The Silent World!

This ocean's quietness,

My heart's emptiness, 

That lies with me, 

Seems so subtle,

Looks at unease,

These waves all kinetic,

Makes logic mystic,

Yet, I can feel

The water’s depth

And the numbness of my eyes,

Will never go along,

These eyes will need,

Few drops of emotion,

To make me touch,

The base of this ocean,

And then I can sight,

From the ocean’s eyes,

Which find companions,

In this silent world

The Doggy Project Manager

For a Project Manager human beings do not exists on this planet, rather what they see are dogs. Every stakeholder is ready to take a bite of your flesh, until and unless they are satisfied that they have eaten enough meat and drank enough blood to their satisfaction. And since you see everyone as a dog, you always get treatment like dogs. Wait, sit, drink and go are normal instructions that they have to follow. Don't take stress if you are new project manager, you will soon be accustomed to these traditions.

Therefore as a project manager, your first priority should be PROTECTION. How to protect yourself from external and internal blows? Get things done at the right time. A project manager is always caught if he has not done his homework before the meeting. He needs to understand the audience, and then be prepared on what is going to come to him, and what should be the answers. A lazy project manager is therefore a doggy project manager. He himself is inviting people to treat him like one! Self-protection is one aspect, second is to protect your team. And the second aspect is more dangerous. Because if the customer bites your team member; than the rest of the members, technical lead, CTO and customer will get a good taste of your flesh.

Second and most important, is to understand the requirements of your boss's boss. The message that comes through hierarchy has least reach-ability. And this is common in organizations. So every time you get exposed to management, you start giving a look of a monkey trying to only grab couple of bananas, out of the bunch hanging on the tree. So be smart and play smart. Your CEO is also a monkey; it is just that he wants to see many bananas on the table. The more the bananas the bigger the dollar sign in your CEO eyes, and better you are as a project manager

And then who forgets documentation? You are right, only the doggy project manager forgets to document the commitments. So if you want to live a life of a lion, then document critical decisions during project execution. Humans; be it in business or professional services; are biggest liars. And they would never want to let go any chance to manipulate.

Lastly it is the personal life of project managers. Due to their intense experience on the field, they gradually become skilled liars. They normally put lags, and use delay tactics in their personal life. They know how to manage expectations in some way or the other, so the personal life of project manager is normally balanced, and far better than their technical counterparts. 

If only I can try: Vote for yourself

Don't let it go, don't let the hope die

Please then not blame, and then don't cry

For all that may be done in next few years

It's what we yearned, and never realized

That just one stamp, and just one vote

Could have bought fortune, may have bought luck

And this may not end, if we do not wish

As destiny is in our hands, so please don't hush

Let evil make exit from our lives and home

And let them know, this lands' not for them

Let's hope for a sunshine, without any clouds

Our soul be free, and will be untied,

From fear, from despair of all we have lost

The true essence of a word that is called Freedom

That we once celebrated with harmony and joy

With peace in sand and an affectionate sky

Will soon touch my home, if only I can try

Taken for grrranted...

Are you one of the kinds of human species, who would always react with a thought "I am always taken for granted"? The term is commonly used when the person on your other side no longer "APPRECIATE" and rather start "EXPECTING" what is not part of your responsibilities. 

This is just one simple thing that disables the companies to excel. If the resources are not appreciated and just "taken for granted" for something that they are not even responsible for, it actually creates an element of frustration. Realization and communication are therefore key reactions if one would like to create anti-frustration environment. Imagine a CEO or department head, passing through the corridor and just stopping by one of the resources, to praise and thank for the contribution being done in the last week cut-over activity. I believe praising in public is 10 time more effective then praising in private. On the other hand a public insult is 100 time more destructive and devastating; though the person may have done a mistake, but it will create an element of hatred.

This element has an equally negative impact on relationships. Something that one of the partner may contribute in crucial time for the other, may become a life long expectation for the other. Every relation needs appreciation. Whether it is your spouse, child, parent or a friend. Make a habit of appreciating and thanking others, at times, when some one tries to go beyond the normal actions only to serve or give a helping hand to you. It is just a matter of communicating couple of good gesture sentences, a thank-you SMS or an email. 

Small thing matters, and count in a big way in long run!

The War!

The War!

I am having a war with my internal self
Its a war of status; its a fight for stand
It defines my grade; it sets my goals
Since, always for me, it matters the most

My watch should be TAG, but my life is short
It matters when I die, I am wearing such a strap
And people should beware, a great man has died
As even in his last times, he is wearing his TAG

My clothes from designers, and my boots hand made
The perfume always branded, my socks all matched
I walk with a pride, with all I have achieved
And rest all have failed, its me whom succeed

But a time will come, when you will be deprived
The time on your band will stop for you!
And you would think with so much regret
There was something important, I always forget

This war was stupid without any goals
It wasn't my watch and it was not my clothes
Its neither my glasses and nor my boots
The time was all wasted, and I am near to my end

Alas! this war, has come to an end
Its dark in here, as my deeds can only enlighten
For I have always struggled of what can be seen
But it was deeds of the others, the precious unseen!

Honked on a Red light

So, you have been honked on red light. What was the first thing that you did when someone did that to you. You may have cursed the person, giving a look at him from your back view mirror. This is a normal reaction. You can really wish that you get out of your car and teach that person a good lesson.

A while back I was with one of our African customer in Dubai, whom had been a great person of hospitality. Being customer he took the front seat with the driver. We were going in a cab and the cab driver honked on a car in front of him on red signal light. The African guy stared at him and asked him the reason to honk on the red light. He said, “You should really not do that, this is not good”. Two lessons that I got from that person; first was the lesson of ethics; second was his openness to say wrong to something that is wrong.

He then narrated story to us and cab driver. A woman driver in US honked to a guy on red light. The guy came out of the car, with a gun in his hand. Woman spotted the gun, took out her gun and shot the man first. The Woman was taken to the court; where she said that she shot the man for self-defense. Because if she shouldn’t have killed him; the guy must have killed her. The court released her without any charges.

This is one aspect when we are on road. The other aspect is; how many times we have been honked in our practical life to move even though we cannot move on a red light. People will honk to you even on the no-go lights or road blocks to move ahead of you. People will try to frustrate you, because they don’t see red traffic light stopping them, they actually see only your car blocking there way. There small vision causes problem for everyone around them. So if you are ever honked, the only 3 options are either not to drive, be patient, or give the person a real lesson.

The strength to say a wrong thing wrong is really a matter of courage. Only great people can understand ethics; give respect and criticize on what need to be criticized.

Organizational Leadership

Trendsetters, visionaries, executive associate or a managerial helper may be the words that can represent leaders. In all the cases the message conveyed is simple and that is thinking collectively rather than working and striving as an individual. An old saying, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish, and you feed him for life time”. My version would be like, “MISSION to serve a necessity of life with a VISION that will move on to the GENERATIONS”. So leadership is to regenerate or stimulate an environment that will facilitate the best among us. Sharing, Inspiring and Facilitating are therefore the core circles where the leaders can be found.

Most of the times people comment on a person being a borne leader. Truly speaking, there is no borne leader, as such. This idea may differ from person to person. I believe that the environment and challenges around; makes a leader out of someone. In this world of high class professionals full of IT and financial gurus, leaders normally foster conditionally on the air of their surroundings. They really want to do right things, rather than trying to do things right. The general industry perception these days is that we as individuals are just bind to do things correctly. These “things” may come to a leader in the form of company norms, processes and procedures. Therefore we are actually depriving a prospect leader to think out of the box. We want them to do things that we want them to do. Rather than trying to create a space for them to do things with a leadership approach.

Depending on what area you are serving, the leader’s behaviors vary. A cricket captain may like an aggressive approach yelling and bucking his team with a supportive attitude. An IT leader may have a separate agenda for his followers, adapting flexibility in the behavior as per the situation and need of time. Whatever be, the followers look towards leaders as teachers and mentors. So, why a follower should be looking at a leader for directions? And why should a follower trust on the guidelines of the leader? The answer to both the questions is in the leader and follower relationship that cannot be formed through a swing of a wand. It does not happen like husband and wife relationship, you sign a legal document and here you go. It actually requires true leadership where your vision is being respected and honored by the followers, as it serves the benefit of an individual, society and an organization. And at times it may need sacrificing your own part (as a leader) for others (followers). Bill gates and Steve jobs can be perfect examples. Both have given this world a technology advancement that has created new opportunities for people all around the globe.

If you take example of our most beloved prophet then you can find leader in him in the form of a servant, a leader, a preacher and a follower. It is not that he was always looked for advice; but he himself has always looked towards his best people to make the best decisions as a true leader.

Therefore true organizational leader is one who:

• Thinks on a larger perspective, always keeping the VISION of the group in front of his actions and ideas. Shows a direction such that people are compelled to do a task for their own benefit
• Takes opinion
• Set examples
• Innovates and creates new optimized processes
• Increases efficiency
• Motivates you to work (rather than forcing you)
• Thinks collectively
• Always find maximum benefits for others and then (rarely) look for himself on leftovers

In short, becoming leader needs true courage and effort. There are lots of other attribute that may have been missed out in order to praise a leader, a person of true INSPIRATION. It’s a matter of creating a purpose out of your life from the valleys of challenges, difficulties and opportunities. To reach a pinnacle you may have to pass through various valleys of despair. It’s a basic A.I. algorithm to reach new heights.