100+ Thoughts for managers in less than 20 words

Many of these are not my thoughts ...but some are ... 

1. Numbers can tell you who the customers are and what they do. But it will not tell you why - the desires and motivation. To know such nuanced and complex issues you need context and conversation. 
2. It is easier to say no in the beginning if you suspect you are on a wrong path
   than in the end after having traveled on the path 
3. The expression you were on your face
   is more important than the clothes you wear on your body
4. Salespersons are not needed to quote prices or deliver spiel.
   They are the bridge between the selling price and the perception of value.
5. In absence of follow-up coaching and reinforcement,
   87% of the skills imparted in the training are lost.
6. You can't sit in an office and learn what the world is going to do next year.
   You must get out into the world and learn it.
7. Bible says "ask and it will be given". Is it that simple?
   Yes, make a commitment, and life will begin giving you the answers
8. Everything in the world we want to do or get done,
   we must do with and through people
9. Don't be someone who gets paid by the hour.
   Aim to be the one who gets paid for the value you bring to each hour.
10. Your life can grow where you are planted right now.
    Do not wait to get re-planted to more fertile soil and a better climate!
11. Losers do what is tension relieving. ,
    Winners do what is goal achieving.
12. We must suffer from the pain of discipline
    or the pain of disappointment.  
13. Successful people ask better questions,
    and as a result, they get better answers
14. It's easier to resist at the beginning
    than at the end.
15. Things go usually wrong in the beginning
    and not at the end. 
16. If you must break the law, do it to seize power:
    in all other cases observe it. 
17. Mere wanting is not enough;
    you must hunger for it.
    Then it will happen.
18. People spend half their life for someone to help them
    before discovering it is a "self-help" project
19. The best thinking is in solitude.
    The worst is during the turmoil.
20. Subordinates may pay less attention to what you say
    but they always keenly observe what you do.
21. If there is no action
    you have not truly decided.
22. Many know what to do,
    but few actually do what they know.
23. Are you influencing the circumstances
    or are the circumstances influencing you?
24. Quality of our life depends upon the way we communicate with others
    & ourselves.
25. "Your world" is the story you wrote yourself using your mind.
26. A goal is a dream with a deadline.
27. All you have to know is where you're going.
    The answers will come on their own.
28. Life is not about what you get from it.
    It is about what it helps you to become.
29. To improve is to change;
    to be perfect is to change often. 
30. Don't underestimate competition
    but do not underestimate yourself either.
31. The walls we build around us keep the sadness out.
    But they also keep out the joy
32. You are sitting in the comfort of a shade today
    because someone planted the tree long time ago.
33. Success is not a destination.
    It is the way to travel.
34. To provide direction (to an employee, group or company) set boundaries.
    Without these momentum would be lost as energies will get spent in all directions.
    Let them know what is the purpose (outcomes)
    and the rules (who does what). 
35. Don't send inexperienced people off alone
    and then punish them when they make mistakes.
    Establish direction and leave them free ...
    to make decisions, take initiative, act like owners, and stay on track.
36. Take long term actions that move you to your vision.
    In short term, start from what you have and move towards your targets.
    Do BOTH.
37. If we want customer satisfaction / trust in the company;
    why give hefty incentives and commission on sales?
38. When there is an ego, everything goes away.
    When ego dies, normalcy returns.
    The "I" inside you is abnormal; the world always was normal.
39. Reaction and response are different.
    Reaction is instinctive.
    Response is well thought out, just and right.
40. Strategy means sacrifice...
    you must be as sure about things you will never  do
    and about things you will always and unfailingly do. 
41. Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak.
    Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
42. A meaningful silence is better
    than meaningless words.
43. Every sale has five basic obstacles:
    no need, no money, no hurry, no desire, no trust.
44. What really counts cannot be counted.
    Conversely, what can be counted may not always count.
45. MBAs do too much modeling and too little analysis / diagnosis.
    No point in knowing all the answers
    but not knowing what is the problem at hand in the first place?
46. Those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane
    by those who couldn't hear the music.
47. Leaders lead their teams through engagement, passion, example and culture. Managers manage their teams through policies and procedures.
48. Use 10-30-60 formula for people development :
    10% training, 20% coaching, 70% on-the-job learning
49. If your market share is more than 50%,
    REDEFINE the market so that it becomes 10%.
    This is guaranteed to open new ways of thinking.
50. A vendor is a partner ONLY if you know how to do it yourself.
    OTHERWISE, he is a supplier!
51. Market researchers are good in acquiring data
    but who will wring out practical ways to tell us how to improve the top or bottom line?
52. General Patton: "A vigorous attack today with only 80% preparation
    is better than an attack tomorrow with 100% preparation"
53. No longer it makes sense to hire people where the work is.
    Because, now you can take the work to wherever people are.
54. Drill makers spend time thinking of drills.
    Their customers spend time thinking how to make holes.
    Can they ever be on the same page?
55. "Chaos Theory" - a hurricane formed by a butterfly flapping its wings
56. Losers talk of success but don't know what to do when they succeed.
    Winners know what to do if they fail but don't talk about it.
57. Care as if it is the only thing that matters.
    Risk more than what is safe.
    Dream more than is practical.
    Expect more than what is possible.
58. Oh, the news these days!
    I am happy I will not be around a couple of decades from now.
    And sad for the children who will be!
59. After winning an award, Bob Hope said;
    "I was beginning to feel humble but I was strong enough to resist the urge."
60. Upon turning 100 Bob Hope said;
    "I don't feel old. In fact, I don't feel anything until noon."
    "Then it's time for my nap."
61. Gardeners have 2 choices : spray the visible leaves or water the invisible roots.
    The latter is indirect but has a lasting effect. 
62. On bailouts/stimuli/subsidies: You can take the horse of the economy to the water... but to take water or make water is up to the horse.
63. Is it possible to improve a patient's health through testing alone?
    Is it possible to improve the knowledge of students by repeated exams?
64. When flood comes the fish eat the ants.
    When the flood recedes the ants eat the fish.
    The circumstances often decide who will eat whom.
65. Trial & Error sounds bad.
    But in reality it means finding out what does not work. Is it really bad?
    In fact one should try many things, fail fast, and then learn from it.
66. Marketing Plans for today's fast changing world need 3 components :
    market research, alpha tests and beta tests!
67. You may not always know what business you are in.
    But your customers do. Ask them once in a while.
68. I would have learned but they insisted on teaching me.
69. Any fool can give you the answer.
    It takes wisdom to ask the right question in the first place. 
70. I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.
    The same goes for PPTs and e mails too.
71. A tomato is a fruit is "data".
    Not to use it in a fruit salad is "knowledge".
72. How net is experienced is shifting from desktop to laptop to mobile.
    Ad agencies cannot monetize even the 1st step well. They are trailing
73. We don't really like change.
    We like the change we like
74. Stan Laurel said:
    "Don't cry at my funeral; otherwise I'll never speak to you again"
75. Either you find the way or you find an excuse.
    The choice is yours.
76. Opportunity is missed by most people
    because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. 
77. Dettol, your soap's saying "turn up energy of your day"?
    But for all of us you are STILL a germ killer in a bottle!
    Not an energy soap bar.
78. Be a gift those entering your life.
    Don't enter others' life if you cannot be a gift. 
79. The truth is those vital few things you experienced as being true
    and stored them deep within you.
    Rest may seem true but a mere hearsay.
80. No amount of testing, interviews and reference checks
    will ever substitute actually working with a candidate on a real project.
81. Anthropologists say our brain is hard wired for survival.
    If things are right, we forget but if they wrong we always remember.
82. Tell me what action you propose
    and not how intelligent you are.
83. A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart so well
    that he can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.
84. If you don’t give a damn about anything,
    no one will give a damn about you.
85. In preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless
    but planning is indispensable.
86. Strategy means what you choose not to change over the next 5 years.
87. "Here's my secret", said the fox,
    "it is only with the heart that one can see rightly for what is essential is invisible" 
88. Treasure of common memories 10 years at Eureka Forbes.
    Of struggle, trials, quarrels. Of friendship, bonhomie and bonding. Great Place!
89. Google for Boundless Learning.
    End of textbooks !
90. All of us parents were once children but only few of us remember it.
    This must be very exasperating for our own children. Don't you think?
91. Strategists are not as critical to your business;
    as a good organization of good people working with a common understanding.
92. Don't aim for only a brand impact when planning a campaign!
    Facilitate sales & create behavioral impact on stakeholders too
93. Which of these 3 you want to create for your customers
    (1) Physical Function (2) Symbols & Meaning (3) Experience / Emotions
94. Use all 3 in business definition
    1) which customers you serve
    2) what & whom you invoice
    3) competence that enables you
95. Don't try to influence whole market at once.
    First influence opinion leaders. They will tell and show others.
96. Why waste time in vain pursuit?
    Of constant endeavors & disputes?
    Be merry with the fruit you have;
    than to discover none or bitter fruit!
97. When will we realize that our obsession for growth dilutes
    our strategy / focus / profitability?
    And is bad for planet and people too!
98. Are you a "King Material"?
    Have you ruled yourself well so far ?
99. Everybody saying that the "cloud" is the answer.
    But will someone tell what was the question in the first place.
100. After 2010 edition of 32 volumes weighing 50 kg
     Encyclopedia Britannica shuts shop.
     Kodak too died the same way.
     Both ran out their time.
101. Einstein's definition of insanity
     "doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results" !
102. A bird is happy on a branch.
     Not because the branch will not break.
     But he trusts in the ability of his wings.
     Why fear? Trust in the god and your abilities. 
103. Perfection is not saying so much so well that that no one can add anything.
     It is to say so little so well that no one take even a word away!
104. For 2 years MBAs learn to act as Vice Presidents.
     Then they join the "other end" of industry. 
105. Who you are is your biggest resource.
     Other resources are secondary :
     what you studied, who your family is, and how much money you have.
106. A strange infant smiles & I feel I deserve his smile.
     A strange adult smiles at me and I feel uncomfortable. Who's he?
107. Fading Mass Media ?
     By 2015 Unilever estimates that
     40% of "customer impressions" coming from non-paid media !
     Social media, Jay Ho !!!
108. Recd text message " ...
     helped my uncle Jack off a a horse..."
     Does it really mean what it says?
     Punctuation & capitalization dying in SMS
109. Never knew PDF means Portable Document Format.
110. Touched by the new song that launches the new name "Hero Motocorp".
     What a song. What an idea.
111. Word “Manage" is based on Latin "manus agere" (leading by hand)
     means guiding & pushing others move towards common goals. What insight !!
112. See beyond sales, profits, share.
     See the value.
     All that counts cannot be counted.
     All that can be counted does not count.
113.  (Foreign Affairs Report 2011) Power is hard to measure
     but what really matters is Military & Economic capability.
     Snatch or Buy.
     How true!!
114. Kodak - a giant 50 years ago - went belly up yesterday.
     They saw the competition - but forgot what they were competing for. 
115. Great leaders don't ask people to collect wood when they want to build a ship.
     They creates a longing in them for the sea. The rest happens!
116. Perfect Design is not when nothing can be added to it
     but nothing can be taken away from it
     because it contains only what is essential.
117. Net connectivity is expanding but our own connectivity
     with ourselves, our family, friends and community is shrinking. 
118. Bajaj launched 4-seater 4-wheeler mini car
     as an upgrade replacement for autorikshaw market.
     Nano (similar car) still groping for the market
119. Marketing is not really about transforming the behavior of the customers.
     It is first about transforming ourselves.
120. Wireless reaches more people today
     than the electricity does. 
121. Academic world steeped with "strategy" and "knowing"?
     Practitioners with "people" and "doing".
     When will they discover each other?
122. Enemy #1 of professors.
     Span of attention is less than 10 mts in class! How should they teach?
123. Steve Jobs changed how movies are made, how music is sold, how stories got told.
     He fused design, form & function into one. 
124. A life is not a race, take it slower.
     Enjoy the music, before the album is over.
125. That there is a Tomato is DATA.
     That it is fruit is KNOWLEDGE.
     Not to use it to make a fruit salad is WISDOM.
126. A lion will not cheat on his wife,
     but a Tiger Wood!
127. Think of training as a business input.
     Not recreation of a subject classroom.
     Believe me - it makes a world of difference to the outcome.

What makes great employees remarkable

Great employees are reliable, dependable, proactive, diligent, great leaders and great followers... they possess a wide range of easily-defined—but hard to find—qualities.

A few hit the next level. Some employees are remarkable, possessing qualities that may not appear on performance appraisals but nonetheless make a major impact on performance.

Here are eight qualities of remarkable employees:

1. They ignore job descriptions. The smaller the company, the more important it is that employees can think on their feet, adapt quickly to shifting priorities, and do whatever it takes, regardless of role or position, to get things done. When a key customer's project is in jeopardy, remarkable employees know without being told there's a problem and jump in without being asked—even if it's not their job.

2. They’re eccentric... The best employees are often a little different: quirky, sometimes irreverent, even delighted to be unusual. They seem slightly odd, but in a really good way. Unusual personalities shake things up, make work more fun, and transform a plain-vanilla group into a team with flair and flavor. People who aren't afraid to be different naturally stretch boundaries and challenge the status quo, and they often come up with the best ideas.

3. But they know when to dial it back. An unusual personality is a lot of fun... until it isn't. When a major challenge pops up or a situation gets stressful, the best employees stop expressing their  individuality and fit seamlessly into the team. Remarkable employees know when to play and when to be serious; when to be irreverent and when to conform; and when to challenge and when to back off. It’s a tough balance to strike, but a rare few can walk that fine line with ease.

4. They publicly praise... Praise from a boss feels good. Praise from a peer feels awesome, especially when you look up to that person. Remarkable employees recognize the contributions of others, especially in group settings where the impact of their words is even greater.

5. And they privately complain. We all want employees to bring issues forward, but some problems are better handled in private. Great employees often get more latitude to bring up controversial subjects in a group setting because their performance allows greater freedom. Remarkable employees come to you before or after a meeting to discuss a sensitive issue, knowing that bringing it up in a group setting could set off a firestorm.

6. They speak when others won’t. Some employees are hesitant to speak up in meetings. Some are even hesitant to speak up privately. An employee once asked me a question about potential layoffs. After the meeting I said to him, “Why did you ask about that? You already know what's going on.” He said, “I do, but a lot of other people don't, and they're afraid to ask. I thought it would help if they heard the answer from you.”Remarkable employees have an innate feel for the issues and concerns of those around them, and step up to ask questions or raise important issues when others hesitate.

7. They like to prove others wrong. Self-motivation often springs from a desire to show that doubters are wrong. The kid without a college degree or the woman who was told she didn't have leadership potential often possess a burning desire to prove other people wrong.

Education, intelligence, talent, and skill are important, but drive is critical. Remarkable employees are driven by something deeper and more personal than just the desire to do a good job.

8. They’re always fiddling. Some people are rarely satisfied (I mean that in a good way) and are constantly tinkering with something: Reworking a timeline, adjusting a process, tweaking a workflow. Great employees follow processes. Remarkable employees find ways to make those processes even better, not only because they are expected to… but because they just can't help it.

stories behind company names

MERCEDES

This was actually the financier's daughter's name. 

  

ADOBE 

This came from name of the river Adobe Creek that ran behind the house of founder John Warnock. 

APPLE COMPUTERS

It was the favorite fruit of founder Steve Jobs. He was three months late in filing a name 

for the business, and he threatened to call

his company Apple Computers if

the other colleagues didn't suggest a

better name by 5 O'clock that evening. 

CISCO

It is not an acronym as popularly believed.

It is short for  San Francisco . 

COMPAQ 

This name was formed by using COMp, for computer, and PAQ to denote a small integral object.   

COREL  

The name was derived from the founder's 

name Dr. Michael Cowpland. It stands for  COwpland REsearchLaboratory. 

GOOGLE  

The name started as a joke boasting about the amount of information the search-engine would be able to search. It was originally named 'Googol', a word for the number represented by 1 followed by 100 zeros. After founders- Stanford graduate students Sergey Brin and Larry Page presented their project to an angel investor, they received a cheque made out to 'Google' ...

thus the name.

  

HOTMAIL  

Founder Jack Smith got the idea of accessing e-mail via the web from a computer anywhere in the world. When Sabeer Bhatia came up with the business plan for the mail service, he tried all kinds of names ending in 'mail' and finally settled for hotmail as it included the letters "html" - the programming language used to write web pages. It was initially referred to as HoTMaiL with selective upper-casing. 

  

HEWLETT PACKARD 

Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard tossed a coin to decide whether the company hey founded would be called Hewlett-Packard or Packard-Hewlett. 

INTEL 

Bob Noyce and Gordon Moore wanted to name their new company ' Moore Noyce'but that was already trademarked by a hotel chain so they had to settle for an acronym of INTegrated ELectronics. 

  

LOTUE (Notes)  

Mitch Kapor got the name for his company from 'The Lotus Position' or 'Padmasana'. Kapoor used to be a teacher of Transcendental Meditation of  Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.  

  

MICROSOFT 

Coined by Bill Gates to represent the company that was devoted to MICROcomputer SOFTware. Originally christened Micro-Soft, the 'ware ' was removed later on. 

MOTOROLA 

Founder Paul Galvin came up with this name when his company started manufacturing radios for cars. The popular radio company at the time was called  Victrola. 

  

ORACLE

Larry Ellison and Bob Oats were working on a consulting project for the CIA 

(Central Intelligence Agency). The code name for the project was called

Oracle (the CIA saw this as the system to give answers to all questions or something such). The project was designed to help use the newly written SQL code by IBM. The project eventually was terminated but Larry and Bob decided to finish what they started and bring it to the world. They kept the name Oracle and created the RDBMS engine. Later they kept the same name for the company. 

SONY 

It originated from the Latin word 'sonus' meaning sound, and 'sonny' a slang used by Americans to refer to a bright youngster. 

SUN

Founded by four  Stanford  University buddies, SUN is the acronym for  Stanford  University Network. Andreas Bechtolsheim built a microcomputer; Vinod Khosla recruited him and Scott McNealy to manufacture computers based on it, and Bill Joy to develop a UNIX-based OS for the computer. 

  

YAHOO!  

The word was invented by Jonathan Swift and used in his book 'Gulliver's Travels'. It represents a person who is repulsive in appearance and action and is barely human. Yahoo! Founders Jerry Yang and David Filo selected the name because they considered themselves yahoos.

Children - social classes by themselves

Children from birth to the age of eighteen represent a distinct sociological and cultural class. This means that children are studied as markets in their own right, separate and distinct from adults.

15 areas of opp in natural resources

Teaching Workshop By Dipak Jain

Abraham Koshy : Conceptual understanding of the teaching process

Innovations can be in the following areas

1. Theme ( Objective, Purpose, Title ) 
2. Content 
3. Pedagogy 
4. Learning Facilitators
5. Assessment of Learning

Participant characteristics : Prof TV Rao has done some good work in the area of sociological preferences and psychological orientation of the learners. It shows that the belief in hard work is going down. And that students do not like to be pushed in the class. Idealism vs pragmatism.

There can be 3 types of content

1. What is happening ( Bring reality and environment in the class)
2. what should be done ( rules and tools for action )
3. Why should they be doing it ? why is it happening ? ( conceptual )

How to involve the participant

1. Kindle interest
2. Excite them about the subject
3. Nurture exploration and discovery

Class exercises

1. Go to 3 customers .. arrive at principles in the class !
2. Write down how do you buy ... arrive at principles in the class !
3. Visit jewelry shop / vegetable vendor ... observe ... and report ( one principle ...)

Dr Y L R Moorty's session

Questions which create interest

1. How and when to charge a premium ?
2. How and when to crash prices ?
3. How to find out what is important to the customer ?
4. Who are really my competitors ?
5. How should Indian companies fight MNCs ?
6. How to identify Key Success factors ?

Dr Sharad Sarin's Session

Different groups are asked to present

1. Common sense approach
2. Out of box approach
3. Conceptual approach
4. Integration of all appoaches

THE BEST PLACE TO LEARN MARKETING IS "MARKET PLACE"

SMART BOOK COMPILATION
3RD PARTY LEARNING AND TEACHING
INTERPRETIVE IMMERSION

DO NOT TRY ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING BUT ASSESSMENT FOR LEARNING

Deepak Jain and SMIA Day

Important for a teacher (a) to be disarming and connect well with the students (b) must have a respect for the students and have a dialogue tone (c) you must conclude at the end of each lecture so the students can take home something. It is important that the students are engaged.

Important for a student to be present, prepare and participate. Some students do not like cold calling.

Insead does not take more than 10% students from any one country. Hence " Business School for the world".

EVOLUTION IN EDUCATION

Pedagogy ( till 60s : Case studies), ( 60-90 : Analytical), (Afterwards Experiential Learning)
Decisions ( till 60s : Judgement and Intition), ( 60-90 : Data Analysis), (Afterwards  Ethics and Governance)
Focus : ( till 60s : Relevance), ( 60-90 : Rigor), (Afterwards : Both)

EVOLUTION IN BUSINESS

1. Till 19th century the wealth and power were essentially state controlled and hence kings who were the prime movers in using their wealth and power towards the acquisition of  land and natural resources through colonization of countries who could not resist such colonization attempts.  This was essentially led by Europe.
2. In 20th century came the capitalistic (free market) regime where the power went to the customer whose free will to choose what he wants to buy became the dominant paradigm and the seat of action shifted from the country to the corporations because it is at the corporate level that the response came. The corporations used their wealth, organization and strategy to acquire and retain customers by offering to them what they wanted (customer focus) and being better than their competitors (competition). This model was lead by USA.
3. In 21st century will come the regime of human capital which is essentially at an individual level. Individuals will act and will receive. Service economy will take over.

MARKETING AND METRICS

Marketing is primarily a philosophy and hence everything cannot be measured. Also, the trick lies in identifying what is important and then seeing how it can be measured. For example, Gillette measures how good it razors are by measuring how many strokes are needed to complete a shave. Their razors have brought this down over time from 300 to 150.

HYPER COMPETITION 

Today there are too many choices for the customer - much more than what she wants and can sort - because most offers these days are essentially "me too" but made to appear different - and this creates a tax on the customer's time and as well as mind.  What to do?

1. Create offers that stand out, relevant, and understood /  communicated easily. 
2. Answers may not be only in the marketing mix. They may be in your business model. Top 3 brands on the decade - Google, Apple and Blackberry - are innovations not only in offer but in business model and in value chain
3. Core products are increasingly difficult to differentiate : go for a different experience  

DEMOGRAPHICS IS BECOMING BIPOLAR

Increasing non-working (65+) populations in developed countries (There are 20000 people in Japan now above 100). And in emerging countries the population is getting younger. Therefore industries of healthcare, wealth care, hospitality, media, entertainment, eating out ..etc will do well in developed countries.

NEW PARADIGMS IN MARKETING

VALUE CREATION : Being close enough to the customer  to understand him better than others and have better insights. Being ahead of the customer in offering him what he still has only an inkling of.
VALUE CAPTURE : Doing things the way the customer wants you to do so that he is willing to pay the right price.
SUSTAINING VALUE : Develop capacity to attract and retain your valuable customers.