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Volume 5 | Number 74 | Oct 2012 | Page 1– 12

Consultants’ Corner

Tackle negativity before it overtakes you Page. 04

Skills Inventory Page. 03

3 Message from Dr. RSM

4 Tackle negativity before it overtake you

5 Did you know this? - First words on Gramophone

6 To my grandson 7 Review Corner

8 What’s up at NCRCL?

9 An Exclusive Talk

10 Parichay

11 Knowledge Snippet

11 Birthday Greetings

11 Ha Ha Ha !!!

Inside

Our Mission is to apply our professional capabilities with a holistic approach for the happiness of clients,

through values and social commitment.

Tackle negativity before it overtakes you

Does every other week day feel like Monday? Are you dragging your feet to office

every morning with aches and pains which disappear during the weekend? Do you

go through the day at work with irritation and anger wanting to chuck it all out.….…

-read more...page 4

An exclusive talk with Roopa Kamath

To my Grandson

Contents of a letter addressed by Late Dr. Verghese

Kurien (appeared in his autobiography)…...

read more..page 6

see more..page 9

Parichay

Fundacio Ineval see more..page 10

Did you know this? - First words on Gramophone

HMV Company had once published a pamphlet giving the

history of gramophone record. Gramophone was

invented by Thomas Alva Edison in the 19th century....

read more..page 5

see more..page 8

What’s up at NCRCL?

Review Corner

Book Review: It’s Not About the Bike

read more..page 7

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 12 10 11 Consultants’ Corner

Skills Inventory

Dr. R. S. Murali

muralirs@ncrcl.com

Recently I was talking with a businessman at the airport and his major problems

seemed to be in the human resource (HR) area. As we began conversing deeper, I

asked him whether he has made a skills inventory of his staff. His organization was

specializing in mechatronic designs for various machines and required highly qualified

and innovative persons. As we continued our discussions on various issues he wanted

to know more about skills inventory. I discussed with him some aspects of this topic. I

am sharing some of them here.

Technically the term skills inventory means ―a list of skills or competencies possessed by an individual‖. Now-a-days

organizations draw up a skills inventory request when recruitments are made or when promotions are in the anvil. In this

context, the skills inventory implies the ―listing of abilities, capacities, qualifications, and career goals of the employees to

identify suitable candidates for internal recruitment or promotions‖.

There are several aspects to skills inventorying. My research in this showed that there are several skills that are required

to make up this inventory. Popular of them are in relation to:

Physical skills

Verbal/written/presentation skills

Influencing/motivational skills

Learning skills

Leadership skills

Teaching/coaching skills

Doing/hands-on skills

Administrative skills

Artistic skills

Interpersonal skills

Innovation skills

Math/financial skills

Computer skills

Technical skills (in the area of specialization)

There is a misunderstanding that qualification is end of learning; actually it is just a beginning. Similarly, any subject that

we are not exposed to or we have not specialized in, we are reluctant not only to learn but even to get an intro into such

a subject. This is the major issue that is being faced by the industry today. With specialization even at school level the

general understanding of students with regard to generic matters seems extremely low. This fact is now impacting

organizations and institutions of higher learning rather strongly.

While I am not dwelling into the details of these popular skill-sets, we need to do a self evaluation of our skill-sets, in

other words, we need to have our own inventory. Actually this needs to be done every alternate year to evaluate

ourselves. Based on the inventory we need to do a skill gap analysis to find out the way you want to progress in your

professional or personal life. Sometimes you may find that most of your skill-sets are not being used. You have a strong

case to move on in your organizational ladder or move away from the organization!

Message from Dr. RSM

Tackle negativity before it overtakes you Rekha Murali

rekha@ncrcl.com

(As published in ‗The Hindu—opportunities‘ dated September 19, 2012)

Does every other week day feel like Monday? Are you

dragging your feet to office every morning with aches

and pains which disappear during the weekend? Do you

go through the day at work with irritation and anger

wanting to chuck it all out?

If you have answered ‗yes‘ to the above questions, one

major concern would be the negativity you are

harbouring towards your company and co-workers! It is

time to change!

Negativity creeps into your mind like slow poison before

you are even aware of it. It affects everyone you interact

with at work.

Negativity in an individual can be due to both internal

and external causes. A person may have some deeply

embedded negative traits that spring to the surface

through negative behaviour.

These traits may have formed due to ‗conditioned

thinking‘ that takes place in early childhood in the family

environment.

The perception of such a person is negative and he/she

often tends to paint a gloomy picture of everything. This

can also affect one‘s communication style in an adverse

way. Besides these, personal worries and stressors can

also play havoc with people‘s lives, pulling them down.

Sometimes, even if a person is positive by nature,

external circumstances at the workplace such as heavy

stressful workload and poor communication skills could

affect him/her negatively. There may be a need to put in

extra effort at work, which may be beyond his/her

capacity.

Sometimes, the individual could be a misfit at the job or

the job itself may not be challenging enough. Lack of

appreciation and recognition is also another cause for a

person‘s dejection affecting his/her performance.

Whatever the cause, negativity can be chronic or

temporary. Chronic negativity has to be dealt with

seriously while temporary negativity could just be there

‗one of those days‘!

Either way, as an individual, how can you keep yourself

way from pessimism and negative attitude? First of all,

learn to separate your personal life and professional life.

Leave all the personal negative issues at the door when

you enter the office, looking at your work environment as

a new chapter every day! Similarly, work and

work-related issues should not be carried back home to

the family.

Nothing seems to work well, when there is negativity!

You carry with you a feeling of foreboding and despair.

Check if the cause is a situation, a person or if it is within

you.

If it is a situation, make a conscious effort to convert

your complaints into positive and constructive criticism

without whining and harping on the negative aspects

with your co-worker or boss. For instance, you may face

a situation where a client rejects your report and wants it

to be approached in a different way.

Instead of getting upset and defensive, you could think

of how best you can bring in the changes and view the

entire experience as a learning process. This will

improve your skills on the job leading to better

performance.

Also, bear in mind that you should not try to mend things

based on your perception (which could be negative) of

the situation. Sometimes, you may wonder what the

other person is thinking and feeling, assuming the worst.

Instead, focus only on what truly needs repair without

judgement and negative assumptions.

Sometimes, you feel the office environment is promoting

negativity in you. For instance, if you have a whining

colleague, you can give him/her a patient hearing, check

if he/she needs help in resolving an issue and provide

ideas on how to deal with it. Sometimes, your friend may

only want to vent his/her feelings, so just lend your ears.

But, ensure that the whining doesn‘t pull you into a

whirlpool of negativity.

If it is a situation that affects you as a person or if you

are yourself feeling negative, look for reasons within

you.

Freedom of mind is the real freedom. A person whose mind is not free though he may not be in chains, is a slave, not a free man.

- Dr. B. R. Ambedkar

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 12 10 11 Consultants’ Corner

-contd on next page

Negativity can be tackled using self-talk and

self-enquiry. Question yourself on why you are feeling

negative?

What is it in a situation that gives rise to feelings of

negativity? Look for answers within. Deep enquiry may

reveal that somewhere in the past you witnessed and

nurtured negativity that has not healed.

There may be some imbalance within you because of

some wounds of the past. As Michael LeBoeuf, a

speaker and author says, ―The world is your mirror and

your mind is a magnet. What you perceive in this world

is largely a reflection of your own attitudes and beliefs.‖

Sometimes, things don‘t seem to align with what you are

truly feeling inside. This is because all the negativity you

see outside is a reflection of an inner battle inside you.

Remember that negativity breeds negativity.

Hence, the power to tackle it and change yourself is in

your hands. Accept gratefully what life offers you and

face it with a positive attitude.

They were glad that voices of great persons like Max

Muller could be stored for the benefit of posterity.

After several rounds of applause and congratulations to

Thomas Alva Edison, Max Muller came to the stage and

addressed the scholars and asked them, "You heard my

original voice in the morning. Then you heard the same

voice coming out from this instrument in the afternoon.

Did you understand what I said in the morning or what

you heard this afternoon?"

The audience fell silent because they could not

understand the language in which Max Muller had

spoken. It was `Greek and Latin' to them as they say.

But had it been Greek or Latin, they would have

definitely understood because they were from various

parts of Europe. It was in a language which the

European scholars had never heard.

Max Muller then explained what he had spoken. He said

that the language he spoke was

Sanskrit and it was the first sloka

of Rig Veda, which says "Agni

Meele Purohitam." This was

the first recorded public ver-

sion on the gramophone

plate.

Why did Max Muller choose

this? Addressing the audi-

ence he said, "Vedas are

the oldest text of the human

race. And Agni Meele Purohi-

tam is the first verse of Rig Veda. In the most primordial

time, when the people did not know how even to cover

their bodies and lived by hunting and housed in caves,

Indians had attained high civilization and they gave the

world universal philosophies in the form of the Vedas."

Such is the illustrious legacy of India!

When "Agni Meele Purohitam" was replayed the entire

audience stood up in silence as a mark of respect for the

ancient Hindu sages.

This verse means:

"Oh Agni (God of Fire), You who gleam in the darkness,

To You we come day by day, with devotion and bearing

homage. So be of easy access to us, Agni, as a father to

his son, abide with us for our well being.

(source: Internet)

Everything is held together with stories. That is all that is holding us together, stories and compassion.

- Barry Lopez

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 12 10 11 Consultants’ Corner

HMV Company had once published

a pamphlet giving the history of gramophone record.

Gramophone was invented by Thomas Alva Edison in

the 19th century. Edison, who had invented many other

gadgets like electric light and the motion picture camera,

had become a legend even in his own time.

When He invented the gramophone record, which could

record human voice for posterity, he wanted to record

the voice of an eminent scholar on his first piece. For

that he chose Prof. Max Muller of Germany, another

great personality of the 19th century. He wrote to Max

Muller saying, "I want to meet you and record your

voice. When should I come?" Max Muller who had great

respect for Edison asked him to come on a suitable time

when most of the scholars of the Europe would be

gathering in England.

Accordingly, Edison took a ship and went to England.

He was introduced to the audience. All cheered Edison's

presence. Later at the request of Edison, Max Muller

came on the stage and spoke in front of the instrument.

Then Edison went back to his laboratory and by

afternoon came back with a disc. He played the

gramophone disc from his instrument. The audience

was thrilled to hear the voice of Max Muller from the

instrument.

Did you know this? - First

Words on Gramophone..... Suresh C S

sureshcs@ncrcl.com

When did I write to you last? I have trouble even

remembering! In today‘s fast-paced world we have

become so addicted to instant communication that we

prefer to use a telephone. But speaking on the

telephone only gives us an immediate but fleeting joy.

Writing is different. Writing – even if it is a letter – not

only conveys our present concerns and views of the

events taking place around us but it becomes a

possession that can be treasured and re-read over the

years, with great, abiding pleasure.

What is contained in the chapters (The Book : I TOO

HAD A DREAM) that follow is, of course, more than a

letter. You may not wish to read it all right away but,

perhaps, a couple of decades or more from now, you will

pick up these jottings of mine again and they will give

you a deeper understanding of what I have done, and

the reasons I pursued a life of services to our nation‘s

farmers. You will then discover in them valuable

reminder of the days just before the world entered the

twenty-first century. And you may want to share my

memories with those of your generation, or even

younger, provide them glimpse of the world your

grandparents lived in and knew.

I started my working life soon after our country became

independent. The noblest task in those days was to

contribute in whatever way we could towards building an

India of our dreams – a nation where our people would

not only hold their heads high in freedom but would be

free from hunger and poverty. A nation where our peo-

ple could live with equal respect and love for one an-

other. A nation that would eventually be counted among

the foremost nations of the world. It was then that I real-

ized, in all humility, that choosing to lead one kind of life

means putting aside the desire to pursue other options.

This transformation took place within me fifty years ago,

when I agreed to work for a small cooperative of dairy

farmers who were trying to gain control over their lives.

To be quite honest, service to our nation‘s farmers was

not the career I had envisioned for myself. But some-

how, a series of events swept me along and put me in a

certain place at a certain time when I had to choose be-

tween one option or another.

I was faced with a choice that would transform my life. I

could have pursued a career in metallurgy and perhaps

become the chief executive of a large company. Or, I

could have opted for a commission in the Indian Army

and maybe retired as a general. Or, I could have left for

the US and gone on to become a highly successful NRI.

To my Grandson

-Contents of a letter addressed by Late Dr. Verghese

Kurien (appeared in his autobiography)

Yet I chose none of these because somewhere, deep

down, I knew I could make a more meaningful

contribution by working here in Anand, Gujarat.

Your grandmother too made an important choice. She

knew, in those early days, life in Anand could not offer

even the simple comforts that we take for granted today.

However, she ardently supported my choice to live and

work in Anand. That choice of your grandmother to

stand by me has given me an everlasting strength,

always ensuring that I shouldered my responsibilities

with poise.

Whenever I have received any recognition for my

contributions towards the progress of our country, I have

always emphasized that it is recognition of the

achievements of many people with whom I had the

privilege to be associated with. I would like to stress

even more strongly that my contributions have been

possible only because I have consistently adhered

to certain core values. Values that I inherited from

my parents and other family elders; values that I

saw in my mentor and supporter here in Anand –

Tribhuvandas Patel. I have often spoken of integrity

as the most important of these values, realizing that

integrity – and personal integrity, at that – is being

honest to yourself. If you are always honest to

yourself, it does not take much effort in always

being honest with others.

Life is not complex. We are complex. Life is simple, and the simple thing is the right thing.

- Oscar Wilde

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 12 10 11 Consultants’ Corner

-contd on next page

Kind hearts are the gardens. Kind thoughts are the roots. Kind words are the blossoms. Kind deeds are the fruits.

- Kirpal Singh

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 12 10 11 Consultants’ Corner

I have also learnt what I am sure you, too, will find out

some day. Life is a privilege and to waste it would

wrong. In living this privilege called ‘Life’. You must

accept responsibility for yourself, always use your

talents to the best of your ability and contribute

somehow to the common good. That common good

will present itself to you in many forms everyday. If

you just look around you, you will find there is a lot

waiting to be done: your friend may need some help,

your teacher could be looking for a volunteer, or the

community you live in will need you to make a

contribution. I hope that you, too, will discover, as I

did, that failure is not about not succeeding. Rather,

it is about not putting in you best effort and not con-

tributing, however modestly, to the common good.

In life you, too, will discover, as I did, that anything can

go wrong at any time and mostly does. Yet, there is

little correlation between the circumstances of

people’s lives and how happy they are. Most of us

compare ourselves with someone we think is

happier – a relative, an acquaintance, or often,

someone we barely know.

But when we start looking closely we realize that

what we saw were only images of perfection. And

that will help us understand and cherish what we

have, rather than what we don’t have.

Do you remember when you accompanied me to the

magnificent ceremony in Delhi in which our President

awarded me the Padma Vibhushan in 1999? With great

pride, you slipped the medal around your neck, looked

at it in awe and asked me very innocently if you could

keep it. Do you remember the answer your grandmother

and I gave you? We told you that of course, this medal

was yours as much as it is mine but that you should

not be satisfied in merely keeping my awards – the

challenge before you was to earn your own rewards

for the work that you did in you life time.

And in the end, if we are brave enough to love,

strong enough to rejoice in another’s happiness and

wise enough to know that there is enough to go

around for all, then we would have lived our lives to

the fullest.

Review Corner At this point of time I literally closed the book after being

extremely frightened about how a normal man‘s life

changes upside down within no time and that too for no

fault of his made me extremely volatile. I felt, coming to

terms with life for Armstrong, at that point of time, would

have been the greatest challenge.

Armstrong‘s conversations with

himself during and after the

chemo sessions are extremely

scary and at one point he even

says that there were days when

he thought that his end was a

matter of time. Petrified? You

bet!

However, the beacon of life

shines on him and how he

recovers from the disease, how

he is motivated to cycle again,

how he gets back to reclaim the Tour de France

championship and yes not to forget, how he overcomes

challenges to become a father which the doctors said

was impossible at one point of time makes up for the

rest of the book which is put very nicely and lucidly.

The book is wonderfully written and with a little strength

and will, the reader is sure to gain a first-hand

knowledge about the suffering of a cancer patient and

how with sheer will power and family support men can

overcome the fatalities of any disease. A must read!

Signing off with salutations to the MAN!!

There are very few books that I have read that makes

you glued to it as well as make you stop reading it out of

fear at the same time. The world renowned cyclist Lance

Armstrong‘s documentary about his fight with cancer

―ITS NOT ABOUT THE BIKE‖ is one. The book was

published in the year 2000 after Armstrong fought back

successfully against a deadly cancer battle.

The book starts off with a summary on his childhood and

how he gets the surname Armstrong. The role of his

mother in nurturing him and how she remained his

greatest influence has been given in great detail. Then it

moves towards the story of how he picks up cycling and

how it becomes a passion for him. His glory in the

cycling races and how he enjoyed life in his hey days

makes up the introduction of the book. All those make

for an engaging reading.

The book starts moving to its business end from the

third chapter. The party night on which he suffers a

terrible headache and later diagnosed with cancer and

that too at the advanced stages make up a scary

reading.

Book Review: It’s Not About the

Bike (Author: Lance Armstrong)

Karthik M V

karthikmv@ncrcl.com

What’s up at NCRCL?

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 12 10 11 Consultants’ Corner

The 13th AGM of NCRCL was conducted at Hotel Savera , Chennai on

22nd Sep 2012

Trip to Mahabalipuram Chennai on 22nd Sep 2012

Double Dhamaka!! Each unit has power of two.

Baba of NCRCL

Hercules of NCRCL

An Exclusive Talk with Roopa Kamath

Roopa Kamath K M.Com Working as Project Executive Born on 22nd September Email: kamath.roopa@yahoomail.com

Mob No: +91 9972673807

CC. The meaning of your name.

Roopa: The most beautiful.

CC. Nickname.

Roopa: Rup, Roopli

CC. Your dream job.

Roopa: To be a manager at NCRCL

CC Your first impression of NCRCL.

Roopa: Job in sync with my ambition.

CC. What personal/emotional characteristic of yours do you want to change?

Roopa: Indecisiveness

CC. Money or job satisfaction?

Roopa: Face of the same coin, so both !

CC. Your Stress buster.

Roopa: Spending time with family, listening music.

CC. Do you have a small circle of close friends, rather than a large number of friends?

Roopa: Small or large circle but quality of people matters!

CC. What do you most like about a person?

Roopa: Socializing

CC. What do you most hate in a person?

Roopa: Ego, rigidness

CC. Team work vs Individual work – your comments.

Roopa: Of course team work

CC. Do you make efforts to get others to laugh and smile?

Roopa: I believe every human has the responsibility to make others smile...yes!

CC. Your heart rules your head or your head rules your heart?

Roopa: I am not programmed! It depends….

CC. What kind of special talent do you have?

Roopa: Finishing the any task within time….

CC. What are your hobbies?

Roopa: Listening music, gardening, reading books…

Intelligence and capability are not enough.T here must be the joy of doing something beautiful.

- Dr. Govindappa

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 12 10 11 Consultants’ Corner

Parichay Know our Associates!

Fundacio Ineval

Our European associate INEVAL has been exploring the deep sources of motivation since 1995 and

has come with the absolute recipe to success with its unique Management by Values, which includes a

new way for teams called Natural Leadership. Professor Jordi Griera founded INEVAL to promote

the human value in business. Since 1995, he has been developing an original and most effective way

to mould relationships in a Company that has resulted in his breed of Management by Values, which

awakens the Natural Leadership latent in every Director and Manager for an effective team work

which in his scheme becomes company-wide. He is a member of the Ethics Committee of AENOR, the

Spanish partner of the International Standards Organisation of Geneva and he has taken an active

part in the development of the new Social Responsibility Standard, ISO-26000. He has played an ac-

tive role in the review of the various drafts prepared by the ISO working committee group from 2004

till the final preparation of the guidelines in 2010.

NCRCL is proud to be associated with INEVAL, instrumental in the self-declaration of NCRCL as

an ISO 26000 certified company. Professor Jordi Griera also conducted the Management by Values

program at NCRCL . With this association with INEVAL, NCRCL is proud to offer training on

Management by Values and ISO 26000 certification to companies.

Ha Ha Ha !!!

Knowledge Snippet

Happy Birthday!

Who invented the safety pin?

Send in your answers to the editor at cc@ncrcl.com

Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in awhile, or the light won't come in. - Alan Alda

Believe in Yourself

Some days when you get up in the morning and things aren‘t the way you had hoped they would be.

That‘s when you have to tell yourself that things will get better. There are times when people disappoint you and let you down.

But those are the times when you must remind yourself to trust your own judgments and opinions, to keep your life focused on believing in yourself.

There will be challenges to face and changes to make in your life, and it is up to you to accept them.

Constantly keep yourself headed in the right direction for you. It may not be easy at times, but in those times of struggle you will find a stronger sense of who you are.

So when the days come that are filled with frustration and unexpected responsibilities, remember to believe in yourself and all you want your life to be.

Because the challenges and changes will only help you to find the goals that you know are meant to come true for you.

Keep Believing in Yourself!

For feedback

Pl note that in Page 5 of the Sep 2012 issue of CC, under advantages of ISMS certification, the bullet points are wrongly printed.

-Ashok Rao

Thanks Ashok for your feedback. Appreciated.

If you have any comment/suggestion for the editors, please write to us at cc@ncrcl.com! Your views and comments on articles featured here are also welcome!

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 12 10 11 Consultants’ Corner

Answer To last month’s Knowledge Snippet question:

Which management guru with a background in medicine wrote a book

called the "Mechanism of Mind"?

Answer: Edward de Bono

The right answer was given by

Lakshminiarayanan M N

!!! Congratulations !!!

Manjunath -19th Oct Krithiga Priyadarsini -2nd Oct

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