A husband wakes up at home with a huge
hangover.
He forces himself to open his eyes, and the first
thing he sees
is a couple of aspirins and a glass of water on the
side table.
He sits down and sees his clothing in front of
him, all clean and
pressed. He looks around the room and sees that
it is in perfect order, spotless, clean. So is the rest
of the house.
He takes the aspirins and notices a note on the
table.
“Honey, breakfast is on the table, I left early to go
grocery shopping.
Love You!”
Totally shocked with the note , he goes to the
kitchen and
sure enough there is a hot breakfast and the
morning newspaper.
His son is also at the table, eating. He asks, “Son,
what happened last night?”
His son says, “Well, you came home around 3
AM, drunk and delirious.
Broke some crockery, puked in the hall, and gave
yourself a black eye
when you stumbled into the door”. Confused, the
man asks,
“So, why is everything in order and so clean, and
breakfast is on the table waiting for me?
I should expect a big quarrel with her!”
His son replies, “Oh, that! Mom dragged you to
the bedroom,
and when she tried to take your clothes n shoes
off,
you said,
“LADY LEAVE ME ALONE! I’M MARRIED . . . !”
Thursday, September 15, 2011
How manage a FAILTURE
(Former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam at
Wharton India Economic forum , Philadelphia ,
March 22,2008 )
Question: Could you give an example, from your
own experience, of how leaders should manage
failure?
Kalam: Let me tell you about my experience. In
1973 I became the project director of India ‘s
satellite launch
vehicle program, commonly called the SLV-3.
Our goal was to put India ‘s ‘Rohini’ satellite into
orbit by 1980.
I was given funds and human resources — but
was told clearly that by 1980 we had to launch
the satellite into
space. Thousands of people worked together in
scientific and technical teams towards that goal.
By 1979 — I think the month was August — we
thought we were ready. As the project director, I
went to the
control center for the launch. At four minutes
before the satellite launch, the computer began to
go through the
checklist of items that needed to be checked. One
minute later, the computer program put the
launch on hold;
the display showed that some control
components were not in order. My experts — I
had four or five of them
with me — told me not to worry; they had done
their calculations and there was enough reserve
fuel.
So I bypassed the computer, switched to manual
mode, and launched the rocket. In the first stage,
everything worked fine.. In the second stage, a
problem developed. Instead of the satellite going
into orbit,
the whole rocket system plunged into the Bay of
Bengal . It was a big failure.
That day, the chairman of the Indian Space
Research Organization, Prof. Satish Dhawan, had
called a press
conference. The launch was at 7:00 am , and the
press conference — where journalists from
around the
world were present — was at 7:45 am at ISRO’s
satellite launch range in Sriharikota [in Andhra
Pradesh in
southern India ]. Prof. Dhawan, the leader of the
organization, conducted the press conference
himself.
He took responsibility for the failure — he said
that the team had worked very hard, but that it
needed more
technological support. He assured the media that
in another year, the team would definitely
succeed. Now,
I was the project director, and it was my failure,
but instead, he took responsibility for the failure
as chairman
of the organization.
The next year, in July 1980, we tried again to
launch the satellite — and this time we
succeeded.. The whole
nation was jubilant. Again, there was a press
conference. Prof. Dhawan called me aside and
told me,
‘You conduct the press conference today.’
I learned a very important lesson that day. When
failure occurred, the leader of the organization
owned that failure.
When success came, he gave it to his team.
The best management lesson I have learned did
not come to me from reading a book; it came
from that experience . . .
Wharton India Economic forum , Philadelphia ,
March 22,2008 )
Question: Could you give an example, from your
own experience, of how leaders should manage
failure?
Kalam: Let me tell you about my experience. In
1973 I became the project director of India ‘s
satellite launch
vehicle program, commonly called the SLV-3.
Our goal was to put India ‘s ‘Rohini’ satellite into
orbit by 1980.
I was given funds and human resources — but
was told clearly that by 1980 we had to launch
the satellite into
space. Thousands of people worked together in
scientific and technical teams towards that goal.
By 1979 — I think the month was August — we
thought we were ready. As the project director, I
went to the
control center for the launch. At four minutes
before the satellite launch, the computer began to
go through the
checklist of items that needed to be checked. One
minute later, the computer program put the
launch on hold;
the display showed that some control
components were not in order. My experts — I
had four or five of them
with me — told me not to worry; they had done
their calculations and there was enough reserve
fuel.
So I bypassed the computer, switched to manual
mode, and launched the rocket. In the first stage,
everything worked fine.. In the second stage, a
problem developed. Instead of the satellite going
into orbit,
the whole rocket system plunged into the Bay of
Bengal . It was a big failure.
That day, the chairman of the Indian Space
Research Organization, Prof. Satish Dhawan, had
called a press
conference. The launch was at 7:00 am , and the
press conference — where journalists from
around the
world were present — was at 7:45 am at ISRO’s
satellite launch range in Sriharikota [in Andhra
Pradesh in
southern India ]. Prof. Dhawan, the leader of the
organization, conducted the press conference
himself.
He took responsibility for the failure — he said
that the team had worked very hard, but that it
needed more
technological support. He assured the media that
in another year, the team would definitely
succeed. Now,
I was the project director, and it was my failure,
but instead, he took responsibility for the failure
as chairman
of the organization.
The next year, in July 1980, we tried again to
launch the satellite — and this time we
succeeded.. The whole
nation was jubilant. Again, there was a press
conference. Prof. Dhawan called me aside and
told me,
‘You conduct the press conference today.’
I learned a very important lesson that day. When
failure occurred, the leader of the organization
owned that failure.
When success came, he gave it to his team.
The best management lesson I have learned did
not come to me from reading a book; it came
from that experience . . .
Monday, June 20, 2011
Just Smile...
The KGB had an opening for an assassin. After all
of the background checks, interviews, and testing
were done there were three finalists — two men
and one woman. For the final test, the KGB
agents took one of the men to a large metal door
and handed him a gun.
“ We must know that you will follow your
instructions, no matter what the circumstances.
Inside this room you will find your wife sitting in
a chair. You have to kill her. ”
The first man said.“You can’t be serious. I could
never shoot my wife, ”
The agent replies, “Then you’re not the right man
for this job."
The second man was given the same
instructions. He took the gun and went into the
room. All was quiet for about five minutes. Then
the agent came out with tears in his eyes. “I tried,
but I can’t kill my wife.”
The agent replies, “You don’t have what it takes.
Take your wife and go home. ”
Finally, it was the woman’s turn. Only she was
told to kill her husband. She took the gun and
went into the room. Shots were heard, one shot
after another. They heard screaming, crashing,
banging on the walls. After a few minutes, all was
quiet. The door opened slowly and there stood
the woman. She wiped the sweat from her brow
and said, “You guys didn’t
tell me the gun was loaded with blanks. So I had
to beat him to death with the chair..... ”
of the background checks, interviews, and testing
were done there were three finalists — two men
and one woman. For the final test, the KGB
agents took one of the men to a large metal door
and handed him a gun.
“ We must know that you will follow your
instructions, no matter what the circumstances.
Inside this room you will find your wife sitting in
a chair. You have to kill her. ”
The first man said.“You can’t be serious. I could
never shoot my wife, ”
The agent replies, “Then you’re not the right man
for this job."
The second man was given the same
instructions. He took the gun and went into the
room. All was quiet for about five minutes. Then
the agent came out with tears in his eyes. “I tried,
but I can’t kill my wife.”
The agent replies, “You don’t have what it takes.
Take your wife and go home. ”
Finally, it was the woman’s turn. Only she was
told to kill her husband. She took the gun and
went into the room. Shots were heard, one shot
after another. They heard screaming, crashing,
banging on the walls. After a few minutes, all was
quiet. The door opened slowly and there stood
the woman. She wiped the sweat from her brow
and said, “You guys didn’t
tell me the gun was loaded with blanks. So I had
to beat him to death with the chair..... ”
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Education...
EDUCATION
is
an organized system through
which we waste half of our life to learn how to
waste the remaining half of our life.......;-)
is
an organized system through
which we waste half of our life to learn how to
waste the remaining half of our life.......;-)
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