Go Green Intiative...

Save Wood and Paper

• Return unwanted mail and ask for your name to be removed from the mailing list.
• Always use both sides of a sheet of paper.
• Use e-mail to stay in touch, including cards, rather than faxing or writing.
• Re-use envelopes.
• Always recycle paper after use.
• Share magazines with friends and pass them on to the doctor, dentist or local hospital for their waiting rooms.
• Use recyclable paper to make invitation cards, envelops, letter pads etc.

At your workplace

• Use printers that can print on both sides of the paper ; try to look into this option when replacing old printers.
• Use the back of a draft or unwanted printout instead of notebooks. Even with a double-sided printer there is likely to be plenty of spare paper to use!
• Always buy recycled paper - for your business stationery and to use in your printers.
• Switch off computer monitors, printers and other equipment at the end of each day. Though in standby mode they're still using power - and that adds to global warming.
• Always turn off your office light and computer monitor when you go out for lunch or to a meeting.

In your Home

• Turn off equipment like televisions and stereos when you're not using them.
• Choose energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs.
• Save water: some simple steps can go a long way in saving water like for e.g: you should always turn off the tap when you are brushing your teeth. And try to collect the water used to wash vegetables and salad to water your houseplants.
• Let clothes dry naturally.
• Keep lids on pans when cooking to prevent your cooker having to work extra hard. Prefer to use gas ovens, Geysers etc in place of the electric ones.
• Recycle your paper, glass, plastics and other waste.
• Use rechargeable batteries.
• Send e-greetings instead of paper cards.

In your Garden

• Water the garden early in the morning or late in the evening. This reduces water loss due to evaporation. Don’t overwater the garden. Water only till the soil becomes moist, not soggy.
• Explore water efficient irrigation systems. Sprinkler irrigation and drip irrigation can be adapted to garden situations .
• Make your garden lively - plant trees and shrubs which will attract birds. You can also put p nest boxes and put food.
• Try growing sturdy grass in bare patches of land , and convince people in your neighbourhood to do so too.
• Put waste to work in your garden- sweep the fallen leaves and flowers into flower beds or under shrubs . This will increase soil fertility and also reduce the need for frequent watering.
• If you have little space in your garden , you could make a compost pit to turn organic waste from the kitchen and garden to soil enriching manure .
• Don't use chemicals in the garden - as they will eventually end up in the sea and can upset the delicate balance of lifecycles.
• Organic and environmentally friendly fertilisers and pesticides are available - organic gardening reduces pollution and is better for wildlife.

Reuse and Recycle

• Use washable nappies instead of disposables if you can.
• Recycle as much as you can.
• Give unwanted clothes, toys and books to charity shops or jumble sales.
• Use mains electricity rather than batteries if possible. If not, use rechargeable batteries.
• Use a solar-powered calculator instead of one with a battery.
• Instead of a plastic ballpoint, use a fountain pen with bottled ink, not plastic cartridges.
• Store food and other products in ceramic containers rather than foil and plastic wrap 

While Shopping

• Buy fruit and vegetables that are in season to help reduce enormous transport costs resulting from importing produce and, where possible, choose locally produced food.
• When buying fish look out for a variety of non-endangered species and buy local fish if possible.
• Prefer vegetarian options for your meals.
• On-line Shopping Purchase solar powered products.
• Send e-cards, if you can, rather than buy paper cards.
• Shop online, not only will this reduce fuel consumption and emissions by not driving to the shops, but each time you buy something on-line WWF receive a donation. You may even buy products from the nature shop.

Happy Diwali and prosperous New year !

 

Steve Jobs and the Seven Rules of Success

Steve Jobs' impact on your life cannot be underestimated. His innovations have likely touched nearly every aspect -- computers, movies, music and mobile. As a communications coach, I learned from Jobs that a presentation can, indeed, inspire. For entrepreneurs, Jobs' greatest legacy is the set of principles that drove his success.

Over the years, I've become a student of sorts of Jobs' career and life. Here's my take on the rules and values underpinning his success. Any of us can adopt them to unleash our "inner Steve Jobs."

1. Do what you love. Jobs once said, "People with passion can change the world for the better." Asked about the advice he would offer would-be entrepreneurs, he said, "I'd get a job as a busboy or something until I figured out what I was really passionate about." That's how much it meant to him. Passion is everything.

 

2. Put a dent in the universe. Jobs believed in the power of vision. He once asked then-Pepsi President, John Sculley, "Do you want to spend your life selling sugar water or do you want to change the world?" Don't lose sight of the big vision.

 

3. Make connections. Jobs once said creativity is connecting things. He meant that people with a broad set of life experiences can often see things that others miss. He took calligraphy classes that didn't have any practical use in his life -- until he built the Macintosh. Jobs traveled to India and Asia. He studied design and hospitality. Don't live in a bubble. Connect ideas from different fields.

 

4. Say no to 1,000 things. Jobs was as proud of what Apple chose not to do as he was of what Apple did. When he returned in Apple in 1997, he took a company with 350 products and reduced them to 10 products in a two-year period. Why? So he could put the "A-Team" on each product. What are you saying "no" to?   

 

5. Create insanely different experiences. Jobs also sought innovation in the customer-service experience. When he first came up with the concept for the Apple Stores, he said they would be different because instead of just moving boxes, the stores would enrich lives. Everything about the experience you have when you walk into an Apple store is intended to enrich your life and to create an emotional connection between you and the Apple brand. What are you doing to enrich the lives of your customers?

 

6. Master the message. You can have the greatest idea in the world, but if you can't communicate your ideas, it doesn't matter. Jobs was the world's greatest corporate storyteller. Instead of simply delivering a presentation like most people do, he informed, he educated, he inspired and he entertained, all in one presentation.

 

7. Sell dreams, not products. Jobs captured our imagination because he really understood his customer. He knew that tablets would not capture our imaginations if they were too complicated. The result? One button on the front of an iPad. It's so simple, a 2-year-old can use it. Your customers don't care about your product. They care about themselves, their hopes, their ambitions. Jobs taught us that if you help your customers reach their dreams, you'll win them over.

There's one story that I think sums up Jobs' career at Apple. An executive who had the job of reinventing the Disney Store once called up Jobs and asked for advice. His counsel? Dream bigger. I think that's the best advice he could leave us with. See genius in your craziness, believe in yourself, believe in your vision, and be constantly prepared to defend those ideas.

 

Happy Dassehra...

 

Bijness is Bijness

 

One day in a school in London, a teacher said to a class of 5-year-olds

I'll give 10 pounds to the child who can tell me who was the most famous man who ever lived."

An Irish boy put his hand up and said, "It was St. Patrick."

The teacher said, "Sorry Paddy, that's not correct."

Then a Scottish boy put his hand up and said, "It was St. Andrew."

The teacher replied, "I'm sorry, Hamish, that's not right either."

Then a Jewish boy put his hand up and said "David",

The Buddhist boy said "Gautama Buddha" and the Muslim boy said "Mohammed".

They all were not successful.

Finally, a Gujju boy raised his hand and said, "It was Jesus Christ."

The teacher said, "That's absolutely right, Jignesh, come up here and I'll give you the 10 pounds that I promised."

As the teacher was giving Jignesh his money, she said, "You know Jignesh, since you're a Hindu Gujarati; I was very surprised you said Jesus Christ."

Jignesh replied, "Yes. In my heart I knew it was Krishna ,but Bijness is Bijness!!!!!!


Moral : Talk the language which listener (Customer) wants, not that which youknow.