!

Find meaning. Now this is a truly useful action point. Filing tax returns may not be the most appealing job on earth. Look at it this way. Your action, helps the client to meet his obligations, it helps the government to raise revenue – in the long run it helps keep the wheels of democracy churning. Yes, it began with the tax return that you helped your client fill in. Always find meaning it whatever you do. As Alexander Kjerulf says: “It’s much easier to be happy if your job has meaning to you, and you keep that meaning in mind. Knowing how your work contributes to the company’s success, to your local community, or even to making a better world makes you proud of what you do. Almost any job has meaning.”

In most workplace surveys, 10% say they hate their jobs and 10-20% love it. The rest, between 70 and 80% of employees, are somewhere in the middle. Various exercises provided in the book will help you ensure that you are a happier person at work. Happiness fortunately is contagious.

Alexander Kjerulf even touches upon the sensitive subject of quitting.
As he says: “Once you’ve decided to be happy at work, here’s the most basic choice you must make: Should you try to become happy in your current job, or is it better to switch to a new job? Can you make things better where you are? Have you tried? How did it go?

There are two possible options:
• Change is realistic. It may not be easy or fast, but things can get better at my current job.
• Change is not realistic. The culture is too fixed or change will simply be too hard.

There is no perfect job. There is no need to change the whole company. A change in your department may be all that you need. Try spreading happiness around. Could be creating a small group of “Happiness leaders” and conjuring up different ways to spread happiness, something as simple as passing around picture post cards saying: Thank you, you did a great job. This could foster team work. Or simple games post work, cutting across the hierarchy. As silly as joining hands and singing songs.
But if things cannot change, it is not worth being stuck in an unhappy situation. “Switching jobs can be a scary proposition, but for many people it’s the only way they will ever be happy at work. If you decide that there is only a small chance that your current job will ever make you happy, I urge you to move on as quickly as possible. This is a decision with serious consequences, including loss of identity, prestige and financial security. Again, only you can make that choice,” sums up Alexandra Kjerulf.

So go on, spread happiness at your workplace.
Cheers!

Photograph courtesy: Wikimedia

Who Moved My Cheese?

2009-05-17T03:14:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,
There are a few books I love reading time and again. Who Moved My Cheese?, is one such book.
Here is my review.
Happy reading. Do pick up this book, in case you haven't read it.
Best,
Lubna

Book Review:
Reviewed by: Lubna Kably, Chartered Accountant

Title: Who Moved My Cheese?
Author: Dr Spencer Johnson
Price: INR 100 to 150 (approximately)
Publication: Random House (Vermillion), UK
Official website: www.whomovedmycheese.com

So there I was standing on the edge, my toes involuntary curling inwards with fear, my stomach churning. What was I doing on the edge? And I mean the edge, in every physical sense of the word – the edge of a platform atop a tower fourteen stories high at Surfers’ Paradise, Brisbane. The wind whipped my pony tail in rebellion, as I stood there and shivered.

The jump master, after having harnessed me, stood there patiently. I wanted him to push me off the ledge so that I would not have to decide. This he would not do. It was entirely my call. My call for a shot of adrenalin – Bungee Jumping! I experienced this shot of adrenalin, years and years ago, but remember this incident as vividly as if it were just yesterday.

There are occasions in life, which call for a decision and for making that jump and yes, ones’ toes will curl inwards. But jump we must (or search in the maze), because the ‘Cheese’ is moving and we have no other choice but to move and to find new Cheese.

In these days of an economic slowdown, of quick and rapid changes in policies the world over that have an impact on business operations and on employment, of changing client needs, or for that matter employee needs, employer needs and our own needs, it is important to anticipate, recognise, and understand change.

Who Moved My Cheese? is one such book, which will help you to move with the Cheese and enjoy the new Cheese.

As its official website says: “It is the story of four characters living in a “Maze” who face unexpected change when they discover their “Cheese” has disappeared. Sniff and Scurry, who are mice, and Hem and Haw, little people the size of mice, each adapt to change in their “Maze” differently. In fact, Hem doesn't adapt at all...”
“This timeless allegory reveals profound truths to individuals and organisations dealing with change. We each live in a “Maze”, a metaphor for the companies or organisations we work with, the communities we live in, the families we love places where we look for the things we want in life – “Cheese”. It may be an enjoyable career, loving relationships, wealth, or spiritual peace of mind. With time and experience, one character eventually succeeds and even prospers from the change in his “Maze”.

In an effort to share what he has learned along the way, he records his personal discoveries on the maze walls, the “Handwriting on the Wall”. Likewise, when we begin to see the “writing on the wall”, we discover the simplicity and necessity of adapting to change." This book helps one to learn how to deal with inevitable change.

Let us now move on with the book review. The book begins by describing how a group of former classmates at a reunion enter into a conversation around how the world has changed since they were at school together. It is at this point that one of the group tells the story of “Who Moved My Cheese?”

The mice are named Sniff and Scurry. Sniff sniffs out changes early and Scurry scurries into action. The two little men are Hem and Haw. Sniff and Scurry soon notice changes in their environment. Hem and Haw, however, take the cheese for granted. Gradually the cheese begins to dwindle. Sniff and Scurry are not concerned. They see that the Cheese is not going to last forever so with their running shoes on, they get off to a flying start in search of new Cheese.

As Cheese stocks continue to dwindle, both Hem and Haw, one day find themselves with no Cheese, they are shocked and bewildered. Both throw a fit. However, Hem thinks Cheese is his birthright. He denies and resists change because he fears that something worse will happen if he steps out of the “Maze”, his very own comfort zone. He continues to hope that the Cheese will come back. Alas it will not.

Haw learns to adapt in time when he sees that change has to be dealt with and can lead to something better, if one makes such an attempt. As Haw, leaving his friend Hem behind goes in search of new Cheese, he learns new truths and leaves notes on the wall of the maze hoping that Haw will follow and find them.

The truth or “The handwriting on the wall” are:

* Change happens: They keep moving the Cheese
* Anticipate change: Get ready for the Cheese to move
* Monitor change: Smell the Cheese often so that you know when it is getting old
* Adapt to quickly: The quicker you let go of old Cheese, the sooner you can enjoy new Cheese
* Change: move with the Cheese
* Enjoy change: Enjoy the taste of new Cheese
* Be ready to change quickly and enjoy it again: As mentioned earlier, they keep moving the Cheese

The more important your Cheese is to you, the more you want to hold on to it. The point is that we can be lulled into thinking that there will be no change that our life is stable. We thus fail to notice that the world is changing around us.

Perhaps the time is right to draw up our own checklists:

1.Is our professional business on the right track? Which direction should we keep moving – say by offering new services to cater to the emerging needs of clients, or finding new clients, or spreading in new geographies?
2.Is our career on the right track? What value are we offering our employer? What do we need to do to move up the career path?
3.Is our personal life on track? How much time do we devote to the family or to our own needs? When was the last time you went to the dentist (Don’t laugh, I know for a fact that most of us keep postponing such things, blaming it on lack of time).

At the end of the book, the former classmates discuss the application of the story to their own lives and situations both on the career, business and personal front and how they must move with the Cheese.

It is a slim book, but one that packs a powerful punch. The truth may be difficult to digest – it simply means Change or else…So keep your running shoes, on – always.

Yes, this is again reviewed for The Bombay Chartered Accountants Societys' Journal.

Photographs sourced from : http://www.kolloonline.com/beta/images/stories/who-moved-my-cheese.jpg and the book photograph from Amazon.

The Monk who sold his Ferrari

2009-05-03T12:40:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,
I found this review a bit tough. I am sending it off now to the BCAS for publication in their journal (PS: It got published in the June edition). Review is below.
Best,
Lubna

Title: The Monk who sold his Ferrari
Author: Robin SharmaPrice: INR 185
Publication: Jaico Books

Much has been written about this book and I am not surprised. You can either like this book or hate it, but you cannot ignore it. Before I begin this review, I must honestly admit that I am skeptical of self-help books which harp about “Leaving things to the forces of the Universe”. Yet, if one reads such books with an open mind, there are lessons that one can adopt, even as one chooses to ignore certain things that don’t make practical sense. The Monk who sold his Ferrari is one such book. I can almost call it spiritual pop. But, yes, who says that you do not have the freedom to pick and choose and adopt those ideas that do make practical sense and can turn your life for the better?

This book begins with the story of Julian Mantle, a successful lawyer who quite simply suffers a burn-out. He survives a heart attack, drops out of the rat race, sells his possessions – including his Ferrari and sets off on a journey (albeit to India) to find out life’s true meaning. Years later when he returns and meets his former associate, another advocate, he is a changed man – both physically and mentally. He has learned some valuable lessons from mythical Himalayan sages which he shares with his former associate (and the readers).

Julian tells his former associate a parable. How can a garden, a lighthouse, a sumo wrestler, a pink wire cable, a shiny gold stopwatch, fresh yellow roses and a winding path of diamonds be interlinked? Well they are.

Much as I hated the naïve dialogue in this book between Julian and his former associate, the best part of this book are the action steps provided at the end of each chapter. Now let us turn to the mysterious objects and find out how they are linked and how they can make our life more meaningful.

The Garden: The garden, in this book is the symbol of the mind. The key lies to banish all negative thoughts, to concentrate on definite meaningful objectives and to remove inner turbulence. Like most other such books, this chapter adds, find your real purpose in life then act on it. It even suggests that you can take risks and give up your profession for something you truly love. I guess, this is not always possible, even as one can try and attain a work-life balance through some sacrifices on the work front and find time for their passions, be it music or painting or writing or family time.

The gems that one can take away from this chapter is to learn to focus on the present, to keep negative thoughts at bay, imagine yourself as you want to be and to run your own race.

Practical tips: “A worrisome thought is like an embryo. It starts off small but grows and grows. Soon it takes on a life of its own”, explains Julian. He wears a necklace around his neck. Whenever, he is unable to shake off a negative thought, he removes one bead and puts it away in a cup. This reminds me of the “Worry dolls” traditionally made in Guatemala. According to folklore, the doll is thought to worry in the person’s place, when placed under the pillow at night. This permits a person to sleep peacefully and wake up without their worries, which have been taken away by the dolls during the night. Yes, this habit of banishing negative thoughts is worth a try, because endless worrying saps energy, it prevents us from focusing on our dreams and attaining it.

The Lighthouse: “The purpose of life is a life of purpose” says Julian. Clearly defined priorities and goals in every aspect of your life will serve a role similar to that played by a lighthouse, offering you guidance and refuge when the seas become rough. You should clearly know what aims you wish to achieve over the course of your life, be they material, emotional physical or spiritual and you must then manifest this vision into reality by consistent action.

From a practical point of view, this begins with goal setting. Julian says that accomplishing little feats will prepare us for realising the big ones. There is nothing wrong with mapping out a full range of small goals in the process of planning your bigger roles. Above all, he says: Stay spirited, joyful and curious.

Practical tips: Julian explains the steps as below

Step 1: Have a clear vision of your outcome;
Step 2: Create positive pressure to keep you inspired (something as simple as telling your best friend that you want to lose 5 kgs by the end of the month so that he/she can encourage you towards this goal);
Step 3: Set precise doable timelines to your goals;
Step 4: Commit you goal to paper. Prepare a “Dream Book”. You can have different sections for different goals – viz: physical fitness, financial, personal empowerment, relationship/social, spiritual. Fill it with pictures of things you desire, of people whom you wish to emulate;
Step 5: Stay with your goal for the first twenty-one days and soon it will become a habit (for example: an early morning walk).

The Sumo Wrestler: The Sumo wrestler is a constant reminder of the power of kaizen, the Japanese word for self-expansion and progress. Here the key take away is that we must learn to live out of our comfort zone to realise our fullest potential. “The only limits on your life are those that you set for yourself. When you dare to get out of the circle of your comfort and explore the unknown you begin to liberate your true human potential” says Julian. This chapter then goes on to explain ten rituals of radiant living – from spending some time everyday in solitude, to vegetarianism, to getting up early, to reading.

Practical tips: I think the concept of stepping out of your comfort zone is an important point. It could be something as simple as conquering one’s fear of public speaking. It need not be something as drastic as giving up your career to pursue something else. Even as the author says, that if you truly believe that an alternate career will bring you joy, go for it. Thus identify your fears, chalk out how you can conquer them and work on them everyday. For example, if you are scared of public speaking, join a study circle which also includes several of your friends, participate actively in that, and then move on to a wider audience.

A pink wire cable: The sumo wrestler had donned a pink wire cable. It denotes the power of self control and discipline in building a richer, happier and more enlightened life. Alone, each strand of wire is very weak. But a cable which comprises of several strands of wires is tough and strong. To build up an iron will it is essential to routinely perform tiny acts and build up an abundance of inner strength. Inner strength enables you to tackle whatever life throws your way.

Practical tips: Start up doing the things that you know you must be doing, or which are good for you, but you find it difficult to do. Like waking up early and going for that morning walk. Small victories lead to larger victories. Once a bench mark has been attained, raise the benchmark higher. Soon you will be doing things you never knew you were capable of doing with an energy you never knew you possessed.

A shiny gold stop watch: This was a symbol of our most important commodity – time. Time mastery in short is life mastery. Julian reiterated the well known phrase that: 80 per cent of the results we achieve in life come from only 20 per cent of the activities that occupy our time. Julian called for a holistic system of time management that encompassed not only life at the work place, but life per se. He advised that we should keep away from time thieves who for flimsy reasons eat into our time. It is also essential to simplify our life and to savour each and every moment as if today will be our last day.

Practical tips: Time management may sometimes necessitate saying -No. When someone calls for an idle chat while you want to finish your report, learn to say No. When dragged in all directions, prioritise. Keep time for yourself, for your family. Build a time table which includes everything, not just the client appointment, but the trip to the doctor, or the parent-teachers meeting. What is high priority is something you alone can decide for yourself, use time judiciously; after all, no one has more than 24 hours a day.

Fresh yellow roses: A Chinese proverb says: A little bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gave you roses. When you practice random acts of kindness daily, you enrich yourself. Think less of yourself as an individual and more as a member of the universe to which you belong. Julian brought out the true meaning of belongingness or inclusiveness and friendship in this chapter.

Practical tips: Cultivate richer relationships. How about taking the new joinee to the lunch room? Or helping the technically challenged colleague to help fix the printer? Or volunteer at the local NGO during your spare time? In short, help others smile, and they shall smile back at you.

A winding path of diamonds: This signified ‘enlightened living’. Julian explained that: Happiness is a journey. We can either marvel at the diamonds along the way or can keep running all day chasing that elusive pot of god at the end of the rainbow that ultimately reveals itself to be empty. In other words, we need to live in the now!

Practical tips: Practice gratitude and live in the now. Perhaps you could keep a journal where you note down daily whatever you have been grateful for during the course of that day. The size of your car, or your house, or for that matter your bank balance cannot buy you happiness. The size of the gratitude that you experience everyday can.

Conclusion:

Although I cannot give this book my highest rating, Julian in one of the chapters says: “You need not apply every strategy to make your life work. Try the techniques and use those that feel right to you”. This makes a lot of sense, even as not everything in this book does.

You may well ask, what was the reason for brining in the Sumo wrestler or the pink wire cable, or for that matter the lighthouse? Well, these were just mind clues. The more bizarre a clue, greater are you likely to remember it, and perhaps even practice it. So take those baby steps, towards a better YOU.

On magazines

2009-04-11T22:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Readers,

Yesterday, at the supermarket, I picked up a local women's magazine: Femina. If I am not mistaken, this is now a 50:50 joint venture between the BBC and India's Timesgroup which also publishes my favourite newspapers Times of India and The Economic Times. (Unfortunately its website www.femina.in does not seem to work).

Their "Letter to the editor page", does not contain any email/address to which letters can be sent. There is a tiny box on this page inviting an sms poll on the current editon - without the number to which the sms should be sent. AARGH....

While Reader's Digest has been a staple diet of the family and is still very much a part and parcel of our lives, my mother somehow outgrew Femina and stopped subscription perhaps when I was in high school. My first cheque of INR 10, was thanks to this magazine. I had won a Cadbury Gem's contest on - Find the missing number.

Since then, Femina has changed over the years. It is all about gloss and glamour. There are no kiddie's pages. There are no short stories. There are tons of advertisements on makeup and clothes. Somehow I felt lost between an advertisement and an actual article. I have picked up this magazine off and on, even in the past, but doubt that I will pick it up again. I am glad we no longer subscribe to it. It is just fine to pick it up once in a while, when all your brain wants to do is look at glitzy photographs.

True, Reader's Digest has also changed. There was an uproar when they decided to carry advertisements on the backcover. But the content has remained more or less the same. I still love it. Yes, articles are more contemprary but the usual stuff which I grew up on: Book section, Word Power, Laughter the best medicine, Humor in Uniform, All in a day's work remains. A few articles are more India centric which is a nice thing.

I now came across a news item that Forbes has launched Forbes Women (Forbes, itself is yet to hit the stands in India, hopefully it will sometime soon). I doubt that Forbes Women will be launched in India soon, but at least I can read the online version of it.

I loved reading: How a sweater changed my (business) life or vieweing the video by Beth Brooke, Global Vice-Chair of Ernst & Young on the global crisis impact on women. I could not agree with her more, diversity in the decision making process is the need of the hour. We need people who in a constructive way, challenge the existing norms of thinking and help us reach more meaningful, more beneficial decisions. Perhaps, women can contribute in a big way in such a decision making process.

Can we have a "magazine of substance for women in India", instead of just paying lip service to "women of substance" which is what I find is generally done.

For now, I am just so glad that the internet provides me with an opportunity to read up on diverse views and yes, Forbes Women has been bookmarked for future reading.

Have a nice Sunday.

Best,
Lubna

Difficult conversations by Anne Dickson

2009-03-10T23:02:00.000-07:00

Hi Readers,

While one of my favourite quotes by Dr Seuss is: "Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind," unfortunately in the real world we do need to be more careful about what we say. Conversations can sometimes be difficult, especially for people like me who want to be honest and can end up hurting the other person. This book "Difficult Conversations" by Anne Dickson was a godsend. I read it almost at one go and have sent a review for publication to the Journal of the Bombay Chartered Accountants' Society - hope they do publish it. (PS: Yay, this appeared in the April 2009 edition)
I so agree with what the author says: Open your heart, find your voice and tread lightly!
Here is the review.

Warm regards
Lubna

Book Review: Difficult conversations
Reviewed by: Lubna Kably, Chartered Accountant
Title: Difficult conversations
Author: Anne Dickson
Price: INR 450
Publication: Piatkus

Picture this:

* An article clerk has been assigned to two different audits simultaneously and a tax advisory project. All three have tight deadline and seem to overlap. He does not know how to bring this up with the seniors in his firm. This is not a one-off incident. He feels bullied all the time. If he looks around him, other article clerks are given projects that are more manageable. Two or more seniors are not breathing down their neck all the time.
* A manager is trying to convince his team member that she needs to pull up her socks and ensure that repeated mistakes are not made. The team member is intelligent and technically good. Her biggest flaw – the ability to get bored with non-technical nitty-gritty. Thus, each slide on a recent power point presentation to be sent to a client carries the wrong date, yet again.

Yes, the success of the article clerk and the manager depends upon the ability to communicate correctly. So how should they deal with the above? Well, the article clerk definitely has to improve the reality of the situation he is caught in. The manager has to speak in a manner that he is able to get the message across without generating repercussions that he may regret later.

The summary on back of this book states: Anne Dickson tells you how. She describes a range of difficult conversations that frequently occur in intimate, social and work situations, and reveals simple but powerful techniques that will help you to transform the situation. You'll discover how to: communicate directly and honestly without damaging your relationships; keep to your point without backing down or getting into a fight; initiate a discussion without encountering resistance or attack; offer criticism without antagonising the other person; manage your anxiety and develop genuine confidence in your authority; and much more.

So, as this pleased reader and book reviewer says – Let’s talk.

This book underlines two concepts which are at the heart of effective communication. The first is seeing and respecting others as equals and the second is personal power. Personal power means interacting with others from a base of genuine confidence, which is grounded in self trust and honesty. According to the author, the challenge of this approach is making a genuine commitment to eschew the use of aggression.

Now let me dive straight into the above two examples. This book does not provide these very examples, but there are enough illustrations which relate to the above two situations.

What can the article clerk do? (Let us look at the example in the book of a junior chef in a busy kitchen). Well, the article clerk can keep wishing that he were a different sort of person, with a different sort of temperament, but in truth, he is shy and reserved and not naturally extrovert. He cannot change who he is, but he can choose to start setting limits once he sorts out what is happening.

Anne Dickson describes the situation:
* What are the others doing to him? They are not letting him finish one job before he has to start on another;
* How does he feel currently? Frustrated and furious;
* What does he want? To set limits.

Thus, the article clerk has to visualise himself and the seniors as an equal human being and with full confidence improve the reality of his situation. Thus, he can ask Senior 2 who has assigned him another audit of the actual deadline. If it clashes with the audit project he is already on, he can firmly state that perhaps someone else can be assigned as he will not be able to do justice to two audits at the same time. Or he can offer to start on this audit only after he has finished his first assignment. He can also point out to the office manual which shows he is already on one audit which requires him to be at a far off client location, almost daily. As regards Senior 3, who wants to involve him on a tax advisory project, he can repeat the same thing. He can perhaps add that he will go out of his way, to spend some time post audit doing the required tax research. He has to learn his own value and not get pushed around, but at the same time not compromise on what is required of him.

Let us now see what the manager should do. Anne Dickson advocates adopting a new approach. It means not resorting to aggression, but asking three questions:
*What is happening?;
*What does he feel about it?; and lastly
*What would he like to be different?

The book describes a scene between a department head and her secretary. However, the same is equally applicable for our case.

The manager will find the replies to the above three questions to be:
*What is happening: My team member is not as careful as she should be; Now the answer has to be fine tuned to specifics. Thus, it could well be - My team member doesn’t check everything thoroughly;
*What does he feel about it: If the manager wants to avoid the “confrontation”, his answer could well be – She is usually very competent, this is just a small lapse. On the other hand, if he feels superior, it could be – she should be much more conscientious. The author says, avoid coming from a moral high ground as it could be perceived by the other person to be an “attack”. We have been taught not to expose our feelings in the workplace. However, in this scenario it may be best for the manager to identify whether he is feeling angry, anxious or just sad. He must identify the predominant feeling. He may also like to put off speaking, till his emotions are in check and he can articulate the message better. This does not mean brushing the entire issue beneath the carpet. It may just mean speaking with his team member an hour later.

*What would he like to be different: This question, the author says, is the acid test. However, most answers are straightforward. In this case, it could be: I would like you to check everything before you give it to me for review. However, in getting the message across, the manager has to be assertive and respect the other individual rather than being plain aggressive.

“Most of us will respond positively to being asked to change something that is within our capability of changing. If the request is reasonable and clearly stated and is not an attack, most of us respond with co-operation” states the author.

In this case, the manager has legitimate power over the team-member. At the same time what he wishes to avoid is the feeling of ill-will that could develop between them, if the situation was not handled properly, which would in turn adversely impact their working relationship.

The manager needs to balance his authority with an equal regard for the team member being an individual entitled to her own rights and dignity. In this case, the manager could call the team member to his cubicle, so as to keep the boundary firmly around the actual conversation and state honestly that while she is very competent on the technical front repeated careless mistakes, such as use of wrong dates, are not acceptable. A question such as: Do you have any idea what went wrong?, could lead the team member to introspect and accept the fact that she was careless. The closure could be a simple, “I am glad we were able to talk about it”.

Handling difficult conversations is all about developing the habit of personal power. This entails:
*Acknowledging the truth;
*Facing and managing anxiety;
*Learning to express and communicate feelings;
*Learning to disagree without a fight;
*Challenging unfair criticism;
*Setting limits;
*Taking the initiative; and lastly
*Making the choice

The last paragraph in this book perhaps sums up the core of this book: Criticism handled properly, can be a real gift. It’s a gift because someone cares enough to actually say something to me. This means that our relationship matters enough. It means that working with this person matters enough for you to open up and speak up your mind. The enrichment that can come from a renewed understanding between people is surprising but inevitable. Open your heart, find your voice and tread lightly!

Winning: The Answers - Confronting 74 of the toughest questions in business today

2009-01-21T23:16:00.000-08:00

Dear Readers,
Another book review, but one that is oriented towards CA professionals. Hopefully, it should be printed in the Journal of the Bombay Chatered Accountant's Society, sometime soon.
I am so glad that the BCAS has begun to publish non tax book reviews in its journal. A broader perspective is so relevant, in life.
Cheers
Lubna

Title: Winning: The Answers – Confronting 74 of the toughest questions in business today
Author: Jack and Suzy Welch
Price: Rs. 395
Publisher: Harper Collins
Official website: http://www.welchway.com

The words, “Yes, we can”, seem to have become the new-age mantra not only for Americans but for the world. After all, in a flat world, economies are tied as never before. But, even before Obama made these words famous, perhaps Jack Welch was already practicing them.

In the book, “Winning: The Answers – Confronting 74 of the toughest questions in business today”, by Jack and Suzy Welch you will perhaps find answers to what you were searching for and in fact some questions that you ought to have asked yourself. Do read this book for some great practical suggestions.

Jack Welch retired in 2001, as chairman and CEO of General Electrical, and today continues to speak and answer zillions of questions that pour in, on wide ranging topics. In India, a financial daily does carry his column.

The book, “Winning” was published back in 2005 and this sparked off a deluge of questions from college students, professionals, entrepreneurs and people from all walks of life on subjects ranging from leadership and globalization, to tough bosses and teamwork. This book: “Winning: The Answers – Confronting 74 of the toughest questions in business today” contains some of the most relevant of questions asked. As Jack Welch on his website emphasizes: Winning is great!

The 74 questions and answers are contained in six sections. Section 1, deals with ‘Global competition’; section 2 with ‘Leadership’; section 3 with ‘Management Principles and Practices’; section 4 with ‘Careers’; section 5 is titled ‘Privately held” and deals with working for the family; lastly section 6 covers ‘Winning and Losing’.

For a sole practising CA or for a small or large CA firm, the lessons are sprinkled across the chapters.

Take for instance, one of the answers in section 1 of this book– Getting global before it gets you! While, we CAs are not perturbed by global outsourcing, indeed some of us may be benefitting from the same, such as by setting up back office services for US tax returns and the like, the answer here applies to us all. In a changing economy, it is best to be “Flat, fast and transparent. Informal, candid communication is a must. And so too a mind-set that has people constantly seeking best practises inside and outside the company.” Best practises can be ushered in, in all areas, right from maintaining proper audit working papers, to prompt responses to client queries, to in-house brainstorming and knowledge sharing. It is entirely up to you to define what best practises you or your firm needs to adopt. Ushering in best practises, will help us to service our clients better, to create a proper environment for our teams and to be reckoned as one among the best.

‘The courage to become a change agent’ was my favourite read, in section 2. This was in response to a question raised by a newly appointed head of a learning and development department and he had to make some tough choices to usher in change. Jack and Suzy Welch point out to the three critical organisational components: an inspirational mission; a clear set of values and rigorous appraisal system. If it applied to a department catering to learning and development, it applies equally well to a service industry – to us. However, a word of caution, as also provided by the authors – Make sure your reasons for the change initiative are transparent to everyone, be it something as simple as a new process for drafting audit working papers or client conference notes. And finally, don’t lose faith along the way. Some people will resist change. They always do. But as soon as results start rolling in, your new approach will make its own case, loud and clear.

Section 3, dealing with ‘Management Principles and Practices’ is a gold mine of useful tips. While the three indicators of a healthy company as given by Jack and Suzy Welch, viz: employee engagement, customer satisfaction and cash flow seem to typify a manufacturing company, think again. Yes, they equally apply to us. Today, getting the best employee and retaining him or her, is a challenge for any CA firm. Can anyone discount the importance of client satisfaction? Much as we may perhaps wish to relegate it to the background, the bottom line matters to all, even to us professionals.

For a good insight, into client satisfaction, the authors recommend being in touch and actually visiting customers. This advice is perhaps apt for partners of larger firms, who may no longer be in direct touch with all their clients. “And don’t just go chat with you ‘good’ customers… Make those visits about learning. Find a dozen ways to ask: What can we do better? And don’t leave without finding out if each customer would recommend your products or services. That’s the acid test of customer satisfaction” state Jack and Suzy Welch.

Coming to ‘Careers’, in section 4. For the young professional, the answer is: You need self confidence. Start with smaller goals, achieve them and celebrate. Next, stretch out of your comfort zone, set a higher goal and achieve it. I really love the last few sentences in their reply and I quote “The process won’t ever really end. As time goes on, your goals will just keep getting bigger and bigger. And failure, which will also occur on occasions, will come to feel less and less of a thing to fear.” In short, the authors say, even failure does teach you something you needed to know, so that you can stretch again, perhaps this time with greater experience backing you.

Section 5 covers family-owned enterprises. Fortunately, professional firms, be they CA firms or law firms, are weaning away from the family-owned structure. Yes, such structures had their own merits, but in today’s world they are increasingly become a thing of the past.

CA firms are merging to create new larger firms, smaller practises are joining hands with larger firms, the process of change is on. This means new processes, policies and procedures galore. Advice given by Jack and Suzie Welch: The past is over, embrace the new.

The last section – ‘Winning and Losing’ is perhaps a tad philosophical. The authors say: Winning and losing can’t be quantified. They are states of mind, and losing happens only when you give up. Seen that way, then, the world can be filled with winners, and there is room for them all.

It is entirely up to you, to define what winning means to you, as a chartered accountant, as an employee in a CA firm or industry or as a decision making partner. Remember winning alongside with your clients and teams is true victory. Help them grow and so shall you.

Photocredit: From Amazon and ClipArt respectively.

This review was published in the February, 2009, edition of the Journal of the Bombay Chartered Accountants' Society.

Can't wait to get to heaven

2008-11-14T09:32:00.000-08:00

I think books are great "pick-me-ups". And I am glad I stumbled upon "Can't wait to get to heaven" by Fannie Flag. What did God tell Elner, an elderly lovable character in this book, when she reached heaven? (Oh, she was sent back, much to the delight of her family and neighbourhood). But she did learn somethings from God:

You can''t force people to love you, or each other for that matter;
We thought we gave them everything we thought they would need to help: logic, reason, compassion, a great sense of humor, but...whether or not they use it is up to them.

Warmth and hilarity all rolled into one, is what this book is all about. And aren't these the wisest words ever? Guess, it is entirely up to us to use the gifts given to us.

This book taught me, that perhaps there is a need to slow down and sniff the roses, or if not the roses, at least the fresh morning air.

The Last Lecture

2008-10-26T21:26:00.000-07:00

I hope this review gets published in the BCAS Journal as well. But, I could not wait for that to happen. So here it is:

The Last Lecture
Author: Randy Pausch, Professor, Carnegie Mellon with Jeffrey Zaslow
Price: Rs. 295
Publisher: Hachette, UK (Distributed by Hachette, India)

Brick walls are there for a reason!

Randy Pausch, a Carnegie Mellon University professor, gave his ‘Last Lecture’ – titled “Really achieving your childhood dreams”, a last lecture in many more ways than one.

This lecture become an Internet sensation, with You Tube reaching his message of “Celebrating the dreams we all strive to make realities”, across the world in nano-seconds. His book – “The Last Lecture”, a New York Times bestseller, has likewise touched many hearts, including mine.

He delivered this lecture, on September 18, 2007, knowing fully well that he was dying of cancer and had just three-six months of good health ahead of him. Unfortunately, while Randy succumbed to pancreatic cancer a few months later on July 25, 2008, at a young age of 47, he through his Last Lecture has left behind a precious legacy, not just for his young children who will one day understand the video (as this lecture was taped for them) but for all of us.

The Last Lecture is a common title for talks on college campuses, such as Stanford or for that matter, Carnegie Mellon. The crème de la crème from the academia are invited to talk about what matters to them most and impart wisdom during their “Last Lecture”. For Randy, it was really his last chance to let the world know: How to Live!

He began his power point presentation by showing his CT scans, revealing ten malignant tumours – this slide was titled – The Elephant in the Room, but after that he talked about living. His took the 400 plus audience through his dreams – his childhood, his experiences with colleagues and superiors and students. He taught them all – how to live!

Flashing his rejection letters on the screen, he talked about setbacks in his life and career, repeating: "Brick walls are there for a reason. They let us prove how badly we want things." Since then, these words have emboldened many to face obstacles head on.

In today’s economy which is facing a slow-down, this book is worth a read, especially for us chartered accountants who have to deal with clients who are facing a downturn and grappling to find a foothold in a fluid and every changing global market.

Here are some gems (rather ‘panch ratna’):
o Don’t complain, just work harder: Don’t waste your energy in complaining about your problem. Rather, use it to solve the problem. Citing examples, Randy says that – “Complaining does not work as a strategy. We all have finite time and energy. Any time we spend whining is unlikely to help us achieve our goals. And it won’t make us happier.” You’d be surprised how well things turn out, even if you utilise 1/10th the energy you would otherwise use in complaining.
o Dare to take a risk: In a virtual-reality course, which Randy taught he encouraged students to just try and not worry about failure. At the end of the semester, he presented a stuffed penguin—“The First Penguin Award”—to the team that took the biggest gamble while not meeting its goals. The award came from the idea that when penguins jump in water that might have predators. But well, one of them’s got to be the first penguin. In essence, it was a prize for “glorious failure.”Experience is what you get when you don’t get what you wanted. And it can be the most valuable thing you have to offer.
o Don’t Obsess over what people think: If nobody ever worried about what was in other people’s heads we’d all be 33 per cent more effective in our lives and on our jobs. Randy told his team: If I haven’t said anything, you have nothing to worry about. Of course, if he wasn’t’ happy about something, this was directly mentioned, sometimes not so tactfully. The bottom line here is: be upfront with your team. Let them know what you are thinking of them – whether good or bad. Do reassure them not to be obsessive about what you may be thinking or for that matter anyone else – else there is just a loss of productivity!
o Look for the Best In Everybody: Randy got this advice from Jon Snoddy, his hero at Disney Imagineering, an animation company. “If you wait long enough,” he had told Randy said, “people will surprise and impress you.” When you’re frustrated with people, when you’re angry, it may be because you haven’t given them enough time. Be Patient. In the end, people will show you their good side. Just keep waiting. It will come out.
o Never give up: Randy says, “Until I got on stage at my last lecture, I had never told students or colleagues at Carnegie Mellon that I had been rejected when I had applied there initially (it was to do his PhD). He indicated that perhaps he was unsure of what people would think. But added that, he should have been telling this story for years, because the moral is: If you want something bad enough, never give up (and take a boost, when offered). Brick walls are there for a reason. And once you get over them – even if someone has practically had to throw you over – it can be helpful to others to tell them how you did it.
For finding other gems which include Dreaming Big, Having Fun, Tapping into your inner child, Making time for what truly matters and yes, saying Thank you, do pick up this book.

Looking at characters from the famous children’s book – “Winnie-the Pooh”, Randy decided early on that he would be the fun loving Tigger and not the sad Eeyore. This book teaches us to be like Tigger even in the face of adversities.

PS: This review got published in the January 2009 edition of The Bombay Chartered Accountants Journal.

Go Kiss the World

2008-06-13T23:23:00.000-07:00

I read so many books, that blogging about all of them is impossible. I gave up on sites that share reading experiences, owing to lack of time. But when a book truly touches my soul, I blog and share the experience.

So here it is, a review on: “Go Kiss the World – Life Lessons for the Young Professional” by MindTree’s Subroto Bagchi, (the official Gardener).

I first fell in love with Subroto’s writings thanks to his erstwhile columns in The Times of India. In these columns, he spoke about the values that were instilled in him since childhood. Values that are important to lead a meaningful life in society. Subsequently I did get to meet him for the first time, at a packed seminar. What struck me the most was that he had time for everyone. Not many people have this ability to reach out to all and sundry.

The last chapter, which has the book title, sums up the entire ethos of the book. Listed are seventeen important lessons that Subroto learnt in his life. I can entirely identify with a few of them, a few others; I have yet to learn about.

While you must read the book, to read all of them, my favourites which I could identify with and found most meaningful are:
The power to receive: "The second lesson life has taught me is that the power to receive is far more important than the power to give." He illustrates a family with four children. The inputs from the partners were the same, yet they grew up to be very different people. “The power is then not in the giving; it is in the extended hand that receives What matters is the capability to catalyse what you have received.”
Connect with people: Like Subroto, I have been fortunate to get some really excellent bosses – some of whom continue to mentor me till this date. They come from diverse professions, such as journalism, law and chartered accountancy. But they had and continue to have this amazing ability to connect. Working with them, I delivered my best. “It is our empathy that helps us connect with the world. When a leader connects at the level of feelings, he can get his people to aspire to dizzying heights and create in them the will and ability to scale them.” This should be read with the other lesson – The marginal person is important – In other words, the lesson is – Be nice to your juniors and other subordinates and they will walk to the end of the world for you. Yes, the bosses I spoke about do have my loyalty till this date.
The slippery slope of overachievement: Sigh, I could so relate to this. The lesson for me: “You should only be pained to change things that you can take charge of and create a sustainable impact.” Once again, this relates to another lesson – Passion is what passion does – “What matters is making a small but real difference.”
I always knew that Real men say sorry and I am glad that Subroto also thinks so.

Also I learnt that the forties is a dangerous age. “…There is a confusion about who they are and where they are going. The most common outcome of this actue period of transition is a job change…” Hmmmmm, I wonder what I will be up to, very soon. Maybe I need to ask the Gardener to spare some time and help me out on this one.

PS: I thought I knew how the MindTree logo was created, but then there is an interesting story behind it, in full detail in this book.

Subroto also has an interesting blog, click here.

The Case of the Bonsai Manager

2007-08-25T10:45:00.000-07:00

Is gardening a stress buster? Could be. But this book - The Case of the Bonsai Manager, penned by R Gopalakrishnan, executive director, Tata Sons has nothing to do with bonsai cultivation by managers.

Yes, I know, some of my fellow managers (past colleagues and current colleagues) have real (?) bonsai plants sitting pretty on their desks. Some of these fellow managers even talk kindly to them. After all this is what we learnt in biology class - talking to plants helps them to thrive.

Yes, we were taught this and much more. Later we had to absorb stuff about logical thinking and analytical techniques. Is this enough to make you or me a good manager?

R Gopalakrishnan, who addressed TiE members (and non-members), recently in Bangalore thinks this ain't enough. Intuition is also necessary according to him and this is not taught in any school.

Now hear this:

A manager can develop to his full potential by learning to be intuitive, inclusive and humane.

We have knowledge and knowledge is knowing what we know. While intuition is not knowing what you know.

When knowledge is integrated with intuition it becomes wisdom.

Gopalakrishnan also admits that intuitive managers tend to be emotional creatures and may be passed over at the time of promotions. After all, the business world still wants leaders who are logical and calculative.

However, "Just be yourself", were the wise words I walked away with. Intuition can help save your business from doom or indeed that of your employer.

So rely on your gut feel, be more open to your inner voice and indeed the voices around you - be they of your customers or team players.

Hopefully, several of the "bosses" present at the TiE even also walked away with gems of wisdom and may not frown on intuition going forward.

Here is to a more intuitive workplace!