I am invited to  a HR seminar on next Friday  3rd April at the Hilton hotel. Some 150 professionals will flock to discuss the challenges of HR in Mauritius for the coming years with the background of greater mobility of the work force and the economic and financial adjustments of the world. I am told that the liberations would be pod casted live.

Perhaps  one of the main theme in HR could be the hiring of people. Matching people to jobs which have been clearly defined.

Stephen Covey had much to say with his laws of hiring in my work active days.  The fundamentals  are still valid,one needs to adjust and supplement  Stephen Covey’s ideas  with today’s reality. I am a great believer of  “you are allowed to copy me provided you improve on me” as we shall not start reinvent the wheel all over again.

10 Laws of Hiring

How do you break those bad hiring habits? Here are my 10 laws of hiring.

1. First, realize that hiring is more important than training. Most executives hire on the basis of urgent need. Because they desire most earnestly to fill the position or solve a pressing problem, they believe most easily that virtually anybody will do. They read resumes and interview candidates with eyes and ears of hope, but hope, writes John Updike, “reads a word where in fact only a scribble exists.” They don’t explore in depth the complete track record of that person. They don’t find out the pattern of that person’s motivations. And when they don’t pay the price in the hiring process, they pay ten times the price later with the problems that come down the road. They may then try to train, mentor, coach, and counsel people in an attempt to compensate for bad hiring decisions.

2. Pay the price to know each other well. Let them know you and the mission of your organization, so they have to make a decision before you ever hire them. Take the time, even if it takes a few weeks, to go in depth with the person. Let them know you and your vision and mission. They need to feel in harmony long before they make the decision. Also, you need to know them, particularly in the gap areas of their lives—those things they don’t write in their resumes. Pay the price to get to know these people. Don’t be in a rush.

3. Start with the person’s early life, and ask him or her, “What is it that you did very well that you loved doing?” You might ask, “What did you really enjoy doing when you were in grade school?” “What did you do well?” “What made you feel good about yourself?” “What did you really love about your childhood?” “Tell me a little about the paper route you loved.” When he or she talks about the paper route, you may discover this person is very proactive and took much initiative. Ask, “How did you collect the money you received?” “Did your parents drive you around?” “Did you get yourself up early in the morning?” “What did you do well that you loved doing, starting from your early years?” Then ask about high school and college, and you will see what the pattern of their life has been.

4. Study the life pattern, and you will begin to discover their deepest motivations. You may find, for example, that the pattern is one of independence, not one of interdependence. That teaches you a lot. It may be a pattern of self-glorification rather than contribution, or the opposite. When you see eyes light up, you begin to realize this is what excites this person. When you ask him or her about high school, college, graduate school and first jobs, you begin to see patterns that persist over time. Now, people can break those habit patterns if they are sufficiently self-aware, have strong desire, exercise their talents, set themselves on a new path, and surround themselves with a strong social support group. Still, it’s not easy.

5. Determine if the person’s habit patterns, motivations, values, and lifestyle fit well with the culture of your organization. Generally, I find that those motivational patterns persist in the future. You can tell if people are independent or interdependent, selfish or service oriented. You can begin to see the totality of their lives. You can then better determine if they will fit well with the culture of your organization.

6. Allow team leaders to hire and fire. To take the time to hire right in every position at every level would be difficult, if not impossible, unless you allow team leaders to hire their own people. The personnel department or human resource department shouldn’t do any hiring. They should do the announcing, screening and processing. The people who should be hiring are the team leaders. Candidates should come before the teams, present themselves, and get to know each team member. When people approach me for a job, I tell them, “I don’t do the hiring. You’ve got to sell yourself to these people, and they are going to get to know you.” Even when my personal friends approach me, I say: “You have to go through the process.” Most of them are not hired. It’s also the team that does the firing. If some people aren’t pulling their oar, it’s the team that throws them overboard, not the helmsman.

7. Seek to build a complementary team in an interdependent culture. If you are trying to develop an interdependent culture, you don’t want to hire independent-minded people because the fit isn’t there. You have to decide, “What do I need and who do I want on my team?” The natural tendency is to clone yourself rather than to set up a complementary team where one person’s strengths compensate for your deficiencies. Since likeness attracts, you clone yourself, and your strength becomes your weakness, rather than saying, “Where am I strong, and what are my deficiencies? I’ve got to hire for strength in my areas of weakness. That means I need to hire people who are different from me. That means they are going to do things differently. Am I emotionally prepared to go in that direction?” Most entrepreneurs are not. But entrepreneurs and corporate managers alike must learn: don’t clone, complement. That takes a lot of emotional strength, and a lot of self-awareness.

8. If you must choose one among many good candidates, invite those who aren’t hired to keep trying. If all six hiring choices are good, you say to the other five, “Keep us in mind. Keep at it. Now is not the right time, but come back in six months.” When people make a second, third, fourth, or even fifth attempt to get in, they usually do. That’s a measure of the power of their motivation. People who are highly motivated usually get the job they want. They begin to adapt themselves; they learn the culture; and they learn how to make an effective presentation.

9. Avoid being shocked and surprised at entry or exit by having clear criteria. Train the people who do the hiring to use the same criteria you were hired under. Set guidelines and criteria for team leaders to work with when they are hiring their own people. The criteria should come from your mission statement. If the culture buys into that mission statement, then the criteria is written in people’s minds and hearts. Our own Client Services Group is a good illustration of this. They have inside themselves these criteria for hiring.

Also, departure should not surprise or shock an organization, yet it often does because managers fail to practice preventative hiring, nor do they anticipate turnover and attrition. So, they allow a key position to go vacant for six months. The more all members of the culture have the criteria of the mission statement inside them, the less shocked they are with hiring and firing decisions. The less members of the culture have those criteria, the more shocked and dismayed they are when someone departs. They wonder “What is happening around here?” Then they wait for the next shoe to drop. “When is it going to happen to me?” They feel guilty or depressed about the person being laid off—and that usually robs them of their highest level of motivation and contribution.

The more all team members share the criteria of world-class performance against world-class standards, the fewer people are shocked when someone leaves the organization. The more the criteria is based on performance rather than the politics, on principles rather than the principals, the more congruent your hiring and firing is with the concept of principle-centered leadership.

10. Create a covenant, not just a contract, and have a few ceremonies. Remember: when hiring, you’re creating an economic marriage, hopefully one based on covenant, not contract. In a covenant relationship, both parties give 100 percent instead of 50-50. In a covenant relationship, there are really two decisions: the decision of one party to hire, and the decision of the other party to be hired. That produces a powerful covenant.

In a typical employment contract, only one party (the person who is doing the hiring) is making a decision and commitment; and so both parties feel that the relationship could end at any time. The relationship is transactional, not transforming.

Also, when entering into a covenant relationship, you expect to pass through some sort of ceremony, symbolism, initiation, or rite of passage. Consider: what ceremony would best symbolize the “covenant” that comes with joining this organization? For example, many churches baptize their new members; many clubs have an initiation ceremony; many schools have an orientation; many families have a celebration with the birth of a child. In some way the new person gets inaugurated into the society.

Being Hired Right

The proactive person is smart about being hired right. To be hired right means knowing full well what you are coming into, having common expectations, and hammering out clear performance and compensation criteria. Ambiguous expectations lead to disappointment, because people act in good faith in the beginning, but as events transpire, and expectations are violated, they get into an accusatory spirit, defensiveness, and adversarialism. Then they look for evidence to support their claims, and, of course, they find the evidence. It’s just a self-fulfilling prophecy.

To clarify the expectations up front, create a win-win performance agreement, a mutual understanding and commitment regarding expectations in five areas. First, identify specific desired results in terms of quantity and quality, targets and timelines, allowing people to select the best methods and means. Second, set guidelines in terms of principles—go light on policies and procedures to allow for individual initiative and judgment. Third, identify available resources, including yourself, to assist people in meeting goals. Fourth, define accountability—performance standards along with evaluation criteria (usually a combination of measurement, 360-degree feedback, and discernment). Fifth, agree on consequences: rewards, compensations, and possible punishments.

Take the time and make the effort to hammer out those guidelines and the criteria for assessment. Before you make the decision to be hired, get to know the organization—its leaders and its vision, mission, and values—and know how you will be evaluated. Then think about it; talk it over with your spouse, mentor, or advisor. Ask yourself, “Am I really prepared to give myself to this?” If the answer is yes, you come onboard well prepared to succeed.

The hiring process should be one of the best proofs of the win-win spirit of your organization.

Jn 12,20-33.
Parmi les Grecs qui étaient montés à Jérusalem pour adorer Dieu durant la
Pâque,
quelques-uns abordèrent Philippe, qui était de Bethsaïde en Galilée. Ils
lui firent cette demande : « Nous voudrions voir Jésus. »
Philippe va le dire à André ; et tous deux vont le dire à Jésus.
Alors Jésus leur déclare : « L’heure est venue pour le Fils de l’homme
d’être glorifié.
Amen, amen, je vous le dis : si le grain de blé tombé en terre ne meurt
pas, il reste seul ; mais s’il meurt, il donne beaucoup de fruit.
Celui qui aime sa vie la perd ; celui qui s’en détache en ce monde la garde
pour la vie éternelle.
Si quelqu’un veut me servir, qu’il me suive ; et là où je suis, là aussi
sera mon serviteur. Si quelqu’un me sert, mon Père l’honorera.
Maintenant je suis bouleversé. Que puis-je dire ? Dirai-je : Père,
délivre-moi de cette heure ? – Mais non ! C’est pour cela que je suis
parvenu à cette heure-ci !
Père, glorifie ton nom ! » Alors, du ciel vint une voix qui disait : « Je
l’ai glorifié et je le glorifierai encore. »
En l’entendant, la foule qui se tenait là disait que c’était un coup de
tonnerre ; d’autres disaient : « C’est un ange qui lui a parlé. »
Mais Jésus leur répondit : « Ce n’est pas pour moi que cette voix s’est
fait entendre, c’est pour vous.
Voici maintenant que ce monde est jugé ; voici maintenant que le prince de
ce monde va être jeté dehors ;
et moi, quand j’aurai été élevé de terre, j’attirerai à moi tous les
hommes. »
Il signifiait par là de quel genre de mort il allait mourir.

=======================================================================

Ce matin la lecture de ce passage de Saint Jean, me conduit à jésus qui est bouleversé.

Un verset avant Jésus me faisait la leçon qu’il faille perdre sa vie pour porter beaucoup de fruit, et qu’il faille perdre sa vie pour accéder à la vie éternelle.

Pourquoi était- il bouleversé ? Devant l’angoisse de la passion et les supplices qu’il voit venir Jesus  est angoissé. Il demande à son Père de le délivrer de cette heure et pourtant il se ressaisit immédiatement sachant qu’il est venu que pour cela. Devant sa mort, il est bouleversé : il prend sur lui le poids que la mort de toute l’humanité pour le faire traverser vers le royaume de son Père. Il  donne de sa vie pour le faire, il se sacrifie pour qu’à partir de ce jour la voie est ouverte.O Jesus merci!

Ou tient-il cette force pour faire ce pas ? Comme une obsession, son regard est tourné vers son Père qu’il ne cesse de rendre gloire. Que signifie rendre gloire à Dieu ? Père glorifie ton nom. Honorer et célébrer. Etre conscient de la présence de Dieu et être rempli de Lui.

Comment faire pour que je sois toujours en Sa presence? Simplement en Lui demandant. N’est il pas notre pourvoyeur de notre tout?

Sans toi je ne suis rien. A tout moment Seigneur donne moi de Te glorifier, et surtout dans mes moments d’angoisses fais que mon regard soit tourné vers Toi. Notre Père qui est aux cieux. Je garderai toujours Seigneur Ton nom.

I am lucky to have been exposed to on-line communications for over three decades. The airline industry as far as the early sixties communicated on line: first with telexes then later through a network of computer terminals. This form of communication is quite distinctive to the normal written letter and mail mode. Communicating through emails which is now the most common way requires different reflexes. Texting and SMS are invading our communications sphere. What are the rules to obey? Do you consider the usefulness of the message sent to your addressees?

This recent article, entitled ‘Mere Words’ from the web highlights some aspects we have to watch out in particular with the internet.

Mere Words:

How to improve your online communication

by Barbara Neal Varma

You’re trying to figure out why your wife’s brother just sent you a flaming e-mail-at work, no less-when a message pops up from your boss with only question marks in the subject line, (that can’t be good), your daughter texts you to ask for permission to stay overnight with her “BFF,” whatever that is, and you’ve got close to 200 e-mails all with red priority flags like ants on your screen. You rub your gritty, glare-strained eyes and wonder: When did simply communicating get to be so hard?

You’re not alone. With today’s popularity in e-mailing, blogging and texting, more than half of our conversations are written instead of verbal. While convenient, experts say confusion can easily occur when the usual visual cues such as facial expression are not present. “It’s easier to spot signals when meeting someone face-to-face,” says Dr. Will Reader of Sheffied Hallam University in his recent study on online social networks. “It’s harder to spot signals online.”

So how do we get our messages safely across the virtual divide? Follow these easy steps to make your electronic communication more clear and comprehensible.

At Work

Get to the Point – Ever receive an e-mail so long it made your Starbucks turn cold? Or do you stop reading after one paragraph? Studies show that the attention span of online readers is significantly shorter than those reading printed material. “In research on how people read Web sites, we found that 79 percent of our test users always scanned any new page they came across,” says Web page usability expert Dr. Jakob Nielsen. He recommends using half the word count or less than conventional writing when composing electronic messages.

Another good habit to practice: write in active, not passive voice; “Jill promoted Jack” instead of “Jack was promoted.” The latter begs the question, by whom? Busy business folks don’t have time for mysteries.

Begin your message with your main points: your question, your answer, your researched information then fill in the details behind instead of starting with a yawner of a preamble. Think of any follow-up questions your recipients may have and address them in your original message to avoid a rush of return e-mails.

Get it Right – Every social scientist or hiring official will tell you within the context of face-to-face communication, appearance means everything. Political correctness aside, people tend to form quick impressions based on others’ outward appearance, the golden rule for every dress-for-success seminar. Don’t let typos or sloppy grammar ruin your good image online. Remember, your e-mail has the potential to be shared with every other colleague and client in the company. Avoid leaving a legacy of cyber errors with your signature at the bottom. Don’t depend on Spell Check to catch every spelling mistake. Some misspellings make perfectly spelled words by themselves and, therefore, don’t generate a red squiggly line alert.

Keep it Professional – Hey, no one likes to be YELLED AT. Using all caps in your message means you are shouting, and if your recipient is the company vice president or an important client, he or she might not appreciate your uppity tone. Remember, your readers are not seeing you on their computer monitor, they are seeing your words; guard them and your reputation well. “My e-mail is a piece of professional communication that speaks to the person who wrote it,” says Human Resources Director Diana Clark during a recent career readiness seminar. “Don’t use slang,” she advises. “Don’t use capital letters. Don’t use inappropriate dialogue with a co-worker. Somebody else is going to see that, then it goes to the boss.”

And save the winsome daisy background and jumping graphics for your MySpace page. There’s no crying in baseball and there’s no room for emoticons (smiley faces and their winking cousins) in business e-mail. Using cartoons to punctuate your prose just looks, well, cartoonish.

At Home

Think Before You Send – “Susan” stared at the computer screen, not believing her eyes, but there it was: a flaming e-mail from her brother listing everything he felt she’d done wrong regarding their elderly mother’s care. His words were harsh; he said things she had no idea he was thinking, let alone willing to say. But that’s the point: he hadn’t said them at all. He’d e-mailed her instead.

Social psychologists liken these e-mail eruptions to the “road rage” phenomenon when otherwise calm folks suddenly become avenging drivers, exhibiting symptoms of outrage and anger not consistent with their everyday behavior. The key and catalyst in both road rage and e-rage is the perceived sense of privacy and power the car/computer conveys.

So what to do if you are on the other side of a hostile e-mail? First, like in any good emergency, stay calm. Your options are to respond in kind (tempting…), respond with calmer words to explain your side of things, or ignore the e-mail but pay attention to the sender and give them a call. You might discover there was more emotion to the message than sincerity and with a verbal conversation, you can better figure out the core problem. If the message is truly an attack on you, your family, or your golden retriever, simply delete it without reply and perhaps restrict your interaction. You’ve learned something about this individual and how they prefer to handle stress-by venting at you.

Be Versatile – Sure, you may yearn for the good old days when talking to someone meant they were actually in the same room, but with today’s variety of virtual communication, you might just as easily have a conversation with your friend in Timbuktu as you do with your next door neighbor. Instant messages, Web blogs, Facebook, MySpace; today’s technology has advanced our ability to stay in touch almost to the point of Star Trek’s famous “Beam me up, Scotty” communicators. Cell phones, especially, have become the new communicator to the current generation of teens and twenty-somethings, bringing forth a whole new cyber-lingo with enough acronyms and abbreviations to seem more code than conversation.

Take a computer course, learn how to use the latest e-mail programs and read that instruction manual for your cell phone that you’d tucked away thinking you already know how to use a phone, right? As you become more proficient at the many and varied ways to communicate today, you will not only expand your circle of friends and family ties, you’ll be opening up opportunities for connecting with others on a world-wide scale.

Practice Safe Text – On the one hand, e-mail lets us be ourselves. There’s no worry about spinach stuck in teeth or a lock of hair out of place. Men don’t even need to shave first. For those interested in meeting a potential dating prospect online, all this lack of posing and pretense makes e-mail conversations particularly personal: It’s just you and your chat partner with nothing between you but mere words.

But it’s that very bubble of easy intimacy that makes the Internet a virtual land of opportunity for imposters. Every year thousands of Internet users fall victim to identity theft, lulled like Cyrino’s Roxanne into believing that the message sender is who they say they are: a long lost friend, an enticing new acquaintance. A new-found love.

If you’re meeting new people online, practice the art of privacy until you are sure he or she (do we really know which?) is who they write they are. Don’t disclose your shoe size, your favorite American Idol candidate or your social security number to someone you don’t know well, and communicate via computer only in those contexts where you feel safe. Add a little restraint to your online chat and don’t fall for good-looking Subject lines suddenly appearing in your inbox. The person behind the prose might just well be a wolf in e-clothing.

Mi chinois, métis, que je suis, ou banana que d’autres prétendent que je suis, j’ai le désire profond de sonder l’âme chinoise. Dans ce brouhaha des écrits des textes fondateurs de la chine depuis de millénaires, peut on en tirer une philosophie chinoise qui pourrait élucider ses agissements type chinois comme nous decryptons par exemples,des façons de faire des européens du basin méditerranéen.

La chine vaste et multi ethnique me semble avoir une culture culture  et  unefaçon de penser car la magnitutude du territoire et peuplades font la difference.

Hakka que je suis, forgé par ma tradition familiale, j’agis bien souvent dans mon inconscient dans un registre qui est ancré en moi par mon héritage culturel vécu. Mon souhait c’est bien là de déceler et si possible de comprendre les codes, concepts, logiques qui fait mon univers mentale.

Comme je n’ai comme langues que le français et l’anglais, le Kreole,et ma la langue maternelle Hakka, je suis conscient que mes acquisitions de connaissances et mes réflexions sont voiles par les filtres des langues utilisés et m’exclut des nuances qui ne sont exprimées ou implicitees dans les textes originaux. Cela me fait penser souvent a ODED EL DAD, illustre professeur qui en français nous traduit la version hébraïque du récit de Caen et Abel , donnant ainsi des valeurs tout autre que la lecture du texte en français.

Existe-t-il une philosophie chinoise ? Qu’entendons nous par philosophie à la mode, gréco-occidental, ou la pensée à la chinoise ?

Je me régale en lisant un texte qui met en exergue les idées exprimes dans les écrits des nombreux auteurs autour de la pensée chinoise. Anne Cheng, dans La pensée en chine; Francois Julien, dans Chemin faisant, connaitre la chine, relancer la philosophie ; Jean Luc Domenach dans le retour ambigu de la chine en Asie ;Joel Thoraval, sinologue connu dans de la philosophie en chine a la chine dans la philosophie ; Mou Zongsan, dans neo-confucianisme ;et tous une pléiade de penseurs chinois contemporains tel Liu Xiaofeng, Gan Yang, Liang Shuming et autres.

En résume je retiens  une citation:

Pour reprendre l’expression du sociologue et politologue Gil Delannoi  « toutes les lunettes méritent d’être essayés, lunettes de la ressemblance, les lunettes da la différence ». En d autres termes, certaines approches se révèlent communes aux chinois et aux européens, d’autres sont différentes. Des idées comme celles de sagesse, de liberté intérieure, d’autonomie morale ou bien public se trouvent dans la pensée chinoise comme dans celle de l’Europe ancienne.

Certaines oppositions originelles paraissent cependant absolues. En occident, par exemple, les sociétés dérivent plutôt d’un modèle pastoral dont elles ont hérité l’impératif du commandement, du volontarisme. La société chinoise, au contraire, procède d’un modèle agricole, végétal, fondé sur la patience, et la maturation. Dans le premier modèle, la parole et la voix sont décisives, tandis que, que dans le second, « l’écrit est antérieur à l’oral et possède, dans la composition combinatoire de signes eux-mêmes (la composition graphique des caractères) sa base normative ». Pour la philosophie grecque, l’opposition entre la contemplation et l’action est clairement affirmée, tandis qu’en Chine prévaut l’idée de processus continu, de fluidité, de mutation infinie. Il est vain de tirer une plante en espérant la faire pousser plus vite, dit un adage chinois.

Eh bien je suis ravi, cela m’a donne l’image d’un Hakka écologique, vegetal, vivant dans un univers qui mute en processus continue, très plastique capable de se transformer s perpétuité au guise de son environnement. Est-ce là le modèle de Kreole Morisien que nous cherchons ?

Today the 27^th March is recognised as the 40^th anniversary of the composing of the most famous song written by Jacques Revaux, lyrics by Gilles Thibault. Some critics rumoured that this song was presented to a couple of French singers of the like of Herve Villard who refused to take it on board. Claude Francois did.

Paul Anka rewrote the lyrics of English version of the tune soon after being offered this tune by his pal Claude Francois. It is believed that Paul Anka rewrote the song in less than 2 hours in Paris and turn it into ‘MY WAY ‘. Paul Anka took the song over the atlantic ocean which was sung by Frank Sinatra.

Paul Anka heard the original the French pop song, performed by Claude Francois ,while on holiday in the south of France. He flew to Paris to negotiate the rights to the song. In a 2007 interview, he said: “I thought it was a shitty record, but there was something in it.” He acquired publishing rights at no cost and, two years later, had a dinner in with Frank Sinatra and “a couple of guys” at which Sinatra said he was “quitting the business. I’m sick of it, I’m getting the hell out”. Sinatra’s singing rebounded thereon!

The explosion in popularity exploded when the King Elvis Presley retook it in his world satellite show in the 70’s.

Of the numerous honours attributed to this evergreen, the one you  will surely enjoy: “My Way” was found to be the song the most frequently played at  British funeral services.

Wikipedia trace a phenomenal number of published versions of this tune.

I cherish most my bathroom version of MY WAY because it is my way.

No wonder that WAY chain of supermarkets is so popular, because the chain is riding on the popularity of the name. That is the WAY!

This festival celebrated  today by the telegus in Mauritius and elsewhere. These festivities give us Mauritians the opportunity of widening our knowledge on the communities living in our culturally rich countries.

Is it a wonderful chance to know more about telegus? Their cultural and linguistic differences?

Ougadi or the New Year is celebrated in the month of March. The birthday of Ganesha, the God of wisdom and remover of all obstacles is celebrated as Ganesh Chaturthi.

Unlike many religious celebrations, Ougadi is not celebrated on the streets. The Telugu New Year remains very traditional with people having lunch or dinner with their relatives and cultural shows organised. Prayers and cakes distributed to relatives, friends and neighbours are also part of the festival celebrated last Saturday.

The day starts with a purifying wash – the mangala snaanam – before the sun on Saturday morning. Then, after putting on chandrika oil and massaging themselves with a paste made with cereals, the Telugus are ready to start the celebration of the creation of the Universe by the God Brahmâ.

The patchadi – a mixture of green mangoes, tamarind, lilac flowers, chilli and salt – is prepared and offered to God in a special prayer to ask for his protection. They then go to the temple where they are read the panchagam (Telegu almanac). This special day is also a time for decorative activities like the mugga, which are beautiful and colourful designs made with different seeds and spices.

I am more interested to learn about the culinary differences of the telegu.

The cuisine of Andhra Pradesh is reputedly the spiciest and the most delicious of all There are many variations to the Andhra cuisine depending on caste, geographical regions, traditions etc. are particularly popular in Andhra Pradesh and many varieties of pickles and chutneys are unique to the State. Chutneys are made from practically every vegetable including (eggplant), and (The mango pickle is probably the best known of the Andhra pickles.

Rice is the staple food and is used in a wide variety of ways. Typically, rice is either boiled and eaten with curry, or made into a batter for use in a crepe -like dish called attu – made of a mixture of this batter and mung beans) or Dosa .

Hyderabad, the capital city of the state of Andra Pradesh, I was told by a very good friend whose father was the editor of an English newspaper during the pre-partition and post-partition years in Hyderabad, is the limit city where the Moguls were stopped in their invasion.

Google gives 2millions pages on a search strike on ‘Pursuit of Happiness’. This is a topic which I personally am fond of and which I image each human is seeking. I take much pleasure in listening to replies given to me when I ask someone: are you in pursuit of happiness? The obvious answer is…..

Do ask yourself now the question and wait for an answer?

I have come across an article by Henry Morris which I find interesting.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

I just love it.

My chinese ancestry is boiling in me.

The chinese language and the creative hand of God

by Ethel R. Nelson, M.D.

Who among all these [God’s creatures] does not know That the HAND OF THE LORD has done this, In whose HAND is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind? Job 12:9,10, NKJV

Few realize that the early Chinese (c. 2200 B.C.) worshiped a Creator-God, the Heavenly Ruler. Fewer still have appreciated the “second Genesis” which their ingenious ancient character writing contains. ¹ The 4,000-year-old Imperial Sacrifice ceremony observed annually by China’s reigning emperors attests to their original post-deluge patriarchal connections. ² A word-of-mouth knowledge of God (even the Trinity), the Creation, Garden of Eden, and Fall of man, could have come to them from Adam via Lamech, Noah’s father; and Noah’s son, Shem, the probable Chinese progenitor.

Les lectures de la messe.

Ephés. 2,4-10.
Mais Dieu est riche en miséricorde ; à cause du grand amour dont il nous a
aimés,
nous qui étions des morts par suite de nos fautes, il nous a fait revivre
avec le Christ : c’est bien par grâce que vous êtes sauvés.
Avec lui, il nous a ressuscités ; avec lui, il nous a fait régner aux
cieux, dans le Christ Jésus. Par sa bonté pour nous dans le Christ Jésus,
il voulait montrer, au long des âges futurs, la richesse infinie de sa
grâce.
C’est bien par la grâce que vous êtes sauvés, à cause de votre foi. Cela ne
vient pas de vous, c’est le don de Dieu.
Cela ne vient pas de vos actes, il n’y a pas à en tirer orgueil. C’est Dieu
qui nous a faits,
il nous a créés en Jésus Christ, pour que nos actes soient vraiment bons,
conformes à la voie que Dieu a tracée pour nous et que nous devons suivre.

Jn 3,14-21.
De même que le serpent de bronze fut élevé par Moïse dans le désert, ainsi
faut-il que le Fils de l’homme soit élevé,
afin que tout homme qui croit obtienne par lui la vie éternelle.
Car Dieu a tant aimé le monde qu’il a donné son Fils unique : ainsi tout
homme qui croit en lui ne périra pas, mais il obtiendra la vie éternelle.
Car Dieu a envoyé son Fils dans le monde, non pas pour juger le monde, mais
pour que, par lui, le monde soit sauvé.
Celui qui croit en lui échappe au Jugement, celui qui ne veut pas croire
est déjà jugé, parce qu’il n’a pas cru au nom du Fils unique de Dieu.
Et le Jugement, le voici : quand la lumière est venue dans le monde, les
hommes ont préféré les ténèbres à la lumière, parce que leurs œuvres
étaient mauvaises.
En effet, tout homme qui fait le mal déteste la lumière : il ne vient pas à
la lumière, de peur que ses œuvres ne lui soient reprochées ;
mais celui qui agit selon la vérité vient à la lumière, afin que ses
œuvres soient reconnues comme des œuvres de Dieu. »

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L’Evangéliste Jean, le mystique des évangélistes, nous livre un texte d’un angle différent des autres. Dans le texte du jour, il ne nous raconte pas une histoire de Jésus, il se place en observateur et nous donne sa réflexion et sa conclusion. Jean nous livre L’amour infini de Dieu, l’élévation de son fils Jésus et notre possibilité d’accéder a la vie éternelle par son fils Jésus. La croix qui est symbole de supplice, avec Jésus devient maintenant signe de victoire sur la mort. Jésus, celui qui sauve, est venu nous libérer de cette mort ; il suffit de croire car Dieu est miséricordieux à l’ infini. Jean nous parle d’un Dieu de lumière qui ne se place pas en juge. Il sous-entend que si le monde est jugé, le monde est voué à l’échec. Croire en Jésus, fils de Dieu, lumière, dressé sur la croix, venu nous sauver, c’est choisir de ne pas faire le mal et de suivre la lumière.

Ta croix + Seigneur est signe de positivité. Par la passion et sacrifice sur terre, Tu as converti le symbole de souffrance en victoire sur notre souffrance. Tu rayonnes sur notre croix de souffrance de ta lumière.

Tu sais bien Seigneur si Tu me juges, j’échouerai sans aucun doute. Je te remercie pour ton message de miséricorde à l’infini. Encore, j’implore la grâce et le cadeau d’accroître ma foi en toi. Je reste positif et crois en Ta bonté et de Ton amour infini, et je désire ardemment de suivre Ta lumière.

Creating a sense of ownership has been a gained battle for me at Rogers.In 1986 the idea was mooted following a strategic brain storming with Eric Mafat of  the planning  department and the plan was rolled out in 1988.

I recall articles written by Bob Nelson I read, which encapsulated my road map to enhance the sense of ownership at all levels. It was thrilling working thereon and I had great satisfaction deploying the strategy. The guys acted as if they owned the SBU’s where they were working. This was particularly satisfactory when the large Air Cargo organisation was reorganised in autonomous smaller SBU’s and smaller SSU’s – support service units.

My motto was small is magic, and small is empowering. SME.

I regretted that later  after I left this division, the new management policy was based on economy of scale.

Eight Factors of Ownership

We have identified eight factors for creating a sense of ownership. These elements empower and motivate people in any size or type of organization, although they are perhaps easier to cultivate in smaller organizations.

1. Having the thrill of the flame. When workers are highly connected to the products, processes and services of the organization, they are “close to the flame.” They have a passion and excitement about their jobs and what the organization is trying to do. This is easiest to do when all employees can easily understand, relate to, and agree with what the organization is trying to achieve. Thus, it becomes important to have clear, simple and widely communicated goals.

When a business is started, this passion exists for the entrepreneurs. As the company grows and as the management and ownership of the company are separated, it becomes more difficult to keep the flame blazing. A growing organization becomes a more diverse and complicated entity, due in part to having more people, locations and products.

In large organizations, the connection to the flame must be systematically made through communication and delegation. Work units need to be small and autonomous so that people understand how they fit into the organization and so that they feel they play an integral role in the company.

2. Understanding personal impact on profit and loss. Every person in the organization needs to understand how his or her job and department relate to the profit and loss of the organization. This involves knowing how you directly or indirectly help the organization to generate income—that is, how what you are doing relates to how the company self-perpetuates itself through further earnings. Understanding the current profit-and-loss nature of the business gives employees a sense of pride when they know they can do things better or cut expenses and thus make more money for the organization.

To give people a greater sense of profit and loss, make sure they know the financial priorities of the organization and use that information as a criteria for making decisions. Emphasize current data over year-end data. Having timely information allows employees to have influence more frequently and to feel more direct involvement in the business.

3. Having autonomy and independence. People feel autonomous when they feel supported in what they do, recognized for who they are, and treated with respect. Individuals have the right to live their lives and be themselves in the organization. They have the right to do what they need to do to be effective and productive without being constrained—as long as they do not negatively affect job performance, client relationships, or invade other people’s rights.

Related to independence is the degree of risk that comes from being given responsibility and authority to make things happen. In the best-run companies, you can take risks. There are no rigid guidelines, only parameters for getting things done. There is room for you to innovate and come up with new ideas and an open environment for listening to new ideas.

Risk is an important element of an ownership system. In new and small companies, people take a lot of risks. There isn’t a lot of “covering up” or systems in place to minimize risk. People are encouraged to take appropriate risks to get their jobs done.

4. Being self-reliant. Related to autonomy and independence is self-reliance. People who have a sense of ownership have a lot of control over themselves that extends beyond the organization. They tend not to be guided by reams of rules and regulations, but instead prefer to have self-responsibility. They are treated as adults, with a sense of fairness and equity by the management of the organization, yet also with a distinct individuality.

Well managed organizations encourage employees to have more control, accountability and responsibility for what they do. In such companies, people are motivated to understand the programs, products and processes and to assume more self-accountability and responsibility—and thus become more self-reliant.

5. Having pride of association. When pride exists in the organization, people are more committed to what they are doing. When pride exists, people understand what the organization stands for, its values and fair dealings; they feel highly committed to what they are doing; they have enough information to do it well; they are accountable for their actions; and they look forward to going to work everyday.

While such pride is particularly evident in organizations where you can see and experience the product, it may also be evident in service organizations. Nordstrom, for example, demonstrates high commitment to the client through outstanding service and employee empowerment. Nordstrom’s employees are expected to use their best judgment to help the organization reach its stated goal of providing exceptional service to every customer.

6. Being able to influence others. Having the ability to influence others means that you can make things happen both inside and outside the organization. You develop a personal network based upon your ability to influence people—not just because of your official organizational title or position.

Your ability to influence determines, in large part, what you can get done. In your department, for example, your ability to positively influence others to be excited about achieving the department’s goals is a significant part of effective team building. Outside of your immediate area, there is a network in the organization of who you are, what you have accomplished and how you make things happen. This serves both as a means to obtain results, but also as a way to develop positive working relationships that will be of further value to you in the future. Outside of the organization, you have a resource and contact base that you can draw upon to help meet organizational needs.

7. Having personal accountability. Personal accountability means defining your job in such a way that you are accountable for it; you can take pride in it; and you are very responsible for it. Getting work done is driven by an internal forces and motivations when it is very clear who is responsible for results. Risk is allowed and encouraged because individuals are held accountable for their actions. Yet penalties within the organization are consistent with risk taking. Individuals who fail at various tasks have to be handled carefully so that there is not a nitpicking about mistakes. The overall perception in the organization must be that risk taking is encouraged and that the individual is still valued even if he or she fails at a task.

8. Recognizing individuals and giving credit. If you want to build a sense of ownership in your organization, start recognizing people individually for outstanding achievement. Since you want to encourage workers to have high association with the organization, recognize them when they excel. Recognition is best when it is individualized. Specifically use the person’s name in a group setting, write individual letters of recognition and make specific references in communication media.

Recognizing people in print is important because is it so very personalized. In the movie industry, for example, everyone involved on a movie is mentioned in the film’s credits. An innovative form of individual recognition is found at Esprit in their use of employees to model clothes. By the photos are the names of the employees and their job in the company.

In addition, organizational successes need to be celebrated in a corresponding manner to the size and level of the success. A new contract signing might serve as an ideal opportunity to gather everyone who assisted with making the contract possible for a thank-you lunch, whereas the exceeding of annual profit goals by the company might call for a day of off-site celebration by all employees.