Friday 30 November 2007

Not much Blogging as I am on MARS these days

Dont get surprised.... I still havent won the trip to NASA from Aamir Khan its just that I have moved to a new place called MARS. I am sure your eyebrows are stretched but if you havent met me or spoke to me since last week its OK I can answer you. After our company got acquired a few months ago I happened to move to a new workplace where the acquiring company works from and this place gives me a feel of MARS or rather a Alien nation. Luckily I had some not good experiences lately and saw 2 movies concerning Aliens and I am sure I am in a Alien nation.

To justify this I read a few qualities of Alien's and am just trying to match them up here:

1. Who George Bush?
Means that Aliens dont know who is with them and who is around... Either no one cares about no one or No one want to care about no one.

2. Everyone is scared of Everyone?
Well last when I was in US a friend of mine told me that since the 9/11 everyone is afraid of everyone... cause you dont know who will do what to you.... the same thing applies to aliens and the same I feel out here.... I see many worried faces from the Aliens as if they are going to be killed.

3. Yada yada yada lada mada kada ...Did you understand ? No? I just used Marsisi
Well Aliens dont care whether you understand their language or not, they just want to be themselves and talk what they and no one else understand. Well it was better in Germany when people were talking in German but made sure that the eyes speak in English.... Veda and Kari I understand what you must have been feeling ;)

4. General -> Kernel -> Major -> Leiutinant -> Soldier -> Ardali -> Sweeper... its all about hirarchy
Aliens only know that the one with a gun in hads is their boss... so when they dont see guns they run crazy chickens... and ask whos got the gun ;)

So what to do when you come in the land of Aliens?

I will make up some points and meanwhile revise myself over the weekend... you be ready to read what you can do to make'em humans...

Thursday 29 November 2007

When Team is about Head Counts , Quality is a Grave

I am damm very upset. If getting 10 heads can achieve deliveries Quality is going to be under a 6 ft grave PERIOD. Yes and why not Heads dont form Team's so if Team's are on paper I am sure deliverables are just outputs and not results.

In an interview I gave a while back for a Unit Head for a reputed firm I was asked by a very Sr. Manager "How much do you care about Quality?", I answered "There are 3 mistakes in my resumes that you havent identified yet". I did not mean to say that you did not see it I meant that if you are looking for a resource to work in your organisation I am not the one, But if you want a associate to work along and add value to your firm You can look for me. Also the message meant that I definately care a bit more about quality than you do ;) Not the right way but your guess is correct that I never got a call back from there.

So the objective here is that Outsourcing has changed its meaning.... Its more about $ and heads than quality and softwares. This week I luckily happened to interact with a startup CTO who thinks else, he thinks that more and more startups are looking at building things fast paced and getting it ready for the markets than making sure that its quality coded. Since I promised him not to disclose his name he made a comment that "Its not how good a developer you are, Its about how fast can you develop it". Surprising? Well more and more startups work this way now.... I recently happened to another startup that has built another social networking product and just to the woes of Software development "A Javascript alert for testing remained in the delivery saying "Beta : Step 1"

Ok its 9:30 and I have to find my way back home so that I can stay up all night ;)

Thursday 22 November 2007

Reactions - A Bitter truth

Off lately when I was been told that someone thinks that my capabilities in certain areas are not optimal and thus I cannot play a given role... there was a reaction bubble waiting in within there wanting to come out.... however I knew where the opinion emerged from and why it came in.... however there was no way to keep the reaction bubble within and I just had to get it out... what best source than the blog can it be....

Reactions most of the times are instant.... meaning if someone talks bullshit about you, you either react positive or negative, For example Yesterday when I went to Rhushi and said if you dont fix this in next 20 mins you have to work over the weekend and finish it... the reaction was obvious... "What Shit are you talking about?" (Well this is what his face said) but the reaction came in... another example when someone asked me for a additional leave upon aggreement I saw a very smiling face.... All are nothing but reactions...

I have been learning to avoid reactions.... one thing I am successfully able to do for the past few days is hold on the breath when the shit is thrown.... meaning avoiding instant reactions... when I discussed this with some people they say that it loads up your mind and heart and troubles you, however I feel that it really doesnt if it is done in the right way..... here are the few steps I discovered for myself to avoid reactions....

1. Keep smiling... when a shit is thrown at you.
Many times I have seen people reacting same moment, next hour, next day or after a long... well its not about reaction.. its about how the reaction goes. lately when Manmohan Singh was told that he is a puppet Prime Minister he reacted... putting his resignation offer or defending the government... Well I feel the moment this goes it gives a wrong message. The calm look and feel troubles the people who really throw shit at you.

2. Did I gauge if it was shit or crticis?
Many of us dont understand when shit is thrown and when critic is done... A critic comment is a signal that you have to improve somewhere... while a shit is a blame targetting for no improvement but just liability... before reacting You need to understand that whatever is thrown at you is been understood in the same way by both thrower and receiver...This gives you enough time to go back and get calm ;)

3. Have you seen a white crow?
I always understood that when people throw shit at you:

a. You are making considerable progress... and jealousy is wanting to hit you..
b. They dont want to part with you, since they feel that the shit can loosen your confidence
c. They are the same mental state a CAT is when she closes her eyes and drinks the milk thinking that no one is looking at her.... making blamers think that they can just throw shit on you without getting hands dirty..
d. They are wanting to provoke you to make the same mistake that they did ;)

So before you react to anything.... make sure that you understand what, how and where of the reactions... after all Management is not about reactions...

Tuesday 13 November 2007