Beyond the obvious from Suits!

Disclaimer: This is not a review of Suits

Suits, It's not just a court room drama about a law firm. It gives us a lot of insight into the functioning of a modern day corporate firm, and how we can make our lives better by following some simple rules. Some of them, I have listed below, and it goes without saying that this is not exhaustive.

Accept your mistake and fix it: If you do something wrong, instead of  finding someone to blame it on, take the onus on yourself and sort it!

'If you are lying to save someone then it's not a lie'- Bull shit!: Lying at work is a strict no no, you will only delay the inevitable and make matters worse, the truth will certainly come back to bite you later.

'Lying to me doesn’t protect me. It betrays me'-Harvey

Your associates are your responsibility: If your mentee is doing good then you'll be praised, and if he/she screws up, you have to be accountable for the same. On numerous instances we have seen Jessica and Harvey doing the same for Harvey and Mike respectively. Remember Harvey paying up for Mike's Rookie Dinner?
The camaraderie between the boss and his associate is the key!

'When you after Harvey you go after me'-Mike

Try and win big, not lose small: Always aim to win in a big way, only then will you end up winning, as they say 'Aim for the stars, you'll reach the sky'

'You’re never going to win big if you only look to minimize your losses'

Never say never: You are never in a position to not get back. You can always find a way out. As Harvey puts it:

'When your back's against the wall, break the god damn thing down'

Well, Sometimes it's all right to lose small: However, when you are completely taken down and biting the dust, try and get the best out of the situation!

'I'm not a gambler but on this case I can make an exception'

Break Rules, Don't be a pen Pusher: Following the rule books to the last bit is not going to get you anywhere. You are running a business, not a god-damn morality class!

Looks Matter: 'First impression is the last impression'. Let's accept it, we all are in awe of Harvey's and Jessica's style and personality. Imagine what effect it would have on your clients and competitors if you could be as suave and debonair.

Revenge is the best revenge: Gone are the days when forgiveness was the best form of revenge. You got to show them, right then!

Have an appetite for risk: Be bold and take risks, 'No Risk-No Return' As simple as that!

Keep calm and Be confident: For those who have following this season, do I really need to explain? The characters of Harvey and Jessica are an epitome of confidence. It simply oozes out from them. One needs to keep their composure no matter how tough the situation is.

"Jessica: Are you ready?

Harvey: You Kidding, I was born for this"

Pardon me for coming up with this not-so-humorous post, but I guess it's still worth a read ;)

Signing Off, 

Nirvaan

Write, because you want to!

One of those days when you just want to write, you do not know what, but the bug inside you just doesn't let you sleep in peace. Yes, today is one of those days. Though this is a chronic event, but seldom is it acute enough to coax you into taking your pen out and jot down something, (figuratively speaking) however random or absurd it may be. I have noticed that this feeling has been creeping in, more often in the past year or so, and the conversion rate of the 'urge to write' to 'actually penning down' has also taken a nosedive in the same time frame. If my experience is something to go by, it seems that this bug hits you more when you have something inside, something you have not achieved but desperately want to, something that leaves you incomplete; and what takes you away from actually writing is the very urge to focus all your energies to complete that 'something' and gift yourself this amazing feeling of completeness. (I am assuming it's amazing, because that's what it's made out to be be and that's what it better be once I achieve it, unless of course success is over rated). But then, once in a while, you just happen to realize that writing gives you peace, (for some it may be music, painting or any other form of channelizing your energy) which in turn will only make you a happy man and bolster your spirits to get out of the hot spot you currently are in. It remains to be seen if it will eventually help me succeed in achieving what I aspire to, but then it does give me a momentary (or may be a little more) feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction, which was long overdue. I have no clue why I am writing this but then, I can certainly resonate with the aforementioned feelings! (at least as of now!)

Damn, I am a waiter!

'You never have to change anything you got up in the middle of the night to write - Saul Bellow'

(Please excuse the grammatical mistakes if any. I did not want to review it as I stumbled across the above quote just before composing this post')

Signing Off

Nirvaan

Shoes of the Dead..

If there has to be one word to describe this piece of literature it is 'Captivating'. I cannot thank Blogadda enough to present me this opportunity to review this book. The genre is a refreshing change from all the rom-coms the new age Indian authors are coming up with. The way the details are presented in such an articulate fashion would make even the best in the business proud! 

The story of a farmer, who succumbs to the pressures of life, crushed by successive crop failures and the burden of debt, and finds death to be the easier way out. As fate would have it, the powerful district committee of Mityala routinely dismisses the suicide and refuses compensation to his widow.

Gangiri, the farmer's brother, who fights for justice to his brother’s widow is the main protagonist of the story, while Keyur Kashinath, The antagonist of the Democratic Party.

The tone of the book is highly empathetic and it seems to have a heart of its own. The brilliant farmer battles his inheritance of despair, the arrogant politician fights for the power he has received as legacy. Their two worlds collide in a conflict that pushes both to the limits of morality from where there is no turning back. At stake is the truth about ‘inherited’ democratic power. And at the end, there can only be one winner. Passionate and startlingly insightful, Shoes of the Dead is a chilling parable of modern-day India.

One of the lines which struck me was "Where booked enjoyed better air conditioning than half of country's population" "Where family of dead farmer owned land, compensation was denied, so that family is forced to sell off land, where they had no land, compensation was granted so that debt could be repaid in cash".

The cover of the book and the sepia adds to the grave tone which is very well complemented with the narration. This sort of humane rendition to the characters and the storyline makes the narration effective and easy to understand. The dilemmas associated with pride and poverty are very well-sketched. The dilemmas faced by committees and the discomfort faced by people are also nicely done. This is a piece that will make you amble through the corridors of power and politics of India along with a perfect portrayal of how its consequences creep into the lives of the farmers forcing them to commit suicide.

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

Signing Off,

Nirvaan

A very Indian approach to management- Business Sutra

Every time I read a book, I try to find, what is different in it, and what the author must have thought before penning it down. As a Management student, business obviously excites me. We have been taught the principles of Management, which precisely are the ones derived from the practices and experiences of the western nation. Seldom do we see someone coming out with an Indian Approach to Management. There might be a Kishore Biyani who comes out with a “It happened in India” but that is not very frequent. In this book, the Chief Belief Officer of the Future Group, and a veteran of over twenty five books and 400 articles on Indian Mythology comes up with something which was so long not thought of. Business Sutra by Devdutt Pattanaik is a masterpiece on business as it brings together the two most powerful things of our country – mythology and business (of course after cricket and Bollywood). Very rarely you come across a book on business which is so beautifully written that you remain in awe long after you have finished reading it. We might have had ‘As is belief, so is behavior, so is business. This is business sutra, a very Indian approach to management.’ We have always believed that the very base of our society has been made up on the various beliefs and myths from the Vedas and the other religious scriptures. However, to imagine the base of business being set on this is something one would have never imagined. Although I have heard tremendous things about his previous works, but this is his first book that I have gone through one, and trust me now I am going to go through all his previous works as well. True to its name the book begins with giving us a primer on comparison between the deep-seated beliefs of Indian (Jain, Buddhist and Hindu) and Western mythology that are derived from Greek and Biblical roots, and the two complimenting Chinese belief systems. You lean why the western managers have a high regard for order, while we in India are not worried with all the chaos around us. In Business Sutra Devdutt Pattanaik takes you on a mythological journey using symbols, stories and rituals to relate to how we look at doing business and how it is different from what western beliefs teach us. In fact the use of images and symbols to depict things and make business sense out of it was impeccable. He depicted things in a way I had never seen before, which compelled me to finish the book in one sitting. He questions the way of management we follow. In fact it is one of the basic premises of this book. Our approach of management is completely derived from the western approach to business, whereas the culture here, in India is quite complex and diverse than the west. How is it supposed to work effectively here? No doubt, the western approach is delivering numbers and goals but how do we justify it as the most optimal way of doing business in India or actually the many India’s that we have within our geographical boundaries?

About the Author

Devdutt Pattanaik has written over twenty five books and 400 articles on Indian mythology for everyone from adults to children. Since 2007 he has been explaining the relationship between mythology and management through his column in the Economic Times; the talk he gave at the TED India conference in 2009; and the show Business Sutra which ran successfully on CNBC-TV18 in 2012, besides numerous other lectures at Indian Universities and management institutes. 

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

 

Complaint letter to CCD which was compensated with an awesome cake!

Yes, This was the 'historic' letter which got us a free Cake from Cafe Coffee Day;). True that we were exasperated because of all the reasons mentioned below, but their prompt reply and good customer service did make up for it. In recent days, quite a few people have asked me about the letter and here I have put it, so that anyone whose "feeling has actually been hurt" can take a cue from the letter and go forward. This one was written by Shalabh who has written down many more after this..:P, For the rest you need to directly contact him;)

Dear Sir/Madam

This is a complaint relating to the CCD outlet at the City Center, Gwalior.

I have been visiting this outlet regularly for the past two years. But the last few visits were very objectionable.

1.       In November I ordered King sized Cappucino, the quantity being served was somewhat less than what it used to be. On being asked they replied that then it was King sized. But Yesterday (5-1-2011) when I ordered Grand Cappucino, coffee was being served in the very same cup.

2.       At New Year we were denied the use of Discount coupons on account of less sales and the pressure to meet the target sales.

3.       The price of King sized Cappucino listed in the menu was Rs. 57 but in the bill it was charged as Rs. 62. Fortunately I cross checked, though they were ready to deduct the extra. I cannot imagine when billing being automated how such a blunder can be made.

4.       Also no milk was served with Black Coffee. On asking the reason for it, they just said that “People generally prefer it without milk”. Definitely a lame excuse, I guess.

5.       Yesterday (5-1-2011) the black fantasy was also horrible. It was all melted and the quantity was also less what it used to be. On asking the reason they said “This time the Chocolate fantasy is very soft, so it is melted”. I believe CCD is known for serving quality products ranging from cookies, pizza to coffee.

6.       Also the discount coupon was again denied saying that it has already been scanned (used).

7.       Also the service at the very same outlet is not at all equivalent to what I have experienced at CCD in other cities like Kolkata, New Delhi, Indore, Jaipur.

8.       Moreover the presentation is also not at all at par with the other outlets of CCD. We were not served Café Mocha and Black Coffee in the same Cups as shown.

9.       On asked for drinking water they straight away said “it’s not offered here and you will have to buy mineral water”, whereas in every other outlet normal water is available and once we refused to buy the mineral water they brought in the normal water.

This is just a complaint by a loyal customer of CCD expecting some effective response. Definitely my feeling has been hurt by having such awful experiences in the past few visits. I feel I am not getting the actual value for money for the quality and ambience usually expected of a CCD outlet. I want you to take immediate and effective steps ASAP. Hoping for a positive reply and co operation from your side, being a multi continental Café House. 

Regards