26TH JUNE 2010 SATURDAY - OUTBOUND EXERCISE PHOTOS PART 1

SPORTS COMPETITION CONTINUES...

The Group continued to battle it out at the sports field undertaking the various activities - unfortunately, there can only be one winner....the results for the other activties undertaken are as follows:

Badminton - Mr. G N Murti

Lawn Tennis - Mr. Daniel Chandran

Table Tennis - Mr. Anand Dalvi

Swimming Category 1 - Mr. G N Murti

Billiard/Snooker - Mr. G N Murti

IMPORTANT NOTICE - PLEASE READ!!!!!

To :
All Participants of SEC – 115
On 29th June a session on “Effective Public Speaking” will be conducted jointly by Prof. Duggal and myself.
Each speaker will be given 3 minutes to speak on a topic of their choice. There will be a video recording done of the speech so as to re-play and give feedback to each speaker. An indicative list of quotes and themes, which may be used for your talk is given below. More than one participant can speak on the same theme.

Quotations:
1. Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes (Peter Drucker)
2. Making good decision is a crucial skill at every level (Peter Drucker)
3. Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things (Peter Drucker)
4. The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well, the product or service fits him and sells itself (Peter Drucker)
5. Celebrate what you want to see more of (Tom Peters)
6. Leaders do not create followers; they create more leaders (Tom Peters)
7. The magic formula that successful businesses have discovered is to treat customers like guests and employees like people (Tom Peters)
8. Communication is everyone’s panacea for everything (Tom Peters)
9. Delay is the deadliest form of denial (C. Northcote Parkinson)
10. Expenditures rise to meet income (C. Northcote Parkinson)
11. Change before you have to (Jack Welch)
12. Giving people self-confidence is by far the most important thing that I can do, because then they will act (Jack Welch)
13. The Internet is the Viagra of big business (Jack Welch)
Themes

1. Leaders, born or made ?

2. How do you inspire others ?

3. How to generate ideas ?

4. How can you change an organization’s culture?

5. How do you execute a decision you don’t agree with?

6. When do you walk away from a project, person or opportunity?

7. What’s the best advice you ever got?

8. What is the business case for generosity?

9. Is the health of your employees, your business?

10. How do you think about sustainability?

11. What is the role of imagination in leadership?

12. The importance of asking questions

The above list is only indicative. You may choose any topic of your choice.

G MOHAN

Day 16 - KM, Internet and Business Simulation

Thursday - 25th June 2010

Knowledge Management - a wonderful concept that allows us to share criticial information vital for our survival in the workplace. Professor Nirmala discussed the various ways and methods in which knowledge can be managed in the workplace, the current trends and future trends. Personaly the topic was quite interesting for the very reason that it simply shows how information has evolved from the early days and how it has become necessary to manage them effectively. The means of managing these information has progressed with time using the latest techonologies and other developments. The challenge is there for us as professionals to identify the correct means and use it effectively for our operations.

For the next session Dr. Mohan discussed how the Internet can be an effective tool for organisations, businesses and even Government. Though Internet has taken off globally, we were advised that it has not fully penetrated the Indian Market. We were also introduced to various social sites including Linked in and were appraised o the benefits in terms of networking and moreso with keeping uptodate with news locally and abroad, depending on your areas of interest. This was an informative lecture.

The afternoon saw us working on our simulation games. There was concentration galore in the room - not even serenading queens singing of their love and devotion could spoil the moment- ..lols...lols..as they concentrated on strategising for their companies. At the end of the fourth and fifth quarter Elite has taken the lead - for them - it is the point of no return - it seems that they are on their way to winning - but I should not speak too soon - as the other teams also look well placed for the much coveted position - again - time will tell...

Blessed Day Folks

MKN

Day Fifteen - Coke, Stress and Peace of Mind

Wednesday 23 June 2010

The day started with a visit to the COKE Factory. We had an informative discussion session with the representatives of the company. Interesting to note is the fact that their home brand - thumbs up has more market share than the coca cola product itself and that Sprite is their number 1 product at the moment. We then toured the factory- it was insightful to see the way procedures and processes were maintained in the premises - we were also shown the machines that clean the bottles - it can take 720 bottles during one cleaning session which normally lasts around 20 mins. Another interesting issue is the fact that they use the water from the municipalities for their mix, but only after it has been purified and chlorinated...hmm..and you thought your soft drink had superior water...lols...not so my friend!!! Also interesting is that the factory only manufactured bottled up to 300mls only - the other types are manufactured at another branch - Well - indeed we are grateful for the visit, the hospitality shown - we were served with tea/coffee and biscuits and were provided free soft drinks and water. Some even purchased souvenirs from the factory - it was an enjoyable visit.

Then we discussed Stress Management in the afternoon -I tell you - the sessions are just getting more interesting - for example - Dr. Duggal likened our lives to a guitar - if we are tuned correctly - it will bring out such melodious tunes - if it is either too slack or tight - the sound will not be to our liking....very true and very relevant. We were advised of the importance of looking after our health, as neglect will lead to unwanted illness, problems and issues. When we discuss stress, we are talking about the demand and supply gaps - in other words, our inability to meet what life demands off us. Too often, we are caught up with work and other commitments that we tend to neglect our health and our stress levels - therefore it is absolutely vital that we are conscious of our diet, our need for exercise and that we ensure that we get enough rest and relaxation, to enable us to meet the demands accordingly. Dr. Duggal stressed the importance of conditionng our minds and thinking on the issues mentioned. Hmmmm...I can honestly say that Yes - some great takeaways for me from this session and I am sure for the class as well - we were told that Muthana has only started concentrating on his diet and is abstaining from Meat - well as the learned Professor said, though it maybe a temporary start - but then all things start off as temporary before they become permanent. We also went through some exercises to assist us in relieving stress.

The next session totally blew our mind away - as in WOW!!! Sis. Radhika spoke to us on Mind Management. The essence of her topic is that Managing your mind is giving reassurance and understanding a the right time. In a day, we have approximately 60000 thoughts and these thoughts are divided into four categories, they are: Positive, Negative, Waste and Ordinary/Necessary things. Research indicates that the majority of our thoughts in a day fall in the waste category - we give too much meaning to things that are not there......now just how true is this...very true indeed.!!! Now some maybe asking - how relevant is this to our daily lives or even at work - if you are asking this - then maybe we need to tune some guitars...lols...

As Managers, when tasks are allocated we do not manage the tasks, but we manage the people that do the tasks - therefore it is important that we know how to deal with their minds. If we are facing difficulty, we enhance our circle of understanding to include the person with whom you are facing the difficulty. We should be mindful of how we discuss issues with them - use the sandwhich approach - with heaps of masala in the middle - do not just focus on the problems - focus on the positive issues as well.

As people, we essentially have two sets of feelings - the innate and the acquired. Most people think that the acquired set is what determines who we are - but in fact, it is the innate that detemrines the acquired - once you understand this, it will be easier for you to manage the mind. Folks, the main thing is to create a bigger world - look beyond your noses, embrace the differences of your people so that your minds will be empowered, which will enable you to manage more effectively.

The examples cited were refreshing and insghtful - the humour element assisted in nailing the points home. The difference about this Lecture from the others is that not one person interrupted her session with questions or comments - for once!!!lols....An awesome session indeed.

MKN

Day 14 - Supply Chain, Gender & Risk Governance

Tuesday, 22nd June 2010

The morning started with discussions on Supply Chain Management - undoubtedly one of the most important concepts and processes in today's fast paced business environment. We learnt the importance of managing your supply chain, taking into account the demands from the customers and retailers and the related costs when the supply of goods do not meet the demands. To assist us in our understanding, we did an exercise to follow through the processes involved.

Then we had a session on Gender issues in the workplace. From the discussions held, we can safely say that women are slowly making their mark in the workplace - they are slowly breaking through those invisible ceilings and walls to make their presence felt - men are also accepting of this fact and society as well - with equal pay for both genders and other issues alike - they are slowly being addressed. I suppose we can say that Education has assisted in this regard - also - the widely held notion that women have been suppressed - now it is slowly fading into becoming a thing of the past.

The day ended with discussions on Risk Governance with Dr. Singalar. He described Risk as the probability of a favourable or adverse event happening or in terms of businesses - when projected cashflows are higher thatn actual cashflows. He described Governance as being concerned with protecting the interests of Stakeholders and in most cases, the regulators are the most important stakeholders. In terms of managing risks, he stated that Credit risks, operational risks and Marketing risks are easier to manage - issues that fall into the category of 'otehr risks' are the more difficult ones ot handle - these include regulatory risks, reputation risks, Legal risks and Compliance risks.

It was a good day.

MKN

OUT AND ABOUT PART FIVE