Ageing Digital Inspiration – Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan (@SrBachchan)

Often, I hear folks (even those in their 30s, if not more) express frustration & cynicism about the fallouts of our increasingly digital lives. E-commerce, social networking, data privacy, personal broadcasting, “what’s the point”, etc. are issues these folks grapple with. In this context, its a whiff of fresh air to read Amitabh Bachchan’s tweets. Below is an unedited sampling of his recent tweets:

T 202 -Just back from gym .. struggling to get the weight down and tone up body … but will and must do it !!

T 202 – Get up and saddle the horse that has just thrown you off to the ground and ride it again into a gallop, to your destination …

T 202 – We need to keep at it again and again – some thing will surely give !

T 202 – Social networking, dear fellow tweeters – a power bigger than any else it was ever imagined to be …

T 202 – Your networking compels .. it comments, gives opinion, makes corrections, passes judgement, changes decisions and misguided values !

T 202 – Your networking corrects errors .. builds bridges, forms communities, spreads friendship, strengthens bonds .. creates awareness ..!

T 202 -NETWORKING ji !! I salute you ! Mankind discovered and built it .. Mankind propels it ..No where today do we connect thus ..!!

Tone up the body? Advocating the benefits of social networking to a nation whose latest claim to fame is its young age? And this coming from a gentleman who is all of 68 years young!!

The tweets reflect his childlike amazement of the phenomenon. He not only “gets” social networking & leverages it for his benefit, but also evangelizes the phenomenon amongst his fraternity. From a young nation’s perspective, such active adoption of the changing times (& technology) bodes well.

it is an effective way for the ageing population to stay relevant (& thus contribute longer)
it helps reduce the gap between generations (& thus makes for a more homogeneous nation building work force)
adopting change & active learning helps keep the physical faculties in working condition longer

Bollywood has many stars ..and some SUPER STARS!

Rebuilding Zuckerberg

Facebook & Zuckerberg – reel life to real life – a CBS 60 MINUTES feature.

Intrapreneurs – Engaged Employees

Over the last few months, Google’s attrition problems is making it to the news columns frequently. A problem highlighted by many is that the company has become too big (5k to 25k employees) to keep the entrepreneurial juices flowing within. While the analysis of Google’s issues continues, it is as good a time as ever to understand the organizational benefits of intrapreneurial culture.

“An employee who is given freedom and financial support to create new products, services and systems, who does not have to follow the company’s usual routines or protocol.”
– Richard Branson

“A person within a large corporation who takes direct responsibility for turning an idea into a profitable finished product through assertive risk-taking and innovation”
– Wikipedia

While business growth & innovation are two oft documented benefits of an intrepreneurship, creating engaged employees is not spoken of enough. A culture of enabling intrepreneurs engages employees in any of the following ways …

creates ownership of projects / initiatives amongst employees driving them
channelizes employee’s passions towards organizational well being
provides a platform for people to exercise their entrepreneurial urges
helps balance the “love to do” with the “have to do” activities
provides an entrepreneurial playground for the “conservative risk-takers”

Google is contemplating launching an in-house incubator.

An incubator is “20 percent time” on steroids. The thinking seems to be that giving your in-house entrepreneurs all the space in the world to work on their passions will keep them loyal to Mother Google.

The big question is – how are you enabling intrepreneurship within your organizations?

References:
~ Why Google’s “20 Percent Time” Isn’t Stemming Its Brain Drain
~ Intrapreneurs – for building the future

Quotes To Live By – Life Lessons from Richard Branson

richardbranson (Picture courtesy David Shankbone)

Personal

“I enjoy every single minute of my life.”

“Right now I’m just delighted to be alive and to have had a nice long bath.”

“I made and learned from lots of mistakes.”

“If you can indulge in your passion, life will be far more interesting than if you’re just working.”

“And obviously, from our own personal point of view, the principal challenge is a personal challenge.”

“But the majority of things that one could get stressed about, they’re not worth getting stressed about.”

“I cannot remember a moment in my life when I have not felt the love of my family. We were a family that would have killed for each other – and we still are.”

Business

“You can’t be a good leader unless you generally like people. That is how you bring out the best in them.”

“I can honestly say that I have never gone into any business purely to make money. If that is the sole motive, then I believe you are better off doing nothing.”

“We, we – as I say, we go in and shake up other industries and I think, you know, we do it differently and I think that industries are not quite the same as a result of Virgin attacking the market.”

“A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts.”

“Business opportunities are like buses, there’s always another one coming.”

“I never get the accountants in before I start up a business. It’s done on gut feeling, especially if I can see that they are taking the mickey out of the consumer.”

Muses of the Gleep

Shubhadeep B. | Personal Blog

Author: Shubhadeep B.

Ageing Digital Inspiration – Amitabh Bachchan

Rebuilding Zuckerberg

Intrapreneurs – Engaged Employees

Quotes To Live By – Life Lessons from Richard Branson