India Knowledge@Wharton: Could you give an example, from your own experience, of how leaders should manage failure?
Kalam: Let me tell you about my experience. In 1973 I became the project director of India's satellite launch vehicle program, commonly called the SLV-3. Our goal was to put India's "Rohini" satellite into orbit by 1980. I was given funds and human resources -- but was told clearly that by 1980 we had to launch the satellite into space. Thousands of people worked together in scientific and technical teams towards that goal.
By 1979 -- I think the month was August -- we thought we were ready. As the project director, I went to the control center for the launch. At four minutes before the satellite launch, the computer began to go through the checklist of items that needed to be checked. One minute later, the computer program put the launch on hold; the display showed that some control components were not in order. My experts -- I had four or five of them with me -- told me not to worry; they had done their calculations and there was enough reserve fuel. So I bypassed the computer, switched to manual mode, and launched the rocket. In the first stage, everything worked fine. In the second stage, a problem developed. Instead of the satellite going into orbit, the whole rocket system plunged into the Bay of Bengal. It was a big failure.
That day, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization, Prof. Satish Dhawan, had called a press conference. The launch was at 7:00 am, and the press conference -- where journalists from around the world were present -- was at 7:45 am at ISRO's satellite launch range in Sriharikota [in Andhra Pradesh in southern India]. Prof. Dhawan, the leader of the organization, conducted the press conference himself. He took responsibility for the failure -- he said that the team had worked very hard, but that it needed more technological support. He assured the media that in another year, the team would definitely succeed. Now, I was the project director, and it was my failure, but instead, he took responsibility for the failure as chairman of the organization.
The next year, in July 1980, we tried again to launch the satellite -- and this time we succeeded. The whole nation was jubilant. Again, there was a press conference. Prof. Dhawan called me aside and told me, "You conduct the press conference today."
I learned a very important lesson that day. When failure occurred, the leader of the organization owned that failure. When success came, he gave it to his team. The best management lesson I have learned did not come to me from reading a book; it came from that experience.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Seven Steps to Spring Clean Your Work and Your Life
April is a great month for the project manager in all of us. We can look back at the first three months of the year and assess where we are with our projects both at work and at home.
When we think of the words “Spring Cleaning,” many of us tend to think of taking large garbage bags and doing a purge of the clutter in our lives. While that is tempting, the old garbage bag approach is just a quick fix and doesn’t address why the clutter is there. Instead, we want to develop long-term solutions that help you keep your projects moving along and make sure you enjoy the success you deserve.
Here are my seven favorite tips when I look at applying my knowledge of Project Management to the notion of Spring Cleaning.
1. Probe the Pile :
If there’s always a pile (or multiple ones!) in your workspace or home, the question is what’s in the pile? When you actually sort through a pile, you’ll find the answer to a missing link in your system. For example, if you sort through a large pile on your desk and there are several articles that you want to read, receipts that need to be scanned and a lot of unopened mail, the question is – do you have a system for dealing with each of those things? Create places and systems for the clutter in your life, and it will disappear.
2. Think Before You Print :
Electronic filing systems are not just green, they really help you to keep your projects on track. If you’re constantly printing out paper before you’ve made a decision on how to act on that document, you may just be printing out of habit and not because you need to. Pause before you print, and you’ll find less paper to distract you, and you’ll only have what you need in front of you.
3. Cultivate Everyday Actions:
Spring Cleaning really can’t be a once-a-year activity. For you to be effective, you have to cultivate everyday actions. If you look at your project goals, what is the most important thing you can do today to move you closer to that goal? When you talk to authors, they almost always talk about the importance of writing everyday. Even when they are not writing a book, they continue to exercise the muscle so it’s supple and ready. What do you need to be doing every day to meet your goals and to make sure you’re not just taking stock of your progress once a season? Make milestones an important part of every project – no matter the size. Everyday actions are what connect today to your long-term goals.
4. Right Brain Meet the Left Brain :
Cleaning is not just about “clearing the decks.” It’s also about cleaning up misunderstandings and aligning a team. One thing that works very well on teams is to assign two polar opposites to each other with the sole mission of learning about each other. Assign your resident neat freak to work with your resident master pile maker. Their assignment is to spend a day working together and observing each other. How do they each do their jobs differently? At the end of the day, what did they learn from each other? The point you want them to understand is that everyone contributes differently and uniquely to a team, and we all can learn from each other when we make the time to do it.
5. Remove the Clutter from your Mind:
When I’m managing teams and I see that someone is not performing, it’s often because there is something bothering them that is taking up a lot of energy and cluttering their mind. Life can throw us all curve balls, so this happens to the best of us. The key is to remove that clutter as quickly as possible. Is there a tough conversation that you’re dreading and you keep putting off? Is there a conflict on your team or in your family that you haven’t resolved? Ask yourself what’s taking up too much space in your own personal hard drive and delete it as soon as possible. Nothing feels more liberating and spring-like than to be on the other side of something you’ve been thinking too much about.
6. Take the Hoover to your Relationships :
Spaces are not the only things that require Spring Cleaning. Relationships do, too. Sometimes when we get too busy, we neglect the care and feeding of our relationships with our team members and family members. If there is someone who’s been on your mind, now’s the time to make that call and have that discussion. Is there a team member who isn’t working well on your team? Now’s the time to clear the air and find out why. Are you in a rut at home with your family? Surprise them and break out of your routine. Small changes can speak volumes to the people you work with and the people you love.
7. Reward Yourself :
Once you have your personal and professional house in order, don’t forget to reward yourself. Whether it’s an online course at Cheetah Learning to put you on the fast track or a day off to be a tourist in your own town, take the time to recognize your own achievements.
Written by Michelle LaBrosse
Monday, 14 April 2008
When we think of the words “Spring Cleaning,” many of us tend to think of taking large garbage bags and doing a purge of the clutter in our lives. While that is tempting, the old garbage bag approach is just a quick fix and doesn’t address why the clutter is there. Instead, we want to develop long-term solutions that help you keep your projects moving along and make sure you enjoy the success you deserve.
Here are my seven favorite tips when I look at applying my knowledge of Project Management to the notion of Spring Cleaning.
1. Probe the Pile :
If there’s always a pile (or multiple ones!) in your workspace or home, the question is what’s in the pile? When you actually sort through a pile, you’ll find the answer to a missing link in your system. For example, if you sort through a large pile on your desk and there are several articles that you want to read, receipts that need to be scanned and a lot of unopened mail, the question is – do you have a system for dealing with each of those things? Create places and systems for the clutter in your life, and it will disappear.
2. Think Before You Print :
Electronic filing systems are not just green, they really help you to keep your projects on track. If you’re constantly printing out paper before you’ve made a decision on how to act on that document, you may just be printing out of habit and not because you need to. Pause before you print, and you’ll find less paper to distract you, and you’ll only have what you need in front of you.
3. Cultivate Everyday Actions:
Spring Cleaning really can’t be a once-a-year activity. For you to be effective, you have to cultivate everyday actions. If you look at your project goals, what is the most important thing you can do today to move you closer to that goal? When you talk to authors, they almost always talk about the importance of writing everyday. Even when they are not writing a book, they continue to exercise the muscle so it’s supple and ready. What do you need to be doing every day to meet your goals and to make sure you’re not just taking stock of your progress once a season? Make milestones an important part of every project – no matter the size. Everyday actions are what connect today to your long-term goals.
4. Right Brain Meet the Left Brain :
Cleaning is not just about “clearing the decks.” It’s also about cleaning up misunderstandings and aligning a team. One thing that works very well on teams is to assign two polar opposites to each other with the sole mission of learning about each other. Assign your resident neat freak to work with your resident master pile maker. Their assignment is to spend a day working together and observing each other. How do they each do their jobs differently? At the end of the day, what did they learn from each other? The point you want them to understand is that everyone contributes differently and uniquely to a team, and we all can learn from each other when we make the time to do it.
5. Remove the Clutter from your Mind:
When I’m managing teams and I see that someone is not performing, it’s often because there is something bothering them that is taking up a lot of energy and cluttering their mind. Life can throw us all curve balls, so this happens to the best of us. The key is to remove that clutter as quickly as possible. Is there a tough conversation that you’re dreading and you keep putting off? Is there a conflict on your team or in your family that you haven’t resolved? Ask yourself what’s taking up too much space in your own personal hard drive and delete it as soon as possible. Nothing feels more liberating and spring-like than to be on the other side of something you’ve been thinking too much about.
6. Take the Hoover to your Relationships :
Spaces are not the only things that require Spring Cleaning. Relationships do, too. Sometimes when we get too busy, we neglect the care and feeding of our relationships with our team members and family members. If there is someone who’s been on your mind, now’s the time to make that call and have that discussion. Is there a team member who isn’t working well on your team? Now’s the time to clear the air and find out why. Are you in a rut at home with your family? Surprise them and break out of your routine. Small changes can speak volumes to the people you work with and the people you love.
7. Reward Yourself :
Once you have your personal and professional house in order, don’t forget to reward yourself. Whether it’s an online course at Cheetah Learning to put you on the fast track or a day off to be a tourist in your own town, take the time to recognize your own achievements.
Written by Michelle LaBrosse
Monday, 14 April 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
My little angel
Hi,
I want to share some of my Flickr photos with you. They’re in a set called "Little Angel".
Hope you like them!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20467662@N08/sets/72157603115522257
Friday, March 28, 2008
INDIA's GREATEST PROBLEM
The headline in the NY Times article simply says, “INDIA’S GREAT PROBLEM: Nobody Knows How to Educate Her 300,000,000 People.” It begins
For many years past, those who have known India best have recognized that one of her greatest, if not her greatest, problem was that of education.
The article goes on to quote experts who have concluded that even if the government were to decree compulsory education for everyone, and even if money did not matter, the problem is finding the teachers required. I concur with these experts that finding teachers is a challenge at least as great as finding the money and the political will to educate — or at least make literate — India’s vast population. The article also recognizes the deep-rooted conservatism and the resistance to reform in education. I could not agree more.
Here’s a bit more from the article.
There can be no question that … education in India has largely failed because … education has been made far too much a question simply of intellect . . . one of the most pressing needs of India is to foster more widely in schools and colleges, those ideas of duty and discipline, of common responsibility and civic obligation on which a sound political life depends.
It is specially welcome to find that an increasing number of prominent Indians are beginning to recognize the truth of this contention, and the importance of securing for their fellow-countrymen an educational system rightly founded.
The article concludes with a quote from Sir James Meston at Delhi referring to the apparent obstacles to progress in India’s path: “Only education will help the liberal mind and understanding heart to surmount these barriers, and prevent the majority from becoming a tyranny and the minority from chronic rebellion.”
The NY Times does highlight every now and then some issue facing contemporary India. The aforementioned NYTimes article is timely and to the point. The sad fact is that the article was timely and to the point when it was published nearly a century ago. Yes sir or madam, the date on that article is October 1918. The situations remains the same; only the numbers have changed.
In 1918, British India had 300 million illiterates. That means, within the boundaries of present day India, there must have been around 200 million illiterates in 1918. Today we have 400 million illiterates. Nearly a century has passed and the number of illiterates have doubled in absolute numbers. And consider this: the government of India has been at the job of educating its population for over 60 years.
India’s greatest problem is this: the government has been doing its best to keep the population uneducated and illiterate. Public funds for education are channeled in only such ways so that it is least capable of delivering education. Corruption and inefficiency collude to keep the funds from actually educating anyone.
India’s great problem is education. India’s greatest problem is the government.
For many years past, those who have known India best have recognized that one of her greatest, if not her greatest, problem was that of education.
The article goes on to quote experts who have concluded that even if the government were to decree compulsory education for everyone, and even if money did not matter, the problem is finding the teachers required. I concur with these experts that finding teachers is a challenge at least as great as finding the money and the political will to educate — or at least make literate — India’s vast population. The article also recognizes the deep-rooted conservatism and the resistance to reform in education. I could not agree more.
Here’s a bit more from the article.
There can be no question that … education in India has largely failed because … education has been made far too much a question simply of intellect . . . one of the most pressing needs of India is to foster more widely in schools and colleges, those ideas of duty and discipline, of common responsibility and civic obligation on which a sound political life depends.
It is specially welcome to find that an increasing number of prominent Indians are beginning to recognize the truth of this contention, and the importance of securing for their fellow-countrymen an educational system rightly founded.
The article concludes with a quote from Sir James Meston at Delhi referring to the apparent obstacles to progress in India’s path: “Only education will help the liberal mind and understanding heart to surmount these barriers, and prevent the majority from becoming a tyranny and the minority from chronic rebellion.”
The NY Times does highlight every now and then some issue facing contemporary India. The aforementioned NYTimes article is timely and to the point. The sad fact is that the article was timely and to the point when it was published nearly a century ago. Yes sir or madam, the date on that article is October 1918. The situations remains the same; only the numbers have changed.
In 1918, British India had 300 million illiterates. That means, within the boundaries of present day India, there must have been around 200 million illiterates in 1918. Today we have 400 million illiterates. Nearly a century has passed and the number of illiterates have doubled in absolute numbers. And consider this: the government of India has been at the job of educating its population for over 60 years.
India’s greatest problem is this: the government has been doing its best to keep the population uneducated and illiterate. Public funds for education are channeled in only such ways so that it is least capable of delivering education. Corruption and inefficiency collude to keep the funds from actually educating anyone.
India’s great problem is education. India’s greatest problem is the government.
Friday, March 14, 2008
STROKE IDENTIFICATION
I wish a healthy life for all. Please follow the below tips for your and others Health and Safety Awareness.
STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters... S.T.R .
My friend sent this to me and encouraged me to post it and spread the word. I agree. If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks.
STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
During a party, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine and just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. (they offered to call ambulance)
They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food - while she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00pm , Ingrid passed away.)
She had suffered a stroke at the party . Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today.
Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.
STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Remember the '3' steps, STR . Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster.
The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions :
S * Ask the individual to SMILE ..
T * = TALK.. Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (eg 'It is sunny out today').
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS .
If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call the ambulance and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
NOTE : Another 'sign' of a stroke is
1. Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue.
2. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Story of 4 MBA Students
ONE NIGHT 4 MBA STUDENTS WERE BOOZING TILL LATE NIGHT AND DIDN'T STUDY FOR THE TEST WHICH WAS SCHEDULED FOR THE NEXT DAY.
IN THE MORNING THEY THOUGHT OF A PLAN. THEY MADE THEMSELVES LOOK AS DIRTY AND WEIRD AS THEY COULD WITH GREASE AND DIRT. THEY THEN WENT UP TO THE DEAN AND SAID THAT THEY HAD GONE OUT TO A WEDDING LAST NIGHT AND ON THEIR RETURN THE TYRE OF THEIR CAR BURST AND THEY HAD TO PUSH THE CAR ALL THE WAY BACK AND THAT T HEY WERE IN NO CONDITION TO APPEAR FOR THE TEST.
SO THE DEAN SAID THEY CAN HAVE THE RETEST AFTER 3 DAYS.THEY SAID THEY WILL BE READY BY THAT TIME. ON THE THIRD DAY THEY APPEARED BEFORE THE DEAN.
THE DEAN SAID THAT THIS WAS A SPECIAL CONDITION TEST. ALL FOUR WERE REQUIRED TO SIT IN SEPARATE CLASSROOMS FOR THE TEST. THEY ALL AGREED AS THEY HAD PREPARED WELL IN THE LAST THREE DAYS.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
THE TEST CONSISTED OF 2 QUESTIONS WITH TOTAL OF 100 MARKS.
Q.1. YOUR NAME .........................( 2 MARKS )
Q.2. WHICH TYRE BURST ...............( 98 MARKS ).
* Front Left
* Front Right
* Back Left
* Back Right ....!!!
IN THE MORNING THEY THOUGHT OF A PLAN. THEY MADE THEMSELVES LOOK AS DIRTY AND WEIRD AS THEY COULD WITH GREASE AND DIRT. THEY THEN WENT UP TO THE DEAN AND SAID THAT THEY HAD GONE OUT TO A WEDDING LAST NIGHT AND ON THEIR RETURN THE TYRE OF THEIR CAR BURST AND THEY HAD TO PUSH THE CAR ALL THE WAY BACK AND THAT T HEY WERE IN NO CONDITION TO APPEAR FOR THE TEST.
SO THE DEAN SAID THEY CAN HAVE THE RETEST AFTER 3 DAYS.THEY SAID THEY WILL BE READY BY THAT TIME. ON THE THIRD DAY THEY APPEARED BEFORE THE DEAN.
THE DEAN SAID THAT THIS WAS A SPECIAL CONDITION TEST. ALL FOUR WERE REQUIRED TO SIT IN SEPARATE CLASSROOMS FOR THE TEST. THEY ALL AGREED AS THEY HAD PREPARED WELL IN THE LAST THREE DAYS.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
THE TEST CONSISTED OF 2 QUESTIONS WITH TOTAL OF 100 MARKS.
Q.1. YOUR NAME .........................( 2 MARKS )
Q.2. WHICH TYRE BURST ...............( 98 MARKS ).
* Front Left
* Front Right
* Back Left
* Back Right ....!!!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Enjoy :-))
A Teacher lecturing on population - In India after every 10 sec a woman gives birth to a kid.
A Sardar stands up- we must find & stop her!.
Sardar-why r all these people
Man- This is a race, the winner will get the cup.
Sardar-If only the winner will get the cup, why r others running?
Sardar had twins; he named them Tin Martin.
Again had twins & named Peter & Repeater.
again twins & named Max & Again d same. disgusted Sardar named them TIRED&RETIRED!
Teacher: "I killed a person" convert this sentence into future tense.
Sardar: The future tense is "u will go to jail".
Srdr gets ready ,wears tie, coat ,goes out, climbs tree, sits on the Branch.
A man asks why he does this. Srdr:"I've been promoted as branch manager."
Sardarji was filling up application form for a job. He was not sure as to what to be filled in column "Salary Expected". After much thought he wrote: Yes!
One sardarji professor asked a plumber to come to his college. U know Why?
Because he wanted to check where the question paper is leaking...
Sardar told his servant: Go and water the plants
Servant: It"s already raining.
Sardar: So what take an umbrella and go.
Sardar found the answer to the most difficult question ever – What will come first, Chicken or egg? O Yaar, what ever u order first will come first.
Sardar wins 20 cr from Rs. 20 lottery ticket. Dealer gave 11 cr after deducting tax.
Angry Sardar: "Give me 20 cr or else return my 20 Rs back.!
Postman:- I Have To Come 5 Miles To Deliver U This Packet
Sardar :- why did u come so far. Instead u could have posted it....
Sardar proposed a Girl......Girl said 'I'm 1yr elder to you'..........
Sardar said 'Oye No Problem Soniye, I'll marry you NEXT YEAR.
A Sardar & his wife filed an application 4 Divorce.
Judge asked: How'll U divide, U"VE 3 children?
Sardar replied: Ok! We"ll apply NEXT YEAR
Sardar's wish :when i die,i wana die lik my grandpa who died peacefuly in his
sleep not screaming like all d passengers in d car he was driving..
Sardar at an Art Gallery: I suppose this horrible looking thing is what you call modern art ?
Art dealer: I beg your pardon sir, that's a mirror!
Sardar was writing something very slowly. Friend asked:" Why r u writing so slowly?
Sardar: "I'm writing 2 my 6 yr old son, he can't read very fast.
Flash news: A 2 seater plane crashed in a graveyard in punjab.
Local sardars have so far found 500 bodies and are still digging for more..
A man asked sardarji, why Manmohan singh goes walking at evening not in the morning.
Sardarji replied ''Arey bhai Manmohan is PM not AM''.
Sardar visits Chinese friend dying in hospital. Man says CHIN YU YAN n dies.
Srdr goes2 china 2 find meaning of friends last words. It is 'U R STANDNG ON D OXYGEN TUBE!"
A Sardar stands up- we must find & stop her!.
Sardar-why r all these people
Man- This is a race, the winner will get the cup.
Sardar-If only the winner will get the cup, why r others running?
Sardar had twins; he named them Tin Martin.
Again had twins & named Peter & Repeater.
again twins & named Max & Again d same. disgusted Sardar named them TIRED&RETIRED!
Teacher: "I killed a person" convert this sentence into future tense.
Sardar: The future tense is "u will go to jail".
Srdr gets ready ,wears tie, coat ,goes out, climbs tree, sits on the Branch.
A man asks why he does this. Srdr:"I've been promoted as branch manager."
Sardarji was filling up application form for a job. He was not sure as to what to be filled in column "Salary Expected". After much thought he wrote: Yes!
One sardarji professor asked a plumber to come to his college. U know Why?
Because he wanted to check where the question paper is leaking...
Sardar told his servant: Go and water the plants
Servant: It"s already raining.
Sardar: So what take an umbrella and go.
Sardar found the answer to the most difficult question ever – What will come first, Chicken or egg? O Yaar, what ever u order first will come first.
Sardar wins 20 cr from Rs. 20 lottery ticket. Dealer gave 11 cr after deducting tax.
Angry Sardar: "Give me 20 cr or else return my 20 Rs back.!
Postman:- I Have To Come 5 Miles To Deliver U This Packet
Sardar :- why did u come so far. Instead u could have posted it....
Sardar proposed a Girl......Girl said 'I'm 1yr elder to you'..........
Sardar said 'Oye No Problem Soniye, I'll marry you NEXT YEAR.
A Sardar & his wife filed an application 4 Divorce.
Judge asked: How'll U divide, U"VE 3 children?
Sardar replied: Ok! We"ll apply NEXT YEAR
Sardar's wish :when i die,i wana die lik my grandpa who died peacefuly in his
sleep not screaming like all d passengers in d car he was driving..
Sardar at an Art Gallery: I suppose this horrible looking thing is what you call modern art ?
Art dealer: I beg your pardon sir, that's a mirror!
Sardar was writing something very slowly. Friend asked:" Why r u writing so slowly?
Sardar: "I'm writing 2 my 6 yr old son, he can't read very fast.
Flash news: A 2 seater plane crashed in a graveyard in punjab.
Local sardars have so far found 500 bodies and are still digging for more..
A man asked sardarji, why Manmohan singh goes walking at evening not in the morning.
Sardarji replied ''Arey bhai Manmohan is PM not AM''.
Sardar visits Chinese friend dying in hospital. Man says CHIN YU YAN n dies.
Srdr goes2 china 2 find meaning of friends last words. It is 'U R STANDNG ON D OXYGEN TUBE!"
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