Non-abandonment (see this post for more details) is the first of these qualities. In fact, non-abandonment is so powerful that one does not need anything else if one can practice non-abandonment to its fullest. Non abandonment arises out of compassion, which places it in the realm of most major religions (Christianity notably, which emphasizes compassion above all else).

While compassion is the driving force that leads to the development of ‘non abandoning’ qualities, it is possible to practice non-abandonment by itself (i.e. even without compassion). Daily practice of non-abandonment includes both ‘passive sitting meditation’ as well as ‘active engaging work’.

The second of these leadership qualities can be summarized as ‘building on strengths’.

Amateur leaders focus on eliminating weaknesses. A seasoned leader knows that far richer gains can be expected out of an employee who is made to focus on his/her strengths, than on correcting their weaknesses. If you focus on the strengths of your employees, you will create more leaders. I once read a quote that said ‘True leaders do not create followers, they create more leaders.’

Non Abandonment and Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes. The class mate at school you thought ‘least likely to succeed’ is the founder of the next successful startup.  The reason is simple. These entrepreneurs share one trait in common. ‘Perseverance’ is the industry term for this treat – but I prefer ‘Non Abandonment’ (applied to ideas instead of people).  These leaders never abandon their idea (their dream), no matter what the obstacle is. The interpersonal skills required to make this happen are the same as the skills described above – staying committed  – never abandoning a conversation or a person or any interaction with a person.

Summary

There are two ‘people skills’ which cannot be taught in any school. These skills are essential to any leadership role – and effectively, are a form of practicing ‘detachment’ from leadership (non attachment to wanting leadership roles). Non abandonment is a key force. What exactly IS non-abandonment ? Quite simply – You do not abandon people – no matter what. Not only is this trait valuable in day to day work interactions, it is essential to entrepreneurial success.

Thoughts? Comments ?

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Google, iPod, Blackberry – we take these names for granted – but before they were blockbuster hits, they were a mere drop in a bucket full of thousands of competing names. How and why were these names coined and picked from a sea of similar names? Why did they catch the customer’s imagination  – whereas names such as Zune and Streak (both heavily funded products) failed to do so?  

The answer is simple  – your customer’s brain differs vastly from your product designer’s.   For your customer, your product is one of thousands of other names that they need to remember. Typically, your product name is vying for the same customer memory that includes established brand names – kellogg’s, whirlpool, xerox  etc. 

The Instant Connection: For your product to make inroads into this coveted memory bank, it needs to be able to form an ‘instant connection’ with the customer. This ‘instant connection’ – in the form of an apt name – is what makes or breaks a product.  

The Name Consultant : A decade of coining that ‘instant connection’ : “When people ask me – how did I coin such-and-such name? My answer is always the same – I try to create an ‘instant connection’ (in my mind) to the product – something that is different and yet easy to remember. It doesn’t always have to describe the capabilities of the product or tell a story (such as Blackberry).”

In some cases, it does describe the product – and is also catchy and easy to remember. Google is one such name. Facebook is another.

The name consultant specializes in product branding and naming of complex, technology products.

Website Names

Facebook: The name facebook captures everything that the site sets out to do. In effect, the site opens a doorway to the ‘book of your life’ – using your face (pictures). Nothing else needs to be added to the name facebook. Would adding social network or a similar phrase convey any additional meaning? No – since the implication of ‘face’ (pictures) on the internet – IS ‘social media’.  The name gives it all away at first glance.

LinkedIn – shares the same attributes as the name facebook. One doesn’t need any clarification on what type of site linkedin is – it is a social networking site. In fact, if they had left out the ‘in’ – and gone with just ‘linked’ – they would have been equally successful.

The Name Consultant specializes in domain names – and has coined some of the leading dotcom names in existence today.

Contact ‘The Name Consultant’ to see how we can help with your next product/website/domain name search effort.

The post What’s in a name? Naming your business (or product or website) may make or break your business appeared first on Anuj Varma, Hands-On Technology Architect, Clean Air Activist.

A Flash Mob consists of a group of dancers who come together (seemingly impromptu) and start performing. What do these people share (in addition to an obvious love for dance)? They have all overcome the fear of public display!  Think about it. You may be a good dancer – but chances are you would not be able to dance on a street full of people. To get to that stage, a certain fear needs to be overcome. This fear is primarily self-induced. In other words, you yourself are the main obstacle standing in your way. Once you get out of your own way, you tend to lose this fear. It helps to know that you are not alone – and others are going to be part of the same event. Still – the first step to being a flash mob performer is the conquest of this fear.

And while a flash mob performance appears to be an impromptu event, in reality, it is quite the contrary. Not only is the event planned well in advance, but sufficient practice and rehearsals constitute part of the plan. The exact venue is always kept secret – and only shared with the media (to ensure coverage) as well as the police (to ensure security). The effect of this secretive mode of planning is that, on the d-day, it appears as a completely impromptu event. Which, in fact, adds to its appeal. The whole effect is that of –

wow – how could something so ad-hoc and unplanned be so eye-catching and well choreographed? These guys must be good!

What does this have to do with business events?

Businesses need to plan their events in a similar fashion. They need to plan diligently (rehearse the flash mob event), they need to create a sense of secrecy around it – and they need to pull off the event with perfection. Moreover, they need to overcome a certain fear – a fear of criticism – public criticism. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. One company that captured all of the above in all its releases is APPLE.  Each release of an apple product almost feels like a flash mob. Prior to a release, it has the same sense of excitement built on secrecy. Post release, it leaves everyone with the same wow factor as a flash mob event. Businesses can learn a few things from flash mobs – would you agree?

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As India struggles to find its footing moving towards a more open, more de-regulated, more private economy, one would imagine that the highest judicial authority in India (the Supreme Court) understands the urgent nature of this transformation.

  Their recent decision to force private hospitals to treat patients that government hospitals could not treat comes as a slap in the face of Indian Industry. How are private companies expected to thrive in an environment where they are forced to go against their core nature of providing services for payment?

And where private enterprise does not blossom, neither do jobs, infrastructure or security.

In other words, the Supreme Court justices have shown that they care less for a secure, prosperous India than they do to show their ‘soft heartedness’. Their job is not about being ‘soft-hearted’ or any kind of hearted. Their job is to be fair and balanced. And ‘forcing’ a private hospital is neither fair nor balanced.

More importantly, it is unconstitutional (India’s constitution guarantees the pursuit of any industry without interference from the government – insert laughter here – since the government interferes in just about EVERYTHING they possibly can).

When the guardians of the constitution are out conducting unconstitutional acts, a country needs to start looking out for new guardians. 

The correct solution to this issue would have been to provide more government hospital resources – since it is their failure that caused the issue to begin with. One cannot expect private industry to do the cleaning up for failed government hospitals. And one certainly cannot ORDER a private business to do so!

The government’s argument is that the private hospitals were given the land at a discounted rate – with the condition that they take in X number of poor patients. If the government is really interested in encouraging industry, it SHOULD offer the land at low rates – WITHOUT any precondition! Everyone gets to benefit if a businessman decides to build a hospital (or any useful busines) on a piece of land. The rest of the world does just this – offers incentives to businesses to set up shop. And they do so without any ‘you pat my back, I’ll pat yours’ deal. Because they are smart enough to realize that business setting up shop – is in itself the best thing for the economy of the region!

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