Ten short articles for young people about how to think about the carrier (Published in Economic Times 2006).

December 18, 2006

Success, be not proud

18th December 2006, ECONOMIC TIMES

The vagaries of a successful business career are as mysterious as life itself. To cope with success, you have to relax and not take yourself too seriously. Apart from great qualities of head and heart, it takes good fortune to get success. With that fortune and success, you have to do something for others. Obligation is born in success.
December 11, 2006

Experience is what you do with what happens to you

11th December 2006, ECONOMIC TIMES

While reflecting about the column on careers and business life, I asked myself what purpose could be served by such an effort. A simple idea, supported by a simple story, could be a positive format for learning and reflection and practising managers could find that useful.
December 4, 2006

Good advice often comes like gentle drops of fine rain

4th December 2006, ECONOMIC TIMES

All endings are also beginnings. It is just that we don’t know it at that time. In a delightful book, The Five People You Meet In Heaven, Mitch Albom narrates the story of an 83 year old war veteran, who discovers people who affected his life without anyone knowing about it.
November 27, 2006

Take care of the only car you will ever have

27th November 2006, ECONOMIC TIMES

It is in the first ten years after the working career begins that the greatest neglect of youthful health begins. Sportsmen stop playing sports, teetotalers drink alcohol, non-smokers smoke, active youngsters sit on desk jobs, and starving hostel inmates eat rich foods. These early years are the ones to watch.
November 20, 2006

Listen to the song behind the words during appraisal

20th November 2006, ECONOMIC TIMES

The most common complaint heard in company corridors pertains to the company’s appraisal system and the quality of feedback to the manager from his superior. Whatever is done, it never seems to be good enough. Improving on this aspect is a constant effort everywhere, all the time.
November 13, 2006

Do things right, not just the right things

13th November 2006, ECONOMIC TIMES

Young managers are taught to think that they should ‘take charge’ of their career, that they should purposefully plan what they wish to be, what milestones they should achieve and by when. The reality is completely different.
November 6, 2006

Success is about direction more than distance

6th November 2006, ECONOMIC TIMES

Many managers spend a lot of their working time, thinking about how to accelerate their promotions, how to impress the boss more than their colleagues, and how to earn money faster. The management world is indeed very competitive.
October 30, 2006

Enjoy what you do, and do what you enjoy

30th October 2006, ECONOMIC TIMES

A career means different things to different people. To some, it is an end point: it is a statement of ambition e.g. I must become the CEO of this company. To others, it means the landmarks on the way e.g. I must become regional manager in two years and general manager in three years thereafter. To most it is a combination. However, these are all ‘destinations’ and not the ‘journey’.
October 23, 2006

Success in management is based on courage

23rd October 2006, ECONOMIC TIMES

Management is about leadership--of people, of ideas, of markets. It is not merely about how far you go, and definitely not about doing what you are told to do; it is about doing what you are paid to do. Managers need to remind themselves about this eternal truth.