Next Prez of India

Continuing with thoughts on 'Leadership' from the previous post....

• At work or social group, do we always elect/select/nominate the best candidate ? 
• We always complain about being ignored for obvious promotions! But, when we have an option to select, are we impartial ?
• Do we always rise above our personal prejudices to give the best candidate ? 

       Is that not simple & plain righteousness ??!!

Media is talking about the election of next President of India.

There have been lot of controversies on the current President, sadly :(
Hence, more than usual focus on the election ?

Personally, it has always been more than a passing interest. My dad, a career fauji, would always refer to the then President as his ultimate super-boss. He had some inspiring heads, but few not so inspiring over his 30+ yrs of work-ex!

Pranabda/Nrn Murthy/Meira Kumar/Dr Kalaam/VP, Ansari/Mulayam Singh are the names going around

Interestingly, all the media are 'unanimous' about the most eligible candidate. . . any guess ??
Going through his profile, he surely looks like the best choice.
The obvious choice being discussed... Gopal Krishna Gandhi.

But his name is not prominently discussed in political circles, for 'political' reasons... candidate are considered based on religion/caste/party/et al !!

Can we rise above petty politics and get the best for the job ?? Mr Gandhi or anyone else. But, let us not be unfair to 1.3 billion Indians!

IPL Leadership Insights

One of the things I have been doing these days.... watching IPL 5

I am no fan of this format - but the love for the game & the amount leadership activities that go in to the sport keeps me glued.

The format has players from different cities/regions playing for different city-teams. As such my loyalty lies with Amchi Mumbai's own team.

Some Leadership thoughts -

• I thought it was a great move by Sachin to opt out of captaincy & just enjoy cricket. That what his millions of fans like him to do. Also, it is quite obvious though he is a legend, he is no great manager, or captain. A cricket captain is more a manager, than a leader, though it involves leadership skills. 
• But the choice of Harbhajan as captain, was not very convincing. He surely is past his prime, as a player. He is no strategist, like Saurav, to make up for the deficiency as a player. In previous matches, he was struggling for wickets...!
• In that context, it was a great move to open bowling yesterday, VS Deccan Chargers. Bhajji gave the impression of 'leading from the front' (cliched, sorry!). Even though in the initial overs a low-ranked team like DC will anyways be tentative ( it would have been a different story if Viru was batting ). Neverthless, it helped him to some extend and the team, a lot.
• The overall body language of the players was a lot positive. It showed in their fielding too, stopping some tough ones and holding on literally to few caches - the smile was back on their faces!
• Perhaps that positive frame of mind saw them through the match. They did not panic, fortunately.
• But Sachin and Rohit should have played a more responsible innings, as the team needed their techniques on a juicy wicket. 
• Sadly, they rank very low on Fairplay table too. No excuse here. The team captain needs to take responsibility and ensure same. But to expect from a mercurial Bhajji would be too much. Here Sachin should play the mentor-role, support Bhajji.
• The team won yesterday, but missed an opportunity to improve average, which could be very crucial in days to come. 
• Mumbai Indians are yet to come together as a powerful unit, though it has some great talent. Don't seem to be champion material yet

A friend from Gulf is travelling to India next week. Among other things, he plans to watch a game in Mumbai. 

Time for Mum Indians to raise their level of game, thru improved strategising & skillful execution. Miles to go before the finals...!

PS : Rajasthn Royal's loss by one run was termed as 'a miraculous win for Delhi'. No miracle here, a little luck, 'yes'!!  It was better captaincy, focus & managerial skills. Rahane, support staff also equally responsible, apart from coach-captain, Rahul Dravid. 

Back Home BOOKS

I have been getting few queries as to how I am spending my vacation... Thought of sharing 'on-line' !!

One of the things I am trying to get away to, from heat, humidity, noice, et al....B O O K S!!

1. The Immortals of Meluha -  by Amish Tripathi

I was in a mood for some light reading. Hence, went by the strong reco by son & also observed the books by this author ( a triology!) were a big hit. The book has some good reviews by contemperory authors.

The book was written well. The script, language, the flow, etc very good. Quite 'un-puttable'! I finished it off very fast

But sadly, it is fiction ! It is not about Lord Shiva from Puranas. That was a dampener. I would rather read Siva Puranas ! Hence, not planning to read the other two books by the author.

PS : Picked up the book thru http://www.flipkart.com/. They continue to delight me with their great service.


2.  Breakout Nations: In Pursuit of The Next Economic Miracles by Ruchir Sharma

Watched a fantastic panel discussion on NDtv on this book - led by Pronnoy, with the author, Montek, Sunil 'Bharti' Mittal & former RBI governor. 

Appropriate Leadership was a key ingredient to ensure the 'miracle' actually happens... Prannoy underlined the importance of the the policy decision. Hope PM, FM & congress leaders listening. 

Placed an order thru  fligpkart.com, yet again !!

PS : I have started reading the book. Great statistics & inference. Few funny comments also, such as Putin's dog, etc. BBC aired a brief interview with the author, Ruchir, this morning (30 May 12).  

3. Apollonius - The Divine Magician by Charles DiFazio

This is the book I am currently reading. Very inspiring spiritual book about the Greek great master. He was revered 'adored as a divine incarnation...'

IPL Cricket's own tamasha

ToI carried an interview with Dada Ganguly... he mentioned, 'IPL may be entertaintment for others; for me it is just cricket'


Agree with Saurav. For many others, including fans, IPL is just simple, competetive cricket. The new format is exciting... But all the artificial gloss makes it very un-gentlemanly

Let us be fair to the game & uphold the values of the same

The creative monopoly | Deccan Chronicle

The creative monopoly | Deccan Chronicle

Interesting thoughts... Our education, our work-exp in any field and generally every activity around us only pushes us to competetiveness only. But what is needed is something truly ( cliched!) 'out of box' or 'blue-ocean'....The Creative Monopoly!

I hope to fly Air India, soon

Maharaja is out of his death-bad...may continue to fly!
Govt has approved a whopping Rs 30K crore package to Air India, spread over till 2020.
Is it essential for govt to plough that much money in to something like a air-carrier ? Should they not be spending on more basic needs of the poorest ?!

I went through the article in Live Mint with lot of reservation. It spoke of several milestones, but all financial, incl cash profit by 2018 !!

Apart from financial milestones, no comment on other service parameters. Will the package go beyond the financial parameters and include service parameters ?

During the last five & half years' stay outside India, I have not taken an AI flight at all. It was always cheaper and preferred by a few. Also, at times reco by ticket-agent. But never wanted the prospect of uncertainty on punctuality ! This may not sound patriotic. I was being a demanding customer only.

Hopefully, sometime in near future, I would proudly take an AI flight!

Few Car Designs for Future

http://www.kippreport.com/2012/04/8-cars-of-the-future/?next=1

Boost Your Presentation with Great Visuals - Management Tip of the Day - April 05, 2012 - Harvard Business Review

Boost Your Presentation with Great Visuals - Management Tip of the Day - April 05, 2012 - Harvard Business Review