Former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam : 'A Leader Should Know How to 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.

The lion, rats, snake and the honey comb - a beautiful story

Hopefully, this story will be beneficial for everyone, Insha ALLAH.

Once a man saw in his dream that a lion was chasing him, the man ran to a tree, climbed on to it and sat on a branch. He looked down and saw that the lion was still there waiting for him. The man then looked to his side where the branch he was sitting on was attached to the tree and saw that two rats were circling around and eating the branch. One rat was black and the other one was white. The branch would fall on the ground very soon. The man then looked below again with fear and discovered that a big black snake had come and settled directly under him. The snake opened its mouth right under the man so that he will fall into it. The man then looked up to see if there was anything that he could hold on to. He saw another branch with a honeycomb. Drops of honey were falling from it. The man wanted to taste one of the drops. So, he put his tongue out and tasted one of the fallen drops of honey. The honey was amazing in taste. So, he wanted to taste another drop. As he did, he got lost into the sweetness of the honey. Meanwhile, he forgot about the two rats eating his branch away, the lion on the ground and the snake that is sitting right under him. After a while, he woke up from his sleep.

To get the meaning behind this dream, the man went to a a pious scholar of Islam. The scholar said "The lion you saw is your death. It always chases you and goes where ever you go. The two rats, one black and one white, are the night and the day. Black one is the night and the white one is the day. They circle around, coming one after another, to eat your time as they take you closer to death. The big black snake with a dark mouth is your grave. It's there, just waiting for you to fall into it. The honeycomb is this world and the sweet honey is the luxuries of this world. We like to taste a drop of the luxuries of this world but it's very sweet. Then we taste another drop and yet another. Meanwhile, we get lost into it and we forget about our time, we forget about our death and we forget about our graves."

May ALLAH wake us up from the sleep and save us before its too late (Aamen)!

Time

Time,

People say time is money but I deny... Time is some thing more important then money...

The reason I am saying this is because Money can be regained but Time one passes cannot be gained back.

Time passes like highway, road e.t.c. it passes so quickly that you cannot beleive they are passing so quickly.

Always remember! Time goes by and there is nothing you can do....

So better grab your things.. go out and do what you wanna do.. but always remember your boundriess...

One more thing... Not to be a bitter over life's disappointment... learn to let go of the past.. Recognize Every day will not be sunny, when you will find your self lost in life darkness...

aah enough of my crappy stuff.. best of luck to all who is reading this....

Regards,

Muneeb

Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled

A great note for all, it will take just 37 seconds to read this and change your thinking


Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room's only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back. The men talked for hours on end. They spoke of their wives and families, their homes, their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.


Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up, he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see outside the window.

The man in the other bed began to live for those one hour periods where his world would be broadened and enlivened by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake. Ducks and swans played on the water while children sailed their model boats. Young lovers walked arm in arm amidst flowers of every color and a fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this in exquisite detail, the man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by.

Although the other man couldn't hear the band - he could see it in his mind's eye as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with descriptive words.

Days and weeks passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths, only to find the lifeless body of the man by the window, who had died peacefully in his sleep. She was saddened and called the hospital attendants to take the body away.

As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window. The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable, she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look at the real world outside.

He strained to slowly turn to look out the window beside the bed.

It faced a blank wall. The man asked the nurse what could have compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window

Nurse responded that the man was blind and could not even see the wall. She said, 'Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you.'

Epilogue:
There is tremendous happiness in making others happy, despite our own situations.

Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared, is doubled.

If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have that money can't buy.

'Today is a gift, that's why it is called the present.'

Have a great day!

Ratan Tata in world's biggest business brains list

New York: After being named among the 100 most influential people in the world by Time magazine, head of India's Tata Group Ratan Tata has been included in the list of 73 biggest brains in business for his Rs.100,000 Nano car.

Conde Nast Portfolio, a US business magazine, in its May issue on all-round brilliance, has identified business' biggest brains including media czar Rupert Murdoch, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and investor Warren Buffet.

"Brilliance comes in many forms, whether it is founding a startup that kicks sand in Microsoft's face or creating an affordable car for the developing world. A small number of innovators influence the rest of the influencers in business," the magazine said.

Profiling Tata, the magazine said: "He believes the future of the auto industry rests in the hands of people who don't yet drive. Besides snapping up Jaguar and Land Rover, his company, the Tata Group, is developing a car that will cost just $2,500".

The model won't be sold in the US, but the magazine said, it has the potential to radically alter the market for manufacturers there.

"Tata-inspired followers are already revving up their engines: Nissan-Renault is partnering with India's Bajaj Auto to develop a car by 2010 that will sell for less than $3,000," the magazine added.

World’s largest Islamic reinsurance Co launched

ABU DHABI: Dubai Group, the financial services unit of the government-owned investment company "Dubai Holding", has launched the world's largest Islamic reinsurance company with a paid-up capital of one billion dirham ($272.48 million), "Gulf News" reported on Sunday.
The newly established ACR ReTakaful Holdings is a joint venture of Dubai Group, Malaysian investment group Khazanah Nasional and Singapore-based Asia Capital Reinsurance (ACR), the report said.
The deal was completed through Dubai Group's subsidiary Dubai Banking Group, a Shariah-compliant investment company. The new company will focus on general (non-life), non-cyclical and large speciality risks in infrastructure and transportation industries such as aviation, marine, energy and engineering.
It aims at leading the way in channelising these traditional risks from the conventional market into Shariah-compliant Takaful channels. Takaful is an Islamic insurance concept in accordance with the rules and regulations of Islamic law.
"We are pleased to announce this landmark joint venture with our Malaysian and Singaporean partners, which reinforces our strong presence in Asian markets," said Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, chairman of Dubai Holding.
"The deal reflects Dubai Holding's commitment to strategic investments within the reinsurance business regionally and globally," he added. Founded in October 2004 by Dubai government, Dubai Holding aims at consolidating the various large-scale infrastructure and investment projects that contribute to Dubai's economic, social and industrial development.
It has 19 subsidiaries covering numerous sectors, including technology, communication, energy, health, education, tourism, real estate, finance, hospitality, biotechnology and industrial manufacturing.-NNI

What is MVNO?

A Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) is a mobile operator that does not own its own spectrum and usually does not have its own network infrastructure. Instead, MVNO's have business arrangements with traditional mobile operators to buy minutes of use (MOU) for sale to their own customers

Distinguishing Characteristics of the MVNO

Many are familiar with simple resellers of telecom services such as long distance, local exchange, and mobile network services. In contrast, MVNO's typically add value such as brand appeal, distribution channels, and other affinities to the resale of mobile services.

Successful MVNO's are those that position their operations so that customers do not distinguish any significant differences in service or network performance yet offer some special affinity to their customers. Unlike simple resellers, who often have little or no brand recognition, MVNO's are typically well known, well positioned companies, with a good deal of marketing clout. For example, Virgin Atlantic Airlines is a MVNO in the UK that uses its market recognition to position itself for selling directly to its airline customers and others.

Successful MVNO's will also be those that have ample financial resources and sufficient agreements with existing operators to provide a good service coverage area. Additionally, well-diversified independent MVNO's can offer a product mix that incumbent mobile operators can not match. For example, grocery store MVNO's could offer a package of MOU's and groceries.

Warid On Wheels

Uganda's newest mobile operator, Warid Telecom has launched a mobile customer care service - in a van. The vans termed as 'Warid On Wheels' branded as WOW are customized with in-built counters, have computer terminals in them and they accommodate 2-3 service personnel in addition to a driver and a support person. The idea is to bring superb service to those customers who may not be mobile enough to come to Warid, so Warid comes to them.

This way they are giving their customers a chance to say WOW... and only such organizations who gave their customers a chance to say WOW and Surprise them will be able to be at the top because best product is with every one, way of delivering know by every one, now it's the way you delight your customers and that will force customers to stay loyal with you and be with you always.


source: www.cellular-news.com