F# Major

On 21 October 2014, the News carried a story by Ansar Abbasi on how Civil services reforms remain a distant dream . A few days before this, the same journalist had a news item on how the interior minister would be spearheading the government's reform efforts because the Prime Minister was too busy to do so himself. Busy with what? Aren't these reforms the hallmark of good governance and thus, should merit total resolve, dedication and zero-tolerance policy for their derailment? I hope there is a kernel of truth in this and that this government is serious about reforms and not saying things for the sake of lip service. In an article, Fault Lines , it was written "Experts rue the regulatory institutions that gave in to the political pressures during the last 15 years, hindering economic stability and growth, badly affecting performance." How about thinking about performance standards for these institutions? How about involving them in the development strategy of t...

I'd rather concentrate on one thing and get into the flow (as Daniel Goleman calls it). But I take solace in my inability to multitask from Daniel Levitin and from the horrifying and sobering statistics on texting and driving.

I came across an essay on the Economist . The nice touch is the book feel that they gave to support the subtitle, From Papyrus to Pixels. While I like my Kindle and the convenience it provides pixel-wise - I can carry hundreds of books relatively easily - I don't see it replacing payrus. There is something ineffable about holding a book, turning the pages, making notes in the margins, and underlining key points. But that's just me. I do find it alarming that reading is becoming a lost skill. What are you reading currently?

In the last month, I came across a few interesting readings on leadership and employees worth sharing. Jacob Morgan has a book out called  The Future of Work: Attract New Talent, Build Better Leaders, and Create a Competitive Organization. He talks about the book in his Forbes post and his manifesto . I especially like the graphic on the evolution of the employee on the Forbes website. Jacob's also involved in a collaborative initiative, The Future Organization. You can join if this is of interest and if you can afford the membership. Good employees stem from and result in good leaders, leaders who inspire, according to Bain and Company, their article, Leaders who inspire: A 21st-century approach to developing your talent . " Leaders can no longer rely only on traditional leadership skills to be effective. They can no longer simply issue directives. Nor can leaders rely heavily on the traditional tools of motivation—the classic carrot-and-stick approach. Instea...