Seek and Share....

In the last year I came across a few instances where all the person needed was some one just to make them think what is the direction they should take.... They wanted to share the problem they are looking at or thoughts that are not clear for them..In these situations my suggestion is to share as you dont know where you get a  solution or suggestions to solution or make you think clearly. I will just share what happened in each case...I write you decide (ABN Phrase copy here- We report you Decide)

About 6 months back.
..

There is a general fear among many students that UPSC Civil Services is very tough... What I learnt talking to working IAS, IPS and others who prepared for that is: the exams and preparation is not tough, but it is a test for your sincerity and dedication for a couple of years. Choosing right topics and finally a peaceful environment to prepare are key too. I was chatting with some one from our college about 6 months back.. I was really happy she was clear in her mind she wants to attempt UPSC Civil Services. All I told her was that is right decision. After that a couple of times a few encouraging words why she should take UPSC seriously and work for few years to clear them. Now she is in Delhi preparing for the exams. I wish her all the best and pray she clears... UPSC... However the point is I never realized till I started talking to another student in college in same lines that - what she told me made me think of this topic... the 2nd student preparing for Civil Service in Hyderabad told me that when every one in college - professors, students and others were discouraging students that they can not clear UPSC Civil Services what I told one student that with time and effort she can do it.,. made many think in that direction...I felt all I did was just a pat on her back that she is in right direction... thats all. A clarity of thinking is the direction here

About 2 months back...

A friend and student of mine who is working in SP Mahila University called me up and asked me to talk to a person who moved back from UK to council him. Yes it is a big word...counselling as I do not have necessary educational qualifications to be a shrink nor counsel  however I try to use my life lessons and teach out of them...so having faith in me this friend sent this guy from UK to me. He came to our office one day... and wanted to talk for 30 mins... So we started talking... I was surprised that he was holding a very good job in UK and his mom asked him to come back to India.. No problems there as parents wants their children to come back to be before their eyes. This person landed from UK not knowing the Indian market for what he is looking for jobs. Any ways while talking to him I learnt of certain advantages he has to attempt Civil Services. After talking to him for late into evening hours. We spoke for an hour about preparing for civil services .. while he was planning to leave.. he made a comment... "Sir you are the first person to encourage me to take up UPSC Civil services while my own family told me I can not do it...you made it sound so simple ..." Again all I did was make him realize his advantage that he can take the exam a few more times to clear it, if needed... I felt I did it again... just a tap on his shoulder. I did not hear back from him so far.. but I hope he is in right track...
Here also I did not give a solution but asked him to look for various options that will eventually lead him to a solution possibly

About a week back:

I started using Face Book actively to to network with SVUCE and APRSK alumni... I keep adding a lot of SVUCE / APRSK folks and accept a lot of requests from them too..A few days back I came back from my morning walk and was on FB as the news paper guys did not show up yet.. Some one pinged me wishing me.. I checked that he is from SVUCE... I started talking to him. He is working in core engineering in a  very reputable firm that is fast growing. All of a sudden he asked me out of blue in first conversation that he wanted to move to software job...Of late one thing I am asking all students is not to move to IT Jobs if they can avoid while they are from Core Engineering branches: Civil, Mech, EEE, ECE and Chem Engg. I keep clearly telling them, it is not that they wont be successful in IT/Software but they have to plan and grow well otherwise they might get frustrated after 5 years...

So back to our story... this guy wanted move to software jobs. After a couple of mins of chat, I asked him to give his number or call me. Later that afternoon in lunch time we connected. The first question I asked him was why is he planning to change. He was also pretty open and told me he wants to change for financial benefit. It took me just 5-10 mins to make him think why he should not leave the existing job and what are his options... Also asked him to connect with our alumni in his company. That is all I spoke to him...I was not sure at the end what and how he received the whole topic. Around night 10 pm I got a message in FB thanking me for helping him. Boooooom it hit me that there are many in this world who just needs someone they can trust and share the problem. It is not that everyone is looking for solution... but a path that they can take I felt  that might possibly lead to a solution...
Finally I spoke to a friend of mine where his brother is going to college (to support him this student felt his money is not enough) who is willing to help..
I think all I did here is to give him a process to think himself to come out of his situation and to improve his own position in his present job..

Ohhhh... I am sounding like a swamijeee... Umm not sure good or bad... but at the end I felt all people need, anyone, is a pat on the back to assure some one is always there... to show them right path ...

I remember one quote from one of very famous author from AP... the quote is in Telugu "Penchukonte perigedi sneham, panchikonte tarigedi baadha" meaning in English translates to " Friendship grows by nourishing it and pain is relieved by sharing" 

Management lessons from Hollywood movies

Most of us from AP are having three things we are very fond of: Politics, Cricket and Movies. We grew up watching so many movies. We watch Telugu movies produced by Tollywood depending so many factors: be it the hero we like, the heroine we like, might have liked the story , might have liked the director or just a song to see the movie a number of times.. Most of my generation we remember all epics, ramayanam, mahabharatam, etc etc, that we watched in movies. Now our kids watch them in cartoons and learn.

After going to US and working for a start-up called Viacore that was acquired by IBM, I learnt a lot from our CEO Fadi. He is an Egyptian who can speak fluently about 6 or 7 languages; Arabic, Italian, French, English, Farsi, Spanish and some more. 

I remember at one of his all hands meeting that he conducted when we won Cisco account for a five year contract. He showed a clip of Gladiator and spoke about sieging the opportunity at right time, called Carpe Diem. He explained like many of us he watched so many movies as a kid but when he grew up he started analysing the movies. He started thinking how a scene was shot or what the scene teaches for people. From then on I started looking at movies in a different perspective. I looked for what is learning in some good movies and many good scenes. I always use cinema references in my conversations with students.

These I noted some time back… Wanted to share with others… Knowledge shared is better.. right???

June 13^th 2012

Movie:                                 My Cousin Vinny

Scene:                 Court scene in the end where Marisa Tomei is a Hostile witness. She and Joe Pesci are in love.  She is on stand and Joe shows her pics and asks her questions. She acts very hostile to answer and finally she shows her expertise in automobiles which makes the Judge, Jury and the whole courtroom accept her version. The kids arrested for are released based on her expert witness

Management Lesson:    You dont know which corner you get help from by impressing everyone around you. You have to seek help and sometimes bring the best in people around you even though they dont like to be helping. Its all about playing to the other person strength and using the same.. Who said watching movies is waste of time.

June 16^th 2012

Movie:                 Notting Hill

Scene:                  Caught the end of “Notting hill” Julia Roberts who is a famous film star in movie and Huge Grant who is a book shop owner in UK. Anna Scott (Mrs Roberts name in movie) walks into Huge Grant book shop... She says after some dialogues “I'm a just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her"

Management Lesson:    Watching this I thought of a 2nd management lesson: During performance review time every employee acts like a girl asking for love (rise and benefits) from his/her manager irrespective of their work if they did really well or really horrible during the year

July 6^th 2012

Movie:                                 Scarface (Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer)

No scenes here but overall movie teaches something.. Being a huge fan of mafia movies, I love the discipline and the commitment in most of them

Management Lesson No: 3

Tony Montana (Al Pacino) moves from Cuba to US... He believes he can become what he wants to. Pursues the goal and becomes top in his area of expertise that is being a mafia don. Everyone has a talent that they are good at. First know what your talent is. Look for that inner strength and go for it. You will excel in your area of specialization.

Management Lesson No: 4

Tony Montana would not hurt family and kids and asks all of the people working for him to follow the same. He fights serious enemies and kills the assassin Roberto when he does not listen to him (Montana). Similarly you also should believe in what you stand for and ready to face worst enemy for it. Live by principles you believe in – good or bad…No one cannot judge you but for your own

June 16^th 2013:

Movie                   Ocean Eleven

Scene:                  Entire movie

Management lesson:

Given right team you can deliver any project can be completed.. You need a good executive sponsor (Rubein), Great team leads (George Clooney and Brad Pitt), right team… who fits everything like the small Japanese guy to experts like Matt D. If you execute everything with precision and planning you can deliver any project with success on schedule and in budget …

Once Bitten Twice Shy.... and a Third time....

Once Bitten... Twice shy... a Third time... you stop doing what you do. People don't know their actions will result in people losing faith to help... the few who does help..Read on to see from my vantage point...

Some time back in history in another avatar of my life I was teaching engineering graduates just after finishing college in Tirupati, the same college where I studied. when you are young and bubbling with energy you want to do so many things... one such I picked up is to see whom and what I can help and was always there to do so... In those days I used to wonder...why my professors who are so matured and full of wisdom and really awesome people, never thought of helping students in attendance or accommodating a seat etc etc. Wondering about... I joined the same teaching fraternity... and became one amongst them. Still being young and green behind years wanted to change something. Every year I was in charge of all M Tech Admissions. Don't think it is a great job as it is mainly clerical work, sorting the applications by reservation categorises, sorting them in order of merit, verifying the attached copies of certificates..and preparing the merit list to announce final admissions for the year. 
One year there was this guy who was wait list number 1 for the State government department quota. One of the people in the list was not going to come join and unless he declines the admission, we can not release the offer to wait list candidate. Our Head of the department was not willing to help in anyway. I persuaded him to the best of my ability and made him agree if there is a telegram (yes no cell phones, emails then) from the person not joining that he is rejecting the seat HOD will offer to wait list person. Around Tuesday I told the wail list candidate that he needs to get a telegram from the other guy. He called the selected person and asked him to give a telegram. On Wednesday when we received the telegram our HOD raised another objection, if the candidate can not join by Monday next he wont make the minimum attendance requirement for taking first semester exams. Well ... tough times... so I called the wait list guy and told him the issue. He said let him worry about joining on Monday but first he needed a letter of admission. By Thursday finally we issued admission letter. He went to Hyderabad on Thursday evening and Olaaaa... He magically got his leave approved, granted, with department relief letter and joined on Monday. This is only one I am writing and in 7 years I was there I did many such things... however by 7th year I started noticing people who take help, usually forget and don't remember at all. I am no Tagore in Chiru movie but expecting these people to help others. That was not happening..If people only expect everyone to help and not give back, that to me is a crime... We are born as human beings and expected to be sane and helpful. Then all of a sudden it stuck to me why the senior professors have no enthusiasm to help as they might have seen their share and decided it is not worth helping the students and let them fend themselevs. 

I went to US and saw all my deeds were coming to reality as a unknown Telugu family took so much care of me in a land where I had no friends and family. Till today I am very good friends with them and they keep in touch. I learned something here... a unselfish helpful act never goes unnoticed as GOD helps you in mysterious ways. 

Now I am at a point of my life where in age I am like my professors that time back..I saw so many incidents in my life and still do what I can to assist people. A latest incident brought back my memories of those days again. It happened very close to me. Some one who got a offer thru a persons help in their office while leaving bad mouthed the person. It is like biting your own hand that feeds you. Do people ever know that using others will make them very bad people... a person that was there for you in your worst nightmares, who helped you making thru and who was doing so many small things which you know were helpful for you.. you talked about him ... not nice

One thing that people who take help and behave badly don't know and will never realize is that it makes the next person that seeks help will be looked with a doubt.. So people if you get help... and think it that is it saved your skin, it helped you put food on table, it have comfort and consolation when you were in need don't forget them, and talk bad about them if they said something for your good is not to your liking...Some one gave their wisdom that we should not let people whom we help to remember.. I liked it bit i want them to remember it not to help me back or give me anything back but not to shot my confidence in people down. I would like to continue to do what I can with God's wish. 

At the end... a person who tires to help will know first time bitten and second time might feel a little shy- a third time the person will be careful to help others including stop helping at all. This is what I observed in my college and in work. As fare as me I move on and continue to see how I can do anything to better others in anyway I can irrespective of these happenings... 

Presentability in Companies

I was planning to write something for sometime.. But the question always remains what is that you want to write about? What will help others to do something with your writing? How can people benefit with your writing? not that really I am here to change a lot ... a whole lot but trying to see what and how I can make a difference... For some time one thought was coming to me many a time.... What is the new way to let people who are looking for jobs at any level should know .. and BAAAMMMM this morning while my morning walk talking to one of my senior from college the word came to me : PRESENTABILITY... Is there a word called presentability... not sure.. then why presentability... 

About 6 years back when I moved back to India from US... the buzz word in everywhere is soft skills and communication skills..then after some time I started using "employability" .. today I think it is all about presentability... let me go over these three in what I can explain ... not sure it has to make sense to all :)

Communication Skills: I keep telling where ever I address any one: students, my teams in corporate and every where... what is communication??? Communication is not what I speak but what others understand from what I say, act and think. My communication with other party is complete when the other party receives my message, understands and acts on it the right way I intend them to act...Ok Ok... some of you might be wondering what is this babble about...I will present a couple of examples to make my point (from my vantage point)

For a teacher the communication is not how much time you taught, not how much you know, but have you conveyed what you know to your students?? have they understood what you taught, are they going to use it effectively...these are key measures to know the communication is complete between a student and teacher.

If you are in corporate:  As a leader, manager or a person in key position... are you believing in what you are telling?  are you confident that the project can be delivered? are you certain you know all elements and components of other groups where you are interacting and integrating? then comes the communication to your teams..is what you are talking coming our of your heart or out of your mouth... trust me guys I was in a meeting where a senior leader took over with lots of fanfare and lo and behold his first meeting I know what his agenda is... I lost interest to work under his leadership...if you dont exhibit the body language that you truly are a believer of what you are talking you lost your mission... in first 5 mins...what you think, what you talk and what you exhibit should be in sync to be a successful person in corporate ladder.. well one factor to be successful

Soft Skills: To me soft skills is so misused word, and so mush used to define what people can not explain..One day I was in my college where I did my undergraduate education... and was talking to students.. I asked a student what could be the reason why he will not get thru a job interview as I know our college produces so many GATE rankers and subject wise they are superior to many other colleges...the answer was "Sir we lack soft skills" 
Obviously my question was "what are soft skills in your opinion?" His answer is "I could not talk in interview as I don't have soft skills". Well I don't want to write the complete transcript of our conversation here but, the point is people misunderstand communication skills and soft skills to be same. I met at least a dozen chairmen of private engineering colleges in my state who always tells me the students lack soft skills.  What is soft skill.. some thing that can not be taught... networking, to impress a person (like your first date), situational awareness, following thru the conversation and knowing when to step in and what to talk, to agree or disagree with reasoning, and so on and so on... Why people are indiscriminately using the word "SOFT SKILL" in academics where a professor with 35 years experience do not know what a situational awareness is. Sorry to side step with an example here but when a Vice Chancellor asked him on status of something the principal should have easily said " Sir I am following up and initiated this action" instead he tells later "VC asked me to do this so I did it". If a professor of 35 years plus experience can not understand why and how I will expect a student coming out of a college to understand that , but students with any of these traits will definitely be successful...Students MUST ask questions and a whole lot of them. To put an end to Soft Skills - in my opinion if you have one chance to impress your date about 60 seconds so the date can not walk away ... what would you do?? Same with your job interview situation... if you have to impress your interviewer in 60 seconds what would you say...If you can do this.... you have a doctoral degree in soft skills.... Am I right folks???

Employability: The term I started hearing a lot while at Microsoft and after that many times is "employability". What is this word?? The way I think of this is you have a water leakage at home and called for a plumber. He comes and can not fix it. Do you think he is employable as plumber?? definitely not.. may be he can be a good carpenter, may be he is a good electrician but definitely not a plumber.. similarly in jobs my definition of employability is " if you can adopt to any work assigned, learn quickly and deliver it in timely manner" you are employable. Another most expected employable character is: can you manage triage situation? Are you a person with good analytical skills to isolate the issue and present well? Are you capable of making sure you define the problem in simple terms?? Here again I want to quote an example my research supervisor, a professor in TAMU shared.. He was a expert witness for an insurance claim, His job is to explain how clay when comes in contact with water makes the soil warp and creates fissures in soil increasing seepage under the structure, there by causing fractures inside the house in walls.. where did the water come from, from the beautiful flower beds we all want to see from our windows while working... Now I know .. I lost many of you... with lot of Civil Engineering words.. my professor also realized he was in same situation with jury he is answering to.. so what did he do.. he said imagine you are making a chocolate pudding and you added water to the mixture. It is hard to stir and mix. However you ran out for an emergency when you come back what do you see: a dry mix with a lot of cracks... Bingoo.. all the heads started nodding... See this is what simplifying the explanation means.. if you have this with right analytical skills, you might land a good job.... ha ha ha .. don't quote me on this eh !! 

now comes my real term... PRESENTABILITY
What is presentability? I learned this from a friend whom I was working with...He said "sir I can not present them before the clients" Yes the work presentability came to my mind after this. Now you all might be wondering I will be able to tell a lot about this when I coin this word... I will try my best..

• Like I said before: Are you some one who can impress my client and your date in 60 seconds
• Can you gain their trust after the first meeting?
• Can you present everything in simple terms (remember the chocolate pudding)
• Are you sure what you are saying and writing is being received by the client? are you able to communicate with your client? 
• Finally are you able to get your second and subsequent dates with your client to take care of the business? 
• If you think you are capable of all the above you have arrived and you are presentable...

Please feel free to leave your comments... Thank you