Spilling the beenz

'I heard it on the grapevine'. If the grapevine was important enough for Marvin Gaye to sing about, I think it's a valid enough subject for my random musings! Besides providing one of the yummiest fruits ever, that grapevine is also responsible for some not so palatable stuff as well. So what do you do with the fruit of the grapevine (no, not grapes)? I know organizations dread water cooler chats & the resulting grist for the rumor mill. But maybe it's time to stop and think about the problem instead of just addressing the symptom by discouraging said chats. In order to remain healthy and stay alive, any relationship, personal or professional, needs trust. Which in turn is built on credible communication. When the communication arteries get clogged, for whatever reason, the result is always a reduction in the health of the relationship. The sad thing is, the reasons are always justifiable in the minds of those who are clogging it up - ignorance is bliss; wh...

"Close your eyes & slowly allow yourself to fall back...". I dare say the ones who haven't done the 'trust' exercise with a team member are few and far between! Letting go of the wheel and letting someone else take control is not something that sits well with us at all. As long as we have a modicum of control, or even the illusion of it sometimes, we find we can bear the toughest situation. It's pretty much like looking at a 1000 piece jigsaw and feeling so overwhelmed at the sheer number of tiny pieces, that you never begin. But focus on identifying just one of the corners and with even as few as five pieces that fit together, you  are filled with the confidence that it's not that big a puzzle after all! It's happened with such predictability, that I can now swear by this approach to an overwhelming situation - after indulging in the best pity-party ever, sit yourself down with a pen and paper. Divide it into 2 columns and title them...

Self-confidence. The most fragile thing on earth. I have seen the most self-confident, capable people develop cracks in their self-image, doubting their ability to handle the simplest of tasks. Sadly, our image of ourselves and our abilities is tied to the way others perceive us. So if you get passed over for a well-deserved promotion time and again, or see others who are clearly far less capable than you outshine you, its only natural that in time you will begin to question your image of yourself. I have seen this disease strike across all ages and occupations - teenage students, seasoned professionals, fresh graduates... The best way to take this on, I find, is to have a set of criteria by which you measure yourself. These need to be very specific and clear, so you don't leave room for delusion! Every now & then measure yourself by this yardstick and do the necessary course-correction as required. After all, you are the only one who knows what you are shaping yourself to ...

I just saw an ad that packed a massive punch - Disconnect to connect. & its in THAI or something!! That straightaway makes it a great ad. Please watch it & tell me it doesnt speak to you: http://www.wimp.com/disconnectconnect/ I really have nothing against social media. Honest. I don't! The only bone I have to pick with those who need to be plugged into 1 form of it or another at ALL times, is this - life is happening all around you NOW. You're so busy living in the virtual world with your virtual friends, that you are losing out on the REAL WORLD and the flesh & blood people around you!!! How can you truly enjoy an amazing sunset, if half the time your mind is focussed on taking a picture of it, then broadcasting/tweeting/uplaoding it??? by the time you're done with all of that, night has fallen & the moment has melted into the darkness..... As those oh so wise philosphers Steven Tyler & Eminem wrote: just "sing for the years, sing for the laughter...

I know, I know.....i fell off the wagon again. Its been months since I wrote something - why is it so much easier to make a resolution than to keep it? Anyways, I think I have a valid excuse this time round. I lost someone very dear to my heart in June. Writing at such times is pretty much like slitting my wrists & letting my life-blood pour out...call me weird, but somehow i just never really learnt to enjoy doing that! Time numbs the pain, while working away on the healing part. So here I am, comfortably numb, sharing my thoughts again "live like you're dying" goes the song. 'Carpe Diem' - a Latin phrase that an amazing number of people actually know the meaning of - all inspiring bits of wisdom spurring us to Seize the Day & live for the moment. It's only when I actually went through the process of living life on borrowed time, that i realized how true this obvious truth is! By nature we are programmed to appreciate that which is not easily availabl...

Seems like I posted my thoughts on turning 38 just a few days ago - could be because it really HAS just been a few days since I did, despite writing it a year ago! Anyway, the 'year hand' has moved another notch and 39 is here. I'm surrounded by young guns who are so chock full of new technologies and new gadgets & new ... well basically everything about them is new! Which leads one to reflect on what exactly it is that we of the more 'mature' cadres have over them? What do all these years of having 'been there & done that' actually add up to in a world which is increasingly becoming 'heard of that, wanna do that', to us? On the face of it, not much. Roles appear to be reversed a tad, when they are the ones introducing you to stuff, explaining and convincing. But hang on just a bit longer, and you find, that no matter what the shiny new veneer of the moment is, underneath lurk all the same age-old concerns and issues. Yes, they of the 'be...