Thursday, December 31, 2009

Happy New Year

Esteemed Readers,
"Lets welcome the year which is fresh and new,
Lets cherish each moment it beholds,
Lets celebrate this blissful New year."
Here is wishing you all and your family a very Happy and Prosperous New Year – 2010 and Good times ahead…


Have an absolutely rocking year ahead!



P.S
New Year Resolutions:
http://pittsburgh.about.com/od/holidays/tp/resolutions.htm

http://www.123newyear.com/resolutions.html

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Tech Trends: What Lies Ahead

Shivani Shinde & Priyanka Joshi, Mumbai
Business Standard

A look at the top five trends that will stand out in 2010.

This decade has been one of the most crucial for the technology sector. It was feared that the start of the new millennium would be blighted by computers all over the world blanking out. Reason: computers were programmed to understand the binary database, which meant they would not recognise 2000. But it proved to be much ado about nothing and everything went well when the clock struck midnight on January 1, 2000.

Instead, now we have a thriving $60 billion (Rs 280,000 crore) Indian outsourcing industry, which got a big boost due to the Y2K problem. The industry registered a growth rate of 40-50 percent in the first half of the decade.

Both Y2K and the global economic slowdown (that started in 2008) highlighted that technology has moved away from the purview of a select team of IT managers to the core of business.

In terms of technology, 2009 has been a crucial period for India, even as we wait for some of the regulatory hurdles to be cleared — such as 3G. It was a year when not only form factors morphed but also boundaries between gadgets blurred. As global warming hit the headlines, IT made its presence felt with Green IT initiatives kicking in. 2009 also saw tech jargon like cloud computing make business sense. Social networking sites impacted consumers and enterprises alike.

2010 will further enhance the usage of some of these technologies many of which will define the next decade. Business Standard talks about five top technology trends.

Wireless technologies: The wait continues
The wait for 3G continues with batted breath into 2010 as well, with the news coming in that the auction process has been delayed by a month. The auction is likely to happen in February. Meanwhile the reserve price for 3G spectrum has been fixed at Rs 3,500 crore, while that for WiMax services at Rs 1,750 crore .

So far, 3G services have already been launched by state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) and Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL), although neither has yet developed a major 3G customer base.

The delay has led to a debate within the industry that operators might just want to skip 3G and wait for 4G. Long Term Evolution (LTE) or 4G seems better equipped to quench the bandwidth and user experience thirst of the emerging breed of wireless applications. Along with 3G, WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) also got delayed. Experts hope that 2010 will be the year when these doubts would be laid to rest.

But despite the delay, with 500 million users the mobile subscriber base continues to grow and the telecom sector is briskly marching towards robust growth in 2010. According to a Morgan Stanley report, mobile internet users are set to outnumber those going online via desktop technology in the next five years.

Convergence: All in one
Carrying multiple gadgets for different purposes is so last decade. Today, a mobile phone can do the work of a computer, a computer can double up as a TV and a TV can be used to play out digital content from a gaming console or videos from a digital camera. In short, every gadget is pumped up to do more than what it is supposed to do.

But the biggest change in 2009 was that, in place of separate devices for information processing (computers), communication (telephones) and audio/visual reproduction (cameras, recorders, TVs and radios), we began using handheld devices that combine all of these functions and dwarf the capabilities of computers.

In the coming year get ready to experience smartphones with built-in projectors, cameras of 12 or more megapixel resolution, more storage memory on devices and a battery back-up of over 16 hours. Players that are positioning themselves as suppliers of converged devices include Samsung, Acer, Toshiba and Asus.

Green IT: Colour for 2010
Green IT, until now preached more than practised, will be a keen area of focus. Springboard Research in a recent survey pointed out that fewer than 10 percent of enterprises in Asia have formally implemented a Green IT strategy.

However, a majority of enterprises including IT majors — TCS, Infosys, Wipro — have taken steps to implement Green IT at their end. Wipro, for instance, is planning to reduce its carbon footprint from the present 3.96 tonnes per employee to 2.5 tonnes in the next five to seven years. Global firms like IBM, Cisco and HP have already initiated steps to reduce their carbon footprint.

Analysts also say that the initial uptake for Green IT would be from a cost efficiency point. The study’s findings also indicate that the market also needs aggressive education as nearly 15 percent of respondents claimed that they did not know how or where to begin with regard to Green IT.

Cloud Computing: Finally gets formed
Cloud Computing saw some good on-ground activity from many IT players and hence continued to be a buzz-word during 2009. Recession just gave it the desired push, with cost-saving features as the biggest agenda on CIOs’ lists.

Over the next five years, IDC expects spending on IT cloud services to grow almost threefold, reaching $42 billion by 2012. Spending on cloud computing will accelerate throughout the forecast period, capturing 25 percent of IT spending growth in 2012.

Some of the concepts of cloud computing that saw momentum in terms of adoption in India were software-as-a-services (SaaS), Platform-as-a-services (PaaS) and infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS).

Adoption among enterprises is still very low. But clearly a few IT services players are pegging this as the best approach to cater to small and medium enterprises (SME). TCS, which announced its foray into the SME segment with ITaaS over a year ago, has close to 60 customers. Bangalore-based Wipro has clearly chosen this route to increase its footprint among SMEs.

Social networking: Tweet your company status
Blame the recession or the need to cut costs, but Indian companies are latching on to social media to engage with end-users and clients. Social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube are no longer just the purview of GenX. 2009 saw baby steps being taken in the adoption of these sites by companies.

2010 could see the increased use of these sites for branding and marketing. The two joint CEOs of Wipro Technologies, Girish Paranjpe and Suresh Vaswani, are expected to become active on Twitter. S Ramadorai, vice-chairman of TCS, is already on Facebook, and a majority of IT firms including MindTree are on the professional networking site Linkedin.

This despite the fact that, as per a recent Assocham survey, social networking sites cause 12.5 percent loss of employee productivity in the corporate sector.

Information Technology: The Wonder Decade

Courtesy: The Economic Times
What started as an industry riding the demand from global customers seeking to make their IT and business systems Y2K compliant is today almost a $60-billion industry, contributing nearly 4% to India’s GDP.

1999 - The biggest inflection point was the role Indian companies played in combating the so-called millennium bug. TCS, Wipro and others become trusted partners for companies worldwide seeking to achieve Y2K compliance

Infosys achieves $100 million in revenues, lists on Nasdaq.

India’s outsourcing industry grows to $4 billion 2000-2001 - Indian IT industry moves from Y2K to complex e-business projects

Dewang Mehta, who helped Indian IT industry grow in its early years, dies.

Kiran Karnik takes over as Nasscom head

US increases H1B visa limit to 1,95,000, the highest ever

Wipro lists on NYSE

2002-2003 - NR Narayana Murthy steps down from Infosys and Nandan Nilekani takes over

Post the dotcom bust, companies such as DSQ Software, Pentafour and Silverline perish

2004-2005 - TCS lists on BSE

Large customers start offshoring ERP-based projects.

Infosys becomes a $1-billion company, Wipro too crosses $1 billion in revenues

GE sells 60% in GECIS — the back office pioneer — to private equity firms.

The Indian BPO industry starts growing rapidly

IBM, Accenture and HP start developing their Indian offshore presence to make them their largest operations outside the US

2006-2007 - Indian IT becomes a $31-billion industry

Protectionism in top export markets forces Indian IT companies to start hiring locals

2008-2009 - Infosys’ revenues cross $4 billion. Nilekani joins the government as chairman of the Unique Identity Authority of India

HCL acquires UK’s Axon for £441.1 million, the biggest ever acquisition for Indian IT

Satyam founder Ramalinga Raju admits to over $1-billion fraud. Tech Mahindra acquires Satyam

TCS’ annual revenues cross $6 billion. N Chandrasekaran takes over from S Ramadorai as chief executive

The big bang

Newer rivals such as Salesforce.com, apart from new business models such as software-as-a-service will force Indian information technology companies to shift gears. While the past decade has been driven primarily by demand for lower-cost offshore services, the decade ahead will challenge the Indian outsourcing industry to think of the ‘next big disruption’.

Globalisation will be another big challenge, wherein the Indian IT industry will need to address political sentiments and protectionism by hiring more local professionals in the top export markets of US and Europe. Over the next 5-10 years, India’s top tech firms aim to have at least 20% of their workforce of non-Indian origin.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

This is life - words of Alexander the great

The great Greek king, Alexander, after conquering many kingdoms, was returning home. On the way, he fell ill and he was bedridden for months. With death drawing close, Alexander realized how his conquests, his great army, his sharp sword and all his wealth were of no use.


He called his generals and said, "I will depart from this world soon. But I have three wishes. Please fulfill my wishes without fail." With tears flowing down their cheeks, the generals agreed to abide by their king's last wishes.



“My first desire is that,” Alexander said, “my physicians alone must carry my coffin.” “Secondly, when my coffin is being carried to the grave, the path leading to the graveyard should be strewn with gold, silver and precious stones which I have collected in my treasury. My third wish is that both my hands should be kept dangling out of my coffin.”



The people who gathered there wondered at the king’s strange wishes. But no one dared to question. Alexander’s favourite general kissed his hand and pressed them to his heart. “O king, we assure that your wishes will all be fulfilled. But tell us why do you make such strange wishes?”



At this Alexander took a deep breath and said, “I would like the world to know of the three lessons I have just learnt. I want my physicians to carry my coffin because people should realize that no doctor can really cure anybody. They are powerless and cannot save a person from the clutches of death. So let not people take life for granted.



The second wish of strewing gold, silver and other riches on the way to the graveyard is to tell people that not even a fraction of gold can be taken by me. Let people realize that it is sheer waste of time to chase wealth.



And about my third wish of having my hands dangling out of the coffin, I want people to know that I came empty handed into this world and empty handed I go out of this world.”



Alexander’s last words: “Bury my body, do not build any monument, keep my hands outside so that the world knows the person who won the world had nothing in his hands when dying.”



Sent by: T.S.Divya

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Be honest, be the best!

“Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity.”
- W. Clement Stone
The following story best illustrates this…


A successful business man was growing old and it was the time to choose a successor to take over the business. He could have chosen someone from the board of directors or from his own family, rather, he decided to do something different.


He called all the young executives of his company and said, “It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I will choose one of you.” All the executives were shocked to hear that.


The CEO then gave a seed to all the executives and said, “This is a very special seed. Plant this seed and water it daily. Come back a year later with what you have grown from this seed. I will judge all that you bring and based on that I will choose the next CEO of this company.”


Among the executives was a person named Jim. Even he received a seed. Excited, Jim went home that day and told the whole story to his wife. She then helped him to get a pot, soil and compost and they planted the seed. Everyday Jim watered the seed and watched to see if it had grown.


Days passed by but still there was nothing in Jim’s pot. The other executives in the office talked about little green leaves that had started to show from the seed. Jim kept checking his pot but nothing ever grew. This didn’t stop him and he continued to fertilize and water the seed but felt like a failure.


A year went by and the big day was announced. All the executives were called for the inspection. Jim felt sick to even face the CEO but his wife encouraged him to be honest and tell his boss about what had happened. Jim’s pot was empty compared to the variety of plants his colleagues had brought. They were beautiful- of all shapes and sizes.


The CEO arrived and was enthralled to see the range of plants. He said, “Today, one of you must be announced the CEO of this company.” Eyes sparkled as they keenly waited to hear the fortunate name.


All of a sudden, the CEO located Jim standing in the corner of the room with his empty pot. He called him in the front. Jim was terrified.


“Why is this pot empty and where is your plant?” asked the CEO. Jim told him the whole story.


The CEO asked all others to sit except Jim. He looked at Jim and then announced to the others, “Behold your next Chief Executive! His name is Jim!


Jim was shocked as were the other executives.


The CEO said, “A year ago, I had given you all a seed and asked you to plant it and water it daily. All of you have brought me stunning plants except Jim. The seed, which I had given you was boiled, a dead seed, which was not possible to grow. You all replaced my seed with another one but Jim was true to his heart and had the courage and honesty to bring me an empty pot with my seed in it.” He is the one who deserves to be the next CEO of this company!


What people do at work and how they handle their job determine their aspirations and outlook towards work. Without honesty and courage, a business can never be successful. Have the courage to speak up and speak the truth. A person needs to have strong work ethics and integrity to rise high.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

International Men's Day


Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.

The above is a quote of Henry David Thoreau, who observed that most men are enslaved to their work and to those for whom they work. True to his words, everyday,


• Men protect and provide for families.
• Men render many services that make the society comfortable for everyone.
• Men make many contributions to science, technology and health of all.
• Men perform the most dangerous and difficult jobs in the world.
• Men take risks and die to save other lives during calamities and war.


Every day and everywhere, as we are busy idolizing movie stars, athletes and other celebrities as role models, the common men around us - the academic achievers, social leaders, champions of the environment, artists, comedians, soldiers, farmers, fishermen, fire fighters, and those more humble males who, on a daily basis, clean our streets, build our houses, fix our vehicles, police our streets, deliver newspapers and milk, and care for children – dedicate themselves to their work and continue to serve everyone.


CELEBRATE BEING MALE!


On International Men’s Day, all men and women should recognize and honor men for the numerous services they render and the innumerable sacrifices they make for the health and well-being of our families and society.


Celebrate the men in our lives – our fathers, brothers, sons, and friends.


SAY “NO” TO MALE BASHING!
SAY “NO” TO STEROTYPING OF MEN!
REALIZE MAN IS NOT AN ATM!
STOP TREATING MEN AS UNPAID BODYGUARDS!
STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST MEN!
UNDERSTAND MEN TOO NEED LOVE AND CARE!
UNDERSTAND MEN TOO NEED PROTECTION!
DEMAND TRUE GENDER EQUALITY!
DEMAND GENDER-NEUTRAL LAWS!
DEMAND MEN’S WELFARE MINISTRY!


HAPPY INTERNATIONAL MEN’S DAY!!!


International Men's Day is an international event celebrated on November 19 every year.


Be Proud to be a Male!!!!!!!!!!!

Best Books for Business Men

All the books in the 100 best, separated by chapter.


You
Improving your life, your person and your strengths.


Flow by Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi
Getting Things Done by David Allen (also available in
CD and audio)
The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker
How to Be a Star at Work by Robert E. Kelley
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey (also available in audio)
How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie (also available in
audio)
Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive by Harvey B. Mackay
The Power of Intuition by Gary Klein
What Should I Do with My Life? by Po Bronson (also available in
audio)
Oh, the Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss/Theodore Geisel (also available in
audio)
Chasing Daylight by Eugene O'Kelly


- - - - - - - - -

Leadership
Inspiration. Challenge. Courage. Change.


On Becoming a Leader by Warren Bennis
The Leadership Moment by Michael Useem
The Leadership Challenge by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner (also available in
CD)
Leadership Is an Art by Max De Pree (also available in
CD and audio)
The Radical Leap by Steve Farber
Control Your Destiny or Someone Else Will by Tichy and
Sherman (also available in CD)
Leading Change by John P. Kotter (also available in
CD and audio)
Questions of Character by Joseph L. Badaracco, Jr.
The Story Factor
by Annette Simmons
Never Give In! Speeches by Winston Churchill (also available in audio)


- - - - - - - - -

Strategy
Eight organizational blueprints from which to draft your own.


In Search of Excellence by Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman, Jr.
Good to Great by Jim Collins
The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen (also available in
audio)
Only the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove
Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance? by Louis V. Gerstner, Jr. (also available in
audio)
Discovering the Soul of Service by Leonard Berry
Execution by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan (also available in
CD and audio)
Competing for the Future by Gary Hamel and C. K. Prahalad


- - - - - - - - -

Sales and Marketing
Approaches and pitfalls in the ongoing process of creating customers.


Influence by Robert B. Cialdini, PhD
Positioning by Al Ries and Jack Trout
A New Brand World by Scott Bedbury with Stephen Fenichell
Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith (also available in
CD and audio)
Zag by Marty Neumeier
Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore
Secrets of Closing the Sale by Zig Ziglar (also available in
CD and audio)
How to Become a Rainmaker by Jeffrey J. Fox (also available in
CD and audio)
Why We Buy by Paco Underhill (also available in
audio)
The Experience Economy by B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore (also available in audio)
Purple Cow by Seth Godin (also available in
audio)
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (also available in
CD and audio)


- - - - - - - - -

Rules and Scorekeeping
The all-important numbers behind the game.


Naked Economics by Charles Wheelan
Financial Intelligence by Karen Berman and Joe Knight
The Balanced Scorecard by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton


- - - - - - - - -

Management
Guiding and directing the people around you.


The Essential Drucker by Peter Drucker
Out of the Crisis by W. Edwards Deming
Toyota Production System by Taiichi Ohno (also available in
CD)
Reengineering the Corporation by Michael Hammer and James Champy
The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox (also available in
CD and audio)
The Great Game of Business by Jack Stack with Bo Burlingham
First, Break all the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman (also available in
CD)
Now, Discover Your Strengths by Buckingham and Clifton (also available in
CD)
The Knowing-Doing Gap by Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert I. Sutton
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni (also available in
audio)
Six Thinking Hats by Edward De Bono


- - - - - - - - -

Biographies
Seven lives. Unlimited lessons.


Titan by Ron Chernow
My Years with General Motors by Alfred P. Sloan, Jr.
The HP Way by David Packard
Personal History by Katharine Graham
Moments of Truth by Jan Carlzon
Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton with John Huey
Losing My Virginity by Richard Branson


- - - - - - - - -

Entrepreneurship
Seven guides to the passion and practicality necessary for any new venture.


The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki (also available in CD and audio)
The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber (also available in
CD and audio)
The Republic of Tea ** by Mel Ziegler, Patricia Ziegler, and Bill Rosenzweig
The Partnership Charter by David Gage
Growing a Business by Paul Hawken
Guerrilla Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson (also available
audio)
The Monk and the Riddle Randy Komisar with Kent Lineback


- - - - - - - - -

Narratives
Six industry tales of both fortune and failure.


McDonald’s: Behind the Arches by John F. Love
American Steel ** by Richard Preston
The Force by David Dorsey
The Smartest Guys in the Room by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind
When Genius Failed by Roger Lowenstein
Moneyball by Michael Lewis (also available in
audio)


- - - - - - - - -

Innovation & Creativity
Insight into the process of developing new ideas.

Orbiting the Giant Hairball by Gordon MacKenzie
The Art of Innovation by Tom Kelley with Jonathan Littman (also available in
audio)
Jump Start Your Business Brain by Doug Hall
A Whack on the Side of the Head by Roger Von Oech
The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp
The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander


- - - - - - - - -

Big Ideas
The future of business books lies here.


The Age of Unreason by Charles Handy
Out of Control by Kevin Kelly
The Rise of the Creative Class by Richard Florida
Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman (also available in
CD and audio)
Driven by Paul R. Lawrence and Nitin Nohria
To Engineer is Human by Henry Petroski
The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki (also available in
audio)
Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath (also available in
CD and audio)


- - - - - - - - -

Takeaways
What everyone is looking for.


The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins (also available in CD and audio)
Up the Organization by Robert Townsend
Beyond the Core by Chris Zook
Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer (also available in
CD and audio)
What the CEO Wants You to Know by Ram Charan
The Team Handbook by Peter Scholtes, Brian Joiner, and Barbara Streibel
A Business and Its Belief by Thomas J. Watson, Jr.
Lucky or Smart? by Bo Peabody (also available in audio)
The Lexus and the Olive Tree by Thomas L. Friedman (also available in
CD and audio)
Thinkertoys by Michael Michalko
More Than You Know by Michael J. Mauboussin

- - - - - - - - -
** To buy The Republic of Tea,
visit their site.
** American Steel is presently out-of-print. Your best bet is to head to your local library.


Thursday, October 29, 2009

7 Ways To Make A Good Impression

Impressions are important: They leave an initial taste in people's mouths that can remain prevalent for the entire relationship. If you are paranoid about what kind of impression you make, run through these seven list items and see if you are consistent with them; if you are, then you will probably expose the best of yourself. If not, then work to meet these standards.


1. Dress: The absolute first impression you will make on someone will be through your clothing, because that is what is seen from a distance, and cannot change throughout your meeting. Make sure to dress according to the situation-don' t over or under dress-and maintain within the limits of good taste. If you aren't sure if what you're wearing looks good, ask people for an honest opinion. One last thought: always, and I mean always, pull up your pants

2. Hygiene: Take a shower! Shave! Brush your teeth! You must be fully bathed and groomed before you meet with someone for the first time, because scruffy looking people generally don't seem as neat and mature. Pay attention to the little elements like breath: keep a pack of mint gum with you wherever you go, and periodically check to make sure you aren't killing bugs every time you breathe out. If you sweat heavily, keep a small stick of deodorant/anti- perspirant close, and if you notice you're stinking you can freshen up. People notice the minutiae!


3. Manners: At the table and with other people be civilized, polite and respectful: keep your elbows off of the table, open doors for people and address everyone-initially, at least-by their formal title. This will make an especially good impression on senior citizens, because you will prove that you aren't one of those "new fangled punks."


4. Speech: Have clean, clear diction and speak sans "like" or "you know." It is important to be articulate because that inspires a feeling of intelligence and education in the person you are meeting with. Always leave out profanity, and whatever you do, make sure to speak loud enough for all to hear, because conversationalists are easily agitated if you force them say "excuse me?" more than a few times.


5. Discretion: Choose what to share about yourself: forget to tell everyone about that time you went camping and ruptured your appendix, then fell face first into a pile of bug infested leaves-it is rude and will alienate you from the group. Try to withhold from conversations on personal subjects like religion or more disgusting topics like personal medical care. Before you speak, think about the possible impact of what you might say, then imagine its implications in the long run.


6. Humor: Humor can be your most powerful tool or your doom, because everyone has a slightly different sense of humor. What might be hilarious to you might seem disgusting to another, or vice versa. Try to withhold from any jokes that aren't family or dinner table friendly; you can tell those later.


7. Start and End with a Bang: Whoever you are meeting with will remember how you greet them, and then in what manner you left them. If you feel you have trouble with this, practice a few different phrases in the mirror, and introduce elements like: "pleased to meet you," or "honored to make your acquaintance. " Ignore the antiquity of these phrases; it often makes them more memorable.


Making a good impression will set any relationship off on a good foot. If you are in a situation where you need to be judged at face value-such as a job interview or date-then make sure to go through this list and make sure you are within bounds of reason and good taste on all of your decisions.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

20 Great Ways to Find More Free TIME


The real problem of leisure time is how to keep others from using yours.

- Arthur Lacey


Are there a hundred different things you wish you could do with your life someday — anything from exercising to meditation or yoga to writing that novel you always wished you could write to reading more to relaxing and watching the sunrise? But perhaps you never have the time, like most people.

The truth is, we all have the same amount of time, and its finite and in great demand. But some of us have made the time for doing the things we love doing, and others have allowed the constant demands and pressures and responsibilities of life to dictate their days.

Its time to move from the second group back into the first. Reclaim your time. Create the life you want and make the most of the free time you lay claim to. Its not hard, though it does take a little bit of effort and diligence.

Not all of these will be applicable to your life choose the ones you can apply and give them a try:

1. Take a time out. Freeing up your time starts with taking a step back to take a good look at your life. You need to block off at least an hour. Several hours or half a day is better. A whole day would be awesome. A weekend would be even more ideal, though not necessary practical for many folks. With this block of time, take a look at your life with some perspective. Is it what youve always wanted? How would you get to where youve always wanted to be? What do you enjoy doing, but dont have enough time to do? What things actually fill up your day? Are there things you could drop or minimize to make more time? Well look at some of these things in the following items, but it starts with taking a time out to think and plan.


2. Find your essentials. What is it that you love to do? Make a short list of 4-5 things. These are the things you want to make room for.


3. Find your time-wasters. What do you spend a lot of your time on that isnt on your essential list? Take a close look at these things and really think about whether theyre necessary, or if there are ways to reduce, minimize or eliminate these things. Sometimes you do things because you assume theyre necessary, but if you give it some thought you can find ways to drop them from your life. Figure out what you do simply to waste time maybe surfing certain sites, watching TV, talking a lot at the water cooler, etc. Youre going to want to minimize these time-wasters to make room for the more important stuff, the stuff that makes you happy and that you love to do.


4. Schedule the time. As you sit down and think about your life and what you want to do, versus what you actually do, you will be looking at ways to free up time. Its crucial that you take a blank weekly schedule (you can just write it out on a piece of paper, or use your calendar) and assign blocks for the things you love the stuff on your essentials list. If you want to exercise, for example, when will you do it? Put the blocks of time on your schedule, and make these blocks the most important appointments of your week. Schedule the rest of your life around these blocks.


5. Consolidate. There are many things you do, scattered throughout your day or your week, that you might be able to consolidate in order to save time. A good example is errands instead of running one or two a day, do them all in one day to save time and gas. Another example is email, or any kind of communication batch process your email instead of checking and reading and responding throughout the day. Same thing with meetings, paperwork, anything that you do regularly.


6. Cut out meetings. This isnt possible for everyone, but in my experience meetings take up a lot of time to get across a little information, or to make easy decisions that could be made via email or phone. As much as you can, minimize the number of meetings you hold and attend. In some cases this might mean talking to your boss and telling her that you have other priorities, and asking to be excused. In other cases this might mean asking the people holding the meeting if you can get the info in other ways. If so, youve saved yourself an hour or so per meeting (sometimes more).


7. De clutter your schedule. If you have a heavily packed schedule, full of meetings and errands and tasks and projects and appointments, youre going to want to weed it out so that its not so jam-packed. Find the stuff thats not so essential and cancel them. Postpone other stuff. Leave big blank spaces in your schedule.


8. Re-think your routine. Often we get stuck in a routine thats anything but what we really want our days to be like. Is there a better way of doing things? Youre the creator of your life make a new routine thats more pleasant, more optimal, more filled with things you love.


9. Cut back on email. I mentioned email in an earlier point above, regarding consolidating, but its such a major part of most peoples lives that it deserves special attention. How often do you check email? How much time do you spend composing emails? If you spend a major part of your work day on email, as many people do (and as I once did), you can free up a lot of time by reducing the time you spend in email. Now, this wont work for everyone, but it can work for many people: choose 2-3 key times during the day to process your inbox to empty, and keep your responses to 5 sentences.


10. Learn to say "NO". If you say yes to every request, you will never have any free time. Get super protective about your time, and say no to everything but the essential requests.


11. Keep your list to 3. When you make out your daily to-do list, just list the three Most Important Tasks you want to accomplish today. Dont make a laundry list of tasks, or youll fill up all your free time. By keeping your task list small, but populated only by important tasks, you ensure that you are getting the important stuff done but not overloading yourself.


12. Do your Biggest Rock first. Of the three Most Important Tasks you choose for the day, pick the biggest one, or the one youre dreading most, and do that first. Otherwise youll put that off as much as possible and fill your day with less important things. Dont allow yourself to check email until that Big Rock is taken care of. It starts your day with a sense of major accomplishment, and leaves you with a lot of free time the rest of the day, because the most important thing is already done.


13. Delegate. If you have subordinates or coworkers who can do a task or project, try to delegate it. Dont feel like you need to do everything yourself. If necessary, spend a little time training the person to whom youre delegating the task, but that little time spent training will pay off in a lot of time saved later. Delegating allows you to focus on the core tasks and projects you should be focusing on.


14. Cut out distractions. What is there around your workspace that distracts you from the task at hand? Sometimes its visual clutter, or papers lying around that call for your attention and action, or email or IM notifiers on your computer that pop up at the wrong time, or the phone, or coworkers. See if you can eliminate as many of these as possible the more you can focus, the more effective youll be and the less time youll waste. That equals time saved for the good stuff.


15. Disconnect. The biggest of distractions, for most people, is the Internet. My most productive times are when Im disconnected from the grid. Now, Im not saying you need to be disconnected all the time, but if you really want to be able to effectively complete tasks, disconnect your Internet so you can really focus. Set certain times of the day for connectivity, and only connect during those periods.


16. Outsource. If you cant delegate, see if you can outsource. With the Internet, we can connect with people from all over the world. Ive outsourced many things, from small tasks to checking email to legal work to design and editing work and more. That allows me to focus on the things Im best at, the things I love doing, and saves me a lot of time.


17. Make use of your mornings. I find that mornings are the absolute best times to schedule the things I really want to do. I run, read and write in the mornings — three of the four things on my Essentials List (spending time with family is the other thing on the list). Mornings are great because your day hasnt been filled with a bunch of unscheduled, demanding, last-minute tasks that will push back those Essentials. For example, if you schedule something for late afternoon, by the time late afternoon rolls around, you might have a dozen other things newly added to your to-do list, and youll put off that late-afternoon Essential. Instead, schedule it for the morning, and itll rarely (if ever) get pushed back.


18. The Golden Right-after- work Time. Other than mornings, I find the time just after work to be an incredible time for doing Essential things. Exercise, for example, is great in the 5-oclock hour, as is spending time with family, or doing anything else relaxing.


19. Your evenings. The time before you go to bed is also golden, as it exists every single day, and its usually completely yours to schedule. What do you want to do with this time? Read? Spend time with your kids? Work on a hobby youre passionate about? Take advantage of this time.


20. Lunch breaks. If the three golden times mentioned above dont work for you, lunch breaks are another good opportunity to schedule things. Some people like to exercise, or to take quiet times, during their lunch breaks. Others use this time to work on an important personal goal or project.
Sent by: Rajeesh

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Monday, October 5, 2009

The Other Side

A father was reading a magazine and his little daughter every now and then distracted him. To keep her busy, he tore one page on which was printed the map of the world. He tore it into pieces and asked her to go to her room and put them together to make the map again. He was sure she would take the whole day to get it done. But the little one came back within minutes with perfect map.

When he asked how she could do it so quickly, she said, “Oh… Dad, there is a man's face on the other side of the paper. I made the face perfect to get the map right.” she ran outside to play leaving the father surprised

Friends, there is always the other side to whatever we experience in this world. This story indirectly teaches a lesson. That is, whenever we come across a challenge or a puzzling situation, look at the other side...You will be surprised to see an easy way to tackle the problem...


Sent by: T.S. Divya

Friday, September 18, 2009

No Limitations For Helping !!!



















A Picture Can Speak Thousands Of Words...
Sent by: Anusha Nair


Friday, September 11, 2009

You Can Win!

Why are Goals Important?

On the best sunny day, the most powerful magnifying glass will not light paper if you keep moving the glass. But if you focus and hold it, the paper will light up. That is the power of concentration.


A man was traveling and stopped at an intersection. He asked an elderly man, "Where does this road take me?" The elderly person asked, "Where do you want to go?" The man replied, "I don't know." The elderly person said, "Then take any road. What difference does it make?"



How true. When we don't know where we are going, any road will take us there.



Supposing you have the football eleven enthusiastically ready to play the game, all charged up, and then someone took the goal post away. What would happen to the game? There is nothing left. How do you keep score? How do you know you have arrived?



Enthusiasm without direction is like wildfire and leads to frustration. Goals give a sense of direction. Would you sit in a train or a plane without knowing where it was going? The obvious answer is no. Then why do people go through life without having any goals?



Sent by: Ajeeth


Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Dining Etiquette - UK

In Britain, people are very polite and reserved. They pay a lot of attention to manners and are extremely punctual. Knowledge about British culture and their etiquette plays a vital role in creating a good impression while doing business in Britain.


Greeting hosts/guests: The usual way of greeting your hosts is shaking hands with them. But the one little gesture that many of us miss out while shaking hands is the opening statement like 'Thank you for taking out time and joining me for lunch' or 'Hello, I am so and so.'

Using cutlery: Fork is always held on the left hand and the knife on the right. The prongs of the fork must always point downwards. While eating dessert, a dessert spoon is used in place of a knife and one must never try putting food in the mouth with the help of a knife. Cutleries are always placed according to the usage on both sides of the plate. Always start from the outside set.

After the meal is over, the cutlery must be kept at the six o' clock position; the fork on the left hand side with the tines facing up and the knife on the right hand side with the blade facing in.

Never try to eat with fingers, however there are few food items such as asparagus and gull's egg that must be eaten with the help of your fingers.

Basic table manners: Food and drinks are always served from the right side. While eating, never lean towards your plate. Sit straight. For a serving from a food bowl kept away from you, ask someone closest to pass it for you. Never pick from your neighbor's plate or allow anyone to pick from yours. If extra food is there on the table, offer others first and then serve yourself.

Always, chew with your mouth closed and swallow before eating more. Never talk while eating. Don't rest your elbows on the table when you are having your food. Your other hand should always be on your lap.

It is always suggested to excuse yourself and attend telephone calls and it is best to put your mobile phone on a silent mode when you are lunching with your clients/colleagues.
Drinks: If pouring a drink for yourself, always offer to pour it for others first and then serve yourself.

If white wine is served, hold the glass with its stem whereas in case of red wine, hold the glass by cupping the bowl.

If port wine is served after the meal, then the decanter must be passed to the person sitting on the left and not to the right.

For English, it is not a courteous manner to toast for people who are elder to you.
Using a napkin: Napkins are meant to prevent your attire from greasy food and to dab your lips while eating. Never use it to blow your nose. It must be placed on your lap as soon as you take your seat. After the meal, it must not be placed back on the table neatly folded. Just leave it neatly but loosely on the table.

Social and Gifting Etiquette - UK

In Britain, people are very polite and reserved. They pay a lot of attention to manners and are extremely punctual. Knowledge about British culture and their etiquette plays a vital role in creating a good impression while doing business in Britain

Giving gifts is not part of British business culture. The British consider it embarrassing while receiving gifts from someone. They only exchange gifts after a successful deal. They mark this occasion by giving gold, silver or porcelain with a suitable inscription. The gift shouldn't be exceptionally expensive.

Tasteful and small gifts such as a pen or a book with a suitable inscription are much liked by the British. To thank the junior colleagues for their service, a bunch of flowers or champagne/wine will be well accepted.

It is often well acknowledged, if you invite your guests to opera, theater or a dinner as a thanking gesture.

Gifts are never exchanged during Christmas. However, cards can be sent as an expression of thanks to your business associates.

If you are invited to a British home, it is advised to carry a box of chocolates, a bottle of wine or flowers. If the host does not open the wine bottle in front of you, do not feel offended as he will keep it in his cellar for later use. He must have already opened another bottle for you.

While giving flowers to a British, never choose red roses, white lilies or chrysanthemums.

If you are going to stay with a British family, always gift them something from your own country, such as a coffee table book or an artifact. They have invited you as a guest; you must also let them know about your country.

When in Britain, be polite. Always say 'please' and 'thank you', when in a shopping complex or while asking help from someone. It is also very rude if you bump into someone and don't say a 'sorry'.

Beware of kissing, holding hands/arms or embracing publicly unless you know each other very well. British people avoid physical contact in public.

Office Etiquette - UK

In Britain, people are very polite and reserved. They pay a lot of attention to manners and are extremely punctual. Knowledge about British culture and their etiquette plays a vital role in creating a good impression while doing business in Britain.

The British pays a lot of attention to their office attire. It is conservative for both men and women. Dark suits, usually black, blue and grey are well accepted. Men's shirts should not have a pocket. If shirts have pockets, it must be empty. Single colored or pattered ties must be worn. Striped ties are not well received. For women, a color doesn't matter, however their attire must maintain a conservative image.

English are slow decision makers. Hence, they must be given time to think and decide.

Punctuality is very important for the English. Hence, reaching early or late is not well accepted.

While greeting someone, a firm and confident handshake is a must.

Privacy is very important for the English. Hence, never delve in asking personal questions.

Never make an intense eye contact or physically touch a person in public. It is considered inappropriate. Even during conversations, seldom have eye contacts.

To signal that something must be kept a secret or confidential, always tap your nose.

Gift giving is generally not part of English business.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Dining Etiquette - US/Canada

With more and more business corporations emphasizing on the need to entertain the clients, the right dining etiquette goes a long way in reinforcing your organizations' and your image. Here are some dining etiquette points to remember while you are in the US and Canada.

• It is common to conduct business dinners at homes in American business culture. This doesn't mean that it's meant to be casual. Make it a point to arrive on time if invited for dinner, no more than 10 minutes later than invited. Invitations to homes are rare in Canada and traditionally business is not discussed during the meal. This rule, however, is slowly changing. If it is a business lunch or dinner it is safe to wait for your host to start the business conversation.

• Always wait to be shown to your seat. Helping yourself before the host starts, resting your elbows on the table, fiddling with the cutlery and chewing with your mouth open are seen as disrespectful in almost every country, including the the US.

• Don't jump into "business conversations" as soon as you are seated. If you are an invitee, wait for the host to begin. If you are hosting the business dinner, pace time for the conversation properly. It's ideal to start after ordering so that, you can have the discussion uninterrupted till the food arrives. Starting the conversation too early will mean that your are only bothered about business while keeping the guests waiting will make them wonder, the purpose of the meeting.

• In Canadian table manners, fork is held in the left hand and the knife in the right while eating. In American dining etiquette it is alright to switch hands while using a knife. Leaving a small amount at the end of the meal is generally acceptable in the Canadian dining etiquette. Table manners are more informal in both the US and in Canada. You can refuse specific foods or drinks without offering an explanation, but do so politely.

• While small talk after a business discussion is allowed, never be the one to initiate by commenting about weather or other general topics. It is advisable to steer away from topics like religion, politics and other controversial subjects at the table.
Source: Internet

Social and Gifting Etiquette - US/Canada

Gifting and social etiquette can get extremely tricky at times. The right and wrong of gifting and social etiquette can make or break a deal. Here are some right gifting and entertaining etiquette clues to make that impression!

• Corporate gifting is not regarded a necessity in American business culture. If you want to gift, be careful to choose an appropriate business gift. Very expensive gifts are to be avoided for valuable gifts could be misinterpreted. In Canadian business culture, gifts are not routinely given. If you do, make sure it is a modest one and probably given when the deal is finalized.

• It is customary to carry a small gift, like a box of chocolates, a bottle of wine, or a bunch of flowers if you are invited to someone's home for lunch or dinner. It is advisable not to give not give cash or money as a present in Canada. It is absolutely necessary to acknowledge gifts. Always send in a thank you note within two weeks of receiving the gift.

• Americans tend to refrain from hugging and other close physical contact except with family and friends. The same applies to Canadians. Touching, backslapping, hugging are reserved for the inner circle and are considered socially unacceptable.

• Never drop in unannounced; it's common courtesy to call ahead even if you are visiting your best friend.

• Tipping is customary for restaurant visits and taxi travel in Canada. The commonly accepted practice in Canada is to tip between 10%-15% of the entire cost of the bill. While in the US, the general rule for a restaurant or cafe is to tip 15 to 20 per cent of your bill total.

• Always wait for your turn in queues and never cut in ahead of others. If you have many items to be billed, let a person go ahead if they only have one or two items. A person who reaches the doorway first, regardless of gender is responsible for opening the door.

• It is customary to remove your hat when entering a home, restaurant, classroom, theatre, church, etc. in both the US and Canada.

• One should not point in public as pointing is considered rude in the West. Avoid using phrases like "you look tired" or questions like "Are you okay? You don't look well".

• Do not start smoking in someone's car or home without asking first.

• Littering with ashes, butts, matches, empty lighters and packages on pathways, sidewalks, streets, parking lots, beaches, etc. is considered extremely rude.
Source: Internet