I recently heard someone saying, “Project management is just science.” “Do I agree?” I asked myself. Here is what I think: Project management is both science and art, but it is the art of project management that makes great project managers. It is science because there are essential processes and elements that make up project […]
Seeing someone turning a mundane activity into art is always very gratifying. Meet Dr. Soda. He sells flavored soda on the roadside. He loves his work and calls himself a “Ph.D. in Soda”. For him, making soda is the medium to entertain people. He juggles soda bottles, makes a soda blindfold, speaks three languages, entertains […]
W. Edwards Deming, the pioneer and guru in quality revolution wrote the following paragraph when commenting on Peter Senge’s book “The Fifth Discipline” and it instantly struck the chord. Our prevailing system of management has destroyed our people. People are born with intrinsic motivation, self-respect, dignity, curiosity to learn, joy in learning. The forces of […]
In an organization, work flows horizontally but organizations are structured vertically in hierarchies. With seniority and promotions up the order, a person tends to drift away from the place where real business value is created; the place where real action happens; where problems are clearly visible. They end up expecting results without caring about the […]
On a railway platform, as in life, everyone is on the move; hurrying to reach their destinations. While I was waiting there, I saw her coming out of the train that had just arrived. Her wrinkled and exhausted face wore a worried look. Her back was bent with a lumbar belt wrapped around it. Getting […]
[Note: This post is a continuation of thoughts from my earlier post “Building Engaged Teams with Power of Appreciation”] Yes, appreciation is the fuel that drives people forward and leaders need to learn the art of genuinely appreciating the behaviors they value. On the other side of this equation is the person who is being […]
When you are set out to help others grow (including your own kids), you have to give them time and space to grow. People, like plants, grow organically. They learn from what you tell them, but they learn from how they feel and what they experience. As a leader (yes, parents are leaders too!), if […]
The pace of change is accelerating and business leaders who are responsible for improvements need keep up with the pace. While plan-do-check-act methodology has been around for long, the time it took was way longer. For organizational improvements (and the personal ones), what do we need today? What would business expect from improvement initiatives? A […]