Loud Thinking

Before Accepting a Job, Reference-Check Your Future Boss

When you’re interviewing for a job, doing your research and asking the right questions can inform you about the company culture — but often won’t reveal much about the specific person you’ll be working under. So it’s important to reference-check your future boss. Potential employers aren’t shy to ask about your background, because they want to make sure you’re the right fit. Why shouldn’t you do the same? After you’ve gotten the offer, ask your potential manager for references from his or her colleagues and direct reports, or ask other interviewers what it’s like to work with that person. Social media can also show if he or she is in any clubs, associations, or alumni groups where you may have shared connections.

Adapted by HBR from “ Reference-Check Your Future Boss” by David Reese.

Marriage Advice From The World’s Longest Married Couple

Patrick Allan, Gawker Media
Jul 16, 2014, 04.00 AM IST

Zelmyra and Herbert Fisher were married for almost 87 years, so it’s safe to say they know a thing or two about marriage. The Fisher’s participated in a Q&A on Twitter and shared some advice on love and commitment.

Some of their answers are great tips and carry a lot of weight when you consider how long they had been together:

We grew up together and were best friends before we married. A friend is for life; our marriage has lasted a lifetime.

Remember marriage is not a contest, never keep a score. God has put the two of you together on the same team to win.

Agree that it’s okay to disagree, and fight for what really matters. Learn to bend-not break!

There’s no secret to our marriage, we just did what was needed for each other and our family.
Respect, support, and

communicate with each other. Be faithful, honest, and true. Love each other with ALL of your heart.

Herbert passed away in 2011 at the age of 105 and Zelmyra followed in 2013 also at the age of 105, but the Fisher’s leave behind a strong example of lasting love and marital commitment for all of us.

“The more anger towards the past you carry in your heart, the less capable you are of loving in the present.”

— Barbara De Angelis

“The moment when you first wake up in the morning is the most wonderful of the twenty-four hours. No matter how weary or dreary you may feel, you possess the certainty that, during the day that lies before you, absolutely anything may happen. And the fact that it practically always doesn’t matters not a jot. The possibility is always there.”
—Monica Baldwin (1893-1975);
Author

Don’t Just Jump on the “Next Big Thing”

When a new management practice gains momentum, executives think about making it work inside their own firms. But not every idea can be transplanted. To figure out whether it’s worth importing, follow these steps:
Bide your time. Every new practice needs time to succeed or fail and for the faddishness to fade.
Deconstruct the management model. Identify the essence of the idea. Ask: What’s the underlying logic for this way of working? What insights did the company draw on to come up with this model?
Analyze the results. Did the new practice achieve what the company wanted it to accomplish? Were there side effects?
See how your company compares. Would bureaucracy pose a bigger obstacle at your firm? Is your organization innovative enough for the new idea to take hold?

Adapted by HBR from “ Beware the Next Big Thing” by Julian Birkinshaw.

Why the general public is fed up with the government so soon..?

Respected Ahsan Iqbal Sahab,

AoA.

Sir,

The ground realities of the last 14 months, absolutely negates your statement of joy, over the news about the improvement in the ranking of Pakistan, by the Moody’s.

As such, it is very difficult to believe your words, to wait for another 4 years, for the turnaround of the country, under the PMLN’s rule.

The proof of the pudding always lies in its eating.

The mother of all questions is that what is the difference and change of the power load shedding situation, comparatively prevailing between the PPP and the PMLN’s governments?

The answer is that we are getting the same amount of electricity as before, but at the 100% increased rates.

Moreover, the new addition of torture, which was not prevalent in the PPP rule, is that throughout the country, the power is supplied at, as low as 170 Volts, under PMLN’s 14 months era.

Further, the FM has already committed with the IMF, to again increase the power rates to almost another 100%.

Perhaps, the main reason for the extremely high utility rates is; that the government after lacking the will and utterly failing in recovery of outstanding bills, has decided to go the easy way, of putting further burden on those honest citizens, who pay each and every penny of all of their utility (inflated) bills.

Now, this wrong policy has created so much public anger and hatred against the government: that if there was an overnight change, rest assured, the whole nation will distribute the sweets….. again.

So, please don’t live in the cloud nine and come to the ground for God’s sake; and see the mood of the general public and its perception about your government, which is badly defamed for extravagant expenditures of Crores of Rupees on purchases of latest model BMW’s, highly costly foreign tours, purchase of expensive dogs, almost free five star meals being served to the parliamentarians in the NA cafeteria, dishing out very expensive and absolutely unnecessary jobs to the favourite people in the government organisations, etc. etc.

What is revealed from the above facts?

The answer is simple and straight forward…that there is a total disconnect from the problems of the voters and the general public, of the ruling elite of Pakistan.

This disconnect is proved by the daily mantra of the PMLN’s leadership, telling the public to be patient and give them the chance to rule for another four years; to set the things in order, which is akin to the famous quote of the French princess during the French Revolution, when she said if the people were hungry and they don’t have bread, why can’t they eat the cake? Hope you also remember that once Pervaiz Musharraf said the same thing that if the vegetables were costly, why can’t the public eat the chicken? Pervaiz Musharraf also said at the peak of the lawyers agitation that he was unable to see the huge crowds of the agitating lawyers, from the president’s house.

Now, the same type of talk is being done by the PMLN’s leaders, which is a classic proof of their disconnect from the general public.

The biggest problem with the disconnect is that it is never ever visible at the far end to the rulers; and they are always surprised that if people are not getting the bread, why can’t they eat the cake?

Sir, the people will be happily ready to give you not only the next 4 years, but the next 40 years, as well, but just inform the public what tangible sacrifices the leaders are giving for the public? People will never buy the argument of Metro Bus or other mega projects, if they are sleeping hungry, ill and without gas, water and electricity. Yes, public will allow you to lead them, if they see two stones are also tied up with the empty bellies of their rulers.

Always remember genuine leaders rule by example, not by hollow slogans.

All the vibes coming from the PMLN leaders confirm that it was no more a party of the poor. Rather, very sadly, it looks to be a party of the super rich royalty, totally devoid and detached, from the issues being faced by the general public.

Perhaps, due to this very reason, the sensible political parties keeps the party and the government positions separate.

It is hoped that you will not take the above bitter realities, explained by me as an offence, but as they say, it will be considered as an honest and free customer feed back, worth weighing in the gold.

As they say in marketing jargon, the customer is always right.

With best wishes,

Yours truly,

Nayyar

Syed Nayyar Uddin Ahmad

Lahore.

Sent from my iPad3 4G LTE

Respected Ahsan Iqbal Sahab,

AoA.

Sir,

The ground reality of the last one year negates your statement and it is very difficult to believe your words, to wait another 4 years, for the turnaround of the country under PMLN’s rule.

The proof of the pudding lies in its eating.

What is the difference of the power load shedding situation between the PPP and the PMLN government?

We are getting same amount of electricity but at the 100% increased rates.

Moreover, the new addition which was not in the PPP rule is that throughout the country, the power is supplied at, as low as 170 Volts, under PMLN era.

Further, the FM has committed with the IMF to again increase the power rates to almost 100%.

This is because the government after lacking the will and utterly failing in recovery of outstanding bills, has decided to go the easy way, of putting further burden on those honest people, who pay each and every penny of the utility (inflated) bills.

Now, this wrong policy has created so much public anger against your government that if there was an overnight change, rest assured, the whole nation will distribute the sweets again.

So, please don’t live in the cloud nine and come to the ground for God’s sake; and see the mood of the general public and its perception about your government, which is defamed for extravagant expenditures of Crores of Rupees on BMW’s, foreign tours, dogs, almost free five star meals to the parliamentarians in the NA cafeteria, dishing out very expensive employments to the favourite people in the government organisations, etc. etc.

It is hoped that you will not take the above bitter realities explained by me as an offence, but as they say, it will be considered an honest and free customer feed back, worth weighing in gold.

As they say in marketing jargon, the customer is always right.

With best wishes,

Yours truly,

Nayyar

Innovation Is Marketing’s Job, Too by Beth Comstock
Pursue mindshare before marketshare.

Link :- http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/07/innovation-is-marketings-job-too/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+harvardbusiness%2Fnewsletter-topic-technology+%28HBR+Blog+Network+Newsletter+Feed+-+Topic+-+Technology%29&cm_ite=Technology-071414+%281%29&cm_lm=sp%3Anayyar51%40hotmail.com&cm_ven=Spop-Email

Alexa ranking of www.snayyar.com…..snayyar.com has a global rank of #1,266,408 which puts itself among the top 10 million most popular websites worldwide.

“Go as far as you can see: when you get there you’ll be able to see further.”

— Zig Ziglar