january 17impact

IJANUARY 2017 P C TISSUE21 I

With Greetings from Impact Editorial team IJANUARY 2017 P C TISSUE21 N.V Subbaraman I “Kalki” V Murali Dr M G Bhaskar RING IN 2017! expert advisory Time flies very fast. It looks as if 2016 was born yesterday; but board we have already given a good bye to 2016 and now we are in 2017. That simply is the law of Nature which manages the entire Universe Dr. R Rangarajan in a style and manner of its own!!! Professor The year run out had its own ups and downs, failures and Dept. of Commerce successes, new lessons taught and learnt – at the local, national University of Madras and international levels. Dr. R Krishnaveni Assistant Professor The year 2017 has stepped in with great expectations, various Department of English anticipations, stark realities and so on. LRG Government Arts College for Women - Tirupur Man has to be neither optimistic nor pessimistic but to be realistic!Designed bySeetha Ramesh We do hope the Government’s November eighth [email protected] on demonetization has brought in a revolutionary change in the Indian society. Let us hope the objectives of the Government areAll opinions expressed in the articles met tomorrow if not today. One has to wait and see the expectedappearing in the e-journal IMPACT, and anticipated results.are that of the respective authors andthe Publisher or Editor of IMPACT IMPACT in fact is apolitical but keen observer of things andcannot be held responsible / liable happenings around. The society needs reforms in industries,in any manner whatsoever for any education, agriculture etc. for the prosperity of the people. Thereclaims and / or damages. is a strong view among the patriotic intellectuals that in all these sectors better management strategies are to be adopted. The New Year must witness poverty alleviation programs are well thought out by the competent people, practical suggestions are given and implemented by those in power. IMPACT Editorial Team wishes all its readers a year full of health and happiness, peace and prosperity, satisfaction and successes. Editorial Team

Inside IJANUARY 2017 P C TISSUE21 IManagement in Manage productivity and Case Study- Kellogs ProcrastinationValluvam P - Syed Fazlullah Khan Procrastination 11 4 - Mrs. Sandhya Rao- N.V. Subbaraman C TISSUE21 7IJANUARY 2017 I 18 Managers / supervisor - roles and responsibilities 21 - Jayaprakash B. Zende 26Build your vocabulary - Dr. R. KrishnaveniThe importance of 28 Dementia Risk 34 35Spiritual Managementleadership - Lion M. Desikan- M.V. Kaushik 3

impact January 2017Every issue of IMPACT from the start carries the above Managementfeature, each issue discussing in detail Valluvar’s recipe infor good management of the self, his organization andthe society in general. The encouraging feedbacks Valluvamwe are receiving make us to continue this featureand this issue deals with how IMPOSTURE, avoidingbad character- HYPOCRISY- by the individuals helpin effective management. Let us see how it helps ourprogress too. We know pretty well friendship with thebad is not going to help us in any way but adds to ourbundle of sins. Here Thiruvalluvar advises against thisvice of imposture- HYPOCRISY- in men and women ingeneral and definitely in an effective Managementpractitioner cannot afford to have.A bilingual poet, writer, trainer,translator, thinker and speaker from Chennai, Mr. N. V. N. V. SubbaramanSubbaraman has written 36 books. His paper, “Valluvam inspired Mahatma Gandhi,” wasapproved for presentation in the international Tirukkural Conference held in Washington,USA. His translated works include Thirukkural, Bharathiyar’s Kuyilpattu and RamanaMaharishi’s Aksharamananmalai. He is connected with the publication of the Managemente-journal Impact. He was formerly the Deputy zonal Manager, LIC of India.4

impact January 2017Chapter 28. A person with a weak mind feigning him to bemjpfhuk; 28HYPOCRISY - A SIN saintly is akin to a cow in the skin of a tiger in the fields. He destroys his body and soul. 273)TlhxGff; k;tQr; kdjj; hd; gobwhGf;fk; g{jq;fs; 4. jtk; kiweJ; my;yit bra;jyg; [jy;kiweJ;midj:;Jk; mfjn; j eFk; ntlL; td; gs[ r; pkps;j; jw;WVanja manaththaan paditrozhukkam bhoodhangkaL Thavam maraindhu allavai seydhal pudhalmaraindhuAnaiththum agaththE nagum Vaettuvan puLsimiLththatru.Hypocritical Wrong done in saint’s robeMind and action foul – a sin Like a hidden hunter’s strikeElements five scoff! Worst sin to the core!At the people with hypocrisy and disgraceful Committing wrongs in the robe of a saint is akin to a hunter hiding himself behind a bush to strikingbehavior, their own five organs- body, tongue, eyes, birds; it is indeed a worst sin. (274)ears and nose laugh within themselves. (271)2. thDau; njhww; k; vtdb; raa; k[ ?; jd; beQr; k; 5. gwW; mwn; wk; vd;ghu; gowb; whGff; k;jhd; mwp Fww; g; god; vwW; vwW; vdW; Vjk; gyt[k; jUk;Vaanuyarthoatram evanseyyum? Than nenjjamThaan arikutarppadin.Saintly look – what use?Hypocrisy to the coreLife put to misuse!With a hypocritic mind, sky high external saintlyappearance of a man is of no use. (272)3. typ,y; epiyikahd; ty;YUtk; bgww; k;gy[ papdn; jhy; nghuj; ;J nka;e; jd;WValiil nilaimaiyaan valluruvam petramPuliyinthoal poarththumaeyndhanru.Feigned saint weak withinLike a cow in tiger’s skinDestroys self and soul! 5

impact January 2017Patruatraem enbaar paditrozhukkam etruetruenru Base mind, bathes sacredAedham palavum tharum. Move around lot in the world Liability naked! There are people in the world with wicked and base mind but showing as if they are saints taking bath andFeigned sainthood betrays going round. (278)Ones hypocrisy; sure makesHim suffer and stray! 9. fizbfhoJ ahHn; fhL bftt; pJ Mq; fd;d tpidgL ghyhy; bfhsy; Those who pose themselves as saints out ofhypocrisy are bound to regret later and sure tosuffer. (275) KaNaikodidhu yaazhkodidhu kevvidhu; aangganna Vinaipadu paalaal koLal6. beQr; py; Jwthu; Jwe;jhun; ghy; tQ;rpjJ;thH;thupd; tdf; zhu; ,y; Judge by their good deeds Straight arrow deadly; bent luteNenjilthuravaar thurandhaarpoal vanjiththu Sweet when played; mind heeds!Vaazvaarin vankaNaar il. Though the arrow is straight, it is deadly; thoughNot a saint but feigns bent, lute is pleasant and sweet. One is to be judgedCommitting all sins and wrongs by his deeds and not by one’s appearance.Scoundrel in him reigns! (279) None can be a greater scoundrel than the one whois not really saintly but pose himself to be so. (276) 10. kHpjj; Yk; ePll; Yk; ntz;lh cyfk; gHpj;jJ xHpj;J tpod;7. gw[ qF; d;wp fz;lidanuDk; mfq;Fdw; p Mazhiththalum neettalum vaeNdaa; ulagamKf: f; py; fupahu; cilj;J Paziththadhu oziththu vidin.Purangkunri kaNdanaiyaraenum agamkunRi Give up impostureMuukil kariyaar udaiththu. No need- beads beard and tuftBerry red he looks Ensure nice future!Black like its nose, he is darkIn his ways and deeds! Those who follow the dictum of the noble and give up the deeds that are bad in the eyes of the world need not have a shaven head or wear a long beard. Though by feigning sainthood looking like a berry, (280)his wrong ways and deeds will be seen as a black nosein the red berry. (277) Since the concept and explanation are quite clear8. kdj;jJ khRMf khz;lhu;eP uho and simple no special comment is made.kiweJ; xGF khej; u; gyu;Manaththadhu maasu aaga maaNdaarneeraadiMaraindhuozhugu maandhar palar.6

impact January 2017 What is Procrastination ? It is derived from MANAGELatin verb Procastinare which means to PUTOFF or POSTPONE till ANOTHER DAY. PRODUCTIVITY Everyone procrastinates, some in taking andaction to achieve their GOALS. Even the mostsuccessful people struggle with it every day. But PROCRASTINATIONsuccessful people do something that most of usdo not -- they push past it. They do nott makeexcuses or allow it to affect their output. Theycome up with smart, actionable strategies tobreak past mental barriers and stay productive.Certified Project Manager (IPMA C) and MRICS with over 3 decades ofqualitative experience in the Construction Industry.Currently working with ETA Properties & Investments Pvt.Ltd., Chennai asHead – Projects. Syed Fazlullah Khan 7

impact January 2017 Let us start with Simple steps to If you cannot stay accountable to yourself, overcome Laziness you might have more success staying accountable to other people. (( Fight the yawn by covering your mouth. (( 1/3rd Rule – Eat food till1/3rd of your Tell everyone what you plan to do and talk about your goals. Tell friends, employees and stomach and drink fluids for another employers your intentions and you would not 1/3rd and keep 1/3rd of your stomach want to let them down. For example, if you free to feel energetic. want to go to the gym every day, ask a friend (( Spend your time with energetic people. to text you every evening asking “did you go (( Being Truthful to self and others around to the gym today?” you. Another suggestion is to start documenting Here are eight ways successful and sharing your journey. A blog where you people defeat procrastination. share the projects you are working on and your progress will encourage you to get things done. 1. They keep themselves accountable. Allowing yourself to be under public scrutiny Making a commitment to yourself helps keep can help light a fire under you. you accountable. You can do this by writing your goals down, keeping a to-do list with you, 3. They tie themselves to the mast. and creating reminders in your phone and on In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus has his your calendar. ship’s crew tie him to the mast so that he could There are more creative things you can hear the Sirens’ song without being drawn in do to keep yourself accountable: Change and tempted to jump into the sea. If you are the wallpaper on your phone or computer to a chronic procrastinator and simply cannot something that says “get work done”. Write resist the temptations of things like Facebook your tasks and goals on a whiteboard or large and Youtube, it might be time to tie yourself to sticker you keep on your monitor. Set the new the mast. tab screen of your browser to something that reminds you of the day’s priorities. There are tools such as Rescue Time, SelfControl and Focus that will temporarily 2. They make themselves accountable to block access to distracting websites like others. Facebook so you can work on the things that matter. It is an extreme measure but also very effective.8

impact January 2017 There are less aggressive tools such lack of confidence in the project, lack of self-as Facebook Newsfeed Eradicator and confidence, and feeling overwhelmed. OnceDistraction Free Youtube. These will allow you know the reason, it is a matter of findingyou to have access to Facebook and Youtube things to remedy it and cut your procrastinationbut block the distracting parts of these off at the source.websites (such as the newsfeed) so you canstill use them for business purposes, like 5. They plan ahead.managing advertisements. How often do you, at the start of your work day, sit at your desk and begin looking for 4. They have self awareness. things to work on, only to wind up on Reddit Self-awareness is a common trait many or checking email?successful people have. Having self- If you get to your work desk and have noawareness allows you to properly understand idea where to start, it can lead you to work onwhy you are even procrastinating in the first low-impact tasks (such as checking email) orplace. other worse forms of procrastinating.Those Once you understand why you are without a map, wander. Put together a plan orprocrastinating, it will be easier for you to to-do list before starting work or any project.form a plan to beat it. This will allow you to The night before is a good time to do this.see the root cause of your procrastination, It allows you to reflect on what you havewhich you can then either solve the problem accomplished during the day and then comeor formulate a strategy to overcome it. up with what needs to get done tomorrow. Becoming aware of why you procrastinate Now, when you start your work day, you knowmeans taking a step back and looking at some exactly what you need to work on and what isof the possible reasons such as boredom, the highest priority. 6. They commit to at least showing up. After starting a task, you will likely stick with it a lot longer than you initially committed 9

impact January 2017 to. It is like working out. Half the battle is me to get more done and feel accomplished just showing up to the gym. and motivated by scratching to-do items off of my list. Commit to just showing up and you will find yourself completing a lot more tasks. The 8. They give up. next time you do nott feel like tackling a task, Just because you already poured hours commit to only working on it for one minute. into a project, does nott mean you need to Set a timer for 60 seconds, then sit down and finish it. This is known as the “sunk cost get to work. More often than not, you will find fallacy.” The “sunk cost fallacy” affects yourself wanting to go beyond the 60 seconds gamblers, investors, and even procrastinators. and continue. Sometimes, a project just is not worth burning more hours over, and you ultimately need to 7. They break up large tasks into smaller figure out if it is time to quit. tasks. Take a step back and figure out the reason you are procrastinating on the project or task. The classic but seldom-followed Is it because it is actually not that important, or productivity advice to conquering large or does not move you closer to your big picture overwhelming tasks is to break them up into goal? smaller chunks. Subtraction, instead of addition, is efficient and productive. Maybe you need to focus on Successful people understand that tasks doing fewer things. Maybe this project you need to be broken down into much more are procrastinating on is actually making you specific and measurable sub-tasks. much less productive and needs to be dropped. For example, an overwhelming to-do list Procrastination can be managed, it item might be “write book.” Does that item in just takes some self-awareness and effort. my to-do list mean I need to write the entire Applying even just a few of any of the above book today, or does only writing one sentence methods can put you on the path to being a count towards the completion of the task? much more productive individual. A better approach would be to set a goal of writing a specific number or words each day, or spend a certain amount of time researching. “Write 1000 words” or “spend 30 minutes researching examples of productive CEOs for book” are much more specific tasks, and therefore easier to tackle. This often encourages10

Readers are requested to send their management related questions. Impact will get replies from management experts. Send your questions to: [email protected] 11

impact January 2017Case Study Indian Experience: A Failed Launch In April 1995, Kellogg India Ltd. (Kellogg) Indian market. Even a high-profile launch backed received unsettling reports of a gradual drop by hectic media activity failed to make an impact in sales from its distributors in Mumbai. in the marketplace. Meanwhile, negative media There was a 25% decline in countrywide sales coverage regarding the products increased, as more since March1995, the month Kellogg products and more consumers were reportedly rejecting the had been made available nationally. taste. There were complaints that the products were not available in many cities. According to Kellogg was the wholly-owned Indian analysts, out of every 100 packets sold, only two subsidiary of the Kellogg Company based in were being bought by regular customers; with the Battle Creek, Michigan. Kellogg Company was rest 98 being first-time buyers. Converting these the world’s leading producer of cereals and experimenters into regular buyers had become a convenience foods, including cookies, crackers, major problem for the company. cereal bars, frozen waffles, meat alternatives, piecrusts, and ice cream cones. Founded in 1906, By September, 1995, sales had virtually Kellogg Company had been manufacturing stagnated. Marketing experts pointed out various facilities in 19 countries and marketed its products mistakes that Kellogg’s had committed and it was in more than 160 countries. The company’s turnover in 1999-2000 was $ 7 billion. Kellogg Company had set up its 30th manufacturing facility in India, with a total investment of $ 30 million. The Indian market held great significance for the Kellogg Company because its US sales were stagnating and only regular price increases had helped boost the revenues in the 1990s. Launched in September 1994, Kellogg’s initial offerings in India included cornflakes, wheat flakes and Basmati rice flakes. Despite offering good quality products and being supported by the technical, managerial and financial resources of its parent, Kellogg’s products failed in the12

impact January 2017being increasingly felt that the company would we expect consumer habits to change. Kelloggfind it extremely difficult to sustain itself in the is a past master at the art, having fought - andIndian market. won - against croissant-and-coffee in France, biscuits in Italy and noodles in Korea.”The Mistakes Kellogg realized that it was going to be A typical, average middle-class Indian family did not have breakfast on a regular basistough to get the Indian consumers to accept its like their Western counterparts. Those whoproducts. Kellogg banked heavily on the quality did have breakfast, consumed milk, biscuits,of its crispy flakes. But pouring hot milk on the bread, butter, jam or local food preparationsflakes made them soggy. Indians always boiled like idlis, parathas etc. According to analysts, atheir milk unlike in the West and consumed it major reason for Kellogg’s failure was the factwarm or lukewarm. They also liked to add sugar that the taste of its products did not suit Indianto their milk. breakfast habits. Kellogg sources were however quick to assert that the company was not trying They also liked to add sugar to their milk. to change these habits; the idea was only toWhen Kellogg flakes were put in hot milk, they launch its products on the health platform andbecame soggy and did not taste good. If one tried make consumers see the benefit of this healthierhaving it with cold milk, it was not sweet enough alternative.because the sugar did not dissolve easily in coldmilk. The rice and wheat versions did not do Avronsart remarked, “Kellogg India is notwell. In fact, some consumers even referred to here to change breakfast eating habits. What thethe rice flakes as rice corn flakes. company proposes is to offer consumers around the world a healthy, nutritious, convenient and In early 1996, defending the company’s easy-to-prepare alternative in the breakfastproducts, Managing Director Avronsart said, eating habit.“True, some people will not like the way it tastesin hot milk. And not all consumers will want to It was not just a question of providing ahave it with cold milk. But over a period of time, better alternative to traditional breakfast eating 13

impact January 2017 habits but also developing a taste for grain based one analyst, “When Kellogg tried a dollar-to- foods in the morning.” rupee pricing for its products, the company lost out on getting to the mass consumer.” Even the Another mistake Kellogg committed customers at the higher end of the market failed to was on the positioning front. The company’s perceive any extra benefits in Kellogg’s products. advertisements and promotions initially focussed A Business Today report said that like other only on the health aspects of the product. In doing MNCs, Kellogg’s had fallen into a price trap, by this, Kellogg had moved away from its successful assuming that there was a substantial latent niche ‘fun-and-taste’ positioning adopted in the US. market in India for premium products. Analysts commented that this positioning had given the brand a ‘health product’ image, instead In most Third World countries pricing is of the fun/health plank that the product stood on believed to play a dominant role in the demand in other markets. (In the US for instance, Kellogg for any product. But Kellogg’s did not share this offered toys and other branded merchandise for view. Avronsart said, “Research demonstrates children and had a Kellogg’s fan club as well.) that to be well accepted by consumers even the Another reason for the low demand was deemed to most nutritious product must taste good. Most be the premium pricing adopted by the company. consumers view quality as they view taste, but with a very high standard. We approach pricing At an average cost of Rs 21 per 100 gm, on a case-to-case basis, always consistent with the Kellogg products were clearly priced way above total value delivered by each product.” He also the product of its main competitor, Mohun’s said, “Local brands are selling only on the price Cornflakes (Rs 16.50 for 100 gm). Vinay Mohan, platform. We believe that we are demanding the Managing Director, Mohan Rocky Springwater right price for the value we offer. If the consumer & Breweries, the makers of Mohan’s cornflakes wants quality, we believe he can afford the price.” said, “Kellogg is able to cater only to the A-Class Thus, it was not surprising that the company went towns or the more affluent consumers whereas ahead with its plans of increasing the price of its Mohun’s caters to the mass market.” Another products by an average of 28% during 1995-98. small-time brand, Champion was selling at prices Before the product was made available nationally almost half of that of Kellogg. This gave the brand in March 1995, the demand from Mumbai had a premium image, making it seem unattainable been very encouraging. Within a year of its for the average Indian consumer. According to launch in Mumbai, Kellogg’s had acquired a 53% market share. Following this, the company accelerated its national expansion plans and launched the product in 60 cities in a 15-month period. However, Kellogg’s was surprised to see the overall demand tapering off considerably. A Mumbai based Kellogg’s distributor explained, “Why should somebody sitting in Delhi be deprived of the product? So there was considerable movement from Mumbai to other parts of the country.”As the product was officially launched countrywide, the company realized that the tremendous response from the Mumbai14

impact January 2017 market of these variants took even Kellogg’s by surprise was nothing and sales picked up significantly. (It was even but the ‘disguised reported that Indian consumers were consuming demand’ from other places the products as snacks.) This was followed by being routed through Mumbai. the launch of Chocos Breakfast Cereal Biscuits. Kellogg’s had also decided to focus onlyon the premium and middle-level retail stores. The success of Chocos and Frosties alsoThis was because the company believed that it led to Kellogg’s decision to focus on totallycould not maintain uniform quality of service if indianising its flavors in the future. This resultedit offered its products at a larger number of shops. in the launch of the Mazza series in AugustWhat Kellogg’s seemed to have overlooked was 1998 - a crunchy, almond-shaped corn breakfastthe fact that this decision put large sections of the cereal in three local flavors - ‘Mango Elaichi,’Indian population out of its reach. ‘Coconut Kesar’ and ‘Rose.’ Developed after a Disappointed with the poor performance, one-year extensive research to study consumerKellogg’s decided to launch two of its highly patterns in India, Mazaa was positioned as asuccessful brands - Chocos (September 1996) tasty, nutritional breakfast cereal for families.and Frosties (April 1997) in India. The company Kellogg’s was careful not to repeat its earlierhoped to repeat the global success of these mistakes.brands in the Indian market. Chocos were wheatscoops coated with chocolate, while Frosties had It did not position Mazza in the premiumsugar frosting on individual flakes. The success segment. The glossy cardboard packaging was replaced by pouches, which helped in bringing down the price substantially. The decision to reduce prices seemed to be a step in the right direction. However, analysts remained sceptical about the success of the product in the Indian market. They pointed out that Kellogg’s did not have retail packs of different sizes to cater to the needs of different consumer groups. To counter this criticism, the company introduced packs of suitable sizes to suit Indian consumption patterns and purchasing power. Kellogg’s introduced the 500gm family pack, which brought down the price per kg by 20%. Also, Mazza was introduced in 60gm pouches, priced at Rs 9.50. Kellogg’s advertising had not been very impressive in the initial years. Apart from ‘Jago jaise bhi, lo Kellogg’s hi,’ the brand had no long- term baseline lines. Later, Kellogg’s attempted to indianise its campaigns instead of simply copying its international promotions. The rooster that was associated with the Kellogg’s brand the world over was missing from its advertisements 15

impact January 2017 in India. One of its campaigns depicted a cross of iron fortification in breakfast cereals is how section of individuals ranging from a yoga Kellogg’s responds to the nutritional needs of instructor to a kathakali dancer attributing their the consumers. In this spirit, Kellogg’s India is morning energy and fitness to Kellogg’s. The taking a major step to improve the nutritional advertisement suggested that cornflakes could status of consumers in the country, the specific be taken with curds, honey, and banana. opportunity being iron fortification for which we have undertaken major initiatives to promote the In April 1997, Kellogg’s launched ‘The awareness of the importance of iron in the diet.” Kellogg’s Breakfast Week,’ a community- oriented initiative to generate awareness about Kellogg’s also increased its focus on the importance of breakfast. The program promotions that sought to induce people to try focussed on prevention of anaemia and their product and targeted schools across the conducted a series of nutrition workshops country for this. By mid-1995, the company activities for both individuals and families. The had covered 60 schools in the metros. In March program was launched in Chennai, Delhi and 1996, the company offered specially designed Mumbai. The company tied up with the Indian 50 gm packs free to shoppers at select retail Dietetic Association (IDA) to launch a nation- stores in Delhi. This was followed by a house- wide public-service initiative to raise awareness to-house sampling exercise offering one-serving about iron deficiency problems. Nutritionists sachets to housewives in the city. The company and dieticians from the country participated in also offered free pencil-boxes, water bottles, and a day-long symposium in Calcutta to deliberate lunch boxes with every pack. Plastic dispensers on the causes and impact of anaemia caused offering the product at discounted rates were also by iron deficiency. This program was in line put up in petrol pumps, super markets, airports with the company’s global marketing strategy, etc. which included nutrition promotion initiatives such as symposiums, educative programs and Kellogg’s identified distribution as another sponsorship of research. major area to address in order to increase its penetration in the market. In 1995, Kellogg’s had Emphasizing Kellogg’s commitment 30,000 outlets, which was increased to around to nutrition education, Avronsart remarked, 40,000 outlets by 1998. Avronsart said, “We “Product modification, particularly the addition have increased our reach only slightly, but we are now enlarging our coverage.” Considering that it had just one plant in Taloja in Maharashtra, the company was considering plans to set up more manufacturing units. Kellogg’s also began working towards a better positioning plank for its products. The company’s research showed that the average Indian consumer did not give much importance to the level of iron and vitamin intake, and looked at the quantity, rather than the quality, of the food consumed. Avronsart commented, “The Kellogg’s mandate is to develop awareness about nutrition. There is a lot of confusion between16

impact January 2017nourishment and nutrition. That is something prospects were clearly attributed to the shift inthat we have to handle.” Kellogg’s thus worked positioning, increased consumer promotions andtowards changing the positioning of Chocos an enhanced media budget. The effort to developand Frosties - which were not positioned on the products specifically for the Indian markethealth platform but, instead, were projected as helped Kellogg’s make significant inroads into‘fun-filled’ brands. the Indian market. Kellogg’s then launched the Chocos However, Kellogg’s continued to have thebiscuits, claiming that cereals being a ‘narrow image of a premium brand and its consumptioncategory,’ the foray into biscuits would create was limited to a few well-off sections of thewider awareness for the Kellogg’s brand. Indian market. The company had to face the factBiscuits being a mass market product requiring that it would be really very difficult to changean intensive distribution network, Kellogg’s the eating habits of Indians. In 2000, Kellogg’sdecision to venture into this competitive and launched many new brands including Crispixcrowded market with stalwarts like Britannia, Banana, Crispix Chocos, Froot Loops, CocoaParle and Bakeman, was seen as a bold move Frosties, Honey Crunch, All Bran and Allnot only in India, but also globally. Avronsart Raisin. Kellogg’s also launched ‘Krispies Treat,’said, “We are ready to develop any food based an instant snack targeted at children. Priced onon grain and nutrition that will satisfy consumer the lower side at Rs 3 and Rs 5, the product wasneeds.” positioned to compete against the products in the ‘impulse snacks’ category. According to someThe Results analysts, the introduction of new cereals and the In 1995, Kellogg’s had a 53% share of the launch of biscuits and snacks could be attributed to the fact that the company had been forced toRs 150 million breakfast cereal market, which look at alternate product categories to make uphad been growing at 4-5% per annum till then. for the below-expectation performance of theBy 2000, the market size was Rs 600 million, and breakfast cereal brands.Kellogg’s share had increased to 65%. Analystsclaimed that Kellogg’s entry was responsible Kellogg’s sources however revealed thatfor this growth. The company’s improved the company was in India with long-term plans and was not focusing on profits in the initial stages. In Mexico the company had to wait for two decades, and in France nine years, before it could significantly influence local palates. With just one rival in the organized sector (Mohan Meakins) and its changed tactics in place, what remained to be seen was how long it would take Kellogg’s to crack the Indian market. Courtesy: www.icmrindia.org 17

impact January 2017 New Year is just a few days away! We see many Procrastinationpeople making New Year Resolutions: at home andat work. The resolutions are made with a passion andgood intent, but very few people are able to keep uptheir word and those who start with a bang quicklygives in to external pressures and distractions. Thesecret of this inability to sustain their self-madeproclamations is just one word …..Procrastination!!!In the words of Don Marquis “Procrastination is theart of keeping up with yesterday”. Procrastination is a bad habit. All of us would haveat some point in our lives become a prey to thishabit. most common resolutions are about givingup bad habits, fitness regime, getting up early andMrs. Sandhya Rao, is an independent Senior Innovation Consultant, holding aMaster’s in Psychology from Punjab University, Graduation from GovernmentCollege for Women, Chandigarh with Economics, Psychology and English Mrs. Sandhya Rao(Honours), Schooling from Carmel Convent, Chandigarh18

impact January 2017keeping to schedules, time management tomorrow do it today ,what you have to doand cutting down on food intake. It would be today do it now and if you do not do it now,surprising if we found someone who has kept when will you do it? It is a saying that helpsup their resolutions till the end of the year. us to introspect and make a few of us a littleProcrastinating or postponing should be the ashamed of ourselves. The above image isfirst on the wish list. “I will not procrastinate very simple to understand. It tells the reasonsany of the New Year Resolutions”!!!! for procrastinating and the solutions. `` Let us not welcome the New Year with I also believe that some sort of fear of so much seriousness .If we can imagine thethe unknown or of failure makes people to world of procrastinators and show the mirrorprocrastinate important issues. Laziness andrisk aversion can also be counted as otherreasons. There is a Hindi quote which whentranslated means ….what you have to do 19

impact January 2017 image of that, it would probably be like this with water in her room. He had no reason ….Procrasti-Nation! to postpone such a simple task! He told the lady he will come back in 5 mins and do the So as sane thinking adults let us make our needful. He got busy elsewhere and forgot to choice. Do we wish to live in this Procrasti- get the water. He met the lady after 2 hours Nation or we want to make something of our and with a sheepish face said he would get it life by making the best of the opportunities at along with lunch. The lady was furious now hand. If we procrastinate we are burying our and made a complaint which almost cost the opportunities. Martin Luther King once said attendant his job. Postponing a simple task that we do not have to see the whole staircase; resulted in loss of an opportunity to build just take the first step. We have to make a good customer relation. Bigger the lapse of start and then give ourselves affirmations at time, bigger the importance of task, bigger are every step to follow our resolutions. Let me the bad consequences! Not procrastinating give a simple real life example. When I was may or not bring appreciation but it definitely working in the Hospitality sector, I found a pushes you a step further to success and not lady asking for the attendant to fill her flask push you back to disaster. Letter Dear Editor, to the Editor Hearty congratulations for bringing out another interesting, informative and instructive issue of the IMPACT- December, issue. The articles, Manage conflict with Creativity by Mr SF Khan and Don’t Quit by Ms Sandhya Rao, are highly thought-provoking. The other features like the Health Management by Mr Desikan, the Different Hats by Mr Zende and the usual Valluvam in Management by you embellish the magazine. R Venugopal.20

impact January 2017 A supervisor, foreman, foreperson, team Managers/leader, overseer, cell coach, facilitator, or area Supervisor -coordinator is a manager in business. The USBureau of Census has four hundred titles under Roles andthe supervisor classification. Responsibilities An employee is a supervisor if he has thepower and authority to do the following actions 1. Give instructions and/or orders tosubordinates. 2. Be held responsible for the work andactions of other employees. A supervisor is first and foremost an overseerwhose main responsibility is to ensure that aJayprakash B Zende, Consultant, employee involve-ment schemes and a freelance trainer Jayprakash B. Zende 21

impact January 2017 group of subordinates get out the assigned • Recognize their training and amount of production, when they are development needs and supposed to do it and within acceptable levels take responsibility for self managed of quality, costs and safety. development A Supervisor is responsible for the • Gain an awareness of their productivity and actions of a small group management style, with its strengths of employees. The Supervisor has several and weaknesses managers like roles, responsibilities, and powers. Two of the key differences between • Manage their time to meet objectives a Supervisor and a Manager are (1) the • Gain the trust and support of Supervisor does not typically have “hire and colleagues/team fire” authority, and (2) the Supervisor does • Gain the trust and support of their not have budget authority. manager • Minimize and handle conflict Supervision means being able to look • Develop assertive behavior rather ahead and plan, look around to organise and than being passive or aggressive co-ordinate the efforts of people, look back • How to deal with issues, instead of regularly to monitor that we are doing what emotions in an assertive we planned to do and if not, to look into confrontation things and put them right by taking control • The various approaches to deal and problem solving. Supervisor has basic with conflict and why our actions responsibility to manage activities, people, affect others behavior resources and information. Let us understand (Transactional Analysis). these things in details • Identify and meet training and development needs of staff to ensure Manage Activities they produce good results • Planning and organizing work • Plan the work of the team and • Monitoring performance and looking individuals, ensuring right person for for ways to improve the right job • Maintain Health and safe environment • Assess the work of team and • Prioritising work individuals • Day to day work planning/allocation • Give feedback and encouragement to • Setting standards/meeting KPI’s teams and individuals (Key Performance Indicators - related • Help to deal with staff whose to the business targets). performance is unsatisfactory Manage People • Developing self and others to meet • Recognise why supervisors are needed objectives • To identify the roles and • Achieving results through people. responsibilities of supervisors Manage Resources • State what they do and identify their • Identify resources needed and any role in meeting business priorities potential shortfall • Establish what relationships • Monitor and control resources supervisors need to develop in order • Identify problems quickly to meet business priorities • Identify and recommend solutions to problem22

impact January 2017 • Implement solutions • Be able to give orders and • Meeting and exceeding customer instructions if appropriateexpectations • Providing quality service • Gather and record information • Meeting KPI’s • Carry out performance management • Ensuring smooth workflow • Assist with recruitment and selection Manage Information • Train and develop staff • Appreciate the barriers to effective What are your roles and responsibilities? communication • Decision making. • Identify information needs of listeners A manager makes organizational decisions • Adapt communication styles and handles a variety of problems that arise appropriate to the listeners/situation on a daily basis. You have to identify the including selecting an problems, create choices and alternative appropriate time and place courses of actions. • Listen actively, ask questions, clarify The daily routine of making decisions points and check mutual include determining how to approach an understanding employee who is not performing or lacking • Give and receive feedback progress and how to bring about change to • Ensure confidentiality the organization and its team. • Use effective communication skills It involves thinking and planning out for meetings or presentations strategies on how to improve quality and also • Carry out team briefings being cost conscious and effective. 23

impact January 2017 • Goal setting, planning and organizing. • Empowering others. In order for you to achieve long term goals The performance of your team depends on and commit to strategies for substantial your abilities to empower them. How well a earnings, you have to communicate the vision person performs depends on his motivation. of the company to your subordinates. You Your task is to encourage and coach others to break down and clarify the goals that each improve themselves and the quality of their team or individual have to perform and assign work. You need to instill in them the desire work schedules and strategies. to excel and accept responsibility and self- Having goals and planning out the directions management. allow for effective time management and Though it is bit difficult to manage saves cost and resources. empowerment but if you achieve it yields • Guiding and giving directions. very high dividends. Your role as the head of an organization is • Communication and people skills. to guide and give direction so that the team As the boss, your ability to develop trust can perform effectively. You offer on the job and confidence, resolve problems and issues coaching, training and support. In order for will result in a productive, goal oriented work individuals to meet the needs and objectives, group. You should encourage your team to they may need extra input, information or ask for help, get involved and participate. skills.24

impact January 2017 Practice empathy and respect their • Provide satisfaction among the staffpersonal values, opinions and ideas. and the customers.Listen and respond and offer praises andencouragements when they make progress. Your subordinates are happy when they know that their supervisors provide them By doing that you will enhance their with the necessary tools and resource. Theyself-esteem and they will offer you the feel secure if the management puts prioritycooperation. on health, safety and cleanliness issues. You satisfy customers by giving good quality of A manager is the middle person in service or product and take care of theirbetween the top management level and the needs.team that reports to him. He has to ensurethat communication is smooth and conveyed • Being an exemplary role model.clearly to avoid misinterpretations and Managers who set high standards ordissatisfaction. goals and achieve them are great leaders by examples. The ability to tolerate stress and • Evaluating and analyzing. remain poise under job pressures and still You need to have the capacity to evaluate maintain a high activity and energy level areand examine a process or procedure and contagious.decide on the best choice to produce an You should set the example by beingoutcome. You look at the importance, quality accountable for your own activities andand values and then taking the best approach. performance. Work harder on your personal You are also expected to track the growth and you will become a respected andprogress of each individual’s activities and efficient leader.effectiveness, review them and offer feedbackand counseling. 25

impact January 2017 Vocabulary plays a vital role in comprehending as BUILD-UPit helps in determining the proficiency level of thereaders. Knowledge of a wide range of words and their YOURusage assists a person to become more confident asone can have a command over one’s language. Our VOCABULARYvery survival in today’s socio-economic atmosphereis immensely affected by our language skills andword knowledge. Many professionals are stuck in acorner in their careers due to their lack of words toexpress their ideas originally and convincingly. Moreimportantly, competitive exams like IELTS, TOEFL etc.,require us to have a good vocabulary. So having anaccess to a large word bank is like a good investmentfor our academic future. One can find it as fun to learncompound words and practice English vocabularywith fun compound word games. Compound wordsexist in many languages and offer great insight intothe inner workings of each language, including thebasic building blocks such as prefixes, suffixes andword roots.Dr. (Ms). R. Krishnaveni Assistant professor / Dept. of English, LRG. Dr. R. KrishnaveniGovt. Arts College for Women, Tiruppur. She has nine years of teachingexperience. She is in the advisory and editorial board member ofAnu Books, Meerut, Notions a Journal of English Literature. She hassuccessfully received an internationally recognized certificate from theUniversity of Cambridge ESOL26

impact January 2017 In English, there are three forms of Adjective + Verb:compound words: Examples: Safe-guard, whitewash, fulfil. Adverb+Verb • Closed form (notebook) Examples: Overthrow, overtake, foretell, • Hyphenated form (mother-in-law) undertake, undergo, overhear, overdo, outbid, • Open form (real estate) outdo. • Noun+Noun Some examples of compound words: Examples: Chessboard, moonlight, armchair, Compound Word Games postman, railway, airman, manservant. Adjective + Noun In the long run a person without creative Examples: Nobleman, shorthand, aspect to his/her personality would becomeblackboard, halfpenny, iron-rod, blue-eye, a failure. To lead a better life in this world,green-leaves. it is essential for us to explore our creativity. Verb + Noun This exploration, for many, might turn out to Examples: Spendthrift, makeshift, be a surprising self-discovery. This magazinebreakfast, pickpocket, daredevil, popcorn, is the portal for all our readers to exhibit theirhangman. creative abilities. In our effort to create, we Verb + Adverb might surprise our self and others. It gives Examples: Drawbacks, lock-up, go- opportunity for every one of us to tap theirbetween, die-hard, send-off, drop-out. untapped potential and thus result in self- Adverb + Verb: discovery. I wish all the readers success on Examples: Outset, upkeep, outcry, income, their road to self-discovery.outcome, output, backdrop. Wish you all a blissful life. HAPPY NEW YEAR! 27

impact January 2017 Leadership has come to play an important role in The today’s world. Leadership is the art of managing a importance team, managing relationships, managing different kinds of people. … The list is endless. Leadership of touches many spheres of activity in society. It is wide in its sweep and broad in its reach and depth. leadership Different situations demand different kinds of leadership and how deftly a person deals with a particular situation determines how good a leader that person is. A leader’s role becomes challenging in challenging situations in life and if a person passes this test we can conclude that he or she is a true leader. Who is a great leader? Who is a true leader? What are ideal leadership qualities? Several such questions are connected with leadership. In the following paragraphs, I will make an attempt to answer these questions. First I will dwell on the role of leadership in a company. Companies throw up several challenging situations and a good leader’s skills will be M.V. Kaushik is senior quality Analyst in a multinational firm, and a former journalist M.V. Kaushik28

impact January 2017severely tested in such situations. If a great a soft approach would send a wrong signaland embarrassing mistake has been made, to undesirable employees. But a questionhow does a leader deal with it? When should now arises. Should a leader always adopt aa leader take a strict decision that will result punishing approach whenever somethingin severe punishment to an erring employee? wrong happens in a company? The answer isIf a particular employee has committed a no.grave error that has caused severe loss andembarrassment to the company, and if it If something wrong happens, a properis found that this employee is singularly investigation must be done before pinpointingresponsible for damaging and tarnishing the blame on a particular person. If it is thereputation and image of the company, then a handiwork of a few people, then a leaderpunishing, ‘head will roll’, ‘I am sacking you’ can take a collective decision to mete outapproach can be justified. This extreme step punishment. A true leader is one who consultscan be taken if one violates the code of ethics his or her colleagues before deciding on theand conduct laid down by the company nature of action that is envisaged in such aand if one breaches the permissible levels situation. A leader should not take a unilateralof discipline laid down in the company’s decision under these circumstances.charter. If a person leaks the company’ssecrets to another rival firm, resulting in loss Another issue crops up. Some companiesof face and business, then he or she can be follow a wrong policy of punishing everyone ingiven the marching orders. If a leader takes a department or a team if somebody commitsthis approach in this kind of situation, then a mistake. A leader of a department shouldhis or her role will indeed be laudable. This ensure that this injustice does not become awill also act as a deterrent in the future and part and parcel of a company’s policy. Suchprevent further wrongdoings. In contrast, a policy stems from prejudices nurtured by a leader against a particular department or a team. How can the others be held responsible 29

impact January 2017 for the misdemeanour of somebody in like the AIADMK, this kind of leadership may the team? A true leader should steer clear work. But here too, the leader should have of prejudice and bias against the members the image of a no-nonsense person and the of a specific group. Every individual in an charisma that would work magic with the organisation should be treated on merit. Every partymen. Jayalalithaa could fit this role individual is unique and each is endowed with perfectly. However, this approach will not special qualities and abilities. A good leader work in non-monolithic and democratic must take these things into account and deal companies and setups. In such organisations, humanely with the different kinds of people in the leader of a team must have the a company setup. For example, if one or two patience to study the reasons for the poor members of a team are not up to the mark in performance of a few members and tackle their work and if this factor negatively impacts them appropriately. A bottoms-up approach the team as a whole, then the leader must instead of a top-down approach will help in question only such members. A leader must such situations. A good leader should identify not condemn the team as a whole and develop the weaknesses of the poor performers and unnecessary bias against all the members. If suggest steps for improvement. If necessary, this happens, then the leader will only end up adequate training should be given to such being a trouble-maker rather than a trouble- people in areas where they are weak. The shooter. Instead of the leader shooting down leader should also investigate properly if one the trouble, the trouble will shoot down the or two members repeat the same mistake leader! And again, how does a leader deal many times. The leader should address the with those who are not up to the mark. An root cause of a problem and not rest content authoritarian attitude will not help. This helps with taking cosmetic measures. only in certain situations, in situations where there is intense rivalry and internal bickering. A true leader is also one who creates leaders. Perhaps former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister the A leader should always work in the direction late Jayalalithaa’s handling of her partymen of creating a second-rung leadership. This can be justified to some extent because the form of leadership is especially important party members would always veer around in a political party. It is also important in her for anything and everything and look up any kind of organisation. Only if leaders are to her for advice. If they indulge in squabbles, created, a company can grow in the true a stern warning from the ‘supreme’ leader sense of the word and reach great heights. would bring things under control. On the If good team leaders are non-existent, then other hand, a soft handling would have led all powers would be concentrated on one to the party members quarrelling eternally individual, and this is not a healthy scenario. over even trivial issues. In a monolithic party If all powers are vested in an individual, then dictatorial tendencies would rule the roost30

impact January 2017and collective decision-making would take a the members, sometimes it would helpbackseat. a lot if the leader himself takes the initiative in approaching the team members to resolve A good leader is one who shares ideas an intractable problem. If this happens,and opinions with his subordinates. A leader the team will grow rapidly and achieveshould not be egoistic and self-centred. He stupendous success. Such a gesture on theor she should be easily accessible to his team part of the leader would work wonders inmembers. They should feel free to consult the team and also boost the morale andtheir leader at any time for any problem. confidence levels of the members.But if a leader is arrogant and develops anair of superiority over others, then both the A leader comes across different types ofleader and the team would get destroyed people and that is why the task of a leaderslowly but surely. The leader should not becomes onerous. The leader cannot lead allerect artificial barriers between himself or people all of the time by patting them on theirherself and the team members. The leader backs. Some individuals are overachieversand the led should work closely in a spirit who are looking for stars on their foreheadsof togetherness so that everyone benefits. and thrive on constant positive feedback.However, if the distance between the leader For these people a leader leads mostly byand the team is huge and a yawning gap showering praises. There are other types ofpersists, then people would be working with people who tend to be motivated more bycross-purposes and against one another the fear of being in ‘trouble’ and not wantingand not with one another. Such a distance to look bad. What must a leader do to dealbetween the leader and the led would only with such people? The answer is such peoplecreate feelings of inferiority in the minds should be dealt with a kind of ‘kind firmness’.of the latter. Any artificial distance must bebridged and all should feel that they are part Dear leader, what should you do if a goodand parcel of one family. Only then a leader performer makes the same kind of mistakewould be able to create good leaders. The again and again? First, ask the mistake-makerleader should ensure that information and to propose a solution. It is best if a personknowledge sharing happens spontaneously hammers out a solution to his or her ownbetween him or her and the team members. mistakes. It is interesting how many peopleThe leader should not keep all knowledge will actually figure out their own plan tolocked in the deep recesses of one’s self. prevent the problem from happening again. Because they created the plan themselves, The leader should also be open to new they are more likely to stick to it. Second,ideas and must be both an active andpatient listener. He or she must respectthe opinions of every team member andtreat everyone with equal respect. Onlythen would the members feel at home andfeel like contributing in a great way to thesuccess of the team. A good leader is also one who is willing tospend more time with the team members.He or she should not always expectsubordinates to take the initiative in solvinga problem. Although it is natural for anyleader to nurture such expectations from 31

impact January 2017 help people feel the impact. I think a person parts of the job that are taking up almost needs to spend time in a position that so much of your time and effort. gets impacted by the mismatch or the error Checklists will also help identify – to actually feel the consequences – for it which tasks are important and to become real. If the address is wrong, are which are not. What if you are you getting the call from the angry customer producing reports that no one who did not receive his order? If the line of reads! Eliminate them. code does not include a closing tag, are you the one who experiences the embarrassment Now I shift the scene from a of seeing a public-facing HTML fail on the company to that of the home. company website? These consequences feel Now the leader in a company so different than a severe scolding or an becomes the father of his children. acerbic write-up. Here child psychology is important. The father would fail miserably if he replicates his role of Some people do not really internalize the a leader in his company. The father would cut consequences of an error because the fallout a sorry figure if he thinks he can boss around is never really theirs to deal with. To them, with his children just as in office. Children are errors result in a reprimand or a bad grade, not the same as team members. An entirely and that is why errors are bad. If there is a way different perspective is needed to deal with to give them responsibility for fixing the errors children, for they are extremely sensitive. and dealing with the fallout, they will develop Also, modern children are far removed from a better eye for catching them. yesteryear children. Children in the previous generation feared teachers at school and Third, invest some coaching time. This time parents at home. This fear led to implicit should be really hands-on with the person, obedience in some matters. But today, it is the really delving into how they are operating, other way round. Parents and teachers fear what systems they are using, how they are the children more. So, what leadership role staying organized, etc. – the kind of intensive, must a father play to deal with his children? remedial help they should not need, but being The father must be firm and at the same time very hands-on in that regard for a week or two polite to drive home the message. Words like, to see if it gets them back on track. Sometimes “If you want to be able to buy nice things in it does! And then you can back off and return life you need to work hard” would convey the to normal and see what happens. It is not right message. Getting suddenly angry with sustainable for you to continue being that children does not help with today’s children. hands-on, so the key is seeing what happens The father should praise their efforts as when you stop. But for some people, that will much as their results while still emphasizing be what they needed. the importance of actual results. But when a child is being naughty, an “I will buy you Fourth, prepare checklists and start ice cream if you are good” approach does simplifying. Have a second person for each not work and is not warranted. Here the item, that is, not do the work, but ensure it is father should not reveal his mind to his child done. Have both people sign off at the end. Say by saying openly that he would get an ice you have ten people doing orders. Make two of cream. Then, the child would expect an ice them ‘inspectors’ who double-check the work cream every time he gets naughty! Instead, before it goes out. The amount of time and the ice cream should come as a surprise at money you will save making sure everything the end, if this is the father’s intention after is done correctly before it goes out will more all. Without yelling and certainly never with than pay for the fact that you only have eight violence, the father should make the child people directly working instead of ten. The other benefit of checklists is uncovering the32

impact January 2017understand the dangerous consequences answer for what the right process orof being naughty. The father should wield right behaviour would be, then you arethe stick as an extreme step only if the child not going to be very effective in helping thecannot be brought around at all. Only then person to be better next time.the father becomes a good leader. 3. Help them plan the new rules or process Now I will shift back to the company to ensure the mistake is not repeated . Be ascenario. A soft but firm approach also problem-solver. Work on the new processworks more effectively than yelling to one’s with them. Talk about exactly what needssubordinates. It is crushing to somebody to happen next time. They need a map forwhen they hear messages like, “I would have success, not just a “this better never happenexpected you to have planned better for this again.”meeting. I put a lot of trust and faith in you, butnow I feel let down because you did not take 4. Do not suddenly go back to “buddy youthis seriously enough.” And a leader would be are a nice guy” at home. To be an effective dad,rubbing salt into the wounds when he or she children need to feel a little distance from youfollows it up with the words, “Listen, I do not when they commit something wrong. This iswant to see this happen again. Let us work on really hard as a parent because you want toa plan to make sure it does not. But if I see just go up and hug your kids and becausethis again you will face the consequences.” your patience will easily run out. After all they are your children and are not like your team Below, I present some rules that would be members at office. But hold on. Children needof help to somebody aspiring to be a good a cooling off period from being in your goodleader: graces. They need to know it is not OK what happened and should not be taken lightly. But 1. Highlight the error. Best to do this this does not mean that the trust betweenafter the situation has happened, not when you and them should erode. Your firmnessemotions are flared on both sides or you should not lead to a sense in them that theywould not have a rational discussion or are now not to be trusted. In fact, I think thereflection. Tell the person that you would like best approach is if they feel they need to re-him or her to reflect on what happened so earn your trust.that you can debrief on the topic in 48 hours.Obviously if the situation is urgent you need 5. Do not yell. Yelling yields resentment into put the situation right before reflecting on the receiver and often makes the messagewhat happened. unpalatable. 2. Discuss what you would have expected. 6. Praise people publicly, but disciplineI never understood why when managers did them privately. If you do need to disciplinereviews they would say what you did wrong people do not try to make a public spectaclewithout a clear explanation of what they think of them to set an example. People would notyou should have done. If you do not have an learn. People accept their mistakes only when they are not embarrassed by them. People stay at companies with leaders who rule like Mussolini because they want to be a part of something that is super successful. But it does tend to breed organizations of people who walk around like beaten dogs with their heads down waiting to be kicked. It produces only sycophants. 33

impact January 2017 DEMENTIA RISK Patients suffering from atrial fibrillation, or such as valvular heart diseases and irregular heart-beat, treated long term with thromboembolism can suffer. the blood­thickening drug, Warfarin may be at greater risk for dementia or ALZHEIMER’S During seven years of follow up, dementia disease. was found to be more prevalent in the atrial fibrillation group than in patients without Atrial fibrillation can cause blood clots atrial fibrillation. and increase the risk of stroke five-fold. Since blood clots can seriously affect brain The risk of dementia was also greater in function, atrial fibrillation, by itself is known patients in both group when Warfarin dosage to eliminate the risk of DEMENTIA. was not managed accurately. Warfarin works by preventing blood clots. The risk of dementia was also great in But over time it can also increase the likelihood patients younger than 80 years. of brain bleeds which, in turn, negatively impacts brain function. The study results are the first to show that there are significant cognitive risk factor for Patients with no history of dementia who patients treated with Warfarin over a long were being treated with Warfarin for atrial period of time regardless of the indication for fibrillation as well as for other conditions anticoagulation. Lion M. DESIKAN is a former District Chairman and Life Member, Lions Club International, District 324A. He is a social activist and literary lover. Lion M. Desikan34

impact January 2017 SPIRITUAL MANAGEMENTKanchi Acharya, Peetathipathi of Kanchi Mutt-from his age of 27 in 1921-1994.Management of four fold personality and was succeeded by Poojaya Sri Jayendra of the human beings viz., physical, Saraswati Swamigal. mental, intellectual and spiritual is absolutelyessentialforone’s selfdevelopment Periyava stressed the importance of a Guru and to influence others. Influencing the in one’s life. He repeatedly preached about superiors, peers and subordinates depends the importance of following the Dharmic on the personality of the Manager. From path. His various discourses are available in that angle, Spiritual Management is very a volume of books called ‘Deivathin Kural’ important. This message is very well brought (Voice of the Divine) which have been out by Paramacharya, who managed the compiled by R. Ganapathi, a devotee of Kanchi Mutt and the following millions of the Periyava. These books are available both in tenet. Tamil and English. A condensed form of these books is also available in English. These are His long tenure as Peetadhipathi is available in any branch of the Kanchi math. considered by many to have been the Golden He was a pure Gnani – (Sanskrit – he knew Era of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham. He every thing happening in the world). He had attained Mukti (died) on January 8, 1994 proved this several times. So many devotees 35

impact January 2017 mentioning this in their experience accounts to wear silk clothes. But Acharya was the for this. His advice to Paul Brunton is a classic first one to do away with them and shifted to example. He treated all religions equally and Khadi robes at Rameshwaram. He requested with respect. He guided the devotees by his devotees to do away with foreign/ non spiritual means. natural clothes some time earlier at Trichy. The day India became free, he gave the Though Periyavaa did not get directly into Maithreem Bhajata song, which was later to politics, he was interested in the happenings. be sung at the UN by M S Subbulakshmi. He At Nellichery in Palakkad (Present Day Kerala), gave a speech on the significance of the flag Rajaji and Mahatma Gandhi met the Acharya and the Dharma chakra in it on that day. in a cow shed. It was a practice in the mutt Periyava’s charm invited the rich and the poor, the old and the young alike to be his devotees. Some of his famous devotees include, Their Highness the King and Queen of Nepal, the Queen Mother of Greece, the Dalai Lama, M. S. Subbulakshmi, Subramanian Swamy , Indira Gandhi, R. Venkatraman and Atal Bihari Vajpayee among others. To the Acharya, the VIPs and the common man were one and the same. There were thousands of personal experiences to lakhs of his devotees, who still revere him, and pray to him as a messenger of the Supreme or an ultimate Guru.”36

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