F# Major

Bob Proctor says the personal development industry is worth US$ 11 bn annually and is growing at a rapid pace. But how often do you see the impact of this industry around you? How many times have you heard people ask " Can I be successful at this? How big of a mark do I want to make?, and What am I willing to do to make it happen?”And how come personal development doesn't link very well with being in a group? In short, despite the growth of the industry, why are our organisations and individuals struggling? I came across three articles this week which got me thinking about this. Deloitte's report, Passion at Work , says "Up to 87.7 percent of America’s workforce is not able to contribute to their full potential because they don’t have passion for their work. Less than 12.3 percent of America’s workforce possesses the attributes of worker passion. This “passion gap” is important because passionate workers are committed to continually achieving higher levels of perform...

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...

Take a look at Peter Drucker’s Managing Oneself article from Harvard Business Review. Where do you fit in? What are your strengths? How do you perform? Are you a reader or a listener? Do you listen to understand or just to reply? How do you learn? And importantly, what are your values? Perhaps you should start putting your answers down on a piece of paper or an app or whatever you are comfortable with! Now read Greg McKeown's article, " If You Don’t Design Your Career, Someone Else Will ." Take a look at Greg's process...according to him, it changed his life. It just might change yours! The point is, take that first step. Learn to drive!

"...all of us now entrust the most private information about ourselves to the guardianship of public companies that have consistently proven themselves unworthy of that trust." More ... I'm not going to get into the personal nature of stuff that was leaked but how many more lessons do we need to be careful about our personal stuff?