Conquering A Culture of Indecision

The single greatest cause of corporate underperformance is the failure to execute. According to author Ram Charan, such failures usually result from misfires in personal interactions. And these faulty interactions rarely occur in isolation. More often than not, they’re typical of the way large and small decisions are made (or not made) through an organization. 

The inability to take decisive action is rooted in a company’s culture. Leaders create this culture of indecisiveness, Charan says – and they can break it by doing three things: First, they must engender intellectual honesty in the connections between people. 

Second, they must see to it that the organization’s social operating mechanisms – the meetings, reviews and other situations through which people in the corporation transact business – have honest dialogue at their cores. 

And third, leaders must ensure that feedback and follow through are used to reward high achievers, coach those who are struggling, and discourage those whose behaviors are blocking the organization’s progress. 

By taking these three approaches and using every encounter as an opportunity to model open and honest dialogue, leaders can set the tone for an organization, moving it from paralysis to action.

Cheese can reduce Risk of Diabetes, says Study

Cheese can reduce risk of diabetes - a new research has claimed. A team of British and Dutch researchers found that eating just two slices of cheese a day cuts the risk of type 2 diabetes by 12 per cent.

The researchers studied the case of 16,800 healthy adults and 12,400 patients with type 2 diabetes from eight European countries, including the UK and looked at their diets. They found that those who ate at least 55 grams of cheese a day that is around two slices, were 12 per cent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes and the risk fell by the same amount for those who ate 55 grams of yoghurt a day. While since years, National Health Survey guidelines in the UK have advised against eating too much dairy, cake or red meat as they can increase cholesterol and raise the risk of diabetes, the present finding seems unreasonable. Yes, it is possible that the probiotic bacteria present in cheese and yoghurt can lower cholesterol and produce certain vitamins which prevent diabetes. Researchers including academics from the Medical Research Council, Cambridge said that not all saturated fats are as harmful as others, and some may even be beneficial. Cheese, milk and yoghurt are also high in vitamin D, calcium and magnesium, which may help protect diabetes.

The study was published in the ‘American Journal of Clinical Nutrition’.

Be More Than Your Moods

For much of my life, I believed my thoughts were beyond my control. They just entered my mind automatically and did whatever they wished to do. Even worse, I believed that I was my thoughts. Thankfully, I discovered that nothing could be further from the truth. We are not our thoughts. We are the creators of the thoughts that flow through our minds and, given this fact, we can change our thoughts if we choose to do so.

This seemingly obvious insights was an ephiphany for me. I soon became far more aware of the thoughts I allowed into my mind and the inner dialogue that takes place within every one of us every waking hour of every living day.

I began to pay complete attention to the quality of my thoughts. This awareness was the first step to changing them. Over a matter of months, I trained my mind to focus only on positive, inspiring and enlightening thoughts. And in doing so, I saw the outer circumstances of my life change. Just as you are not your thoughts, you are not your moods. you are the creator of the moods you experience, moods that you can change in a single instance. If you choose to do so, you can feel peace in a moment of stress, joy in a time of sadness and energy during a time of fatigue.

How to Serve Selflessly ?

Albert Schweitzer said, "There is no higher religion than human service. To work for the common good is the greatest creed." And the ancient Chinese believed that 'a little fragrance always clings to the hand that gives you roses.' One of the greatest lessons for a highly fulfilling life is to rise from a life spent chasing success to one dedicated to finding significance. And the best way to create significance is to ask yourself one simple question, "How May I serve?"

All great leaders, thinkers and humanitarians have abandoned selfish lives for selfless lives and, in doing so, found all the happiness, abundance and satisfaction they desired. They have all understood that all-important truth of humanity: you cannot pursue success; success ensues. 

It flows as the unintended but inevitable by product of a life spent serving people and adding value to the world. 

Mahatma Gandhi understood the service ethics better than most. In one memorable story from his life, he was traveling across India by train. As he left the car he had been riding in, one of his shoes fell to a place on the tracks well beyond his reach. Rather than worrying about getting it back, he did something that startled his travel companions; he removed his other shoes and threw it to where the first one rested. When asked why he did this, Gandhi smiled and replied: "Now the poor soul who finds the first one will have a pair that he can wear."

Mona Lisa's Skeleton found by Italian Archaeologists?

In a big development, the archaeologists in Italy believe that they have discovered the skeleton of the famous Mona Lisa, the creation of legendary Leonardo Da Vinci. Mona Lisa alias Lisa Gheradini was the model for Leonardo's masterpiece, 'Mona Lisa'. The archaeologists said they have found her bones near the convent of Sant'Orsola in Florence.

The bones will be sent to the Department for the Conservation of Cultural Property for a forensic examination to determine the truth. The archaeologists' belief was based on some notes from 1503 in which an accomplice of Leonardo da Vinci wrote that Leonardo was working on a portrait of Lisa Gherardini. It is not immediately known whether the findings will resolve the mystery behind Mona Lisa's smile or not. However, a new twist has been added to the tale of 500-year-old puzzle.

મૃત્યુ પથારી ઉપર રહેલા વિશ્વ-વિજયી રાજા સિકંદરને જીવનના અંતે સમજાયું હતું કે જેને માટે એનો જન્મ થયો છે, એ જ ગુમાવીને પછી સંપતિનો મોટો પહાડ મેળવે એથી એણે મેળવ્યું શું ? પણ ત્યારે એની પાસે જીવનને સુધારી લેવાનો સમય જ બચ્યો ન હતો. આથી તેણે કહ્યું કે "જયારે મારો જનાજો કાઢો, ત્યારે મારા બે હાથ બહાર રાખજો. જેથી લોકો એ જોઈ શકે અને જાણી શકે કે આખી દુનિયાને જીતનારો મહાન બાદશાહ પણ સાવ ખાલી હાથે જઈ રહ્યો છે !"

Yahoo, Facebook reach Patent Agreement

In a major expansion of the partnership, Yahoo and Facebook have reportedly reached a strategic deal as part of a final settlement of their patent infringement lawsuits.

As per this agreement they will be part of a joint advertising sales effort and also will be agreed for cross-licensing of some key patents between them. The news was earlier reported as probable report by ‘AllThingsD’ but now it has become official after the two techno giants confirmed about it.

The confirmation report said that boards of both Facebook and Yahoo have approved the deal and it will be announced later, which also says that no actual cash payment would be there over the patent dispute.

In last March 2012 Yahoo had filed a lawsuit against Facebook claiming that the social network giant had infringed 10 of its patents covering advertising, privacy, messaging and social networking. In return, Facebook had also filed a countersuit against Yahoo in early April.

This is one of the biggest settlements in the world techno market as two leading techno giants of the global market are involved in the scuffle. It has also been reported that Yahoo Board first wanted to sue Facebook as former Yahoo Chief Executive Officer Scott Thompson promised a big financial payoff but they reached out for settlement with Facebook shortly after Thompson stepped down over academic credentials in May.

Delhi Airport Metro to shut down from Sunday

The Reliance Infrastructure-led Delhi Airport Metro Express will shut down from Sunday for indefinite period due to some cracks in the civil structure and technical glitches. 

The metro service in Delhi is India's first public-private partnership metro project. The Airport Metro Express will close down 16 months after opening. It had begun operated in February 2011. 

The Reliance Infrastructure has decided to stop the services from Sunday for which thousands of commuters will face problems. However, the firm did not cite any reason for closing down the services to the airport. 

Reports said that the Reliance Infrastructure is suffering from losses as it was not able to reach its targets in terms of profit and ridership. 

However, the official reports suggested that the decision was taken after cracks were found in the construction of civil structure. A team from the Indian Railways, Delhi government and Ministry of Urban Development had visited the tracks and suggested to close down till the repair work is done.

India to give Free Medicines to Millions

The government has decided to provide free medicines to people in the country. The $5.4 billion scheme would benefit hundreds of millions, who are not in a position to bear the heavy cost of the branded medicines for treatment. 

As per the scheme, the doctors will soon prescribe free generic drugs to all patients. The hospitals from the cities to rural belt will follow the policy to provide the free medicines to people. 

The policy was adopted last year, but could not be publicised. The doctors violating the rules under the plan, would be punished. Under the policy, the doctors will not be allowed to prescribe branded medicines. 

The move would be a major disadvantage for the pharmaceutical giants in India. However, the initiative would improve the healthcare system in India where rural and poor people suffer to get medicines for treatment of their disease. Ultimately, either they opt for private clinics and spend a lot of money on medicines or prefer dying without medicines. 

The country where 40 per cent people are living below the poverty line and spend $1.25 a day or less, the move would benifit them. The government believes that around half of India's 1.2 billion will take advantage of the scheme. The medicines will be of standard quality and those will be much cheaper than the branded ones. 

However, the scheme will not be meant for the private hospitals and clinics. The policy will be a huge blow to the global drug makers like GlaxoSmithKline and Merck, who spend billions of dollars a year researching new treatments and target huge population in fast growing economies like India.