Best of Steve Jobs!

Here are a few of my favorite Steve Jobs quotes...WOW!! Whadda Guy!!

a) Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected.

b) Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.

c) Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.

d) Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations.

e) To turn really interesting ideas and fledgling technologies into a company that can continue to innovate for years, it requires a lot of disciplines.

f) Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. Don’t settle [for less]. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it.

g) Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma—which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They some how already know what you truly want. Everything else is secondary.

h) Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish

Unlock your Mind!

I recently read a short story about Houdini (magician & famous locksmith) that goes like this...

"Houdini was a master Magician as well as a fabulous locksmith. He boasted that he could escape from any jail cell in the world in less than an hour, provided he could go into the cell dressed in street clothes. Houdini became very famous. A small town in the British Isles built a new Jail which they were extremely proud of and they issued Houdini a challenge. "Come give us a try", they said. Houdini loved the publicity and the money attached with it, so he accepted. The day of the challenge came. By the time Houdini arrived, excitement was at a fever pitch. Houdini rode triumphantly into the town and walked into the cell. He proudly walked into the cell and the Big Iron door was closed. Houdini took off his coat and went to work. Secreted in his belt was a flexible tough and durable ten-inch piece of steel, which he used to work on the lock. At the end of 15 minutes his confident expression had disappeared. At the end of 30 minutes he was looking confused. At the end of an hour he was drenched in perspiration. After two hours ... Houdini literally collapsed against the door which opened....! Yes, it had never been locked.........except in his mind..........where he viewed it was as firmly locked as if a thousand locksmiths had put their best efforts in making the lock for it. One little push and Houdini could have easily opened the door..........But he didn't."

Well, many a times, a little extra push is all you need to open your opportunity door. In the game of life you will discover, as you set your goals and unlock your mind, that the world will unlock its own treasures and rewards to you. Realistically, most locked doors are in our minds ....... Unlock your Mind......Think Great Thoughts.......Do Great Things! I love this quote by Steve Jobs - "Let's make a dent in the universe" - How true!

Why do companies need to innovate?

Innovation has been one of the hottest topics in management in the recent past and am sure is gonna remain that way for a lil while ahead. I love this quote by Peter F. Drucker from his book “People & Performance” on innovation and I truly believe no one else has defined innovation like Prof. Drucker - 'Because its purpose is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two -- and only these two -- basic functions: Marketing and Innovation.Marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are 'costs.' In its simplest form, Innovation is implementing new ideas to create value. There are quite a few factors that would prompt for Innovation – problems, new technology, new ideas, new services to be catered to, new possibilities for better solutions, newer products that meet consumer demand to mention a few. Innovation therefore means doing things differently, exploring new territories & taking risks. Well, I feel the primary reasons for companies to innovate are: -

1. To exist in the market place – mere presence.
2. To differentiate OR die!
3. To be competitive – Competitive advantage!
4. To add value to its customers, processes, people and all concerned stakeholders
5. To increase productivity & profits!
6. To increase 3Es (Economy, Efficiency, Effectiveness)
7. To ensure a sizeable market presence (market-share)
8. To motivate employees & ensure a better work quality.
9. To foster new relationships (with suppliers, customers, bankers, lenders, other external stakeholders)
10. To ensure growth in KPIs (Key performance indicators)

Most of you would have thought about many other reasons…? Willing to share em’? Keep your thoughts flowing...

The Donkey!

One day a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well.

At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement he quieted down. A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of theanimal, he would shake it off and take a step up.

Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off! Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.
2. Free your mind from worries - Most never happen.
3. Live simply and appreciate what you have.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less

NOW Enough of that crap . . .
The donkey later came back, and bit the shit out of the farmer who had tried to bury him. The gash from the bite got infected, and the farmereventually died in agony from septic shock.

MORAL OF THE STORY:
When you do something wrong, and try to cover your ass, it always comes back to bite you!

Boards & CSR

For many companies worldwide, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been a regular feature on many a boardroom agenda. An important point to note is the role of the board and the problem of defining what CSR actually is. There are several trains of thought on this. Some tend to view it as a fairly marginal activity, one that has little relevance to the board’s leadership; others, as fundamental to the way in which companies interact with stakeholders of all sorts. Basically, CSR sets the terms of an implicit contract between companies and society.

Society grants companies a number of important rights & freedoms, among them the privilege of limited liability, and in return expects them to fulfill certain obligations in the nature of duties to be honest, keep promises, to take due care of interests of others, to treat people fairly, to be accountable, responsible and act ethically to ensure good governance.

Effective governance from the board is essential if companies are to reap long-term benefits for responsible behavior. Boards are in a unique position because they sit at the apex of the incentive structure for companies, and through their decisions about strategy, the drive companies’ responses to the external inducements provided by the market & regulatory environment, and – through the design & implementation of remuneration and internal control systems – they shape their internal inducements. CSR should be taken in its right spirit across all levels in an organization inorder to create a culture of integrity & ethical practise, thereby setting the right values & standards for everyone to comply with.

Don't Compare!

Well, jus wanted to post something 'one-off' (not the usual management stuff!) and therefore here goes one of my favorite topics (well, I guess the concept discussed here is VERY MUCH applicable to the corporate world?).

We live in a pathologically dissatisfied world. Because we love to compare....

Go around the world and discover that people aren't happy with their bodies. Filipinos want to be fair-complexioned like Westerners and so buy bleaching stuff. Westerners want to own bronzed bodies like ours and so purchase tanning lotions. Those with moles have them removed, while those who don't strategically implant beauty spots. Some people want to shed a few pounds to look like Ally McBeal, while others want to gain some baby fat to look like Drew Barrymore!

When are we ever going to stop and simply be happy with how we look? We live in a sick world and that sickness is comparison it is. Take a look at wealth, for example when we drive our old Honda, it really suits us fine. We feel blessed infact when the rain pours outside and we feel snug and cozy on its faded upholstered seats. But the moment we see our own office mate (or neighbor,or buddy, or cousin, or brother) drive his sleek sky-blue, four-door,four-wheel-drive Mercedes, we automatically feel beaten below the belt!. Next time we drive our bumpy, noisy, rusted, dilapidated Honda, (notice how all the defects come out all of a sudden?), we feel deprived,dispossessed, pariah, debased and only a little higher than the insects of the earth.

Bill Gates (the world's richest man) total assets are worth more than $60 billion. That's more than the GNP ofsome small countries. Tiger Woods earns $80 million simply by smiling on TV in a Nike shirt and the stars of the sitcom Friends are paid $750,000 per episode! No matter how hard you work, there'll still be some people who will be richer than you are. And there'll be some people who will be more beautiful, have more appeal and have more problems. Try it for once. Stop looking around. Don't compare!

This is crucial:
The most difficult thing in the world is to be who you are not. Pretending and trying to be someone else is the official pastime of the human race. (I don't think dogs and cats and cows and horses have this problem!) and the easiest thing in the world is to be yourself. Be happy. Live!There must be a reason why God made you tall or short or fat or thin or bumpy all over. Love who you are! Be happy, it's not that difficult!

Why you and your boss are different?

Well, if you wanted to know the answer to the above question...read below...

When you take a long time, you're slow. When your boss takes a long time, he's thorough.

When you don't do it, you're lazy. When your boss doesn't do it, he's too busy.

When you make a mistake, you're an idiot. When your boss makes a mistake, he's only human.

When doing something without being told, you're overstepping your authority. When your boss does the same thing, that's initiative.

When you take a stand, you're being bull-headed. When your boss does it, he's being firm.

When you overlooked a rule of etiquette, you're being rude. When your boss skips a few rules, he's being original.

When you please your boss, you're apple polishing. When your boss pleases his boss, he's being co-operative.

When you're out of the office, you're wandering around. When your boss is out of the office, he's on business.

When you're on a day off sick, you're always sick. When your boss is a day off sick, he must be very ill.

When you apply for leave, you must be going for an interview. When your boss applies for leave, it's because he's overworked.

Quotes to begin 2006 with...

I consciously wanted to kick-off this year with a few inspiring quotes. Hope you all enjoy reading em’…on top of it, would appreciate if each & everyone of us could live & breathe the messages conveyed in these wonderful quotes…

a) The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen - Frank Lloyd Wright

b) It's not that some people have willpower and some don't. It's that some people are ready to change and others are not. - James Gordon

c) The problem is never how to get new, innovative thoughts into your mind, but how to get old ones out. Every mind is a building filled with archaic furniture. Clean out a corner of your mind and creativity will instantly fill it. - Dee Hock

d) You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?" - George Bernard Shaw

e) The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet. - James Oppenheim

f) Lack of money is no obstacle. Lack of an idea is an obstacle - Ken Hakuta

g) An invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come. - Victor Hugo

h) Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will. - George Bernard Shaw

i) If we value the pursuit of knowledge, we must be free to follow wherever that search may lead us. The free mind is not a barking dog, to be tethered on a ten-foot chain. - Adlai E. Stevenson Jr., speech at the University of Wisconsin, Madison

j) Many an optimist has become rich by buying out a pessimist - Robert G. Allen

Wishing you all a gr8 start (and an even greater / smoother ride!) in 2006...Good Luck!