Leadership Wisdom

P K Kothari wants to keep up with you on Twitter

2009-06-20T06:22:00.001-07:00

P K Kothari wants to keep up with you on Twitter

To find out more about Twitter visit http://twitter.com/i/b76a3f56a31bcf959ea2fe03c53fc129d9520465

Thanks,
— The Twitter Team

About Twitter

Twitter is a unique approach to communication and networking based on the simple concept of status. What are you doing? What are your friends doing—right now? With Twitter, you may answer this question over SMS or the Web and the responses are shared between contacts.

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P K Kothari wants to keep up with you on Twitter

2009-06-20T06:20:00.001-07:00

P K Kothari wants to keep up with you on Twitter

To find out more about Twitter visit http://twitter.com/i/18d701cff3fc904c0e6e844de2c5aff19096196f

Thanks,
— The Twitter Team

About Twitter

This message was sent by a Twitter user who entered your email address. If you'd prefer not to receive emails when other people invite you to Twitter you can opt-out

P K Kothari wants to keep up with you on Twitter

2009-06-20T06:05:00.001-07:00

P K Kothari wants to keep up with you on Twitter

To find out more about Twitter visit http://twitter.com/i/3ecfa4c3d180477ce569dbf677b77f001c1f7e0b

Thanks,
— The Twitter Team

About Twitter

This message was sent by a Twitter user who entered your email address. If you'd prefer not to receive emails when other people invite you to Twitter you can opt-out

The Best 50 of Murphy's Law

2008-12-10T09:06:00.000-08:00

The Best 50 of Murphy's Law

You can never tell which way the train went by looking at the track.

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Logic is a systematic method of coming to the wrong conclusion with confidence.

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Whenever a system becomes completely defined, some damn fool discovers something which either abolishes the system or expands it beyond recognition.

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Technology is dominated by those who manage what they do not understand.

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If builders built buildings the way programmers wrote programs, then the first woodpecker that came along would destroy civilization.

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The opulence of the front office decor varies inversely with the fundamental solvency of the firm.

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The attention span of a computer is only as long as it electrical cord.

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An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less until he knows absolutely everything about nothing.

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Tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the universe and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it and he'll have to touch to be sure.

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All great discoveries are made by mistake.

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Always draw your curves, then plot your reading.

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Nothing ever gets built on schedule or within budget.

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All's well that ends.

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A meeting is an event at which the minutes are kept and the hours are lost.

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The first myth of management is that it exists.

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A failure will not appear till a unit has passed final inspection.

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New systems generate new problems.

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To err is human, but to really foul things up requires a computer.

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We don't know one millionth of one percent about anything.

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Any given program, when running, is obsolete.

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Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

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A computer makes as many mistakes in two seconds as 20 men working 20 years make.

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The faster a computer is, the faster it will reach a crashed state.

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Nothing motivates a man more than to see his boss putting in an honest day's work.

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Some people manage by the book, even though they don't know who wrote the book or even what book.

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The primary function of the design engineer is to make things difficult for the fabricator and impossible for the serviceman.

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To spot the expert, pick the one who predicts the job will take the longest and cost the most.

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After all is said and done, a hell of a lot more is said than done.

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Any circuit design must contain at least one part which is obsolete, two parts which are unobtainable and three parts which are still under development.

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A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that works.

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If mathematically you end up with the incorrect answer, try multiplying by the page number.

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Computers are unreliable, but humans are even more unreliable. Any system which depends on human reliability is unreliable.

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Give all orders verbally. Never write anything down that might go into a "Pearl Harbor File."

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Under the most rigorously controlled conditions of pressure, temperature, volume, humidity, and other variables the organism will do as it damn well pleases.

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If you can't understand it, it is intuitively obvious.

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The more cordial the buyer's secretary, the greater the odds that the competition already has the order.

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In designing any type of construction, no overall dimension can be totalled correctly after 4:30 p.m. On Friday. The correct total will become self-evident at 8:15 a.m. On Monday.

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Fill what's empty. Empty what's full. And scratch where it itches.

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All things are possible except skiing through a revolving door.

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The only perfect science is hind-sight.

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Work smarder and not harder and be careful of yor speling.

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If it's not in the computer, it doesn't exist.

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If an experiment works, something has gone wrong.

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When all else fails, read the instructions.

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If there is a possibility of several things going wrong the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong.

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Everything that goes up must come down.

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Any instrument when dropped will roll into the least accessible corner.

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Any simple theory will be worded in the most complicated way.

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Build a system that even a fool can use and only a fool will want to use it.

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The degree of technical competence is inversely proportional to the level of management.

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Any attempt to print Murphy's laws will jam the printer.

LETTER TO PRIME MINISTER

2008-12-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

Dear Mr. Prime minister
I am a typical mouse from Mumbai. In the local train compartment which
has capacity of 100 persons, I travel with 500 more mouse. Mouse at
least squeak but we don't even do that.
Today I heard your speech. In which you said 'NO BODY WOULD BE
SPARED'. I would like to remind you that fourteen years has passed
since serial bomb blast in Mumbai took place. Dawood was the main
conspirator. Till today he is not caught. All our bolywood actors, our
builders, our Gutka king meets him but your Government can not catch
him. Reason is simple; all your ministers are hand in glove with him.
If any attempt is made to catch him everybody will be exposed. Your
statement 'NOBODY WOULD BE SPARED' is nothing but a cruel joke on this
unfortunate people of India.

Enough is enough. As such after seeing terrorist attack carried out by
about a dozen young boys I realize that if same thing continues days
are not away when terrorist will attack by air, destroy our nuclear
reactor and there will be one more Hiroshima.

We the people are left with only one mantra. Womb to Bomb to Tomb. You
promised Mumbaikar Shanghai what you have given us is Jalianwala Baug.

Today only your home minister resigned. What took you so long to kick
out this joker? Only reason was that he was loyal to Gandhi family.
Loyalty to Gandhi family is more important than blood of innocent
people, isn't it?

I am born and bought up in Mumbai for last fifty eight years. Believe
me corruption in Maharashtra is worse than that in Bihar. Look at all
the politician, Sharad Pawar, Chagan Bhujbal, Narayan Rane, Bal
Thackray , Gopinath Munde, Raj Thackray, Vilasrao Deshmukh all are
rolling in money. Vilasrao Deshmukh is one of the worst Chief minister
I have seen. His only business is to increase the FSI every other day,
make money and send it to Delhi so Congress can fight next election.
Now the clown has found new way and will increase FSI for fisherman so
they can build concrete house right on sea shore. Next time terrorist
can comfortably live in those house , enjoy the beauty of sea and then
attack the Mumbai at their will.

Recently I had to purchase house in Mumbai. I met about two dozen
builders. Everybody wanted about 30% in black. A common person like me
knows this and with all your intelligent agency & CBI you and your
finance minister are not aware of it. Where all the black money goes?
To the underworld isn't it? Our politicians take help of these goondas
to vacate people by force. I myself was victim of it. If you have time
please come to me, I will tell you everything.

If this has been land of fools, idiots then I would not have ever
cared to write you this letter. Just see the tragedy, on one side we
are reaching moon, people are so intelligent and on other side you
politician has converted nectar into deadly poison. I am everything
Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Schedule caste, OBC, Muslim OBC, Christian
Schedule caste, Creamy Schedule caste only what I am not is INDIAN.
You politician have raped every part of mother India by your policy of
divide and rule.

Take example of former president Abdul Kalam. Such a intelligent
person, such a fine human being. You politician didn't even spare him.
Your party along with opposition joined the hands, because politician
feels they are supreme and there is no place for good person.

Dear Mr Prime minister you are one of the most intelligent person,
most learned person. Just wake up. First and foremost expose all
selfish politician. Ask Swiss bank to give name of all Indian account
holder. Give reins of CBI to independent agency. Let them find wolf
among us. There will be political upheaval but that will better than
dance of death which we are witnessing every day. Just give us ambient
where we can work honestly and without fear. Let there be rule of law.
Everything else will be taken care of.

Choice is yours Mr. Prime Minister. Do you want to be lead by one
person or you want to lead the nation of 100 Crore people?

Surf the Web via Email - Read Web Pages in your Inbox

2008-11-27T19:13:00.001-08:00

If you work in an office where employees have no access to Internet but are allowed to send and receive email, the new Web-In-Mail service from Rediff will come very handy.

“Web In Mail” lets you fetch full web pages to your inbox by simple email commands. You may even perform searches on Google Web and Google Image through email.

Full HTML Web Pages Delivered to your Inbox

To browse a web page, send a blank email message to browse@webinmail.com with the page URL as the subject. If you like to search google, send an email to the same address but the subject should say google:query (e.g. google: how to impress your boss).

Also see: Most Useful Email Addresses

You can read emails in Outlook, Blackberry or any email client that understands HTML.

And there’s something smart about Web in Mail as noted by Allen Stern – it rewrites all the links in the web page as mailto. That means you’ll automatically launch a blank email message when you click any of the hyperlinks in the existing email.

To get started, why don’t you just send a blank email to browse@webinmail.com.

Six Steps to Stop Smoking

2008-11-06T09:19:00.001-08:00

In Six straightforward and easy steps, you can stop smoking and live a normal and healthy life same as that of a non-smoker.

Step 1: Think About Quitting

According to a recent survey, around 15 million smokers try to quit smoking each day. However, less than 3% of these people stop smoking successfully for 3 to 12 months. If you're thinking about quitting or have stopped smoking but failed to quit, don't lose hope because smokers often try to quit more than once before they actually succeed.

In this section, you will learn about the history of cigarette smoking, facts about smoking, smoking cessation and benefits of quitting smoking. To give you a strong reason to quit smoking, this section will also tackle dangerous diseases such as lung cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, etc caused by smoking cigarettes. In addition, this section will explain the reasons why it is extremely hard to quit smoking, hurdles in quitting and possible nicotine withdrawal symptoms that you may encounter throughout this process.

Step 2: Effects of Smoking

Years of clinical studies have proven that using Tobacco causes people to become sick, disabled or die. Since the first Surgeon General's Report in 1964, over 12 million smoking-related deaths have occurred. More than 500,000 deaths in the U.S are caused from smoking-related illnesses. Adult smokers reduce their lifespan by an average of 13 to 14 years.

In this section, you will learn about the dangerous effects and health risks of smoking. You will understand the facts about smoking addiction, the hazardous effects of smoking on a pregnant woman, on passive smokers, on your facial charm and on your teeth. You will also learn how stress could play a role in cigarette smoking. This section also deals with the effects on secondhand smoke, effects of smoking on vitamin A and C, dangerous effects of smoking on men and women, as well as the differences between cigar and pipe smoking.

Step 3: Preparing To Quit Smoking

The first key to quitting smoking successfully is planning and preparation. You need to prepare your body and mind before actually quitting. Determine your personal goals, discover your reasons for quitting and get rid of temptations that may become a hindrance to your stop smoking program. Tobacco smoke contains nicotine, a drug that is addictive and can make it very hard, but not impossible, to quit.

In this section, you will face the facts about nicotine addiction before your last stick of cigarette. You will learn the most effective steps to be followed when planning to quit smoking. You will also find out about the real reason why it is so hard to quit smoking. To help you plan your quit smoking program, you need to confront your personal reasons to start quitting and understand what you need to do stop smoking. This section also deals with the psychological recovery stages to stop smoking and provides helpful tips to quit smoking.

Step 4: Stop Smoking Tips

Even if you have no idea where to start and what to do, you can quit smoking as long as you have the mindset and commitment to do so. Stop smoking tips can help you create a good stop smoking plan and lifestyle changes that could lead to a healthier, smoke-free life.

In this section, you will learn some of the simplest ways and useful tips to quit smoking for good. You can choose from several psychological areas that can help you to stop smoking based on your lifestyle. This section also deals with stop smoking tips that will help your loved ones quit this deadly habit and tips on how to overcome nicotine withdrawal symptoms using an effective stop smoking plan, attending support groups and establishing a smoking cessation program.

Step 5: Stop Smoking Aids

When smoking cigarettes has played a large part in your life, quitting smoking may not be that simple. Fortunately, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved seven over-the-counter stop smoking aids five of these help in managing nicotine withdrawal symptoms, while the other two help in reducing cigarette cravings.

In this section, you will learn about different proven stop smoking methods like Water Therapy, Psychological Therapy and Nicotine Replacement Therapy. This section also deals with other useful stop smoking aids such as nicotine nasal sprays, nicotine lozenges, nicotine inhalers, nicotine patches, nicotine gum and stop smoking pills.

Step 6: Stay a Quitter

After sometime, some quitters get back to their smoking habit due to temptation and persistent nicotine carving. Some may slip and puff "just one cigarette", while others experience total relapse. In fact, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, smokers who quit are at greater risk of relapsing in the first three months of becoming smoke-free.

In this section, you will learn effective methods in avoiding nicotine carvings, while training how to control urges through breathing exercises. To understand what you are going to experience through this process, you need to learn and manage nicotine withdrawal symptoms. This section also tackles steps to manage weight gain, discusses FAQ on common frustrations of a quitter, handle traumatic events without a cigarette and other possible solutions for ex-smokers.

Three envelopes

2008-11-05T09:03:00.001-08:00

An Ode to the Tanking Economy...

A man had just been hired as the new managing director of a large high tech London-based corporation.

The previous managing director who was stepping down, met with him privately and presented him with three numbered envelopes. "Open these if you run up against a problem you don't think you can solve," he said.

Things went along pretty smoothly, but three months later, sales took a downturn and the new MD was really catching a lot of heat. It was then that he remembered the three envelopes.

He went to his drawer and took out the first one. The message read, "Blame your predecessor. "

The new MD called a press conference and tactfully laid the blame at the feet of the previous MD.

Satisfied with his comments, the press and the city responded positively. Sales began to pick up and the problem was soon behind him.

However, a mere three months later, the company was again experiencing a dip in sales, combined with serious product difficulties. Remembering the envelopes, the MD opened the second one. The message read, "Reorganize. " This he did, and the company quickly rebounded.

After two consecutive profitable quarters, the company again fell on difficult times. The MD went to his office, closed the door and opened the third envelope. The message said, "Prepare three envelopes."

Leadership: Reinventing Failure: Designing Success

2008-11-03T09:32:00.001-08:00

I am fascinated by problems. I like to think of myself as a solution oriented individual. However when problems creep into my life as they always do I know that I am in for a major learning experience.

I just finished reading a book this week that belongs on the bookshelf of every entrepreneur. It is called “Juice, The Creative Fuel That Drives World-Class Inventors by Evan I. Schwartz.” This book allows you to take a peek inside the labs of the brightest minds and better understand how they relentlessly question and discover the infinite number of ways that we can imagine and create solutions. The book is an awesome expose on how world class inventors on the planet search for problems, seek to understand them and develop solutions that can only come about by perceiving the problem in a different manner. Every entrepreneur should read this book! It is chock full of wisdom that we can apply to our business lives.

Albert Einstein once commented that the most fundamental question we can ever ask ourselves is whether or not the universe we live in is friendly or hostile. He hypothesized that your answer to that question would determine your destiny. I feel that most people have decided that the universe is hostile. In so doing their immediate response to any problem only compounds the hostility. However, the great minds always teach us that regardless of the problem there is a major lesson to be understood if we only learn to look for it. The history of the world is literally the history of transformative breakthroughs.

In the book ““Juice, The Creative Fuel That Drives World-Class Inventors by Evan I. Schwartz” the author clearly demonstrates that the one factor that separates world class inventors from wannabes is that they celebrate the feedback they receive from FAILURE. The most innovative minds recognize that within every failure lies the true and genuine information that is required to learn how to better understand the problem and overcome the obstacles that it presents. They are fascinated by the feedback they receive and are consistently focused on experimenting further because of the feedback that will provide.

A powerful lesson for all of us! Failure is feedback and within that feedback is the wisdom of incredible success. Or as Dr. Wayne Dyer as stated, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”

Take for example the story of Dean Kamen the inventor of the Segway, the two wheeled personal electronic vehicle that is revolutionizing transportation in our major cities. One day in 1990, Kamen witnessed a wheelchair bound man trying to navigate a curb en route to a shopping center. He followed the man into an ice cream store and was astonished at how the man struggled to reach for the counter and grab his ice cream cone. Within that experience Kamen was both outraged and inspired. The seeds of the Segway were born.

Two years later after numerous disappointments Kamen slipped on a wet bathroom floor and realized that the real problem he was confronting in his technology was one of balance. He and his team of engineers honed in on the enabling technology of electronic gyroscopes that could provide “automatic balance.” It was only after years and years of failure and celebrating the feedback he received that they could focus on the successful introduction of the Segway prototype. Today, according to Kamen the Segway is the answer to the urban transportation problem. 43% of the world’s gas is used by cars and almost 20% of individuals’ disposable income goes to car payments and gasoline. The market for the Segway is several billion people! A fascinating creation brought about by someone who simply disagreed with limitations imposed by the status quo.

What is your greatest problem in life right now?

What is the greatest problem in your business?

The late Dr. Norman Vincent Peale was fond of saying that, “When God wants to send you a gift he wraps it up in a problem and the bigger the gift that God sends you the bigger the problem.”

If the Segway can be born by witnessing a wheelchair bound man in pursuit of an ice cream cone what are the possibilities that can occur in your life if you learn to seek the lesson in your problems?

An Nathan Myrhrvold, the former Chief Technologist at Microsoft Corporation has prophesied “There’s never been a better time to have big ideas.”

Eureka! When you reinvent failure you design your own success.

Be Careful What You Agree With!

Firefox & IE Prompt You To Remember Passwords - Do You Say Yes ?

2008-10-31T20:15:00.001-07:00

When you type a password into any web form, both Internet Explorer and Firefox prompt whether you would like them to remember your password.

If that’s a personal computer, chances are high that you will click Yes and the password is then saved in the web browser.

This “Remember Me” option in web browsers is useful but it actually puts your login credentials at serious risk especially in Firefox.

View stored passwords in Internet Explorer:

Though IE stores your passwords in encrypted form in the Windows Registry database, anyone can easily view your passwords using a free 35kb tool called IE PassView.

The tool automatically displays a list all auto-complete entries saved inside IE. See screenshot.

View stored passwords in Firefox:

With Firefox, it gets much simpler and anyone who knows how to use a mouse can see all your passwords stored inside Firefox.

The route is Tools -> Options -> Security -> Show Passwords. And there you have all the passwords that you ever asked Firefox to remember for you.

Even that short visit to a nearby coffee vending machine could leak your identity as all it takes is few seconds for anyone to view your secret passwords.

To keep yourself safe, uncheck “Prompt me to save passwords” in Internet Explorer and “Set Master Password” in Firefox.

First Things First

2008-10-30T05:48:00.004-07:00

A Beautiful Story I cam across on Time Management and Setting Priorities.

A professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When class began, wordlessly he picked up a large empty jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks right to the top, rocks about 2" diameter.

He then asked the students if the jar was full? They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them in to the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. The students laughed.

He asked his students again if the jar was full? They agreed that yes,it was.

The professor then picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

"Now," said the professor, "I want you to recognize that this is your life. The rocks are the important things - your family, your partner, your health, your children -anything that is so important to you that if it were lost, you would be nearly destroyed.

The pebbles are the other things in life that matter, but on a smaller scale. The pebbles represent things like your job, house, or car.

The sand is everything else, the "small stuff."

"If you put the sand or the pebbles into the jar first, there is no room for the rocks.

The same goes for your life. If you spend all your energy and time on the small stuff, material things, you will never have room for the things that are truly most important.

Pay attention to the things that are Important in your life.

Spend time with your Family.
Spend time with your people.
Play with your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out once a while.
Take time to renew yourself.
Find time for maintainance.
Spend time on Preventing than on Solving Problems

***** Take care of the rocks first - the things that really matter.****

Set your priorities, the rest is just pebbles and sand.

Save An Hour Each Day... Get Organized!!!

2008-10-30T05:48:00.003-07:00

What does your desk look like? * A toxic waste dump? * A bomb exploded? * Burglars had ransacked your office?

In corporate America, most business people associate a messy, dis-organized desk/office with being productive, effective and efficient.

Are you a member of this club?

Did you know that most people are “wasting” an hour each day looking for “STUFF” that’s lost on their desk? How about you? (Do you wish it was “only” an hour?)

And it always happens at the most inopportune time. How many times last week did you call someone up, ask them a question, and they responded, “Hold on a second and let me find the letter/file/proposal. I know it’s here... somewhere.”

And five minutes later they come back and sheepishly said: “I can’t find it, let me call you back later.” Thus beginning another round of telephone tag, stretching a quick five-minute conversation into a five-day odyssey.

If you want to get ahead in life, make more money, and even get home for dinner every once in a while, follow these 6 steps and you’ll be organized. (This complete procedure is explained both in my best-selling “Success is a Journey” and “Time Management for Dummies” books.)

Step #1. Schedule An Appointment With Yourself
For most people, it takes about 2 hours to get organized. Write it on your calendar, and KEEP THE APPOINTMENT!!!

Step #2. No Interruptions
Turn off the telephone, close the door (or put up a Do Not Disturb sign across the entrance to your work space), and allow NO INTERRUPTIONS!

Think of this session as a meeting with your boss or most important client.

Step #3. Bring A Dumpster
Sixty percent of the stuff on most peoples desk can be tossed. That includes you!!!

So keep the papers, documents, and files you need, and throw the rest away.

Remember: Don’t succumb to Cleaner’s Remorse. (Going thru the trash and pulling out the stuff you just threw away because you think you may “Need It Again.”

Step #4. Pickup A Piece Of Paper
Now that you’ve closed the door and turned off the phone, pick up a piece of paper - any one will do - and ask yourself 3 questions

What is it?
Why do I have it?
What am I going to do with it?

If you can’t come up with a good answer, THROW IT AWAY!!!

Step #5. File Your Papers
If you need to keep a piece of paper, (file or proposal), put it in a properly labeled file folder. If one doesn’t exist, create one on the spot.

Step #6. Record Your To-dos On A Master List
If there’s work to do, note it on your Master List, which is a to-do list written on a big piece of paper - like a legal tablet.

You can also record your tasks inside your contact manager - like ACT!, or your PIM - like Outlook, or your PalmPilot.

Before you know it, your desk will look like the flight deck of an aircraft carrier, and your garbage can will be filled to the brim, overflowing, and spilling onto the floor.

You’ll be organized, efficient and productive. You’ll spend your time doing things that make you successful.

Never Save Something for a Special Occasion

2008-10-30T05:48:00.001-07:00

Please do read this ... do not be too busy Earning a Living and in the process Forget to Live. Here is a hair raising story which shows the importance of Time Management and understanding what Life and Priorities are all about.

Trust you will enjoy the read and start Living each day.. each moment...!!!

A friend of mine opened his wife's saree drawer and picked up a silk paper wrapped package:

"This, - he said - isn't any ordinary package." He unwrapped the box and stared at both the silk paper and the box.

"She got this the first time we went to New York, 8 or 9 years ago. She has never put it on. Was saving it for a special occasion.
Well, I guess this is it. He got near the bed and placed the gift box next to the other clothings he was taking to the funeral house, his wife had just died. He turned to me and said:

"Never save something for a special occasion. Every day in your life is a special occasion".

I still think those words changed my life.

Now I read more and clean less.

I sit on the porch without worrying about anything.

I spend more time with my family, and less at work.

I understood that life should be a source of experience to be lived up to, not survived through.

I no longer keep anything.

I use crystal glasses every day.

I'll wear new clothes to go to the supermarket, if i feel like it.

I don't save my special perfume for special occasions, I use it whenever I want to.

The words "Someday..." and "One Day..." are fading away from my dictionary.

If it's worth seeing, listening or doing, I want to see, listen or do it now.

I don't know what my friend's wife would have done if she knew she wouldn't be there the next morning, this nobody can tell. I think she might have called her relatives and closest friends.

She might call old friends to make peace over past quarrels.

I'd like to think she would go out for Chinese, her favourite food.

It's these small things that I would regret not doing, if I knew my time had come.

I would regret it, because I would no longer see the friends I would meet, letters... letters that i wanted to write "One of this days".

I would regret and feel sad, because I didn't say to my brothers and sons, not times enough at least, how much I love them.

Now, I try not to delay, postpone or keep anything that could bring laughter and joy into our lives.

And, on each morning, I say to myself that this could be a special day.

Each day, each hour, each minute, is special.

If you got this, it's because someone cares for you and because, probably, there's someone you care about.

If you're too busy to send this out to other people and you say to yourself that you will send it "One of these days", remember that

"One day" is far away... or might never come...

Live everyday .. every moment as if it is your last day... last moment....!!!!

How To Get Cooperation from Other Departments

2008-10-30T05:46:00.001-07:00

How To Get Cooperation from Other Departments

Other departments may appear to slow you down. In dealing with them, begin with an assumption that they are as competent as you are. Everyone is doing his or her best, and everyone is busy. Remember that ultimately, you're all on the same team. Your positive attitude will get better results than antagonism. Treat them as you would like to be treated.
Handle your special requests of other departments as you would handle a task that you would delegate:

Clarify the task to be done and the standards to be met.
Establish a timetable.
Ask if there is anything else that the person needs to complete the task.
Confirm the commitment that they made (don't make it for them).

If others let you down; be careful not to react with one of two opposite emotions; aggression and passivity. Aggression is fighting back, yelling, name calling, threatening to go to a higher authority, becoming impatient and being forceful. Passivity is giving in, ignoring an issue, procrastinating, apologizing or running away.
Be assertive instead. Use the person's name. Say please and thank you. Ask, don't tell.
Be straightforward with your request. "Our department needs this delivered to us by tomorrow." Adding an explanation helps to validate the request. Then ask if there's anything else they need, or anything you can do to help the process. Clarify the agreement made.
If the person objects, repeat the request, stating it slightly differently each time. "Jillian, I'd like to get a copy of that report by tomorrow." She answers that she's too busy. "I can understand how you've got a big workload. (Avoid the dreaded "but") I do need the report finished by tomorrow so can we find a way to complete it somehow?"
Ask "Would it be helpful if I…" Sometimes they can do a better job if you help first. Your offer also displays genuine empathy.
Use the phrase, "What would have to happen..." For instance, "I understand most of the staff have left for the day, but what would have to happen for this to be finished by tomorrow morning?" Sometimes the person might suggest a solution that you can help achieve: "Well I'd have to send it over in a taxi and we're not allowed to do that." Maybe they can't authorize a taxi, but you can.
Don't appeal to a higher authority. If you say "I need this done, and I can get my boss to speed things up if I have to," you may not be successful. Instead, build a relationship. Take an interest in things that are important to them.
If problems persist, keep a log of transactions. Include the date you sent something to another department and the date you got it back. Use this to support process improvement, not to blame someone.
Create routines for standard requests from other departments that are repeated. For instance, automate your expense report. This isn't bureaucracy, it's efficiency.
On the other hand, remove routines that were created for occasional exceptions that no longer occur. Old routines may be slowing other departments down.
Ask what the holdups are. Convene a meeting to outline your concerns. The other department might identify blocks that can be removed.

Five Time Management Mistakes that Wastes a lot of Time

2008-10-30T05:45:00.000-07:00

Have you heard people say “Time Flies”, “There is no Time”, “Where is the Time” and sort of pharases. In my career of conducting Time Management Workshop, I have experienced some of the major flaws that people do which becomes an excuse for the above mentioned pharases.

For all those who would like to master their time management skills, must avoid these 5 major Time Management Mistakes.

1. Procrastination:

Those things which have to be done now are being procrastinated of being postponed. This is one of the traits which is not outside but within us. We have made up a habit that we will do it later as it is not urgent now, we keep on delaying it till one day it becomes burning and urgent, and then we have no choice to act on it. At this point of time, we have to leave aside something that was important but not urgent to complete this task.

Many of the corporate executives also get a kick from doing something that is urgent, they love to take pressure, their common phrase is “ohh, don’t worry there is still a lot of time”.

2. Do it Myself Attitude:

"This is too important. Better let me do it." "By the time I show them how to do it, I will finish it myself." There are these executives and managers who always want to be in the thick of the things. They also get a feeling of threat if some one else starts doing what I do. Some have this misconception about their indispensability.

3. No Clearly Defined Goals:

Because we do not know what to do, we keep on doing whatever comes our way. We keep on working very hard but still do not get results or the sense of achievement because we never have defined what we want to achieve. “A journey of thousand miles begins with the first single step.” We all want to take the first step and we are ready to take it, unfortunately we have not defined our journey so we do not know in which direction to take the first step.

4. Not taking Decisions:

One of the major mistakes which waste a lot of our time is in-decision. We keep on procrastinating our decisions. We do not take the right decision at the right time be it with our professional life or our personal or social life or be it related to our health. And unfortunately many of our decisions are not our decisions at all. They are being imposed on us by our boss, colleagues, family and friends. We also have this urge to be perfect at time and we need a lot of data and testimony to justify our decisions and also always we want to be right at all the time so we remain in-decisive.

5. No Action:

This one is the giant of the time waster which waste chunk of our time. We do not Act on our Goals, we do not take any action on the decisions we make. Many a time people decide to change their habits and behaviour but seldom they take any action step on their plan. So no action – no results. Some times people who do not have clarity of goals, do not see the destination, so, if this set of people act today and cloud sit with a book and pen and start writing down their goal, probably this action step will bring them closer towards their goal.

So if you want to start managing your time, start managing the above five mistakes. So here is your short brief powerful action plan:

Step 1: Stop Procrastination

Step 2: Empower people around you

Step 3: Write down your goals of paper

Step 4: Make those tough decisions

Step 5: ACT now on the above 4 steps.

Wish you all the best. Time management is all about self management. The better you manage your self, automatically your time is managed.

IOC Corporate Presentation

2008-10-30T05:33:00.001-07:00

http://www.drivehq.com/file/df.aspx/shareID812131/fileID130385520/IOC_Corporate_Presentation.pps

Top 10 Learnings from Anthony Robbins

2008-10-30T05:32:00.001-07:00

Tony Robbins has been an inspiration for millions. Love him and his philosophy or not, it is undeniable that he has had a positive impact on millions of people.

Here are the top 10 lessons that I learned from Tony Robbins Teachings:

1) By altering your body's physiology, you can achieve an immediate change of your emotional state. The mind will follow whatever state your phsyical body is in and not vice-versa.

2) Ask specific questions of yourself (in your self-talk) to direct and control your attention to the various aspects of the human experience. The quality of your life is in direct proportion to the quality of the questions you ask of yourself.

3) Get leverage to create personal change by associating an old behavior with massive pain and the desired new behavior with massive pleasure. Tony is a big believer in the pain/pleasure principles of life and this applies in business as well.

4) When you get stuck, interupt your limiting pattern by doing something totally unexpected.

5) You can condition your behavior by visualizing it over and over again. This is not exactly unique to Tony Robbins, but he does reinforce this message in all of his products.

6) Goal-setting strategy: Know your end outcome; Take massive intelligent action; Have sensory-acuity to notice if you are getting the results you desire and if not; change your approach; and change *until* you get your end outcome.

7) Create a "Compelling future" by vividly imagining your end result to generate enthusiasm and power within yourself. The past does not equal the future. Find beliefs that support your goals and desires.

8) Youth is Power! This is one of Tony's beliefs. Even if you don't have fancy degrees, your youth can still mean power, flexibility and opportunity for your life.

9) Principles of CANI! CANI stands for Constant And Never-ending Improvement. It's a basic tenet of Tony Robbins.

10) NLP can be useful. NLP stands for Neuro Linguistic Programming and there are many NLP undertones in Tony's basic tenets. He went on to morph NLP into his own technology called "NAC" (Neuro Associative Conditioning) .

How Rewarding Are You?

2008-10-28T10:40:00.001-07:00

Rewarding Your Team
Learning Why "Thank You" Is So Vital


	Rewards don't have to be financial.

Imagine this scenario: One of your team members has saved the company a significant amount of money with a process she spent weeks creating. It's right before the winter holidays, so you decide to reward her with a turkey that she and her family can enjoy for dinner one night.

You make a big deal of presenting the turkey to her. She smiles and shyly accepts the gift, quickly putting it in the office refrigerator. You feel good because you rewarded her efforts, and she seemed to be happy about the recognition.

But is she? Things aren't always as they appear. You didn't take the time to find out whether or not she likes turkey, so you didn't discover that she's a vegetarian. And you didn't consider that she commutes to the office one hour by train - so by the time she gets that frozen turkey home to give away to friends, it will be a drippy, soggy mess.

Have you ever wondered why the rewards you offer don't seem to be received very well? We often hear from business experts about how important it is to reward your team. But it's equally important to take the time to find out how your team would really like to be recognized. Sometimes people don't want a bonus or pay raise. Instead, what they'd really like is a sincere "thank you" or a day off to spend with their families.

This article helps you learn the "ins and outs" of recognizing your team.

The Importance of Rewarding Your Team

Although the idea of rewarding workers beyond their pay and benefits package seems obvious, some leaders avoid the practice, perhaps because they feel that showing appreciation undermines their authority, perhaps because they want to avoid stirring up jealousy in other members of the team, perhaps because they feel they don't have the time to do it, or perhaps because they feel embarrassed praising people openly.

This is a shame, because these attitudes reduce their own performance, and all of these problems can or should be avoided. The most successful leaders are those who recognize and reward their team's efforts. This not only builds trust, but it strengthens loyalty as well. Turnover is often much lower in teams that have a strong bond with their leader, and this impacts a company's bottom line.

You should also remember that, for the most part, the world's talent pool is shrinking - mostly due to declining birth rates, which leads to an aging workforce. This means that it's becoming harder for organizations to find the people they need. Finding and keeping talented people is a key issue, and the companies that figure out how to do this now will likely be the ones that succeed far into the future. One of the best ways to keep these people is to make sure that their hard work is appreciated. If finding the few minutes needed to recognize people is a problem, just think how much time you'd have to spend replacing them!

Recognizing Their Efforts

Appropriately rewarding team members for something they've done takes some effort on your part. If you don't put much thought into what you're doing, then you may just upset the very people you're trying to thank. This is why you should sit down with your team and find out how they'd really like to be rewarded.

For example, if your team is about to start a major project, find out:

Which team achievements would people like to be rewarded for?
What kind of reward would they like, as individuals and as a team?
Would they rather celebrate with several milestones along the way, or have one big celebration when they hit the team's goal?

Learning how your team would like to be recognized, and how you can show your appreciation, is a vital step toward making sure that your efforts will be appropriate.

When and How to Say "Thank You"

The return on appreciation is huge. Workers who feel appreciated are twice as likely to stay at a company than those who don't feel appreciated.

If you think you don't have time or can't afford to show appreciation to your team, then stop and think about how much you currently invest in hiring and training new people. How much would you save if your staff turnover were lower? Probably a lot, which is why recognizing your team's efforts is almost always cost-effective.

And don't think that daily gratitude will "wear out" your team. Has anyone ever thanked you so many times that it lost its meaning? Probably not. It's not likely that your team will ever get tired of receiving your appreciation.

Just make sure you're sincere about why you thank people. And don't rush the "thank you" while you're on your way somewhere else. This WILL probably make your gestures lose their meaning. Stop, look at the person, and tell him how much you appreciate what he's doing.

These small gestures cost nothing except a few seconds of your time, but their payoff is enormous.

"Thank You" Tips

Remember these guidelines:

· Be consistent - Consistency is vital. If you praise often during one month, and then skip the next month entirely, your team will wonder what's going on. Creating a culture of recognition and reward is important – so once you start, make sure you continue.

· Be specific - Every time you praise people on your team, be specific about what they did to deserve the recognition. If you say, "Jim did a great job yesterday!" that's not only vague, but it may cause jealousy from other team members. Being specific not only makes the person you recognize feel better, it also lets the whole team know that you're paying attention. So, detail exactly what the person did and why it made a difference.

· Know your people - You must know your team to reward them adequately. For example, if you know that someone loves art and music, then opera tickets or museum passes would probably be an appreciated, thoughtful gift. If someone else is a sports fan, then football tickets might be a great idea. Getting to know your team's interests is critical to showing your appreciation well. Send out a survey, or question them about their passions. And write it all down so you don't forget.

· Make the reward relevant - Your gift or gesture should be relevant to your team member's effort. For example, if someone comes in early for a week to make sure a project is completed on time, then a gift certificate for a great breakfast would be a good fit. If, however, the person just saved the company from a mistake that would have cost millions, then something more significant is needed!

Ideas for Rewarding Your Team

As we said earlier, chances are high that your team isn't looking for a bonus check or pay raise to feel appreciated. Sometimes, smaller gestures go further and don't break the budget in the long run. Here are some creative ideas to consider for showing appreciation to your team:

· Offer flexible scheduling - not everyone needs, or wants, to be in the office at 8:00 a.m. Or, you could offer telecommuting days.

Send handwritten thank-you notes when someone goes above and beyond the requirements of the job.
Create "free day" coupons that a worker could use for a free day off - no questions asked - without using vacation or sick time.

· Take your team out to lunch - and then, as a last-minute surprise, give them the rest of the day off.

Give out "lazy Monday" coupons to allow a team member one "free" Monday morning off.
If you e-mail a team member to say thank you, consider copying that message to YOUR boss.

There are thousands of creative ways to say "thank you." The great thing about these gestures is that they'll probably be remembered far longer than any bonus check. You'll show your appreciation - and, at the same time, you'll strengthen the bond between you and your team.

Premium members of our Career Excellence Club can listen to our Expert Interview with Chester Elton, who talks in detail about using recognition in practice within the workplace. You can also read Bruna Martinuzzi's article on the subject, which, as well as giving elegant insights into the value of praise, points towards useful supporting resources.

Key Points

Leaders need to say "thank you" regularly. Your team members will likely work much harder if they feel that what they're doing really makes a difference, and that their efforts are noticed by those with "power."

Thank-you gifts don't have to be extravagant or costly. Small gestures are often remembered longer than financial bonuses. These small, entertaining rewards can also help promote a sense of fun in the workplace, which may go a long way toward helping you retain key talent.

Gmail's Limitations for Sending Messages

2008-10-28T00:21:00.001-07:00

It's likely that a normal Gmail users didn't notice that Gmail has a lot of limitations for sending messages. Here are some of them, as mentioned in a mail from Google:

- 500 messages per day (i.e., you can hit 'Send' a maximum of 500 times)
- 500 unique recipients per message
- 2000 total emails per day (for example, you could send one message to a group of 500 people four times)

In addition to these limitations, "Google will temporarily disable your account if you send a message to more than 500 recipients or if you send a large number of undeliverable messages". According to the help center, you can only send a message to up to 100 people at a time if you use POP or IMAP.

Google explains that these restrictions were created to fight against spam and to prevent abuse. The same rules are enforced for Google Apps users, as well.

Om Malik thinks that "500 messages are nothing in this day and age, especially if you are in the information business as I am" and wonders why Google doesn't list all these restrictions.

First Things First

2008-10-27T10:57:00.001-07:00

Save an Hour Each Day - Get Organized

2008-10-27T10:55:00.000-07:00