BOBKANNAN BLOGS

Bonhomie is a traditional word to describe goodwill oriented relation normally between two people having a deep sense of mutual regard. I was pleasantly surprised by the reaction of the yet again newly elected CM for the outburst of the former CM. The reaction is far from bonhomie yet a first step to move towards that. Hostility, acrimony and disregard were some of the features of relationship that existed between the two Dravidian parties of Tamil Nadu though such things originated   due to personal animosity and bitterness between the heads of the two parties. With this backdrop every action, utterance, gesture, expression and statement that is devoid of negativity itself would be seen as friendliness. Leadership is also about understanding and addressing the origin of the issue. But in this case the more one goes to the origin the bitterness would grow all the more. Circumstances are the other option that forces change of behavior. The election results tho...

In the cities there will be illuminated Ads where 'Colgate' toothpaste will move and 'Surf' powder soap would come. Most people think indiscipline would move equally easily to give way to discipline.  ·       Bad service in banks/railway-transport bookings ·       Neighbor blaring hi-fi music ·       Traffic violations/parking violations ·       Corruption, fraud, indiscretion (all these by others)   The above are some common acts of indiscipline. Most of them are formed since at their first occurrence it was neither questioned nor resisted. A resistance if not questioned forces the offender to vacillate before committing the offence. Complacence in questioning breeds the habit, creating in the process the right to commit the offence. When the offence is successfully committed the offender benefits but the person failing to que...

SWOT is familiar to many, more so to management practitioners. But where people miss the bus and the leaders score is in the timing. Strength everyone assesses but not, when exactly potency of strength is weakening or growing both for self and the opponent. The game is similar in weakness. A dark horse winning and a sure shot losing happens when weaknesses are perceived as enduring for opponent and diminishing for self. Opportunities are as grey areas as planning a win in a T20 cricket match. Even seasoned leaders need to mix risk taking skills and assessment skills to evaluate what exactly would work in their favor and being a potential area for hectic criticism in case of failure the leaders need to equip to summon fortitude and forbearance. Yet a leader who has higher percentage of success in leveraging opportunities stands much taller than others.  Threats are much more vague and indefinable and are interwoven with opportunities. They also have ebb a...

In the fifties when unions were started (which itself was considered an offence by many employers) the leaders when it was teatime used to twist a newspaper into conical shape and circulate. The purpose was to collect the money at the same time the donor can hide the amount even if it is nil. This was also a practice of collecting money to mobilize financial resources to run organizations. Today we have reached a stage where resources alone decide the resourceful person. With elections in Tamil Nadu and campaigning in full swing the skills of mobilizing and allocating resources has reached a crescendo with the legal and ethical way of doing it always under doubt. Resources provide capital and wealth to an organization which is the source of survival today. It is not just the financial aspect but also the manpower and muscle power of resources that decide the success of a team and also the leadership. While money power is the base to fetch other powers, mobilizing th...