Written on Friday, July 16, 2010 by Siddharth PV
WHERE the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
- Rabindranath Tagore
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Written on Sunday, July 04, 2010 by Siddharth PV
So how does one go about networking? Of course - by getting to know people.
And what is the best way to get to know people?
I am told that 'talking to people' is a good way. But on second thoguhts, are conversations/discussions compltely reliable?
Cant conversations be 'engineered' to suit the need?
Haven't we all been exposed to the ease with which one can 'lead' a discussion to achieve pre-determined outcomes (a desired 'image', a perceived 'persona', etc)?
Of course - this is not to say that conversations are futile - just that they may not be the best solution..
Instead, how about sharing common experiences?
What if you find yourself in the same situation as someone else? Wont the other person's response tell you a lot about his nature/perspectives vis-a-vis your nature?
Working with someone on solving a common problem could tell you a lot about the person's attitudes, approaches, strengths and weaknesses.
Most importantly, if you are put into a unforseen situation with someone, aren't the chances higher that evryone will react in their most natural ways possible?
This will effectively highlight people's inherent natures as they wont have the opportunity to 'cook up' the 'right' responses.. Most likely - people will end up just 'being themselves' and this will help in really understanding them better.. In fact, such experiences could end up completely changing people's pre-decided / pre-determined 'images'...
And this would help one chose his networks better!
So, having understood this, one could go about facilitating his 'networking' in 2 ways:
1. Pray and hope that he gets a chance to share many interesting 'experiences' with all the folks in the MBA program..
2. One could actually 'design' a way to bring about such experiences.
So here's to looking forward to successfully organising/planning many interesting 'experiences' in the times to come..
I am sure they will help me build better networks in the long term
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Written on Saturday, June 12, 2010 by Siddharth PV
"Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that all was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, and make it possible."
T.E. Lawrence
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of hi...gh achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
Theodore Roosevelt
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Written on Wednesday, June 02, 2010 by Siddharth PV
I just saw the first 15-20 minutes of Wake UP Sid - the movie and something which struck me instantly about Sid's character was the simplicity in his decision making. He seemed like someone who has kept life really uncomplicated for himself. No wonder then that he was able to take decisions so easily. And at some level, I did feel very very envious of him. I look at myself in the past few weeks and I see that my thinking has been becoming more and more muddled - my decision making more and more convoluted - and it wasn't this way at all times. Surely something needs to be put back in order.
Frankly, I do not want to get into the nitty-gritty of whether Sid's attitude towards life was correct – to each his own, I say. What I want to focus on is what made it possible for Sid to take the decisions so easily? And how can I go (back) to such a state?
The reason that Sid could take those decisions so fluently was probably that he had his motivations absolutely clear. He knew himself and what he wanted very well. As a result, he could act in accordance with his heart rather easily. And acting in accordance with one's heart / one's basic motivations is one of the most liberating experiences. If you are truly acting in accordance with your heart, you act without the overhanging sword of any doubt. You give it your all because the motivation for the action comes from one's basic nature and motivations – it is not driven by any false pretenses, external influences, etc.
Now, when I look back at my recent actions/decisions and single out the decisions / actions which I was not completely satisfied with – I realize that those decisions/actions were very highly influenced by my environment. That is probably the reason that I have not been feeling too happy about those decisions/actions.
It's time to set this right. After all, if I don't clear up this surrounding clutter (environmental influences) right away, I will probably lose touch with my basic motivations (typical case of the signal getting lost in too much noise).
--
Of course – I am not saying that one should not listen to others' inputs (opinions / views / reviews). That would be a folly. But one must be on guard and avoid these inputs from becoming unconditional influences (sometimes its ends up being that way out of sheer repetitiveness).
In fact, I believe it is important to seek feedback. But one must take it objectively and not let it become an overarching dictat.
Posted in
decisions,
feedback,
influences,
keep it simple,
to be yourself,
wake up sid
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Written on Monday, May 17, 2010 by Siddharth PV
Invictus
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
William Ernest Henley
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Written on Wednesday, May 05, 2010 by Siddharth PV
Excerpts from Harsha Bhogle's speech at IIMA - this speech was part of a series of seminars at IIMA called 'Face to Face with Achievers of Excellence'.
Excerpts:
* I had this feeling of inadequacy - of how everybody else was better than me. But IIMA accepted me for who I am. That is a huge feeling.
* I will talk based on what all I have allowed to come into my system over the years.
* Ambition needs a driver - sometimes the 'ends' provide the driver.
* There are 2 approaches -
1. the end as a driver of ambition
2. the journey as a source of joy
* The end as a driver of ambition often is a source of anxiety - adds to the degree of turbulence / entropy.
Sometimes, the focus on the end removes the focus from the means - are we treading the right path?
* They gave Yuvraj Singh a different set of goals which helped him succeed.
* People come to IIMA to build careers - not to earn a starting salary.
* One of the easiest ways to excellence is to work as hard as you can and to do your best whenever you can.
* Harsha Bhogle on the tour of Australia - worked for free, wrote ghost columns for Border. Take care of the runs - the dollars will take care of themselves.
* Chase your performance goals - chase your professional goals - let the result take care of itself.
Perfect the process of performance - dont allow the pressure of the result to choke your performance.
Eg. of the above concept: The swimmer in lane 4 has no control over what the swimmer in lane 5 is doing. If he starts worrying about it (something he has no control over) then he's spoiling his performance.
* Everything I have done is because I have loved it.
* Adherence to ethics helps you to have peace of mind.
* Focus on execllence in preparation and performance. Set yourself perfromance goals, not result goals.
* Give everything your 100% - give every moment 100%.
You never know who's reading what - you never know who's watching what - you never know where's the next big opportunity is coming from - that's the beauty of giving your 100% every single time.
* Quran: Lord helps those who give their best.
* When we lose - we seek excuses. People who are excellent never say - I was great BUT..
That just means you are putting the blame on somebody else. This means, you are not great already.
* If 'being wrong' is in your possibility map, then you do go wrong..
* Never grudge anyone their success - cos when you are successful, they will grudge your success.
* How do you motivate yourself to do No. 40 after you have done 39 eisodes? You tell yourself that No. 40 is all I have wanted to do!
There is a certain pride is giving everything a 100% every moment and to everything.
* Always seek people who are better than you. The moment you surround yourself with people who are NOT better than you - you stop growing. For a very selfish reason, always surround yourself with people who are better than you.
* When I started out, I had no one to look up to. I had no heroes. So I hung around with the crew. My hero was the was cameraman who said 'I have never missed a stumping in my life'. My heroes were all technicians.
* When we reach a certain level, we start surrounding ourselves with smaller people. Or - we start hating criticism. on the path to excellence, it is always very crucial to have people around you who can tell you whether you are doing right or wrong.
DONT EVER MARRY A FAN. Marry a girl who will tell you whn you are wrong. Only then will your marriage survive.
* Arrogance often comes in the way of excellence.
* Playing non-striker: I was willing to be a non-striker. I wanted to be extremely good at something - I knew I couldn't be the best batsman. I genuinely wanted to be a great fielder. I wanted to be a very good fielder.
* Initially I tried to compete with the other commentators. They all asked 'How much cricket have you played?'
But I dropped my ego and said that what I want to prove is that I understand the game very well - and for that I dont need to have played a lot of cricket.
Besides, if I make my guests on the show more comfortable, they perform better.
So, part of my job is to make Sunil Gavaskar look better..
* If you have ego and anger on your side, you dont need an opponent. I try not to have an ego.
Subjugate the self - lose the EGO.
* I love what I am doing. I have the greatest job in the world.
* Beyond a certain level, ability or talent is the most useless virtue to have. What matters is attitude. Beyond a point, talent is not useful as it doesn't solve problems - it breeds an ego. Its important what you do with that talent.
* Some people have always used their talent to succeed. So they dont know how to succeed in case you failed.
* Everybody in the top 10% will have the same talent. So what's your USP?
You work ethic and attitude counts for far far more than your talent.
* Sachin played 55 days in a row - that's attitude! Tendulkar's work ethic, attitude and passion produced the 55 hundreds. Talent might open the firt door, second door - but surely not the last door.
* When you make a mistake, what's the first reaction? The more mistakes you make, the more you know what not to do. Excellence is as much about knowing what to do - as about knowing what not to do.If you can be excellent at not knowing what NOT to do, you will know what to do.
* Everybody in life is allowed to make mistakes - it is the second or third mistake that you are not allowed to make.
* Excellence is about desire: 'I'll not let a single ball go past me.' ; 'Hit one more to me'
* To excel in a profession, you need to know everything about the profession -
When I entered television, I told myself - I will learn everything that is needed to be learnt.
* What is luck?
You make things happnen for yourself.
It is a combination of preparation and recognition.
* Are you willing to work your backside off when no one is watching? It not only means you are ready for the opportunity when it comes - but it also means that you are earlier to spot the opportunity.
* 'During the football worldcup in 1986, Gary Linekar happened to be in the right position because he knew what the right position was.'
* Lance Armstrong: I dont win the Tour De France on the last day. I win it when I am riding in thee mountains in the winters when nobody wants to ride.
* Are we willing to work even when the opportunity is not obvious?
* Excellence raises its game when the moment comes. Excellence is about humility. If you are not humble, you will not be willing to hang around, to do the things it takes to seize the opportunity when it comes.
* Did I make my luck by calling?
* Being excellent is also about having the confidence to share knowledge - if you are not comfortable sharing knowledge, you are insecure. Excellence is not insecure.
* Some of us never know how good we can be. People who have achieved excellence have always been ready to stretch their own limits. (When will you be ready to take chances? When you are ready to face the results - when you are sure of yourself.)
'Let me try and see what happens. What is the worst thing that will happen? You'll fail. Are you scared of failure? You will also know what you cannot do. All of us learn by trying.
* Excellence is always in the present. Sometimes, we are too anxious about the future - sometimes we are too caught up in the past. You must make the most of what you have now. People for whom the past is more glorious than the present will never succeed! Excellence lives in the present.
* 'Khudi ko kar buland itna,
Ki har taqdeer se pehle khuda tujhse pooche,
Ki bataa teri raza kya hai?'
Posted in
attitude,
cricket,
excellence,
harsha bhogle,
IIMA,
luck,
mistakes,
success,
talent
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Written on Wednesday, April 07, 2010 by Siddharth PV
A poem by Harivanshrai Bachchan:
Lehron Se Dar Kar Nauka Paar Nahi Hoti
Himmat Karne Walon Ki Haar Nahi Hoti....
Nanhi Chinti Jab Dana Lekar Chalti Hai
Chadti Deewaron Par Sau Baar Fisalti Hai
Mann Ka Vishwas Ragon Mein Sahas Banta Hai
Chad Kar Girna, Gir Kar Chadna Na Akharta Hai
Akhir Uski Mehnat Bekar Nahi Hoti
Koshish Karne Waalon Ki Haar Nahi Hoti....
Dubkiyan Sindu Mein Gota Khor Lagata Hai
Ja Ja Kar Khali Haath Laut Aata Hai
Milte Na Sehej Hi Moti Pani Mein
Behta Duna Utsah Issi Heiraani Mein
Mutthi Uski Khali Har Baar Nahi Hoti
Himmat Karne Walon Ki Haar Nahi Hoti....
Asaflta Ek Chunati Hai Sweekar Karo
Kya Kami Reh Gayi Dekho Aur Sudhaar Karo
Jab Tak Na Safal Ho Neend Chain Ki Tyago Tum
Sangharshon Ka Maidaan Chhod Mat Bhago Tum
Kuch Kiye Bina Hi Jai Jai Kaar Nahi Hoti
Himmat Karne Walon Ki Haar Nahi Hoti....
Posted in
challenges,
failure,
harivanshrai bachchan,
himmat,
success
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Written on Tuesday, March 09, 2010 by Siddharth PV
Nandan Nilekeni in conversation with Subroto Bagchi of Mindtree for the Zen Garden column in Forbes India.
Some excerpts here. Link to the original article:- (link)
SB: A lot of people fall short of their potential because they have inherent difficulty deconstructing themselves. Deconstruction is the ability to press a “reset” button at periodic intervals.
NN: Never thought of it like that but now that you say it, it is so true! I think in many instances I have pressed my “reset” button. From Bangalore to Dharwad and when I went from Dharwad to the IIT and then on to my professional career — it was another reset button and now this work is the latest reset in my life. So, I think my early experience gave me the self-confidence that I could go into a different environment and pull it off; that I can press the reset button.
--
SB: Have you ever felt that life is about to destabilise you?
NN: Yes, it has happened to me many times. Each time, I knew I am at the precipice, I have simply hunkered down, I have set myself to rethink everything and then I have gone back to make sense of what I am doing, to reflect on what has gone wrong here, how did I mess it up, then how do I solve the short-term problem of getting back my stability and then the long-term need of not repeating the mistake.
--
SB: How does one hunker down?
NN: You build capacity. It is a gradual, practiced process. You look at crisis in the context of the bigger goal. Suddenly, your setback does not look that big anymore. When you step back and see things in the context of your long-term goal, it helps you to re-calibrate the size of the problem. It is not that it is an inherited trait or something — I have learnt it over the last 30 years. The other thing is that I just do what I need to and I do not worry.
--
SB: A little while ago, you spoke about your “toolkit”. Show us your toolkit.
NN: I have very strong analytics. I can step back from the problem, detach and look at it from another person’s view. I constantly re-evaluate my priorities and focus. I learn from mentors constantly. I have built a huge network. My network is not just within the software industry. Through my network, I find that I am amplifying my capacity. I think the key thing for a leader is to amplify his capacity.
--
SB: Tell us about how you model your network.
NN: My model is Open Source. Ultimately, if you have a genuine interest in the other person, the bonding is immediate. That is number one. You back that up with good memory. That is not easy. If I meet a person, I recall about the person instantly. My ability to reconnect is instant. I back it up with homework. I remember when I went to Davos and was meeting with 20 chief executives, I had their full bio-data with me. I prepare for it. The other part of networking is the linkages. If I meet someone today and meet another person tomorrow, and if I feel they both can add value to each other, I link them up. There is a biblical statement, “You cast your bread in water, and it comes back to you.”
--
NN: I feel that “Freedom is having nothing left to prove”. That is freedom. That is the capacity to do what I have to do.
Posted in
de-construction,
freedom,
nandan nilekeni,
reset,
zen garden
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Written on Sunday, February 28, 2010 by Siddharth PV
I am on my way back from Chennai where i had gone for my personal interview for XLRI. As i sit back and think about the interview, i am a little worried the panel might have misunderstood me. I am not so worried about being selected/rejected. Frankly, i am past the stage where i used to think that a degree could make or mar my career. I am sure that mba or no mba, eventually i'll make it good. But being misunderstood surely scares me.
One of the questions where i am afraid i might have been misunderstood is-
Q- So you switched from TCS to irunway.. And your salary jumped by X%.
(he calculated X wrt my current salary.. No wonder X was significantly large)
My Answer- yes sir, but over a period of two years....
And unfortunately this is where i stopped.. Or i guess the topic got changed.. I never explained that my real motivation for moving to iRunway was the profile.. In fact, when i first moved, my salary was nowhere close to my current package. In fact, the cost of staying independently had almost offset the increase in salary and the increment in my monthly take home was hardly anything to write home about.
But the sad part is, i never explained all this. I just said 'it has increased over time'.
Besides, i had also mentioned it amongst my long term objectives that i want to build a strong financial foundation for my family...
Just hope that the panel doesn't (wrongly) put 2 and 2 together and picturize me as a money-crazy guy who's doing his mba to chase a bigger pay package..
This is the problem with short interactions.. You might end up making unfair conclusions about people because you heard only one aspect of the story.. The short interaction did not leave enough time to explore the various layers to the person's answer.
My take away from this episode is-
When you haven't really 'interacted' with someone, you should avoid making any judgements about them. Its important to give people a chance. On the other hand, one must prepare adequately for such interactions. To me, it feels equivalent to faking it (at some level) as you are not being your natural self. But i guess there's no way out..
Posted in
iRunway,
mba,
misunderstanding,
money,
motivation,
passing a judgement,
short interactions,
xlri
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Written on Friday, February 12, 2010 by Siddharth PV
Btw, the address is titled 'Listen to your heart' and is really worth reading..
..
Skepticism is about asking questions, being dubious, being wary, not being gullible, but always being open to being persuaded of a new fact or angle. Cynicism is about already having the answers -- or thinking you do -- answers about a person or an event. The skeptic says, "I don't think that's true; I'm going to check it out." The cynic says: "I know that's not true. It couldn't be. I'm going to slam him."
..
So, to summarize it, a skeptic is the one who 'questions with an open mind' whereas a cynic 'opines with a pre-conceived notion'..
While the skeptic is actually in search for better info before he can start believing, the cynic is only there to push his opinions..
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