Beware Of Political-Presentations

At the time of elections they do two things.

One, political leaders make new promises without timeline to their election manifesto. Their tenure is supposed to be presumed as timeline without any commitment from the politicians. Tenure for National and
State level is five years.

Two, they show their performance as 'achieved' without making any reference to measures of the last manifesto: Measures such as what was promised, how much, of what specifications, within what timeline.

It's but natural that fake statements make up for their speeches. They manage the 'show' by 'show'ing sundries such as facades of rail-station's entries, an escalator here, a footover bridge there, etc. They put their 'best foot forward'. No reference to whether that was a priority nor whether it was in the corresponding election manifesto.

Sometimes the projects 'show'n as complete happen to be the ones that were begun during a couple of tenures before the current election. The one that was supposed to have been completed in the first tenure itself, got delayed until the third or fourth tenure and hence became eligible to be 'show'n.

It's like a local train that was supposed to reach destination within a couple of hours but eventually reached after a couple of days. Smart voters do not turn blind eye to that.

However the current politician does take advantage of marketing it as his own achievement. Credit grabbing! Funny part is sometimes out of their enthusiasm they even end up showing pictures of a rail-line of a railway station as 'achievement'. That had anyway been existing their for ages.

Although this might appear to be a bit of an exaggeration that's the way Indian political presentations are; aesthetic than functional. Look at newspaper advertisements and publicity material during election-time if you don't believe this.

What a good presentation be like?

A good presentation should be a no-presentation at all. 

Real work doesn't need 'presentation'. The surroundings, the workplace (Gemba) itself and each real-element of the process (Gembutsu) 'speaks' the 'dynamism' of the change in realtime (Genjitsu).

If for instance a presentation is needed for commercial reasons, as a checklist it should contain business like dimensions such as before-after pictures of improvements and achievements till-date, period-to-date (PTD), year-to-date (YTD), month-to-date (MTD), week-to-date (WTD), etc. 

Not only it should contain recognition and review of planned versus actual 'results' but also a log of the 'roles performed' and efforts taken during the 'means to the results'. The achievements be compared with promises in terms of productivity and quality-of-life measures, timelines vis-a-vis promises made with corresponding priorities.

I think even a hundredth of candidates won't be able to contest elections if they do so. That's why they don't do so. Rather they make it a 'political-show'.

Story in some corporate houses is no different. Sometimes their 'presentations' are 'better' than politician's ones especially during appraisal times.

Beware: Take a close look at the 'other foot' as well since the 'best foot forward' can be deceptively attractive! A way to do it is believing your eyes than ears. Make deep diving at the real-site (Gemba) 'to see changes' as primary rather than 'hear' presentations away from Gemba. 

Create awareness to compare 'what-was-planned', 'what-it-was' with the improved 'what-it-is-now' and 'what-it-could-be' next. And then present it with their timelines and multi-dimensional (holistic) measures.

Bring out vividly 'what-changes' were driven at root-cause level in order to make the change sustainable.

It does motivate, recognise and reinforce desired behavior of the people who matter if one measures achievements with correct reference lines. 

Otherwise it's sure to promote fire-fighters while demotivating the fire-preventers: A culture of promoting fire-fighting rather than fire-prevention! 

Also read a few relevant blogposts hereunder:

Elections on anvil for voters' will

Aesthetics Spills-Over Function, Want Spills-Over Need (Part-1)

Aesthetics Spills-Over Function, Want Spills-Over Need (Part-2)

WOW Work-Culture: By Telling or Selling

Discrimination-is-Cremation of Law-&-Order (Part-1) 

Discrimination-is-Cremation of Law-&-Order (Part-2) 

Discrimination Cremated! But How Long? 

How To Make A Difference

Big-Be Or Bug-Be !

Can-changing-thoughts-change-a-nation

Ridiculous Poison-culture versus Maverick Kaizen-culture

That's how some business partnerships work

Taken-For-Granted ? You Deserve It !!

Treat Root-causes, Not Symptoms !

Talk In Order To Listen! 

What You See Isn't What's Made

ABCD of India Shining

Shining On Farmer's Suicides!

Farmer's Suicides is not new to Vidarbha in India.

What's new is newer opportunities and innovations in 'claiming' compensations therefrom.

Few weeks ago a news flashed regarding 73 farmers in Marathwada killing themselves after a freak hailstorm that ruined their crops.

Whether it's a freak one or man-made is a separate topic. But there are strong evidences that this is nature's way to react to excessively unwanted human activities.

It got revived in my mind because of another news I read on twitter today. It was about 334 farmers getting compensated by over 10 million rupees in spite of not having any farm.

The news highlights cozy nexus among local goons, politicians, corrupt officials, other people in power in corresponding departments.

It's actually an open secret. At times a drunkard is worth half a million for such a nexus. Because when a drunkard dies, the nexus conspires. It 'makes' him a 'farmer' who 'committed suicide'. With the help of corrupt bank officials of a small-time cooperative credit society or a bank, it creates fake documents. It gets all other 'documents in order' so that the 'loan' can get compensated and the amount can be distributed.

A research on google will throw light on many such crooked innovations in order to dupe government. Greed drives them for more.

Innovators galore and shining but I am sure investigators are more intelligent and shining.

Will the really affected farmers forgive such conspirators ever?

A MaiKu© hereunder on the topic:

Crooked Innovators galore
Greed drives conspirators for more
Vigilante drives them to shore

MaiKu© Is My-Haiku
Freely ideate it's poetic rhymes
Any objective topic it chimes

Also read a few relevant blogposts hereunder:

Prayer for drought-ridden 10822-Villages

ABCD of India Shining

Some Moron ! Some Great !!!

That's How Morons Work

You seem Reasonable if you appear Un-reasonable

Smart-Moron Who Breaks Your Glass 

WOW Work-Culture: By Telling or Selling

Suggestions On-Sale, None-To-Buy

Can-changing-thoughts-change-a-nation

Do you know a Best-Career-Plan

Wish To Be Planet-Friendly?: Save! 

Don't Save Water on Holi-day

Be Shame-less Or Water-less

कधीतरी सापडेल का शोधता-शोधता ?

Treat Root-causes, Not Symptoms !

You Can’t Take It With You, but You Still Want More

Do You Celebrate Mean-or-Green 

Aesthetics Spills-Over Function, Want Spills-Over Need (Part-1) 

Aesthetics Spills-Over Function, Want Spills-Over Need (Part-2) 

Talk in-order-to Listen!

I came across an old Argnetine proverb: 'He who speaks, sows; he who listens, reaps.'

A couple of days later, on whatsapp received a picture of Swami Vivekananda that says, "talk to yourself once a day... ."

Do these statements convey different meanings?

First one emphasises listening more than speaking: Listening to others! We are given two ears and one mouth as the rhetoric goes. I often tend to forget this though. Of course at times you need to speak on behalf of the speaker herself to validate that you have understood. This is active listening.

The second statement too emphasises listening but; Listening to self!

Once the art of 'listening to self' is mastered 'listening to others' gets easier.

How does one 'listen to self'?

At subtler level, an intelligent but difficult way is to meditate!

At gross level a simple way is to write a diary; daily if possible!

Some do write a diary but conventionally it tends to be a chronology of events and problems. 

To go any closer to what Swami Vivekananda says, the diary should be about drawing lessons from the events and from one's own behavior.

Then the diary turns out to be 'listening to self' in real sense.
Thoughts and your response to situations change thereafter.
The lessons learnt from mistakes, if any, help improve one's self.
Journey from reaction to pro-action (proactive action) begins.
A step taken towards excellence!

Someday a day dawns with an appointment of a beautiful, handsome, strong and excellent person: The Self: The one that Swami Vivekananda had in mind!

Also read a few relevant blogposts hereunder:

How To Make A Difference

Big-Be Or Bug-Be !

Nauseous Communication Gaps 

Will It Work Here? 

Some Moron ! Some Great !!!

That's How Morons Work

You seem Reasonable if you appear Un-reasonable

Smart-Moron Who Breaks Your Glass 

WOW Work-Culture: By Telling or Selling

Suggestions On-Sale, None-To-Buy

Can-changing-thoughts-change-a-nation

Ridiculous Poison-culture versus Maverick Kaizen-culture

Tolerate Once, Twice, Thrice?

Taken-For-Granted ? You Deserve It !!

IQ-EQ-or-SQ: What-is-more-important?

Eternally Happy!

In a Problem?: No Problem ! Dwell A While !!

Do you exercise your choice meaningfully

Do You Ask Right Questions? 

Overworked? Tension? CPU of the mind hung-up?

No Time? Micro-Meditate! 

Experienced A Delightful Payment !

I was working for this company for the first time.

As usual I sent my diagnostic questionnaire: The tool that helps me in weeding out conn-enquiries. Conn-enquiries are the ones that call for the sake of calling followed by a call to visit them only to have a cup of tea.

Such conn-companies don't realise that primary raw 'material' for offering services is time. Material for product offering can be kept in inventory. Time can't be inventoried: Once gone, is gone for ever. That's why even a TV mechanic or a water-filter mechanic charges visit fees.

So if a company doesn't help you in diagnostics you are likely to end up being a 'pig'. 'Three-Pigs' was the name of my first company where I was one of the three with a mission to scavenge in industries.

If the company answers diagnostic queries, it's likely to be serious and your time is likely to go to the needy. Moreover your time gets saved. Because many a time companies call you to ask the same questions they could have been answered on phone or by mail. Why waste fuel, time and energy kind of questions hardly bother them.

The company I am writing about responded the next day.

Asked for the path-ahead for lean journey alongwith my quotation.

My office sent proforma invoice the next day.

The company sent me their 'supplier registration form' by return with a request to "comply by return". It was followed by a reminder mail saying "Waiting for your immediate reply."

The form was one of the most complete ones that included all the information such as whether my office was a brick or a RCC structure. My office sent back the form promptly duly filled in.

Same evening I got a call saying "Your 'supplier registration' is complete. Please ensure to get bill alongwith you. End of your counseling you will get cheque in your hand."  Communication was crisp and clear.

Deliciously delightful experience! First of it's kind for me!

May be the company had timebound performance criteria for their delivery processes. But I had seen many companies in spite of having such criteria failing to pay even after a couple of years.

A typical Indian company paid me half the amount overdue to me after half century of telephone calls and five times more emails. It wrote-off half, paid me half after two years. That means the money was depreciated by half due to inflation. I have not considered cost of follow-ups though which is actually a part of any Indian's routine.

I used to call my customer-friend every time Sachin Tendulkar used to hit half-century expecting the Sachin-fan's mood to be good, but in vain.

Some such company's performance criteria is to keep more amount in credit than debit. Their unwritten rule is to delay payment multiple times the agreed payment time. Former should overrule the latter or vice versa whichever worked out favorable to them.

This 'taking others for granted' is a typical behavior in high mistrust societies. Hopefully my delightful experience is not a mystery. Actually much more than the performance criteria, it's the culture: the soft dimension that makes the difference.

The delight company happens to be an Indian subsidiary of a Japanese company perhaps richer in the soft dimension: The Kaizen Culture!

Also read a few relevant blogposts hereunder:

WOW Work-Culture: By Telling or Selling 

Make It Simpler, Rest Will Follow

How To Make A Difference 

An Experience of Heart-and-Soul

Take your career in fast lane!

Succession-Plans In Fast Lane!  

Nauseous Communication Gaps 

Do You Cleanup-After-Crisis 

Will It Work Here?  

You seem Reasonable if you appear Un-reasonable 

Can-changing-thoughts-change-a-nation

Ridiculous Poison-culture versus Maverick Kaizen-culture 

Tolerate Once, Twice, Thrice? 

That's how some business partnerships work 

Taken-For-Granted ? You Deserve It !! 

Customer or Custo-Mer?  

In a Problem?: No Problem ! Dwell A While !! 

Do You Ask Right Questions?  

No Time? Micro-Meditate!

Just read about Mindfulness and Micro-Meditation.

It reminds me of the tips in blogpost on self-energizing in a minute. It's about meditation in order to overcome overworking and tension.

If you are short of time to 'sit down and meditate' in a conventional sense, don't worry. Even a single spiritual breath cycle can do the magic if you do exercise your choice.

Just 'catch a minute' in order to micro-meditate and self-energize.

Even a Lift that takes a couple of minutes to reach it's destination offers an opportunity. Of course you must commit yourself to do so.

Like a 'standing-corpse', lean in a comfortable position against a support in a corner of the lift.

Close eyelids gently. Taking advantage of gravity, 'throw in your head'.

Relax all facial and body muscles including eyelids and eyeballs. 'Visit' them with 'mental eyes' to do so. Eyes dissipate maximum energy. So more and faster they are relaxed, more and faster you gain.

Take a deep breath... Gently! ... Without appearing to force it down your wind pipe!

While doing so let 'mental eyes' traverse the path of the breath.

As you inhale, feel cool breath entering your nostrils, touching it's walls, going deep down into your belly as much as possible and naturally.

As you exhale, feel it moving up into your lower chest region, then to your shoulder region and then out of the nostrils. While exiting feel warmth of the breath.

Now dwell a moment on your eyelids. Slowly and deeply breathe into the muscles of the eyelids. Feel the heat being thrown away from eyeballs to eyelids and finally into atmosphere. Feel that eyelids as well as your facial and body muscles are relaxed. Dwell into this feeling until the time on hand permits.

Gently open your eyelids. See naught while staring into space. Just an empty look into Zero. Walkout of the lift slowly as it reaches destination. Now you are more happy, with reduced level of anxiety and fear, 'ready to go' with more energy and confidence.

If you did it right then it's likely that you just had a micro glimpse into the most secret phenomenon: the phenomenon of buddhahood. If yes, then celebrate your new 'self', the new birth!

If you couldn't do it right, don't worry. At least 'you' tried to make a difference to yourself. Keep practising it until it becomes a habit.

Enjoy the day!

Also read a few relevant blogposts hereunder: Please do consider leaving a comment or sharing this post.

Overworked? Tension? CPU of the mind hung-up?
Do you exercise your choice meaningfully
IQ-EQ-or-SQ: What-is-more-important?
Eternally Happy!
In-a-problem? No-problem! Dwell-a-while!
I am afraid ! What do I do !! 
Fearful-Of-Death-of-Birth
Take Habits For A Ride
Happy-Birthday-to-Youooo
Do You Celebrate Mean-or-Green 
Big-Be Or Bug-Be ! 
Raam or Krishna-Shyam: Tell me Hey Raam! 
Are You Good If Others Are Bad? 
Want Need-Or-Want
How To Make A Difference
Love is Care.. Care is Love ! 
Deity is in the eyes of the beholder
Success-or-failure! What-do-you-like? 
Ball-Basin-Team Combine !  Maketh The Smile Divine !!

Nauseous Communication Gaps

Put internet ON, she said.
Rushing to the WI-FI switch he replied: It is already ON.
Put it ON on the tablet I mean, she said
You should have said so specifically, he said while enabling WI-FI on tablet.

After a while accessing the tablet she asked: Why isn't the browser ON?

You told me to put the WI-FI ON on the tablet, he exclaimed.

Oh My God, you can't even do these simple things, she murmured. My reply to the email is already delayed by half an hour!

She appeared to exclaim at his weak IQ on jargons. Actually she wanted the Chrome browser ON. Due to lack of alignment on 'what to call what?' he went around doing rework (work to repair defect).

Often such communication gaps make work difficult in daily life. Not only do defective communications bring down expected performance levels but they also hurt egos being taken for granted. 

In fact, most problems in this world crop up due to communication gaps. Sometimes though gaps might have to be created strategically for common good as a Krishna tactic.

What's the solution?

Good to have a clear, concise and common understanding on terminology people use at a given workplace in particular. Say, 'WI-FI' for WI-FI switch, 'Internet' to enable WI-FI on tablet and Browser by its name 'Chrome', 'Dolphin', etc. as was needed in the above case. There should have been a common understanding on 'what to call what?' without diluting or mingling them.

In case of a workplace, terminology such as above might need complimentary labeling of a given equipment. Creative signboards might be needed for various spaces going beyond the conventional ones such as say a 'toilet', or a 'washroom', etc. They should visibly bring out differences among them with the help of icons or pictures or sketches.

Labeling, Signboards, etc. are a Seiton practice done in Five-S tool of Kaizen in order to remove ambiguities. They bring in uniqueness in communication. Defence services in particular use such uniqueness  very powerfully in order to prevent crisis from emerging in absence of that or in order to execute orders in split-seconds without defects in communication.

Bringing in common understanding such as above with a corresponding procedure in manual for work standards is actually a part of creating highly standardized workplace.

It's a must to reduce communication gaps at work. It's a must at home also in order to improve work although while doing so one might appear as an unreasonable, idiosyncratic fellow.

Also read a few relevant blogposts hereunder:

Prevention: The Best Cure! ... Is it really so?

Kaizen-on-Crisis-Situations

Treat Root-causes, Not Symptoms !

In a Problem?: No Problem ! Dwell A While !! 

Taken-For-Granted ? You Deserve It !! 

Tolerate Once, Twice, Thrice? 

Raam or Krishna-Shyam: Tell me Hey Raam!

Discrimination-is-Cremation of Law-&-Order (Part-1)

Discrimination-is-Cremation of Law-&-Order (Part-2) 

Discrimination Cremated! But How Long? 

Make It Simpler, Rest Will Follow

How To Make A Difference

A Ride To Hell

That's How Morons Work

You seem Reasonable if you appear Un-reasonable

Ridiculous Poison-culture versus Maverick Kaizen-culture

Tolerate Once, Twice, Thrice?

IQ-EQ-or-SQ: What-is-more-important?

Do You Cleanup-After-Crisis

In-big-problem? Wear-hats-to-solve-it!

Do You Ask Right Questions? 

How Many Times Do You Wash Hands

Make checklists your friends