Archive for category People
Biz Manager to Chief Strategist
Posted by Sreelesh in People, Technology on June 12, 2011
I’d posted my thoughts on how SLAs can be used for differentiation and positioning and towards the end of that post I’d invited all and sundry to hear out my idea on a business model centered on the SLAs.
Well dear friends, I made it big. XYZ had discussions with me over the past five months (that’s why no posts on my blog), they bought my idea plus took me on rolls as Chief Strategy Officer. From a Business Manager at Sify.com, I am now a CSO with a huge bank balance and very busy executing my business model. Until it’s all running well and profitable, XYZ has understandably asked me to be mum on the happenings – so until later, wish me luck!
For you who’ve dropped jaws/ in doubt/ gone beyond the image above, I am allowed to dream and hope right? Like from the brilliance in Shawshank Redemption: ‘hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies. ‘
Mohanlal – golden star
No I’m not talking about his unquestionable acting prowess (strictly read acting as only acting without the bollywoodish attachments of muscle-dance -sunglasses!). This is about Mohanlal being seen so much in TV advertisements, especially those having to do with gold. Sitting 10 minutes on any Malayalam channel you are likely to catch one of below advertisements:
- Malabar Gold (jewellery house)
- Manapuram Finance (financing institution specializing in loan-against-gold)
- Kerala Grand Shopping Festival (fest. with 101kg of gold to be won)
So in one ad you have Mohanlal recommend that you buy Malabar gold and a minute later you have the same man advising you to pledge your gold to Manapuram and avail easy loans! The other day I saw a reality comedy show make a joke of this too.
The latest news is that Asianet’s awarded the ‘golden star’ to Mohanlal – is that because of the many ‘golden’ advertisements? Lalletta can I manage your endorsements? I have zero experience but I’m so sure I can do a better job!
Celebrity endorsements gone awry – a classic case from our very own Lalletan
Mohanlal says buy gold
Mohanlal says pawn gold!
Ten signs you’re losing your friend to the Internet
Today it’s not just parents complaining about their children spending too much time on the Internet. I also find myself complaining, over myself! While I consciously try ‘internet-insulating’ myself, here are a few warning signs I’ve come to realize. See if you can relate, add more if you’ve better ones. PS: Some characters or incidents mentioned are inspired by real individuals or happenings; so blame not, stop not your pointing fingers 
- Your friend forgets his bank account’s online log-in credentials and many times unknowingly keys in Facebook/Twitter credentials on just about any log-in screen
- He knows what his latest online friend and/or his pet had for dinner last night but doesn’t know that his next-door neighbour’s not been there at home for over a week
- He takes his own sweet time to reply to your mail but you get his mails/messages/tweets asking you to ‘like’ his blog page, join ‘x’ group, see his latest blog post etc.
- He tweets more frequently than he’d CTRL+C or Google search
- He is ‘now friends with’ some individual from the other side of the globe whose name is awfully similar to a new virus you read about yesterday (ok, maybe now your friend might learn, but no, you then see his tweet “thanks @virus-name for being my 1000th friend”!)
- He resorts to Facebook/Twitter to ask ‘friends’ out for a movie rather than simply call/walk up to and ask. Worse still it’s done over a public announcement: “I’m going for a movie, which one of you can I pull in”
- He wouldn’t be there for your gang’s lunch-out but you’d find many of his tweets saying “had a great time at yesterday’s tweet-up”
- Your soft-spoken, polite friend is suddenly using F and A words in status updates
- You know it’s crossing dangerous levels when your friend’s mom, whom you’ve never met, is requesting friendship in Facebook but she’s not Facebook friends with her child, your friend! (Mom’s probably investigating child’s online escapades)
- I like this last one because I see it everywhere: your friend’s suddenly a Subject Matter Expert sharing a dozen links a day on some complex topic. All without giving credits to the news source. And the best part, sharing links even without reading them
- Number eleven for my wifey Your husband’s knowing and writing ‘Subject Matter Experting’ points above while you’re working it out in the kitchen getting no help at all
Let’s meet more often offline.
It felt so great the last time I met my school friends. We chat and Facebook whenever we can but nothing beats the energy and excitement of a physical meeting. Put in a few drinks and fried chicken and you are set, not to ever look at your watch but instead be reminded that you are needed somewhere else by some suddenly very intruding (hey that’s your mom!) phone call. Tweet-ups are cool but let’s just first meet-up old friends please.
Take care.
RIP King of Pop
Funny how one can suddenly feel so heavily at loss and so fortunate too at the sametime. Lohithadas (54) and Michael Jackson (50), great artists, geniuses, passed away this week. Lekshmi and I once spoke about how we are so lucky as a generation to experience the genius of such artists and even wondered whether we ever will have people like them again: Mammooty, Mohanlal, Tom Hanks, Kamal Hasan, Steven Spielberg, Roger Federer, Obama, Yesudas, Chitra – a few that came to mind at awe by the wonders of their work and persona.
Our generation did miss out on the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, Lincoln, Martin Luther King. I’m glad that we as a society do understand the need for preserving history and passing on the greatness of such people to younger generations. Oh please, whoever’s in charge, do take care of all that is left of these demised souls (finished and unfinished work, artefacts etc). I pray for the King of Pop to Rest In Peace and thank him for bringing in me the love for music(I think ‘beat it’ is the first song I ever hummed in my life!).
Wimbledon 2008 men’s singles final, what a ride!
I just finished watching half of the Wimbledon final. The second half. I have never been so nervous, excited, humbled, impressed, (a true rollercoaster of emotions), watching any other sporting event ever! I am yet to understand fully how the game’s point system functions but I tell you, I went mad for every single point earned. I wanted Federer to win and you can imagine how I felt when he was on the verge of losing more than two times before the final ‘fatal’ fall. The way he came back and the way Rafael kept his cool! Federer truly summed it up when he said “tried everything!”
To be the best in the world and to beat the best in the world, these two gentlemen truly displayed great character speaking after the awards ceremony.
Federer(very cool and calm, with his characteristic charming smile): “I tried everything, it went a little late and everything, but look Rafa is a deserving champion, he just played incredible today…. He’s the worst opponent on the best court, but it’s been a joy again to play here, I know I couldn’t win it under the circumstances, but I’ll be back next year.”
Rafael(very happy but yet calm): “This is my favourite tournament, for me to win on this court is a dream…. I’m playing in the same time as the best player in history, Roger Federer…. He’s still number one, he’s still the best, he still has five titles here, and I just have one.”
If ever I get a DVD for a sporting event, this shall be it! And I want to get to playing tennis!
Why did Jack select Jeff?
I recently read an interview between Kumar Mangalam Birla(Chairman – Aditya Birla group) and Jeffrey Immelt(Chairman & CEO – GE). Birla was doing the interview for the Economic Times “Straight Talk” section. It was very interesting with KMB getting out good juice: goals set by Jeff when he took over GE seven years ago, numbers in his mind when he qualifies an acquisition decision, when does he choose to divest, his view on India(he’s all gung-ho!), how he apportions his time at work and many other informative points. Here is the whole interview.
There’s this question by KMB “What do you think made Jack select you for the role of the chairman”. Jeff says:
“I always think people get a chance like this not because of what they know but more because of how fast people think they can learn. I’d have to think that maybe Jack and the board thought that I was a good learner and that I could adjust to the world and drive the right changes at GE. “
I was thinking, leaders are definitely those who have in them tonnes of courage. For Jack & Jeff, there was enough money(12 billion plus dollars cash reserve!) for the new CEO to ‘learn’ with
You have time to blog?
I was so fascinated with Seth’s statement, decided to post it here! He was asked if posting a blog post everyday was “intimidating or a grind”.
His response:
“I view it as something I get to do. I spend most of my blogging time deciding what not to post.
The best work, at least for me, is the stuff you get to do. If you are really good at that, you’re lucky enough to have very little of the have to stuff left.”
What bothers me: “I spend most of my blogging time deciding what not to post“… someday, somehow I’ll get to that
Nick Vujicic – The true Man of Steel.
This post was begun trying to do a separation/identification of all those really successful people who went out there and ‘Got what they liked’ rather than ‘Like what they got’.. Yeah we must have all come across many of them motivation stories.
What if you got something you hate? Worse, what if you’re stuck with a nightmare-come-true for the rest of your life? Here’s the story of a young man, aged 25 years, born without any hands nor legs. Do take a minute or two and think through a parents’ state of mind in finding their newborn limbless. Another minute to think of how many times the kid would have felt deep despair as he grew up.
Nick Vujicic, ‘the limbless man’, hated how he was born. He did try quit life. But today, he’s out there “Getting what he likes” and the best part – helping everyone around him live their dreams through his organization : Life Without Limbs.
We’ve got so much to thank God for. We can do so much. It’s all within us. Thanks Nick. My prayers for your new book and I hope to see you in Oprah’s show very soon.
Thirst for Education
The best part about learning at work is -
- you learn by yourself and
- you find answer for the killer question above so easily.
To create that “thirst for Education”, let’s show some water.
Happy Independence Day India!!
Today’s Hindu newspaper is certainly worth a good read and keep. Almost every write-up gives one the feeling that India is one huge torpedo moving faster and faster to the ‘developed country’ status. There were many articles highlighting the gender bias, poverty, poor infrastructure state and corruption in India too. Personally, I feel India could not be in better hands than those of Manmohan Singh and Chidambaram.
Amid all the celebrations I can’t help feeling sad that those who experienced the power struggle and saw the birth of India may not be living among us in another 20-30 years. I miss my grandad and his stories and wish my grandmoms would live forever. I was very disturbed by this article on how Laxmi Panda who joined the Army in her teens has not been given her Freedom Fighter recognition and benefits. My prayers to her and the journalist Paresh Rath who gave her a place to stay and brought her story to light.
On this special day I salute all Indians for making India the power she is today.
“A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history” – Mahatma Gandhi.
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You are currently browsing the archives for the People category.
The Kenyan Keralite- How can Google Adwords approve this ad!?! December 22, 2011
- Onam – Facebook is where to advertise. September 11, 2011
- Biz Manager to Chief Strategist June 12, 2011
- Mohanlal – golden star January 2, 2011
- Ten signs you’re losing your friend to the Internet November 16, 2010
- SLAs – for differentiation & positioning July 31, 2010
- You have to be the First-Announcer in the Internet age March 1, 2010
- Congrats Premchand! February 18, 2010
- Implementing IPv6 November 30, 2009
- marooned, n lovin it! November 10, 2009