"WHERE KNOWLEDGE IS WEALTH"

Friday, October 28, 2011

“Man and His Quest Beyond Bread and Bed” - Professor M.S.Rao


“People are more frightened of being lonely than of being hungry, or being deprived of sleep, or of having their sexual needs unfulfilled” - Frieda Fromm Reichmenn


It is rightly said that man cannot live by bread alone.  His quest goes beyond bread and bed to betterment.  The noted American psychologist, Abraham Maslow outlined Hierarchy of Needs that motivate the man to move from one level to next higher level after accomplishment in each level.  According to Maslow, man basically searches for physiological needs such as food, cloth, shelter and sex. In other words, man searches for bread and upon fulfillment of bread he looks for bed to fulfill his biological needs.  The next level is safety needs where he likes to protect himself from death and wants to stay away from insecurities and apprehensions. When you observe any living thing it struggles for its survival and existence and this is quite natural among human beings as well. After fulfilling this need man enters into third hierarchy of needs - social needs. Aristotle once said that man is a social animal and he cannot live alone.  Hence, man likes to associate with his kith and kin to share his feelings, emotions and ideas within his communities and feels happy to be with his groups and communities. After fulfilling this need, man enters into the fourth level of needs - self-esteem needs where he wants his ego to be protected and respected. For every man ego is very precious and close to him. He doesn’t appreciate if his ego is hurt. If his ego is hurt he may go to any extent to settle the scores.  When we view employees leaving their organizations and joining elsewhere, it is basically because when their egos are hurt by their bosses or others or if they find it is not worthwhile working any longer, they resign.  After accomplishment of this need man goes to the highest of the hierarchy of needs - self-actualization needs.  People love to accept challenging roles and responsibilities and pursue their passions close to their hearts. Man gets total accomplishment only when he enjoys all these five levels one after another hierarchically.  Succinctly, after fulfillment of all these needs, the man becomes a complete man.

You must know these five levels and proceed accordingly to unlock your potential, creativity and genius to become a complete man. To conclude, man likes to be cared, loved, talked, respected and honored.  Recognizing and appreciating his needs help make a difference in the lives of others.



Professor M.S.Rao
Founder, MSR Leadership Consultants, India
Where Knowledge is Wealth



Dear readers,

I would appreciate your comments about this article.



© 2011 MSR Leadership Consultants India.  All Rights Reserved.
This is an educational blog for free sharing of knowledge, not for commercial use. Please don't cut articles from my blog and redistribute by email or post to the web. The use of this material is free provided copyright is acknowledged and reference or link is made to the Blog http://profmsr.blogspot.com  This material may not be sold, or published in any form, or used in the provision of business services to a third party without permission.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Successful Publication of Professor M.S.Rao’s Article in Leadership Excellence


Dear bloggers,

I would like to share successful publication of my article about Steve Jobs captioned “Iconic Leaders - Learn to Lead Like Steve Jobs” in November 2011 issue of Leadership Excellence. It conveys ten lessons to learn from Steve Jobs.  If you have access you may read and enjoy.

Professor M.S.Rao
Founder, MSR Leadership Consultants, India
Where Knowledge is Wealth

“Lessons for Leaders from Telangana Movement” – Professor M.S.Rao


"I may not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to my death your right to say it."  - Voltaire


Telangana has become a bone of contention among the people from various regions in Andhra Pradesh and it has become a thorny issue for Central government which is caught between the devil and the deep sea.  It is a fact that for every problem there are multiple solutions.  Similarly for resolving the Telangana issue amicably there are several solutions. But before discussing about the solutions it is essential to find out whether the present Telangana movement is the result of underdevelopment or overdevelopment. 


Underdevelopment vs. Overdevelopment

Usually demands come when some regions are undeveloped to make them developed on par with other regions.  In the case of Telangana movement it appears that it is due to the overdelopment of Hyderabad the leaders are asking for separate State. Historically Telangana, was never part of the present Andhra Pradesh as it was ruled by Nizams for many years.  When States were formed linguistically Telangana joined and Andhra Pradesh was formed on linguistic basis. Although the culture of this region is different that that of other regions creating Telangana State opens Pandora’s Box of demand for more States in India.  For instance, Gorkhaland in West Bengal, Vidharba in Maharastra and many other States may demand for creation of smaller states. Again it is a debatable issue whether smaller States pave the way for rapid growth and development. For a country like India where differences erupt easily in the name of religion, language, caste and region creating smaller States is a problematic one. It is not the creation of smaller States it also involves other sensitive issues such as river water issues, relocation or creation of more capital cities. 

Recently Indian Union Minister, Pranab Mukherjee had made his mind clear and said that the formation of Telangana state could trigger demands for many more new states in country leading to more complications. In fact, the demand for separate State is not possible when the majority of the people in Andhra Pradesh oppose.  Previous leaders especially N Chandrababu Naidu worked hard and branded Hyderabad as an investment destination and built it as a great brand to compete with another great southern city Bangalore.  He did it with good intentions and he did not expect that excessive development in one capital may invite the attention of the leaders of Telangana region to seek separate State.  In fact, people from all regions have contributed their best to develop Hyderabad city. There are regions in Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra that are more underdeveloped than the region of Telangana. It is unfair to seek separation just because the developed city falls in a particular region geographically.  People from all regions migrate to the capital cities of their respective States and other States and also India’s capital like New Delhi for better prospects.  Even the investors will come to capital cities for better business opportunities.  Therefore, it is unjustified to blame and brand people of other regions as looters and exploiters as few mischievous politicians incited people in the name of Telangana movement and it does not go well in democracy.  Law should take stringent action against such leaders who incite and create such ill-feelings among the people for their narrow political gains. Indian judiciary is very powerful as it played a key role in sending corrupt leaders to jails and it should play an active role to punish unscrupulous political leaders who poison the minds of the people and create divisions among the people in the name of caste, religion, region and community.  At the same time address the Telangana issue through dialogue and discussion in the larger interests of nation.  Here are the issues to address.


Issues to Address

  • Address the underdeveloped areas and take remedial measures through special care and attention.
  • Provide equal employment opportunities to the people from all regions based on the population strength although it appears to be tricky one.
  • Form another States Reorganisation Committee (SRC) keeping the present aspirations of the people. Previously states were formed based on linguistic basis and it is essential to take a relook at it in the current context. 
  • Take up developmental activities in all regions equally – Telangana, Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema. There are some districts in Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema that are more underdeveloped than the districts of Telangana.
  • Hyderabad is the capital of not only Telugus but all Indians who settled down there.  Telugus from all regions and non-Telugus and all communities have worked hard to make it as a great city. Nobody can claim this place as their properity based on geographical affiliation. The city belongs to all Indian citizens.  Hence, respect the aspirations of all communities and make Hyderabad as the common capital for all Indians.
  • Send strong signals that regionalism and fundamentalism has no place in a secular country like India where people love to live with peace and harmony.  


Dialogue and Consensus is the Key

It is the time political leaders should set aside their political differences and petty politics and work together for the progress of people from all regions in the State. It is the not problem of AP alone it could be problem for other States in India in future.  Throwing the ball into the Central government is not the solution for this contentious issue. All political parties in the State must sit across the negotiating table and negotiate with a win-win attitude and resolve the issue amicably. John F. Kennedy once remarked, “Never fear to negotiate and never negotiate out of fear.” Hence, leaders from all political parties in Andhra Pradesh must join together cutting across their party ideologies and self-interests to find a lasting solution to this vexed issue where all people can live with fraternity.


Lessons for Leaders

The Telangana movement provides several lessons for leaders not only to the State of Andhra Pradesh but also other States in India. There has to be development in all areas to avoid such movements in India. Previous governments in Andhra Pradesh have paid too much attention on Hyderabad brand building as it is the capital.  Although it was good for all Telugus but it caught the attention of leaders from Telangana to demand creation of Telangana State as Hyderabad is highly developed now. Had the past rulers developed equal cities in other regions of Andhra Pradesh such as in Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema the Telangana problem would not have surfaced.  Intellectuals must note and analyze this issue broadly. This is not the problem of Andhra Pradesh alone and it may become problem for other States in India in future. Hence, to avoid such movements in other parts of India, all regions of each State should have alternate developed cities other than capital cities in their states. It is like diversifying the risk and avoiding putting all eggs in one basket. It does not fuel demand for more states and even if such demands surface people from other regions would easily agree for sweet separation as they had equally developed alternative cities in their regions.  Hereafter, it is essential to develop alternative cities in both the regions of Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra instead of focusing on Hyderabad city alone. Such moves prevent emergence of regional leaders and exploiting regional sentiments to fill their private coffers in the name of regional pride.  Hence, intellectuals, analysts and policy makers must learn lessons from this Telangana movement and plan accordingly for the betterment of all regions equally.  To conclude, the present leaders must learn that the leaders who divided countries on community basis earned temporary fame but ended up with permanent blame. However, the leaders who worked for unity and fraternity like Mahatma Gandhi and Abraham Lincoln not only earned permanent fame but also excelled as legends in history while those who worked for separation went into the dustbins of history.



Professor M.S.Rao
Founder, MSR Leadership Consultants, India
Where Knowledge is Wealth



Dear readers,

I would appreciate your comments about this article.



© 2011 MSR Leadership Consultants India.  All Rights Reserved.
This is an educational blog for free sharing of knowledge, not for commercial use. Please don't cut articles from my blog and redistribute by email or post to the web. The use of this material is free provided copyright is acknowledged and reference or link is made to the Blog http://profmsr.blogspot.com  This material may not be sold, or published in any form, or used in the provision of business services to a third party without permission.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

“Steps for Success” - Professor M.S.Rao


“If you find a turtle on a fencepost, it didn't get there by accident." - Calvin Coolidge


What is Success?

Success means different things to different people. For some, success is making money.  For some, success is achieving the desired outcomes.  For some success is getting recognized by others. For some, success means sharing knowledge and seeing others growing in front of them. Someone rightly said, "Success is to laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better; whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you lived".  Likewise different people define success in different ways.  However, true success comes when you have an attitude of gratitude and make a difference in the lives of others.


Steps for Success

Here is the five fold process of success where you must connect, communicate, understand, network and accomplish the desired outcomes.  People have lot of strengths individually.  It doesn’t help others if their strengths lie hidden within them.  What they must do is first to connect with like minded people to leverage their strengths to benefit others.  The current world calls for more of collaboration than competition as competition often creates ill-will among the people while the collaboration brings out the best among the people with a win-win attitude.

Secondly, people must communicate with others as it builds bridges among them looking for similarities rather than differences. It paves the way for the third stage of understanding with each another.  Communication clearly conveys their strengths and weaknesses to others leading to mutual understanding and progress. The third stage of understanding helps respect people’s strengths and weaknesses if there are any mistakes in future the true understanding downplays weaknesses and overplays strengths.

The fourth stage of success is networking. This is a powerful tool in this high technology world. Several great people reached to the pinnacle of success by the dint of their hard work and smart work and network. Sometimes, we hear slogan, ‘right people in the right place’.  It is correct in the context of people with hard work, smart work and network.  If people work hard and smart and don’t possess network the slogan, ‘right people in the wrong place’ applies aptly. It is clear from these slogans the significance of network. We can also say that if a rain drop falls into a shell it appears like a pearl whereas the same rain drop falls into an ocean it gets merged with water without any significance.  Hence, network is an amazing tool that catapults right people to the right place resulting into greater heights of glory.  Final stage of success is accomplishing as per the expectations.  Therefore, we can define success as the five step process of connecting, communicating, understanding, networking and accomplishing the desired outcomes.

People must remember that success is only a byproduct.  They should not run behind success.  Unfortunately people run! They must work on their inborn talents and acquired skills constantly without searching for success in their journey towards success. Do remember that it is journey that counts more than the destination. Do remember that success comes as a byproduct of purpose. Without clarity of purpose success cannot be achieved.  Hence, have clarity of purpose and adopt five steps of success to soar like an eagle.

Good luck!



Professor M.S.Rao
Founder, MSR Leadership Consultants, India
Where Knowledge is Wealth



Dear readers,

I would appreciate your comments about this article.



© 2011 MSR Leadership Consultants India.  All Rights Reserved.
This is an educational blog for free sharing of knowledge, not for commercial use. Please don't cut articles from my blog and redistribute by email or post to the web. The use of this material is free provided copyright is acknowledged and reference or link is made to the Blog http://profmsr.blogspot.com  This material may not be sold, or published in any form, or used in the provision of business services to a third party without permission.