Management(al)-The MBA-GSD Theory

"Management in all business areas and organizational activities are the acts of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives. Management comprises planning, organizing, staffing, leading or directing, and controlling an organization (a group of one or more people or entities) or effort for the purpose of accomplishing a goal. Resourcing encompasses the deployment and manipulation of human resources, financial resources, technological resources, and natural resources.”
- Definition by Wiki

Scene 1: Act 1:

Location: A desolated flat in Powai!

Actors: 4 Musketeers and a Ranter!

Play:

There are always Two Kinds in all aspects:

Here I am speaking of the most talked about category of Alcoholics & the often forgotten category of Workaholics…...

Well I belong to the Dividing Border!

And I was under influence……No…Not Alcohol….But Work….YES…gives you the same high…if you consider to take constant shots…just too much of it can spoil the brain…If it hasn’t been already!

So I was under the influence…when the so-called discussion started…..

‘Boss ye MBA kisi use ka nahi hai’

‘Haan yaar….pehle hi sahi tha apna…..

Btw....You know….I got to know some facts….

Like????

Ye sun…....And the sleepy musketeer started murmuring from a website he had opened…along with others which were remotely related to any management work!

* Two-thirds of world’s CEOs do not have MBA degrees

* Of the remaining one-third with MBA degrees, no more than half of them did anything great that they could not have done without the MBA!

* Of the several hundred MBAs that many of India’s best B-Schools churn out each year, no more than a third or half of them make it to the top slots (CEO and CXO jobs).

* A third of MBAs passing out of the premier B-Schools never crossed the middle management jobs

* A third of these MBAs found non-corporate jobs more exciting like teaching and research.

Ab Bol……Is it Worth??????? (Like I was the Flag bearer for the Indian MBA Education)

But then….This was My Moment!

To give a speech. To Influence. To Rant!!!!

I woke up. Stood behind the desk as a lecturer prepares for his last session after a tiring day of correcting numerous papers….

So I was standing….and I started…..

And then I Stopped….I couldn’t decide if I was in favor or against….

But What’da heck!!!

I started….

MBA…I paused….is an Optional degree….

GSD….is Mandatory…if you want to become what you want to be-come!

GSD….Abbey ye kya hai?? ( WTF is this GSD?)

Getting Stuff Done….Yes…Now that’s what I call Order-of-the-Day.

How do you do that then??? A rusky voice compelled me to look in the other direction…

My audience was listening! Good signs!

Well…as for starters You can ponder over these thoughts which some thinkers have been suggesting….

Firstly, Management as a practice has to blend a good deal of craft (experience) with a certain amount of art (insight) and some science (analysis).

Secondly, using a classroom to help develop people already practicing management is a fine idea, but pretending to create managers out of people who have never managed is a sham! (Executive MBAs, can take some solace!)

It comes through certain trends: MBAs without management experience have encouraged two dysfunctional styles in practice: calculating (overly analytical) and heroic (pretend art).

And a Great Man once quoted: Successful managing is not about one’s own success but about fostering success in others!

Ye tune bola tha kya??? And the musketeers burst into laughter!!!!!!!!

But I continued…there was More…And I was not finished…..
There is this context that MBA programs are great and helpful, but not sufficient to be successful. One has to demonstrate certain attributes and credentials to be able to make a difference.

Most of the aspirants sign up for these courses because they believe they can augment their career growth either with their current employers or possibly by changing their employer. It is some kind of hope to be CEO-ing sometime in the future with these degrees and diplomas! Nothing is wrong with the ambitions. In fact, without ambition, no progress will ever be made.
But the catch is….that ambitions will lead to success when accompanied by a right measure of two companions, viz., ability and engagement.

Pursuing an MBA is one of the wiser ways of spending time, if you did not have a job to stick on. So, registrations increase manifold. Also, many aspiring first line and middle managers going strong in their organizations also pursue executive MBAs as they perceive this as a career-expanding investment. In many progressive organizations, there are policies to encourage, nominate and reimburse for these programs as well. Long live the MBAs!

While MBA programs do serve as a “ladder to be a leader” – (Whoa that can surely be a Tagline)…my view is that it is not enough to find a ladder to be a leader, but it is important to find ladder to become a ‘result-oriented’ leader.

We can create models, cite SWOT analysis and projections, suggest strategies….and what Not!

But when it comes to the Results..MBA’s are found gasping for breath!!!

So, what exactly should We do??

Ohh No…that is not my Forte..I can Yak….But Can’t Preach….

There is no gainsaying the fact that MBAs have their role to play in accomplishing career success for their aspirants and corporate success for their employers and the multiple stakeholders. But in the absence of certain critical competencies and attributes that need to be built over time and demonstrated at work, these MBA will not help.

So Take your call….After All MBA’s are a Confused Lot! So Am I!

“Management is the Art of Getting Stuff Done”
- Definition by a Self-Professed Ranter!

An Ode to An Ol' Abode...!!!

A Town asleep...
Wakes up in the misty morning...
Residents are laidback..
The wheel starts turning...
The weather...ahhh..it unfolds.
With the roads brimming with energy.
The water flows around the rocks..
The sound of temple bells..


The business is busy.
The buildings are repainted.
The signals are redone.
A smell of culture transcends...
A city is coming to Life...!!!

I proud myself in being a Weird. My hometown...even more weird.

Ranchi is a weird city. Unlike most cities in India where usually a political figure of past days occupies pristine town estate, this one has a martyr soldier of the Indian Army who has his statue in the main town plaza. Lance Naik Albert Ekka died fighting in 1971 and was awarded the Param Vir Chakra. He stands tall in the heart of the town holding his rifle and in a ‘charge forward’ posture. You ought to see the statue to feel the awe.

But that is not all what makes Ranchi earn the title of ‘weird’ in an altogether different sense. The city is a highly multi-religious and multi-cultural. If the marwaris from Rajasthan run the wholesale business, the best restaurants in town are owned by Punjabis. The tribal culture is all around. Then there are folks from Bihar and Bengal who are living here for ages.

Arguably, the best Durga Puja celebrations outside Calcutta happen in Ranchi. The best part is, it is possible to get a flavour of each and every culture in this city. That, one can say is the Ranchi culture. The sense you get there is of an extremely proud and confident city.

Ranchi- where the small town laziness meets the uber culture dreams!

where the roads and the hearts get as Indian as it gets!

Proud and confident, Thats what Ranchi is...Thats what I AM!!!

Silver...!!!

I believe in Silver.

This surreal color, that strikes imagination at the depths of the ocean floor.

I believe in Spaceships. I believe in Time Machines.
I am an admirer of simple moments. I am a sucker for Complex life.

I believe that thinking is the best calorie burner. I believe in dreaming - dreaming a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong.

I believe that weird people are the smartest people. I believe that sometimes a cup of coffee is the answer to all my problems.

I believe that there is No tomorrow. I believe in Nirvana. I believe in miracles. I just don't depend on them!

I believe that my destiny is like a Blank paper. I write the Story!

I believe that ice-cream really did melt over my tee when I was a kid.

I believe in a God who doesn't ask me to pray.

I believe in absolute honesty and sensible social lies.

I believe that life is a game, that life is a cruel joke, and that life is what happens when you're alive and that you might as well lie back and enjoy it.

In spite of everything, I still believe.

I have realized that I understand life lyrically, with a certain background score.

I am so thirsty for the marvelous that only the marvelous has power over me.

I let go of anything I can not transform into something marvelous. Reality doesn't impress me.

I only believe in intoxication, in ecstasy, and when ordinary life shackles me, I escape, one way or another. No more walls.

I believe in Silver. The shine in it.

And I Want that, Let the light kiss me. Let the rain beat upon my head with silver liquid drops. Let the wind sing me a lullaby. Let me live..For I believe!!!

An Alarming Thought...!!!

I have been Alarmed!!!

Well not exactly in the sense of urgency...But rather technically....The annoying noise you hear at the wee hours of morning...no matter how much lighter and melodius of an alarm tune you put up!

I jumped out of the cozy bed....but waaait a minute....cozy????...ohh btw Did i tell you that I was visiting Home!?

So I was sayin'...

I was Alarmed...Yes....I had a Writer's Block uptil now..And then the Alarm rang!

In a sudden flash of realization words which made absolutely no sense popped around in my head like jelly beans wingle on a touch; that words, whether written, read or spoken are a form of solace for any and everyone!

Words are important when you are writing or others to read....Words are important if you are trying to express yourself...And Words are important.To keep your Blog ALIVE!!!

Words come from anywhere...

For some its reading their favourite psalm from the bible, for some its a verse from their favourite poem or a letter from their sweetheart. For a few its the comfort of spewing their emotions on paper or for that matter web space. And yet others feel better when they talk about what they are going through or maybe even talk about anything at all. Most commonly people would need to hear words of comfort.

Its so strange...the power of mere words. Although they affect the actual situation in no way. It is pleasant to drown in the relief that they provide and let them ease away all that's troubling us. But I wonder whether they are just another form of escape from actually facing the situation or do they act as medicine for the lacerations when handling life. Then again I remember... Sometimes its these very words that can leave you scarred for life!

For me..it was just another way to quickly put them down on the screen before they vanish and the escapade leaves me wondering..What Shall I Write??

Till another jolt...till another urge...till another thought...And more importantly..Till Another Alarm...Words will flow..Yet Again!

So Long....!!!

Yours truly!
-V!K$

Alas! The Last Day...!!!

Vik$. *A Philosopher awakens*

"If Today Was Your last day!"

Whether you like Nickelback or not, the lyrics to the above song are quite profound. As I was stuck till this moment, I allowed my ipod to play for a bit and stumbled upon this song. For a few minutes I stopped what I was doing and simply listened. When it was done I sighed softly as a whirlwind of thoughts invaded my mind.

How many times have you heard people around you say things such as, “I’ll organize my life tomorrow,” or “I’m not in the mood today, I’ll fix the stuff in the morning,” or “This just isn’t the right time for me, maybe tomorrow,” or even “Tomorrow I’ll tell him/her just how much they mean to me and how much I love them. Tomorrow will be our day.” And just how many of you have said similar things as well?

What if today was our last day...??? Yeah The Very Last ONE!!!

Would we feel as though we’ve accomplished what we set out to do?

Have we told those closest to us just how much we really do love and appreciate them?

Do our parents know that, despite our often rebellious natures, they did teach us well and we truly were listening? What about our spouses? Do they know we’ve never stopped loving them, and instead have fallen further in love with each passing day? That we’ve fought to live each day to the fullest, that we love them more than life itself, and that they are the greatest thing to ever grace our respective lives?

If the answer is “No” to any of those questions, we should be asking ourselves why that is. Each and every day is a blessing. But, tomorrow is not a given. All our days are numbered; therefore we should strive to live each one of them to the fullest. It goes without saying though, that life often throws curve balls our way, and that some days it’s all you can do to survive without bashing the heads in of those who invariably make us want to rant, rave and scream. But, we can at least let those we love know they are loved, and that our lives are richer because of them. We can put a smile on the face of another, be it a stranger, a friend or a family member, whether we are feeling cheery or not. Who knows? We may find ourselves in a better mood because of such actions.

Tomorrow is always an unknown. For better or worse, we never know what it may bring. Instead of putting things off we know should be done right away, why not take care of them the moment they come to mind? Organizing our lives, fixing that stuff, or taking yourself out may not be a big deal to most, but that’s hardly the point. If we so easily put off the little things, the big things will then never get done. Don’t you think your parents, your siblings, your friends, your children, and your spouses would love to know just how much they mean to you? What if you continued to put off all the things you have always wanted them to know, waiting for the perfect moment, only to wake one morning and find they are no longer with you? How then would you feel?

Well Too Cheesy on my part to rant on philosophy but Hell Yeah..its Ok in a while for me to go down the thought lane! Ponder!!!! :)

-Vik$. *The Philosopher slips into Coma*