Redefining Horizons

History The Teacher History talks of many an empire. What could be common to all the empires of the past? The Mauryas, Guptas, Mughals, Romans, Persians, Ottoman, Hans, Spanish and the British, each one a powerful regime, held sway over vast swathes of land and had subjects across geographical boundaries we now recognise. Geographically and chronologically spaced well apart, each one tremendously influenced populace it ruled upon and made lasting contributions to virtually every aspect of contemporary culture. Each came into existence and grew but couldn’t succeed in sustaining themselves to grow into perpetuity. Despite unquestionable powers, and repressive enforcement systems, perpetuity eluded each one of them. Having failed to sustain and grow beyond a time, they now remain confined to pages of history; their significance waxing and waning, at the mercy of contemporary political regimes in their attempt to attain perpetuity. History is a great teacher. Those who do not ...

Lubricant or Leverage? Excellence in Execution (e@e) has traditionally been considered to be associated with productivity. Productivity, on the other hand, has traditionally remained linked to improving machines, methods and means. As industrialisation evolved, interventions aimed at e-in-e started considering ‘human beings’ as a possible avenue where results could be reaped. But such considerations remained limited to rewards and remunerations, much as lubricants to a production or production-assisting entity called man. Higher remunerations and better rewards, it was believed, would somehow elicit higher productivity. This approach to e@e confined it to the lower rungs of Maslow’s pyramid [i] . E@e, often associated and pursued only with professional life, should not be limited to the confines of work areas. It must originate from within and end up defining the person himself /herself. It is then e@e becomes a leveraging tool. If viewed and approached from the higher strata of Masl...

This is a true story! The Plot It was a well-orchestrated corporate training program which by all parameters of evaluation could be considered a success. I was the choreographer, conductor and trainer. CEO of the company, a brilliant innovator, research scholar, and educator, a man with a vision, is on a mission. All his employees are handpicked, high achievers, brilliant brains and wonderful individuals The CEO had recognised the need and defined the desired outcome-state. He was clear as to what he wanted. Challenging and interesting, I customised the entire training program, to suit the demand, in line with their vision statement. When I discussed the blueprint of the proposed programme, the CEO insisted that all his employees go through the programme.   Methods - Surreal or Real Most training sessions abound in sermons of lofty ideals and ideology delivered from self-assumed high pedestals, a touch of authenticity added incorporating generous mix of quotes and a f...

  Truth Not always Obvious   Prima facie, M [1] is ‘just another’ employee of the firm. He was one amongst the 20, I was hired to train. Outwardly shy, to the point of being withdrawn, he spoke only when asked to. But, as the session progressed and activities rolled out, I saw him, a different person. He was the natural ‘centre of gravity’ and literally made group activities come through. Though everyone in the group was individually brilliant and did their very best, both individually and collectively, his sense of commitment to the group and accomplishing the task was palpable. He was commitment personified . As I stood watching the group [2] strive and accomplish various tasks assigned, I realised I was witnessing a group’s success mantra unfold at work.   Profitability and Productivity   Profitability is an inevitable survival-ingredient for organisations involved in commercial activities. Business strategists consider productivity and profitability as insepa...