Thursday

Watch for ‘strategic inflection points’


The early 1980s was when the Japanese memory producers appeared on the scene in overwhelming force, recounts Andrew Grove in Only the Paranoid Survive.
“People who came back from visits to Japan told scary stories. At one big Japanese company, for instance, it was said that memory development activities occupied a whole huge building. Each floor housed designers working on a different memory generation…” reads a graphic account.
“On one floor were the 16K people (where ‘K’ stands for 1,024 bits), on the floor above were the 64K people, and on the floor above that people were working on 256K-bit memories. There were even rumours that in secret projects people were working on a million-bit memory…”
Business success contains the seeds of its own destruction, sombrely observes the former Intel chairman in his preface to the book. “The more successful you are, the more people want a chunk of your business and then another chunk and then another until there is nothing left.” He believes, therefore, that the prime responsibility of a manager is to guard constantly against other people’s attacks and to inculcate this guardian attitude to the staff.
Watch for ‘strategic inflection points,’ advises Grove. Such points, which are times when in the life of a business its fundamentals are about to change, are opportunities to rise to new heights, but they can just as likely ‘signal the beginning of the end.’
These points, caused by technology or otherwise, can be deadly when unattended to, says Grove. “They build force so insidiously that you may have a hard time even putting a finger on what has changed, yet you know that something has…” Companies that begin a decline as a result of these changes ‘rarely recover their previous greatness.’
Resuming the Japan story, Grove remembers how Intel had to fight hard. “Riding the memory wave, the Japanese producers were taking over the world semiconductor market in front of our eyes… Their principal weapon was the availability of high-quality product priced astonishingly low.”
More depressing was a secret document that Intel could lay its hands on. It was a memo sent to the sales force of a large Japanese company. Grove recites the key portion of the memo: “Win with the 10 per cent rule… Find AMD (another American company) and Intel sockets…Quote 10 per cent below their price… If they requote, go 10 per cent again… Don’t quit till you win!”
The downward pricing spiral pushed Intel to try niches and earn a premium. “We tried to invent special-purpose memories called value-added designs, we introduced more advanced technologies and built memories with them,” writes Grove of those days. “There was a saying at Intel at that time: ‘If we do well we may get 2X (twice) the price of Japanese memories, but what good does it do if X gets smaller and smaller.’”
Meanwhile, Intel continued to spend heavily on R&D because, as a technology company, it believed that ‘every problem should have a technological solution.’
A saga of survival.
-Recommended reading

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Wednesday

Dr.John C Maxwell - Travel through Life


Here are Tips from Dr. John C. Maxwell, recognized Leadership expert, where he gave 10 solid tips for traveling through life.
Traveling Through Life – Dr.John C. Maxwell
Tip #1: Travel Light. - You can always tell the difference between an experienced traveler and a new one… by the size of their luggage. John mentioned that too many people travel through life with a lot of emotional baggage, which they’ve not yet learned to let go.
Traveling light is about finding your priorities… carrying only the essential stuff… Oh yes… and asking for forgiveness along the way.
Tip #2: Take someone with you - Life is about relationships. Isn’t it awfully lonely to travel through life alone?Maybe you’ve been hurt before, but that doesn’t mean that you should close your heart. It only means that you know the characteristics you don’t want in a partner/friend.Let time heal your heart and then find someone to travel through life with.
Tip #3: Follow The Road Map - Have a game plan. If you do not know where you are going, then how can you hope to get there?
It is important to know where you are (A) by doing self-reflection everyday and where you want to go (B) by setting goals… but do not succumb to “destination disease”. Life is not only about reaching B. Life HAPPENS between A and B! Enjoy the journey…
Tip #4: Take The High Road -”Those who are instruments of grace to others become recipients of grace to themselves”.
John talks about the necessity of having a life stance - your overall frame of reference - your attitude, assumptions and expectations of yourself, others around you and life.
Taking the high road means that you do not keep score. You learn to forgive others and do your best to help the people around you.
Tip #5: Stop And Ask For Directions -Most people are too stubborn or proud to do that. They would rather go around in circles than stop to ask someone for directions.
Remember that no matter the direction you are heading, it’s very likely that someone else has already been there and done that. Be prepared to ask for advice… and shortcut your learning curve.
Tip #6: Make A U-Turn When Needed -”Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.” You can’t turn back time when you have made a mistake… but you can change directions and make a U-turn before it’s too late.
Sometimes, we may find ourselves headed into a dead end… the sooner we realize we have to make a change and do it, the more likely we will find ourselves back on a safe route.
Remember… not changing when you have to may lead to death!
Tip #7: Appreciate The Detours - Life is not a smooth one way street. Along the way, you will meet obstacles and challenges. Appreciate and learn to take the detours.
I love the way John reframed “Problems”. He said that problems are…
Predictors
Reminders
Opportunities
Blessings
Lessons
Everywhere
Messages
Solvable
Could you see how that can be really empowering?
Tip #8: Take Pictures - Create Memories.
John suggests that you should….
Work like you don’t need the money
Dance like no one is watching
Sing like no one is listening
Love like you’ve never been hurt
Live like it’s heaven on earth
How beautiful is that?
Tip #9: Travel The Extra Mile - And then some…Who knows what you would find in that extra mile? Another adventure… A beautiful sight… A lovely encounter… An enchanting lover…
Go the extra mile… it may be worth the whole journey.
Tip #10: Stop To Smell The Roses - Remember not to rush though life… Take some time out to appreciate its beauty… Enjoy the butterflies’ dance… and last but not least, be grateful… for everyone and everything in your life.

Sunday

Self-Motivation : You Are The BEST...You Are Unique...You Are Different


All days are not same...some days are good and some are bad; All people are not same...some appreciate and some criticize;All relatives are not same...some love us and some hate us;We give our best to all assignments...to all projects...to every thing that we do...to every moment of our life...to every minute of a day but the results are not same...sometimes we succeed and some time we fail. There are also days of frustration and disappointments.There are also people who harm us, hurt us and criticize us.There are also people who accept us and others reject us. Sometime the disappointment, frustration, fear, thought of failure and pain of rejection is too deep and it hurt our self-esteem and self-confidence. We feel useless, worthless and dejected. Just during such days and such moments look into the mirror and tell your self, "I am the BEST". Why only during such times, everyday...once in a day you should tell yourself, "I am the best". Doesn't matter what the situations are;Doesn't matter what type of people are around you;Doesn't matter which phase of life...you are going through; You are THE BEST. You are Special. You are Unique. You are Different. You are Lovable.Take positives from everything. Learn from your experience. Love yourself and love people around you. Respect yourself...for what you are and as you are. Today might not be your day, but be hopeful, continue to dream...tomorrow will certainly be yours. Agreed that today is a bit dark, look the other side...some light is coming. Be positive. Be thoughtful. Continue Your Learning. Love yourself.Don't let anything hurt you;Don't let people take away your self-esteem and self-pride; Have a great day and fantastic week ahead. Take very good care of yourself...because you are the BEST...you are Special..you are Unique...you are Different...You are Lovable.

Friday

Learning to learn


If you are one of ‘the well-educated, high-powered, high-commitment professionals who occupy key leadership positions in the modern corporation,’ it may come as a rude shock to hear Chris Argyris fault your learning.
“Most people define learning too narrowly as mere ‘problem solving,’ so they focus on identifying and correcting errors in the external environment,” he bemoans in Teaching Smart People How to Learn.
“Solving problems is important. But if learning is to persist, managers and employees must also look inward,” he instructs.
“They need to reflect critically on their own behaviour, identify the ways they often inadvertently contribute to the organisation’s problems, and then change how they act.”
Quite ironically, they may then learn “how the very way they go about defining and solving problems can be a source of problems in its own right.”

-Recommended reading

Magic

Sometimes I sleep while the nations roll round,Mimicking bravery, muffling the soundOf unspeakable slavery...Sometimes I weep as the voice in the skyWhispers the reasons I ought not to die,Murmurs of treason,And fades to a sigh.Hesitance followed me, painfully lingeringWrapped round the dreams I was painfully fingeringWrapped round the fire that was slowly recedingWrapped round my life who lay painlessly bleeding.I lived alone when I'd no one to tell.I was my own and I built my own cell.Harsh, stark, and dim, wherein no man could hear me -Wherein no cry could reach me, wherein no sun could sear me.Many men knew me, or saw, or perceived me.Many men loved me, and fewer believed me.Their lives were insane, their faces were tragic,And I went on wandering, searching for magic.The road was my heaven - fair, far, and free,And there I imagined that I ought to beWhat anyone dared to desire of me....Fighting with lies, bathed in goodbyesSearching the people with angels for eyes...One night I gazed at a star, warm and white,And prayed to remember, and prayed to be right...Too tired of waiting. Too tired of hating.Too tired of watching my spirit abating.I let my glance wander and I cast my eyes onSome kind of magic beyond the horizon.Some breath of freedom, of life... or of truthSome breath of something I knew in my youth.It lightened my heart. It strengthened my soul.It as my own reason for living - my goal.