I had some time off from my regular work schedule, when I went to the US to be with my daughter's family residing there. Being in a foreign country, I had a lot of free time, when my grand daughter was not engaging me, I had the opportunity of reading a lot of books. I have to tell one thing about the libraries in the US, particularly those of the Bay Area in California. They are really stupendous, completely free, and you can take any number of books. This is a great service to the people by the government. It really motivates the people to read a lot. Also there are several DVDs of various kinds.
The following are some of the books I read and I give a short review of the same.
One of favourite Authors is John Grisham. His writing style mostly about Lawyers and the Judicial System fascinates me.
THE KING OF TORTS : This is a story of a young lawyer drawn into the world of class action lawyers, who get settlement of the dispute before the trial goes to court. His story is how he becomes the king of torts and the fall. Very interesting.
TESTAMENT : Story of rich man, Troy Pehlan. His last will and testament, how it came about and how his children fight over it, and the surprise heir, who is an illegitimate one, and the lawyer's, who is resurrected from his alcoholism, search of the heir - all told in a fast and furious pace. Very well done.
PLAYING FOR PIZZA : A new trait of Grisham is revealed in this novel. Based on a failed NFL player, proving his worth in faraway Italy. Well researched and very well writeen.
BLEACHERS : Another novel based on Football, but this is different. About a School football coach and his relationship with his wards. A touching story, where the lead character, the coach (Ed Rake), doesn't come into play in person throughout the novel. He is always referred by the other characters. His traits, his failings, his successes and his unorthodox methods are told by his students, who turn up for his funeral. Last few pages are memorable and moved me to tears.
THE ASSOCIATE : Fast paced and nicely constructed novel. A typical Grisham story, involving a fresh law school student coming out of graduation and getting himself trapped by a ruthless gang to spy in a big law firm to get the secrets of a highly secretive project of the Govt and competing companies. His mental struggles and the ways he tries to shake off the clutches are very well told.
Another favourite author's book that I read is Guilty Pleasures by Lawrence Sanders.
Though the contents of the book is not palatable it is nevertheless a gripping story of a family of Emmet, Clarence, Brett and Barbara. Their desires, ambitions, failing and their conquests are vividly described. Though it contains some immoral relationships, the story is fast paced.
Another favourite author, is Clive Cussler. CHASE : A very fast narrative and whose ending based on the actual earthquake that happened in San Francisco. A story set in 1906, on a Banker who built his empire by means of dare devil Bank robberies. A well researched and well narrated novel. A classic by Cussler.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
KNOWLEDGE STREAM ? LESSONS FROM RAMAYANA AND MAHABARATHA
Recently, I read this piece, sent by my friend, Leeladharan. It is thought provoking and very nice. Hope others would also enjoy reading it.
One of the modern concept is ‘Exit interview’ - conducted by an employer of a departing employee. It is generally conducted by HR expecting the employee to be candid and not burn the bridge. The idea is to collate useful information on working conditions and making corrections, if required. Many good companies see people as assets and not costs and it would immensely help any organisation to capture the knowledge of their employees. Any organisation which has structured way of organising its practices in a
structured way is bound to succeed. Exit interview could be a tool to capture knowledge from those parting and the benefits could be :
キ vital knowledge is not lost to the organisation when people leave
キ the learning curve of new people joining the organisation is shortened
キ they can be done relatively quickly and inexpensively
キ they can result in the leaver having a more positive view of the organisation
Here is a thought-provoking article received from a friend of mine who has successfully related the concept of learning to the greatest of the Epics - Ramayana & Mahabaratha. I liked it and you too might relish this.
One of the modern concept is ‘Exit interview’ - conducted by an employer of a departing employee. It is generally conducted by HR expecting the employee to be candid and not burn the bridge. The idea is to collate useful information on working conditions and making corrections, if required. Many good companies see people as assets and not costs and it would immensely help any organisation to capture the knowledge of their employees. Any organisation which has structured way of organising its practices in a
structured way is bound to succeed. Exit interview could be a tool to capture knowledge from those parting and the benefits could be :
キ vital knowledge is not lost to the organisation when people leave
キ the learning curve of new people joining the organisation is shortened
キ they can be done relatively quickly and inexpensively
キ they can result in the leaver having a more positive view of the organisation
Here is a thought-provoking article received from a friend of mine who has successfully related the concept of learning to the greatest of the Epics - Ramayana & Mahabaratha. I liked it and you too might relish this.
In Both The Great Epics of India , Ramayan and Mahabharata, war ends not with celebration of victory but with transmission of knowledge. In the Ramayan, Ravan lies mortally wounded on the battlefield and the monkeys are celebrating their victory, when Ram turns to his brother, Lakshman, and says, “While Ravan was a brute, he was also a great scholar. Go to him quickly and request him to share whatever knowledge he can.”
The obedient Lakshman rushes to Ravan’s side and whispers in his ears, “Demon King, all your life you have taken not given. Now the noble Ram gives you an opportunity to mend your ways. Share your vast wisdom. Do not let it die with you. For that you will be surely be blessed.”
Ravan responds by simply turning away. An angry Lakshman goes back to Ram and says: “He is as arrogant as he always was, too proud to share anything.” Ram looks at his brother and asks him softly, “Where did you stand while asking him for knowledge?” “Next to his head so that I hear what he had to say clearly.” Ram smiles, places his bow on the ground and walks to where
Ravan lies. Lakshman watches in astonishment as his brother kneels at Ravan’s feet. With palms joined, with extreme humility, Ram says, “Lord of Lanka, you abducted my wife, a terrible crime for which I have been forced to punish you. Now, you are no more my enemy. I see you now as you are known across the world, as the wise son of Rishi Vishrava. I bow to you and request you to share your wisdom with me. Please do that for if you die without doing so, all your wisdom will be lost forever to the world.”
To Lakshman’s surprise, Ravan opens his eyes and raises his arms to salute Ram, “If only I had more time as your teacher than as your enemy. Standing at my feet as a student should, unlike your rude younger brother, you are a worthy recipient of my knowledge. I have very little time so I cannot share much but let me tell you one important lesson I have learnt in my life.
Things that are bad for you seduce you easily; you run towards them impatiently. But things are actually good for you fail to attract you; you shun them creatively, finding powerful excuses to justify your procrastination. That is why I was impatient to abduct Sita but avoided meeting you. This is the wisdom of my life, Ram. My last words. I give it to you.” With these words, Ravan dies.
There’s similar knowledge transmission after the Mahabharat war is over and the Kauravas are all dead. As the victorious Pandavas are about to assume control of Hastinapur, Krishna advises them to talk to Bhisma, their grand uncle, who lies mortally wounded on the battlefield. As a result of a blessing, death would elude him for some time. “Make him talk until his last breath. Ask him questions. He has a lot to tell,” says Krishna . Sure enough, when prompted, the dying Bhisma spends hours discussing various topics: history, geography, politics, economics, management, war, ethics, morality, astronomy, metaphysics and spirituality. Bhisma’s discourse is captured in the Shanti Parva (discussions of peace) and Anushasan Parva (discussions on discipline) that makes up a quarter of the Mahabharata.
After listening to their grandsire, the Pandavas have a better understanding of the world, and this makes them better kings.
Ram asked ravan for his wisdom before his death. The pandavas listened to a lengthy discourse from bhisma as he lay dying on the battlefield. This in the context of organisations, is knowledge management. Both these stories draw attention to the value of knowledge.In triumph, it is easy to claim the material possessions of the defeated, but it is not easy to claim their knowledge. Knowledge does not outlive death.
Every day, an organization churns out vast amounts of knowledge. Every day, people leave organisations, taking their knowledge with them - knowledge which they acquired because they are part of the organisation. They take with them knowledge of clients, markets, business processes, tricks of the trade. These may not be confidential information or patented information,
but it is information that gives a competitive edge.
Long has this knowledge drain been recognised. Over the past decade, a whole new business process known as knowledge management has evolved that seeks to harness, store, transmit this knowledge. Every CEO agrees that it is a valuable business process, that investment in it is critical. Policies have been made, people have been hired and systems have been deployed.
Unfortunately, for all the initial enthusiasm, implementation has been lacking. Unlike retrieving cash, retrieving knowledge from employees, both current and future, is not easy. Often because they are like Sahadeva. Sahadeva was the youngest Pandava and, in the South Indian Mahabharata, he is described as an expert in many predictive sciences such as astrology, palmistry and face reading. But he is cursed: if he ever gave any information voluntarily, his head will split into a thousand pieces. That is why he is silent throughout the epic. He knows every fortune and misfortune that his family will go through, but he can never use his knowledge to forewarn anyone. When Yudhishtira finally learns of his brother’s prowess he is furious. “Why did you not tell me all that you knew?” All he gets in response is Sahadeva’s silence. Most employees in an organisation are Sahadevas.
Sahadevas are of two types: either they are unwilling to share their knowledge or they don’t have the means to do so. The former category knows that knowledge is power and will not give it away under any circumstances. The latter category is willing to share knowledge but either no one asks them for it or there is no system where they can make it available for others.
Knowledge Management is leadership driven. Only a Ram, not a Laskhman can do it. He must first believe in it. He must respect the fact that everyone in his organisation, even those who he does not particularly like, are repositories of great wisdom - not only knowledge of things that work but also knowledge of things that do not work. He must make conscious efforts to capture as much of it as possible.
The simplest method is talking to people, while they are on the job and especially when they are leaving the organisation. An exit interviews must never be a ritual. Neither must it be an exercise to just get the venom out nor an exercise to expose the underbelly that has prompted the resignation. It must be a concerted effort to gather what was the knowledge acquired between joining and leaving the organisation. This sounds very logical though most organisations do not do this.
Every organisation has a very powerful Finance Department that works round the clock to keep an eye on money flowing in and out of the organisation. Internal and external auditors, controllers and accountants keep a hawk’s eye on every bill and purchase order. But not even a fraction of that energy is used by companies to manage their knowledge.This indicates that most organisations do not believe that Lakshmi follows Saraswati: they do not believe that existence of knowledge systems improve efficiency and
effectiveness and can provide raw materials to provoke new ideas or prevent old mistakes. Unless a leader believes that Saraswati is critical, he will end up with an organisation of Sahadevas.
Take a step back. Check if you are creatively shunning this rather tedious matter of knowledge management. If you are, then remember the wise words of Ravan: it must be actually good for you.
Ravan lies. Lakshman watches in astonishment as his brother kneels at Ravan’s feet. With palms joined, with extreme humility, Ram says, “Lord of Lanka, you abducted my wife, a terrible crime for which I have been forced to punish you. Now, you are no more my enemy. I see you now as you are known across the world, as the wise son of Rishi Vishrava. I bow to you and request you to share your wisdom with me. Please do that for if you die without doing so, all your wisdom will be lost forever to the world.”
To Lakshman’s surprise, Ravan opens his eyes and raises his arms to salute Ram, “If only I had more time as your teacher than as your enemy. Standing at my feet as a student should, unlike your rude younger brother, you are a worthy recipient of my knowledge. I have very little time so I cannot share much but let me tell you one important lesson I have learnt in my life.
Things that are bad for you seduce you easily; you run towards them impatiently. But things are actually good for you fail to attract you; you shun them creatively, finding powerful excuses to justify your procrastination. That is why I was impatient to abduct Sita but avoided meeting you. This is the wisdom of my life, Ram. My last words. I give it to you.” With these words, Ravan dies.
There’s similar knowledge transmission after the Mahabharat war is over and the Kauravas are all dead. As the victorious Pandavas are about to assume control of Hastinapur, Krishna advises them to talk to Bhisma, their grand uncle, who lies mortally wounded on the battlefield. As a result of a blessing, death would elude him for some time. “Make him talk until his last breath. Ask him questions. He has a lot to tell,” says Krishna . Sure enough, when prompted, the dying Bhisma spends hours discussing various topics: history, geography, politics, economics, management, war, ethics, morality, astronomy, metaphysics and spirituality. Bhisma’s discourse is captured in the Shanti Parva (discussions of peace) and Anushasan Parva (discussions on discipline) that makes up a quarter of the Mahabharata.
After listening to their grandsire, the Pandavas have a better understanding of the world, and this makes them better kings.
Ram asked ravan for his wisdom before his death. The pandavas listened to a lengthy discourse from bhisma as he lay dying on the battlefield. This in the context of organisations, is knowledge management. Both these stories draw attention to the value of knowledge.In triumph, it is easy to claim the material possessions of the defeated, but it is not easy to claim their knowledge. Knowledge does not outlive death.
Every day, an organization churns out vast amounts of knowledge. Every day, people leave organisations, taking their knowledge with them - knowledge which they acquired because they are part of the organisation. They take with them knowledge of clients, markets, business processes, tricks of the trade. These may not be confidential information or patented information,
but it is information that gives a competitive edge.
Long has this knowledge drain been recognised. Over the past decade, a whole new business process known as knowledge management has evolved that seeks to harness, store, transmit this knowledge. Every CEO agrees that it is a valuable business process, that investment in it is critical. Policies have been made, people have been hired and systems have been deployed.
Unfortunately, for all the initial enthusiasm, implementation has been lacking. Unlike retrieving cash, retrieving knowledge from employees, both current and future, is not easy. Often because they are like Sahadeva. Sahadeva was the youngest Pandava and, in the South Indian Mahabharata, he is described as an expert in many predictive sciences such as astrology, palmistry and face reading. But he is cursed: if he ever gave any information voluntarily, his head will split into a thousand pieces. That is why he is silent throughout the epic. He knows every fortune and misfortune that his family will go through, but he can never use his knowledge to forewarn anyone. When Yudhishtira finally learns of his brother’s prowess he is furious. “Why did you not tell me all that you knew?” All he gets in response is Sahadeva’s silence. Most employees in an organisation are Sahadevas.
Sahadevas are of two types: either they are unwilling to share their knowledge or they don’t have the means to do so. The former category knows that knowledge is power and will not give it away under any circumstances. The latter category is willing to share knowledge but either no one asks them for it or there is no system where they can make it available for others.
Knowledge Management is leadership driven. Only a Ram, not a Laskhman can do it. He must first believe in it. He must respect the fact that everyone in his organisation, even those who he does not particularly like, are repositories of great wisdom - not only knowledge of things that work but also knowledge of things that do not work. He must make conscious efforts to capture as much of it as possible.
The simplest method is talking to people, while they are on the job and especially when they are leaving the organisation. An exit interviews must never be a ritual. Neither must it be an exercise to just get the venom out nor an exercise to expose the underbelly that has prompted the resignation. It must be a concerted effort to gather what was the knowledge acquired between joining and leaving the organisation. This sounds very logical though most organisations do not do this.
Every organisation has a very powerful Finance Department that works round the clock to keep an eye on money flowing in and out of the organisation. Internal and external auditors, controllers and accountants keep a hawk’s eye on every bill and purchase order. But not even a fraction of that energy is used by companies to manage their knowledge.This indicates that most organisations do not believe that Lakshmi follows Saraswati: they do not believe that existence of knowledge systems improve efficiency and
effectiveness and can provide raw materials to provoke new ideas or prevent old mistakes. Unless a leader believes that Saraswati is critical, he will end up with an organisation of Sahadevas.
Take a step back. Check if you are creatively shunning this rather tedious matter of knowledge management. If you are, then remember the wise words of Ravan: it must be actually good for you.
Commentators' antics.
With the IPL gate looming large, the antics of our commentators are really amusing.
Instead of describing the activities happening on the ground, they drawl on extraneous issues. Take for instance the constant reminding the viewers about the MRF Blimp, as if nobody has seen it before. Probably they are getting paid to mention the MRF blimp several times, so that they can mint money. It is really sickening to note that such stalwarts like Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri repeating it several times, every day. I though that, they are a big draw for their incisive comments and for their knowledge of the game. They have been chosen only because of this.
Of late, these people show their parochial attitudes also. Take for example, Gavaskar was commenting on the Sachin catching Rahul Dravid. Mind you, the decision has not been given by the umpire and Rahul Dravid was standing his ground. Gavaskar was saying that, Dravid should have walked and went on to say that Sachin's credentials cannot be questioned as he knows whether he has taken the catch cleanly. Also he said that, having shared the Dressing Rooms with Sachin, Dravid should know better. I think, this is uncalled for remarks. As Sachin is a gentleman, so is Dravid. Just he was a Mumbaite doesn't mean that they are infallible. For that matter, nobody is infallible. It so happened that the catch was disallowed, as the replays showed that the ball has bounced before lodging into Sachin's hands. Gavaskar couldn't digest that, and after keeping silent for sometime, he lamely says that the replay is inconclusive and there is an element of doubt about it. The other commentator, needless to say that he was not an Indian Commentator, immediately said that Dravid is not out.
I don't know why our people over elaborate such an event. He could have chosen to remain silent till the event unfolded. The umpire and the players who were in the middle are not confident about the catch, and Gavaskar who was faraway in the commentators box was confident about it. It is really funny to see such stalwarts committing such blunders. It only shows that he has not come out of his Mumbai Fanaticism. He was always promoting Mumbai talent, I can't forget how he took Suru Nayak, who was not even in the regulars at West Zone. Also how he promoted others like Vengsarkar, Shastri, Sandeep Patil, Mankad and Ghulam Parkar. No doubt some of them like Vengsarkar, Shastri and Patil prospered other didn't nothing to Indian Cricket. If the same number of chances were given to other players like, Patil, Malhotra, K.R.Rajagopal, they would have shown much brighter. And there was the case of Rajinder Goel and Padmakar Shivalkar who didn't get a chance to play at all.
It is just isn't Cricket. Parochialism should be avoided by the selectors. Even now, for Sehwag, they've chosen Vijay. Though he is a good bat, and even though I hail from Tamilnadu, I think it would have better to have chosen Robin Uthappa or Naman Ojha or Manish Pandey, who are in the same mould as Sehwag.
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