"Are you innovative???
Recently during an interview I was asked the same question. My answer was "yes" and I somehow tried to substantiate...
Innovation is a result - not a process.
An innovation is an idea put into action that creates change. You can try to create ground-breaking ideas intended for this purpose,
but until launched and in use, you won't know if it is an innovation.
On the list of objectives of most marketers is a statement about being innovative or driving innovation.
Telling marketers to "innovate" is the problem. It frames the wrong issue. The mission of the team should not be to "innovate," it should be to:
"Create remarkable ideas that have the potential to induce improvement and change."
(http://brandmistri.blogspot.com/2009_11_01_archive.html)
This is what Wiki has to tell:
Distinguishing INNOVATION from invention:
In business, innovation can be easily distinguished from invention. Invention is the conversion of cash into ideas. Innovation is the conversion of ideas into cash. This is best described by comparing Thomas Edison with Nikola Tesla.
Thomas Edison was an innovator because he made money from his ideas. Nikola Tesla was an inventor. Tesla spent money to create his inventions but was unable to monetize them.
It is useful, when conceptualising innovation, to consider whether other words suffice. Invention – the creation of new forms, compositions of matter, or processes – is often confused with innovation. An improvement on an existing form, composition or processes might be an invention, an innovation, both or neither if it is not substantial enough. It can be difficult to differentiate change from innovation. According to business literature, an idea, a change or an improvement is only an innovation when it is put to use and effectively causes a social or commercial reorganization.
So far there is no evidence where innovation has been measured scientifically. Scientists around the world are still working on methods to accurately measure innovation in terms of cost, effort or resource savings. Some of the innovations
have become successful because of the way people look at things and need for change from the old ways of doing things "Innovation . . . is generally understood as the successful introduction of a new thing or method . . . Innovation is
the embodiment, combination, or synthesis of knowledge in original, relevant, valued new products, processes, or services. Innovation typically involves creativity, but is not identical to it: innovation involves acting on the creative ideas
to make some specific and tangible difference in the domain in which the innovation occurs. "All innovation begins with creative ideas . . . We define innovation as the successful implementation of creative ideas within an organization. In this view, creativity by individuals and teams is a starting point for innovation; the first
is necessary but not sufficient condition for the second".
Monday, February 1, 2010
Winning matters. To win you've gotta attack.
Big talk & more!.. Viru Sehwag..This time he seems to have gone overboard... overconfidence is for the foolish!.. As for Sehwag, it is a good idea if his bat did the talking..
(http://capnagaraj.blogspot.com/)
Sports columnist K Sriniwas Rao had this to say - 'In Charles Darwin's magnum opus, The Origin of Species, the Neanderthal is an extinct member among modern day humans. However, says the author, the Neanderthal trait still prevails in some after thousands of years of human existence. It is rare but it does. If Darwin were to see on Thursday for himself, Virender Sehwag certainly wouldn't have looked out of place in this theory. Primal in his talent, primitive in instinct, Sehwag is cricket's rare species.'
This is what I say:
Sehwag scored brisk 45,52 and 56 in three innings as India's opener. India has always had good batsmen in their line up. India has started winning a lot of test matches in the last few years. One important factor is the way in which Sehwag destroys the opposition bowlers' morale when they come out fresh early in the innings. Remember those days when Sanjay Bangar was forced to open the innings or a determined Shiv Sunder Das or Akash Chopra (with due respect, I was a fan of both) blocked consistently.
To win, you've got to attack.
It is a different context when Al Ries and Jack Trout proclaim - 'Only the market leader should consider playing defence' (Marketing Warfare).
I wouldn't want to see Sehwag talk or bat any other way. By the way he said:
"Bangladesh are an ordinary side. They cannot beat India because they cannot take 20 wickets" (before the match)
After the series, he said something like this:"No. Bangladesh cannot beat us. They still did not take 20 wickets!"
Anyway Roger Federer still won the Australian Open for the fourth time even after he said that Murray could get stage-freight because he has never beaten him in a Grand Slam and has the added pressure of trying to win the first for British tennis in, what is it, like 150,000 years. Team Australia (cricket) continue to beat opposition after opposition with all their verbal volleys!
Winning matters.
(http://capnagaraj.blogspot.com/)
Sports columnist K Sriniwas Rao had this to say - 'In Charles Darwin's magnum opus, The Origin of Species, the Neanderthal is an extinct member among modern day humans. However, says the author, the Neanderthal trait still prevails in some after thousands of years of human existence. It is rare but it does. If Darwin were to see on Thursday for himself, Virender Sehwag certainly wouldn't have looked out of place in this theory. Primal in his talent, primitive in instinct, Sehwag is cricket's rare species.'
This is what I say:
Sehwag scored brisk 45,52 and 56 in three innings as India's opener. India has always had good batsmen in their line up. India has started winning a lot of test matches in the last few years. One important factor is the way in which Sehwag destroys the opposition bowlers' morale when they come out fresh early in the innings. Remember those days when Sanjay Bangar was forced to open the innings or a determined Shiv Sunder Das or Akash Chopra (with due respect, I was a fan of both) blocked consistently.
To win, you've got to attack.
It is a different context when Al Ries and Jack Trout proclaim - 'Only the market leader should consider playing defence' (Marketing Warfare).
I wouldn't want to see Sehwag talk or bat any other way. By the way he said:
"Bangladesh are an ordinary side. They cannot beat India because they cannot take 20 wickets" (before the match)
After the series, he said something like this:"No. Bangladesh cannot beat us. They still did not take 20 wickets!"
Anyway Roger Federer still won the Australian Open for the fourth time even after he said that Murray could get stage-freight because he has never beaten him in a Grand Slam and has the added pressure of trying to win the first for British tennis in, what is it, like 150,000 years. Team Australia (cricket) continue to beat opposition after opposition with all their verbal volleys!
Winning matters.
I would rather create a visual than write.
..I'd rather write than speak. You?... Writing's such a thoughtful act. Far more than speaking. I need to think better and clearer to write...
Normally a person spends longer time doing things he/she likes. The impact of any form of advertisement depends on how much the target audience could chew. You, as an ad maker could persuade the target audience to bite a large piece of the 'apple', but he will only eat however much he can chew, nothing more. Irrespective of the medium, target audience always inadvertantly listen to spoken communique, read a written message, ruminate over a captivating print ad or watch a good motion ad. A good orator should focus on speaking, a writer should write and a visualiser should work on visuals.
I would rather create a visual than write.
I would rather create a visual than write.
We need a leader, we need you
If you ask any student of any institution, there are high chances that the reply would be something like : 1. It is sad. Hope I had taken admission in so and so institution - I had my chances. 2. An instinctive 'Wow', I am so happy that I am studying here.
You ask the same question to one of our students who have been exposed to the ground realities for at least two terms. Unwittingly, you will see the same familiar hesitant, unsure look on their faces. It could be a collective disobedience or mass ignorance. Whichever it is, there has to be a fundamental reason for this collective behaviour. It could be lack of dedicated professors, lack of managerial focus, cognitive disonance arising out of hard core sales techniques by the admission team, or simply lack of quality students (possible).
I see one solution to all these insecure feelings.
We need a leader. We need somebody to look upto. We are like an army without a general.
To Mr. S. Angur and Mr. M. Angur,
We are missing our soul in the institution. Please come and give us direction. Please pick me up and slog me for my mistakes. I refuse to be dictated by any other individual. We miss your aura. Please do not disappoint us, please do not confine us behind the majestic Administrative block. We are still not matured enough to be left alone in this jungle. I ever wait for that alluding interaction with you as much as I wait for my grandad's ever alluding phone call.
We need to build a brand. And for that we need spokeperson; only ten talented individuals in the placement commitee cannot shoulder the entire responsibility. Make us believe that we are among the best, that we have it in us to beat the best.
We need a leader, we need you.
You ask the same question to one of our students who have been exposed to the ground realities for at least two terms. Unwittingly, you will see the same familiar hesitant, unsure look on their faces. It could be a collective disobedience or mass ignorance. Whichever it is, there has to be a fundamental reason for this collective behaviour. It could be lack of dedicated professors, lack of managerial focus, cognitive disonance arising out of hard core sales techniques by the admission team, or simply lack of quality students (possible).
I see one solution to all these insecure feelings.
We need a leader. We need somebody to look upto. We are like an army without a general.
To Mr. S. Angur and Mr. M. Angur,
We are missing our soul in the institution. Please come and give us direction. Please pick me up and slog me for my mistakes. I refuse to be dictated by any other individual. We miss your aura. Please do not disappoint us, please do not confine us behind the majestic Administrative block. We are still not matured enough to be left alone in this jungle. I ever wait for that alluding interaction with you as much as I wait for my grandad's ever alluding phone call.
We need to build a brand. And for that we need spokeperson; only ten talented individuals in the placement commitee cannot shoulder the entire responsibility. Make us believe that we are among the best, that we have it in us to beat the best.
We need a leader, we need you.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
I am in the same boat
I learnt that a fellow student left her job in a reputed organisation, painstakingly withdrew 2 lakh rupees which she had saved after workin for two years. She requested her dad to shell out another 2 lakh rupees for an MBA course to shape her career. She obtained 4 lakh rupees more from a bank and came to Bangalore to pursue her MBA dream. With every passing month, hostel room rents and food coupon rates kept going up. She always believed that she would get placed before dissertation (last term). But having sat for only 3 interviews, in which twice she got rejected in the group discussion round (in case of the third interview, she got rejected in the self introduction round itself), her self confidence is down in the dumps. Sudddenly, the loan burden on her shoulders felt heavier, her future became blurred and the past resurfaced haunting.
I am just a non-profit, passive onlooker in the same boat. I ll tell you what - you would atleast have a story to tell your children and grandchildren about your determination and sacrifices.
Good luck. (Sherlock Holmes at Alliance)
Good luck. (Sherlock Holmes at Alliance)
Rs.500 fine, not less!
Yes, if I am threatened with Rs. 500 fine or zero mark in my DTA, only then will I consider attending a placement training session by Prof. Jack Alex (name changed). He would do well in 'GOD' channel with a fake smile and open arms. Without going too much into the details of his teaching methodology and questionable skill set, the following might be few reasons certain teachers are branded bad:
1. Just in the wrong field - a teacher is born not made
2. Insuffucient knowledge
3. Unable to impart knowledge
4. Low emotional quotient - unable to strike a chord with the students.
Few things that Alliance students do is to religiously keep an eye on the mail box like determined meerkat guarding their territory all day (waiting for mails from the placement cell. One of the mail read - students had to attend an interview training session under a faculty whom I brand as belonging to category 1,2,3 and 4 (mentioned above).
1. Just in the wrong field - a teacher is born not made
2. Insuffucient knowledge
3. Unable to impart knowledge
4. Low emotional quotient - unable to strike a chord with the students.
Few things that Alliance students do is to religiously keep an eye on the mail box like determined meerkat guarding their territory all day (waiting for mails from the placement cell. One of the mail read - students had to attend an interview training session under a faculty whom I brand as belonging to category 1,2,3 and 4 (mentioned above).
Rs.500 fine, not less! It does not help to wear mickey mouse neck-tie!
Round about answer to a straightfoward query!
In one of the introductory sessions, I remember one of our teachers distinctly suggesting that students pay a humungus sum either emptying their parents life long savings or a future load of loans, to sit through the stipulated months, get a job and get away! He claimed that it has always been this way. There can be no other worse way to tarnish your own image than treating your own profession with desdain. Two years is a long time and even if one could even learn a tip or two everyday from the faculties and friends, it would do a world of good.
I calmed down my emotions and consoled myself 'Al is well', thinking may be it is actually the case with other students. But come to think of it - January is already over!! Commonsense tells that a fiscal year starts on 1st April of every year, therefore companies start afresh by every April. Doesn't it mean- placement season ends by March end. That leaves the entire months of feb and march, lets assume. More than 300 students yet to get placed. Manual counting of the number of mails from the placement cell stands at more than 30! Ask anyone the college how many companies that they have applied to or how many interviews they have actually sat in? Maximum four! Wow.. such a big number when you have more than 100 students vying for 2 or 3 seats. At this rate, arithmatic will eventually take a beating!
Point is , it actually is a really bad scene. The trend is the same everywhere else in bangalore except IIMB (a fav line for evey1). Alliance Business School claims to be the next best B-School in Bangalore. Is it really? Ask any student and you will see a hesistant look!! It is no good sign for any B-School to have so many disgrunted, unsatisfied students and faculties, specially when B-schools are mushrooming everyday. A world class library with a max 20 students at any given time - shameful! A prospective student enquired about the admission process few days back.
1st Q. How good are the faculties?
2nd Q. How is the placement scene?
I did very well to divert his attention to the sprawling campus and the expanse of green,green grass. I am a good salesman, not sure if everyone has an equally big heart and an equally loyal pulse.
I calmed down my emotions and consoled myself 'Al is well', thinking may be it is actually the case with other students. But come to think of it - January is already over!! Commonsense tells that a fiscal year starts on 1st April of every year, therefore companies start afresh by every April. Doesn't it mean- placement season ends by March end. That leaves the entire months of feb and march, lets assume. More than 300 students yet to get placed. Manual counting of the number of mails from the placement cell stands at more than 30! Ask anyone the college how many companies that they have applied to or how many interviews they have actually sat in? Maximum four! Wow.. such a big number when you have more than 100 students vying for 2 or 3 seats. At this rate, arithmatic will eventually take a beating!
Point is , it actually is a really bad scene. The trend is the same everywhere else in bangalore except IIMB (a fav line for evey1). Alliance Business School claims to be the next best B-School in Bangalore. Is it really? Ask any student and you will see a hesistant look!! It is no good sign for any B-School to have so many disgrunted, unsatisfied students and faculties, specially when B-schools are mushrooming everyday. A world class library with a max 20 students at any given time - shameful! A prospective student enquired about the admission process few days back.
1st Q. How good are the faculties?
2nd Q. How is the placement scene?
I did very well to divert his attention to the sprawling campus and the expanse of green,green grass. I am a good salesman, not sure if everyone has an equally big heart and an equally loyal pulse.
Please take note.
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