Stress-Free Old Age Golden Period of Life

Stress-Free Old Age

          Golden Period of Life

 

Old age, believe me, is a good and pleasant thing.

It is true you are gently shouldered off the stage, but then you are given a comfortable front stall as spectator.

Confucius

 

Corona the Chinese Virus has brought many things with it: masks, hand-wash, sanitizers, social distancing but the worst is a direction to senior citizens to remain at home: not to venture out. Evil is that it has made persons like me at 76+, to realize that we have grown old; earlier I used to go out for walk of five six kilometers daily and on way back fetched milk and vegetables for the family. Some normally stress-free are feeling under stress. Even otherwise old age has its own problems Corona has added to the list.

 

Having lived for almost 45-50 years with one’s own created family the time comes when the kids start flying; daughters having gone to in-laws and sons have their own grown up kids with their education, employment and settlement issues. Generation gap is but natural which is widening more because, the traditional lifestyle grandparents followed has been replaced by the modern style more open and individualistic dear to the present generation; and also to middle generation their compulsion. Perhaps future generations will have to face it in sharper proportions. Even when you are with the modern day joint family, elders feel alone and loneliness sharpens if children and their kids move out; justifying age old saying water water everywhere not a drop to drink.

 

Then the God given partner your spouse comes to your rescue. Enjoy early morning get up with her and a hot cup of tea with devotional songs and of course the morning news on TV. A stroll in the nearby park or settling the overnight scramble of utensils, peels, setting up of beds, and wrappers at home give another opportunity to have second cup of tea or the green tea the modern day health drink with immunity mixture added to ward off Corona. What a wonderful morning where is the loneliness. Go to the market with spouse bring milk, vegetables, bread, butter and of course what he likes may be Soda for colourful evening or a pizza base, talk breakfast and take bath, before you enjoy the first meal, half the day is over for a complete man (better half + worst half, the Ardhnarishwar Lord Shiva and Adi Shakti in one body as per Indian scriptures), so comes the evening and night follows. Newspaper has been thrown out by COVID19, but a pleasant nap after every meal is a luxury.

 

Enjoy every second of your company with spouse without restrictions, romance, evening drinks, crispness of a biscuit, fragrance of the bitter gourd, sweet smell coming from the freshly cooked chapattis, sweetness of onions damped in apple vinegar, of course the physical love of early days of marriage forgetting the so called age, a number only and remembering the cosy huge of a bride.

 

“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”

                                                   – Mark Twain

 

“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.”                  

                                                   – Sophia Loren

 

Enjoy the way you like, with your spouse, it has never been irrelevant and non-performer only the ways change, slower the speed, longer the time better it is , mind is free of addition, it has always been a source of happiness, concentration, satisfaction, a bliss everyone longs for, of course medicine for many ailments. So do not be afraid, it is gift of God continue to enjoy till depart to His abode.   

 

In case one happens to be alone which everybody has to be one day or the other; learn how to enjoy solitude. It requires time, patience, and of course change of attitude to master this magic. Think positive, be a silent spectator of the drama of life the novel God wrote before you were born. The mind gets enormous amount of rest, and a day’s silence gives you more energy. If you are able to keep your mind blank for a while; this is the sole purpose of meditation, you can enjoy solitude and you will find it empowering. This is the time to turn to Him and seek his blessing, love, company and empowerment.

 

Alone let him constantly meditate in solitude on that which is salutary for his soul, for he who meditates in solitude attains supreme bliss.

                                                              Guru Nanak

 

We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise, and restlessness. God is friend of silence. See how nature-trees, flowers, grass-grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun they move in silence. We need silence to be able to touch souls. 

                                                              

                                                         Mother Teresa

Daring individuals take daring decisions; not to the taste of family or the society or elders if they happen to be alive, they dictate, live life at their own terms; are not many but their number is increasing a positive sign of independence in old age instead of facing irritants. They adopt in the old age live-in relationship-modern day concept the youth adopts-to enjoy sex and still to remain free and uncommitted - and thus spend their time in a company instead of being lonely and wandering here and there. It is good approach, it gives purpose to life and living; gives independence of and being burden to, blood and other relations. One becomes master of his own world and happy.

 

In fact a man is never alone He is always with him, He is always at his back and call, if the man happens to be sincere to the core.

 

Body is another reasons to be taken care of in the evening of life. Enjoy everything you like, reduce the intake cereals, butter, sugar, salt, total quantity, calories, fat, white bread, non-veg and veg also. Follow the routine and timing, increase liquid intake, water the wonderful drink, limited quantity of tea and milk, butter-milk, curd, coconut water, fruit juices etc. With passage of time the capacity of the body to absorb essentials from the natural food decreases; food supplements are essentials with the advice of the physician if possible from the one who has taken care of you for so long.

 

Exercise light and that your body absorbs easily, be part of your routine like walking, neck rolls, clapping, deep breathing, stretching,  simple yoga and pranayama will keep the disease like cervical, constipation, stiffness of joints, miles away and your mood up without swings.

 

Take bath with warm water, even during summers that will help to keep your joints moving with melted joint grease, increase blood circulation, dip your feet in as hot water as you can tolerate for just five-ten minutes everyday day that will keep your feet and legs free from pain and fresh. Where is the time, people normally say, it has to be carved out of your routine if not possible do it when taking bath.

 

If suffering for age related diseases like diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis, asthma, etc. take medicine regularly without fail; let it be sweet dish after meals. Enjoy taking medicine; they are the life giver and freshen your moods and moves. 

 

Health is not just about eating or not eating; it is also about what you are thinking and saying. Keep your thoughts positive, and say whatever you want to say simple, straight, polite and polished. Negative thoughts and improper utterings disturb your thinking as well as your digestive system, negatively altering absorption of food and nutrition by body, increasing the intake of antacids.

 

Knee pain is a general issue in old age. Continue to take milk and sunshine. One thing which life taught me is, take a few drops of almond oil or flex seed on your palms and massage gently the both the knees clockwise and equal number anti clock-wise for 5-7 minutes daily it will give relief. If no time do this exercise, do when sitting on the pot while answering the call of nature and be pain free in the long run. Make this a part of daily routine. 

 

Do not collect, children are settled, more you collect more the worries. Think of spending for your joy, happiness and moods without limits and hesitations, occasional everything is allowed and is fruitful. My father-in-law when he was eighty six, his spouse eighty, dismantled his home and house both, kept with him only his personal belongs, clothes and a bag for medicine, distributed large portion of his realizations as per his choice, balance everything with the Bank, despite my opinion to the contrary and he lived with his daughters three in number, his remaining life up to ninety two years and had a peaceful end. He had no regrets and always happy and enjoyed. I have still to see another person doing all this. Try if somebody else can.

 

Make a list of things you would like to do say during the next one year if you happen to be alive by that time, as many of us have already crossed the national life expectancy of 68.7 years in India and 78.7 years in USA. This will give you a goal, a purpose to live and a happiness when you achieve it with the added advantage of nostalgia for a period - more you have enjoyed longer is the feeling.

 

Power to decide is a miracle, God has given ample to a man. Use it fully do not depend on others, or ask others to decide, you have the power of deliberation, discussion and decision; talk to the persons who listen to your ideas and not to the persons who want to put their own achievements before you. Positive criticism is always good and people know how to put it across. Those who do not know don’t listen to them. Never carry the bricks from the old house to make a new one, that is the key to sweetness of relationships. Let things of the past die in past and live in the present. Decide your affairs with His blessing only.

 

New, variety, different, extra, can be anything-visit to a friend, holiday, different vegetable, even the great Indian  fruit chat, papri chat, samosa chat, Chat (not talk in a friendly and informal way) shoot of a seed you had sown, new necktie, petticoat for your wife,

dinner at road side, sitting mouth to mouth and back to back, halwa at 03.00AM, unplanned vacations, and whatever different you can think of, always gives moments of happiness and surprise so continue to find and make whenever possible; be stress free.

 

Laughter is an ornament Lord has given to man only. Be grateful to the Lord express your gratitude by laughing as long as one can afford daily; it gives exercise to one’s face and stomach muscles; improves face glow and digestion and to be happy stress-free.

 

“You don’t stop laughing when you grow old, you grow old when you stop laughing.”

                                        – George Bernard Shaw

 

Money is another necessity of old age. If you have money enjoy to the extent you can, keeping some powder dry for rainy days. If one does not have sufficient use your determination and decision leaving aside so called family honour. Take annuity of an amount equal to the estimated monthly expenditure on property you have, from a Bank (India has a law for that for senior citizens) and live peacefully. Always keep your money safe liquidity ensured, some nearby, with spouse, never be zero, money is next important to spouse.

 

Those without money and property should take benefit of all Govt. social security schemes available in the country along with all free facilities for senior citizens that would help to a large extent. Do not hesitate to avail facilities from the charitable institutions like free medical a galore in India. Still not able to manage join charitable Old-Age home now there are many in every Indian city. Wherever you stay be grateful to the individual concerned and useful to the institution thus earning your salt. Old-Age homes are, in fact our right, we the seniors, have contributed to the society for about forty-fifty long years or so, may not be directly but self-denial is also a mode of contribution. 

 

The best relations to take care in Indian context are your own children particularly your sons, if not comfortable with them, there should be no hesitation to shift to daughters but it is always slightly uncomfortable. Those who have daughters only there is no choice. These days there is great allurement for children to shift abroad for the “Azadi”, the great independence, freedom, free from encumbrances,  in addition to green pastures, but I have still to see a son taking his parents even when terminally ill, with him abroad permanently despite being well placed in a few cases.  Parents are generally invited only for delivery or education adjustments of grandchildren. It is only occasional parents are called for comfortable stay for limited days even then they are dispatched  quickly to India if they develop illness to save as medical treatment is too costly there and dollars and pounds are quickly converted into INRs. In the end one concludes: old-age should be free of this jugglery of relations only then one can be comfortable, so enjoy with your spouse and when alone enjoy solitude.

 

Sometimes one has hard responsibilities even in old age like widow daughter, aged parents, crippled spouse, income not enough: then everybody has to contribute and compromise with the circumstances to live a peaceful life so that utensils do not make a noise to spoil the taste of the food. Always remember old age is a journey not a destination; nobody knows who will drop first; be passengers in the same coach always be cooperative and helpful. Keep everybody happy their needs first and continue journey to enjoy. Have firm faith in Him and that this is all left-over from the previous life, all of us believe so firmly may not admit. Journey has to be performed, so perform as if you are in His lap. Life happens. Embrace the change. Make the most of everything that comes in the way.       

 

Retirement gives you ample time to do what you always wanted and you never thought of, when you want to do it, where you want to do it and how you want to do it.

 

        Retirement has been discovery of beauty for me. I never         had the time before to notice the beauty of my grandkids,         my wife, the tree outside my very own front door and the         beauty itself.

                                                                                Hartman Jule 

 

Old age is your own creation: it can be misery, it can    be celebration, it can simply be a despair and it can also be a dance. It all depends how deeply you are to accept the existence, whatsoever it brings.                                                                                                          Osho 

Motivation: Success And Excellence Seed

Motivation: Success And Excellence Seed

 

 

If you want to shine like a sun, first burn like a sun.

A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

"Self-belief and hard work will always earn you success." 

- Virat Kohli

 

Motivation is spark for action, it is that which forces you to jump out of the cosy bed in the cold winter nights, forces you to run when it rains, remain awake late at night, stay hungry and thirsty for days together, when injuries do not pain, tolerate provocations, ignore insulting words, wake up without alarm, fight even when outnumbered and finally makes you to reach your destination. One sees only his goal not the obstacles in between that is what the motivation is. Unless one has ambition, drive, desire, a fire burning inside no motivation from outside can help. However no specific words and action to define spark that ignites.

 

When one has to marry his daughter off, there are lot of assignments for the parents; financial, honour, relationships, procurements, tastes, likings, nature, frictions, and so many others, each requiring different type of handling, timings and talks. Parents of bride perform to the best to see everything goes smooth and sober; are tired only after they have given a push to vehicles taking their daughter to in-laws. Similarly when one has to go for interview, for a job urgently required, then he makes sure he reaches in time, so  is the case when boys go for a date they bluff everybody their parents, teachers, employers, friends, even their coffers have more still think it  is less,  but reach in time to see their beloved. This is how self-motivation acts, one is involved right from the core of his heart, soul, mind, conscious, body, day and night. This is strength of one’s character. Prayer and Meditation; when a person is highly motivated to talk to Him, if from the core, He does listens and talks too. 

 

A self-motivated person is an asset into himself; gets satisfaction of having done from every job, is stress free, is result oriented liked by his peers, dependable, trustworthy, known, performance and delivery is in his blood. It is privilege to have such an employee. Such persons are a class in themselves, a breed different, to succeed is in their blood; justice they do to what is entrusted to them; total quality people.

 

What makes a person self-motivated, since this relates to inner self one’s, soul, desire, and character is difficult to define. Generally speaking it is a product of one’s sense of pride in performance, self-respect, value system, inheritance, self-esteem, sense of achievement, positivity, inner fulfillment, confidence in self, calmness, sense of responsibility, inspiration, joy of having done and above all belief in spirituality and integrity.  

Your positive action combined with positive thinking results in success.  

                                                 Shiv Khera

 

In addition, recognition and responsibility given are the tools that can invoke the inner of an individual. Recognition means being appreciated, treated with respect and dignity, trusted, given regards, making the person feel that it is privilege to have him, appreciating his efforts. On the other hand responsibility gives a person feeling of belonging, ownership and a positive tension that he is accountable. He becomes a part of bigger picture. Seeing one’s ideas, thought, plans, being implemented and meeting success is in itself gratifying and gives inner peace, satisfaction and solace.  Rewards and remunerations without claim spark the inner conscious and positive attitude.

 

 “Everyone wants to be appreciated, so if you appreciate someone, don’t keep it a secret.”

                                                         – Mary Kay Ash

 

Everybody is not in self-motivated mode; that throws a responsibility on seniors. It is can be argued; wages are paid for work and that is enough. Yes it is logical; not everywhere and with everyone. Fact is that men are not machines that justifies need for motivation. They have life, love, feelings, emotions, moods, up and downs, problems and priorities, they see and listen, can regulate themselves their likes and dislikes, they want progress and prosperity, have ambitions and aspirations; but machines do not, so the motivation.

 

The man on duty to take work must first be a being fully aware of emotions and feeling of others; must assess the internal motivation of an employee: his general attitude towards life: what he wants from life; satisfaction, peace, progress, prosperity, family welfare, his attitude towards the tasks assigned and self-esteem. Motivators have to empathetic, sympathetic, patient, must also understand strengths, weaknesses, and difficulties of the worker. One must understand the psyche of a worker before he attempts to motivate him from his inner. Motivation is not an off and on phenomena it  takes time to motivate and be motivated as it is always difficult to leave inertia, to listen, respect and believe the ideas, instructions, suggestions, success stories being told by others.

 

Management must understand the need inside a person which if satisfied will make him to exert to higher levels of effort. Normally a self-respecting person feels shy rather he conceals his financial and other needs from men in office; so it is very searching process. Manager have to be alert at all times and must understand that each employee is different and changes with the passage of time. In the interest of productivity, production and positivity this has to be done.

 

Nature of the person to be motivated is of utmost importance. If a man is a good listener has high levels of respect, task of the motivators is easy. If he happens to be man who always wants to prove his intelligence and knowledge, motivation is uphill task. Such like employees always keep their duties and responsibilities up to date but they are generally away from innovations and creativity; they seldom go beyond targets and tasks; they are not very helpful for productivity and production. Managers have to be careful to motivate them as they can be motivated only when their own nature is obstacle in their progress and it dawns on them. 

 

Another important issue is to find out how the employee got the job if he got it after lot of struggle that would give birth to his pride being in the organization and he would be involved in its activities. If he fully identifies with the organization he would develop what is called “organizational citizenship” when he makes sacrifices for the organization, key to extra efforts as per the requirement without asking and is a great motivator.

 

Soul of an employee is touched by genuine words and actions of appreciation. Higher the level of person giving the appreciation more is the motivation. There should always be variety in appreciation also oral, written, some gift, some reward not necessarily in cash even calling by name and an attentive listening will do, reference in general meetings, words in the presence of others, assignment of special and sensitive jobs are great soul motivators. Good work done by any should earn the appreciation then and there.

 

Incentives cash or in kind like bonus, overtime, honorarium, conveyance, promotion, ex-gratia payments, good annual appraisals, trainings within and abroad, foreign tours, linking cash remuneration to the output are useful to a limited extent, can’t really motivate. They are just tools to get the work done, meet the deadlines and effective till the incentive is strong and needed by the person motivated.

 

Sometimes managements use rules of engagement, behavior, conduct, discipline etcetera  to motive, these are coercive, useful to very limited extent, in fact they are regressive, they help reach the targets without any body doing extra mile whereas the art of management is to make the people do something extra without their knowing management wants it to be done.

 

Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.

                                             Dwight D. Eisenhower

 

People do the things as per their own reasons and not for others not even for their employers; they ignore their parents and seniors too. The workers modify their behavior only when it interferes with their positive achievements. The efforts to motivate others have to be a veiled activity if it is to be fruitful in the real sense otherwise it is only incentives and disincentives that play their role only to the extent of the capacity and interest of the individual. This throw a great responsibility on managers, who many a times have to tolerate unsavory behavior, remarks, retorts, witty answers, camouflaged personal criticism. In such situations managers have to make a distinction between the personal and official self and wait for the opportune time to put across their motivational view point.

 

Motivation is no doubt a spark for action but it takes time and effort to turn it into a red burning flame.

 

The sun himself is weak when he first rises, and gathers strength and courage as the day gets on.  

               

                                                                Charles Dickens

Extreme Stress – Deal Extraordinary Way

Extreme Stress – Deal Extraordinary Way

 

What are the extraordinary ways to deal with extreme stress? Can there be any? Obviously none. Extreme stress is always dealt with effectively by determination, wisdom and positivity, as dreams do not become reality through magic but hard and determination can. Short cuts anywhere are dangerous so in case of stress relief. However, nature guides us differently sometimes like the word etcetera which indicates the existence but not specific. Etcetera is a wonderful used to shorten the writing, where we mean to add other things of the same class but did not mention for various reasons. It gives you a freedom of not to mention all things of the same class, in other words it covers all the things which you have not been able to specify.

Similarly the nature has given every man something in extra in etcetera which even the individual concerned does not knows about in specific and He did not want the soul to be aware. In the modern management this is called the X factor or the hidden strength of the personality. But on some occasions it is really the most important strength of a person. In Stress Management- Etcetera- this nature’s wonder does great things. How to identify it, impossible. However anything which gives instant comfort, freshness and a diversion is an asset always for people in stress.

Genes a unit of heredity which is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine some characteristic physical and mental, of the offspring. This heredity Unit is not limited to just immediate parents, it travels right to seventh generation backward and may even more that is reason for exceptions in children either in intelligence or the physical features. Genes that relates to decision making and the mental faculties sometimes give solutions not thought of earlier. This aspect of individual is quite helpful in odd unforeseen situations. Genes play a great role in forming character traits -- such as self-control, decision making or sociability.

Genes make you a person who takes responsibility, who does not take responsibility, and who throws responsibility on others. They also make you meticulous, tense, always happy, front row, submissive, passive, silent person and also not–bothered-at-all-class etc. So recognize your class and other person’s also; you would handle stress better. Not-bothered-at-all people are stress free, they reconcile very quickly with the situation, always bothered about their own activities, interests, thoughts with funny behavior now and then: example but real one, host taking food before the guests, reading novel when somebody is lying dead, sleeping when somebody is dead on the adjacent bed. Genes are a great factor to influence your stress response.

Name-there is nothing in a name; it is just to identify something as some assert. Yes it is like that only. An individual likes his name much and if he does not like, instances are not uncommon when he has changed it. In Indian situations sometimes in-laws change the name of their daughter-in-law to their liking or to what they expect her to be. In fact, there are many things in a name: one such is that whole Universe is name and the form only. Think of anything you mind would reach its name and form much quicker; thus name is part and parcel of everything even that of the “Lord”. It is more than half of what we know.

In India soon a child is born, family starts the process of giving him the name. Many of the communities have a tradition to name a child as per the practice from religious scriptures. Sikhs name their child as per the first letter of the first Sabad of Guru Granth Sahib, which is considered a living Guru the body of all the Ten Guru Sahiban, read on the day on which NAMKARN is done or the day when the child was born or any other day decided. Similarly many Hindu families name their child as per the word suggested by the priest from the Jantri an annual calendar based on the situation of various stars in the Universe. Thus we associate involve spirituality in the NAMKARN SANSKAR of a child. In many other communities it is customary to associate Lord while giving name to a child. In the heart of their heart everybody wants that the child should come up to expectations of that name. Even otherwise most of the Indian names irrespective of the religion one professes have some meaning they are not meaningless. For example Ashok means who is free from all types of sorrows, the one who is above worries whose character has lot of strength to face all sorts of difficulties with calm and composure. Even abstract names which have become order of the day are not meaningless; they are full of meanings and throw light on strength of the character if one lives by his meaning. We do japas with the names of the Gods, Goddesses, Deities and even Guru’s as we feel that they are our panacea-cure for difficulties. So if you live by the qualities of your name it will give you strength and power to bear all stresses in your life. It is wrong to say what is there in a name. There is definitely something great about the name that is why we do not name our children as Ravan of Ramayana or Kans of Mahabharata (Hindu Scriptures). So try to live up to, up hold the qualities and characteristics of your name and you will have power to bear stress. If not possible choose one characteristic of your name and live by that you would less stress in difficult situations.

Problems are part of life and every problem has to end with a solution. Be part of the solution not of the problem: Whenever in a problem either physical or emotional people try to find out, that relieves us of worries. Everybody likes a solution nobody likes a problem or a question. By being part of solution, it gives satisfaction, the inner glow, the sense of having done well, and gives strength to solve own problems with vision. It relieves others of stress in addition.

The reason why heaven and earth last for ever

is that they do not live for themselves.

Hence they last forever.

Therefore, the True Person leaves self behind

and thus is found in front,

 is not guarded and thus is preserved,

is self-free and thus is able to find fulfillment.

                                                                    Lao Tzu

 

Windfalls are not way of life but they do happen, how and when only HE knows, it is his grace. They are in fact nature’s way to help. Nothing specific about them: You may get the most appropriate advice from an unknown source just a stranger or from established sources like parents. Your own imagination and occurrence at crucial time-real windfalls from conscious always nearby. Scriptures say: continue to take care of others, their welfare and happiness, you would be looked after well by the God. 

When decides to Bless you, He will cause the situations to come together in your favour, no matters what others try to do.

                                                                Christie Joyner

Intuition is immediate apprehension by mind of future events. It gives you knowledge of the things to come. It is one’s inbuilt survival senor which detects dangers before one is consciously aware of them. Intuitive understanding protects from harm, recognize it, without analyzing intuition, if warning bells are ringing danger is lurking, act in time and save yourself from stress.

This word “intuition” is beautiful. You know the other word, ‘tuition’; tuition means somebody else is giving it to you. Intuition means nobody is giving it to you; it is growing within you. And because it is not given to you by somebody else it cannot be put into words.

                                                                  OSHO

“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and rational mind is faithful servant. We have created a society that honours the servant and has forgotten the gift.”

                                                         Albert Einstein

The Lord has given everyman something extra and has hidden it in etcetera – that would stand in good stead at opportune time.

Why Organizations Fail

Why Organizations Fail

Management & Organization

Cause and Effect

 

Organization - a group of people working together for a cause, a task or a goal - is the normal way of life world over. We are born in an organization and leave life in an organization. When this does not happen there is something wrong. Life goes as a part of some group always: may be parents, family, society, community, nation, employer, friends, school, or just a crowd on road side. All organizations must be effective and managed smoothly, for healthy life, society, even the nation. Fact is, that no society can provide its members, with a high quality of life, unless it has effective organizations-that is able to meet their objectives, perform and deliver. Working together brings power, even to as small organization as a family of four, not to talk of multinationals. We in India have some best organizations like Delhi Metro Rail, ISRO, National Disaster Response Force, Armed Forces the best in the world etc.

  

Despite what is said above, intentions and efforts; organizations fail either because of management or the people working in and for it. Either way it is a national loss, irrespective whether an organization is public or private. Why it so happens, perhaps many are not able to find an exact answer and sell such failed concerns without going deep into the causes and making an effort to correct it. There can’t be instant answer to this intricate and underneath issue. It has always been easy to point out shortcomings than to correct them and that too for success. Sale is just an admission of incapability of such great institutions as Govts and against the welfare of the people.

 

Why organizations fail, they are created to succeed. Obviously they do not run with the time, whereas they should be ahead of the time. Technology that too which changes over night is the great invention and a marketing strategy of 20th and 21st Century, we do not know what would happen in 22nd Century. It tries to cater to every wish a human mind can think of- variants in variants with a capacity to throw away obsolete. One has to leave the inertia, if you are pulled back, you are titling to wrong side of success.

“You can’t ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.”

                                                             —Steve Jobs

Covid19 is a great teacher. Now India is after self-sufficiency, indianisation of everything, increasing local production, reducing imports, giving employment to skilled and unskilled labour at its place of origin. This took India just four-five months and we have done much. Lesson of the story is that we should adapt ourselves to solve problems. Problems are part of every management process. We should be quick enough to solve them, any delay would kill the organization.

Labour intensive organizations are prone to failure because of lack of national work culture-which presently is goad continuously with punishment which for obvious reasons is not possible for any managerial model. Other disadvantage attached to such concerns is that the slightly senior employees use their position and trust for personal gains, a termite to destroy the very foundation of the concern. The only saving devise is intensive inspections with ruthless punishments and linking the wages with performance: basis being perform and get paid. 

Inter-personal Relations: The inter-personal relations among the employees should always contribute to higher productivity and helping attitude towards one another.  The managers and supervisors must use their position and experience for the purpose. This is true of all positions, otherwise bottlenecks and stumbling blocks kill smoothness required.    

Every company has two organizational structures: The formal one is written on the charts; the other is the everyday relationship of the men and women in the organization.

                                                         Harold Geneen

Chief Executive Officer, to whom everybody looks for guidance and development, has to be more than  prism-when white colour rays pass through the prism they become a beam of seven colours; to succeed a CEO should reflect only the colour needed. Owner CEO are very effective and so are the men of passion to succeed, devoted to their job-the total quality people. But such people are limited but their success stories are unlimited. The third alternative for the CEO is to employ professionals highly qualified give them on the job, experience, training and profile skills. But fact, remains that to perform and degree are two entirely different things and so is the training may be from the highly placed schools. Appointment to higher positions from the men who joined the organizations at lower levels, give an advantage of lot of experience and the situations they had faced earlier. Many a times they prove gem of men and are able to take the concern out of red. To perform and deliver is in their blood, they like to have their own say.  

 

There is another option normally not used by many but in Govt it is used for all important assignments that matter for the country. Appointment by invitation, whereby an invitation for appointment is sent for the position in view. It requires intensive study of both national and international resources as well an authentic account of the proven capabilities of the prospective incumbent. It is bit costly proposition since one has to take care of all the responsibilities of the individual concerned and his honour.

Competition is something that keeps a concern on toes and going when going itself is tough. It is slightly easy to deal with domestic competition as there is level playing field except for the intrinsic worth of individual assets. Here goodwill, quality of the goods and competitive price play. International competition is a wild guess, nobody can predict when it will hit, how and why. Dumping that is selling below the cost price is common where the price difference is compensated by the foreign Govt by subsidies, rebates, duty draw backs, lower taxes and tariffs etc. In such a situation Govt has to play its part otherwise industry is doomed as has happened with SMSEs in India on account of the Chinese highly subsidized goods. Here collective bargaining bodies like FICCI, CII in India of should take care of industry. 

WTO Agreement is far more liberal than GATT, intend to establish world as a village, has opened up the frontiers beyond nations and is prone to exploitation also. Profit motive everywhere has killed many local industries as industrialists world over shifted to places with less restrictions and more profit. In India many SMSEs failed as similar imported products available were cheaper than Indian brands. Nation has to safe guard its own interest, if they do not will find themselves in odds when they are required to in evens. 

Liberalization is another killer of enterprises in India, as domestic market was opened without ensuring capability of enterprises here to meet the international standards, norms, competition and technology. Many SMSEs have suffered a lot. Liberalization should have meant ease of doing business, whereas SMSEs face many hurdles at State and Local level like pollution and local body compliances.

Weak regulations relating to Money Laundering has done a great damage to the industry and trade which is reflected by the mounting Banks NPAs.  Loans taken from the Banks have been diverted for personal assets within the country and abroad. 

Loans to industry are available at lower rate of interest: which create an urge not to repay, delay repayment, this has led to diversion of the funds and created indiscipline in the financial market which has made many financial institutions including Banks to fail. 

Govt policy of disinvestment is result of Govt’s policy to get rid of loss making concerning instead of taking steps to correct their operations and generate employment and revenue. This has encourage marginal public sector undertakings (PSUs) to hasten the process for early disinvestment. Privatization is not a cure for every evil. Normally PSUs are big concerns so it has also led to shut down of private industries supplying parts and raw materials to such big concerns.

Culture of people affects the working of industries. There are a few countries where industries and organizations do not fail because they have learnt it hard way to protect themselves and be the best everywhere is their way of life. So is with Law, if people have respect for law or implementation is strict, people are more obedient by nature that affect health of industries and enterprises. We here in India are slightly away from these things. Hence industries fail.

Attitude of the owner a great factor in success of a concern. Most of the owners consider it as a profit earning machine. It is really bad, you have to nurture what you have created like children only then they will survive. In public sector many of the Departments consider these as the dumping grounds for those who are unfit or have to be adjusted and many take undue advantage from these enterprises. With attitudes like this the concern has to fail it is only the question of time. In such tiring situations it is integrity of the CEO that is put to hard test-many compromise the same as they are not personally put to loss but are the trusted employees of the owner Govt, so concern in doldrums.  In fact, nobody monitors whether the business is on right track or not. When the owners wake either it is too late or it requires a surgery of the highest order.

Inter-face is another aspect of the organizations. Inter-face with whom-with all those who matter, marketing network, raw material suppliers, work force, real consumers, shareholders, banks and financial institutions the source of cash and capital can provide insight into the working of the company. But majority do not bother for such an exercise and where done it is not a serious matter but a perfunctory one without any results and leads. 

Monitoring is a correction tool if done at an appropriate level; has so many benefits and very few financial implications. Higher the level of monitoring   more are the benefits. Stricter the norms, prescribed and performed, corrections become easy and smooth. It can turn the red into green. Monitoring brings out concealed errors and slips. The only ifs are monitor in time and have sharp eyes and ears, to read what is not written and to listen which is not being said-the way to find a needle in a haystack. If monitoring is not done seriously it become “Money Torn”. 

Diversification - the process of a business enlarging or varying its range of products or field of operation is need of the hour but the people do not see writing on the wall –the result is concerns go into losses and hence fails. Some concerns continue with the initial business even after it has become socially obsolete - a fatal approach. In fact, the process of diversification should start as soon as the concern becomes operational or with first adverse sign, like loss of goodwill, excess inventory of finished products, employees leaving etc. Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. 

Innovation and Creativity Innovation and creativity are essence of life and work. They give job satisfaction and pleasure. Those who indulge in these should always be encouraged. Lack of recognition discourages employees and hits the organization hard. These are the tools to kill the competition and put you much ahead of the others, must use and invest in them.   

Innovation is the lifeblood of an organization. Knowing how to lead and work with creative people requires knowledge and action that often goes against the typical organizational structure. Protect unusual people from bureaucracy and legalism typical of organizations.

Max De Pree

Sum up

We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.                                                      -Albert Einstein

“To be successful, you have to have your heart in your business, and your business in your heart.”

                                                                     —Thomas Watson

“Some people dream of success, while other people get up every morning and make it happen.”

                                                                     —Wayne Huizenga

Failure does not exist, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Failure is simply the absence of appropriate action at opportune time.