CRASH, BOOM, BANG !!......Taming the bad times.

Wall Street blood bath has scared the hell out of corporates. Not just in the land of Uncle Sam but elsewhere too. India is no exception.

"Stitch in time saves nine" seems to be the survival mantra for lot of Chieftains. Trimming down the work force, restriction on travel, freeze on recruitment seem to be playing heavily on the minds of lot of these guys. Is this panic justified? Some of it yes, but to a larger extent, highly debatable.

Tom Peters, the management guru, has a recipe for surviving and even thriving amidst the perfect storm, which I feel has a lot of merit.

According to the Master - "While many businesses will fail amidst the current economic crisis through no fault of their own, some will survive in spite of the odds—and a few will surprise by turning a messy situation into economic-competitive advantage. The requisite winner's attitude is expressed by former Ritz - Carlton chief Horst Schulze , commenting on his decision to launch his new high-end hotel business,Capella, despite the market madness: "I do not accept the explanation of a recession negatively affecting the [new] business. There are still people traveling. We just have to get them to stay in our hotel." And, indeed, getting an "unfair share" of "what's left" is near the heart of the matter. Schulze's remarks also remind us that instant, mindless cutting of R&D or training or salesforce travel in the face of a downturn is often counterproductive—or, rather, downright stupid. Tough times are in fact golden opportunities to get the drop, and the long term drop at that, on those who respond to bad news by panicky across-the-board slash and burn tactics and moves that de-motivate and alienate the workforce at exactly the wrong moment.

Tough times indeed require tough and unpleasant decisions—but thriving, not just surviving, is an option for those who mix wisdom and boldness of leadership with transparency and maximized employee involvement and engagement. Without suggesting that there is anything humorous about the pain that bad times cause, one can say that "this is when it gets fun" for truly talented and imaginative leaders at all levels and in businesses of every sort and size! "

Need I say anything more.................Tom knows best. A badly required pearl of wisdom to weather the storm.

Legend never dies !....Goodbye Paul!!

Paul Newman, the man with the most famous blue eyes is no more. A Screen giant, for some, last of the great 20th century movie star, passed away day before yesterday, on Friday at the age of 83.

I have been fortunate enough to see some his movies. And boy! what an actor he was. International Herald Tribune has beautifully captured the enigma of Paul. And I quote " If Marlon Brando and James Dean defined the defiant American male as a sullen rebel, Paul Newman recreated him as a likable renegade, a strikingly handsome figure of animal high spirits and blue-eyed candor whose magnetism was almost impossible to resist, whether the character was Hud, Cool Hand Luke or Butch Cassidy".

For those who want to see the late superstar in action, , try some of these flicks. EXODUS, THE HUSTLER, HUD, HARPER, COOL HAND LUKE, THE TOWERING INFERNO, THE VERDICT, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID.

So long Paul !!

FINAL VERDICT ...."EARTH- AN UNSAFE DESTINATION" - FREE PRESS

"Freedom of speech" is a very important attribute of democracy. In this system everyone is free to air his or her opinion.

But not everyone is as fortunate. Ask those who were born in shackles, ask those who are still being held hostage on the very land they were born, on the very soil their forefathers toiled for every single day of their lives. Yes! it's happening very much here, on this great planet even today. If you look at some of the African nations, you will understand what I mean.

How much of this sordid saga occupies the front pages of leading newspapers, how much air time does it command on the channels across the globe? I am not sure. Free Media is a very potent tool of the society we live in. It's the reflection of what goes around. Newspapers are supposed to bring nothing but bare truth to our doorsteps every morning.

Being an Editor of a newspaper or a news magazine is not an easy job, it's akin to a great swordsman wearing a crown of thorns. It's his job to tread the fine line between what the readers wants to know and what he think they need to know.

The trigger for this post that I am writing today at this afternoon hour isn't a spur of the moment spark. I have been thinking about this for a long time now. Is the picture of a blood splattered road with strewn parts of human flesh scattered every where the only way of telling people what had happened last evening, when the rein of terror once again engulfed an important part of your beautiful and placid city? Is the theatrics that keeps happening in the studious of so many channels every time a bomb sets off, the only way of portraying the truth??

For Gods sake don't browbeat innocent people you fellas! You guy's are scaring the already devastated population. I remember the face of one dearly Mr. News reader, on one of the popular news channel, not a shade of remorse on his face, looking at his impeccable best, prancing from one side of the floor to other, with a swagger of a matinee idol..........looking more like a devils advocate and holding a blood stained script which said " 20 died , 35 seriously injured, severed limbs and forearms scattered all around, the smell of burnt flesh so strong that people choked................We will be back with more on the latest trail of terror"......STAY TUNED!!"

Is anybody out there, I ask ?............Is anybody listening? Hey you !Mr. Editor.....Mr. Producer, you better think before you write, think harder before you read. "DON'T LET THE TERRORISTS MEET THEIR OBJECTIVE.DON'T SCARE THE HELL OUT OF PEOPLE. SCARE THOSE WHO ARE MAKING THIS PLACE A HELL EVERYDAY"

FAST AND FURIOUS !! FOOD 4 Thought

Picture this.....a hard day at office, equally painstaking drive back home.......... and by the time you step in the comfort of your home, sweet home, you are a dead meat. Feeling famished, but no strength to cook. WHAT NEXT?WHAT WOULD YOU DO??

Well! take the fast route....summon those guys at McDonald's or if you are a Pizza lover, a hot favorite Pizza from Pizza Hut isn't a bad idea.

Ummm.....absolutely mouthwatering thought isn't it?

I know this doesn't make sense. All of us follow this ritual on a tough day. But do you remember the face and the pace of that friendly bloke who knocked on your door and handed over the bag of goodies.

I am sure at some point all of us have seen them zipping on those two wheelers trying to make the delivery on time. Who doesn't want a hot serving AQAP( as quickly as possible), after all isn't fast food all about speed?

And now here is the cat out of the bag.....WHY DO THESE GUYS JUMP THE RED LIGHT AT TRAFFIC INTERSECTION?? Hey! did I hear someone say that transnationals are investing a lot of their time in giving back to the society and have started taking CSR ( corporate social responsibility) as a very important element of their business agenda?

If that be the case, how come these guy's keep crossing the line..............aren't they supposed to adhere to the law? Or hey! Mr. Training Manager!! Isn't imparting knowledge on how to be a law abiding citizen, an important part of that excellent training regime, you guy's keep bragging about?

HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO ??........to be extraordinary!!!

Why do we settle for the ordinary? Why being creative, surely an unique trait, is little less ordinary these days? Why people lead a robotic DRILL @ WORK ? Why a memo can't be drafted in ten different ways? Why something as simple and natural as a little smile, is so hard to sport? Why do we withdraw in a shell, when there is so much turmoil outside? Why is the art of expressing, speaking your mind, dying a slow death?..............WHY ???????

I find myself in the midst of these questions everyday. When I raise my head to find the answers for questions I can't comprehend, all I get in bargain, is more questions.There's precious little happening around in this world, where I spend most of my time trying to stay afloat.

Have I given up hope?.........Not really. I will continue my pursuit for finding the missing pieces of this great puzzle @ work.

Ngrossing ! YOUNG MINDS & the Outlook Speak Out debate finals!!

Saturday first half turned out to be an excellent one. In the midst of young and budding talent at the National School debate finals at Srifort, it was a nice feeling to relive those fond memories of school. Albeit for a short while, but none-the-less absolutely enthralling affair.

Ex- President, Dr. Abdul Kalam was the guest of honor, and he really got the entire house going upon his arrival. A great man! it was a sheer pleasure to hear him speak and share his experiences.

"If it works, it's yours and If it doesn't, it's mine" - One thing that really touched a chord, as far as I am concerned, was a little story that Dr. Kalam had narrated about his senior, when he was the project lead for one of the satellite programs. For some reason the program failed and the senior took the entire responsibility for the debacle. And next time when the success was achieved he asked Dr. Kalam to step forward to address the press gathering and tell them the saga of success. Now that's what true leadership is all about. A leader is as good as his troops. Giving direction, continuously motivating them and shielding them when the chips are down, are some of the most critical attributes of a successful leader.

All in all...............NICE TO BE THERE!

Truth about real men and women!......and the blind eye of the media!!

"Paralympic"......... Well ! trust me, it's not a new word in the dictionary. People familiar with sports might be able to tell, but for many outside the domain, it's a tough one.

Now change this to Olympics and millions would tell you that it's the mother of all sporting action. Go back little less than a month, every morning mainline dailies were having a field day with all that reportage from Beijing. Every single sport was covered and every medalist was profiled within the sports columns.

Brilliant job done I say. Kudos! to all those sports editors. But what happened immediately after that? You guys seemed to have completely turned blind. Lost out on an opportunity to talk about the real men and women, who contested at the Paralympic, Beijing 08. Good old, ever dependable Wikipedia, describes these games as a multi - sport events for athletes with physical, mental and sensorial disabilities. The truth is, these less fortunate athletes are as good as anybody.

Despite their shortcomings and mind you some extremely painful one's, these fabulous, courageous sportsmen and women, compete with tremendous commitment. Behind every athlete there's a great story, a story which will move you to tears.

Alas! our editorial friend's seem to believe otherwise. Someone has rightly said "the newspapers is not about news but about building numbers".

ANIMAL I HAVE BECOME!!

Yesterday, yet another bloody attempt was made to tear open the heart of this historic city. Once again those deadly venomous serpents came slithering out of their holes, trying to terrorise and torment with their killer fangs.

At this moment of grief my thoughts go out to those who couldn't make it home last night. Hard to imagine the plight of those families who lost someone dear to these serial blasts.

Terrorism is an act of cowardice. It's abode of those antisocial elements, who have decided to lead a life of an animal. The rulers of this great democratic nation, need to understand that lot needs to be done to curb the recurrence of such barbaric acts in the future. Though the economy has been chugging along nicely,but somewhere along the way, we have surely left few loose ends. All is not well at the grass root level and there's reason why some areas of this famous land is still simmering after all these years.

"Unity in diversity" is a great slogan, that has echoed in every speech, on every platform, right across this mighty land. But does it still holds good ? I am not so sure. There are many who feel that this line of pride could be the root cause of many of our problems. Don't know if I am stretching it a bit........maybe it's the prime reason for this great divide. THINK ABOUT IT!

Look who is back !!

This man never gives up. Does he ?? Seven titles under his belt, one of the greatest cyclist of all times. Post retirement actively championing the cause of prostate cancer. And then suddenly, one fine morning, he decides it's time to get in the saddle again.

Lance Armstrong is on a charge for one more time. And this time he is bidding for an unprecedented eighth win. At 37 years, age is surely not an advantage. But very few can doubt his aggression and never say die spirit.

A true champion in every right, more than winning another title,his announcement of taking the fight against the deadly cancer all around the world has really impressed me.

Act like Lances gives any sport a new dimension. People like him are not only master of their craft , but for millions, they are the much required glimmer of hope for a better tomorrow.

Great man, indeed!