Quote Time, Sept 2013

Invention requires a long-term willingness to be misunderstood....     Jeff Bezos A degree of foolishness is essential to entrepreneurship......    Vinod Khosla The more diverse your education, the more likely you will learn how to learn......    Vinod Khosla @ MIT Those who appear to be liberal evoke even more suspicion than those who…

Pause and Decide!

via Prakash Iyer, executive coach and MD, Kimberly-Clark Lever Swaroop Kishen was an unlikely hero. He was an overweight, portly guy who looked like the jovial Hardy -- from the Laurel and Hardy duo. His girth made him instantly recognisable. And quite lovable too. As a cricket-crazy kid, I remember getting Swaroop Kishen's autograph at a…

The Purpose of Locking Your Door

(via wsj)  A story that captures our society's misguided efforts to deal with dishonesty. One day, Peter locked himself out of his house. After a spell, the locksmith pulled up in his truck and picked the lock in about a minute. "I was amazed at how quickly and easily this guy was able to open…

A short and effective 30 second speech

Friends A short speech by the CEO of Coca Cola, short, effective and profound “Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them – Work, Family, Health, Friends and Spirit and you’re keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it…

Sorry State of Indian Education

I am often reminded by a saying of those at sea, "water water everywhere but not a drop to drink". I hear something similar from hiring managers and CEOs of companies looking for good staff, "graduates graduates everywhere but not one fit to hire". Indian graduates many engineers but few are fit to hire. I…

Mahatma Gandhi a HR genius

The rise of Gandhi and his role in the independence struggle against the British is not a one man story. Mahatma Gandhi was a HR genius. Behind him was a little known team he carefully recruited. Gandhi was actually an energetic and effective director of one of the 20th century’s most innovative social enterprises. He…

Resignation Rituals

I always advice young entrepreneurs to align responsibility and authority in their teams, a basic management funda, not natural to Indians who demonstrate authority and take no responsibility. A good leader or manager always manages the link between the two, while managing the performance of his/her teams. A good leader will always step aside when…

Bill Campbell : The Secret Coach

A guru to Apple and Google, Bill Campbell is the most confidential advisor in Silicon Valley. How a former college football coach is shaping the character of an industry The Valley guru keeps a low profile but his rules for success are a growing legend. Think big with talent : Campbell believes startups often hire…

Shrikant Patil’s Favourite Articles

This blog's archive is getting bigger and deeper everyday. It is time that I link to some of my favourtites .... I always admired Andy Grove through my Intel days some of the learnings from his eventful life, What I have learned >>> For anyone starting a company, building a team, instilling a culture, in…