Kaizen is a Japanese term that means continuous improvement. It all sounds good on the surface, but the reality is that very few companies fully embrace kaizen. They say, “But we’re improving all the time.” That may be true, but it’s the way in which companies make improvements that matters. In companies that truly embrace […]
Most people have bright ideas and they stop at that. Ideating something is a sort of romantic affair because you don’t need to do anything then except putting your bright idea on a piece of paper. We come face-to-face with fear (of failure) when we have to take that first important step, initiate and […]
I was invited to write a series of articles on the topic “Indispensable Traits of a Collaborative Leader” for the blog of All India Management Association (AIMA). Since 1957, All India Management Association (AIMA) is functioning as an apex body of management with over 30,000 individual members, 3000 institutional members and 62 Local Management Association […]
A blind man, wandering lost in a jungle, tripped and fell over a cripple. The blind man said, “I have been wandering since long in this jungle and cannot find my way out!” The cripple replied, “I have been lying here since long and cannot get up to walk.” Suddenly, the cripple cried out, “I’ve […]
Here’s a story from Sir Ken Robinson. A little girl was sitting at the back of the classroom and drawing something. When teacher asked, “What are you drawing?” the girl replied, “I’m drawing a picture of God.” The teacher said, “But nobody knows what God looks like.” And the girl promptly replied, “They will in […]
The dawn breaks, alarm buzzes, eyes open and a bright new day is waiting to be seized; to be lived. The air is fresh and mind, clear. Life seems to be catching its pace again. Yes, there are challenges to be met, agendas to be drawn, priorities to be completed, and lessons to be learned. […]
In a competitive world obsessed with goals, people recommend that we should periodically review our performance. Performance appraisals in organizations are almost a necessary evil. The problem with focusing excessively on our ‘performance’ is that performance is always judged by others, by some external entity. When you constantly try to align yourself to external expectations, […]
Excessive use of positional power: I was interacting with a leadership expert recently when he said, “If you have to use your position to exert your power, you are not powerful.” Being at a certain position within organization means that you have a higher visibility which needs to be extended to others. Your position is […]
In quest of excellence, an organization that grows has to deal with chaos. I recently read Karen Martin’s new book “The Outstanding Organization” that offers a simple yet effective model to create organizational conditions to combat this chaos and ensure better results out of improvement efforts. What Problem Does This Book Address? The book starts […]