Things that I learnt in 2008

I thought I would mention a few of the most important things that I learnt. I learnt from work , life , people, Team , Organisations and of course from Internet:1. Perception doesnt stay long 2. Unrealistic promises hurts lives of everyone3. Spend only when it is necessary4. If you dont care about communication, no one cares about you5. De-personalize the problems6. Credibility comes with trust and...

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A Vital skill - Negotiations

All night yesterday I watched the first season of Desperate Housewives and all through the series there was one character that was consistently hitting my mind ... "Mr Soliace" husband of the latina and the Mergers and Acquisation expert. While I went through all of this I realised that for your success at any level you need to have the best negotiation skills. I took this question forward: what does...

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Middle Management blocks Blogs, Wikis and such tools... How true

I came across this blog recently and found the statement "Middle Management block the use of blogs, wikis, syndications..." The first statement that read my mind was HOW TRUE.. and why not, I have seen it until very recent. We recently in our project teams wanted to drive a revolution of using: 1. Wiki for Project documentation2. XPlanner for Project Management3. JIRA for Bug Tracking and time scehdulingEventually...

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A Bad Presentation

Yesterday I was supposed to take up the Agile workshop for the part of the team that is really been damaged due to NO process and Process myths in the organisation. The "supposed to" was really for the last 7 months when each time I had to request for this and all I got is an answer saying "At the moment we dont really have time for this", eventually I was lucky enough this time to get through the...

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Whats your highest priority?

I hear this very often.... 1. I always wanted to do this, but never got time2. This is what I wanted to do but never got enough support on it3. We wanted to document it but never got chance4. This is on a roadmap 5. We intend to do this but not nowWhile I review there maybe thousand valid reasons for all the so called excuses we give for not implementing things... I see one clear reason for the excuses...

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Successful Leadership is not only when you win!!!

Yesterday Indian cricket saw a Gala of cricket with the end of the DLF IPL T20, A spectacular performance from the Bollywood stars, followed by a nail biting T20 cricket match between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings which went to the last over of the game and decide Rajasthan Royals lead by Shane Warne to be the winner of the first ever game. For India and part of the world that is keeping...

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A Warm welcome!

The visit of our Product Manager who I had been very closely working for around a year and a half was here in the office and believe me the long days were productive and the environment refreshing... I am sure the Team also had a good time interacting with her and lerning more about what we are doing and plan to do.... However a few surprising things really made me worry about what we call as a "Warm...

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Team Building, What does the leadership need?

It has always been a paing, Yes PAIN... building Team is not a easy task, you have to be calm, patient, understanding, shrewd, helping and above all energetic... Many times team building is not even considered when teams are formed. Mostly what I see in the Service sector of the IT world in India it appears like Teams are formed and collapsed.... The process that we call forming -> norming ->...

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What keeps you Motivated?

A few posts from me on Motivations and Rewards and Rewards and some humor affecting motivations and then nothing after? Well yes the truth is that I am not motivated enough to write on motivations these days... the simple fact been that there has been lack of Intrinsic Motivation off lately...Well that also made me think on what keeps me motivated? I feel everyone we work with is bonded by the fact...

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What can ruin your Project?

You definitely dont need to list down the elements that will ruin your projects, its simply because anything and everything can ruin your project. Considering the fact that usually it is been blamed on:1. Technlogy2. Bad Project Management3. Poor communicationWhat do you think you will answer if this is ask...

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A Manager's Commitment

Reading Tom's post on Manager's Commitment really throws light to the world of Accidental Managers. Many of us don't know if they are prepared to be Managers the only fact that People will report in to ME and/or I will have a better say/word in the Team or organisation makes them move towards it. These Managers usually grow on the other side of breed that I call Semi Task Oriented Self Centered Managers.......

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The Atheist, The Agnostic and the Theist!!!

Well I don't go into the depths and definitions of the title... but when it comes to GOD some of these are always discussed... and while we work for the IT world of Software Services where Customer is the GOD... I thought I would bring the point on why the various splits in beliefs are done... For a simple reason the Atheist do not believe in God, The agnostic believe that it is impossible to know...

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The KRAzzy effect

Yes... Another movie that was mis managed... I happened to by chance watch this Movie KRAZZY 4 that just got released over the weekend starring 4 of the silver comedian of the Bollywood eventually.. there was a big co-incidence in the words that made the movie name and words that would help me in the next year (if at all....) and the words sound pretty similar.... KRAZZY 4 I read it KRAZZY FOR.......

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Do your Team have a workspace?

Well! If you are a Team then you definitely have a workplace... but do you have a workspace? In the last few years of my career I have relaised the more productive and creative Team you have the more you need to facilitate the workspace... and this workspace is not necessarily the space they need to move around but also the space they need to be agile all together and utilise the best of their Ideas...

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Get your UI right?

OK... A Software Engineer , A Web Developer , A Programmer... now what does each of these mean to you? Well each of the section treats software web projects differently.... e.g A Programmer thinks more about code and the standards than anything else in the application... A Software engineer talks about the architectures, performance and robustness of the application... A web developer talks about...

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How to loose your Best Guy?

OK with reference to my earlier post on How to loose you best guy... My mentor has finally decided to go... It was his last day yesterday and one of the most vulnerable days of my life... Not closely working with a mentor is like not been with your family... and the respect I have for Kari as a mentor and as a friend cannot be just sentenced here....on How to loose a guy like Kari from your team here...

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Lost and drowned

I am a bit lost!!! and drowned and low and aggitated and irritated and angry and furious and upsetNow is the time for me to be back on track and remove the blockers that have been causing so much of pain to the projects...Now if every Manager thinks this way I am sure no project will go over budget, costs , quality and time? Ofcourse this should be done frequently by the Managers and not at the end...

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How many Projects do you manage?

Reading Johanna's post about How Many projects are you managing? gives a clear touch to what Me and Kari had always been talking about... If you want to complete a project or to that matter anything that you want to do in life thing with quality and standards you should keep focus on it. the moment you manage more than one thing you tend to pull down both... No wonder we have a whole bunch of Managers...

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How to Loose your Best Guy?

in the least time possible.... watch it o...

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[Humour] Performance Appraisal and the real meanings

This is really funny and ingenious idea (Not mine though)Outgoing personality-Always going outGreat presentation skills-Able to bull shitGood Communication skills-Always on the phoneWork is first priority-Too ugly to get a dateActive socially-Drinks a lotIndependent worker-Nobody knows what he doesQuick thinking-Offers plausible excusesCareful thinker-won't make decisionsUse logic on difficult jobs-Use...

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A blog post a day keeps the visitors Awake!!!

An Apple a day keeps the doctor away!!! that is what is said when you want to stay fit n fine. To keep me fit n fine these days I am on different diets and medicines ;)Yeah. I am very fond of medicines these days. I am having medicines of:1. Empowered Speeches - To empower and regain my lost passion2. Fiction - To get back my lost creativity3. Soar calmness - To control my anger 4. Passionate Love...

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Startups and hardwork

While lots been talked about How to save money at startups a few points that trigger me and what I second also are :Fire people who are not workaholics. don’t love their work… come on folks, this is startup life, it’s not a game. don’t work at a startup if you’re not into it–go work at the post office or starbucks if you’re not into it you want balance in your life. For realz.Yes. You need hardworking...

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I resign officially

Just waiting for valleys to dry up so that I can smoothly flow out of this... I resign officially out of the scores of my Myspace account now.. here are the reasons:1. I dont check it too often2. There is nothing new now since the CEO last announced.3. Too many ads that get blocked in my home and Vista firewall4. Too much of unrequired friend invites 5. Every Single invite I get thinks that I am a...

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Pissing Off on Opportunities

So when I posted my last post on I AM SICK I got help from several people and before I could actually utilise the help I realised that I have learnt to Piss off on Opportunities badly.... here is what I have done:1. Missed to follow up with a critical prospect over the next meeting on getting the business move -- I Pee!!!2. Missed to change the pre-sales presentation to give a glimpse of Behavirioul...

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Dealing with difficult people II -- The How to

So I could finally save some time today and try to write up what I started a few days back... Dealing with Difficult People - I So when you are dealing with Difficult people who come as Hostile Barbarians there are a few things that need to be taken care unless you really want to ruin the democracy in the Team.... The Hostile Barbarians as said are the species who want to run their own things no...

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Dealing with difficult people - I

I wanted to write about this on the day I decided to move on the the next chapter of my Book Work Better than Sex, however thought I would still study more and add to the species so that you know more about the difficult people you have to deal with all your Manager career.... All through our work life we are bothered, harassed and humiliated by some people we purely name them "DIFFICULT" in one form...

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Being Sick Sucks

I am Sick... Completely Sick. Mentally, Professionally, Emotionally and Physically.... the last few days have been troublesome... everything is going against time and Wish. Every single thing I am doing is getting myself in the bestest of hell as possible. This is how every Project Manager feels when he is in the middle of any critical project, whooaa the deliveries and projects for me though running...

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Motivations?

I read this in an email forward and found it funny... the best part of the humour below been at least there was some planning ;)--------------***************----------------------Once upon a time, a British company and a Japanese company decided to have a competitive boat race on the River Thames. The Japanese won by a mile.The British firm became very discouraged and morale sagged. Senior Management...

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Do Hell with Retrospectives!!!

A Failed Project, A toxic leader, A Butt checker Team, A furious client, A meeting to decide who is to be blamed for the failure of the project.... Wow How best than this can you define UNTEAM. A developer blaming on the UI designer, The designer blaming on the developer, the QA blaming both, The Manager blaming everyone and the client blaming the development Team all of this has become common now......

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Make your Organisation a GRAVEYARD

If you think you want to get a FLAT hierarchy in your team or a culture that lets you work with every level without having a feel of hierarchical protocol... You need to make sure that you make your organization a GRAVEYARD... Yes this is the only place where equality is religiously followed.... You would see the Poor and the rich, the nun and the witch all in same place... While I keep myself busy...

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You get rejected if?

Yesterday I interviewed a Sr. Business Development Manager for my new venture, the role involves everything a Biz Dev Manager has to do plus be a potential CSO. Unfortunately he got rejected inspite been tremendously talented the only reason been there was a lot of "I" in the conversations... when Rama asked me last time on how to ensure that we get a person with the right attitude I had thought of...

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Employees makes Brands and Cultures not Management

I happened to visit Planet Ford office at Pune for the regular servicing of my car eventually when everyone coming to me started asking Me for and about the car I felt to be like GOD and why not this is what makes you believe that there are people who still think Customers are God. When I peeped around I realised that the employee who had joined just a day ago was also behaving the same way the most...

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TechShepherds is a NO NO!!!

My New Venture is starting to trouble me even before it started... the first thing that went wrong was my decission to bring in the change to the Business Model ;) and now my decission to bring up a name for the business that will help me accelerate the organisation and venture. Yes it was in my mind since long on not to anymore continue with TechShepherds however at this point my thoughts turn concrete...

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This is not my job!!!

Oops... yet again. This is something that pinched and inches me deep... Why do people define what they have to do and what they dont have to? Ideally speaking this is not an attitude its a mentality that creates a huge drift in making better workplaces suck ;). Today I was surprised to hear this from the leader (Bet another toxic one) when he/she said that its not my job to get employees together......

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The 5 F's of Appraisal

So back to the Appraisals, the yearly appraisals in our organisation are finally over... and with no approvals or KRA's on my head I thought would be worth writing a short complain email....when 9 yrs ago my first appraisal happened I was shocked, surprised and confused... with several questions in mind and in brains, lot of emotions in heart and soul. Over a period of time my view and reactions about...

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Time to Retrospect?

Its time to Retrospect... Yes. After my June 6 post over my Misery of blogging.. I tried retrospecting the blog for the last few days and here is a brief version of what I thought....1. Write atleast 100 Quality posts.I completely failed here... Think the simple reason is my bad timing with blogging all over.2. Earn atleast 10 Guest postsFailed badly. I got in touch with some bloggy biggies but could...

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