Monday, December 22, 2008
Staying in business
We don't decide whether we stay in business. Our customers decide. We can help them take the right decision. -- JJ
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Dealing with change
Yesterday I met a group of youngsters who graduated recently with engineering degree. My interaction with them made me think about how people deal with change.
I was also surprised to find that many of them were unaware about the recessionary pressures in the economy, how such forces affect the job market, and thus impact their own careers. These youngsters were seeking entry level jobs in IT companies. But the current reality is that large IT companies have cut hiring. Why? Because the jobs are not created by the IT companies. The jobs are created by their clients in different sectors such as finance, insurance, retail, manufacturing, travel, logistics, hospitality, entertainment, telecommunications etc. When they are cautious, as in the current times, they cut down on large-scale expenditure on IT.
What are the options in front of a person when crisis is in the air - in the economy, in business, in society or in personal life? And for the young engineers I was talking about, it is about their own careers and lives. What are the choices?
There are three responses to changing times: The first is to go on with life and business and performance on the job as if nothing is changing. "Crisis, meltdown, recession etc. are for the finance minister and the chief executive and the media people to talk about. It doesn't affect me, I hope."
The second response is to join the blame-game team. Those who choose this option live with an orientation to the past, using most of their intellingence to find out who was responsible for what happened yesterday.
There is another response which is chosen by a few. This starts with an acceptance of the change that is taking place, and acceptance that many of the causative factors are beyond their control. But that doesn't make them feel powerless, because their orientation is towards the future. They take charge and do their best in the given scenario. They are agile. They take risks, get started and learn from experience. They succeed in hard times.
I was also surprised to find that many of them were unaware about the recessionary pressures in the economy, how such forces affect the job market, and thus impact their own careers. These youngsters were seeking entry level jobs in IT companies. But the current reality is that large IT companies have cut hiring. Why? Because the jobs are not created by the IT companies. The jobs are created by their clients in different sectors such as finance, insurance, retail, manufacturing, travel, logistics, hospitality, entertainment, telecommunications etc. When they are cautious, as in the current times, they cut down on large-scale expenditure on IT.
What are the options in front of a person when crisis is in the air - in the economy, in business, in society or in personal life? And for the young engineers I was talking about, it is about their own careers and lives. What are the choices?
There are three responses to changing times: The first is to go on with life and business and performance on the job as if nothing is changing. "Crisis, meltdown, recession etc. are for the finance minister and the chief executive and the media people to talk about. It doesn't affect me, I hope."
The second response is to join the blame-game team. Those who choose this option live with an orientation to the past, using most of their intellingence to find out who was responsible for what happened yesterday.
There is another response which is chosen by a few. This starts with an acceptance of the change that is taking place, and acceptance that many of the causative factors are beyond their control. But that doesn't make them feel powerless, because their orientation is towards the future. They take charge and do their best in the given scenario. They are agile. They take risks, get started and learn from experience. They succeed in hard times.
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