Reader Poll

Yesterday, I was chatting with someone who read my "Too much work" post. And she asked me, "Did you grow up without morals?" Honestly, morality to me is timidity wrapped up in a philosophical overcoat. It actually piqued me quite a bit that a reader could get such a strong impression based on what I wrote. The wild things I did were part of moi growing up period (read teens and a little post teens too) and I don't regret them a bit. But just goes to show that sometimes certain things need to be on a need to know basis and unnecessary sharing of information can come and nip your (_o_) :)

But readers tell me honestly; did you get the same impression about me?

Current music - Faith No more - I'm easy

Strategy and Innovation

Ok..some gyan and floating thoughts this time..

Strategy..Strategy..Strategy

This is the word that has been reverberating in my corridor since the last couple of years. Now the end point of strategy has always been in being able to generate new business or revenues. Unfortunately most organizations mix strategy into creating an excel sheet or powerpoint plan with a rolling forecast approximating a certain % of market share at worst. I think the dividing line between creating annual plans and creating strategy has been lost or misunderstood by many. Either you create a successful formula or exploit some form of external change in your environment and ride the early mover advantage. That is strategy. For e.g in my previous company, I handled a triple based role - Firstly, being responsible for Banking and capital markets strategy, Second for driving sales across the globe which involved meeting clients/prospects, understanding pain points and pitching our services etc and thirdly of managing the bid office. As part of strategy, I had identified insurance asset management as an area being particularly ripe for outsourcing especially after the hurricane onslaught when the insurance asset manager moved from the liability to the asset side. Second was for doing the valuations of all the OTC derivatives. This was right before the crisis even hit the market and Bear Stearns/Lehman still being the kings of their fiefdom. I had predicted that there will be an urgent need for all banks/asset managers etc to outsource the valuations bit and there is a good deal of money to be made in this.

To take a position on this opportunity, my organization would need to quickly ally with the domain players, a few technology parties and do some internal investing on its own as well. And all this was supported with a business case down to the last dollar required to make it happen. I even went to the extent of getting the largest players in the globe to the deal table to showcase the opportunity. But alas!! The big swinging dicks just didn't have the appetite and largesse to eat such big ones. Nor the vision. It was a time of utter frustration.

But coming back to the point, I love Steve Jobs for his innovation - for whatever he has done to the entire music industry. In one of his interviews where Rumelt asked him on his future strategy, he didn't beat around the bush. All he said was,"I am going to wait for the next big thing". He is a standing testimony to the fact that innovation if supported by the right knowledge and skill pools can change the game completely. Clearly your end product has to have a completely different value compared to the competitors and the company should capitalize on the early mover advantage. Inspite of many mp3 players to hit the market after the Ipod, none have been able to dislodge it from the supremo position.

Unfortunately, I am still in a similar shit-faced position of strategizing and laying things on the table with no one to eat the pie. But things are less gloomy than the earlier organization. There are a few glimmers of hope that the company might move on the suggestions. But a lot of water will flow over the head and we will lose the early mover advantage is what I feel.

Current music - Thiruda Thiruda - Koncham Nilavu

Too much work

Tagged moiself from Dreamcatcher

1. Last beverage – Smirnoff Ice in hard and apna cutting in soft.

2. Last phone call- The bank

3. Last text message – The boss

4. Last song you listened to – Summer song - Joe Satriani

5. Last time you cried – Don't remember

HAVE YOU EVER.

6. Dated someone twice? – Yes

7. Been cheated on? – Yes

8. Cried yourself to sleep? – No

9. Lost someone special? – yes

10. Been depressed? – yes

11. seen ghosts – LoL. Want to but they don't appear.

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLORS.

12. Gold (now don't say it's a metal)

13. Bottle Green

14. Kareena Red

THIS YEAR HAVE YOU.

15. Made new friends – Yes

16. Fallen out of love – No

17. Laughed until you cried – Haha..Lots.

18. Met someone who changed you – Haven't ever met anyone who's changed me :(

19. Found out who your true friends were – Er..That thought doesn't bother me.

20. Found out someone was talking about you – Yeah

21. Kissed anyone on your friend's list - :D Kiss and tell?

22. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life – 50%

23. How many kids do you want to have – Six if I can afford it.

24. Do you have any pets – Of course. And a farm too.

25. Do you want to change your name – Are ye feckin nuts? Haven't yet met anyone with the same name.

26. What did you do for your last birthday – Crap.

27. What time did you wake up today – 8:31 a.m.

28. What were you doing at midnight last night – Watching Rush Hour 3

29. Name something you CANNOT wait for – Starting moi business

30. Last time you saw your father – May

31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life – Get a little disciplined

32. What are you listening to right now – Vader, Meshuggah and Peter Hamill

33. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom – Yup

34. What's getting on your nerves right now? – The firm where I work

36. Whats your real name – Karna..Go figure..

37. Relationship Status - Surfboard

38. Zodiac sign - Pisces

39. Male or female – Delta male

40. Natural Hair color? - black

41. Hair color now – Brown

42. Pet Peeve – Moi car washer

43. Need Glasses- Never

44. Long or short – Long

45. Height - 5'8

46. Do you have a crush on someone – Yawn..Nothing permanent

47. What do you like about yourself? – Am comfy.

48. Piercings – Not yet

49. Tattoos – Not yet

50. Righty or lefty - righty

FIRSTS.

51. First surgery – Not yet

52. First piercing – Not yet

53. First tattoo - Not yet

54. First best friend – Chetan

55. First sport you joined – Cricket

56. First pet – A Doberman

57. First vacation – Duh..I think it was moi uncle's wedding in Nagpur.

59. First crush- Neelaxi

60. First alcoholic drink – Rum

RIGHT NOW.

61. Eating – Tadgola

62. Wearing – Benetton formals

63. I'm about to – Go for a smoke

64. Speaking to – No one

65. Waiting to – go for a movie

YOUR FUTURE.

66. Want kids? – YEAH

67. Want to get married? – More than once ;)

68. Careers in mind? – Not long term

WHICH IS BETTER WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX?

69. Lips or eyes – Eyes

70. Hugs or kisses – Kisses

71. Shorter or taller- taller

72. Older or Younger – older

73. Romantic or spontaneous – spontaneous

74. Nice stomach or nice arms – nice stomach

75. Tattoos or piercings- Piercings

76. Sensitive or loud- sensitive...fuck loud..

77. Hook-up or relationship – No strings please..at least to start with.

78. Trouble maker or hesitant- Not hesitant..please...

HAVE YOU EVER.

79. Kissed a stranger - Yeah :)

80. Drank hard liquor - Yeah

81. Lost glasses/contacts - Nah..sunglasses then yes.

82. Sex on first date – Yeah

83. Broken someone's heart – Er..yeah.

84. Had your own heart broken – Of course..but as they say it happens only once.

85. Been arrested?- If you mean FIR, then nopes.

86. Turned someone down - Yes

87. Cried when someone died - Fuck yes.

88. got someone into trouble intentionally – A million times

DO YOU BELIEVE IN.

89. Yourself – Umm not all the time.

90. Miracles – Haan.

91. Love at first sight – Yeah

92. Heaven – Chutiyagiri bund kar

93. Santa Claus – Female Santa yes..

94. Kissing on the first date? - Of course

95. Angels – Duh..Read the heaven answer

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY.

96. Is there one person you want to be with right now? – YEAH

97. Had more than one boyfriend/ girlfriend at one time? – Oops..yes.

98. Do you believe its possible to remain faithful forever? – If you are a dog. But committed till you are with that person, yes.

99. What's the one thing you cannot live without? – Money

100. Posting this as 100 truths? - No work.

Current music - Quarterflash - Harden my heart