Category: Business Management

Goals & Dreams

This FastCompany excerpt from The Orange Revolution: How One Great Team Can Transform an Entire Organization, explains the difference between goals & dreams (amongst other interesting thoughts). 

“A goal is something measurable, trackable, and is built on analytics. Goals have realistic timelines, are measured by weighing the data, the risks, and the current assets. They are essential to success, but they follow dreams.

A dream is bigger–it has no boundaries, rules, or past history. It’s focused on transforming business as we know it, and approaching from a direction never pursued–or at least never attained. In dreams, we seek the outstanding change–not just within the products we create but in the results those products inspire. For Apple, the dream was to change and dominate the music industry. And the product (in this case, the iPod) enabled that dream to become a reality–shaking the world with results. It wasn’t just the contours of the device. It wasn’t just the technology. It wasn’t the simplicity of buttons. Apple’s dream was so vast that it changed how music was heard, sold, purchased, and consumed. The iPod launched the platform of iTunes. And with such a massive public and music industry shift, the PC world shifted to accommodate as well. This was a dream that defined world-class results.”

Mahindra & Mahindra – Origin of Corporate Name



@anandmahindra: Mahindra & Mahindra was founded on Oct 2nd,1945. By establishing it on the birthday of India’s founder, our founders gifted us perpetual energy
@anandmahindra: It was founded as Mahindra & Mohammed, a proud symbol of secularism. Co-founder Ghulam Mohammed left to join the Pakistan Government
@anandmahindra: When Mohammed left for Pakistan, the stationery of the new firm had already been printed with ‘M&M’
@anandmahindra: In order to conserve the new company’s cash, the Mahindra brothers simply renamed the co Mahindra & Mahindra!

Source: @anandmahindra

Frustrated? Focus on making a constructive difference

frustrated(Photo courtesy Zach Klein) 

There are times when you feel everything around you is wrong. You get frustrated by the wrong attitude of people, the flaws in the system, the wrong way things are being done, etc.

“Any fool can criticize, condemn & complain, and most fools do”
– Benjamin Franklin

Perfect time to read this article by Marshall  Goldsmith & get a perspective of yourself in the bigger scheme of things.

Real leaders are not people who can point out what is wrong. Almost anyone can do that. Real leaders are people who can make things better.

So what can you do right now to get out of the rut ..to have a better life?

First, think about your own behaviour at work. Are you communicating a sense of joy and enthusiasm to the people around you, or are you spending too much time in the role of angry, judgmental critic?

Second, do you have any co-workers who are acting angry, negative & judgemental? Are you just getting annoyed with them, or are you trying to help them in some way to make a constructive difference? If you haven’t been trying to help them, why not give it a shot? Perhaps they’ll write a story about you someday.

This & more in Coaching That Changed My Life by Marshall Goldsmith.

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Multipliers – Video from Google

For anyone who has worked with Multipliers, the impact of this leadership type is evident – VERY POSITIVE. Who are Multipliers? What are their characteristics? Are you an accidental Diminisher? How do you transform into a Multiplier?

Below is a good video featuring the authors of the book to start learning about Multipliers. Time well spent.