Session on Corporate Innovation

Yesterday (14 May 2013), I had the opportunity to conduct a session on “Corporate Innovation” to a diverse audience (3 to 10+ years experience). It was an interesting, and interactive session. The one strong view which was echoed from the participants was that there is VERY LITTLE INNOVATION happening at the ground level within most organizations!

Sharing below the key messages from my session

Overview to Corporate Innovation

1. Innovation has evolved from “Nice to Do” To “Good to Do” to “Must Do”. Innovate to survive
2. There is no “universal / standard definition” of Innovation
3. Innovation within an organization can happen at any time, at any place and from anyone. Innovation can occur at any level within an organization – from entry level to executive management
4. Innovation can be of technology, process, business, delivery methodology, product or user experience
5. What the wise have to say about Innovation. To read a set of interesting Innovation Quotes, click here
6. Focus of Corporate Innovation is how to “Simplify” / “Solve problems” / “Make things easier and better” / “Improve efficiencies” for internal (employees) and external (customers , partners, suppliers, vendors) stakeholders. Of course, corporate innovation initiatives focus on “Reducing costs” / “Improving Revenues”

* Innovation Life Cycle : Every innovation typically follows a life cycle as depicted below

* Importance of Corporate Innovation

1. Getting employees to “Think”, “Learn”, “Reflect”, “Experience”, “Comprehend” and “Apply” : Build a culture of innovation
2. Key Differentiator ; Competitive Advantage in the market
3. Additional “Revenue Potential” ; Non-Linearity
4. Better Customer Engagement
5. Market Positioning & Thought Leadership

* Lessons from my Corporate Innovation Journey

1. There are three distinct phases in the Innovation Life Cycle and each requires a different mind set
2. Your idea need not be unique; How you position your innovation makes all the difference
3. The Business Plan is just a baseline plan
4. When you start the GTM [Go-To-Market] activities can make all the difference
5. The first customer is the most crucial in your journey to success
6. Corporate Innovation should be a priority from the top
7. Internal communication and collaboration is critical to succeed

Extracted from paper published in the IIMB Summer Magazine (2012)

What influences your “Writing Style”?

I’ve been actively writing (as a part of my post-graduate studies, through my blogs, at work, as a part of publications, etc etc etc ) for the past 5+ years. As I write more, I have also started to read more.. They both go somewhat hand-in-hand.. And as I read more, I am more aware and conscious about the writing styles of different authors; and also my own writing style…

In this post, I have listed down the key factors which may influence one’s writing style – This is purely based on my observations, analysis and inferences!

(1) Your self-confidence

(2) Your view of the world (in general) – Good, Bad, Ugly

(3) Your past – Experiences, Life

(4) Your future outlook of life – Optimistic, Pessimistic

(5) Why do you write? – For yourself or for others

(6) What does “Writing” mean to you?

(7) Your basic personality / nature

(8) Your view on “sharing” – Writing is one form of active sharing

(9) Your educational background

(10) Your language skills (Command on the language) – You can write in any language!

(11) Your age

(12) Your culture

(13) Your upbringing

(14) The writing habits of people you know (friends / family / others)

(15) Your reading habits

(16) The reading habits of people you know (friends / family / others)

(17) Your immediate living environment

(18) Your teachers / mentors – especially during impressionable / vulnerable years

(19) Your inner network – friends / family

(20) Your self-discipline

(21) Your creatvity

(22) Your observation skills

(23) Your imagination skills

(24) The times (era) you were born in

What’s your view? What do you think influences the “writing style” of an individual.. Leave a comment to let me know

Books & Authors, Marketing and More

In 2012, I revived my reading habits and read a lot of books. In 2013, I started doing Book Reviews on my blogs and as a part of the Reviews, it was important for me to have a list of books that I’d read well in advance (to do justice to the reviews). As I was exposed to the world of Books & Authors, I observed that “Marketing” plays such an important and integral role in the life of a Book and an Author.

Gone are the days when the role of an author was to simply write. In today’s era, a book is really a “product” which needs to be “packaged and marketed” well. And an “author” represents a “brand which interacts” with the world

In the US alone, there were more than 15,000,000 published in 2012. And I am sure in 2013 the number is going to only increase. One of the possible triggers could be Social Media – which is giving everyone a voice and opportunity to write and express, and many first time authors start their journey on social media platforms.

As I look at the journeys of several books and authors, I am compelled to write this post with a few observations I’ve seen:

* The Marketing Strategy for a book typically depend on the following:
(1) Whether you’re a first time author or serial-author or best-selling author (Simply because it makes a difference in the “existing reader base”)
(2) The Category of Book (Fiction, Non-Fiction, Self-Help, etc.)
(3) Language (English, Vernacular, etc)
(4) The Author (and whether he / she is already a celebrity in one / more circles and has an “existing fan base”)
(5) Whether the book is Self-Published or is published by a Publisher (& the “muscle-power” of the publisher in the publishing world)
(6) Who the target readers are and what are the best channels to get their attention?

* The Marketing for a book has 2 broad phases:
Phase 1 – Before the Book is released
Phase 2 – After the Book is released

* Some of the most common Marketing Strategies adopted before a book is released (Most of them are really in the online world)
(1) Create a web-page for the book. For e.g: Check the APE site for Guy Kawasaki’s book
(2) Publish a post on your own blog announcing that you have n upcoming book release. Check Seth Godin’s New Book Announcement on his blog
(3) Launch contests on your site / publisher’s site (in case a publisher was involved). This gets potential reader’s further engaged in your book, and also spread the work within their circles. For e.g.: Guess the name of the book, Guess the name of the characters in the book, Check the name of the places in which the book was set, etc. Check Preeti Shenoy’s blog asking reader’s to guess the name of her new book
(4) Tweet about your book (It helps if you’ve built a good Twitter base before you launch a book)
(5) Ask your friends to share your blogs, tweets, etc – in social media channels & other channels where people may be interested in your book
(6) Give interviews – In print, In the radio, In podcasts, In the TV (provided someone asks for your interviews
(7) Share complimentary copies with a selected audience, and ask them for Reviews even before the book is formally launched
(8) Participate in live (& relevant) events and speak about your upcoming book – Of course, you should get the opportunity too. If you get an opportunity, don’t pass it! For e.g.: Book Festivals, Business events, Conferences, etc.
(9) Participate in virtual events and talk about your book. For e.g.: Online chats, Tweet chats, etc.
(10) Create a teaser marketing trailer about your book (Catchy Video with great visuals and racy music) and publish it in every possible forum which has your target audience [Trend is many publishers do it themselves based on the kind of book, but if you've self-published it is still worthwhile to create a marketing trailer for your book]
(11) Post about your book on your FaceBook Fan Page if you already have one. If not, create one and link if to your blog / other social media channels

* Some of the most common Marketing Strategies adopted after a book is released
(1) Formal Book Launch (Usually easier if you go with an established publisher) – And do something “WOW” at the book launch. In addition to the book launch itself, the “WOW” factor will be a trigger for additional media / social media attention. For e.g.: When Jessie Paul released her book “No Money Marketing”, she had both Narayana Murthy (from Infosys) and Girish Paranjpe (from Wipro) at the book launch. I know that a lot of people still talk about this even after 3 years of the actual book launch!
(2) Launch contests on your site / publisher’s site (in case a publisher was involved). For e.g.: Book Give-aways based on a Writing Prompt. Check Preeti Shenoy’s blog for an example of the Writing prompt
(3) Create a Twitter Hashtag for your book, and encourage discussions and interactions around this. For e.g.: #apethebook is the Hash tag for Guy Kawasaki’s book APE
(4) Continue to Tweet about your book regularly – At least for a few days after the book release, every single day and a few times every day
(5) Ask your friends to share your blogs, tweets, etc – in social media channels & other channels to widen audience reach
(6) Ask people of repute to write book reviews and spread the word in their circles
(7) Host a live / virtual MeetUp – so people can speak and interact about the book
(8) Participate in live events and speak about your book. For e.g.: Guy Kawasaki spoke about his book APE at the New Media Expo. The video can be viewed here.
(9) Participate in virtual events. For e.g.: Online chats, Tweet chats, etc. For e.g: On MyBookClub
(10) Give interviews – In print, In the radio, In podcasts, In the TV (provided someone asks for your interviews

* Next and most important is that as an Author , one needs to continuously engage with your readers. Some things which are really important:
(1) Be clear about the brand image you want to build (& ensure that its in line with what you really are) – You can’t portray something that you’re not for too long
(2) Be clear on how much personal information you want to share. Draw the line clearly so that there is no conflict with respect to your “personal life” and “writing life”
(2) Be honest and sincere in your interaction with your readers
(3) Establish clearly how accessible you want to be to your readers (Do you want to be accessible to everyone all the time?)
(4) A book launch is a one time activity, and most books have their own active life. But reader’s may want to connect and reach out to you any time. So do keep a channel for interaction – Twitter, FaceBook FanPage, Mail – Choose whatever suits you best. Have at least one, If you can keep up with all then great, go for it!

For a book, any marketing can make an ocean of difference. All one should aim for is to get a potential reader remember the name of your book and the essence of what it’s about. Beyond that, its your writing (& editing) which counts and makes all the difference.

The other thing about reading is that most “readers” usually get book recommendations from specific sources (friends, online reviews, etc.) – So if you can figure a way to feature here, then half your marketing job is done

And lastly, a book is really a “creative piece of art”. You do you BIT and BEST, and release it.
Beyond that it is luck, fate, destiny and your reader’s reactions which determine the success or failure of the book

What makes a “GOOD SPEECH”?

I have always loved the TED Talks ; They are inspiring, informative, educational and many times open your eyes and mind to possibilities which you never knew existed. In fact, my personal recommendation to anyone would be if you can spend 20 minutes everyday in watching ONE TED talk for ONE month – Your life will change! I can say from experience… Try it!

Why I am writing about TED Talks here is this – After watching several TED videos, I was left wondering with a thought on “WHAT MAKES A GOOD SPEECH”..

Now I know that there is no universal definition of “GOOD”.. So what appeals to one may not appeal to another..
for some “a GOOD SPEECH” is one which is rich in data and analysis
for some “a GOOD SPEECH” means getting all the facts 100% right
for some “a GOOD SPEECH” is one which makes you think
for some “a GOOD SPEECH” is one which inspires you
for some “a GOOD SPEECH” is one which teaches you something new
for some “a GOOD SPEECH” is one which opens you to new worlds and perspectives
for some “a GOOD SPEECH” is one which has some Return on Time Invested (or ROTI as I call it)
for some “a GOOD SPEECH is all of the above

And yet when you look back at history or your own life; you will agree that there are some speeches which left a mark, which you recall with amazing clarity, which made a difference.

So coming back to the question “WHAT MAKES A GOOD SPEECH?”..
Before we start, Let’s just make a few assumptions
(1) The speech lasted for 20 – 30 minutes
(2) There was a decent audience size which was “interested in what you have to say” and “were actually listening when you spoke” (No matter how good a speaker you are, the audience does make a HUGE difference.So from my experience, even the best speakers deliver a different quality of output based on the audience size, interest levels and attentiveness) – And even I can vouch for this from personal experience
(3) There was a specific topic to speak about (It was not an extempore speech)

So what makes a GOOD SPEECH? Here’s my view:
(1) A well-thought STRUCTURE – With 3 basic sections : An Introduction / Beginning, the main body and a Conclusion
(2) A powerful opening – How one starts a speech usually makes all the difference in how interested and attentive an audience is in what you have to say. Starting with humor, a personal real life incident, some less know data / facts and figures are powerful ways to get audience interest and attention
(3) A POINT-OF-VIEW – A good speech should have a view. Either for a topic, against a topic or should present both view or state facts for what they are or explain a concept. And readers should be able to understand this from your rendition
(4) RIGHT Data and Facts – In today’s day and age, it is very easy for an average and interested individual to verify and validate facts on Google. So, get the data points right!
(5) Quotes from the WISE – Always quoting a wise / well-known individual to strengthen / emphasize your point is a great way to add some punch to your message. Of course, it have to be relevant and contextual
(6) A “CREATIVE” rendition – Makes so much difference. And by creative, I mean anything – Music, Actions, Videos, Photos, Acting, etc/ – Whatever helps to drive home the point
(7) The “RIGHT” pace - Too fast, and no one gets you. Too slow, and you lose the audience. It has to be just RIGHT for the average listener
(8) Humor – A dash of humor does a long way in making your speech memorable and impactful. Of course, you have to be cautious about this and not say something which you may regret later.
(9) A touch of EMOTION - Add a touch of the right emotion, and if your words touch an emotional chord with the average listener, the speech is likely to be a winner
(10) Personal anecdotes – Stating personal anecdotes from your own personal experience helps in making a co-relation, and also strengthens your credibility as you speak from personal experience

Last but not least, the SPEAKER profile does make all the difference – in terms of his / her brand image, position, authority, power, public sentiment for / against him / her, integrity & strength of character. So if the same speech is given by a politician / professor / business professional / social-worker / motivational speaker – It would have a different effect and impact!

What’s your view? Leave a comment to let me know….

Books Books Books – My personal favorites!

World Book Day or World Book and Copyright Day (also known as International Day of the Book or World Book Days) is a yearly event on 23 April, organized by UNESCO to promote reading, publishing and copyright. World Book Day was celebrated for the first time on 23 April 1995. [Src: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Book_Day ]

On the occasion of World Book Day, I wanted to write a post on books which are my personal favorites. After all, Books can be your best friend for life, if only you extend your hand in friendship!

I started reading as a hobby rather late in life.. But once I discovered the magic and beauty in the world of books, I invested significantly in buying diverse books from diverse authors, and voraciously read them. Like they say, Diversity is the spice of life – And this is so so TRUE for books.

The other important observations / discoveries / realizations that I made about books are as follows:
* At what age you read a book makes an ocean of difference in what you take away from the book and how it can impact / change your life. If you read a book in your teenage years it can influence your thinking in unimaginable ways. The same book if you pick up well into your 30′s – you already have amassed a range of personal experiences, which can greatly influence your book take-aways.
* If you like the first book you read from any author, chances are you will end up reading and buying all their subsequent work.
* There are many benefits of reading. Personally, the top one’s are – They enable you to learn, open your mind and world to dreams, options and possibilities that you never knew existed.

So coming back to why I started this post… Well listing below my personal favorites.. Looking back at my reading journey, I think when I read these books made all the difference in my life – And hence they figure on this list..

(1) Mutation BY Robin Cook
This book opened me to the world of Medical Science and Genetics in a way that I could never imagine. Till date, it is one of the best books I have ever read. Excellent story, very well written and above all, it takes you to a world which many of us cannot ever imagine. The book was written in 1990, and I read this book for the first time in 2000. And I fell in love with the subject of Genetics after reading this. Over the years, genetics as a field has evolved significantly and it continues to be a fascinating area for me to read about!

(2) The Other Side of Midnight BY Sidney Sheldon
I loved this book for the excellent story telling skills. While the focus is on the life of 2 women who fall in love with the same man, the book beautifully brings out a range of human emotions which can transform your thinking, your values and your life when in LOVE! A powerful story with powerful characters, and unthinkable actions which drive human behavior. Again, looking back I read the book in my teenage years, and the story stuck in my memory!

(3) The KiteRunner BY Khaled Hosseini
This is by far one of the BEST fiction books I have read till date. While the book has elements of history, war, politics, migration, – the overarching theme is around human relationships. Some of the most important lessons that the book re-inforced are below
(a) that there are very few people for whom we can do anything anytime anywhere – No preconditions, No questions, No thoughts – Just pure action. The underlying emotions are usually love, fear or respect.
(b) Some bonds can never be defined – They just exist. And there is uniqueness in the beginnings, in the evolution and in the conclusion…. Or there is never really an end.
(c) Division and Discrimination are all in the mind.
(d) Honesty is a great virtue. You need courage and strength of character to be honest & stand up for honesty

(4) Jonathan Livingstone Seagull BY Richard Bach
What can I say about this book which simply makes you realize how it is OK to be different,and non-conforming to the masses. That is when you truly discover your calling in life.

(5) Man’s Search for Meaning BY Viktor Frankl
I read this book when I was looking for some answers to deeper questions of life. This book provided insights, perspectives and views from someone who had truly experienced the highs and lows of life. Not too many people experience true highs and lows, but those who do end up TRULY understanding the deeper meaning of life – And this book captures the essence and wisdom from a man who has lived it all!

(6) All I needed to know I learned in Kindergarten BY Robert Fulghum
A classic which focuses on things about life that many of us tend to forget as we become adults. And the most important lessons of life are the most basic one’s, those that we learnt in kindergarten

(7) The Secret BY Rhonda Byrne
An excellent book with a powerful message on the “The Law of Attraction”. The basic premise of the book is that whatever happens to you in life is really a function of what and how you think. And I can vouch from personal experience that it’s TRUE!

(8) Outliers BY Malcolm Gladwell
The book opened my eyes and mind to data, facts and information which was truly interesting. And I personally loved the writing style as the book tickled both the left and right brain . And all of Malcolm’s books went into my Reading List!

That’s all for now.. What are your favorite books, and WHY?

Does Twitter have a memory?

“Does Twitter have a memory?” is something I have been mulling about… Going down memory lane to what I studied in High School Computer Science Basics..

Is it comparable to a RAM (Random Access Memory)? – Fast, Anytime Anywhere access, And somewhat random in user tweets, reactions and responses? (akin to human behaviors, which are many times random)

Is it comparable to a ROM (Read Only Memory)? – No option to “edit” a tweet, can only delete a tweet

Is it comparable to a PROM (Programmable Read Only Memory)? – Using Twitter tools, you can program your tweets so that you’re Twitter activity is continuous, and not really dependent on your “real presence”!

Is it comparable to an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory)? – Yes! You can erase tweets once they are published, and can take tweets away from memory. Even otherwise, with the continuous stream of tweets, I wonder how long people actually remember tweets (their own and others)

Is it comparable to a EEPROM (Extendable Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory)? – And you can extend your Twitter connection in Twitter, and beyond Twitter (to other social media platforms) or even to real life

Or is it really a little of all of the above?

Participating in an Event? – 5 Points to Keep in Mind…

Event Participation is an important marketing activity for any organization. The key benefits of participating in any event include:

• Ensuring your organization’s presence in multiple external / relevant forums – This is vital for the company’s brand image
• Business Networking – An opportunity to build new relationships and strengthen existing one’s
• Lead Generation – Identification of prospects to position your service offerings
• An appreciation of industry trends and perspectives from multiple views
• Insights into where your competitors and partners are headed

Many organizations invest significantly in participating in events. However, do they get the real return on their investments? After all, event participation comes at a price – both in terms of the event participation fee and absence from work for the identified attendees. If you / your organization are participating in an event, do keep in mind the following:

1)  Objective of Event Participation – It is important to have clearly defined objectives of why you / your organization are participating in an event. Whatever be the objective, it is vital that this is explicitly communicated to the team attending the event and to the management who is approving the budgets for event participation. For e.g.: If you are participating in a Marketing Conference, then the primary objective for an organization could be to understand how to effectively utilize modern marketing platforms and social media as a part of your organization’s marketing strategy. On the other hand if you are a participant at Technology Product Event, your objective could be to understand the new offerings from the product vendor, build / enhance networks with peers / partners / customers & analysts and lead generation. While some of these objectives cannot be really quantified and measured, for other’s it is worthwhile to set an explicit target. For e.g.: Speak to at least 3 direct competitor’s to gain insights into their offerings OR to identify at least 10 qualified potential prospects who would be interested in your service offerings.

2) Selection of the Right Event Attendees – Any organization can get maximum benefit of its event participation if they identify and invest in sending the right individuals / teams to attend an event. For e.g.: If an individual who is playing a Marketing / Techno-Marketing role within an IT organization attends A Marketing event, then he / she will be able to appreciate, contribute and also possibly apply the learning’s from the event.

Also, Soft skills are an extremely important pre-requisite for the choice of an attendee – The key one’s being an ability to effectively communicate (and this really means an ability to be clear and brief in expression. And the pre-requisite for this is clarity in thought), an ability to build new networks with peers & strengthen existing relationships and most importantly, an openness to listen, learn, express and discuss your view-points in a larger forum. Of course, knowledge in the specified area needs no specific mention.

3) Action Plan for the Event – Many events tend to have a combination of speaker sessions, discussions, a networking lunch / dinner, etc. Based on the objective of your participation in an event, it is imperative to distribute the activities among the attendees. An internal discussion before the event is worthwhile as this enables in building a rapport among the attendees, and helps in articulating expectations within the team. A well-thought action plan provides a guideline to attendees on how they should structure their time during the event

4) Post-Event Activities – While there is great enthusiasm and fervor before and during an event, this usually dies down after an event. It is however valuable to invest some time in the following:

1. Post-Event Review with the attendees and management to assess the success with  respect to the stated objectives
2. Consolidation of Event related materials in a common space which is a good reference for the future
3. Knowledge sharing among colleagues / peers / teams on learning’s, insights, trends, interesting observations, data points, etc. One good best practice is to send out an event update communication (could be a simple mail) providing event highlights and key take-away’s
4. Continue to maintain relationships with the event organizers, peers, analysts, customers, etc. This is vital for both professional and personal growth

5) Lead Conversion for the identified prospects - Very focused efforts are required to qualify the list of potential prospects. A set of 5 – 10 criteria can be used for qualification. For e.g.: Level of interest in your services, budget availability, historical spend-trend patterns, alignment of your offerings with customer’s requirements, etc. Once the qualification is complete, a discussion with the potential prospect is the next logical step to plan the way forward based on the customer’s need, priorities and interest.

What do you keep in mind before your participate in an event? Leave a comment to let me know

 

Focus Focus Focus

One point which has emerged again and again and again in all recent discussions I’ve been a part of is this “The IMPORTANCE of FOCUS“

Be it at home or work, If you are FOCUSED about what you WANT, you will most LIKELY GET IT!

If I look at the world around me, I see the following impediments :

(1) Lack of clarity on what to focus on? – For many of us, we don’t know what to focus our time and energies on. We don’t have any personal goals in life, and hence every day is like the one before – & we get caught in the monotony and drudgery of the “mandatory chores”.

Take a moment to think – What are your goals and dreams in life? And focus on them

(2) Too many distractions on a daily basis -  Ok. You’ve done some thinking and soul-searching and have figured out your goals and dreams for life? You also took the next step and created a “workable plan”. And you are determined to get there.. But there’s just one little problem – There are just too many distractions on a daily basis – TV, Twitter, FaceBook, News, Movies, etc etc etc – The list is endless. Just how to stay focused amidst all this.

Well there’s no easy way apart from making a few choices and letting-go of what’s not important. Just focus on what you really want. It’s OK if you don’t know / see everything there is to see. You will be just fine!

(3) Lack of focus in the long term – Most of the really good things take time to get there. And somewhere along the way, the focus gets diluted for many of us. For e.g.: Let’s say you want to author a Research Paper. You start the research work, and then something more important / exciting cries for your attention. So you de-focus from the paper, and focus efforts else-where. Before you know, a week / month / year has elapsed, and the research paper is still in “draft mode”

Be aware of your personal life patterns. When you find yourself getting off-the-road, gently push yourself to come back on track – In whatever way it works. Key to success is LONG TERM FOCUS!

Ending with a few quotes from the wise:

“One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular.” BY Tony Robbins

“That’s been one of my mantras – focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” BY Steve Jobs

Working Mothers : This is for YOU

A few days ago, I had written a post on this blog Working Mothers – The “Real” Issues. The post got a lot of readership (Thanks to all those who read it) and also many people wrote back, and asked if there were any suggestions on how to deal with some / many of these.

Looking back at my own life – Ever since I became a mother myself, I have a new found respect and admiration for all working mothers.
No matter what you do
No matter where you live
No matter what else you do
If you’re a working mother
Hats off to you

Simply because every working mother had to deal with several “mini-projects” as I call it on a daily basis
Project 1 : Kids (A to Z)
Project 2 : Work / Career
Project 3 : Food and Cooking
Project 4 : Husband (Yes! A full time project )
Project 5 : Friends
Project 6 : Home Maintenance
Project 7 : Family
Project 8 : Self
Project 9 : Miscellaneous / Others
Just listing it down exhausted me! Then imagine how exhausting it would be to manage every single one of them, every single day!

Well, thankfully along the way I figured a few Mantras to make it easy for myself. In this post I am sharing my mantras with the hope that it may resonate or help you

Mantra 1 : Re-define Perfection
One of the most important milestone in my journey as a working mother was when I let-go of “PERFECTION”, rather I re-defined it. Yes, I accepted that everything and everyone will NOT be “perfect” all the time (even in my own eyes). And that’s OK! It’s OK if you don’t look your best always, It’s OK if you don’t have the cleanest house always, It’s OK if your cupboards are not the best organized always, It’s OK if you don’t get the BEST MOM Award everyday, It’s OK to say “No” at work – when the situation warrants, It’s just OK……. That single moment was the “Nirvana” moment

Mantra 2 : Let Go of Control
There is a strong co-relation between women and their need to control OR feel in control of things. Up to a point, it is good! Beyond that, it is ?.
As a working mother, it is important to acknowledge and accept that you will NOT be in control of everything all the time. Just re-calibrating your own expectations of what in in your control, and what is out of your control helps tremendously.
Next, finding realistic and practical ways to deal with situations which are beyond your control helps tremendously in finding balance between professional commitments and personal priorities

Mantra 3 : You are not a SUPERWOMAN ; Accept limitations
Yes! You are not born a SUPERWOMAN. You have your set of limitations, constraints and realities to live with. You have only 24 hours in a day, and only 2 eyes, 1 nose, 2 ears, 2 hands & 2 legs – like everyone else! You have your share of highs and lows, ups and downs, emotions, trials and tribulations.
Most importantly,
(1) You cannot possibly make everyone happy all the time
(2) You may not be able to live up to everyone’s expectations all the time
(3) You may put yourself before others – sometimes or many times
All the (3) above are perfectly OK.

Mantra 4 : Ask “Will this REALLY matter 10 years from now?”
One of the most powerful question I ask myself when I have a tough time deciding things is “Will this REALLY matter 10 years from now?”. More often than not, I see the situation in a totally different perspective, and find satisfactory answers to whatever situation I am facing. Try it the next time you are up against a brick wall, and you will experience the difference.

Now I’d love to hear your Mantras. Leave a comment to let me know

No, it’s NOT OK to Steal other’s CONTENT!

Ever since I started blogging and writing, I have experienced others generously stealing my published content (be it blogs / papers, etc.) and passing it off as their own, without as much as a reference, link or acknowledgement to the author or the published source.

At every single instance that has come to my attention, I have always left a comment / written to the concerned person; and in most instances they apologize and remove the content from their blog. The fact is that “Every single piece of writing that I have authored has a part of my mind, heart, soul, sweat and blood; and I am PROUD of it. And YES! I am EMOTIONALLY connected to my writings! So I really don’t appreciate anyone stealing my writings – especially since they are of value to me!“

But the most surprising and shocking discovery came a few days back when a senior business leader of global repute from a 100Bn$ enterprise published a blog post in his name which was picked up “verbatim” from one of my writings – Something which took me almost a year to conceptualize, write, edit and publish! Something which was truly novel and demonstrated “industry thought leadership”. My first reaction was of shock! I mean, “How could he do it?” – Someone of his stature, I am sure he knew the significance and implications of his act !

Fortunately for me, he had posted it on a community blog which was owned and moderated by an independent third party entity, so I wrote to the owner of the blog. I also left a comment to his post, to which the author promptly responded stating that he had authored it way back in 2010; & he also very EXPLICITLY mentioned his professional designation as an indication of his power and authority! I mean first you STEAL content, then you claim OWNERSHIP for something that is NOT YOURS, and lastly, LIE about it in PUBLIC! – All under the purview of the fact that because you are a senior and powerful business leader in a large multi-billion dollar enterprise, you can GET AWAY with it!

This was PLAGIARISM!

ACCORDING TO THE MERRIAM-WEBSTER ONLINE DICTIONARY, TO “PLAGIARIZE” MEANS
to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one’s own
to use (another’s production) without crediting the source
to commit literary theft
to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source
In other words, plagiarism is an act of fraud. It involves both stealing someone else’s work and lying about it afterward.”

Moving on, fortunately for me – The blog owner did a detailed analysis, and was in agreement that the post was indeed copied from one of my original writings, and hence deleted the post. Thank God for that!

During this entire episode, I was also surprised to see the reactions of friends and colleagues. Most of them failed to understand “Why I was so upset about it?”. Some said “Forget it. Not worth your time!“.. Some said “Ignore it. He is too powerful, so let it be“. And some even laughed and said “You should feel happy that a senior business leader is passing off your writings as his own. It means that you’re writing good stuff!”. Honestly, I did not know what to say or how to react.

Also, I did some research on the issue, it appears that stealing content is a common challenge which plagues several blogs / bloggers. Most bloggers have accepted this reality of the blog-o-sphere; and have found ways to deal with it – Ignore it. OR Leave a comment. And a rare few actually get on to head-on legal battles. For most, it’s just NOT WORTH IT! They’d rather invest their time in creating new content. And rightly SO!

Ending with LESSONS LEARNED
(1) No, it’s NOT OK to Steal others CONTENT! If you must use it, acknowledge and give a reference to the original source / author. It hurts the author / writer, and if found it can be a serious “black mark” to your public brand image / character
(2) Value is personal and subjective. What is invaluable to you, may have no value to someone else. To Each his / her own ; and that’s OK
(3) Be GOOD on Social Media. As it is there is so much BAD and NEGATIVITY in the real world, Do you really want to carry that to Social Media as well? Here is a post on Social Media Etiquette 101 : The Basics that could help!
(4) And if you are in POWER, you can’t get away with EVERYTHING ALL THE TIME! At some point, one has to pay for his / her KARMA!

Recommended Readings / References
Just because it’s not illegal, does not mean it’s RIGHT
What to do when your online content is copied?
Know your digital rights – Blog Etiquette
plagiarism.org
How to file a DMCA take-down notice?
Copyright FAQ’s

So, have you experienced anyone stealing your online content? How did you handle it? Do you have a view on the issue? Leave a comment to let me know!