Spilling the beenz

I never thought I'd say this, but it's true! Like all amazing inventions and tools, the TV can be the biggest addiction and life-sapping  box there is, OR it can be the magnet that gives your family some quality time together. Yup you read it right, I said quality time and TV in the same sentence. As someone who has always been totally irritated at the sight of someone just zoned out in front of a TV, watching anything that flashes on it, including noise, this is one hell of an admission! I realized this in bits and pieces. My husband & I have some TV serials that we both enjoy & some that 1 of us likes a little more than the other. In the middle of a work week chocablock with long working hours, university in the evening, spending time with the kids, watching a serial together before we conk out becomes a little oasis of 'us' time. Commenting on the production values of the series, laughing together or predicting what comes next, it's our little bubb...

'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...

The best laid plans ....etc etc My iron-clad resolution to write regularly sadly couldnt escape the rust of procrastination. So it is, after a long hiatus that I return to my blog, determined to get back on track. In my defense, I DID write a couple of articles in this period, which I have posted today as well. Perhaps at the end of a day of mass communicating, I'm all communicated out? I seem to be part of a dying breed that feels no burning urge to stay connected with as many people as possible in as many ways as possible, at the same time!! No, I'm not on FaceBook. My life still feels pretty complete as of now, so guess its status quo for the foresable future. I feel truly sorry for my followers on Twitter. Watching paint dry would prove far more interactive and rivetting! Well, baby steps, as I said in the beginning....... I'm back here. So lets take it one post at a time

'17 Again', the movie poster announces and I laugh at the timing. 38's around the corner and 17 looks pretty tempting! Having suffered from a chronic Peter Pan syndrome all my life, birthdays post 30 have pretty much been occupied with tearing of hair and gnashing of teeth, although I've had to take it down a notch recently – somehow replacing crowns and caps just isn’t that much fun anymore. Okay, I'm gone take it on the chin(s) – time to take stock and see how bad the situation is. Granted, I'm not queen of the world as per my plan at age 6, but, I do have my own little world in which I am loved and adored, short temper, flabby arms and all. Okay, not a bad start. I don’t have the adrenalin pumping excitement of being on the race track (horse/bike/car – anything was fine at 10) but I do have heart stopping moments, albeit when watching little baby steps being taken for the first time, or the first word being spoken by my daughters, not to mention their first g...

The red light flashes. It’s a summons I cannot ignore. Doesn’t matter where I am. Or what I'm doing. Or who I'm with. The red light MUST be heeded. At once. Or the pain will follow. Distracting me from the conversation I'm in. From the book I'm reading. The TV show I'm watching. The long story my kids are telling me. The ice-cream I'm eating. Nothing is stronger than the call of the red light. Not to respond to the flashing red-light means unbearable anxiety. So many unanswered questions that only heeding that call could answer. Just the agony of not knowing……it's too much to bear. I can't do it, I have to respond. Now. I know it's rude. It's going to upset people. It's going to cause misunderstandings and possibly fights. But you don’t understand. You cannot see the red light flashing and ignore it. I disgust myself sometimes. I never thought I would be so meekly subservient. So ready to give the red-light such a high priority in my life, af...

Chicken or the egg situation - do you get a bunch of engaged, motivated employees by being a good organisation, or do they make an organisation better? How big a role does the environment play in generating the excitement and commitment a start-up always seems to have? How do you sustain that zest and passion through to post-launch, without letting them get jaded? Keeping anticipation levels up is one way. Involving the company in what's next and making them feel they have a role to play in it will keep the enthusiasm levels high. Management continuing to keep closely involved with their staff at all levels, even after the company has grown exponentially, makes a difference as well. Appreciate those who have taken risks (within limits!) even if the idea didn't pan out. Management have to walk the talk - live the brand values, don't preach them. Love to hear what you guys have to say........spill the beans to beenz!!

I'm reading so much about retaining employees in a time of crisis; who holds the 'power' now - the employer or the employee...etc. Its not rocket science. At any time, all people really need in order to be actively engaged, is to know they are important to management. As people, not just drones who get the job done. Be flexible about timings when it comes to kid related stuff - PTA meetings, doctor visits, etc; have an open door policy that lets them feel their opinion counts and they have the freedom to air it; make sure they are your brand ambassadors - let them be your test groups, get the product first, get all company announcements before the media.......simple things that yield results. Loyal employees will stick with you through the thick and thin, if they know its being appreciated. Being taken for granted sucks, in personal relationships as well as professional ones. Talk to your people and be honest. Take them along with you for the ride, whether its an aerial dir...

Amazing how the tensest of situations gets diffused by a little madness! A little dose of laughter and everyone going nuts for a bit and calm is restored. I know most bosses hate 'official email' being used to send jokes and stuff around, but I think its a great way to bring your staff together and keep stress levels down. Sometimes people surprise you with their reactions as well, giving away more about themselves with the kind of joke that makes them laugh!!

Dont you sometimes feel the credit crunch has actually saved a lot of companies from losing their best people? Everyone's scared to leave and join a new place at this time, without any guarantee that they will not be chucked out of the new place in the next round of lay-offs! So they stay - at least physically and on the records; but mentally they are so out of the workplace. The minute the economic crisis gets sorted out and stability returns to the market, there will be an unprecedented level of churn across the board. Should be interesting to watch, not to mention, opening up new avenues of employment! Hows that for a silver lining :-)

Everything has to start somewhere - so here i am with my first blog step :-) hope to pick up speed soon and write some amazingly rivetting stuff!! till then, feel free to spill the beans to beenz