Ghalib is God

Ye na thee hamaree qismat ke wisaal-e-yaar hota ;agar aur jeete rehte yahee intezaar hota (It was not in my fate to meet my lover, had I lived longer, this would still be my only desire)
Tere waade par jiye ham to ye jaan jhoot jaanaa; ke khushee se mar na jaate agar 'eitabaar hota (To live on your promise is to make my life a lie,would I not have died of happiness if I trusted it )
Teree naazukee se jaana ke bandha tha 'ehed_booda ;kabhee too na tor sakta agar oostuwaar hota (From your frailty I learnt that the promise was delicate; it would not stand broken had you been determined)
Koee mere dil se pooche tere teer-e-neemkash ko; ye khalish kahaan se hotee jo jigar ke paar hota (Someone ask me about your half-drawn arrow ,would I even feel this pain if it had pierced my heart)
Ye kahaan ki dostee hai ke bane hain dost naaseh; koee chaarasaaz hota, koee ghamgusaar hota (What kind of friendship is this, that friends are now advisers, someone should ease my pain, someone sympathize with me)
Rag-e-sang se tapakta wo lahoo ki phir na thamta ;jise gham samajh rahe ho, ye agar sharaar hota (As from every nerve drips blood without restraint, if that which you think is anguish is but a spark)
Gham agarche jaan_gulis hai, per kahaan bachain ke dil hai ;gham-e-ishq gar na hota, gham-e-rozgaar hota (Threatening as love is, there is no deliverance from the heart ,if not the torment of love, it would be the torment of life)
Kahoon kis se main ke kya hai, shab-e-gham buree bala hai; mujhe kya bura tha marna agar ek baar hota (Whom shall I narrate the pangs of these evenings of sorrow, Ii would have not resented this death, had it come only once)
Hue mar ke ham jo ruswa, hue kyon na gharq-e-dariya; na kabhee janaaza uthata, na kaheen mazaar hota (That I died and was disgraced, why was I not just drowned, never would have been there a funeral, nor a tomb erected)
Usay kaun dekh sakta ke yagaana hai wo yaktaa ;jo dooee ki boo bhee hotee to kaheen do chaar hota (Who can see him since his Oneness is without peer ,even the scent of his duality would be an introduction)
Ye masaail-e-tasawwuf, ye tera bayaan 'Ghalib'! ;tujhe ham walee samajhate, jo na baada_khwaar hota (This mysticism, these statements of yours Ghalib,you would be a saint, if only you were not inebriated)

Character

The history of man is the history of a life and death circle that keeps on moving incessantly.To me, it is a story of countless beginnings and ends.Out of all this drama of creation and annihilation, the only people who stand out are the men of noble character.These men shall live in the history of mankind for ages, because they have something that makes them immortal.It is not the worldly riches and prosperity, nor material wealth, that is the noblest of all human possessions.Character exemplifies human nature in its best form.Always do what your conscience tells you to do.
A word about courage. It is not the courage of a bull dog that is important in a human being , but the moral courage to say no under pressure, and to do what you believe in truly that really matters.Remember that at the end of the day, you are answerable to yourself ,and no one else.

Social Responsibilty

Over the weekend, I went to Nagpur.I have some really fond memories of the place, because it was here that I had met some very sweet and kind people.My married life had also started here. I found the town really changed and was face to face with extreme poverty. Beside the Yashwant stadium, there was this group of people-probably vagabonds -that was living their life on the roadside. I saw my country in its harsh reality, with the future staring at me through the snot covered faces of malnourished pot- bellied children. How can the government allow this to happen?Is it not possible to come out with a social security scheme ,through which everybody is given a house, and a basic sustenance allowance.I felt really helpless at my inability to affect the lives of such poor people in an effective manner.

Why can't the government be more efficient? Why can't it direct the subsidies to those who need them, rather than to everybody? Is it such a difficult task? I see no reason for many, including yours truly ,to be enjoying the subsidy on petrol and LPG? Why...?There are only questions today in my mind.Small doles of help are not going to be of much use. You need a policy intervention.Poverty is a curse, which I hope the new govt works on!

Effective Management

The difference between a leader and a manager is well known. To use an analogy- 'If there is a forest to be cleared, the leader will tell you where to cut, while the manager will tell you how to cut'. An oft heard cliché is, “The leader does the right things, while the manager will do things right”. The roles performed are not exclusive of each other as a person is sometime a leader, and sometimes a manager or both. It is important for a leader to know certain principles of managing effectively.

While there are as many styles of management as there are managers, there still is a unique quality that sets a good manager apart . An average manager plays checkers while a brilliant one plays chess. What’s the difference? Well... In checkers all the pieces are same, they move at the same pace and on parallel paths. Their roles are interchangeable. It is not so in chess. Here each piece is different. You won’t be able to play the game unless you know the way in which each of the piece moves. Great managers know how each piece moves. They know the weaknesses and strengths of each employee, and utilise them accordingly for a well coordinated attack on the task at hand. A leader may say, Well!... What about development? My personal opinion is that it is better said than done. Try to train someone who doesn’t speak much to be an MC for the next social function, and revelation will dawn on you sooner than you may think. A manager’s job is to turn one person’s talent into pure performance. A manager should know that no person, however talented, is well rounded. A manager can only succeed if he is able to identify each person’s unique ability. Capitalising on each person’s unique strength saves time, and time is of essence in today’s fast paced world. It also creates a stronger team as interdependencies are created. People learn to appreciate each other’s unique skills and are not hesitant to ask for help. If you have read the author Stephen Covey, you would know that Interdependence is a higher value than independence.
It takes a lot of time to figure out people’s strength, unless of course you have known them for many years. To know your people well, you should be out of your office at the scene of action, watching, noting people’s reaction to events, listening and asking questions. There is no substitute to this kind of observation. It also does wonders to their morale. 'The more time you sit in the office, less effective you will be', is generally true in organisations where teamwork is important.
Let us now discuss as to what is a strength and what is a weakness.A strength is not necessarily something which a person is good at. It is something which he enjoys doing and brings out the best in him. Likewise, a weakness is not something a person is bad at. It is something, which a person hates to do or tries to avoid doing. Although as a superior you should know both the weaknesses and the strengths of those below you, you should focus more on the strength, as that is what you need to leverage. You should also reinforce the strength by saying something like... “Hey Anjali, You are really good at designing stuff”. This will further increase the self assurance of the person.
At times you may be pushed into a corner. You want to work on people’s strength, but are forced by circumstances to work with someone’s weakness. What to do in such a case? Try the following
· Offer relevant training to the person, allow time for incorporation of skills, and look for the signs of improvement.
· Look for someone with complementary skills and put her on the team
· Try to adopt a process that achieves the aim through discipline ,rather than instinct.
A manager should also be alive to the fact that good performance requires triggers. One employee’s trigger might be tied to the time of the day, while for someone else a ‘Dusting of the non-existent dirt on the shirt, signifying care’ might do the trick. Somebody may require constant feedback, while another may construe it as micromanagement. By far, the most important trigger is recognition. For effective recognition, you must know the audience the person plays by. There was this person in my previous organisation who only used to feel good when appreciated one-on-one, while there was another who needed to be appreciated in front of his peers. And you will find an odd guy who will cherish a written proof of your appreciation, so that he can proudly hang it in his drawing room.
So ,the bottom line is that you should play chess and not checkers with your employees. Never try to push a knight into doing what a bishop does or vice versa. Do not treat everyone alike. Someone might need a kick on his.... (And believe me, he will love you for it), and for someone a kind word is necessary. Play on people’s strengths, if you are to succeed at your jobs, and if you want to achieve more in less time

What is Love?

When you fall in love,it is temporary madness.It erupts like an earthquake and then it subsides. And when it subsides, you have to make a decision.You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together, that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is.

Love is not breathlessness. It is not excitement. It is not the desire to make love every second of the day. It is not lying awake at night, imagining that every part of your body is being kissed. That is just being in love, which many of us can convince ourselves we are in.Love itself is what is left behind, when being in love has burned away.

-----From 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin'

Emotional Intelligence for Leaders

What is it that makes a great leader?Is it intelligence,analytical ability,capability to motivate others or is it the ability to see far ahead? While all these attributes are essential in some degree or another, an important facet of an individual's personality that distinguishes an outstanding performer from just another guy is Emotional Intelligence.According to Daniel Goleman, there are five attributes to this holy grail,namely

• Self Awareness
• Self Regulation
• Motivation
• Empathy
• Social Skill

People with a high degree of self awareness know their weeknesses, and more importantly, they are not afraid to talk about them.Remember Patton , the great general! He was aware of his weekness of not being able to keep his mouth shut when required, and was not ashamed of it. We also must know that self awareness is the first step to change. Most of us generally amble along a lifetime without actually developing this essential trait.
Self regulation flows from the above trait.If a person is not able to regulate his behaviour, then self awarenesss is of hardly any use.If you know that an arguement with your wife may force you into saying things that you may later regret, then in that case quietly slipping out of the house for a peaceful walk wouldn't be a bad idea.Patton was low on this trait and that is why he lost out to Bradley and Montgomery.
Motivation for its own sake, that is, desire to acheive excellence,without an eye for the rewards that may follow is the kind of motivation that true leaders possess in abundance.If you are able to find such a man around you, hold on to him because you have for sure struck gold.
I am sure that all of you know that it is important to empathise with other people.You must put yourself in their shoes and then take a decision that is likely to affect them. In my many years with an organisation, I have come across people who forget this tenet conveniently.They have one set of rules for themselves and another set for the rest of the world."It is good to help when asked , but it is better to help unasked-through understanding",is what was said by that great philospher, Khalil Gibran.
And Finally, a word about social skills.The ability to build rapport with others, get them to cooperate, and make them move willingly in a direction that you desire is the hallmark of a person who possesses social skills. It is also known as networking. Networking is often seen in a negative light by people who are self made, but let me tell you that it works wonders. Your work gets done in minutes. Being sociable is not the same as having social skills. Social skills comprise of friendliness with a purpose.You can only frown at these skills at the cost of delaying your work.
So , is it then possible to develop these traits? Oh yes, very much!It requires a deliberate effort, regular practice and a feedback from your sounding board.

Poetry For Love

He that loves a rosy cheek
Or a coral lip admires,
Or from star like eyes doth seek
Fuel to maintain his fires;
As old time makes these decay,
So his flames must waste away

But a smooth and steadfast mind,
Gentle thougts and calm desires,
Hearts with equal love combined,
Kindle never dying fires:
Where these are not, I despise
Lovely cheeks or lips or eyes.
-----T Carew

Customer service at ICICI

Around a decade back when ICICI started its business in india ,it was one of the great banks to do business with.There were a lot of differentiating factors that worked in its favour, and it took a lead in a very short time. But lately things have changed for the worse, because the bank has been taking its customers for a ride. It has probably forgotten that it is in the service business. I have the following comments to make

• The managers in the bank are not approachable and when they do give you some time, they hardly look up from their excel sheets.Undivided attention is what a customer seeks and the bank is not sensitive to this simple truth.
• The charges are pretty steep, and the bank does not lose any opportunity in levying a fine and thereby making a quick buck in these recessionary times.
• The form for closing the account does not even have space for giving the reason for closing the account.It seems that the bank does not care to know the reason for defection to other banks.
• General perception amongst people is that the bank tries to outsmart its customers.
• Even the corporates have started moving their funds away from the bank. Recently Infosys moved a huge amount to SBI.
• Rising NPAs,dwindling CASA ratio,alleged use of henchmen as recovery agents,poor rating on customer service, loss of differentiating factors,leadership and talent defection to Axis Bank et al point to the inevitable collapse .