Inherent Simplicity

A Visit to the Queen & King We have recently (March 18, 2015) returned from an eight-day long family trip to south of India, in the rather touristy Ooty.  Having seen most of North India’s hill-station, this one was on my list of places to visit.  It turned out to be a good choice.  Ooty though scenic and relaxed, does not have much different to offer – surrounded by natural beauty and greenery, visually appealing sights, few breath-taking views, a cool climate and friendly people.  We had ventured in the off-peak season, thus the tourist crowd was much less, even the hotels were partially occupied.  This is always a blessing in disguise. The first day we hired a car to take us around Ooty.  The market is bustling, with locals and resident foreigners.  There were not too many tourists to be seen in the market, except at the tourist spots.  There are many points, but the only few points that would be worth a visit are Pykara Lake a...

As part of our professional lives, we have submitted to endure the drudgery of business meetings.  Patrick Lencioni, in his fable “Death by Meeting”, argues for the need to rethink on the effectiveness of meetings and recommends a process for organizations to benefit from the group swing.  This paper expounds and extends Lencioni’s proposition based on my exposure to India’s business culture. The Paradox of Meetings There are two realities associated with business meetings.  First - that they are a necessary evil of organizational life.  Second - that they are tedious and unproductive.  Business meetings, nevertheless, are a reflection of the leadership team and representative of the gap between potential and actual performance.   Death By Meeting As I sat through many monthly review meetings with senior management teams across companies, I constantly pondered what strategy would emerge from the directionless discuss...