lap31 is about our laps in this race of a lifetime... of the laps we covered and the laps that remain... of struggles, commitment and leadership... of teamwork and trust... of learning from mistakes to creating success stories and winning... Are we prepared for what's ahead? Are we ready to lead?

Moral Makeovers

Submitted by scorpio on Tue, 08/19/2008 - 00:27
Today we hear a lot about makeovers. It's all about appearances these days with people opting in for extreme makeovers from their own looks to their pets, cars, houses et al. Can anything and everything in our lives be "made over" these days? What about our moral identity? I mean our ethics, our honesty, truthfulness, our commitment to do the right thing, caring for others, our true beliefs... can we do a makeover on all these moral values?

I've seen that people with a strong sense of moral values don't always win. Their moral mind drives them to make the morally correct choice. If their decision works out for them, they'll call it luck. If not, it's fate and they'll succumb to it.

I have a friend who was working as a Team Lead for a technical team in a MNC (Multi National Company) and had an IJP (Internal Job Posting) interview in her office for an Operations Manager post. My friend is a strong believer of ethics and her moral values. So, even though she had a friend (an insider) who could pull some strings for her in the interview panel, who could have maxed her chances of securing the job - my dear friend would do no such thing. She decided to play by the rules.

She called it her fate when she did not get the job. But little did she know at the time that the IJP was just a formality. Everything was pre-planned; pre-decided. She had no chance to begin with. Was it really fate?

Is this what one gets for being truthful and ethical in this world? My friend would have made a great Ops Manager. She was very good technically and had impressive people management skills. Instead, someone far less qualified got the job while my friend was asked to wait another 3 months before she would be allowed (as per company rules) to apply for the next IJP.

    
I believe there are a lot of situations like these in each of our lives, especially in today's corporate world, where we are subjected to politics, favoritism's, backbiting and many more morally incorrect ways to get what we want. We are forced to choose a path where we have to consider having a moral makeover. When did this become the norm?

Choosing a wrong way and then claiming that it is for something right, does it really make it right?
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lazymale's picture

"Are u happy?"

Submitted by lazymale on Fri, 08/08/2008 - 21:34

I stared into absolute emptiness for close to 20 minutes at that point in time and I said "Define Happiness??"

I'm either plain stupid or just dont know what happiness is about right now.

I don't think anyone can truly say they are happy. Happiness comes and goes. Maybe you're not happy with your life now. Maybe you need a change.

"Would that make me happy!?"

Ya. Quit complaining and do something. When its all whine and no action, nothing changes.

I believe I've not been able to relate to human life - at least the emotional bit in some time.

Do something crazy and snap out of the life you hate and make it lively.

"Do something crazy!?"

Ya. Start with making a note of all those things you wish you could do but don't. Pick one that is the easiest and do it. Something that is a change and will add a freshness to your boring "unhappy" life. Just start with one. Do it. Then pick another. It can be as simple as changing you daily routine, playing a game you love, hanging out at a coffee shop reading a book or even writing a blog post. Change simple things first that impacts your lifestyle. Big changes like changing jobs, relocating, getting (re)married etc. - those things can wait.

"Why do you care so much about my happiness?"

I care because you and me are alike in many ways. We share the same body and soul. You are my subconsious self, which is why I care about your issues. I care about your happiness.

"What? That's BS. That is the same dialogue that I've been giving my people - my team, friends... This is the same dialogue I hear from my boss. It SUCKS big time because you know what, nobody is really interested if you are happy or not. No one cares, not even YOU. "I Care about ur issues"! yeah the hell u do!

Has anyone ever asked you if you were happy? Have you asked yourself if you are happy? If you care enough to know, ask.

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lazymale's picture

Kalam on "How Leaders Manage Failure"

Submitted by lazymale on Tue, 07/22/2008 - 23:15

Former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam at Wharton India Economic forum , Philadelphia, March 22,2008

Let me tell you about my experience. In 1973 I became the project director of India's Satellite Launch Vehicle program, commonly called the SLV-3. Our goal was to put India's "Rohini" satellite into orbit by 1980. I was given funds and human resources -- but was told clearly that by 1980 we had to launch the satellite into space. Thousands of people worked together in scientific and technical teams towards that goal.

By 1979 -- I think the month was August -- we thought we were ready. As the project director, I went to the control center for the launch. At four minutes before the satellite launch, the computer began to go through the checklist of items that needed to be checked. One minute later, the computer program put the launch on hold; the display showed that some control components were not in order. My experts -- I had four or five of them with me -- told me not to worry; they had done their calculations and there was enough reserve fuel. So I bypassed the computer, switched to manual mode, and launched the rocket. In the first stage, everything worked fine. In the second stage, a problem developed. Instead of the satellite going into orbit, the whole rocket system plunged into the Bay of Bengal. It was a big failure.   
That day, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization, Prof. Satish Dhawan, had called a press conference. The launch was at 7:00 am, and the press conference -- where journalists from around the world were present -- was at 7:45 am at ISRO's satellite launch range in Sriharikota [in Andhra Pradesh in southern India]. Prof. Dhawan, the leader of the organization, conducted the press conference himself. He took responsibility for the failure -- he said that the team had worked very hard, but that it needed more technological support. He assured the media that in another year, the team would definitely succeed. Now, I was the project director, and it was my failure, but instead, he took responsibility for the failure as chairman of the organization.

The next year, in July 1980, we tried again to launch the satellite -- and this time we succeeded. The whole nation was jubilant. Again, there was a press conference. Prof. Dhawan called me aside and told me, "You conduct the press conference today."

I learned a very important lesson that day. When failure occurred, the leader of the organization owned that failure. When success came, he gave it to his team. The best management lesson I have learned did not come to me from reading a book; it came from that experience.

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