My vision for PCMM

It was in May 2007 that I downloaded the PCMM Implementation manual from the portal www.sei.cmu.edu. I had just started off at Merino Services Limited as an HR Manager, and given that that this IT division was just starting I had somehow boldly thought I'll do the implementation at full-length single-handedly, of course, with more people joining eventually. But, going through the manual, it wasn't easy because of the very technical language it uses, and to be honest, neither my maturity level was to the absolute second of levels as PCMM expects. Well, with this in the background, the whole thing seemed so very paper-work oriented, and bureaucratic that I gave up, but kept a print copy of the manual handy for reference.

There I'd started with the designing of my very first HR Policy Manual, and thanks to my very encouraging the then bosses, Bikash Lohia & Sanjay Sharda who had given me enough guidance as well as latitude in suggesting new ideas to institute new processes, which I did to whatever extent I could have in the given context the company was operating. But, PCMM wasn't what guided, though my policies and procedures were to a great extent documented by the ISO guidelines. Thanks to Neeraj Ranjan, our quality guy.

Today, I've returned from a PCMM Training sponsored by Infosys, hopeful to get certified (I gave my exam), and the wonderful trainer, PCMM Lead Assesor from QAI - Shankar Ramanand had given me a great orientation to the same, and also to a great extent clarified the great mystery experts keeping throwing at HR folks - Align HR with Business Strategy! Great! But, whoever's reading, remember, PCMM is not about HR, but People management strategies which spans the whole organization! Owned by HR, to be driven by Executive Management and supported by Line Management!

If being a IT faculty at IIPM has got me some benefit, it was due to my exposure to ERP, CMMI, Project Managemet, where I also first got to know of PCMM.

'M' Asses

Masses, in a very poetic way, my OD faculty at IIPM, Mr. Subhash Kapoor (a very admired mentor), explained to us, are 'Mindless asses!' Yes, the *Ass* types!!!

And when I relate to the mob mentality which is increasing and growing all the more louder in news well, I really am remembering his words... 'Mindless Asses'

Harnessing Negative emotions!

A look at the news, and all you could possibly boil it down to, is that there's a big business for negative emotions. It was when in my teenage, when I came across my first Archies Gallery, and later on the many other card and gift shops that I realized how big and good the business of emotions was.. but those were meant to be of love, caring, missing and all that stuff... But as I grew up looking at the strikes, the reasons of various strikes, riots, curfews. The latest killings, hate mails, hate websites, communities of hate, political manifestos, even governmental actions, and the very business of media many-a-times... Excellent way of making business by harnessing negative emotions of people!!!

We’re just food for worms...

Think whatever one may about themselves or plan what one may to build empires, establish dominions, leave behind a legacy, immortalizing their names by extraordinary feats.. lead people, go about making the most impact on the world... at the end of our lives when our soul departs from our bodies, we're just food for worms!

Give a thought to what happens to you after that?!

Attacks on Christians: Phobia or Hatred!?!

After the Orissa row of killing Christians and destroying Churches, it's spread over to Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and many other places which the mainstream media has failed to feature and provide adequate cognizance to the general public.

I woke up to the news which reported "7 churches were attacked in Karnataka". I look up on the internet, and the numbers range from 10 - 14 churches being vandalized, and nothing less than that. From the gruesome Graham Staines' killing nearly about 10years ago, and the raping on nuns, and ransacking Christian homes and churches working in tribal areas in various parts of certain states, the violence has been only setting ablaze more parts of the nation with hatred against Christians and their activities.

The response from Christian community against the accentuated persecution has not come as strongly (without any violence) as against how other religious communities would have come back. Nevertheless, the Church in India took a stand when they announced all Christian institutions will remain closed on August 29, 2008 as a sign of protest against the killings that took place in Orissa after a Hindu leader named Laxmanananda Saraswati was murdered.

This one act of peaceful protest has called for the State Government's show-cause notice demanding explanation as to why the schools were shut, and threatened to withdraw funding and dire consequences. Well, if the state gets involved in the harrassment, what say?

Phobia and Hatred, I believe they are the cause and consequence of each other. Here, the issue in question is Christianphobia and Hatred against Christians. Given the outcome of these attacks, the inhumane acts against humanity and the unapologetic faces of the people involved only point to one thing - Wickedness! And none can justify the cries on the suffering lips! Is this not the shame of unethical religion? Is this someone's religion?

By the very Hindu philosophy of Karma, they shall surely reap the fruits. But Christians, we pray for their forgiveness. We pray that even the persecutors be touched by the love of Jesus which keeps us marching onward in fulfilling our cause towards all humanity!

Called to be faithful, not successful!

In a fast world, where competition is the order of the day, to rise over another and be successful comes to all naturally. But, as a young Christian, I am touched by the thought Mother Teresa puts across "I am not called to be successful, but to be faithful."

That's the essence we all, who believe, need to tell to ourselves time and again. It's not success that should matter to us, but how faithful we are in obeying God's word.

I start this blog in a hope that this goes on to be a rich blessing to all.

The tragic depths of human wickedness!

"Delhi also had 3 serial bomb blasts" Sweeharan Aunty informed us and asked us to pray for the affected. It was 'also' because recently there have been bomb blasts in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, and in Mumbai a while ago...

We had just finished praying for Bihar disaster, the persecution of Christians and atrocities against humanity in other backward areas when the news arrived. We also remembered the situation in Jammu & Kashmir which had swollen up to a level that, at least I kept thinking will become the next 'Godhra' act! Before we bowed down to pray a friend just told that she was returning from Connaught place (where a blast has just occured). I remembered that last week I was at Connaught place and Karol Bagh with my family last week the same time. As we prayed for the blasts affected people, we thanked God for the mercies He shows towards us, and also gave Praise for He controls all of the situations in His Divine plan that He has for each of us...

In the meanwhile, it's just the tragic depths of human wickedness keeps bothering us. Please pray for that!

Dabbe ka Funda: Dabbawalas of Mumbai

Though the journals, business articles, chain mails, even blogs have now made them something ‘common’, but meeting them leaves anyone overwhelmed. Here’s my encounter with the Dabbawalas while working at Infosys on September 5, 2008.

‘Astounding business run on Simplicity & Basics’, that’s what I gathered as Manish Tripathi Dabbawala wearing a Gandhi topi (cap) concluded his presentation. The most amusing fact among the many was when he stated that “all dabbawalas are ‘suitably’ educated.” The next best is when he claims “Prince Charles is our brand ambassador’.

Though the media has uncovered much about the Dabbawalas’ business, here go the same again—

• The Dabbawala’s business dates back to 118 years
• The inspiration / idea was conceived from a Parsi who ‘loved his wife’ and only preferred food prepared by her.
• The business today generates Rs. 55 Crores, employing about 5000 people
• The company employs no Chartered Accountants to manage their finances or other functions
• All dabbawalas are shareholders in the company
• The backbone of dabbawalas’ business is Discipline. In Manish Tripathi’s words ‘Dabbawala minus Discipline equals zero’
• A business that boasts of ‘Generations of customers’
• They owe a lot to the local trains running on time & cycles are their common means of transport for business.
• Their six sigma winning coding system is a very simple combo of 3 codes including Area Code, Dabbawala code & destination building code’.
• The values that run the system: Discipline, Work is Worship; Anndaan hi Mahadaan; Taking responsibility seriously

The company is featured in many world-known world-class documentaries, journals, magazines, shows including Harvard Business Review, Guinness Book of world records, Ripley’s believe it or not and many many others…

I heard they were to start their supply chain management consulting, but the latest from Manish Tripathi Dabbawala is that they’ve been invited to Australia for a seminar on ‘Going Green’ for contributing towards running their business without adding to pollution.

To close this, I'd share this part where Manish proudly exclaims "Richard Branson got clicked with a group of our Dabbawalas, and when asked by reporters why, he responded saying "I'd like to show this back to my folks as a sample of how one should be working"." Great going guys!

What are problems?

Sharing this from my school-time collection...

It's within you!

A business executive was deep in debt and could see no way out. Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment.

He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy. Suddenly an old man appeared before him. "I can see that something is troubling you," he said. After listening to the executive's woes, the old man said, "I believe I can help you." He asked the man his name, wrote out a cheque, and pushed it into his hand saying, "Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time." Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come. The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!

"I can erase my money worries in an instant!" he realized. But instead, the executive decided to put the un-cashed check in his safe. Just knowing it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to save his business, he thought. With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.

Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the un-cashed check. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man. "I'm so glad I caught him!" she cried. "I hope he hasn't been bothering you. He's always escaping from the rest home and telling people he's John D. Rockefeller." And she led the old man away by the arm.

The astonished executive just stood there, stunned. All year long he'd been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half a million dollars behind him.Suddenly, he realized that it wasn't the money, real or imagined, that had turned his life around. It was his new-found self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.

Have faith in your self as only that counts.

Shared with me by my friend Vikram Singh Parmar. If this is copyrighted or should this be removed from this place, contact the blog owner at manohr@gmail.com

What's next on my blog?

There's a lot much going on in my mind to write, so here's what I expect to be up..

• Orissa attacks on Christians have always been a concern, and I wanna write as to why Christians do conversions, so that my friends and readers here can understand

• August 29th, from 00:10 hrs to 03:50 hrs I have had almost an adventure on the roads of New Delhi when I walked all the way from Malviya Nagar to Nasirpur, Dwarka after a friend's birthday party.

• When I was in XI standard, I did some findings of 'Modern Discoveries' which were already authored in The Bible, I'm searching for that piece of paper.. once I find it, I'll put it up.

• Coming to HR subjects, I've been thinking of how bosses have a larger image in the eyes of their juniors that even the company looks smaller infront..

• Syed Ahmed, my friend from IIPM has been trying a great deal to convert / accept Islam and Mohammed as a prophet by bombarding me with mails, links and Video CDs. But, since I've read 'The Shade of Swords' by MJ Akbar, I really wanna pen down some thoughts or excerpts from the book. 

• The August 29th walk also reminds me of my walks in Estavayer-le-lac in Switzerland in 2006, once where I was escorted by police back, and the other was another adventure, first of its kind, I'm sure.. for anyone.. 

• I again fell for another MLM pitch by a dear school-time friend... and I really wanna write about those very Spirited MLM meets and why they suck
  

For my Experiences Pictorial--

• My Malaysia tour
  
• My latest trip to Naukachiatal & Nainital
  
• My Jaipur trip pics
  
• My 27th Birthday pics
  
• The Rajahmundry visit & Godavari Barrage
  

As time permit, I'll do these all at first...