the inner voice

It's not only the end of the year but also the end of the decade. 2000-2010 will be remembered as one of the decades where India underwent transformatory changes. The good part is that we all got an opportunity to lead and manage it while it's still mild. The next decade will be much more virulent. Well, this decade (2011-2020) will differentiate winners and losers at every stage. It will be much less tolerant. Mediocrity will have no place and will be much severely punished than the treatment it got so far. So tighten your seat belts, or should I say wear your space suits, the journey will be tough and exciting, certainly eventful.   So how does one prepare for it? I believe that being 'agile' and 'adaptive' will be the two most important qualities, that will allow you to succeed and survive the next decade. Well, doesn't it sound deja-vu, very Darwinian :-). I also believe that all those who will choose to be constantly in 'learning' mode will ref...

While studying Engg sciences, we were asked to design structures and carry out stress tests on them to check their stability. While analyzing companies, we carried out similar stress tests, to check their creditworthiness in extreme circumstances..their ability to service the debt….as a Nation, we underwent a similar stress test yesterday. So what were the stressors, what did we shock? We shocked the cultural fabric, co-existence, tolerance, shocking national integration, humanity itself, taking it to a breakpoint. The only difference was that, unlike the routine stress tests which are conducted in a controlled environment, this was played out live into production. The Ayodhya verdict, a long-standing one, looking into the contentious question of who has the title and whom should the possession be handed over to was one of most speculated one's in recent times. Everyone waited with bated breath. All over in offices, in residences, in neighborhoods, hundreds of opinions were voiced....

A couple of weeks back I was confabbing with a colleague, Ms. Anuja Kale and she spoke about a very interesting construct called ‘Pay-Forward’, which not only resonated with me but stirred me, as I felt connected with that concept instantaneously. All of us in our lives and careers have been helped by someone…souls who had no selfish interest in doing that…..but helped because they genuinely wanted to…. and in some cases, they took flak for that but still had the courage and conviction to do so…and that act played an important role in our growth. The question is, ‘How do we repay this debt back?’ This can be repaid by two means….one...by doing a similar deed, ie. helping someone out there achieve his/her career dreams….has the passion and fire but probably needs a similar push...and you are in a position to do that...helping altruistically…..without any gains or political purpose…larger the no…better it is…second….by participating and contributing to the cause of the necessitous....

I thought I will aggressively blog all the way in 2009 and 2010. But after having joined DBOI (Deutsche Bank Group), my engagement with the team required to up my communication. In the trade-off, my blogging suffered. So this time, I have picked up some morsels from my communication, which I send to my team every month. They contain no reference to the organization. They are referenced to a context. Hence the liberty to publish. On Ownership and Empowerment We are the leaders. One of the American Presidents, Harry Truman, had an inscription on his desk, "The buck stops here". It was his way of conveying that he takes decisions and he owns it. There are many processes where the expertise completely resides with us. In others, we will build. So feel confident and take decisions. On Career Management Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric, my earlier company, quipped, “Take charge of your destiny or someone else will”. This is also the time when you should think a...

I have been coming to Bangalore (oops Bengaluru ) for years now but mainly on business travel. This time, consequent to my job change, here I am with my family with our  bag and baggage, in the so-called “Silicon Valley “of India. Did I just say Silicon Valley? Is it truly comparable to Silicon Valley? Yes and No. “Yes”, if we look at the industry cluster – IT and ITES and number of entrepreneurial ventures in this sector and “No”, if we look at everything else. This place is very different from Gurgaon, where I moved from. You miss the attitude, the air, and the convenience, basically, the feel is not the same. Not that I expect them to be the same. Cities can’t be clones. Each city has its own signature, a certain uniqueness, on which it builds upon and draws you. Some of my observations do suffer from serious bias…bias of comparison with Gurgaon, which is so powerfully etched in my mind. Further, this is more in jest than some serious writing. Sometimes I wonder, is this...

Life is a very interesting experience. It has been like a never-before-designed roller-coaster with the sharpest bends and falls, unmatched acceleration, resulting in extreme fear and excitement. Maybe it’s the newest extreme sport in the current recession era. This one is about my own career and life. I was looking to move on from my current job, having worked a good nine years, as the place developed a sinking atmosphere, aimless and without any challenges and excitement. I felt as if I was losing my sharpness by the day, which was unacceptable to me. The only problem was that with the entire economy in tatters, nothing meaningful was coming by.  I worked on a two-pronged strategy; one – reaching out to my relationships and consultants and two – reaching out to almighty invoking him to set my destiny on the right path. I felt as if AR Rehman wrote this beautiful composition for me.  Marrammat Muqqaddar Ki Kar De Maula   Arziyaan Saari Main Chehre Pe Likh Ke Laaya Hoon ...