Fuel price rise is becoming a global crisis. We can no longer piggy back on Left Ideology and play Ostrich with the impending economic disaster. Everybody has tomake some sacrifice to tide over the crisis.

The Government on its part could drastically reduce duties on petrol and diesel.Government every year has its target for collection of duties from each economic activity and let’s say for this year from the sale of petroleum products it is targeted at Rs.1000 crores. The rate at
which oil prices are increasing globally,this target will be met easily and possibly surpassed. The Government could do a bit of sacrifice (if they are serious about controlling price) and reduce the duties on petroleum products. Further, the Government should be bold enough and adopt differential pricing for domestic gas cylinders. It is ridiculous to note that a family living in a premium apartment (costing Rs.1 Crore) pays the same price for a domestic gas cylinder as a family which stays in a slum. It is very easy to implement this because every subscribers address is known. A similar method could be adopted for supply of diesel and petrol also. Differential rates should be adopted for public utility vehicles and private vehicles. Similar differentiation could be done in case of two wheelers and four wheelers. If the oil companies want to suffer losses by supplying at the same rate for all types of vehicles, so be it. That is part of their benevolence and nobody can help it. It is time that the Government made some serious investments for research in the field of Solar Cooking. In a country like India, even if 30-40% of the families switch to this method and use it for 7-9 months a year (given the
weather conditions), the differences that it could make to our fuel bill will be enormous.

The Opposition on their part especially the confused Left should understand that global prices of fuel are increasing and we have no means but to comply. Why don’t these people understand that just because we don’t charge market rates, OPEC Countries don’t supply fuel to us at subsidized rates?At the end of the day, we have to pay market rates and this money comes from nowhere but from within our Budget. Does the Left support a situation wherein a capitalist is getting subsidized fuel from the money which is meant to prevent a poor farmer from committing suicide?

We on our part could reduce the use of personal transport as much as possible but then for today’s urban middle class it is shame to land up at a friends place and say I have come by public transport. For our own economic good and to prevent global warming let us walk for distances less than 2 kilometers and also teach our children to do so. As far as possible
let us use public transport to commute, these days they are quite good and frequent also.

The situation is very grim. We have to change our old habits of using fuel or else face the fate of inhabitants of Jurassic Park. Politicians on their part should stop worrying about their votes. Those in the ruling party have to take strong calls and those in the opposition have to adopt
a policy of “Bolthi Bandh” and not call for bandhs over every fuel price rise. If we don’t learn to make little sacrifices as a country, we better get ready to kiss goodbye to the growth we have achieved in the past 5 to 6 years.This situation is going to hurt all of us but then we have no option but take the bull head on. If we bury our heads in the sand just like an ostrich does, sooner later, economic disaster will hunt us down.

Remember 1990, we had to pledge our Gold.

Balu AM

What is charismatic leadership? You just cannot stand up in a crowd, say
that I am charismatic and become its leader. So, how does anybody become
a charismatic leader? Looks, skin color, oratory skills, family lineage,
style, etc are some of the words which come to mind

Looks and skin color work but only to a limited extent. Family lineage
would make you a charismatic leader amongst a worthless set of people.
Oratory skills are essential for a charismatic leader. For it to
instantaneously connect with the people their convictions should be
emphasized, fears allayed, hopes fostered and most importantly play to the
gallery. For all these to culminate in a powerful talk, the leader should
be well informed of his audience profile. Just waxing eloquently on the
growth in capital markets, infrastructure, etc amongst a group of drought
hit peasants, you are liable to be stoned.

Style is a combination of voice, body language and dress. You cannot
address an army going to war in a saint like voice. Your voice should be
aggressive and words should be screaming for the enemy blood. Body
language reveals what the carefully planned words hide. It is impossible
for a teacher to inspire his students, if he himself yawns during the
class. There cannot be a better example on importance of dress than
Gandhiji who could easily connect with the masses because of his dress
sense. Why else do you think uniform is given utmost importance in
organizations which want people to achieve a single goal? A contemporary
example of the ultimate style package is Laloo Prasad Yadav. He has all
the style in the world that is required to mesmerize his target audience.

For a leader’s charisma to sustain over a long period of time, he should
be well organized, know the pulse of his audience and most importantly
deliver on his promises.

Balu AM

The square watermelon was “invented” in Japan in 2001. The following article briefly explains its origin, then offers some lessons that we’ve talked about before. Many of you will remember the “sacred cow” project we had a number of years ago…getting rid of those old processes that were ineffective, yet still done because “that’s the way we’ve always
done it.”

I think you’ll enjoy the story and find the lessons worth thinking about. Then consider how you can put the lessons to work and make your own ‘square watermelons’ - at work and at home.

Lessons of the Square Watermelon
Japanese grocery stores had a problem. They are much smaller than their US counterparts and therefore don’t have room to waste. Watermelons, big and round, wasted a lot of space. Most people would simply tell the grocery stores that watermelons grow round and there is nothing that can be done about it. That is how I would assume the vast majority of people would respond. But some Japanese farmers took a different approach. If the supermarkets wanted a square watermelon, they asked themselves, “How can we provide one?” It wasn’t long before they invented the square watermelon.

The solution to the problem of round watermelons wasn’t nearly as difficult to solve for those who didn’t assume the problem was impossible to begin with and simply asked how it could be done. It turns out that all you need to do is place them into a square box when they are
growing and the watermelon will take on the shape of the box.

This made the grocery stores happy and had the added benefit that it was much easier and cost effective to ship the watermelons. Consumers also loved them because they took less space in their refrigerators which are much smaller than those in the US meaning that the growers could charge a premium price for them.

What does this have to do with anything besides square watermelons? There are a few lessons that can you can take away from this story that can help you in all parts of your life. Here are a few of them:

Don’t Assume: The major problem was that most people had always seen round watermelons so they automatically assumed that square watermelons were impossible before even thinking about the question. Things that you have been doing a certain way your entire life have taken on the aura of the round watermelon and you likely don’t even take the time to consider if there is another way to do it. Breaking yourself from assuming this way
can greatly improve your overall life as you are constantly looking for new and better ways to do things. This was one of the most difficult things for me to do because most of the assumptions I make, I don’t even realize that I’m making them. They seem perfectly logical on the surface, so I have to constantly make an effort to question them.

Question habits: The best way to tackle these assumptions is to question
your habits. If you can make an effort to question the way you do things on a consistent basis, you will find that you can continually improve the way that you live your life. Forming habits when they have been well thought out is usually a positive thing, but most of us have adopted our habits from various people and places without even thinking about them. I have changed a large number of habits that I have had after taking the time to question them and continue to do so. Some of them I have no idea where they came from while others I can trace to certain people or instances in my life. It’s a never ending process, but by doing this,
you can consistently strive toward making all aspects of your life more enjoyable instead of defaulting to what you have now.
Be creative: When faced with a problem, be creative in looking for a solution. This often requires thinking outside the box. Most people who viewed this question likely thought they were being asked how they could genetically alter watermelons to grow square, which would be a much more difficult process to accomplish. By looking at the question from an alternative perspective, however, the solution was quite simple. Being
creative and looking at things in different ways in all portions of your live will help you find solutions to many problems where others can’t see them. I am not a creative person, but I’ve found that the more that you look at things from different perspectives, the more creative I have become. It’s a learned art and builds upon itself.

Look for a better way: The square watermelon question was simply seeking a better and more convenient way to do something. The stores had flagged a
problem they were having and asked if a solution was possible. It’s impossible to find a better way if you are never asking the question in the first place. I try to ask if there is a better way of doing the things that I do and I constantly write down the things I wish I could do (but
currently can’t) since these are usually hints about steps I need to change. Get into the habit of asking yourself, “Is there a better way I could be doing this?” and you will find there often is.

Impossibilities often aren’t: If you begin with the notion that
something is impossible, then it obviously will be for you. If, on the other hand, you decide to see if something is possible or not, you will find out through trial and error. Many of the lessons above are what I used to create my online income. As I’ve said many times, it’s not easy, but it’s certainly not impossible. Even for those of us that are not A-List Bloggers, creating a full time, online income is quite possible, as I have shown.

Take away the lessons from the square watermelons and apply them to all areas in your life (work, finances, relationships, etc) and you will find that by consistently applying them, you will constantly be improving all aspects of your life.

From an interview with APJ Abdul Kalam

India Knowledge@Wharton: Could you give an example, from your own experience, of how leaders should manage failure?

Kalam: Let me tell you about my experience. In 1973 I became the project director of India’s satellite launch vehicle program, commonly called the SLV-3. Our goal was to put India’s “Rohini” satellite into orbit by 1980. I was given funds and human resources — but was told clearly that by 1980 we had to launch the satellite into space. Thousands of people worked together in scientific and technical teams towards that goal.

By 1979 — I think the month was August — we thought we were ready. As the project director, I went to the control center for the launch. At four minutes before the satellite launch, the computer began to go through the checklist of items that needed to be checked. One minute later, the computer program put the launch on hold; the display showed that some control components were not in order. My experts — I had four or five of them with me — told me not to worry; they had done their calculations and there was enough reserve fuel. So I bypassed the computer, switched to manual mode, and launched the rocket. In the first stage, everything worked fine. In the second stage, a problem developed. Instead of the satellite going into orbit, the whole rocket system plunged into the Bay of Bengal. It was a big failure.

That day, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization, Prof. Satish Dhawan, had called a press conference. The launch was at 7:00 am, and the press conference — where journalists from around the world were present — was at 7:45 am at ISRO’s satellite launch range in Sriharikota [in Andhra Pradesh in southern India]. Prof. Dhawan, the leader of the organization, conducted the press conference himself. He took responsibility for the failure — he said that the team had worked very hard, but that it needed more technological support. He assured the media that in another year, the team would definitely succeed. Now, I was the project director, and it was my failure, but instead, he took responsibility for the failure as chairman of the organization.

The next year, in July 1980, we tried again to launch the satellite — and this time we succeeded. The whole nation was jubilant. Again, there was a press conference. Prof. Dhawan called me aside and told me, “You conduct the press conference today.”

I learned a very important lesson that day. When failure occurred, the leader of the organization owned that failure. When success came, he gave it to his team. The best management lesson I have learned did not come to me from reading a book; it came from that experience.

Use Feeling to listen for what makes people proud.

The secret of all leaders is that they know how to make people feel proud. They may make people feel proud of their country, race, religion, sex, the company they work for, the neighborhood they live in, the work they do, or even the thoughts they are thinking. Just remember how Jesus made people proud to be human, Martin Luther King Jr. made people proud to be black, and Germaine Greer made people proud to be female.

If we want to draw people toward us to help change the world, we should keep in mind that first and foremost, people want to feel proud. Engage them in thinking about our ideas, but in a way that makes them feel proud and excited.

How do you do this? Discuss about things that make people feel proud. Ask people questions that make them feel proud. These discussions and questions elicit responses from people that make them feel effective. These questions might be…

What are you doing right?
What are you proud of recently?

Avoid the usual questions like, “What’s wrong with you?” What are your problems?” and “What are you failing at?” because those kind of questions tend to make people feel anxious, ashamed and defeated before they begin. Discussions based on negative questions go around and around and seldom lead to productive action.

As a leader, we want people to step in voluntarily and help the cause. We want people to empathise and rally our cause. And a good way to move towards this is to make them proud of themselves, and to make them feel proud in the context of our ideas. For example, when we talk to students we ask them “effective questions” that are likely to get them relate their educational experience with that of nation building. Like…

“What are you most proud of having learned to help you grow to a higher level?”
“What are you most proud of in the way you have used your learning to build you nation?”

With these “effective questions,” leader’s people feel proud of themselves at the same time relating their educational decisions to nation building as such.

This is the Feeling part of our listening. We’re listening for what makes people feel proud and effective in the context of our ideas. As a result, we are “leading” them to find pride and excitement in our campaign. That may allow them, at the very least, to hear us, and at the very most, to help us.