QAspire Blog 2009 – Essential Posts Redux

When the year ends, we tend to retrospect. Look back and see what worked and what not. Here is a collection of some of the chosen posts, some essential lessons from each month of 2009 (our of total 93 posts written in Y09):

January 2009:  Explicit versus Tacit – Content versus Process

This post talks about explicit and implicit value that an individual generates for an organization and how important is it for organizations and individuals to consider both these forms when evaluating performance.

February 2009: Experiences and Learning on Respecting people

This essential post touched upon the issue of respecting people at workplace. Two diverse experiences shaped up this post and lessons learned from these experiences are still very relevant.

March 2009: Personal Leadership – It shines in difficult times

We are all leaders – but our education, upbringing and organization structures suppresses our leadership traits. This post talks about how personal leadership comes to the fore in light of difficult situations.

April 2009: Leadership Lessons from Geese flying in V shape

‘Leadership’ was almost like theme of the month. This post documents observations from Geese flying in V shape and what we can learn from them. I also included this example in a leadership training I delivered to a group of middle managers in my organization.

May 2009: 25 Lessons Learnt on Conducting Productive Meetings

We know that meetings can be a huge waste if not conducted well. This post touches upon 25 most important tips for conducting productive meetings.

June 2009: Creativity, Effectiveness and Constraints

I have always experienced that constraints boost creativity and spur insights. Read on to know more.

July 2009: Spotlight: An Upbeat Interview with Rajesh Setty

I had a privilege of interviewing Rajesh Setty on his book Upbeat – Cultivating the right attitude to thrive in tough times. Rajesh shared some very relevant insights that hold true to thrive in any time, and not just in recession.

August 2009: Quality is Happiness

This short piece received some interesting responses. Quality is not just conformance to requirements. Quality is Happiness.

September 2009: GIVING is GROWING (Generosity and Leadership)

When we give more, we receive in equal proportions. Why does GIVING matter? Read on. This is also the month when I announced my book #QUALITYtweet – 140 bite-sized ideas to deliver quality in every project. and write a guest post on Perseverance at Mountain State University’s Leadertalk blog.

October 2009: Working and Walking – Where Are You Going?

We grow when we practice our craft in a chosen area – so when we do our work, our work does something to us. The idea is to think about what our work does to us. Busyness is certainly not equal to progress.

November 2009: What NOT to do in Customer Service 7

My ‘not-so-decent’ experience with an airline prompted this article, which enlists 7 things businesses should never do when dealing with customers. November was a happening month where I also wrote an article series (12 parts) on Quality at Activegarage and also launched my first book – #QUALITYtweet.

December 2009:  Invisible Cost of “Toxic” Leadership

Leaders cannot afford to be toxic and negative. Leaders who are not conscious and careful about the way they think, act and talk set a wrong example for their people.

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Blogging in 2009 has been very enriching – I grew as I wrote and made a lot of generous friends. I thank YOU for visiting my blog, posting your thoughts and spreading the word on social networks. It truly means a lot to me.

Wish you all a wonderful holiday season and a HAPPY NEW YEAR. See you in Twenty-Ten (2010)!