HOW TO FACE THE CRISIS

Friends

"Fight the Bull with his horns or else bull would be winner". I just want to share my views about coping with the business crisis. This is just an analysis from various readings and discussions. It may not be full proof method but atleast we can follow this. Let us presume that we are passing through a business crisis due to low demand, bad recovery, diminishing margins, non availability of funds or increasing costs, competition etc. etc. . In my view to fight such business crisis one needs to work on all fronts. It is just like a warrior coming out of the palace and going to the war field with all the ammunitions available. As if he is riding on a chariot with four horses. These horses are basically four basic suggestions which are interrelated and can not be followed individually but if followed properly, it can help us in not only facing the crisis but also in getting out of it.

I. Cost Cutting: Cut the cost on all corners to the maximum possible. This is a very important factor. We need to analyse where the cost is extra and hence reduce it to the maximum possible without affecting the business. This will surely support us in facing the crisis. Please keep in mind that essential business and family cost should not be curtailed. Infact I have noticed that in such cases we just put on hold every thing. Rather we should increase the activites particularly related to travelling, relationship building and interaction with customers, suppliers, competitors, bankers, stake holders etc. Such cost should be increased to face this crisis.

II. Business Analysis: Sometimes the business crisis may be due to sensitive nature of the industry or business segment we are into, and hence we should regularly analyse. The nature of industry, our positioning in the business, the location, the level of scale all are needed to be analysed periodically. An honest self analysis is must whether crisis is there or not. During the course of time we attain some expertise in a particular area and also we develop rigidity . This acts as a barrier to look into other segments and in the process we fail to come out of the crisis. I understand it is difficult to look into other segments after a certain age, but there is no need to have ego in this and unlearning can be a good solution. Nobody is perfect and we are nobody. If there is good opportunity in other segments then why not look into that. However, before doing this analyse about our self, our interest and expertise and the reasons of this crisis. It should be an honest analysis otherwise nothing would solve. In my view, we all know the real reasons but rarely tell in public.

III. Family : The family is the back of any businessman and the survival is fully dependent on the happiess of the family. the family should not be affected by the crisis and we need to take full care of the family. I would suggest we dont pressurise the family to cut the cost beyond a point. Family is a place where we get chance to think and visualise , it should be protected . It keeps us on ground too. Please ensure the tension is minimum to the family.

IV. Change in Attitude: This is most important horse. The crisis may be no doubt due to the reasons beyond our control but the impact can be more due to change in attitude during the course of time. When we are successful, the attitude changes without notice, this need to be corrected. We may have left many relations just because of our ego, ignorance or negative attitude. Try to find out them and get them back in your life and they would again solve your situation. Generally it happens that certain people help us in the intiail stages of our career but we forget them while riding on the success ladder. Figure out such people and reconnect them. They would always think good for you and help you. I know it is dificult to go back to them, but still it is needed. Accept the weaknesses , mistakes , it would make our stature more higher. Also keep your faith and confidence level to the highest level. There is always tomorrow and when we are facing night, sun has already risen somewhere on the earth. So dont worry about that. If day could not remain forever, night would also not remain.

Friends these were certain personal views and may not be universally right but I thought of sharing with you and also wish to know your comments.

cp

Expectations & Aspirations

Friends

In a family, the expectaions from the parents and aspirations from kids are always too high. As kids, we used to expect all the luxury from the parents without understanding their limitations. When we grew up went to college, we thought of winning the whole world as soon as we finish the education. Later we got the professional degrees and it sound as if we are on top of the world. Then our real struggle started and this struggle is still going on since more than two decades. I believe it will go on for the life term. When we are fed up with our struggle or feel that we would not be able to achieve our goal we smartly move towards kids and aspire for the moon from them. We expect them to be the best in everything, most successful in the world and everything which we can dream of . We look towards them to fulfill our dreams along with their's and then the kids are put into pressure.

Is it right to aspire beyond a limit from the kids? Let them achieve their gols, why we should interefere? Why not we just support them and have faith in them? I am sure they would always perform better than us.

Is it their fault if we couldnot perform as per our wishes? Have not we dream a lot but could not put in the desired efforts?

Is it right to feel insecure even at the mid of the life, when we ourselves have sufficent time to achieve? Why not we continue to perform at our best? We should learn from politicians who never paas on their dereams and remain active much beyond the retirement age. God has given us sufficient time to achieve our goals.

cp

FIRST DESERVE THEN DESIRE

Friends

While I am waiting for some comments on social responsibility and friendship, I thought to share a quote which I used to hear from the parents. They used to say " FIRST DESERVE THEN DESIRE". Infact, as a child, I used to dream a lot and more often share with all the cousins such dreams. But when we were told this kind of saying, it used to be a frustrating moment. I dont agree with the saying that to desire, we need to be deserving. Infact the desire creates the direction for fulfilling the dream. It is a fuel to move further. If we dont have desire, means we dont dream and a person without dreams is almost a dead person with live body. how can one visualise without dreams and desire. I fail to understand this. I think this quote was created to stop a person from dreaming who in turn would desire and then deserve soon. It is really frustrating to hear such quotes. It kills entrepreneurship, vision, capability to perform beyond normal levels and also creates hurdles for a poor guy to become rich. I fully disagree with this and suggest to avoid such sayings for atleast our kids and modify as "First Desire then deserve".

cp

Frienship: Few Questions

Dear Friends

What kind of friend one should have and how we improve ourselves to become a good friend?How does one should value each other ?

Does a friendship develops with only informal ,casual approach or it nurtures with the determination of sustained relationship?

What is it that brings two people together? Is it a destiny or just coincidences?

What a friend needs only association or a companionship that remains with us almost perpetually?

Does the companionship bring a presence of joy and fresh thought in our life Or is it done to bring fresh ideas?

Should a friendship be only demonstrative enough to gather acclaim or it is silent and reserved, yet deep enough to be unfathomed?

How and why a person who you start with just knowing develops into a friend, then good friend and ultimately best friend?

Should one nurture such friendship further and if so then how?

Who is more important for us a friend or family? Who supersedes whom and who has to sacrifice more?

Do we loose frnds or is it just myth?

How a friend sitting outside of the family screen still remains equally important and powerful? How he/she sustains all the challenges and still remains forever?

Is it right that it takes years to make a friend as your best friend but a moment is enough to spoil the whole relationship? If so then what kind of friendship it is which cant stand a momentary turmoils?
Do you have any answers to the above questions? I hope you would definitely share the answers.

cpjain

Friends

Festival of color "Holi" is approaching very soon. It is the festival when every one is made colorful and looks same irrespective of the caste, creed, staus or color. Also during this festival we can regain our lost friends whom we may have hurt in past. This is the time to ask for forgiveness from many people we would have hurt. Let us put aside the ego and ask for forgiveness if there is any such person who is our true well wisher or friend but we hurt them and they left us on our fate. In my view it needs lot of luck and good attitude to get a true friend but losing them may be a matter of seconds. It is very painful when you hurt some one or feel helpless in not reciprocating in same gesture , so better we ask for forgiveness and heal the wounds.

Kingfisher supremo Mr. Vijay Mallya has done great service to the nation in bringing back the belongings of Mahatma Gandhi, Father of nation. One can not be rich just by pilling the money, it needs the different mindset of serving the nation and society.

cp

Friends

Recently finished "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" by Richard Bach. It is a very small book and can be easily finished the same day you start. A wonderful book which can inspire even a dull person like me. The book is about a seagull who initially was constrained with so many limitations, and suddenly moves to a great heights. This book infact tells about the initial challenges in anything we start and the raodblocks in achieving the goals.

cp

Dont Get Hurt Forever

Friends

One of my friend has sent a very good story which I wish to share :

"Two friends were walking through the desert. During some point of the Journey they had an argument, and one friend Slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE. They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone: TODAY MY BEST FRIEND SAVED MY LIFE. The friend who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?" The other friend replied "When someone hurts us we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it." LEARN TO WRITE YOUR HURTS IN THE SAND AND TO CARVE YOUR BENEFITS IN STONE!!! They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them. Take the time to live! Do not value the THINGS you have in your life. But value WHO you have in your life! " Happiness is not something you find, it's something you create."

I wish you all agree with this.

cp