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Nagesh Belludi

Inspirational Quotations #131

August 28, 2006 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

^We Forget^|We ask for a piece of sand and he gives us a beach.|We ask for a drop of water and he gives us an ocean.|We ask for time and he gives us life eternal.|And it is so easy for us to fall in love with the gift|and forget the Giver.
—Edward Farrell (American Sportsperson)

The creation of art is not the fulfillment of a need but the creation of a need. The world never needed Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony until he created it. Now we could not live without it.
—Louis Kahn (American Architect)

Affliction comes to us all not to make us sad, but sober; not to make us sorry, but wise; not to make us despondent, but by its darkness to refresh us, as the night refreshes the day; not to impoverish, but to enrich us, as the plough enriches the field; to multiply our joy, as the seed, by planting, is multiplied a thousand-fold.
—Henry Ward Beecher (American Protestant Clergyman)

Be such a man, and live such a life, that if every man were such as you, and every life a life like yours, this earth would be God’s Paradise.
—Phillips Brooks (American Episcopal Clergyman)

Please all, and you will please none.
—Aesop (Greek Fabulist)

The most natural beauty in the world is honesty and moral truth; for all beauty is truth. True features make the beauty of a face; and true proportions the beauty of architecture; as true measures that of harmony and music. In poetry, which is all fable, truth still is the perfection.
—Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury

People who want the most approval get the least and people who need approval the least get the most.
—Wayne Dyer (American Motivational Writer)

What can we gain by sailing to the moon if we are not able to cross the abyss that separates us from ourselves? This is the most important of all voyages of discovery, and without it, all the rest are not only useless, but disastrous…
—Thomas Merton (French-born American Clergyman)

The average estimate themselves by what they do, the above average by what they are.
—Friedrich Schiller (German Poet)

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

Dissatisfied at Work? Are You Really a Square Peg in a Round Hole?

August 22, 2006 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

If you are not happy at work, you may believe that your dissatisfaction is rooted in your position—in the relationships, the workflows and the demands of the role. You may feel that if you were in a different position or were associated with another organization, you would be more content.

However, there is a good chance that the problem is not with your position per se, but with your attitudes toward various elements of work-life: people you interact with, responsibilities, bureaucracy, office politics, etc. You may not have realized and/or capitalized on the various opportunities that the current position presents.

  • If you feel your work is not challenging enough or if you do not sense career progression, you can request additional responsibilities at work. You can analyze colleagues who have succeeded in similar positions and learn from them. If you want to be promoted, you could assume some of the responsibilities of the position you desire.
  • Even if you do not like your boss, colleagues, subordinates or customers, you still need to get along with them by being open-minded or by discovering common ground. In extreme cases, you need to accept that people will not change and just suck up, no matter how frustrating their actions are.
  • If you want to change to another line of work, you need to realize that the grass on the other side of the fence always looks greener until you jump over. There is no guarantee that the new position or the new organization will be any better. There will be a considerable lead-time to reestablish yourself in the new workplace before you can be eligible to move up. Organizations realize that there is a significant penalty to losing an experienced person and are likely to accommodate your needs and aspirations.

Professional success is often not simply a matter of choosing the right career path or the right company, although these are important factors. The attitudes you bring to your work-life define your career development and contentment. Change your attitudes, adjust, discover opportunities available and thrive in the given circumstances.

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Filed Under: Managing People, Sharpening Your Skills Tagged With: Career Planning

Inspirational Quotations #130

August 20, 2006 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

A man without a smiling face must not open a shop.
—Chinese Proverb

Study as if you were going to live forever; live as if you were going to die tomorrow.
—Maria Mitchell

Whatever you’re ready for is ready for you.
—Mark Victor Hansen (American Public Speaker)

There is only one group of people who don’t have problems and they’re all dead. Problems are a sign of life. So the more problems you have, the more alive you are.
—Norman Vincent Peale (American Clergyman, Self-Help Author)

I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.
—Thomas Jefferson (American Head of State)

A good leader is a person who takes a little more than his share of the
blame and a little less than his share of the credit.
—John C. Maxwell (American Christian Professional Speaker)

Who never ate his bread in sorrow, who never spent the darksome hours weeping, and watching for the morrow, He knows ye not, ye gloomy Powers.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (German Poet)

You can have everything in life you want if you’ll just help enough other people get what they want.
—Zig Ziglar (American Author)

You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.
—Zig Ziglar (American Author)

Why should we worry about what others think of us? Do we have more confidence in their opinions than we do in our own?
—Brigham Young (American Mormon Religious Leader)

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

The Legacy of Infosys’ Narayana Murthy

August 20, 2006 By Nagesh Belludi 11 Comments

Mr. N R Narayana Murthy, executive chairman of Bangalore-based Infosys Technologies, retired today on his sixtieth birthday. He was one of the six founders who started Infosys [INFY] with a small investment of Rs. 10,000 and nurtured the organization to a world-class company currently valued at Rs. 50,000 crores ($10.75 billion).

A shareholder describes Infosys' achievements at a Shareholders' Meeting in Bangalore (Dec '04)
Caption: A shareholder describes Infosys’ achievements at a Shareholders’ Meeting in Bangalore (Dec ’04)

Globally, Mr. Murthy is a widely-admired business leader. Much has been written about his background, discipline and his ‘simple living, high thinking’ philosophy. His biggest legacy will be the dreams and confidence his company’s success has fostered in a whole generation of middle-class India. In creating a highly respected, world-class company that provides top quality services and adopts best management practices from around the world (a strong corporate brand, transparency in operations and financial reporting, sharing wealth, best training practices,) his team has offered a blue-print for entrepreneurial success in the new economy.

Mr. Murthy will transit into the role of a non-executive chairman at Infosys. His retirement will enable him to expand his endeavors with various institutions, viz., administrative (India, Thailand, United Nations Foundation), financial (RBI, DBS, SEBI), educational (IIM-A, IIIT, Cornell, Wharton, Singapore Management University) and corporate (NDTV, TiE). He is widely rumored to be nominated to the role of the President of India. He has himself expressed an interest in being designated the Ambassador of India to the United States. We should hope to continue hearing his ideas on various fronts. He may author a book or two on management practices in the global economy or the story of Infosys.

Congratulations on your retirement, Mr. Murthy.

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Filed Under: Great Personalities, News Analysis Tagged With: India

Inspirational Quotations #129

August 13, 2006 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Be a lamp to yourself. Be your own confidence. Hold to the truth within yourself, as to the only truth.
—Buddhist Teaching

Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind. Absolve you to yourself, and you shall have the suffrage of the world.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (American Philosopher)

Never allow the integrity of your own way of seeing things and saying things to be swamped by the influence of a master, however great.
—George Parsons Lathrop

True wealth can not be found in your bank account.|It can only be found in those you call friends.|Those with whom you share your deepest feelings.|And those who accept you for who you really are.
—Unknown

Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.
—Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi (Persian Muslim Mystic)

Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand small uncaring ways.
—Stephen Vincent Benet

The great thing about experience is that you can’t borrow it, buy it or steal it, you must earn it.
—Unknown

To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.
—Oscar Wilde (Irish Poet)

A man without a smiling face must not open a shop.
—Chinese Proverb

You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do.
—Henry Ford (American Businessperson)

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

Four Keys to an Excellent Relationship with Your Boss

August 10, 2006 By Nagesh Belludi 2 Comments

The relationship with your boss is a critical aspect of a favorable work atmosphere and your job satisfaction. The boss forms a vital link between you and the upper management and thus represents the entire organization to you. Below are four key principles to build and sustain an excellent relationship with your boss.

  1. The relationship between you and your boss is likely a circular relationship: if you like your boss, your boss likes you; if your boss likes you, you like your boss. Overlook actions of your boss that may disappoint you and be conscious of how you react to conflicts.
  2. Suit his/her work style. Understand your boss’s thought processes, preferences and pet-peeves. If your boss is hands-on, favors raw data for making decisions, resists confrontations or avoids risk, you must be sensitive and suit his/her style. You may be able to sell your boss on the merits of changes to his/her style; however, realize that change takes time and is not guaranteed.
  3. When your boss succeeds, you succeed. Understand your boss’s role, his/her strengths, weaknesses and goals. Ask how you can support his/her objectives and the organization’s goals. Do not assume his/her expectations of you. Communicate continually by detailing progress on your assignments and by giving prompt feedback on challenges you face and asking for support.
  4. Realize that one hand cannot clap. Fundamentally, people are different; their perspectives and work-styles are different. You are very lucky if you have a boss who is competent and supportive—somebody who is genuinely interested in your assignments and career advancement. Recognize early if things are not going well; be open and straight-forward in communicating your thoughts and if changes you made have not improved the situation appreciably, be prepared to leave.

Success in building relationships does not come easily. Co-operating with your boss involves being proactive and tolerant, making mistakes and learning from them. The onus is on you to effectively manage this key relationship and achieve the best results for yourself, your boss and the organization.

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Filed Under: Managing People, Sharpening Your Skills Tagged With: Conflict, Managing the Boss

Inspirational Quotations #128

August 6, 2006 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing.
—Abraham Lincoln (American Head of State)

The problem with communication is the illusion that it has been achieved.
—George Bernard Shaw (Irish Playwright)

There is nothing permanent except change.
—Heraclitus (Ancient Greek Philosopher)

You get the best out of others when you give the best of yourself.
—Harvey Samuel Firestone (American Businessperson)

You may not have perfect teeth, or a nose to ever match, but if you’re smiling through your heart, that smile will be nothing less than beautiful.
—Unknown

All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark.
—Swami Vivekananda (Indian Hindu Mystic)

The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.
—Vidal Sassoon

Next to doing a good job yourself, the greatest joy is in having someone else do a first-class job under your direction.
—William Feather (American Publisher)

Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.
—Abraham Lincoln (American Head of State)

Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of the nonessentials.
—Lin Yutang (Chinese Writer)

The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work.
—Arthur Brisbane (American Journalist)

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

Inspirational Quotations #127

July 30, 2006 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

Be nice and smile to everyone you meet. You don’t know what they are going through, and they may need that smile, and treasure it.
—Unknown

An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind.
—Mohandas K. Gandhi (Indian Hindu Political leader)

Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid only of standing still.
—Chinese Proverb

One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life; that word is love.
—Sophocles (Ancient Greek Dramatist)

Happiness cannot come from without. It must come from within.
—Helen Keller (American Author)

Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all.
—Unknown

A ship is safest at the harbor, but that is not where it is supposed to be.
—N. R. Narayana Murthy (Indian Businessperson)

When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
—The 14th Dalai Lama (Tibetan Buddhist Religious Leader)

You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.
—Naguib Mahfouz (Egyptian Novelist)

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.
—Ambrose Hollingworth Redmoon (James Neil Hollingworth)

A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.
—John Augustus Shedd

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

Wednesday Afternoon Time-off: Recharge Mid-week

July 25, 2006 By Nagesh Belludi 5 Comments

Most of us feel our weekends are insufficient to accomplish everything that we want to; we tend to over-plan and underachieve. On Sunday evening, we wish we had relaxed more, completed more errands and spent more time with family and friends. If a weekend involves long-distance travel, we tend to leave from work on Friday afternoon and return home exhausted on Sunday evening.

When we return to work on Monday, we are hung-over from the out-of-work rhythm of the weekend and gain momentum during the day. We are at peak energy levels during Tuesday and Wednesday. Once we pass ‘hump day’, we long for a break. By Thursday afternoon, we feel drained and begin to look forward to the weekend. Our energy levels and thus our productivities tend to be lower on Friday as we wrap up our workweek.Wednesday Afternoon Time-off: Recharge Mid-week

Every week, we crave a mid-week break—an opportunity to reenergize during the middle of the week. In response, I present the concept of Wednesday Afternoon Time-off. In essence, this concept involves leaving work early, say at around 3:00pm, and taking a break from routine life.

We can use this time-off from the routine to catch-up with errands, devote time for family and friends, eat out, read a book, visit the beach, relax or to just to arrive at home early. This brief time-off will render us energized and recharged for higher productivity during the last two days of the workweek. Additionally, this break gives us something to look forward to at the middle of the week.

I have practiced this idea of mid-week time-offs during the past few weeks and find the experience amazing. My workplace appreciates the higher energy levels on Thursday and Friday. The two hours of work I miss on Wednesdays are easily compensated for by the extra time I devote to work on other weekdays.

I encourage you to try this practice by blocking off time on your calendar, planning work around leaving work early on Wednesday afternoon and getting a break. I would love to hear about your experience.

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Filed Under: Sharpening Your Skills Tagged With: Lifehacks

Inspirational Quotations #126

July 23, 2006 By Nagesh Belludi Leave a Comment

I felt sorry for myself because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet.
—Hebrew Proverb

I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer not neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.
—Unknown

Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.
—Malcolm Forbes (American Publisher)

In its knowledges light, we must think and act not only for the moment but for our time. I am reminded of the great French Marshal Lyautey, who once asked his gardener to plant a tree. The gardener objected that the tree was slow-growing and would not reach maturity for a hundred years. The Marshal replied, In that case, there is no time to lose, plant it this afternoon.
—John F. Kennedy (American Head of State)

There’s one sad truth in life I’ve found|While journeying east and west -|The only folks we really wound|Are those we love the best.|We flatter those we scarcely know,|We please the fleeting guest,|And deal full many a thoughtless blow|To those who love us best.
—Ella Wheeler Wilcox (American Poet)

I have never yet met a healthy person who worried very much about his health, or a really good person who worried much about his own soul.
—J. B. S. Haldane (British Biologist)

The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.
—Mohandas K. Gandhi (Indian Hindu Political leader)

Take a second look … it costs you nothing.
—Chinese Proverb

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.
—Buddhist Teaching

You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.
—Malcolm Forbes (American Publisher)

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.
—Thomas Edison (American Inventor)

Filed Under: Inspirational Quotations

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About: Nagesh Belludi [hire] is a St. Petersburg, Florida-based freethinker, investor, and leadership coach. He specializes in helping executives and companies ensure that the overall quality of their decision-making benefits isn’t compromised by a lack of a big-picture understanding.

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Unless otherwise stated in the individual document, the works above are © Nagesh Belludi under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND license. You may quote, copy and share them freely, as long as you link back to RightAttitudes.com, don't make money with them, and don't modify the content. Enjoy!