Dear Friend, It gives me tremendous pleasure to write to you and share the happenings around with all of you with our latest edition of The Redwood Edge Newsletter.
The last few months have been months where, after interacting with lots of friends, colleagues, participants and clients, I have to come to realize that it’s been a period for people where they have had to fight harder and hence the inspiration our current title FLIGHT , FRIGHT OR FIGHT……
FIGHT, is a part of our life, we are all there to live and fight one more battle. This newsletter is dedicated to and comes straight from the heart to all of you who have, at some point of time fought and won the innumerable battles of life. May you continue to inspire yourselves and us on this exciting journey of life – after all, life is all about challenges and overcoming them, becoming stronger in the process.
I look around the world and it reinforces the word – FIGHT which has an added new dimension – Japan the tsunami /earthquake along with recession, Libya, Egypt, Syria all fighting oppressive regimes, Europe and USA fighting the economic instability and most importantly, closer home we are constantly fighting terrorism and corruption. We all are part of this one world and along with this we are fighting our individual battles on our individual playing turfs… The match has truly begun and results are awaited …..
Have you ever wondered what creates a winning equation in personal and professional challenges? In the constant endeavor to enhance our current applied abilities, we all need to reinvent ourselves and stride ahead towards our goals. The only constant is change, and it only by being optimistic that we will be able to sustain and win these battles – I know its so much easier said than done, but HEY! Isn’t this the best option….!!!!
Staying charged in Challenging Times
Recent economic events in the US and Europe have not been encouraging unfortunately. Europe’s response to the sovereign crisis and the events around lifting the US debt ceiling have negatively impacted the financial markets and substantially eroded business and consumer confidence. As we hear more predictions of an economy showing signs of weakening, managers around the country are asking a couple of key questions: Are we prepared to face it once again? Can we take economic and political instability in our stride? Are we Ready to fight one more time… However, believe you me, the ONLY WAY, one wins is by trying …. As Jack Welch had said;
‘CONTROL YOUR DESTINY OR SOMEBODY ELSE WILL’
I feel the real challenge for Leaders and Managers is to develop strategies aimed at protecting employee motivation, despite the fear and concerns. Too many companies over-hire in good times and quickly look to downsizing as a temporary fix to slowing demand for their services. Though it has long been acknowledged that employees are a company’s most valuable assets, but many are slow to recognize the full impact of these tough decisions on the motivation of employees. A carefully thought out plan can go a long way in being ready to fight the potential economic battles.
According to me, the biggest threat to employee motivation may be a shift in focus to self- preservation rather than team performance. What once was a finely tuned machine may break down as the individual parts become more concerned with whether they can meet their own goals, while failing to recognize that the team’s performance may be their greatest hope for individual survival.
Narayan Murthy and Steve Jobs
Narayan Murthy and Steve Jobs served as the CEOs of their respective companies and have now stepped down, passing the baton smoothly. Mr. Murthy served as the CEO of Infosys for 21 years and was succeeded by co-founder Nandan Nilekani in 2002. Steve Jobs served as Apple’s CEO from 1997 until 2011 naming Tim Cook as the next CEO of Apple. Steve Jobs had serious health issues but has fought and won, fought and won and given the world legendary products – IPod, Iphone, IPad….from a marketing point of view, no one asked for these products, but just imagine the impact they have had on our daily lives… a huge example of the inherent spirit of a man to fight and win thus creating an immense impact in others lives. Both the leaders have had one thing in common – Innovation, Creating Value for Organization and Shareholders, Living the Values and being modern day leadership role models. Amongst all the teachings they provided to us, the invaluable one is the fundamental fact —- their ability to fight….
Some of the common lessons for all of us in their words are :
The corporate world would be different without their active involvement.
“Overconfidence precedes carelessness”
Any Indian would happily replay the moment in their minds, it was such a glorious and perfect moment when Indian cricket team created history after 28 years by winning the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 title. Under coach Gary Kirsten and with MS Dhoni as captain with an excellent balance of youth and experience, they’d worked long and hard to reach the pinnacle of world cricket. Then came the test series against England. After having reached the pinnacle of cricket India had it all along with an aura as a new generation of invincible cricketers but alas! India was well and truly beaten by an upbeat and innovative England team who was better balanced, mentally tougher and a lot hungrier for victory. The poor performance by our World Champions continued in T20 and ODI series as well – No wins so far. Could this be called overconfidence of success or is it failure of adapting to the new conditions… whatever it is, as a sports lover … the lesson learnt is..
For a Professional, there is no finishing line.
The agitation of Anna Hazare started in the interest of the people of India, to remove the deep rooted corruption in the nation. Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare ended his 12-day fast on the Lokpal issue, before thousands of cheering supporters at Ramlila Maidan after being triumphant at securing Parliament’s approval on key elements of the Jan Lokpal Bill. Anna made the movement a great success by making it a movement of the masses. Of course the fight still continues……
Life for these two girls – Karishma Randhave (17) of Shirval in Pune district and Anjani Lahane (18) of Mangaon in Raigad district might never be the same again. One born into a labourer’s family while another is from a farmer’s family, have been selected for the Global Opportunity scholarship of Rs 67.5 lakh each by the University of Cincinnati (UC). This is for the first time that this scholarship will take care of complete education of the two girls, including their boarding, lodging and air travel. Hailing from low income families, they had never thought they would go outside India to pursue their dreams. While Karishma will pursue a course in bio-medical engineering, Anjani has opted for computer engineering. The initiative is being carried out in partnership with NGO Lend a Hand India (LAHI), which works in the education sector in rural India.
Starting as a modest 20-bed hospital, Aravind has grown into a 1,400-bed hospital with various branches. It has screened 3.65 million patients and performed 335,000 cataract surgeries, nearly 70% of them free of cost for the poorest of India’s blind population. Over the years, this organization has evolved into a sophisticated system dedicated to compassionate service for sight. Talking about its business model, the central principle, that success is fundamentally related to demand makes it a profitable business proposition (if they are not profitable, the benefits to the really needy ones may stop). Volume brings down the cost and ensures the sustainability of the enterprise which in turn is ensured by the combination of low cost, high quality and efficient procedures, as well as the appropriate use of technology. Aravind Eye Hospitals try to maintain a ratio of 1:2 between paying and free patients, which keeps the enterprise financially viable. The Aravind Eye Care System now serves as a model, for India, and the rest of the world. Aravind’s founder, Dr. Venkata Swamy, now 74 years old, has a goal to spread the Aravind model to every nook and corner of India, Asia, and Africa.
Their Mission – To fight and prevent blindness
India wins the Asia Cup in Hockey: Crown comes for the Indian Hockey team as they defeated the arch rivals Pakistan 4-2 to win the Asian Hockey Tournament in China. The victorious Indian Hockey Team received a rousing welcome when it returned home after claiming the inaugural Asians Champions Trophy in Ordos, China.
IBM, Vodafone ink $1 billion IT outsourcing contract :IBM, the world’s largest tech services company, has renegotiated its outsourcing contract with Vodafone Essar and signed a deal estimated at around $1 billion to manage IT systems for the country’s third-biggest phone firm till 2017.
Indian IT companies may get affected as America wants its jobs back : Some American corporations are rethinking the strategy of outsourcing more than half of its IT work from TCS, Infosys, Mind Tree, HCL and other IT companies, mindful of the record unemployment levels and the concerns r among locals who see work being shipped overseas.
Indian millionaires to see wealth grow by 405% by 2020:Among emerging markets in 2020, India is likely to have the highest per capita wealth among millionaires with $4.25 million — placing it ahead of the US, said a report from Deloitte Center for Financial Services.
India to be $5.6 trillion economy by 2020: India will become a $5.6 trillion economy by 2020, according to research firm Dun & Bradstreet, which has predicted a three-fold jump in the country’s GDP from $1.7 trillion last fiscal on the back of rapid investment and growing consumer expenditure.
US President Barack Obama laid out a $447 billion jobs package of tax cuts and government. With 9.1 percent unemployment, Obama said in a high-stakes address to Congress the United States was facing a “national crisis” and called for urgent action on sweeping proposals to revive the stalled economy and avert another recession.
Industrial growth slows to 3.3%: Industrial output in July grew at its slowest pace in nearly two years as the manufacturing sector growth moderated due to the impact of high interest rates, mounting pressure on RBI to pause in its rate tightening cycle. Data released by the statistics office shows, industrial output grew 3.3% in July, slower than the 9.9% growth in the same month a year ago. On a cumulative basis, industrial output grew 5.8% in April-July. RBI has raised interest rates 11 times since March 2010 to tame inflation.
Last quarter has indeed been a very eventful one at The Redwood Edge. I have had some wonderful experiences of training across India spanning Goa, Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Calcutta, and Hyderabad as well as a session in Kathmandu. The main focus of the organizations was in conducting Leadership, Sales and Motivational Workshops for team members across all levels.
I had the privilege of being awarded the ‘Rajiv Gandhi Shiromani Award’ in the category of ‘Outstanding Individual Achievements & Distinguished Services to the Nation’ from the Citizens Integration Peace Society in New Delhi on Friday 19th August 2011. The coveted award was conferred upon me on the eve of the 67th Birth Anniversary of Late Shri Rajiv Gandhi at a National Symposium on ‘Rajiv’s Role in Promoting National Integration’ by the Chief Guest His Excellency Shri Shekhar Dutt, Governor of Chhattisgarh.
My team and I would like to thank each one of you for your wishes, goodwill and support in making it possible.
We are pleased to announce the launch of a new initiative. In response to requests from executives across companies, we are introducing a mentorship program titled “Executive Coaching” for the senior management to understand, identify and analyze their potential and take them to the next level of effectiveness .With a wide range of tools , we intend to provide insights and awareness needed to create a meaningful Personal Development Plan with measurable goals.
We are also offerring Career Counseling and One on One Coaching as the next step for individuals who are ready to take the big leap in the corporate world. Career Counseling aims at helping candidates get into a career that is suited to their aptitude, personality, interest and skills. We follow the process of making an effective correlation between the internal psychology of an individual with the factors of employability and performance. One on One coaching quintessentially comprises of enhancing and grooming one’s outer and inner self to bring about a positive charge to one’s life, inculcated through personalized interaction. The program is meant for aspiring youngsters as well as new entrants into the corporate life and aims at partnering with them in shaping their careers.
We look forward to your support for this initiative and our continued relationship.
I hope you enjoyed reading the 7th News letter edition and I look forward to receiving your comments at: prakash@redwoodedge.com
Keep up the good spirits ….
Newsletter – 13th Edition