ZOSO » Leader

Josiah Wedgwood…

sridharo — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:30:38 +0000

Campaigned for Social Reform and was a prominent slavery abolitionist.
Manufacturer of High Quality Potter ( The company he setup in 1759 that exists till today !)
( Credited ) as the inventor of Marketing ( direct mail, money-back guarantees, traveling salesmen, self-service, free delivery, buy one get one free, and illustrated catalogs et al )
Invented Pyrometer for measuring Oven temperatures
Built the first factory in the world ( made pottery )
Invented Quality Control
Started the first retail showroom

Src : Google , Seth Godin’s talk on Business of Software 2008 conf

Trivia : Josiah is the grandfather of Charles Darwin

Thus Spake Steve Jobs

sridharo — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:27:30 +0000

Another of his interview, that has gems in each of his answers. He talks about Apple’s Focus, Strategy, Employees, Work Style, Ups & Downs. Click here for the link. Some key takeways:

Make products you personally want to own.
Consultants/Market Researchers Excuse! Never hire a consultant, just make a great product.
Focusing doesnt mean saying Yes to thing in focus, instead it’s saying No to hundred other ideas. Pick Carefully.
Recruit People who are in love with your company, then everything else would take care of itself.
We didn’t want to get into any business where we didn’t own or control the primary technology because you’ll get your head handed to you.

Quote by N R Narayana Murthy

sridharo — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:19:00 +0000

“Focus on speed,imagination,excellence in education and meritocracy”
-N R Narayana Murthy
Chairman and Chief Mentor,Infosys Technologies Limited.

One of the very fewly cited term “speed”.The speed with which you ideate,execute and deliver is critical to the product being used by innovators or laggards.

Mandela’s Lessons of Leadership

sridharo — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 08:17:00 +0000

Here’s an article on TIME magazine on Mandela’s (Nelson ofcourse…do you know anyone else?) style of Leadership.I suggest you read the entire article(the snippets are amazing) .Here’s a brief:

1.Courage is not the absence of fear — it’s inspiring others to move beyond it
2.Lead from the front — but don’t leave your base behind
3.Lead from the back — and let others believe they are in front
4.Know your enemy — and learn about his favorite sport
5.Keep your friends close — and your rivals even closer
6.Appearances matter — and remember to smile
7.Nothing is black or white
8.Quitting is leading too

India @ 75

sridharo — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 07:51:00 +0000

So we have heard about Vision 2020, Mr. C.K.Prahalad, another visionary believes in India @ 75.Here’s a brief on his address to the students of ISB,Hyderabad.
I quote Mr Prahalad:
“…India should have the right and the ability to “shake the emerging world order” – be it in the area of human rights, world trade, agri-policy, IP, etc.”
I sincerely hope this would come true.

“…India must shape this emerging world order and not be a passive recipient. To this end it needs three pillars – “economic strength, technological vitality (not just innovation and science but contribution to fundamentally new ideas), and the third and most critical pillar being moral leadership.”
Economic strength is an often talked about subject,but the other two are new….need to read his new book.

“…greatest strength that India has is its secularism – the multiple rituals, languages, and customs – the diversity held together with a common idea. “We can leverage diversity and become the benchmark country in the world, as 90 percent of the conflicts of the worlds are due to inability to cope with diversity.”
According to me the biggest challenge.An all encompassing approach to growth.

“…You need to have an aspiration which is larger than your resource base – that is the definition of an entrepreneur. The problem is not resource but imagination, inventiveness, and shared aspirations.”
Hit the nail on its head.Precisely the reason behind my decision to join a good bschool and become an entrepreneur.

“Incrementalism will not get us there. To become a leader in the world we must begin by creating a shared commitment to aspirations supported by creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship. We need to have a shared understanding of the goals not of the means.”
Again something which I ‘ve seriously started to believe in .Shared goals,aspirations and vision.Quote by Rajat Gupta,Chariman,ISB.

Now to know more about this thinker,click here to read his bio.I started reading about Mr Prahalad after knowing about his recently launched book “The New Age of Innovation”

Jack Welch Quote

sridharo — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 07:24:15 +0000

If you pick the right people and give them the opportunity to spread their wings and put compensation as a carrier behind it you almost don’t have to manage them. -Jack Welch Related posts:Jack Welch’s Quote Quote Rajat Gupta’s Quote Related posts:

Jack Welch’s Quote

sridharo — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 07:24:00 +0000

If you pick the right people and give them the opportunity to spread their wings and put compensation as a carrier behind it you almost don’t have to manage them.
::: Jack Welch :::

Richard Feynman’s Quote

sridharo — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:46:00 +0000

Here’s a quote by Richard Feynman.Genius speak:
“Theres a difference between knowing the name of something and knowing something”
Check out the complete google video here:

More about the video:
BBC Horizon/PBS Nova THE PLEASURE OF FINDING THINGS OUT, Richard Feynman Interview (1981) Fifty minutes of PURE Feynman! This is the original Horizon Nova interview – essential for any Feynman fan… and for everyone else too! “I’m an explorer, OK I like to find out!” Richard Feynman, physicist and adventurer extraordinary… THE PLEASURE OF FINDING THINGS OUT was filmed in 1981 and will delight and inspire anyone who would like to share something of the joys of scientific discovery. Feynman is a master storyteller, and his tales — about childhood, Los Alamos, or how he won a Nobel Prize — are a vivid and entertaining insight into the mind of a great scientist at work and play. “The 1981 Feynman Horizon is the best science program I have ever seen. This is not just my opinion – it is also the opinion of many of the best scientists that I know who have seen the program… It should be mandatory viewing for all students whether they be science or arts students.” – Professor Sir Harry Kroto, Nobel Prize for Chemistry«

Leaders – The Inception of ISB

sridharo — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 05:42:00 +0000

This is a post reproduced with permission from another blog called “Books,Science and Stories” by Archana Raghuram.Credits to Archana Raghuram and Karthik Agarwal(the Insider;-) who prev worked in ISB taking care of Marketing and Branding for the SAARC region).Though no one can vouch for the accuracy of the post(many things are hearsay),it still makes an interesting read.

The founders(Rajat Gupta, Rahul Bajaj, Adi Godrej and Anil Ambani) had initially short listed three cities for the college, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai. Hyderabad did not even figure in the list. As Mumbai was their first choice,they met Bal Thackeray who was willing to give them a 25 acre plot in Navi Mumbai. But he insisted on a 25% reservation for people from Maharashtra. It was not for people living in Maharashtra but for people of Maratha origin. He wanted the reservation both for the students and the staff.
This was a big no-no for the founders. So they went to Bangalore where the then CM. S.M.Krishna made them wait for three hours and then spoke to them for 15 minutes before handing them over to his secretary. They were shown a land on a map which had no access from any major road.
They visited Chennai to meet the CM, J.Jayalalitha. She showed them a land near an industrial area which did not appeal to them. If you know Jayalalitha, it won’t be hard to guess the other things that would have been discussed.
Meanwhile, Chandrababu Naidu came to know that things were not working out with Bal Thackeray and requested the founders to consider Hyderabad. He invited them to visit the city. Anil Ambani then convinced the others to take a detour to Hyderabad, not with the intention of setting up the college there but only to appease Naidu. When the landed, they were met at the tarmac by the Chief Secretary and the Minister for Education. They asked them if they wished to first see the land or meet the CM. Now, this was very different from the experience with other CMs. They first went to the site (in a Mercedes Van). In was a 250 acre plot and about e 20 officials were waiting for them with maps and details about the development plan for the area (the roads that were going to be laid and the power lines that were to be setup).
Then they went to Naidu’s house and they were taken straight to his private quarters. He welcomed them with a smile and asked them if they were happy with the land. If they were satisfied, he had a draft agreement which they could sign right away. He took out a blank paper and gave it to them. All they had to do was lay down the terms and conditions and he would sign. He then gave them a small presentation about the state, its culture and heritage, industry and people.
The rest is history. It’s truly amazing, the things that can be achieved if the right political will is in place.

This is what I call acting like a LEADER.Period.

P.S : It may also interest you to note, that the biggest campus of Infosys is not at Bangalore or Mysore but at Hyderabad.

Later Edit on August 05,2008 : Click here to read further on this in Indian Express Archives

Rajat Gupta’s Quote

sridharo — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:09:00 +0000

“Great leadership is to lead through team work and making other people successful.”
Rajat Gupta,Chairman,ISB.
This is one of the best definition of leadership I’ve come across.A leader is not only successful but also makes others around him successful!
How many have you come across?