At last someone applies brains to management

An author comes out with a book that suggests what works and what doesn't in management. Much of what we have discussed in the class. What I loved most was a quote from the article (link below)

"A lot of what managers are doing now doesn't work. It may make them feel better, but it's not helping their employees,"

What doesn't work?

• Feedback doesn't work because we like to protect ourselves by blaming circumstances
• Incentives don't work because they take away the pleasure of working for satisfaction
• Goal setting doesn't work because it aint about the numbers baby..its about inspiration!

So what works?

• Leverage employees universal desire for MEANINGFUL work
• Allow employees to be partners and co-creators rather than just rule followers
• Tell stories
• Let each employee judge their own work.
  

http://www.sltrib.com/business/ci_12422516

LIFESTYLES OF THE RICH AND FAMOUS??

Lights...camera...action

When the curtain goes down at the Oscars and you have just attended a ceremony where your movie was selected as the best in the world. What do the co-stars do at the end of it all? Go back on their chartered jets to their own mansions? Or..........

Find out that you are rendered homeless because your home has been raized to the ground?

http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/news/2009/rubina-azharuddin-homeless-210509.html

My family tree from geni.com

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A letter from the Director of FBI

Hi,

I always thought that at some day the FBI will catch up with me. Finally this morning I received an email from the director of FBI in Washington D.C. I am pasting it verbatim below. I had a good laugh, hope you do too. Perhaps he should contact Mr.Brown of Mind Your Language!

--------------------------------------

ANTI-TERRORIST AND MONITARY CRIMES DIVISION

FBI HEADQUARTERS IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

J. EDGAR HOOVER BUILDING

935 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, NW

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20535-0001

DATE: 05/03/2009,

Website: www.fbi.gov

FUND BENEFICIARY

We have received a security report from United Kingdom security unit to handle a case that is related to your winner’s fund which was abandon in the UK bank by you.

A report was lead that your abandon fund was claimed by on known person with the help of one of the bank workers, your winners fund was transferred to Africa by the imposters, which we send our delegate to go to Africa to apprehend them, with the information we receive from our delegate today, they have apprehended the people that Stoll your winners fund to Africa, they have been handed over to the EFCC OF NIGERIA. And we have ordered the EFCC OF NIGERIA to send them back to the UK, so that we will hand them over to the appropriate authority in UK to bring them to justice, and it also come to our notice that some group of fraudulent people are contacting you, we need your help to apprehend all of them. Because they are a pest to the world at large.

If you are not informed, your e-mail address was among the e-mails that won this year promo award of UK National Lottery, that is the fund that was transferred to Africa , and it has been recovered.

We need your urgent responds so that we will tell you the proper agency to contact for your winners fund that has been recovered.

Your's Sincerely

FBI Director

Robert S. Mueller, III

A story of disintermediation

The word Disintermediation became part of my vocabulary during the dotcom era, when everyone was talking about how the Internet will cut out the middle man. Dr. Madhukar Shukla ran a yahoo group called the "dotcomworld" which seem to have fizzled out. Its a shame when a good idea becomes a fad. The annual rings of a sawed-off tree trunk can tell not just the age of a tree, but also about the seasons- the drought of 15 years ago, for example. Like wise if you ever cut me down you can learn about the cultural seasons by the thoughts and ideas that have entered my head. Disintermediation is one of those things.

In the first Talk Shop Case, I discuss a case of how the term Disintermediation takes on a new meaning, though not entirely disconnected with the old one. Read the case here.