Apply to be a Chitika Publisher! PopAds.net - The Best Popunder Adnetwork

Search This Blog

Showing posts with label Fun / Inspiring Stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fun / Inspiring Stories. Show all posts

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Express your Love


A boy walked into a CD store and saw a girl behind the counter.

She smiled and he thought it was the most beautiful smile he has ever seen before and wanted to kiss her right there.

He said "Uh... Yeah... Umm... I would like to buy a CD." He picked one out and gave her money for it.

"Would you like me to wrap it for you?" she asked, smiling her cute smile again.

He nodded and she went to the back.

She came back with the wrapped CD and gave it to him. He took it and walked out of the store. He went home and from then on, he went to that store everyday and bought a CD, and she wrapped it for him. He took the CD home and put it in his closet. He was still too shy to ask her out and he really wanted to but he couldn't. His mother found out about this and told him to just ask her.

So the next day, he took all his courage and went to the store. He bought a CD like he did everyday and once again she went to the back of the store and came back with it wrapped. He took it and when she wasn't looking, he left his phone number on the desk and ran out...

!!!RRRRRING!!!

The mother picked up the phone and said, "Hello?"

It was the girl!!! She asked for the boy and the mother started to cry and said, "You don't know? He passed away yesterday...

" The line was quiet except for the cries of the boy's mother. Later in the day. The mother went into the boy's room because she wanted to remember him. She thought she would start by looking at his clothes. So she opened the closet. She was face to face with piles and piles and piles of unopened CDs. She was surprised to find all those CDs and she picked one up and sat down on the bed and she started to open one.

Inside, there was a CD and as she took it out of the wrapper, out fell a piece of paper. The mother picked it up and started to read it.

It said: Hi... I think you are really cute. Do you wanna go out with me? Love, Jacelyn

The mother opened another CD...

Again there was a piece of paper. It said: Hi... I think you are really cute. Do you wanna go out with me? Love, Jacelyn

If You'll Leave Me... I'll Die

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Think about it

It's another morning......... Again I have to go to the office.

Ohh!! this is me... I shouted, having a glance at my 'photo' in today's news paper.

But what the HELL is it doing in the death column??

Strange...
One second.......Let me think, last night when I was going to bed I had a severe pain in my chest, but I don't remember anything after that, I think I had a sound sleep.


It's morning now, ohh.....It's already 10:00 AM, where is my coffee?
I will be late for office and my boss will get a chance to irritate me.
Where is everyone...??? I screamed.
"I think there is a crowd outside my room, let me check." I said to myself.
So many people..... Not all of them crying......But why are some of them crying....
WHAT IS THIS??? I'm lying there on the floor...
"I AM HERE" ....... I shouted!!! No one is listening.

"LOOK I AM NOT DEAD" .... I screamed once again!! No one is interested in me.

They all were looking at me on the bed. I went back to my bed room.
"Am I dead??" I asked myself...


Where is my wife, my children, my Mom, my Dad, my friends?
I found them in the next room, all of them were crying...still trying to console each other.
My wife was crying... she was really looking sad.
My little kid was not sure what happened, but he was crying just because his Mom was sad..
How can I go without saying to my kid that I really love him,
I really do care for him. ??
How can I go without saying to my wife that she is really the most beautiful and most caring wife in this world..??
How can I go without saying to my parents that I'm what I am ... just because of you??
How can I go without telling my friends that without them perhaps I would have done most of the wrong things in my life... thanks for being there always when I need them...and sorry for not being there when they really need me..


I can see a person standing in the corner and trying to hide his tears....
Oh.... he was once my best friend, but a small misunderstanding made us part, and we both have a strong enough ego to keep us disconnected.
I went there..... And offered him my hand, "Dear friend.... I just want to say sorry for everything, we are still best friends,

please forgive me."
No response from other side, what the hell?? He is still preserving his ego, I am saying sorry... even then!!!
I really don't care for such people.


But one second...... It seems he is not able to see me!!!! He did not see my extended hand.
My goodness...... AM I REALLY DEAD???
I just sat down near ME; I was also feeling like crying...
"OH ALMIGHTY!!!! PLEASE JUST GIVE ME FEW MORE DAYS..."
I just want to make my wife, my parents; my friends realize how much I love them.....
My wife entered the room, she looks beautiful. "YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL" I shouted.
She didn't hear my words, in fact she never heard these words because I never said this to her.

"GOD!!!!" I screamed... a little more timeplzzzzz... I cried...
One more chance please... to hug my child, to make my mom smile just once, to feel my dad proud of me
at least for a moment, to say sorry to my friends for everything I have not given to them, and thanks for still being in my life....
Then I looked up and cried!!
I shouted.......


"GOD!!!! ONE MORE CHANCE PLEASE!!!!"


"You shouted in your sleep," said my wife as she gently woke me up. "Did you have a nightmare?"
I was sleeping....
Ohh that was just a dream....
My wife was there... she can hear me... This is the happiest moment of my life...
I hugged her and whispered....
"YOU ARE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND CARING WIFE IN THIS UNIVERSE..... I REALLY LOVE YOU, DEAR"
I can't understand the reason of the smile on her face with some tears in her eyes, still I'm happy....

"THANK YOU GOD FOR THIS SECOND CHANCE."


SO, now it's not late... Forget the egos, the Past... and express your love to others.......
Be friendly... Keep smiling...... forever....It is another chance For you...

Monday, September 27, 2010

Quality - The Japanese Attitude

 

Speaking about perfection, The Japanese Attitude.

 

Apparently the computer giant IBM decided to have some parts manufactured in Japan as a trial project. In the specifications, they set out that they will accept only three defective parts per 10,000.

 

When the delivery came in there was an accompanying letter.

 

We, Japanese people, had a hard time understanding North American business practices.

 

But the three defective parts per 10,000 have been separately manufactured and have been included in the consignment in a separate packaging clearly mentioned

 

'Defective pieces as required, not for use'.

 Hope this pleases you.

 

 

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Winning Hearts And Minds

 
Some people have inherent special qualities that enable them to master all situations. Such individuals can, when they come to a gathering, win the hearts and minds of people simply by making an appearance there. It is said of them: They came, they saw, they conquered.
 
This kind of ability to win love is not the monopoly of extraordinary people. Any ordinary person also can win the hearts and minds of people, provided he knows the law of nature.
 
According to Nature, all human beings have two different qualities: ego and conscience. The ego symbolizes arrogance, and the conscience, modesty. For instance, there could be a difference of opinion between two individuals, A and B. A might enter into a heated exchange, refusing to give B due respect and honour. This kind of behavior is bound to provoke B, who might try to teach A a lesson. A psychologist offers this analysis: When ones ego is touched, it turns into super ego and the result is breakdown.
 
In this case A presented a challenge to B and Bs ego gained the upper hand due to arrogance. On the other hand, if, instead of getting provoked and acting out of ego, had B opted for a compromise, or if A had restrained himself from provoking B in the first place, there would be no conflict.
In all likelihood, greater understanding would enable better relations between A and B; they would no longer be rivals bent on outdoing the other. There is scope for friendship now where earlier, there was only ill feeling. When ones conscience is touched, it turns into super conscience and the result is complete surrender
 
This formula is within our reach, and can be used quite successfully. However, there are certain risks involved.

There is every possibility that in a sensitive situation where the ego is involved, the other person becomes even more arrogant. He will react more aggressively. He will be more dangerous than before. But that is only if you allow the ego to become your master. The ego is a bad master but a good servant. Fear of a situation arising in which one is completely directed by the ego is unfounded, because when the ego gains predominance it is because of ignorance of the power of nature. So all one needs to do is to try and be less ignorant; to learn how to think positive and keep ones ego under control.

According to nature if you challenge someone's ego, your success is doubtful but when you challenge someone's conscience, then your success is guaranteed by nature. People generally know the power of fighting but a wise man will tell you that the power of positive thinking  is greater than the power of either ego or conscience. At the time of a controversy, if you choose to fight, you will need arms but when you opt for the positive thinking , you don't need any arms. The power of positive behaviour can triumph over the power of negativity, while the power of negativity cannot win anything it can only lead to destruction.
 
The choice is ours:
To opt for positive, peaceful methods to create better understanding, thereby contributing to universal togetherness with compassion and surrender or to take a combative stand, giving the ego a free hand, causing unhappiness all around

25 yr old son & OLD man

 

 

One old man was sitting with his 25 yr old son in the train.

 

Train is about to leave the station.

 

All passengers are settling down their seat.

 

As train started young man was filled with lot of joy and curiosity.

 

He was sitting on the window side.

 

He went out one hand and feeling the passing air. He shouted, "Papa see all trees are going behind".

 

Old man smile and admired son feelings.

 

Beside the young man one couple was sitting and listing all the conversion between father and son.

 

They were little awkward with the attitude of 25 yr old man behaving like a small child.

 

Suddenly young man again shouted, "Papa see the pond and animals. Clouds are moving with train"

 

Couple was watching the young man in embarrassingly.

 

Now its start raining and some of water drops touches the young man's hand.

 

He filled with joy and he closed the eyes.

 

He shouted again, "Papa it's raining, water is touching me, see papa"

 

Couple couldn't help themselves and ask the old man.

 

"Why don't you visit the Doctor and get treatment for your son."

 

Old man said,

 

"Yes, We are coming from the hospital as Today only my son got his eye sight for first time in his life".

 

Moral: "Don't draw conclusions until you know all the facts".

 

Excerpt from Jiddu Krishna Murthy - The River Of Life

 
Idont know if on your walks you have noticed a long,narrow pool beside the river.Some fishermen must have dug it,and it is not connected with the river.The river is flowing steadily,deep and wide,but the pool is heavy with scum because it is not connected with the life of the river,and there are no fish in it.It is a stagnant pool,and the deep river,full of life and vitality,flows swiftly along.
 
Now,dont you think human beings are like that They dig a little pool for themselves away from the swift current of life,and in that little pool they stagnate,die;and this stagnation,this decay we call existence.That is,we all want a state of permanency;we want certain desires to last forever,we want pleasures to have no end.We dig a little hole and barricade ourselves in it with our families,with our ambitions,our cultures,our fears,our gods,our various forms of worship,and there we die,letting life go by that life which is impermanent,constantly changing,which is so swift,which has such enormous depths,such extraordinary vitality and beauty.

Have you not noticed that if you sit quietly on the bank of the river you hear its song the lapping of the water,the sound of the current going by There is always a sense of movement,an extraordinary movement towards the wider and the deeper.In the little pool,there is no movement at all;its water is stagnant This is what most of us want: little stagnant pools of existence away from life.We say that our pool existence is right,and we have invented a philosophy to justify it;we have developed social,political,economic,and religious theories in support of it,and we dont want to be disturbed because what we are after is a sense of permanency.
 
To seek permanency means wanting that which is pleasurable to continue indefinitely,and wanting that which is not pleasurable to end as quickly as possible.We want the name that we bear to be known and to continue through family,through property.We want a sense of permanency in our relationships,in our activities,which means that we are seeking a lasting,continuous life in the stagnant pool;we dont want any real changes there,so we have built a society which guarantees us the permanency of property,of name,of fame... Life is like the river: endlessly moving on,ever seeking,exploring,pushing,overflowing its banks,penetrating every crevice with its water.But the mind wont allow that to happen to itself.The mind sees that it's dangerous,risky to live in a state of impermanency,insecurity,so it builds a wall around itself Religion is the feeling of goodness,that love which is like the river,living,moving everlastingly.In that state there is no longer any search at all,and this ending of search is the beginning of something totally different.The search for God,for truth,the feeling of being completely good not the cultivation of goodness,of humility,but the seeking out of something beyond the inventions and tricks of the mind,which means having a feeling for that something,living in it,being it that is true religion.But you can do that only when you leave the pool you have dug for yourself and go out into the river of life.
 

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Impact of SLowdown on IT Employee's Family

Vijay (Calling his family from Amsterdam):

Good Evening Mom and Dad.  Where is my wife Sravya?

 

Dad: Just now I called her. She is on the way to home after taking our

grandson Rahul from his school.

 

Vijay: Let us wait for her few minutes and we will start this discussion.

 

(By the time Sravya entered in to the house.. Vijay continue the meeting)

 

I hope you know the Agenda of the meeting which I had mentioned in the

meeting request. Even though let me read out the agenda once again

 

1. Status update/Discussion on Last Week Action Items

 

2. Family Strategy

 

2. Rahul's Education

 

3. Medical Insurance for Mom and Dad

 

I hope every one have the printout of last week MOM (Minutes of Meeting).

Dear Mom can you please update the status of tasks which you are taking

care of?

 

Mom: Vijay, I am taking care of kitchen module which involves making

products like Sambar, Rasam, Curd Rice, Vegetable Biriyani.I am not

comfortable in handling the tools for making Non Vegetarian products. You

suggest some training in Hlite. However after making these products, I am

giving to your Dad for Acceptance testing. Once he satisfied with the

quality of taste, we pass it to Dining Hall. One more thing, I would like

to share with you. As you have suggested during my appraisal discussion,

now I have stopped crying while watching mega serials in TV

 

Vijay: Sounds Good.

 

Vijay: Now coming to Dad. Dad can you please update us?

 

Dad: Yes. My dear son. I have completed my tasks by paying the current

bill and phone bill with in time.

 

Vijay: That's good

 

Dad: But I couldn't pay the premium amount of 9200.00 of the LIC plan

which you had taken for tax reduction purpose.

 

Vijay: It doesn't look nice dad. I have sent you the amount already and

given clear instructions.

Can you explain to me what went wrong?

 

Dad: On Tuesday night suddenly one of our team mate (your mom) fell

Down on the floor when she was running to catch Rahul. Then we took her

to hospital and spent that amount for her medical expenses.

 

Mom: Vijay, I would like to add on what your Dad said, that was true. I

got heavy injury in my legs and I was in hospital for two days. So now we

don't have money to pay for the premium.

 

Vijay: Sravya..! Would you aware of this? As a home lead, I expect you to

track these issues and send it to me on daily basis. What are you doing

(With stress on 'doing') after coming from college?

 

Sravya: Will do it Vijay. You know that the college, I am working is very

far from our home. Every day I come back home at 6 pm and sit with Rahul

for assisting him for doing his home work.

 

Vijay: Ok. Coming to second Agenda point .Due to this financial crisis we

need to change the strategy of running our family. I am looking for your

cooperation in the following cost cutting activities. I want to see the

cost benefit of 40 % in this month budget after implementing this

 

 

ü Asking servant maid to leave her job

 

ü Stop ordering Pizzas for dinner

 

ü Avoid Tooth paste and use Neem sticks/Banyan Tree Sticks

 

ü Wise to listen news from our near by portion when they watch news in TV

 

ü Every Saturday visit our relative's homes and spend the whole day

including break fast, lunch and Dinner

 

ü Don't invite anybody to our home. Sunday our relatives might come to

our house. Just lock the door outside and do your work inside silently.

 

ü Everybody assemble in adjacent street Saibaba temple on Sunday for

breakfast. They provide 'Pulihora' as 'prasadam' which is good in taste

 

ü Sravya ..  stop going for gym and Yoga class. Use Hand Grinder

(Replacement  of Mixie) instead of grinder and Mixie. Mom please give KT to

Sravya about this.

 

ü Don't buy excess of things and store it in Fridge. Use big Mud pots for

cool water.

 

ü Everybody go to bed early around 6:30 pm. Ask Rahul to do his homework

when he comes back from school immediately during the hours sunlight is

available. If not ask him to read under street light. He will become like

Lincoln (Former US President) one day.

 

ü Use as much of cycle for transportation to near by places(It will help you

to reduce fat and Cholesterol content)

 

ü I know you are eager to watch latest release 'Kotha Bangaru Lokam'. Don't

plan for that. Wail till next year Diwali to watch the same movie in MAA TV

 

If you have any clarifications contact Sravya@kitchen.com

 

Coming to second Agenda point. Sravya, can you please update me about

Rahul's Education. In which standard he is studying? Whether he got any

double promotion? He was writing annual exam for third standard when I

was leaving for Amsterdam.

 

Sravya: Vijay, I am bit worrying about his education. I have tracked his

efforts, schedule in our OHM+ tool. I found 20 % in Effort variance and 35

% in schedule deviation. His learning curve goes down in the control chart

which you can see in the report, I have sent you yesterday.

 

Vijay: Thanks for your measurements. I will review the report and we will

discuss it on next week's call. I have a client meeting now. So we will

discuss the third agenda item next week. Mom and Dad.. can you please

drop out from the call ?. I wanted to talk to Sravya about few personal

things and Dad, don't forget to circulate the MOM to every one.

 

Sravya: Hello Vijay..

 

Sravya: Hello.Hello.

 

Sravya: Hello.

 

<Tring.Tring..Tring.Line Got Disconnected>

 

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Sixth Sense

A father put his three year old daughter to bed, told her a story and listened to her prayers which she ended by saying "God bless Mommy, God bless daddy, God bless grandma and good-bye grandpa."

The father asked, "Why did you say good-bye grandpa?"

The little girl said, "I don't know daddy, it just seemed like the thing to do."

The next day grandpa died.

The father thought it was a strange coincidence. A few months later the father put the girl to bed and listened to her prayers, which went like this: "God bless Mommy, God Bless daddy and good-bye grandma."

The next day the grandmother died.

Oh my god, thought the father, this kid is in contact with the other side.

Several weeks later when the girl was going to bed the dad heard her say, "God bless Mommy and good-bye Daddy."

He practically went into shock. He couldn't sleep all night and got up at the crack of dawn to go to his office. He was nervous as a cat all day, had lunch sent in and watched the clock. He figured if he could get by until midnight he would be okay. He felt safe in the office, so instead of going home at the end of the day he stayed there, drinking coffee, looking at his watch and jumping at every sound.

Finally midnight arrived, he breathed a sigh of relief and went home.

When he got home his wife said "I've never seen you work so late, what's the matter?" He said "I don't want to talk about it, I've just spent the worst day of my life."

She said "You think you had a bad day, you'll never believe what happened to me. This morning our neighbour James dropped dead on our porch."

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

No Matter Where You Are !!!

An old man lived alone in Minnesota. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, who would have helped him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and mentioned his situation:

Dear Son,
I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my potato garden this year. I hate to miss doing the garden, because your mother always loved planting time. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me, if you weren't in prison.

With Love,
Dad.


Shortly, the old man received this telegram: "For Heaven's sake, Dad, don't dig up the garden!! That's where I buried the GUNS!!"

At 4 a.m .. the next morning, a dozen FBI agents and local police officers showed up and dug up the entire garden without finding any guns. Confused, the old man wrote another note to his son telling him what happened, and asked him what to do next.

His son's reply was: "Go ahead and plant your potatoes, Dad... It's the best I could do for you from here."

Moral:
NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN THE WORLD, IF YOU HAVE DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING DEEP FROM YOUR HEART YOU CAN DO IT.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Excellence is a drive from "Inside" not "Outside".

A gentleman was once visiting a temple under construction. In the temple premises, he saw a sculptor making an idol of God. Suddenly he saw, just a few meters away, another identical idol was lying. Surprised he asked the sculptor, "Do you need two statutes of the same idol?"… "No", said the sculptor, "We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage".

The gentleman examined the sculpture. No apparent damage was visible."Where is the damage? " asked the gentleman. "There is a scratch on the nose of the idol"… The gentleman asked again "Where are you going to keep the idol?". The sculptor replied that it will be installed on a pillar 20 feet high.

"When the idol will be 20 feet away from the eyes of the beholder, who is going to know that there is scratch on the nose?", the gentleman asked.

The sculptor looked at the gentleman, smiled and said "The God knows it and I know it!!!"

The desire to excel should be exclusive of the fact whether someone appreciates it or not.

Excellence is a drive from "Inside" not "Outside".

The Bath Tub Test


It doesn't hurt to take a hard look at yourself from time to time, and this should help get you started.

*****************************************************

During a visit to the mental asylum, a visitor asked the Director what the criterion was which defined whether or not a patient should be institutionalized.

"Well," said the Director, "we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the bathtub."

"Oh, I understand," said the visitor. "

A normal person would use the bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup.

"" No." said the Director, "A normal person would pull the plug.

Do you want a bed near the window? "

*****************************************************

DID YOU PASS ????????

Lunch with God

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with a bag of potato chips and a six-pack of root beer and started his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park, just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her some chips. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Again, she smiled at him.

The boy was delighted! They satthere all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.As twilight approached, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave; but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman, and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?" He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, "Mother, what did you do today that made you so happy?" She replied! "I ate potato chips in the park with God." However, before her son responded, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all ofwhich have the potential to turn a life around.

People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime! Embrace all equally!

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Software Girl's Wedding

Sandhya: Hey! what is the matter you have called up all of a sudden?
Shilpa: Do u remember that my parents gave my horoscope, to search for a suitable match, to many people? So many horoscopes of the groom has come.. in that 4-5 seems to match.. I don't know which one to select, I am confused because of it.

Sandhya: What is the confusion about?
Shilpa: Horoscopes of many software engineers have come. It seems now a days, the software guys are wanting to marry girls in the other field. That's I why I don't know whom I must select among this. You are a software engineer na pls give me some suggestion .

Sandhya: Not a problem at all. So tell me the position that each one holds.
Shilpa: First is a manager.

Sandhya: Manager?? Then he will showcast himself that he is busy always. But he will not do anything properly. He will get u 1 kg of rice and ask you to prepare for the whole area say a village. He will get you mutton and ask you to prepare chicken 65. Even if you protest telling you can't make it, he'll not accept. He will tell you to work hard day and night to prepare it. He will also tell he'll provide you with the night cab. Even if you ask how can I prepare chicken 65 out of it by sitting day and night he will not accept.
Shilpa: Ohh..so dangerous he is!! Then I must escape. Next is a test engineer.

Sandhya: He is more dangerous than the other person. Whatever you do he will correctly tell only the fault in it. Even if you try to surprise him with 10 variety of food, he will tell the item which does not have salt in it. If you ask him "will you not at least tell that it is good", he will reply back saying it is your duty to make it good so why must I tell that. He is sooo good ... Shilpa: Then a NO to him also. Next is the performance test engineer.

Sandhya: He is another specimen.. even if everything is good, he will ask why did it take this much time. If you take 10 minutes to make a coffee, he will question you asking why you have taken 10 min for a coffee which can be done within 5 min. Even if you say that he is talking about the instant coffee while you have made the filter coffee, he will not accept. The same will be with all the work you do. You must not think about this person if you want to do make up in your life !!!
Shilpa: Then! you mean to say that we should not marry software guys??

Sandhya: Who said like that?? In software there is one more group. They are called the developers group. How much ever you hit them they will bear.
Shilpa: Then tell about them.

Sandhya: You don't have to do anything. They will do everything themselves. If we sit back and just boost them it is enough. But the problem with them is- they will say "I know it" whatever you ask them. Even that is ok. They will bear how much ever you hit them but the condition is you must keep saying "you are too good" after hitting them every time.
Shilpa: This is superb. Then we must search for this kind of a groom....

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Kenny & The Dead Donkey - A Real & Interesting Story

 
A city boy, Kenny, moved to the country and bought a donkey from an old farmer for $100.00. The farmer agreed to deliver the donkey the next day.

The next day the farmer drove up and said, "Sorry son, but I have some bad news, the donkey died last night."

 
Kenny replied: "Well then, just give me my money back."
 
The farmer said: "Can't do that. I went and spent it already."
 
Kenny said: "OK then, just unload the donkey."
 
The farmer asked: "What you goanna to do with him?"
 
Kenny: "I'm going to raffle him off." (Note: To raffle is to sell a thing by lottery - draw lot -! to a group of people each paying the same amount for a ticket)
 
Farmer: "You can't raffle off a dead donkey!"
 
Kenny: "Sure I can. Watch me. I just won't tell anybody he's dead."
 
A month later the farmer met up with Kenny and asked, "What happened with that dead donkey?"
 
Kenny: "I raffled him off. I sold 500 tickets at two dollars apiece and made a profit of $998.00."
 
Farmer: "Didn't anyone complain?"
 
Kenny: "Just the guy who won. So I gave him back his two dollars."

 
Kenny grew up and eventually became the Director of the American Energy Company : Enron
 

 

Monday, June 9, 2008

ANT & Grosshopper - A Story about Indian Reservations

The story of the Ant, The Grosshopper – A Wonderful Moral as its really happening in our country INDIA…

 An Old Story:-

 The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and
 laying up supplies for the winter.

 The Grasshopper thinks the Ant is a fool and laughs & dances & plays the
 summer away.

 Come winter, the Ant is warm and well fed. The Grasshopper has no food or
 shelter so he dies out in the cold.


Indian Version:


 The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and  laying up supplies for the winter.

 The Grasshopper thinks the Ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the
 summer away.

 Come winter, the shivering Grasshopper calls a press conference and
 demands to know why the Ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed
 while others are cold and starving.


 NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering Grasshopper  next to a video of the Ant in his comfortable home with a table filled  with food.

 The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor  Grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

 Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the Ant's house.

 Medha Patkar goes on a fast along with other Grasshoppers demanding that  Grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter .

 Amnesty International and Koffi Annan criticize the Indian Government for
 not upholding the fundamental rights of the Grasshopper.

 The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the
 Grasshopper (many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt
 support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance).

 Opposition MPs stage a walkout. Left parties call for ' Bengal Bandh' in
  West Bengal and Kerala demanding a Judicial Enquiry.
 CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard  in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among Ants and
 Grasshoppers.

 Lalu Prasad allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Indian Railway  Trains, aptly named as the 'Grasshopper Rath'.

 Arjun Singh makes 'Special Reservation ' for Grasshoppers in Educational  Institutions & in Government Services.

 The Ant is 
 unable to   cope with the Resesrvation  and having nothing left
 to pay his retroactive taxes,it's home is confiscated by the Government
 and handed over to the Grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV.

 Arundhati Roy calls it ' A Triumph of Justice'.

 Lalu calls it 'Socialistic Justice '.

 CPM calls it the ' Revolutionary Resurgence of the Downtrodden '

 Koffi Annan invites the Grasshopper to address the UN General ssembly.
 

 

Congress takes the credit for always caring about the AAM Grasshopeer. 

Many years later...

 

 

  The Ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi-billion dollar company in Silicon Valley,



 100s of Grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation omewhere
 in India ,

 


 .
 ..AND




 As a result of losing lot of hard working Ants and feeding the  grasshoppers...,.

 

INDIA is still a developing country… !!!

 

What Is Wrong With You ? Why Are You Still In Your Old Job ?

"What's wrong with you? You are with the same Organisation for 3 years. You will soon be called a fossil."

– Employee comment, ITES industry.

"I plan to work here until I retire." This was a statement in our Great Place to Work® Institute's employee survey, which is popularly known as the Trust Index survey. Our experience in India over the last few years convinced us that this is a wrong statement for the survey in India. The best employers would all have high positive scores in most areas, except this one. In fact, this statement had the lowest score, even for the Top 25 GreatPlaces to Work.

There is an old adage. If you can't improve your employee scores, change the survey! About a year back, after a great deal of debate, the statement was changed in our survey. Today, we have a statement that says, "I plan to work here for a long time." Only now, have the scores gone up for this statement.

Much has been written about the talent shortage in India and why people do not stay for a long time, let alone till retirement. Most good companies analyse exit interview data to find out why people leave.

I spent a good part of last month visiting four Organisations to find out why people stay.The Organisations vary from ITES to hospitality to consulting to brand services. The only thing common were the profile of employees. While the Organisations and the employees by themselves can be called a convenient sample, the employees had one thing in common.Almost all employees interviewed were less than 30 years, with a majority being less than 25 years of age. Considering that more than 50 per cent of our population is less than 25 years in age, the focus group discussions I did might have some significance. I asked one common question to all. "What makes you stay in this Organisation?" Here is what I found.

1. Compensation

While none of the Organisations were in the top quartile in their industry on pay, compensation was a key driver not just in deciding to leave, but in deciding to stay as well. As one employee put it

-"Give us money or give us a life." The only consolation for Organisations is that regardless of compensation levels there is a wide variance in retention levels in various teams, which to some extent may be attributed to the difference in the nature of work and the leadership style of the manager, amongst other factors.

2.

Personal convenience

Employees who have stayed longer have quoted personal convenience with respect to location, transport, shift timings and security etc as influencing factors. Ease of access to workplace and pick up and drop near their home is an influencer in their decision to stay. Importance of personal convenience seemed to be inversely proportional to the skill level/complexity of the job. Employees in jobs that call for a higher level of expertise seem to be less worried about personal convenience. For example, employees in the creative department of a brand services firm would rate the "Creative culture" as more important than personal convenience.

3. Learning and exposure

This is perhaps one of the biggest drivers for the new generation. In all the four Organisations a large component of learning came from working with clients, and meeting their requirements. There was also a pegging order for various departments/processes/projects with some perceived to be better learning opportunities than others. In fact some of the above departments/ processes seem to have a stronger employer brand than the Organisation's employer brand. For example, employees do not join Organisation X, but they join the marketing department of Organisation X. The challenge for many Organisations in some new economy industries with their division of labour is to sustain the learning curve after the first one year. Unlike the Apprenticeship models of the past, in most Organisations, learning comes from the job/ process or the client, rather than the supervisor.Some common tools used by Organisations to enhance learning and exposure were internal job postings, training programmes, certification courses, and global exposure.

4. Career Growth

Career growth (read rapid promotions) is the single biggest reason for staying back for those employees who have got rapid promotions. There are significant social pressures to quit, on employees who do not get rapid promotions. In three of these Organisations employees gave examples of fulfilling career growth inspite of not having requisite technical qualifications, e.g. housekeeping person heading sales or a matriculate doing design production work. The high growth of many organizations poses serious challenges with systems, processes and infrastructure forever lagging behind. However, high growth is also what enables many Organisations to give rapid promotions, which subsequently becomes a stated and expected need. If you are riding the high growth tiger, you will find it difficult to dismount.

 

5. Freedom and Empowerment

"One of our guests was unhappy with something in one of our restaurants. Our Associate (entry level employee) offered him our most expensive champagne on the house! When senior management came to know about it she was publicly ……. applauded!" Employees in this hotel know that customer service is not a poster in the Training room. This hotel has used Freedom and Empowerment not only to drive customer service, but also to build employee engagement. Talk about killing two birds with one stone!
 

6. Camaraderie

Most employees, who have stayed a long time, talked about getting into a "comfort zone" with managers showing a high degree of flexibility towards personal and work life issues. It is common for employees to swap shifts between themselves, use flexi time informally when required and shift to more convenient shifts for specific period of time e.g. before taking maternity leave or after coming back from maternity leave.Interestingly, while there were many examples of supportive bosses, there were not many examples of leaders inspiring employees to remain with the Organisation or to give their best. In a recent interview in Economic Times, Nandita Gurjar, VP HR of Infosys BPO was quoted as saying, " Many top level and mid level employees have started hopping as many as 2-3 companies in a year. And these are the same people who once counseled entry level employees towards loyalty and persuaded them to stay put. At the end of it all entry level employees realize it is a hoax." In my days in manufacturing in the past it was not uncommon to have middle managers with high levels of integrity (Doing what they say). Today in the new age economy, this is a challenge with respect to retention. A manager can hardly inspire her team members to stay, if she is applying elsewhere.

7. Stability and Job Security

Interestingly, even in an industry teeming with employment opportunities, stability of the Organisation and by implication, job security, emerged as a key motivator for many employees. Employees gave examples of an entire process being taken out of the Organisation, but all employees being relocated to other processes

of their choice. While employees are no longer willing to commit staying for a long time, they nevertheless appreciate Organisations which offer stability and better security. If this is a factor in retention, Organisations should be able to make it a core part of their deal to employees, particularly in growth phase. Unfortunately, employees are no longer willing to believe that organizations will protect their jobs during any down turn, unless an Organisation has a track record of doing so.

8. Work- Life Balance

Interestingly, in many of the groups interviewed I found a small, but distinct group of employees who are willing to be reconciled with lower growth provided they get the work life balance they are seeking. Apart from obvious categories like double income families with child rearing responsibilities, some young people want more time to pursue their interests apart from work. This is, however, not a major trend, yet.

________________________________________________________________________

The author is CEO of The Great Place to Work® Institute, India. He can be reached at

pbhattacharya@greatplacetowork.in  Views expressed are personal.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

A Leader Should Know How to Manage Failure

 
Former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam : 'A Leader Should Know How to Manage Failure'


IndiaKnowledge@Wharton :  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.


What a wonderful leader !
 
 

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Lunch with God

 
 
A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with a bag of potato chips and a six-pack of root beer and started his journey.
 
When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old woman. She was sitting in the park, just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to her and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old lady looked hungry, so he offered her some chips. She gratefully accepted it and smiled at him.
 

Her smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered her a root beer. Again, she smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat
there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.
 
As twilight approached, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave; but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the old woman, and gave her a hug. She gave him her biggest smile ever.
 
When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?" He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? She's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"
 
Meanwhile, the old woman, also radiant with joy, returned to her home. Her son was stunned by the look of peace on her face and he asked, "Mother, what  did you do today that made you so happy?" She replied! "I ate potato chips in the park with God." However, before her son responded, she added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime! Embrace all equally!

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...