Entries Tagged 'People' ↓

Wow! I had such an eventful day yesterday that I did not have the time to log in my blog. It all started in the morning when I could not log in my website in spite of several attempts. Luckily I could retrieve my mail from my .mu address. Was it something wrong with the international network as it sometimes happens? I gave up for the moment hoping to go back later.

To my surprise, I learned from the mail of the demise of Carol, my cousin’s wife and read through the eulogy written by my cousin Molly for the Requiem mass in East London, South Africa, for her life celebration. Two earthly departures in the span of three months in the same Chock family, I thought. I took a good half hour backtracking in my mind the good times I had in the company of our South African folks, both in the days I visited them in East London, and whilst they were in Mauritius. May God receive them in His eternal love.

The 23rd August is a very special day for my family, not only because it is the crossing day between the Leo to the Virgo, more importantly, it is the day to feast with long life noodles for my wife’s birthday. Damn me if I had forgotten this august day! Olivier, very late in the night from Toronto, graced her Mom with a Happy Birthday song in his hoarse voice. Stephane also conveyed her best wishes through the mail. That made her day!

She had for this special day, arranged for her friends to gather home for a mah-jong party and lunch. The banging of the mah-jong on the table and the laughter created indeed a rejoicing atmosphere which added to the sound of oldies music of the 60’s and 70’s.

Kristel called in with a lovely birthday cake and her good wishes. Her presence and irresistible smile conquered my wife’s cronies.

The day followed with few more visits from a neighbour, Sabine, who presented her with a beautiful flower arrangement in vase. Marie Helene surprised her with gifts and a lively bouquet of white roses.

In the evening we set off for dinner at Hoy foong restaurant for a typical Chinese birthday dinner with Popo, the close relatives and friends. I was very contented for my day before Mr. Sandman took me to my dreams.

My curiosity today had its fill. Whilst doing some research on the internet, I discovered the rebirth of Le Cernéen. Yes! Indeed the news paper which was created in 1832 and disappeared a decade or so is back. I could feel again the same spirit that used to glow the flame of the soul of this paper which has taken the modern digital medium for publishing. Le Cernéen in its last days as a daily newspaper was edited by Jean Pierre Lenoir who was in a way the mouthpiece of the Franco community or at least he then defended the opinions of the community. He is a very interesting outgoing person, very independently minded, creative and quick-witted and more importantly writes very well in French. I had the opportunity to have spent some of my teenage years rubbing shoulders with him. Together with Denis Piat, another critical author of Le Cernéen, we were juniors working for the same boss. Jean Pierre took from his father who was a very cultured man who used to run and owned “La Libraire le Trefle” in my younger days.

I am all for the multiplicity of opinions, of ideas and of perspectives. It is important to confront the reading of my reality to the realities of others, to enhance my vision of things. After all, is not my reality only an illusion of true reality corrupted with my blindness and my imperfect knowledge or understanding?

Living in Mauritius, in such a diverse society, we are blessed to be able to see, if we so wish, in multicolour shades through the eyes & understandings of multi-social norms. It would be wasteful not to draw benefits from “la societé Arc en Ciel”.

The story which retained my interest today was:

THE IDIOT’S GUIDE TO UNDESERVED WEALTH:

HOW TO BECOME A MILLIONAIRE IN PARADISE ISLAND.

Psst! Wanna make a fast buck whilst doing next to nothing? Read these instructions carefully and if you follow them to the letter, you too can become a millionaire many times over and simultaneously add a thin veneer of intelligence to what is essentially a dull and insipid personality. The instructions are very easy to follow, so easy in fact that government advisers who, as we all know are not blessed with the greatest intelligence or wit, have no problems at all to implement them fully whenever the need for personal advancement that is not based on merit or qualifications becomes necessary.
First of all, physical looks do not seem to matter at all as it is generally assumed that even the ugliest person will somehow compensate for his shortcomings in the appearance department by projecting the aura of authority and commanding physical presence that he believes automatically follows any job provided by his political master. Some people will venture the rather cruel opinion that personal advancement based entirely on political patronage is inversely proportional to physical looks and intelligence, and the uglier and dimmer you are, the higher the chances of finding yourself parachuted into a position that provides no great benefits to the country but which is guaranteed to enrich you immensely. I do not subscribe to this uncharitable view as I am sure there must be some rare exceptions (oh, all right then, some very, very rare exceptions)that somehow struggle to be the exception to the rule…
So, armed with a face that only a mother could love and an intelligence level that consistently fails to register anything of note on numerous I.Q. tests, the next step on the road to riches and faux grandeur is to embark on a symbiotic relationship with a politician who seems destined for high office after a general election. Here again you must choose a politician who matches you in the looks and intelligence department, i.e. as ugly and as stupid as you are. One note of caution though : never, ever allow your monstrously huge ego to overshadow that of your political partner in crime. This is an absolute no no, as apparently no Mauritian politician will ever tolerate the possibility that there may be numerous people out there who are far more intelligent than the specimens we regularly send out to servi nou pei. The cardinal principle that you must never deviate from is simply this: the politician is never wrong and any pronouncement by your master, irrespective of the new depths of inanity that are reached with every successive statement, must always be met with an innocent look of astonishment at the sheer genius of the man; if, for example, he tells you that he has a son who is a medecin and a daughter who is a medicine, you must suspend disbelief and marvel at the surprisingly procreative abilities of such a stupid man.
Now that the basic qualifications of intelligence and good looks (or lack of) have been met, you must learn to match bullshit with bullshit. That is not as difficult as it seems. You must always assume that the politician will voice rubbish of the bovine variety every time he opens his mouth, and therefore all you have to do is have a small number of made to measure replies to anything that he says; as long as you remember to say ‘Yes, minister, that is such an intelligent move on your part’ to any crackpot ideas that emanate from a febrile head soaked in last night’s booze at the almost daily manz boir event that is a must for anyone proclaiming to serve the nation, you will be ok, and that may even add another 10% to the mandatory 25% annual salary gratuity that is given to any lick spittle irrespective of actual performance.
The only other qualification that is most prized apart from arse licking is the ability to stab friend and foe in the back; this usually manifests itself in telling blatant lies to your ministerial godfather about the political affiliations of friends, rivals, and enemies. The minister is, of course, too stupid to differentiate between a bare faced lie told solely to deal with deep, personal, psychological problems and genuine information that will help the minister to do his job with a modicum of efficiency. The robin has a natural ability to flaunt its red breast of jealousy and innate inferiority complex and will do anything to worm its way into any position that it believes will serve its purposes exclusively, and will therefore forego any of the notions of loyalty, friendship, and faithfulness that binds most ordinary mortals into a common bond of shared purpose and sincerity.
Of course, you must make the potential minister believe that you ‘carry’ a large number of votes, and this is best achieved by appealing to the nasty, casteeist,communalist instincts that unfortunately still afflicts so many of our citizens in this apparently civilised democracy. If, for example, you happen to be a Rajput, you convince the minister that you can guarantee him the votes of all the Rajputs at election time; it does not matter that everyone apart from the putative minister know that this Rajput represents only himself and nobody else. If you happen to be a Moslem, then claim complete allegiance to the Holy Quran and vociferously condemn any proposed legislation on anything to do with the private sex lives of our citizens whilst spending every Friday and Saturday evening getting blind drunk in the distinctly ungodly atmosphere of our nightclubs. The crucial tactic to maintain here is to feed the ministerial delusion that his political future lies in your hands which contains the votes of all those who happen to share the identity conferred on them entirely by the accident of birth.
Finally, when the votes are counted, make sure you are there when your man is hoisted on the shoulders of his supporters to welcome his victory; it will help if you have one or two nephews shouting your name within his earshot so that he is now convinced that his good fortune is entirely due to your hard work and your influence within his constituency. When he hugs you in public to show his gratitude for your so called hard work, whisper gently the magic names of any of the numerous parastatal organisations that litter Paradise Island and look forward to an astronomical salary and expenses package that has no bearing whatsoever to your qualifications, experience, or aptitude for the job; and you will also get a 25% gratuity of annual salary irrespective of your performance, and which is paid whether you work well or to the abysmally low standards that have characterised your work record so far. This should guarantee you a salary of around Rs1 million for the month of December alone and a total annual salary package of between Rs 3 and Rs 4 millions a year. Not bad for someone who could barely write his name before polling day…
But if you want to be really clever, you should capitalise on an atmosphere of friction between yourself and the Board of directors; if you are really lucky, you will be invited to resign and you will be able to go home with a cheque for around Rs2 millions which astonishingly contains a gratuity payment for a future performance that cannot be evaluated as you no longer work for that organisation! If your name is Dan Maraye, you must look at yourself in the mirror every day and thank your lucky stars that you live in Paradise Island where your political masters are experts at creating paradise for the chosen few.
Of course, if you had a conscience, or if you really loved your country, you would not follow the route planned above and will instead do whatever you can to create the wealth that this country desperately needs. But how many of us are willing to take that road?

How do you make it possible for ordinary people to accomplish the extra-ordinary? How do you get people to follow you to places they’ve never been before? How do you get other people with free will and choice to move forward together on a common purpose? Just how do you get others to want to do things that matter and make a difference?

In helping the Toastmasters club to start in Mauritius, in a sense I have with my Toastmasters friends attempted to answer the above questions or least created a practising ground to hone our skills in a friendly atmosphere. I rejoice to learn that the Port Louis Toastmasters club is growing from strength to strength. I am invigorated. I like to make more contributions to see the sprouting of the latent leadership talents of my fellow Toastmasters. I have in mind those who are working on the leadership track.

JAMES KOUZES & BARRY POSNER have studied the performance of great leaders and have been able to single out the five practices that enable them to get extraordinary things done. I would recommend you to read their books on leadership to sharpen your personal skills.

I like to call this KOUZES & POSNER’s piece of work: the five practices of Leadership.

1. Challenge the process.

Leaders venture out. Those who lead others to greatness seek and accept challenge. Although some people attribute their success to “being in the right place at the right time”or even to “luck,” none merely sit idly by waiting for fate to smile on them. Every single personal best leadership case involves some challenge—perhaps an innovative new product, a cutting-edge service, groundbreaking legislation, an invigorating campaign, a revolutionary turnaround, or the start-up of a new business.

No Leaders are pioneers—people who step out into the unknown. They take risks, innovate, and experiment to find new and better ways of doing things. But leaders need not always be the creators or originators of new products, services, or processes. Product and service innovations tend to come from customers, clients, vendors, people in the labs, and people on the front lines.

The leader´s primary contribution is in recognizing good ideas, supporting those ideas, and challenging the system to get new products, processes, services, and systems adopted. They know that innovation and change involve risk and potential failure. The key that unlocks the door to opportunity is learning in the face of obstacles. As weather shapes mountains, problems shape leaders. Leaders are learners. They learn from their mistakes as well as their successes.one achieves a personal best by keeping things the same.

2. Inspiring a shared vision.

When people describe their personal-best leadership experiences, they tell of times when they imagine exciting futures. They have visions and dreams of what could be. They have absolute belief in these visions, and they are confident in their abilities to make extraordinary things happen. Every organization begins with a dream. The vision is the force that invents the future.

Leaders inspire a shared vision. They gaze across the horizon of time, imagining the attractive opportunities that are in store. Leaders desire to make something happen, to change the way things are, to create something new.

In some ways, leaders live their lives backwards. They see pictures in their mind of the results even before they start their projects. Their clear image of the future pulls them forward. Yet, visions seen only by leaders are insufficient to create an organized movement or a significant change. A person with no constituents is not a leader, and people will not follow until they accept a vision as their own. Leaders cannot command commitment; they can only inspire it.

To enlist people in a vision, leaders must know their constituents and speak their language. People must believe that leaders understand their needs and have their interests at heart. Only by knowing their dreams, hopes, aspirations, visions, and values can the leaders enlist support. Leadership is a dialogue, not a monologue. Breathing life into the hopes and dreams of others enables them to see exciting possibilities. Leaders forge a unity of purpose by showing constituents how the dream is for the common good.

Leaders communicate their passion through vivid language and an expressive style. The leader´s own belief in and enthusiasm for the vision are the sparks that ignite the flame of inspiration.

3. Enabling others to act.

Grand dreams do not become significant realities through the actions of a single leader. Leadership is a team effort. We developed a simple one-word test to detect whether people are becoming leaders—the frequency of their use of the word we. Exemplary leaders enlist the support of all who must make the project work. In today´s virtual organization, cooperation is not just within a small group of loyalists. It includes peers, managers, customers, clients, suppliers, citizens—all those who have a stake in the vision. Leaders involve those who must live with the results, and enable others to do good work. People do not do their best when they feel weak, incompetent, and alienated. Those who must produce the results must feel a sense of ownership.

The work of leaders is making people feel strong, capable, informed, and connected. Leaders enable others to act, not by hoarding power, but by giving it away. When people have more discretion, authority, and information, they are more likely to use their energies to produce extraordinary results.

Leaders know that teamwork, trust, and empowerment are essential. Leaders turn their followers into leaders themselves. This requires leadership to be a relationship, founded on trust and confidence. Without trust and confidence, people do not take risks. Without risks, there is no change. Without change, organizations and movements die.

4.Modeling the way.

Titles are granted, but leadership is earned. Your behavior earns you respect. Leaders don´t ask others to do things they are unwilling to do first. Leaders go first. They set an example and build commitment through simple, daily acts that create progress and build momentum.

Leaders must first be clear about their guiding principles. Leaders are supposed to stand up for their beliefs, so they had better have beliefs. Eloquent speeches about common values are not enough. Leaders´ deeds are far more important than their words and must be consistent with them. New tomorrows are not realized without hard work and persistence. Personal-best projects require relentless effort, steadfastness, competence, and attention to detail.

Leaders need operational plans. They must steer projects along the course, measure performance, give feedback, meet budgets and schedules, and take corrective action. Concentrating on producing small wins, leaders build confidence that even the biggest challenges can be met. They strengthen commitment to the long-term future.

5. Encouraging the heart.

The climb to the top is arduous and long. People become exhausted, frustrated, and disenchanted. They are tempted to give up. Leaders encourage their constituents to carry on. If people sense a charlatan making noisy pretenses, they will turn away. But genuine acts of caring uplift the spirits and draw people forward.

It is part of the leader´s job to show people that they can win. Encouragement can come from dramatic gestures or simple actions, individual recognition or group celebration. Encouragement is serious business. It is how leaders link rewards with performance. When striving to raise quality, recover from disaster, start a new service, or make a change, leaders make sure people benefit when behavior is aligned with cherished values. Caring is at the heart of leadership.

Leaders also give themselves encouragement. They love what they are doing. Love—of their products, their services, their constituents, their clients and customers, and their work—may just be the best-kept leadership secret of all.

The self-confidence required to lead comes from learning about ourselves—our skills, prejudices, talents, and shortcomings. Self-confidence develops as we build on strengths and overcome weaknesses. The best leaders take advantage of the broadest possible range of opportunities. They try, fail, and learn from their mistakes.

Everyone has a boss. And anyone who has aspired to move up the corporate ladder knows that their relationship with those they report to is crucial. When I read Rosanne Badowski’s book I realised that I had been doing mostly what she prescribed. It is precisely these actions that helped me to move up the Rogers corporate ladder .I was Managing Up in my early days as the Air cargo supervisor of Rogers Aviation way back in 1973.Later, as Commercial Manager of Rogers Aviation in the 1984 I had sharpened my Managing Up skills. This is yet another case of practising leadership without being on top of the heap.

In Managing Up Rosanne Badowski offers a straightforward, entertaining, no-holds-barred account of what it takes to make your relationship with your boss work to your advantage, no matter where you stand in the corporate hierarchy. Managing Up is an invaluable guide for managing your career and juggling responsibilities with finesse and confidence. It should become a management bible for anyone hoping to get ahead in their profession.”Rosanne Badowski’s extraordinary fifteen years in the trenches with Jack Welch have given her unparalleled expertise in the art of leadership. She wrote:

When I’m cranked up, two hours of phone work, slogging through files, and reviewing briefing material will come down to a 30-second “gun and go” item that hits Jack’s desk. I deliver the essential elements of what he needs to make a decision so that he can make it and move on. I anticipate and answer questions. Am I a mind reader? No. But I pay attention to what’s happening, and I understand why. I’m a student of cause and effect, allowing me to assess what executive input will be required, so that I encapsulate it.

Simply passing along a customer complaint or issue doesn’t create time. It is, in fact, a time sponge. Without support, the executive must stop what he or she is doing to find out what’s going on, who is handling the project, and what is being done about it. Often, it means juggling priorities and diverting attention from more urgent matters. With proper support, the complaint hits the desk with notes or a memo covering those points so that the boss can be assured that the customer is satisfied, and can ensure the situation doesn’t happen again. What might have gobbled up hours can be done in minutes.

By functioning in this way, you allow your manager to skip over time-consuming preliminaries to focus his or her resources on the final outcome. I scrub every item Jack Welch gets to make sure it’s free of nonessentials or of aspects that can be handled by somebody else. Time is too precious to waste by touching a piece of paper, a project, or a problem more than is necessary. Sometimes high-touch is essential. But disciplined one-touch or low-touch provides an extra cushion that can be used to grow a business, or to fight fires.

As an executive assistant, I perform countless management roles—project manager, coordinator, communicator, and troubleshooter. Yes, we’re all managers, but we’re also all secretaries. I don’t care if you come to work in a limo or ride the bus. At times, we all have to roll up our sleeves and do the mundane tasks to make grand strategies work. Companies can’t survive without highly trained, motivated, empowered, front-line support people who sweat the small stuff. These people are on the cutting edge of every vital function, integrating and coordinating against tight deadlines and across time zones and boundaries. Without dedicated help, all the strategic thinking, careful planning, innovation, and high technology will fall short. Someone has to be there, simply to get the job done.

Jack had a habit of sending handwritten notes to GE people. He wanted to remain accessible, break down barriers that isolate most CEOs, and offer a bit of help—an idea, a nudge, a pat on the back—to men and women who were working hard to close deals, satisfy customers, or manufacture high-quality products. Even the notes that started with “What the hell’s this all about?” were designed to help break impasses and to bring a resolution.

No matter what your job, if you’re not helping, you’re hindering. The essence of managing is making things happen. So, determine whether your actions support a long-term goal. Ask yourself: Did the work I performed today help to achieve a goal? Invest time and effort in the things that matter most.

It also helps if the organization has clear goals worth investing in.

Tomorrow the 16^th August, the world’s western music cannot be silent to the 30^th year of the King Elvis Presley’s departure. He is still in the minds and hearts of a whole generation of song lovers. For having enjoyed the music of the King, for having played his tunes in the 60’s, when I used to be part of a music band, for having watched over and over many of his films, for having been active in pacifying the opposing “Elvis” & “Cliff” fan clubs’ battle, I can only be moved by my memories of one of the most famous singers of my youth days. Yes, after Elvis, I cannot ‘be lonesome tonight’ and I shall not be ‘crying in the chapel’. I took the time to read on the life of this great singer last night after being reminded by the media of him. “It’s now or never”: I have to write about him on my blog.

Why was Elvis Presley so popular? What novelty had he produced in his day?

Some will argue that he brought black music to the whites.  He was a white man singing black blues. He brought ‘Rock n Roll’ to a new popularity. He bridged the racial boundaries. Note that in his youth days, the southern states of America were still very much racially segregated.

 

 He dared! He created a new style of music.

 

Regarding Presley’s hybrid style of music, others have observed: “Racists attacked rock and roll because of the mingling of black and white people it implied and achieved and because of what they saw as black music’s power to corrupt through vulgar and animalistic rhythms… The popularity of Elvis Presley was similarly founded on his transgressive position with respect to racial and sexual boundaries… White cover versions of hits by black musicians … often outsold the originals; it seems that many Americans wanted black music without the black people in it.” To some, Presley had undoubtedly “stolen” or at least “derived his style from the Negro rhythm-and-blues performers of the late 1940s.” But some black entertainers, like Jackie Wilson claimed: “A lot of people have accused Elvis of stealing the black man’s music, when in fact; almost every black solo entertainer copied his stage mannerisms from Elvis.”

 

 With his hips movements on stage, he initiated a new style of sexual liberation.

Presley was considered by some to be a threat to the moral wellbeing of young women, because “Elvis Presley didn’t just represent a new type of music; he represented sexual liberation.”In 1956, a critic for the New York Daily News wrote that popular music “has reached its lowest depths in the ‘grunt and groin’ antics of one Elvis Presley” and the Jesuits denounced him in its weekly magazine, America. Even Frank Sinatra opined: “His kind of music is deplorable, a rancid smelling aphrodisiac. It fosters almost totally negative and destructive reactions in young people.”

In August, 1956, a Florida judge called Presley a “savage” and threatened to arrest him if he shook his body while performing in Jacksonville. The judge declared that Presley’s music was undermining the youth of America. Throughout the performance (which was filmed by police), he kept still as ordered, except for wiggling a finger in mockery at the ruling. (Presley himself recalls this incident during the ’68 Comeback Special).

He challenged the norms of the day.

The singer himself seemed bemused by all the criticism. On another of the many occasions he was challenged to justify the furore surrounding him, he said: “I don’t see how they think [my act] can contribute to juvenile delinquency. if there’s anything I’ve tried to do, I’ve tried to live a straight, clean life and not set any kind of a bad example. You cannot please everyone.”

In 1957, Presley had to defend himself from claims of being overtly racist: he was alleged to have said: “The only thing Negro people can do for me is to buy my records and shine my shoes”. The singer always denied saying such a racist remark. Jet magazine, run by and for African-Americans, subsequently investigated the story and found no basis to the claim. However, the Jet journalist did find plenty of testimony that Presley saw people as people “regardless of race, color or creed.”

I was very pleased to read his legacy published on WIKIPEDIA.

 He inspired a whole generation of new singers.

However, back in the late sixties, composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein had remarked: “Elvis is the greatest cultural force in the twentieth century. He introduced the beat to everything, music, language, clothes, it’s a whole new social revolution… the 60’s comes from it.”

It has also been claimed that his early music and live performances helped to lay a commercial foundation which allowed other, established performers of the 1950s to be recognised. African-Americanacts, like Fats Domino, Chuck Berryand Little Richard, came to national prominence after Presley’s acceptance among the mass audience of White American teenagers. Little Richard commented: “He was an integrator, Elvis was a blessing. They wouldn’t let black music through. He opened the door for black music.” It has been claimed that the black-and-white character of Presley’s sound, as well as his persona, helped to relax the rigid color line and thereby fed the fires of the civil rights movement.

Presley’s recorded voice is seen by many as his enduring legacy (His death triggered a huge boost in his record sales, as well as other merchandise – some of it of dubious quality and taste). In The Great American Popular Singers (1974), Henry Pleasants wrote: “Elvis Presley has been described variously as a baritone and a tenor. An extraordinary compass… and a very wide range of vocal color have something to do with this divergence of opinion. The voice covers two octaves and a third… Moreover, he has not been confined to one type of vocal production. In ballads and country songs he belts out full-voiced high G’s and A’s that an opera baritone might envy. He is a naturally assimilative stylist with a multiplicity of voices – in fact; Elvis’ is an extraordinary voice, or many voices.”

Gospel tenor Shawn Nielsen, who backed Presley, said: “He could sing anything. I’ve never seen such versatility… He had such great soul. He had the ability to make everyone in the audience think that he was singing directly to them. He just had a way with communication that was totally unique.” Bob Dylan remarked: “When I first heard Elvis’ voice I just knew that I wasn’t going to work for anybody; and nobody was going to be my boss… Hearing him for the first time was like busting out of jail.”

Many other celebrated performers of pop and rock music have acknowledged how much the young Presley had inspired them. The Beatles were all big Presley fans. John Lennon said: “Nothing really affected me until I heard Elvis. If there hadn’t been an Elvis, there wouldn’t have been a Beatles.” Deep Purple’s Ian Gillan said: “For a young singer he was an absolute inspiration. I soaked up what he did like blotting paper… you learn by copying the maestro.” Rod Stewart declared: “Elvis was the king. No doubt about it. People like myself, Mick Jaggerand all the others only followed in his footsteps.” Cher recalled: “The first concert I attended was an Elvis concert when I was eleven. Even at that age he made me realize the tremendous effect a performer could have on an audience.”

By 1958, singers obviously adopting Presley’s style, like Billy Fury, Marty Wilde and Cliff Richard (the so-called “British Elvis”), were rising to prominence in the UK. Elsewhere in Europe, Johnny Hallyday became the French equivalent and the Italians Adriano Celentano and Bobby Solo were also heavily influenced by Presley.

The singer continues to be imitated – and parodied – outside the main music industry. Presley songs remain very popular on the karaoke circuit and many from a diversity of cultures and backgrounds work as Elvis impersonators (“the raw 1950s Elvis and the kitschy 1970s Elvis are the favorites.)

Presley’s informal jamming in front of a small audience in the ’68 Comeback Special is regarded as a forerunner of the so-called ‘Unplugged’ concept, later popularized by MTV

In 2002, The New York Times observed: “For those too young to have experienced Elvis Presley in his prime, today’s celebration of the 25th anniversary of his death must seem peculiar. All the talentless impersonators and appalling black velvet paintings on display can make him seem little more than a perverse and distant memory. But before Elvis was camp, he was its opposite: a genuine cultural force… Elvis’s breakthroughs are underappreciated because in this rock-and-roll age, his hard-rocking music and sultry style have triumphed so completely.”

(Source: Wikipedia, elvis.org, elvis.com)

I became very interested in Leadership after having read Stephen Covey and share his thoughts through the numerous seminars that I facilitated through the years.

Great & famous men of the like of: Winston Churchill defying the Nazi threat as much of Europe had collapsed. Mahatma Gandhi leading a 200-mile march to the sea to protest the Salt Act. Martin Luther King Jr. standing before the Lincoln Memorial challenging the nation with his dream of reconciliation.

Each of these people was a great leader. Each made an impact that has touched millions of people. Yet these pictures can also be misleading. The reality is that 99 percent of all leadership occurs not from the top but from the middle of an organization. Usually, an organization has only one person who is the leader. So, what do you do if you are not that one person?

Can I be a leader even if I am not on the top of the heap? I read some time ago the 7 myths proposed by John C Maxwell, a well-known expert and a prolific author on Leadership.

1. The Position Myth

The number one misconception people have about leaders is the belief that leadership comes simply from having a position or title. But nothing could be further from the truth. You don’t need to possess a position at the top of your group, department, division or organization in order to lead. If you think you do, then you have bought into the position myth.

The true measure of leadership is influence — nothing more, nothing less. Leadership is dynamic, and the right to lead must be earned individually with each person you
meet. Where you are on the “staircase of leadership” depends on your history with that person.

Position has little to do with genuine leadership. Influencing others is a matter of disposition, not position. Leadership is a choice you make, not a place you sit.
Anyone can choose to become a leader wherever he or she is. You can make a difference no matter where you are.

2. The Destination Myth

Those who believe the destination myth might say, “When I get to the top, then I’ll learn to lead.”

But, if you want to succeed, you need to learn as much as you can about leadership before you have a leadership position. Good leadership is learned in the trenches. If you don’t try out your leadership skills and decision-making process when the stakes are small and the risks are low, you’re likely to get into trouble at higher levels when the cost of mistakes is high, the impact is far-reaching, and the exposure is greater. Mistakes made on a small scale can be easily overcome.

Mistakes made when you’re at the top cost the organization greatly and they damage a leader’s credibility. Start now to adopt the thinking, learn the skills, and develop the habits of the person you wish to be. Handle today so that it prepares you for tomorrow.

3. The Influence Myth

Those who believe the influence myth might say, “If I were on top, then people would follow me.” People who have no leadership experience have a tendency to overestimate the importance of a leadership title. You may be able to grant someone a position, but you cannot grant him or her real leadership. Influence must be earned. A position gives you a chance. It gives you the opportunity to try out your leadership. It asks people to give you the benefit of the doubt for a while. But given some time, you will earn your level of influence — for better or worse.
Good leaders will gain in influence behind their stated position. Remember, a position doesn’t make a leader, but a leader can make a position.

4. The Inexperience Myth

Although the desire to improve an organization and the belief that you’re capable of doing it are often the marks of a leader, without experience being the top person in an organization, you would likely overestimate the amount of control you have at the top. The higher you go and the larger the organization, the more you realize that many factors control the organization. More than ever, when you are at the top, you need every bit of influence you can muster. Your position does not give you total control — or protect you.

5. The Freedom Myth

Those who believe the freedom myth might say, “When I get to the top, I’ll no longer be limited.”
But when you move up in an organization, the weight of your responsibility increases. In many organizations, as you move up the ladder, you may even find that the amount of responsibility you take on increases faster than the amount of authority you receive. When you go higher, more is expected of you, the pressure is greater, and the impact of your decisions weighs more heavily. Leaders have more obligations and, because of that, they become more limited in terms of their freedom. It is a limitation they choose willingly, but they are limited just the same.

6. The Potential Myth

Someone who believes the potential myth would say, “I can’t reach my potential if I’m not the top leader.” People should strive for the top of their game, not the top of the organization. Each of us should work to reach our potential, not necessarily the corner office. Sometimes you can make the greatest impact from somewhere other than first place.

7. The All-or-Nothing Myth

Someone who believes the all-or-nothing myth might say, “If I can’t get to the top, then I won’t try to lead.” Some people in the middle become frustrated by their position in an organization because they define success as being “on top.” As a result, they believe that if they are not on top, they are not successful. If that frustration lasts long enough, they can become disillusioned, bitter and cynical. If it gets to that point, instead of being a help to themselves and their organization, they become a hindrance. Improve your leadership and you can impact your organization. You can change people’s lives. You can be someone who adds value. You can learn to influence people at every level of the organization — even if you never get to the top. By helping others, you can help yourself.

My last week’s blog on Joseph TMK and Chinese culture got me back on the track on my studies of East & West culture, East & West thinking and their founding philosophies. Over the last few days, after a brief discussion with a reader of my blog, I was prompted to go back to my memories to revisit my observations of the similarities and differences of the East & West. It definitely helps to write down my thoughts to crystallize them.

These steps recall me of my teenage years when hungry for learning and knowledge; I enrolled to a philosophy introduction course given by Jesuits fathers at Centre St Ignace in Rose hill. For weeks on, I religiously attended the Saturday lectures and studied with all my might to increase my knowledge of the subject. These efforts in a way opened up my curiosity & brain and gave me this impetus to keep on learning. Ever since, I stayed a keen learner.

I recall the lectures of Father de Roton on Socrates and Plato who were the forefathers of Philosophy and how they founded the western mode of thinking.

The last few days then I went back to my books to read up about both Socrates and Plato to refresh my memory. Socrates himself although a great teacher did not hand over any writings, his immense contributions were through the works of his disciplines Plato, Xenophon, Aristotle and Aristophanes.

Perhaps his most important contribution to Western thought is his dialectic method of inquiry, known as the Socratic Method or method of elenchus, which he largely applied to the examination of key moral concepts such as the Good and Justice. It was first described by Plato in the Socratic Dialogues. To solve a problem, you would ask a question and when finding the answer, you would also have an answer to your problem. This led to the beginning of the Scientific Method, in which the first step says to name the problem in the form of a question. For this, Socrates is customarily regarded as the father of political philosophy and ethics or moral philosophy and as a fountainhead of all the main themes in Western philosophy in general.

Could we teach the Socratic Method to our youth of today? Could we bring Socrates and Plato back to life for our population of Mauritius?  I would wish that the authorities of Education in Mauritius could hear me.

Last Saturday, besides spending a good time in company of my friends around a wonderful typical Hakka meal in a restaurant in Port Louis Chinatown, I had the immense pleasure to listen to a talk given by Joseph Tsang Man Kin on Chinese culture. This talk is one of a series of talks organised by the Chinese Cultural Centre on the theme of Chineseness. I am avidly waiting for the next talk.

First of all, I was agreeably surprised by the high quality of the Pooyang hall and the perfect sound systems. I have to congratulate the Nam Soon community for their excellent facility. I almost wanted to claim my 37.5% of Nam Soon descent from my mother’s family side and felt very proud of it.

Joseph TMK made ‘a survol’ of his understanding of the basic differences between the Western and Chinese approaches and culture. We all know very well, for having been educated in the western world, the philosophy which has influenced the western thinking, thus formulated the western behaviour. The great philosophers from Greek era and later the thinkers of the Roman Empire, the Judeo-Christian Church up to the more recent influencers of the last century of the like of Nietze and others, have all moulded the western culture. Whilst not being conversant with the influences of the Chinese culture, I was glad to listen to the experience and learning of Joseph TMK. Reading and learning from the Chinese thinkers of the past will definitely enlighten us on our culture. Unfortunately, not being able to read the texts in Chinese will in some way biase my understanding. Better than nothing! I shall learn of the culture through the translation of a foreign language. Luckily, the culture and tradition which I have received through my upbringing in my family surroundings will compensate some of the dilution losses.

Confucius was at the nexus of Joseph’s discourse. Without doubt, Confucius brought in the greatest influence on modern Chinese. Confucian values are now back after a lull and the attempt by Mao to suppress their influence during the red revolution. The People’s Republic of China is even today promoting the values of Confucius by encouraging the setting up of Confucius Institutes world wide.

At the Q&A session, Joseph TMK mentioned that whilst Confucius focused more on the practical, physical, relational and social aspects of the Chinese behaviour, we have to refer to Xun zi and Lao Tze for the spiritual side of the Chinese.

This talk got me to shoot back to my notes on Chinese and roots.

Confucius

Confucius is the Latinized form of Kong Fu-zi, which means Kong the master. Confucius was born in the small state of Lu in 551 BC and died in 479 BC. This was a time of turmoil, political intrigue, and numerous small wars in the last part of the Spring and Autumn era. Assassinations, bribery, adultery, and other crimes were common even though punishments were severe. In Lu three families contended for the hereditary rulership, while numerous educated aristocrats sought positions in the government, and many suffered poverty.

Confucius was brought up as a gentleman, who took up music, archery, and fishing, although he said he fished without a net and would not shoot at a bird at rest. He was so absorbed in music that once he did not know the taste of meat for three months. He also learned to do practical jobs of humble people such as keeper of the stores and head of the pastures. However, most of the time Confucius was not able to find an official position though he was willing to do anything that did not involve wrong-doing. Perhaps it was his ethical concerns that prevented him from being useful to the rulers of his time. Instead he occupied his time in what he loved the most – the pursuit of learning.

By the age of fifteen Confucius had set his heart on learning; by thirty he felt that he was firmly established; at forty he was no longer confused; by fifty he had a sense of mission in following the will of heaven; at sixty he was at ease with whatever he heard; and when he was seventy, he felt he could do whatever he liked without violating moral principles. No single teacher had a great influence on Confucius, as he tried to learn from everyone. His model, however, was the ancient Duke of Zhou, who had helped to establish the Zhou dynasty. The spiritual connection he felt with the ancient duke is indicated by his regret once that it had been a long time since he had dreamed of the Duke of Zhou. Confucius studied thoroughly the classics of history, poetry, propriety, and especially the Book of Changes (Yi Jing). He believed that if he could spend fifty years studying Changes, he might yet be free of great mistakes.

In addition to teaching, Confucius is credited with editing the Book of Odes and the Spring and Autumn Annals, revising the music and ceremonies, and writing commentaries on the Book of Changes. The main source of his teachings describing his conversations with his students in the Analects (Lun Yu) was apparently written by his students. From these accounts we can see not only what Confucius taught but how he taught and what his attitudes and manners were like. He was said to be free of having forgone conclusions, dogmatism, obstinacy, and egotism. His manner was affable but firm, commanding but not harsh, while he was polite and completely at ease. Zigong said Confucius could get information in a foreign state by being cordial, frank, courteous, temperate, and deferential. Zigong added that this was not the way inquiries were usually made. Confucius had a gentle sense of humor and did not mind being corrected by his own students.

Confucius was particularly respectful of those in mourning and made filial piety or respect for one’s parents a cardinal virtue. He said,

In serving his father and mother
a man may gently remonstrate with them.
But if he sees that he has failed to change their opinion,
he should resume an attitude of deference and not thwart them;
may feel discouraged, but not resentful.3

Confucius cared most about people and was perhaps the first great humanist in history. When the stables burned down, he asked if any person had been hurt but did not inquire about the horses. He recognized the free will of every individual, believing that the commander of three armies could be removed, but the will of even a common person could not be taken away. He spoke of the way (dao), as when he said, “In the morning hear the way; in the evening die content;”4 yet he believed that it was humans who made the way great, not the way that made humans great. Confucius believed that he could even live among the barbarians, because virtue never dwells alone and will always bring good neighbors. He believed that a gentleman should help the needy, not make the rich richer still. Confucius criticized Yuan Si for rejecting his salary of nine hundred measures of grain as governor, because he could have given it to his neighbors.

Confucius never gave up and believed that he was serving by being filial even if he was not in the government. He never expected to meet a faultless person but hoped that he might meet someone of fixed principles even though he saw many examples of nothing pretending to be something. He greatly disliked sham and deceit. He felt he could not stoop to clever talk, a pretentious manner, and a reverence that was only of the feet. He could not bear to see high offices filled with men of narrow views, ceremonies performed without reverence, and mourning forms observed without grief. He hated seeing sharp mouths overturning states and clans.

Confucius believed that his mission was to spread the culture that had been passed on to him by King Wen, and trusting that this was the will of heaven he did not even fear an assassin. He must have believed in prayer, because he said that whoever turns away from heaven has no one to pray to. He hoped that even if he was not recognized in the world, he would be known in heaven. When Confucius became ill, some of his students dressed up as retainers; but the master reprimanded them for this pretense, because he knew he could not deceive heaven. He preferred to die in the arms of his disciples anyway. Although he believed there were others as honest as himself, Confucius felt that no one loved learning as much as he did. Any situation could be a lesson. When walking with others he could emulate the good qualities he saw in others and correct the bad qualities in himself. Confucius did not believe himself to be a sage or even perfectly virtuous, but he did claim unwearying effort to learn and unflagging patience in teaching others.

Confucius believed that people were similar by nature but became different by practice, and thus there are some one can join in study, others one can join in progress along the way, others again beside whom one can take one’s stand, and finally some whom one can join in counsel.

Text extracted from the writings of Sanderson Beck

Aux nouvelles ce matin, j’ai cru comprendre qu’il y aurait une grande volonté ferme des grandes puissances à avancer sur le dossier ‘Darfour’. Hier encore, par amitié pour moi et mes amis de l’APM île Maurice, j’avais reçu d’Alexandre Del Valle, son dernier entretien avec le fondateur de ‘SLM’. Je dois avouer, ayant ecouté et discuté avec Alexandre del Valle le mois dernier lors de son passage chez nous, et à la lecture de son livre « le Dilemme turc », je suis bien plus sensible aux enjeux géopolitiques qui se dessinent dans le monde, surtout en relation avec les peuples ou pays islamiques et la situation géographique où se trouvent les réserves de pétrole. Je comprends mieux l’enjeu des élections turques tenues la quinzaine passée. Aurons nous une Turquie Européenne séculaire, ou la Turquie serait-elle le loup dans la bergerie ?

Le prix du pétrole ne cesse d’augmenter, et par la même occasion tout augmente. Sommes nous dans une spirale de flambée de prix sans précèdent? Pauvre de moi qui suis à la retraite, touchant une pension non indexée à l’inflation, et qui a peu de possibilité d’augmenter mon revenu! C’est vrai, quand vieillissant, nous avons moins besoin d’épargner pour l’avenir ; cependant, les dépenses pour les soins de santé sont en hausse constante.

INTERVIEW d’Abdul Wahi Al Nour,

Fondateur du Mouvement de Libération du Soudan (SLM)

et leader de la rébellion du Darfour

1/ Alexandre del Valle : M. Al Nour, vous êtes le leader de la rébellion du Darfour, assiste-t-on à un génocide ?

Le Soudan est une mosaïque de peuples ; l’Islam n’est pas la religion de tous, et tous les musulmans ne veulent pas vivre un islam intégriste. Ce gouvernement poursuit une guerre effroyable au Sud où plus de 2 millions de personnes ont été assassinées ; dans les Monts Nouba, il a déclaré le Jihad et la population a été décimée. Il se tourne maintenant vers nous qui sommes musulmans parce que nous sommes noirs: il n’y a presque pas de routes, d’hôpitaux et d’écoles au Darfour. La réponse du gouvernement islamiste a été le bombardement des villages et la création de milices d’assassins (Jandjawids) qui tuent, violent et pillent. Les hommes sont assassinés, les enfants emportés en esclavage ! Les champs et les villages sont brulés. C’est un vrai génocide !

2/ Quelle est l’ampleur des dégâts humanitaires ?

Selon les chiffres de l’ONU, il y avait en 2004 au moins 2,5 millions de réfugiés et de déplacés dans des camps et 200.000 morts. Depuis, les morts ont doublé et personne ne parle des « in between », ces gens qui n’ont plus de villages et qui ne veulent pas vivre dans les camps et s’installent n’importe où. Ils sont 1,5 millions, personne ne parle d’eux, et ils n’ont accès à aucune aide humanitaire. Tous ces gens n’ont plus rien : ni village ni biens. Leurs champs ont été brûles. Le gouvernement soudanais a installé sur nos terres des nomades arabes (au moins 130.000 ), venus souvent du Niger,! C’est inacceptable ! Nous nous battrons jusqu’au bout pour reprendre nos terres.

3/Comment expliquer l’indifférence de la communauté internationale ? Pourquoi les aides occidentales sont plus destinées au mouvement darfouri islamiste JEM qu’à vous, qui êtes pour un Soudan démocratique et laïc ?

Jamais il n’y a eu autant d’aide humanitaire ! On nous assiste comme des enfants, on nous nourrit, on nous apporte de l’eau, on nous soigne… mais on nous laisse nous dessécher dans des camps qui ne sont même pas sécurisés. A défaut de décision politique, on nous laisse à la merci des assassins, on ne nous aide pas à nous défendre ! Donnez nous de quoi nous défendre. La communauté internationale a peur des Arabes. Dans notre mouvement, il y a des gens de partout au Soudan, des gens du Sud, des Monts Noubas, de l’Est et du Nord, il y a aussi des Arabes qui veulent vivre en paix dans un pays libre. Nous n’avons rien contre les Arabes. Nous luttons contre les intégristes qui ont pris le pouvoir par un coup d’état militaire. Le JEM (Mouvement pour la Justice et l’Egalité, islamiste) a pour maitre à penser celui du gouvernement, Hassan al Tourabi ! Il est aidé par la Lybie, Dubaï et l’Arabie Saoudite. Il ne représente pas de force sur le terrain ; il achète les gens dans les camps de réfugiés. Il a une force de persuasion en occident, surtout en Angleterre. Mais, nous sommes des démocrates et le JEM doit avoir sa place dans des négociations. Nous appelons à un dialogue pour que tous les darfouris soient représentés. Mais aucun parti politique ne doit être religieux ! L’Etat et la religion doivent être séparés. Chacun doit vivre quelle que soient ses convictions religieuses.

4/ Quelle est votre représentativité dans le Darfour et dans le Sud en général ?

Nous sommes le mouvement le plus représentatif au Darfour et dans tout le Soudan. Nous sommes liés aux mouvements du Sud où le gouvernement ne respecte pas ses engagements ; le vice président du sud n’a aucun pouvoir. Le Soudan n’a respecté aucune des résolutions internationales. Aujourd’hui, les dirigeants au Soudan des Nations Unies ont pris conscience de notre représentativité.

5/ Pourquoi parle-t-on du Darfour et pas de l’ensemble du Soudan musulman, animiste et Chrétien ?

La crise apparente et dramatique est aujourd’hui au Darfour. Il s’y passe des crimes contre l’humanité. La Cours Pénale Internationale a mis en examen deux hauts dirigeants. Mais ils n’ont pas été extradés. L’un d’eux est même devenu ministre des affaires humanitaires ! La guerre au Sud a duré 20 ans et fait 2,5 millions de morts. Les Dinka ont été décimés dans un jihad ; aujourd’hui il y a une opposition forte à l’est dans la région du Nil Bleu et dans le Nord.

6/ Sont-ce des massacres inter-tribaux ou un génocide arabo-islamiste de Khartoum contre les non musulmans noirs et les musulmans non arabes ?

Le gouvernement instrumentalise les conflits inter-tribaux. C’est une guerre arabo-islamiste. Il est triste qu’aucune voix africaine ne s’élève en dehors de Desmond Toutou.

7/ vous avez parlé à la mutualité avec Richard Rossin, Jacky Mamou du collectif Urgence Darfour* et Bernard Henri Lévy ; vous avez été reçu par Bernard Kouchner. Le Président Sarkozy et M. Kouchner peuvent-ils vous aider ?

Les candidats se sont engagés à aider mon peuple. Madame Guedj a signé au nom du Président Sarkozy. Richard Rossin et Bernard Henri Levy nous ont rencontré sur le terrain clandestinement. M. Rossin m’avait présenté Monsieur Kouchner que j’admire. Je suis persuadé que le Gouvernement français nous aidera.

8/ Jugez-vous utile l’idée de Bernard Kouchner de corridor humanitaire ?

Malheureusement, le Soudan a refusé cette idée. Malgré toute sa force de persuasion, M. Kouchner n’a obtenu qu’un vague engagement sous conditions pour une force hybride de protection des populations civiles dont le déploiement avait été voté il y a un an par le Conseil de sécurité… La duplicité de Khartoum est évidente…

9/ Sue peut faire la France ? Comment votre Parti peut-il sensibiliser la communauté internationale et renverser la junte islamiste de Khartoum ?

En défendant notre cause dans les instances européennes et internationales et faire en sorte que les résolutions ne restent pas lettres mortes. Aidez nous concrètement à nous défendre ! Qu’on arrête de tuer notre peuple, qu’on arrête de violer nos femmes. Vous ne pouvez pas juste regarder le massacre comme au Ruanda.

* Le Collectif Urgence Darfour a publié aux éditions “des idées et des hommes” :Urgence Darfour ouvrage collectif (BHL ; Gluucksman, Kouchner, Prunier, Rossin).

Do you know Yves Béhar? What a fantastic entrepreneur he is. In 1999 he created fuseproject an industrial design and branding firm and has collected a myriad of awards since.

The design studio works across a wide array of industries as diverse as beauty and fashion to furniture and technology. The studio takes a long-term strategic approach to developing and enhancing brands. Its concepts are visual expressions of brand attributes and the entire customer experience. It aims to help companies innovate through product design and branding.

I came to know of him through one of his project through an article published by wired called “The Laptop Crusade”. He made the news again this week as now the laptops will be powered with a mechanical generator which is actioned by hand pulling a pulley.

The mission: Create a $100 computer for millions of poor kids around the world.

“It’s like there’s this virus of cheap laptops,” Béhar says, laughing. “That’s what happens when you plant an idea.”

Wow! To think that a laptop will only cost 3300 rupees gives me immense joy. I cannot imagine the wealth of knowledge that will open up to the underprivileged, to our school children all over the world.

OLPC, one laptop per child is his vision!

And now thanks to Yves Béhar’s determination OLPC has become a reality.

It’s an education project, not a laptop project.

— Nicholas Negroponte

This is the wiki for the One Laptop per Child association. The mission of this non-profit association is to develop a low-cost laptop—the “$100 Laptop”—a technology that could revolutionize how we educate the world’s children. Our goal is to provide children around the world with new opportunities to explore, experiment, and express themselves.

Why do children in developing nations need laptops? Laptops are both a window and a tool: a window into the world and a tool with which to think. They are a wonderful way for all children to learn learning through independent interaction and exploration.

OLPC espouses five core principles: (1) child ownership; (2) low ages; (3) saturation; (4) connection; and (5) free and open source.