Enigma Solution

A few weeks ago there was a tragic fire at a very famous hospital in Kolkata in which 87 people lost their lives. I was obsessed with trying to find out what lessons could be learnt so that we protect others and ourselves. The root cause for any failure can always be traced back to a handful of reasons, the usual culprits are incompetent leadership, poor management,  inappropriate technology, shoddy design, incompetent staff and negligent people. It is difficult for most people to appreciate that the seeds of a tragedy are sown long before the bitter fruit arrives.  In the case of the Kolkata hospital fire,  this is the inside story as narrated by someone who knows.  About two weeks prior to the killer blaze erupting, a similar fire had taken place at the very same hospital in the basement where inflammable supplies were stored till the ceiling.  The staff of the outsourced security firm promptly responded with confidence and took the initiative. The secur...

        F requently requested to assist organisations large and small, I observe a common and recurring theme.  The issues revolve around the struggle of owners /managers to manage effectively. This is visible predominantly in companies that have started small and are growing, in family run businesses and families themselves. They are invariably puzzled that management approach, style and methods which worked so well in the past, now just don't work anymore. They resort to even more hard work and effort, yet the situation only worsens. Finding themselves in unfamiliar situations they dart here and there implementing fads, half hearted strategies alien to their thinking and character. They do this because they are getting frustrated and doing something is considered better than doing nothing. They change staff and managers. They churn product mix, vendors and even customers and markets. They try so many things but nothing seems to work. They chang...