tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-130505032024-03-14T02:56:13.964+05:30Inner Blog Welcome to Venkatesh Krishnamurthy's Blog and recharge yourself and your life here. Come back when you feel you are down and charge with inspirational thoughts and messages collected from various places.Venkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.comBlogger89125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13050503.post-74003002781394025922013-02-25T14:18:00.002+05:302013-02-25T14:24:28.078+05:30Leanings from the west by N.R Narayana Murthy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Address by N.R. Narayana Murthy on Conferment of Lal Bahadur<br />
Shastri Award for Public Administration and Management Sciences<br />
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<b>Learning from the West : N.R. Narayana Murthy </b><br />
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It is a pleasure to be here at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Management. Lal Bahadur Shastri was a man of strong values and he epitomized simple living. He was a freedom fighter and innovative<br />
administrator who contributed to nation building in full measure. It is indeed a matter of pride for me to be chosen for the Lal Bahadur Shastri Award for Public Administration and Management Sciences. I thank the jury for this honor. <br />
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When I got the invitation to speak here, I decided to speak on an important topic on which I have pondered for years - the role of Western values in contemporary Indian society. Coming from a company that is built<br />
on strong values, the topic is close to my heart. Moreover, an organization is representative of society, and some of the lessons that I have learnt are applicable in the national context. In fact, values drive progress and<br />
define quality of life in society. <br />
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The word community joins two Latin words com ("together&quo t; or "with" ) and unus ("one" ). A community, then, is both one and many. It is a unified multitude and not a mere group of people. As it is said in the Vedas: Man can live individually, but can survive only collectively. Hence, the challenge is to form a progressive community by balancing the interests of the individual and that of the society. To meet this, we need to develop a value system where people accept modest sacrifices for the common good. <br />
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What is a value system? It is the protocol for behavior that enhances the trust, confidence and commitment of members of the community. It goes beyond the domain of legality - it is about decent and desirable behavior.<br />
Further, it includes putting the community interests ahead of your own. Thus, our collective survival and progress is predicated on sound values. <br />
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There are two pillars of the cultural value system - loyalty to family and loyalty to community. One should not be in isolation to the other, because, successful societies are those which combine both harmoniously. It is in<br />
this context that I will discuss the role of Western values in contemporary Indian society. <br />
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Some of you here might say that most of what I am going to discuss are actually Indian values in old ages, and not Western values. I live in the present, not in the bygone era. Therefore, I have seen these values<br />
practiced primarily in the West and not in India. Hence, the title of the topic. <br />
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I am happy as long as we practice these values - whether we call it Western or old Indian values. As an Indian, I am proud to be part of a culture, which has deep-rooted family values. We have tremendous loyalty to the family. For instance, parents make enormous sacrifices for their children. They support them until they can stand on their own feet. On the other side, children consider it their duty to take care of aged parents. <br />
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We believe: Mathru devo bhava - mother is God, and pithru devo bhava -father is God. Further, brothers and sisters sacrifice for each other. In fact, the eldest brother or sister is respected by all the other siblings.<br />
As for marriage, it is held to be a sacred union - husband and wife are bonded, most often, for life. In joint families, the entire family works towards the welfare of the family. There is so much love and affection in<br />
our family life. <br />
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This is the essence of Indian values and one of our key strengths. Our families act as a critical support mechanism for us. In fact, the credit to the success of Infosys goes, as much to the founders as to their families, for supporting them through the tough times. Unfortunately, our attitude towards family life is not reflected in our attitude towards community behavior. From littering the streets to corruption to breaking of<br />
contractual obligations, we are apathetic to the common good. In the West -the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand - individuals understand that they have to be responsible towards their community. <br />
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The primary difference between the West and us is that, there, people have a much better societal orientation. They care more for the society than we do. Further, they generally sacrifice more for the society than us. Quality of life is enhanced because of this. This is where we need to learn from the West. <br />
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I will talk about some of the lessons that we, Indians, can learn from the West. <br />
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In the West, there is respect for the public good. For instance, parks<br />
free of litter, clean streets, public toilets free of graffiti - all these<br />
are instances of care for the public good. On the contrary, in India, we<br />
keep our houses clean and water our gardens everyday - but, when we go to a<br />
park, we do not think twice before littering the place. <br />
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Corruption, as we see in India, is another example of putting the interest<br />
of oneself, and at best that of one's family, above that of the society.<br />
Society is relatively corruption free in the West. For instance, it is very<br />
difficult to bribe a police officer into avoiding a speeding ticket. <br />
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This is because of the individual&# 39;s responsible behavior towards the<br />
community as a whole On the contrary, in India, corruption, tax evasion,<br />
cheating and bribery have eaten into our vitals. For instance, contractors<br />
bribe officials, and construct low-quality roads and bridges. The result is<br />
that society loses in the form of substandard defence equipment and<br />
infrastructure, and low-quality recruitment, just to name a few<br />
impediments. Unfortunately, this behavior is condoned by almost everyone. <br />
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Apathy in solving community matters has held us back from making progress,<br />
which is otherwise within our reach. We see serious problems around us but<br />
do not try to solve them. We behave as if the problems do not exist or is<br />
somebody else's. On the other hand, in the West, people solve societal<br />
problems proactively. There are several examples of our apathetic attitude.<br />
For instance, all of us are aware of the problem of drought in India. <br />
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More than 40 years ago, Dr. K. L. Rao - an irrigation expert, suggested<br />
creation of a water grid connecting all the rivers in North and South<br />
India, to solve this problem. Unfortunately, nothing has been done about<br />
this. The story of power shortage in Bangalore is another instance. In<br />
1983, it was decided to build a thermal power plant to meet Bangalore' s<br />
power requirements. Unfortunately, we have still not started it. Further,<br />
the Milan subway in Bombay is in a deplorable state for the last 40 years,<br />
and no action has been taken. <br />
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To quote another example, considering the constant travel required in the<br />
software industry; five years ago, I had suggested a 240-page passport.<br />
This would eliminate frequent visits to the passport office. In fact, we<br />
are ready to pay for it. However, I am yet to hear from the Ministry of<br />
External Affairs on this. <br />
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We, Indians, would do well to remember Thomas Hunter's words: Idleness<br />
travels very slowly, and poverty soon overtakes it. What could be the<br />
reason for all this? We were ruled by foreigners for over thousand years.<br />
Thus, we have always believed that public issues belonged to some foreign<br />
ruler and that we have no role in solving them. <br />
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Moreover, we have lost the will to proactively solve our own problems.<br />
Thus, we have got used to just executing someone else's orders. Borrowing<br />
Aristotle' s words: We are what we repeatedly do. Thus, having done this<br />
over the years, the decision-makers in our society are not trained for<br />
solving problems. Our decision-makers look to somebody else to take<br />
decisions. Unfortunately, there is nobody to look up to, and this is the<br />
tragedy. <br />
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Our intellectual arrogance has also not helped our society. I have</div>
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traveled extensively, and in my experience, have not come across another</div>
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society where people are as contemptuous of better societies as we are,</div>
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with as little progress as we have achieved. Remember that arrogance breeds</div>
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hypocrisy. No other society gloats so much about the past as we do, with as</div>
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little current accomplishment. </div>
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Friends, this is not a new phenomenon, but at least a thousand years old.<br />
For instance, Al Barouni, the famous Arabic logician and traveler of the<br />
10th century, who spent about 30 years in India from 997 AD to around 1027<br />
AD, referred to this trait of Indians. According to him, during his visit,<br />
most Indian pundits considered it below their dignity even to hold<br />
arguments with him. In fact, on a few occasions when a pundit was willing<br />
to listen to him, and found his arguments to be very sound, he invariably<br />
asked Barouni: which Indian pundit taught these smart things! <br />
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The most important attribute of a progressive society is respect for<br />
others who have accomplished more than they themselves have, and learn from<br />
them. Contrary to this, our leaders make us believe that other societies do<br />
not know anything! At the same time, everyday, in the newspapers, you will<br />
find numerous claims from our leaders that ours is the greatest nation.<br />
These people would do well to remember Thomas Carlyle' s words: The greatest<br />
of faults is to be conscious of none. <br />
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If we have to progress, we have to change this attitude, listen to people<br />
who have performed better than us, learn from them and perform better than<br />
them. Infosys is a good example of such an attitude. We continue to<br />
rationalize our failures. No other society has mastered this part as well<br />
as we have. Obviously, this is an excuse to justify our incompetence,<br />
corruption, and apathy. This attitude has to change. As Sir Josiah Stamp<br />
has said: It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the<br />
consequences of dodging our responsibilities. <br />
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Another interesting attribute, which we Indians can learn from the West,<br />
is their accountability. Irrespective of your position, in the West, you<br />
are held accountable for what you do. However, in India, the more<br />
'important&# 39; you are, the less answerable you are. For instance, a senior<br />
politician once declared that he 'forgot&# 39; to file his tax returns for 10<br />
consecutive years - and he got away with it. To quote another instance,<br />
there are over 100 loss making public sector units (central) in India.<br />
Nevertheless, I have not seen action taken for bad performance against top<br />
managers in these organizations. <br />
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Dignity of labor is an integral part of the Western value system. In the<br />
West, each person is proud about his or her labor that raises honest sweat.<br />
On the other hand, in India, we tend to overlook the significance of those<br />
who are not in professional jobs. We have a mind set that reveres only<br />
supposedly intellectual work. <br />
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For instance, I have seen many engineers, fresh from college, who only<br />
want to do cutting-edge work and not work that is of relevance to business<br />
and the country. However, be it an organization or society, there are<br />
different people performing different roles. For success, all these people<br />
are required to discharge their duties. This includes everyone from the CEO<br />
to the person who serves tea - every role is important. Hence, we need a<br />
mind set that reveres everyone who puts in honest work. <br />
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Indians become intimate even without being friendly. They ask favors of<br />
strangers without any hesitation. For instance, the other day, while I was<br />
traveling from Bangalore to Mantralaya, I met a fellow traveler on the<br />
train. Hardly 5 minutes into the conversation, he requested me to speak to<br />
his MD about removing him from the bottom 10% list in his company,<br />
earmarked for disciplinary action. I was reminded of what Rudyard Kipling<br />
once said: A westerner can be friendly without being intimate while an<br />
easterner tends to be intimate without being friendly. <br />
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Yet another lesson to be learnt from the West, is about their<br />
professionalism in dealings. The common good being more important than<br />
personal equations, people do not let personal relations interfere with<br />
their professional dealings. For instance, they don't hesitate to chastise<br />
a colleague, even if he is a personal friend, for incompetent work. <br />
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In India, I have seen that we tend to view even work interactions from a<br />
personal perspective. Further, we are the most 'thin-skinned&# 39; society in<br />
the world - we see insults where none is meant. This may be because we were<br />
not free for most of the last thousand years. Further, we seem to extend<br />
this lack of professionalism to our sense of punctuality. We do not seem to<br />
respect the other person's time. <br />
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The Indian Standard Time somehow seems to be always running late.<br />
Moreover, deadlines are typically not met. How many public projects are<br />
completed on time? The disheartening aspect is that we have accepted this<br />
as the norm rather than the exception. In the West, they show<br />
professionalism by embracing meritocracy. Meritocracy by definition means<br />
that we cannot let personal prejudices affect our evaluation of an<br />
individual&# 39;s performance. As we increasingly start to benchmark ourselves<br />
with global standards, we have to embrace meritocracy. <br />
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In the West, right from a very young age, parents teach their children to<br />
be independent in thinking. Thus, they grow up to be strong, confident<br />
individuals. In India, we still suffer from feudal thinking. I have seen<br />
people, who are otherwise bright, refusing to show independence and<br />
preferring to be told what to do by their boss. We need to overcome this<br />
attitude if we have to succeed globally. <br />
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The Western value system teaches respect to contractual obligation. In the<br />
West, contractual obligations are seldom dishonored. This is important -<br />
enforceability of legal rights and contracts is the most important factor<br />
in the enhancement of credibility of our people and nation. <br />
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In India, we consider our marriage vows as sacred. We are willing to<br />
sacrifice in order to respect our marriage vows. However, we do not extend<br />
this to the public domain. For instance, India had an unfavorable contract<br />
with Enron. Instead of punishing the people responsible for negotiating<br />
this, we reneged on the contract - this was much before we came to know<br />
about the illegal activities at Enron. <br />
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To quote another instance, I had given recommendations to several students<br />
for the national scholarship for higher studies in US universities. Most of<br />
them did not return to India even though contractually they were obliged to<br />
spend five years after their degree in India. <br />
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In fact, according to a professor at a reputed US university, the maximum<br />
default rate for student loans is among Indians - all of these students<br />
pass out in flying colors and land lucrative jobs, yet they refuse to pay<br />
back their loans. Thus, their action has made it difficult for the students<br />
after them, from India, to obtain loans. We have to change this attitude. <br />
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Further, we Indians do not display intellectual honesty. For example, our<br />
political leaders use mobile phones to tell journalists on the other side<br />
that they do not believe in technology! If we want our youngsters to<br />
progress, such hypocrisy must be stopped. We are all aware of our rights as<br />
citizens. Nevertheless, we often fail to acknowledge the duty that<br />
accompanies every right. To borrow Dwight Eisenhower&# 39;s words: People that<br />
values its privileges above its principles soon loses both. Our duty is<br />
towards the community as a whole, as much as it is towards our families. <br />
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We have to remember that fundamental social problems grow out of a lack of<br />
commitment to the common good. To quote Henry Beecher: Culture is that<br />
which helps us to work for the betterment of all. Hence, friends, I do<br />
believe that we can make our society even better by assimilating these<br />
Western values into our own culture - we will be stronger for it. <br />
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Most of our behavior comes from greed, lack of self-confidence, lack of<br />
confidence in the nation, and lack of respect for the society. To borrow<br />
Gandhi's words: There is enough in this world for everyone' s need, but not<br />
enough for everyone' s greed. Let us work towards a society where we would<br />
do unto others what we would have others do unto us. Let us all be<br />
responsible citizens who make our country a great place to live. In the<br />
words of Churchill: Responsibility is the price of greatness. We have to<br />
extend our family values beyond the boundaries of our home. <br />
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Finally, let us work towards maximum welfare of the maximum people -<br />
Samasta janaanaam sukhino bhavantu. Thus, let us - people of this<br />
generation, conduct ourselves as great citizens rather than just good<br />
people so that we can serve as good examples for our younger generation.<br />
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Venkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13050503.post-76473726371539763932011-07-18T19:18:00.001+05:302011-07-18T19:18:59.884+05:3077 Inspiring Quotes<p>Henri  has put a lot of effort in putting these 77 inspiring quotes together…</p> <p>Check this out <a href="http://www.wakeupcloud.com/77-great-quotes/">here</a></p> <p>some of the quotes that I really really liked include</p> <p><strong>The key to change… is to let go of fear.” – Rosanne Cash</strong></p> <p><strong>“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle</strong></p> <p><strong>“Notice that the stiffest tree is most easily cracked, while the bamboo or willow survives by bending with the wind.” – Bruce Lee</strong></p> Venkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13050503.post-55835460672264637392010-03-18T19:48:00.001+05:302010-03-18T19:48:50.877+05:3020 Things I'm Glad Life Taught Me<p>Learning is the process of life.  We have opportunities to learn during every interaction with the outside world.  Most of us try to remember the lessons learned but a few good people do make a note of it and share it with others.</p> <p>I stumbled upon this very interesting article where the author explains 20 things he has learnt in his life.  Each of these 20 points gives you the Aha moment.</p> <p>Enjoy reading the article by <a href="http://www.dumblittleman.com/2008/02/20-things-im-glad-life-taught-me.html" target="_blank">clicking here</a></p> <p>A few of the points I liked include</p> <ul> <li>Negativity will only bring more of it</li> <li>If you can't help others, you can't help yourself</li> <li>If it were easy everyone would do it</li> <li>Don't work hard without rewards</li> <li>Someone always has it worse</li> <li>Most people are actually nice</li> <li>Words and thoughts control everything</li> <li>Your view is the reality</li> </ul> Venkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13050503.post-46652069401214491222010-01-09T12:19:00.001+05:302010-01-09T12:19:01.182+05:30DOs and Don'ts of Leading Clever people<p>Leading clever people is not simple and a different strategy has to be used.  A very nice article has been written about this and is available <a href="http://geek4eva.logicx.co.nz/blog/2009/09/28/dos-and-donts-for-leading-clever-people/">here</a>.   I have copied some key points of this article here</p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_kYO_CuRN3tA/S0gm0yiohvI/AAAAAAAAARk/hqxJFffjxy0/s1600-h/image%5B3%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_kYO_CuRN3tA/S0gm2gy9D-I/AAAAAAAAARo/BtV5veHOlCc/image_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="376" height="307" /></a></p> Venkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13050503.post-65070938487965842642009-12-28T19:35:00.001+05:302009-12-28T19:35:35.444+05:30How to provide a feedback ?<p>Every manager has to deal with different types of people on a regular basis. Some times you come across team members whose behavior  bothers every one.  It is critical to give a right feedback and bring the problematic person on the right path.  <a href="http://tangotraining.com/blog/2009/12/10/a-model-for-feedback-that-works/" target="_blank">This article</a> gives a good model on how to provide the feedback.</p> Venkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13050503.post-50271318576031966592008-09-18T07:08:00.001+05:302008-09-18T07:08:35.771+05:30Assorted Quotes<p>Accept your conditions, but not your fate. </p> <p>          -- Rod Walsh & Dan Carrison </p> <p>Those who attain to any excellence commonly spend life in some single <br />pursuit, for excellence is not often gained upon easier terms. <br />          -- Samuel Johnson </p> <p>"Whatever is worth doing at all is worth doing well, and nothing can be well done without attention." <br />            - Earl of Chesterfield </p> <p>Credit is a system whereby a person who can't pay gets another person who can't pay to guarantee that he can pay. <br />            - Charles Dickens</p> <p>No matter how far down the wrong road you’ve gone, turn back. <br />             - Turkish proverb</p> <p>“Remember, Time is a greedy player who wins without cheating, every round!”  <br />             - Baudelaire</p> Venkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13050503.post-43978276880121300232008-09-15T21:19:00.002+05:302008-09-15T21:24:30.352+05:30Your Destiny<div align="center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kYO_CuRN3tA/SM6FEyFQ8tI/AAAAAAAAAIo/ok3bo1B1-Vk/s1600-h/pravs-j-your-destiny.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_kYO_CuRN3tA/SM6FEyFQ8tI/AAAAAAAAAIo/ok3bo1B1-Vk/s320/pravs-j-your-destiny.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5246276933143032530" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">You are what your deep driving desire is.<br />What your desire is, so is your will,<br />What your will is, so is your deed,<br />What your deed is, so is your destiny.<br /><br />You would be what your destiny is.<br /></span><br /><br /></div>Venkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13050503.post-12086011417816729012008-08-27T13:50:00.002+05:302008-08-27T13:53:25.696+05:3020 Bad habits that hold leaders back<p>A <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/playbook/06/1228_1.htm" target="_blank">Business Week article</a> lists the following 20 interesting <em>bad habits</em>, complied by executive coach Marshall Goldsmith, describing what hinder leaders from progressing into the executive suite of their organizations:</p> <ul><li><strong>Winning Too Much:</strong> The need to win at all costs and in all situations—when it matters, when it doesn’t, and when it’s totally beside the point. </li><li><strong>Adding Too Much Value:</strong> The overwhelming desire to add our two cents to every discussion. </li><li><strong>Passing Judgment: </strong>The need to rate others and impose our standards on them. </li><li><strong>Making Destructive Comments: </strong>The needless sarcasms and cutting remarks that we think make us sound sharp and witty. </li><li><strong>Starting with “No,” “But,” or “However”: </strong>The overuse of these qualifiers, which secretly say to everyone, “I’m right. You’re wrong.” </li><li><strong>Telling the World How Smart We Are: </strong>The need to show people we’re smarter than they think we are. </li><li><strong>Speaking When Angry: </strong>Using emotional volatility as a management tool. </li><li><strong>Negativity: </strong>The need to share our negative thoughts, even when we weren’t asked. </li><li><strong>Withholding Information: </strong>The refusal to share information in order to maintain an advantage over others. </li><li><strong>Failing to Give Proper Recognition: </strong>The inability to praise and reward. </li><li><strong>Claiming Credit We Don’t Deserve: </strong>The most annoying way to overestimate our contribution to any success. </li><li><strong>Making Excuses:</strong> The need to reposition our annoying behavior as a permanent fixture so people excuse us for it. </li><li><strong>Clinging to the Past: </strong>The need to deflect blame away from ourselves and onto events and people from our past; a subset of blaming everyone else. </li><li><strong>Playing Favorites: </strong>Failing to see that we are treating someone unfairly. </li><li><strong>Refusing to Express Regret:</strong> The inability to take responsibility for our actions, admit we’re wrong, or recognize how our actions affect others. </li><li><strong>Not Listening:</strong> The most passive-aggressive form of disrespect for colleagues. </li><li><strong>Failing to Express Gratitude: </strong>The most basic form of bad manners. </li><li><strong>Punishing the Messenger: </strong>The misguided need to attack the innocent, who are usually only trying to protect us. </li><li><strong>Passing the Buck:</strong> The need to blame everyone but ourselves. </li><li><strong>An Excessive Need to Be “Me”:</strong> Exalting our faults as virtues simply because they exemplify who we are. </li></ul>You can also read the above list <a href="http://www.thepracticeofleadership.net/2008/08/11/20-bad-habits-that-can-hold-you-back-from-the-executive-suite/">here</a>Venkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13050503.post-69914646610125190982008-08-24T20:32:00.004+05:302008-08-24T20:55:13.831+05:30Our Deepest Fear<pre style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><strong>A very nice poem by Marianne Williamson </strong></span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.</span></span></pre><p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.</span></p><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?<br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >Your playing small does not serve the world.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >We are all meant to shine, as children do.</span></p><p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.</span></p><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.</span><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;" >As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.</span></p>Venkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13050503.post-22008448585666107892008-08-23T23:44:00.001+05:302008-08-23T23:44:32.256+05:30Quotes on the lighter side<p>There is no reciprocity. Men love women, women love children, children love hamsters. <br />            -- Alice Thomas Ellis</p> <p> One of the indictments of civilizations is that happiness and intelligence are so rarely found in the same person. <br />            -- William Feather</p> <p>Women want mediocre men, and men are working hard to become as mediocre as possible. <br />            -- Margaret Mead </p> <p>Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future. <br />            -- Niels Bohr </p> <p>A bookstore is one of the only pieces of evidence we have that people are still thinking. <br />            -- Jerry Seinfeld</p> Venkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13050503.post-43976255245268759352008-08-17T20:02:00.002+05:302008-08-17T20:22:06.006+05:30Very good spiritual and health resourcesToday I seem to have attracted a lot of spiritual and health related websites. When I opened Times of India today, I read the Q & A section of <a href="http://www.chopra.com/">Deepak Chopra</a>, and in that section, he had recommended a book called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Excitotoxins-Taste-Russell-L-Blaylock/dp/0929173252">Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills</a>, to the readers. This book talks about the various toxins that are mixed with food, in restaurants and other places to make the food more tastier. I wanted to learn more about this and visited the amazon site to read the reviews and is a 5 Star rated book.<br />I was amazed to see the good reviews, and then at the bottom of the same page, I found a health forum. This health forum has tons of good discussions, and one lead to other. Finally by the end of the day, I found the following good stuff<br /><br />1. <a href="http://zenhabits.net/page/2/">Zen Habits</a>: Good and positive thought to lead a healthy life<br /><br />2. <a href="http://www.shanti.com.au/body/liver.htm">How to do CKLS</a>(Colon, Kidney, Lever, Spleen) cleansing to throw the toxins out of the body. I did some more research on this method and I found a lot of people practice this in Europe regularly. I am not sure if this is practiced in India.<br /><br />3. <a href="http://www.tapping.com/">Tapping</a>: This site talks about Emotional Freedom Technique, an acupressure kind of technique to release the bad feelings in mind, to lead happy life. I am intending to practice some of them and see what happens !<br /><br />4. Also read about Jack Kornfield's meditation techniques.<br /><br />Bottomline, at the end of the day today, I am feeling that to lead a healthier and happier life, one needs to<br /><ul><li>Yoga or any kind of exercise,<br /></li><li>drink a lot of water,<br /></li><li>Meditation is a must</li><li>Take care of health specifically CKLS(Colon, Kidney, Lever, Spleen)</li><li>Reduce toxic food. Read the ingredients carefully before buying food in groceries</li><li>Keep one's mind clean,clear and calm . All body related diseases emanate from mind. </li><li>Keep good balance between life and work.<br /></li><li>Add a bit of spirituality(could be listening to audio books while driving, as I do most of the time, reading ebooks(if you are a computer savvy person))<br /></li></ul>Venkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13050503.post-87565297776462583152008-07-23T22:05:00.001+05:302008-07-23T22:05:40.986+05:30More inspirational quotes<p>Some things are impossible. And some things people say are <br />impossible -- because they don't know how to do them. -- Ron Loyd</p> <p> </p> <p>An optimist stays up to see the New Year in. A pessimist waits to make sure the old one leaves. <br />            -- Bill Vaughan</p> <p> </p> <p>Every quantitative change of an order of magnitude creates a qualitative change   - Anonymous </p> <p> </p> <p>"One of the secrets of a long and fruitful life is to forgive everybody everything every night before you go to bed." B.Baruch</p> Venkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13050503.post-10128594389440669882008-07-13T20:28:00.002+05:302008-07-13T20:35:21.886+05:30Education & Fatalism<p><span style="font-size:100%;">Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence. --Robert Frost</span></p> <blockquote style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </blockquote> <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Fatalism is born of the fear of failure, for we all believe that we carry</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">success in our own hands, and we suspect that our hands are weak. -- Conrad</span>Venkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13050503.post-60909487272376738052008-07-11T23:01:00.001+05:302008-07-11T23:01:59.349+05:30Courage Vs Tolerance<p> </p> <blockquote> <p>The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority. <br />            -- Ralph W. Sockman</p></blockquote> Venkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13050503.post-77463490291108614012008-07-07T22:19:00.001+05:302008-07-07T22:19:22.176+05:30Some more good quotes<ul> <li><font size="3">If you don't have the courage to say what you think, <br />there isn't much use in thinking it, is there? <br />--Thomas Jay Peckish II </font></li> </ul> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <ul> <li><font size="3">Perception is real even when it is not reality. ~ Edward De Bono </font></li> </ul> <p><font size="3"></font></p> <ul> <li><font size="3">We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. <br />-- Albert Einstein</font></li> </ul> <p><font size="2"> </font></p> Venkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13050503.post-78369912420682838862008-06-15T22:17:00.001+05:302008-06-15T22:17:32.603+05:30Quotes on Men, Originality and happiness<p> Don't accept rides from strange men, and remember that all men are strange. <br />            -- Robin Morgan</p> <p> <br />Originality is the fine art of remembering what you hear but forgetting where you heard it. <br />            -- Laurence J. Peter</p> <p> <br />Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities. <br />            -- Aldous Huxley, Vedanta for the Western World, 1945</p> <p> </p> <p>Ref: <a href="http://www.quotationspage.com/qotd.html">http://www.quotationspage.com/qotd.html</a></p> Venkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13050503.post-61846655889485397442008-06-11T21:31:00.001+05:302008-06-11T21:31:49.789+05:30Wealth of resource for entrepreneurs<p>Here is the <a href="http://www.gaebler.com/resources-for-entrepreneurs.htm">good website</a> which has a wealth of information for entrepreneurs</p> Venkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13050503.post-22794540836304389962008-06-08T18:27:00.001+05:302008-06-08T18:27:58.779+05:3060 Seconds Chief<p>One of my friends recently shared <a href="http://60secondschief.blogspot.com/">this</a> good website where some of the successful Indian leaders have shared their thoughts. Once you visit the site, make sure to click on the "paper" image to make it more visible.  </p> Venkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13050503.post-49069719638511442532008-05-28T04:58:00.001+05:302008-12-09T11:41:22.187+05:30Spread the light<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kYO_CuRN3tA/SDyZn0C1y7I/AAAAAAAAAEA/hoKt4aNXKhU/s1600-h/Pravs+J+-+Spread+Light.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_kYO_CuRN3tA/SDyZn0C1y7I/AAAAAAAAAEA/hoKt4aNXKhU/s320/Pravs+J+-+Spread+Light.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5205204178597956530" border="0" /></a>Venkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13050503.post-61394594330197328582006-11-16T14:10:00.000+05:302006-11-16T14:12:58.358+05:30Good Link on UG KrishnamurthyIf you are a fan of UGK, here is a good <a href="http://k-ug.blogspot.com/">resource</a>Venkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13050503.post-41628893313488841402006-11-15T08:13:00.001+05:302006-11-15T08:13:37.617+05:30Nice quote by Martin FowlerIf you don't push something beyond its boundary of usefulness<br />how do you find where that boundary is? -- Martin FowlerVenkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13050503.post-1160351112408438312006-10-09T05:14:00.000+05:302006-11-14T05:29:56.503+05:30ImprovementImprovement stops when we start believing that ideas about how to improve are insulting. - Unknown SourceVenkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13050503.post-1159326300298437722006-09-27T08:34:00.000+05:302006-11-14T05:29:56.434+05:30Time management quoteIt's not that you don't have enough time. You have as much as anyone. It's that you have too many things that you choose to do. <br /><br />--> AnonymousVenkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13050503.post-1159195288324859102006-09-25T20:10:00.000+05:302006-11-14T05:29:56.314+05:30Be with Big People, keep away from small peopleKeep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people<br />always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can<br />become great." -- Mark Twain.Venkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13050503.post-1158111715720329672006-09-13T07:08:00.000+05:302006-11-14T05:29:56.245+05:30Imperfect world<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3549/1132/1600/Imperfect%20World.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3549/1132/400/Imperfect%20World.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Venkatesh Krishnamurthyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11471239057569635943noreply@blogger.com0