An Action Packed 2007!!

Composed On December 11th 2007

It's been one helluva year, and I have been on both sides of the fence… 1st to have made a self decided transition from an IT services [Satyam] to a Telecom company [Hutch in April 2007]. Then to have witnessed the Merger & Acquisition Deal of Hutch by the worlds biggest telecom company - Vodafone [September 2007] and now I would be on the payrolls of IBM starting JAN 1st 2008 as a result of the Strategic IT Outsourcing Deal between Vodafone & IBM India !! [the offer letters were issued to us by IBM today morning]

Satyam Hutch Vodafone IBM – All Brands in themselves… and I feel truly proud of having been associated with them however brief my period … only to realize that as companies start out they strive to be self sufficient by owning all the processes that are key to achieving the conviction of their clients. As a result of which they develop practices, applications, and models that grow in-house.

However, once a company is on the fast track there is always this pressure to innovate, the pressure to surpass your competition, to forecast the most crucial problems that may be prove to be roadblocks to growth a few years from now..

That's why there arises a need to identify specialists that have an edge over you in carrying out certain functions of the organization that may in turn help your business to be profitable… It then starts scouting for the probable candidates who have proven expertise in respective operations … and then the IT, call centre, telecom network setups, infrastructure, etc are outsourced to leading players… That's how the company maintains its attention on its core business – of acquiring and retaining subscribers in its network.

Well u are probably thinking that you don't have to go through the psychological ordeal nor financial pleasure of being migrated to organizations to understand this simple logic…dint u ?? :)

But I thought how about applying this practice back home as well ..

Delegate, distribute, outsource work and focus on enriching quality relationships to live a stress free life ! Sounds like magic truly ! But it aint easy, especially when responsibilities are on a rise and the time to fulfill them just doesn't seem to extend.. Every time the quarter ends and companies announce results and talk to the press proudly about YoY growth, Profits, PE ratios, Valuations etc.. I think to myself why we as individuals can't have certain north stars for ourselves… something as simple as maybe a visit to a wildlife sanctuary or learning to jive ! or something as complex as building a physical asset for yourselves !

Why is it that KPA's, KPI's, sales targets, deadlines, corporate presentations, quarterly circle meets, annual organizational events are taken very seriously.. whereas procrastination is always the practice when it comes to tasks back home… you always think maybe next Monday would be a good day to start exercising… maybe next month is ideal for a picnic … I would probably learn to bake great cakes before our next anniversary… !!

"Delay" is the word when it comes to personal interests…

So while I sit pretty thinking and being pleased about having remembered bdays/anniversaries of near n dear ones, completed a certification, improved on my culinary skills in the kitchen, learnt to take time off to read the newspapers, made time to take care of my skin n nails, spent countless pleasurable moments with abhi, met expectations of my in laws parents n relatives, kept in touch with friends …

I realize I have a bigger & a brighter North Star to meet in every quarter of 2008 - Personally & Professionally!!

– signing off [a Vodafoner now an IBMer next]
~ sayli :)