Did You Know: Shift Happens (original)
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Monday, May 31, 2010
Team Work
THE HARE AND TORTOISE -
APPEARS FAMILIAR, BUT IT’S DIFFERENT - READ FULL
Once upon a time a tortoise and a hare had an argument about who was faster.
I’m the fastest runner.
That’s not true.
The fastest runner is me!
Ok, let’s have a race.
Fine!
They decided to settle the argument with a race. They agreed on a route and started off the race.
The hare shot ahead and ran briskly for some time. Then seeing that he was far ahead of the tortoise, he thought he'd sit under a tree for some time and relax before continuing the race.
Poor guy! Even if I take a nap, he could not catch up with me.
He sat under the tree and soon fell asleep.
The tortoise plodding on overtook him and soon finished the race, emerging as the undisputed champ.
The hare woke up and realized that he'd lost the race.
The moral of the story -
Slow and steady wins the race.
This is the version of the story that we all are grown up with.
The story continues ..…
The hare was disappointed at losing the race and he did some soul-searching. He realized that he'd lost the race only because he had been over- confident, careless and lax. If he had not taken things for granted, there's no way the tortoise could have beaten him.
Why did I lose the race?
Can we have another race?
Ok.
So he challenged the tortoise to another race. The tortoise agreed.
This time, the hare went all out and ran without stopping from start to finish. He won by several miles.
The moral of the story -
Fast and consistent will always beat the slow and steady.
If you have two people in your organization, one slow, methodical and reliable, and the other fast and still reliable at what he/she does, the fast and reliable chap will consistently climb the organizational ladder faster than the slow, methodical chap.
It's good to be slow and steady; but it's better to be fast and reliable.
But the story doesn't end here …
The tortoise did some thinking this time and realized that there's no way he can beat the hare in a race the way it was currently formatted.
How can I win the race?
He thought for a while and then challenged the hare to another race, but on a
slightly different route.
The hare agreed.
Sure!
Can we have another race? This time we’ll go through a different route.
They started off. In keeping with his self-made commitment to be consistently fast, the hare took off and ran at top speed until he came to a broad river. The finishing line was a couple of kilometers on the other side of the
river.
The hare sat there wondering what to do. In the meantime the tortoise trundled
along, got into the river, swam to the opposite bank, continued walking and
finished the race.
What should I do?
The moral of the story -
First identify your core competency and then change the playing field to suit your core competency.
In an organization,
if you are a good speaker, make sure you create opportunities to give presentations that enable the senior management to notice you.
If your strength is analysis, make sure you do some sort of research, make a report and send it upstairs.
Working to your strengths will not only get you noticed, but will also create opportunities for growth and advancement.
The story still hasn't ended …
The hare and the tortoise, by this time, had become pretty good friends and they did some thinking together. Both realized that the last race could have been run much better.
So they decided to do the last race again, but to run as a team this time.
Hi, buddy. How about doing our last race again?
Great! I think we could do it much better, if we two help each other.
They started off and this time the hare carried the tortoise till the riverbank.
There, the tortoise took over and swam across with the hare on his back.
On the opposite bank, the hare again carried the tortoise and they reached the finishing line together. They both felt a greater sense of satisfaction than they'd felt earlier.
The moral of the story -
It's good to be individually brilliant and to have strong core competencies; but unless you're able to work in a team and harness each other's core competencies, you'll always perform below par because there will always be situations where you'll do poorly and someone else does well.
Teamwork is mainly about situational leadership, letting the person with the relevant core competency for a situation take leadership.
There are more lessons to be learnt from this story.
Note that neither the hare nor the tortoise gave up after failures. The hare decided to work harder and put in more effort after his failure. The tortoise changed his strategy because he was already working as hard as he could.
· Never give up when faced with failure.
· Fast and consistent will always beat slow and steady.
· Work to your competencies.
· Compete against the situation, not against a rival.
· Pooling resources and working as a team will create a win-win situation for all.
Help each other and move together, not alone. Share and Care.
Teamwork…..Teamwork…..Teamwork!
APPEARS FAMILIAR, BUT IT’S DIFFERENT - READ FULL
Once upon a time a tortoise and a hare had an argument about who was faster.
I’m the fastest runner.
That’s not true.
The fastest runner is me!
Ok, let’s have a race.
Fine!
They decided to settle the argument with a race. They agreed on a route and started off the race.
The hare shot ahead and ran briskly for some time. Then seeing that he was far ahead of the tortoise, he thought he'd sit under a tree for some time and relax before continuing the race.
Poor guy! Even if I take a nap, he could not catch up with me.
He sat under the tree and soon fell asleep.
The tortoise plodding on overtook him and soon finished the race, emerging as the undisputed champ.
The hare woke up and realized that he'd lost the race.
The moral of the story -
Slow and steady wins the race.
This is the version of the story that we all are grown up with.
The story continues ..…
The hare was disappointed at losing the race and he did some soul-searching. He realized that he'd lost the race only because he had been over- confident, careless and lax. If he had not taken things for granted, there's no way the tortoise could have beaten him.
Why did I lose the race?
Can we have another race?
Ok.
So he challenged the tortoise to another race. The tortoise agreed.
This time, the hare went all out and ran without stopping from start to finish. He won by several miles.
The moral of the story -
Fast and consistent will always beat the slow and steady.
If you have two people in your organization, one slow, methodical and reliable, and the other fast and still reliable at what he/she does, the fast and reliable chap will consistently climb the organizational ladder faster than the slow, methodical chap.
It's good to be slow and steady; but it's better to be fast and reliable.
But the story doesn't end here …
The tortoise did some thinking this time and realized that there's no way he can beat the hare in a race the way it was currently formatted.
How can I win the race?
He thought for a while and then challenged the hare to another race, but on a
slightly different route.
The hare agreed.
Sure!
Can we have another race? This time we’ll go through a different route.
They started off. In keeping with his self-made commitment to be consistently fast, the hare took off and ran at top speed until he came to a broad river. The finishing line was a couple of kilometers on the other side of the
river.
The hare sat there wondering what to do. In the meantime the tortoise trundled
along, got into the river, swam to the opposite bank, continued walking and
finished the race.
What should I do?
The moral of the story -
First identify your core competency and then change the playing field to suit your core competency.
In an organization,
if you are a good speaker, make sure you create opportunities to give presentations that enable the senior management to notice you.
If your strength is analysis, make sure you do some sort of research, make a report and send it upstairs.
Working to your strengths will not only get you noticed, but will also create opportunities for growth and advancement.
The story still hasn't ended …
The hare and the tortoise, by this time, had become pretty good friends and they did some thinking together. Both realized that the last race could have been run much better.
So they decided to do the last race again, but to run as a team this time.
Hi, buddy. How about doing our last race again?
Great! I think we could do it much better, if we two help each other.
They started off and this time the hare carried the tortoise till the riverbank.
There, the tortoise took over and swam across with the hare on his back.
On the opposite bank, the hare again carried the tortoise and they reached the finishing line together. They both felt a greater sense of satisfaction than they'd felt earlier.
The moral of the story -
It's good to be individually brilliant and to have strong core competencies; but unless you're able to work in a team and harness each other's core competencies, you'll always perform below par because there will always be situations where you'll do poorly and someone else does well.
Teamwork is mainly about situational leadership, letting the person with the relevant core competency for a situation take leadership.
There are more lessons to be learnt from this story.
Note that neither the hare nor the tortoise gave up after failures. The hare decided to work harder and put in more effort after his failure. The tortoise changed his strategy because he was already working as hard as he could.
· Never give up when faced with failure.
· Fast and consistent will always beat slow and steady.
· Work to your competencies.
· Compete against the situation, not against a rival.
· Pooling resources and working as a team will create a win-win situation for all.
Help each other and move together, not alone. Share and Care.
Teamwork…..Teamwork…..Teamwork!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Satyartha Prakash
Satyartha Prakash - A book written by vedic scholar Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati is available here
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
A True Hero
Suvendu Roy, of Titan Industries shares his inspirational encounter with a rickshaw driver in Mumbai:
Last Sunday, my wife, kid, and I had to travel to Andheri from Bandra.
When I waved at a passing auto rickshaw, little did I expect that this ride would be any different...
As we set off, my eyes fell on a few magazines (kept in an aircraft style pouch) behind the driver's backrest.
I looked in front and there was a small TV. The driver had put on the Doordarshan channel.
My wife and I looked at each other with disbelief and amusement. Infront of me was a small first-aid box with cotton, dettol and some medicines.
This was enough for me to realise that I was in a special vehicle.
Then I looked round again, and discovered more - there was a radio, fire extinguisher, wall clock, calendar, and pictures and symbols of all faiths
- from Islam and Christianity to Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism.
There were also pictures of the heroes of 26/11- Kamte, Salaskar, Karkareand Unnikrishnan.
I realised that not only my vehicle, but also my driver was special.
I started chatting with him and the initial sense of ridicule and disbelief gradually diminished.
I gathered that he had been driving an auto rickshaw for the past 8-9 years; he had lost his job when his employer's plastic company was shut down.
He had two school-going children, and he drove from 8 in the morning till 10 at night.
No break unless he was unwell. "Sahab, ghar mein baith ke T.V dekh kar kya faida? Do paisa income karega toh future mein kaam aayega."( What’s the benefit in sitting at home in front of a TV. If I earn a little, it will ease my future.)
We realised that we had come across a man who represents Mumbai -the spirit of work, the spirit of travel and the spirit of excelling in life.
I asked him whether he does anything else as I figured that he did not have too much spare time.
He said that he goes to an old age home for women in Andheri once a week or whenever he has some extra income, where he donates tooth brushes, toothpastes, soap, hair oil, and other items of daily use.
He pointed out to a painted message below the meter thatread: "25 per cent discount on metered fare for the handicapped.
Free rides for blind passengers up to Rs. 50.
My wife and I were struck with awe. The man was a HERO!
A hero who deserves all our respect!!!
Our journey came to an end;
45 minutes of a lesson in humility, selflessness, and of a hero-worshipping Mumbai, my temporary home.
We disembarked, and all I could do was to pay him a tip that would hardly cover a free ride for a blind man.
I hope, one day, you too have a chance to meet Mr Sandeep Bachhe in his auto rickshaw: MH-02-Z-8508.
Last Sunday, my wife, kid, and I had to travel to Andheri from Bandra.
When I waved at a passing auto rickshaw, little did I expect that this ride would be any different...
As we set off, my eyes fell on a few magazines (kept in an aircraft style pouch) behind the driver's backrest.
I looked in front and there was a small TV. The driver had put on the Doordarshan channel.
My wife and I looked at each other with disbelief and amusement. Infront of me was a small first-aid box with cotton, dettol and some medicines.
This was enough for me to realise that I was in a special vehicle.
Then I looked round again, and discovered more - there was a radio, fire extinguisher, wall clock, calendar, and pictures and symbols of all faiths
- from Islam and Christianity to Buddhism, Hinduism and Sikhism.
There were also pictures of the heroes of 26/11- Kamte, Salaskar, Karkareand Unnikrishnan.
I realised that not only my vehicle, but also my driver was special.
I started chatting with him and the initial sense of ridicule and disbelief gradually diminished.
I gathered that he had been driving an auto rickshaw for the past 8-9 years; he had lost his job when his employer's plastic company was shut down.
He had two school-going children, and he drove from 8 in the morning till 10 at night.
No break unless he was unwell. "Sahab, ghar mein baith ke T.V dekh kar kya faida? Do paisa income karega toh future mein kaam aayega."( What’s the benefit in sitting at home in front of a TV. If I earn a little, it will ease my future.)
We realised that we had come across a man who represents Mumbai -the spirit of work, the spirit of travel and the spirit of excelling in life.
I asked him whether he does anything else as I figured that he did not have too much spare time.
He said that he goes to an old age home for women in Andheri once a week or whenever he has some extra income, where he donates tooth brushes, toothpastes, soap, hair oil, and other items of daily use.
He pointed out to a painted message below the meter thatread: "25 per cent discount on metered fare for the handicapped.
Free rides for blind passengers up to Rs. 50.
My wife and I were struck with awe. The man was a HERO!
A hero who deserves all our respect!!!
Our journey came to an end;
45 minutes of a lesson in humility, selflessness, and of a hero-worshipping Mumbai, my temporary home.
We disembarked, and all I could do was to pay him a tip that would hardly cover a free ride for a blind man.
I hope, one day, you too have a chance to meet Mr Sandeep Bachhe in his auto rickshaw: MH-02-Z-8508.
Monday, May 17, 2010
spiritual fallacies
I am no preacher, but after getting to know more about hindu culture and traditions, I am getting increasingly fond of it. Having said that, I don't believe that we should preach Hinduism for increasing the number of followers. But at the same time, it is disappointing to see many otherwise educated and accomplished individuals doing things for the sake of some personal gain which makes no sense.
Recently, I happened to visit an acquaintance of ours who is a saibaba devotee. Saibaba is a spiritual guru who is known to have performed many modern miracles. Having faith in someone is not bad at all. In fact, faith alone can bring in a lot of positive things into life like self confidence, well being and strength. But it is appalling to see how so many people believe into something that is not free from logical fallacies! For instance say this person worships saibaba for a whole 2 hours per day and believes even saibaba is present in their home from certain "signs". Now think of it, it may sound strange but nothing is wrong in it. Sometimes you imagine things and start to feel things that is non-existent. That is fine absolutely. But I could not digest it when they said they do some "puja" every thrusday for 9 thursdays to get their wishes fulfilled. Not only that, they also believe Saibaba enters into somebody every weekend and that person even walks and bends like the baba. And that same person does some miracle every weekend. For example this person once called upon a little boy who had no hair on his head due to some medical problem and smeared Baba' prasad on his head. Now the next question I asked was, did he get the hair? The answer to that was not yet. I would wait longer to hear about that. Not is this believable in the present day? Sorry, I would not buy any such stories even in million years.
Now coming to the puja ritual, I don't know what to say about this. It may appear very natural for a hindu family into practicing such pujas as it is very common. But lets analyze the situation. OK doing some puja fasting/chanting and eating fruits may be beneficial for your health or may be the sanskrit Shlokas have some good vibrations that may have some beneficial effect. Or you may get increased confidence into working harder that may work out in fulfilling your goal. Other than that I see no other connection. So, what if after you did all the hard work in completing your ritual your wishes are still unfulfilled?Do you go back to your spiritual advisor asking for some other remedy? Say your spiritual guru asks you to do something which may be slightly tougher or he may suggest you to do something which is completely immoral. At that point what you do? Do you think from your head and reject his suggestions or your desire to achieve your goal is so strong that you completely switch off your logical thinking and do whatever is asked? That is exactly what is happening in many parts of India or elsewhere where people have certain wishes and don't think logically before jumping into the rituals suggested by some spiritual guru. In Delhi few years back there was certain person called pandher and his servant that killed small children and even practiced Cannibalism to get their desire fulfilled!! Sometimes back in Delhi and Mumbai educated parents practiced incest to get their desire fulfilled. We get to see news on witch craft every now and then from various parts of the country. Are these not manifestation of practicing certain rituals to get wishes fulfilled? So, I would say practicing some ritual without realizing its health or any other benefit and doing it for the sake of achieving some unrelated goal is spiritual fallacy..
Recently, I happened to visit an acquaintance of ours who is a saibaba devotee. Saibaba is a spiritual guru who is known to have performed many modern miracles. Having faith in someone is not bad at all. In fact, faith alone can bring in a lot of positive things into life like self confidence, well being and strength. But it is appalling to see how so many people believe into something that is not free from logical fallacies! For instance say this person worships saibaba for a whole 2 hours per day and believes even saibaba is present in their home from certain "signs". Now think of it, it may sound strange but nothing is wrong in it. Sometimes you imagine things and start to feel things that is non-existent. That is fine absolutely. But I could not digest it when they said they do some "puja" every thrusday for 9 thursdays to get their wishes fulfilled. Not only that, they also believe Saibaba enters into somebody every weekend and that person even walks and bends like the baba. And that same person does some miracle every weekend. For example this person once called upon a little boy who had no hair on his head due to some medical problem and smeared Baba' prasad on his head. Now the next question I asked was, did he get the hair? The answer to that was not yet. I would wait longer to hear about that. Not is this believable in the present day? Sorry, I would not buy any such stories even in million years.
Now coming to the puja ritual, I don't know what to say about this. It may appear very natural for a hindu family into practicing such pujas as it is very common. But lets analyze the situation. OK doing some puja fasting/chanting and eating fruits may be beneficial for your health or may be the sanskrit Shlokas have some good vibrations that may have some beneficial effect. Or you may get increased confidence into working harder that may work out in fulfilling your goal. Other than that I see no other connection. So, what if after you did all the hard work in completing your ritual your wishes are still unfulfilled?Do you go back to your spiritual advisor asking for some other remedy? Say your spiritual guru asks you to do something which may be slightly tougher or he may suggest you to do something which is completely immoral. At that point what you do? Do you think from your head and reject his suggestions or your desire to achieve your goal is so strong that you completely switch off your logical thinking and do whatever is asked? That is exactly what is happening in many parts of India or elsewhere where people have certain wishes and don't think logically before jumping into the rituals suggested by some spiritual guru. In Delhi few years back there was certain person called pandher and his servant that killed small children and even practiced Cannibalism to get their desire fulfilled!! Sometimes back in Delhi and Mumbai educated parents practiced incest to get their desire fulfilled. We get to see news on witch craft every now and then from various parts of the country. Are these not manifestation of practicing certain rituals to get wishes fulfilled? So, I would say practicing some ritual without realizing its health or any other benefit and doing it for the sake of achieving some unrelated goal is spiritual fallacy..
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Ajwain Health benefits
Ajwain is a popular spice and food ingredient in most of the Indian dishes. It is also known as Carum ajowan, Trachyspermum ammi, Ptychotis ajowan, Trachyspermum copticum.
The essential oil present in Ajwain is "Thymol". Thymol has great anti-spetic and anti-fungal characteristics, thus is very largely used as food preservative and also in book binding. It has large number of medicinal properties, but the one that comes to my notice is that of a anti-spasmodic(Something that suppresses muscular spasm).
It relieves menstrual cramps quite effectively! Just soak a spoonful of seeds in warm water and chew them along with water. It works like charm. In addition to this great property, it also is very beneficial in treating flatulent dyspepsia and intestinal colic,especially in children. It stimulates the appetite. Its astringency is taken advantage of in the treatment of diarrhea, and in laryngitis as a gargle.It is also used in the treatment for bronchitis and bronchial asthma.
It has been used to increase milk flow in nursing mothers. properties of carum seed can be taken advantage of in soothing the digestive tract, muscles such as uterus, etc.
The essential oil present in Ajwain is "Thymol". Thymol has great anti-spetic and anti-fungal characteristics, thus is very largely used as food preservative and also in book binding. It has large number of medicinal properties, but the one that comes to my notice is that of a anti-spasmodic(Something that suppresses muscular spasm).
It relieves menstrual cramps quite effectively! Just soak a spoonful of seeds in warm water and chew them along with water. It works like charm. In addition to this great property, it also is very beneficial in treating flatulent dyspepsia and intestinal colic,especially in children. It stimulates the appetite. Its astringency is taken advantage of in the treatment of diarrhea, and in laryngitis as a gargle.It is also used in the treatment for bronchitis and bronchial asthma.
It has been used to increase milk flow in nursing mothers. properties of carum seed can be taken advantage of in soothing the digestive tract, muscles such as uterus, etc.
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