Enigma Solution

Image by Ben Heine I was nearly lynched while driving in Texas where I blew my car horn freely as I did in my native Pune (India).  It took me a very short while to realise that that this behaviour upset people so much that it could get me killed.  It is generally believed particularly in the west and Japan that blowing the horn is considered rude and reserved as an insult to others.  There is a another deeper reason why people hate these loud noises, because it has become a killer. Yes noise destroys sanity before it takes your life.  Census reports in USA and UK   cite noise – more than any other problem even more than crime, litter, traffic, or inefficient government – as the biggest problem citizens face particularly in urban neighborhoods.  40% of people are regularly exposed to noise levels labeled as excessive by the Environmental Protection Agency."  The noise pollution is causing brain damage and heightened stress across communities...

Intel as everyone knows has been and continues to be a world leader in manufacture of computer chips. It has been the largest chip manufacturer in the world since 1992. In May 2009, Craig Barrett stepped down as Intel's  Chairman after serving the organization for 35 years. He also served as Intel's CEO from 1998 to 2005. The charismatic Mr. Barrett almost always couched his hard hitting messages with humour. At his farewell meeting with employees he cautioned them that it is easy to become complacent when you are a leader. He said if you go to the universities in the USA, three fourths of the graduates in engineering were foreign nationals. A vast majority of them were now returning to their home countries because they were increasingly finding better better opportunities there. This meant that talented students were strengthening their home economies and not the USA as was the tradition till recently. Mr. Barrett was particularly concerned about ...

The recent Arab Spring where so much changed reminded me of a life changing experience of a friend Sanmeet and his dear friend and business associate Rashid. Sanmeet exports from India quality engineering goods and automotive components all over the world. Africa was and remains a good market. He used to export to Mr. Rashid in Khartoum( Sudan) for over 30 years. The manner in which he developed his business and built relationships makes for educative reading. Coming in as refugees from Burma in 1964 where the family were successful importers of auto parts from all over the world, Sanmeet's family decided to export automotive components. Relatively neglected and not so demanding in terms of performance Africa was considered a good entry market. Yemen and Sudan provided good opportunities. In 1971 Sanmeet landed in Khartoum and looked around and learnt of a very small trader called Rashid. Moving around on a bicycle Rashid had a ramshackle shop. Logicall...

In life its not sufficient to be merely efficient but to also be effective. Someone once asked my father Man Singh ji, 'What is the secret of your success?'  He remarked, "I do not always make right decisions. I make decisions, and then almost always make them right" Read more ..........

Almost everyone I know is concerned if not obsessed with being happy. So I amuse myself by asking people various questions about happiness. A popular question is,  "At which time in your professional life did you feel the happiest?". Most respond that they were happiest at the beginning of their careers or when they were mere trainees. This seems strange. How can anyone be happy when as the junior most person you have people walking all over you, the workload back breaking, and you have so little money in the pocket? This contradiction I ascribe to youth, which is identified by a carefree demeanour, optimism, boundless energy, good health etc. The greatest reason is lack of any real personal and professional responsibility. As we progress in our careers, most of us emulate the hamster on the wheel in the laboratory. We run, run and run,  snatching moments of  joy and relaxation, endeavouring to  achieve real personal development whenever possible, ev...

An interesting reaction to my writing, is that people begin to ask for advice. Though this is flattering it can be a bit dangerous both for me and the person seeking my advice. I wish they would realize that, all I have to share with most of them is only my confusion. Pradeep recently wrote to me, that he felt he was a zombie without a meaningful life. He worked for a very big and famous multinational organization. He was paid very well and had a lot of perks and facilities provided to him. He felt trapped in a line up of demanding and aggressive bosses, exhausted subordinates and impossible targets. Like most of his colleagues, even 12 hour work days and six days a week of slogging were insufficient to meet the workload demanded from them. He felt he was unable to satisfy his bosses because of lack of competence and ability. Constant battering by his bosses and unhappiness at home had eroded his confidence. He wanted my advise on ways and means to boost his confidence. I tol...

I love statesmen for they demonstrate the better qualities in people. Unfortunately statesmen are an almost extinct species. On the other hand, I detest politics because the conduct of politicians often brings out the worst in people. Yet it is undeniable the entertainment value politicians provide to the public, often at great cost to our sanity, loss of wealth, destruction of our environment and generation of a lot of  chaos in society. Yet every fiasco and blunder, of which there are many   by our politicians and the government lie powerful and important lessons for individuals and organisations on how not to do things. Driven by control rather than contribution, politicians and governments rarely get things right and can always be trusted to botch things up. The billion rupee question is ' How do they not only survive but thrive, in spite of their sheer incompetence and duplicity?' I believe the right answer would be, 'They resort to the...

A year ago a very dear uncle passed away. I had gone to meet him a couple of days before he passed away.  It is always painful to see a loved one approaching their end. My uncle just lay there very calmly and composed as if in a deep sleep. I said a silent prayer for this kind and wonderful man who has brought joy to many people in his life. I prayed that he be allowed to go from this world with dignity and in the natural way. The family sat dignified and composed,  only the stooped shoulders, dark patches under the red eyes revealed the deep anguish within their hearts. They were practical and respectful of my uncle to know when to stop fighting and to yield to God's will. My mind raced across the past to review the passing away of other people and even organisations. Just like people, organisations also have a life. This life should be loved, nurtured and developed to grow and thrive,  and then be allowed to die respectfully when its time is up. Drive...

                                       A second generation owner took over the reins of a company from his aging father as the MD (managing director).  The youngster was earnest and eager to ‘professionalise’. He had learnt that a flat structure was the best organisation type. What a coup it would be to kill two birds with one stone; to reduce costs and simultaneously employ fewer people.  People were dismissed, retired or coerced to leave.  Many people classified as 'flab' by the new boss were soon history. Lo and behold! Soon after this initiative, p ayroll costs went down and productivity went up as the fearful employees were working harder to avoid their head being on the chopping block.  About two years  after the  bloodbath  began, there was a crisis. The company was in dire straits.  Sales, quality and profitability had all plummeted a...