5 Inspirational Bollywood Movies You Must Watch

5 Inspirational Bollywood Movies You Must Watch

by | Life, Motivation, World of Work

There is some amount of discomfort while juxtaposing inspirational alongside Bollywood. What the phrase ‘Bollywood’ conjures in our heads is illogical song, dance, and mostly inspiration that we are better off without. That may be a stinging thing to say, however, I wonder if many would disagree. On the brighter side, the times, they are changing! We always have had great movies and still continue to make them. Different movies touch different people, but some movies are quite universally moving. Here is a list of five inspirational Bollywood movies [arranged in no particular order] that will leave you feeling moved, motivated, inspired. See if your favourites made this list (and tell us if they didn’t!).

 

  1. Anand – Some old is truly gold. This 1971 Amitabh Bachchan and Rajesh Khanna starrer is a must watch – regardless of whether you are already a very inspired and motivated individual! While the story might sound familiar and seem like its old candy in new wrapper, you can watch it and still be very moved by it. Amitabh Bachchan plays a cancer doctor, and the story revolves around him and a patient of his – Anand (Rajesh Khanna), who discovers he is terminally ill and pledges to make the best of the time he has. The doctor’s experience with the patient leaves a profound impression on him, and so he writes a heartrending bestseller based on recorded interviews with Anand. A true depiction of our philosophy – Be Happy in the Now!
  1. Ship of Theseus – Anand Gandhi’s debut film, and one that has certainly made Indians very proud. It is truly a relief to observe that more and more people seem to have a stomach for alternative cinema, as opposed to the clichés and bling of Bollywood. The movie brings together three very different people from different walks of life, and concludes with how they are integrally connected to each other. The ‘how’ if I give away, will be a spoiler. Inspired by the paradox of Theseus – ‘if all parts of a ship were replaced by exactly the same parts, would it still be the same ship?’ The movie accomplishes the difficult job of portraying the paradox in all its complexity – through a rich tapestry of human experiences.
  1. Queen – A breath of fresh air in what we have so far called mainstream Bollywood. The story is about a Delhi based girl and how her life changes dramatically when her fiancé (and long-time boyfriend) breaks off the marriage. “Rani”, still decides to go on her ‘honeymoon’ – without her husband. While some call it feminism, I would say it is more about how travel and exposure (which has got nothing to do with being a feminist!) changes you and defines you as a person. You think you are someone, but it is only when you allow yourself to experience that you discover who you really are. And the discovery never really ends!
  1. English Vinglish – This movie was considered to be the “comeback” for Bollywood’s beloved – Sridevi. Contrary to what you may expect from a Sridevi starrer, this movie has its share of surprises for the audience. The movie has your attention right from the beginning, all the way to the end. Sridevi, plays the role of an ideal wife, mother and daughter. The problem is, she cannot speak in English – which has been a matter of great shame for her husband and children. When suddenly she has to go to the United States to attend her niece’s wedding, the alienation she faces in a foreign country because of her inability to converse in English, dares her to start taking spoken English classes. And that is the first step she takes for herself on the path to self-discovery. A truly motivational and inspiring flick and one that shouts out very subtly that it is never too late to learn!
  1. Stanley ka Dabba – Amole Gupte’s directorial debut is a beautiful movie which will bring back the memories of the yesteryears when we were all school kids. Stanley our protagonist is an expert story teller and quite a favorite amongst his classmates. However, behind his lively garb are the realities of life the child has to negotiate with. The movie delves into exploring the classroom and school dynamics and captures truthfully, how children emote. Why is this movie on this list if it is a movie about children? Well, when you watch it, you will realize, even though we are all grown-ups, we are still the same we were as children, in very many ways. It may be ‘about’ children, but it is not exclusively ‘for’ children! 🙂

We hope you liked the list of Inspirational Bollywood Movies we drew up for you, and if you did, be sure to tune in to the next post which is about 5 Inspirational Movies You Must Watch – Hollywood!

 

Five Tips to Navigate your Way Successfully through Matrix Organizations

Five Tips to Navigate your Way Successfully through Matrix Organizations

by | Career, Managing Yourself, Office Etiquette, Productivity, World of Work

If you are an employee in a large organization, a freelancer or a consultant, you have probably worked in the matrix structure without being fully aware about it. A matrix structure is usually a combination of a vertical (product/service P&L Unit) and a horizontal function (Finance, Marketing, HR, IT, etc) and is implemented to facilitate balanced decision-making and flexibility.  In other words – welcome to working in complexity where you may have all the responsibility but without the necessary authority.

More and more companies are gravitating towards matrix organizations to deal with the increasingly dynamic and chaotic work environments. Gartner highlighted these changes in their predictions for the world of work in this decade:

“Work will become less routine, characterized by increased volatility, hyper connectedness, ‘swarming‘ and more,” said Tom Austin, vice president and Gartner fellow. By 2015, 40 percent or more of an organization’s work will be ‘non-routine’, up from 25 percent in 2010. “People will swarm more often and work solo less. They’ll work with others with whom they have few links, and teams will include people outside the control of the organization,” he added. “In addition, simulation, visualisation and unification technologies, working across yottabytes of data per second, will demand an emphasis on new perceptual skills.”

Sounds familiar? If you are in the business management/operations role like me, this style of working is the norm and not the exception and it needs some special skills and abilities to successfully navigate your way through the organization. Based on what has worked for me and what hasn’t, I have put together my five working tips that help in adapting and being effective (and happy) in working in roles that give you responsibility without immediately clear authority:

Working Tip #1 – Know what you need to achieve:

This is rule number one – Knowing what you need to achieve before you embark on an initiative involving different teams helps you to keep your eyes on your goal and not get blind-sided by the priorities of the other teams. Of course the ultimate goal would be the one that the organisation has set and has necessitated the working in the matrix structure and you need to be aligned to that  but you also are solely responsible for your part of the whole and that is why in every meeting or interaction, it is necessary for you to remember that. This helps you to ensure that the working plan is moving towards that goal at all times and give your inputs with that clarity when it is time for group decision-making (helps combat “groupitis” or death by committee scenarios).

Working Tip #2 – Let go of the need to be liked:

The desire to be liked, to be popular is a very strong human driver and this is quite normal. But be careful that this does not become a “need” that drives the way you operate at work. It leads to making compromises that you are not comfortable with because they are not aligned to your internal ethical compass. Don’t go with the herd mentality because you are afraid that speaking up or standing up for something will make you unpopular. Not everyone everywhere will like you and that’s okay – you are not at work to win a popularity contest. Just treat everyone with respect (the way you would want to be treated by others) and focus on the work. You will get more done and be happier too.

Working Tip #3 – Sharpen your conflict-management skills:  

You have to be comfortable with conflict as it is a given in situations where people from different functions or roles need to work together. Understanding conflict management techniques is important to reach a resolution quickly (and with the least amount of blood-bath). To quote of one of my favourite leadership bloggers, Mike Myatt, from his post on workplace conflicts –

“Don’t fear conflict; embrace it – it’s your job. While you can try and avoid conflict (bad idea), you cannot escape conflict. The fact of the matter is conflict in the workplace is unavoidable. It will find you whether you look for it (good idea – more later) or not. The ability to recognize conflict, understand the nature of conflict, and to be able to bring swift and just resolution to conflict will serve you well as a leader – the inability to do so may well be your downfall.”

And also, you need to be wise enough to pick your battles with care.

Working Tip #4 – Escalation is not the best solution:

Don’t be trigger happy with hitting the escalation button. This should be your last option when working in a matrix organization and there are many reasons for this – the main one being that trust and teamwork is the foundation for a successful matrix organization. And a blame-game attitude poisons the foundation pretty fast. (Pardon me for all the “killing” analogies – it is a side-effect of working in the corporate world for so long :)).

Moreover an escalation may not work as the final decision-making authority would not be your immediate superior – in a matrix org, it is usually the CEO or a level lower than her and do you really want to go whining all the way there when you have other options to make things work ? Also by escalating, you let go of all the influence that you have managed to build so far – and influence trumps authority to get things done in complex organizations.

Working Tip #5 – Communication is key:

I have saved this for the last as it is a common thread for all the earlier tips. For you to be successful in a matrix organization – you have to get personal. You have to take the time to know every person that you are working with directly or indirectly – their strengths and weakness, their goals and needs. Strive to understand before being understood. And for that you have to communicate. Be open and transparent about yourself. Listen. Interact. Absorb. Empathize. Thank often. Criticize less. Give credit often. Build relationships. Pick up the phone when emails seem to be getting shorter and cc lists getting longer. Meet up/Video when you think phone conversations and calls seems to be getting you nowhere. Communication helps break down the vertical and horizontal silos, improves relationships and creates an effective “groupthink” environment that further promotes teamwork and trust.

I believe that these are skills that can be developed and honed and really help in leading and working in a matrix operating environment. And ALWAYS in your work, as Seth Godin says – Be open, generous and connected:

Open to new ideas, leaning forward, exploring the edges, impatient with the status quo… In a hurry to make something worth making.

Generous when given the opportunity (or restless to find the opportunity when not). Focused on giving people dignity, respect and the chance to speak up. Aware that the single most effective way to move forward is to help others move forward as well.

and connected. Part of the community, not apart from it. Hooked into the realities and dreams of the tribe. Able and interested in not only cheering people on, but shining a light on how they can accomplish their goals.

What do you think?  Have you come across any challenges while working in matrix organizations ? What makes you lose your cool and what helps you get your “balance” back? Have these tips worked for you ? I would love to hear and learn from you.

Pic Courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevecorey/7281531296/

Five Practices to Get People to Work Together – Entering the Collaboration Zone

Five Practices to Get People to Work Together – Entering the Collaboration Zone

by | Business, Business Operations, Career, Communication, Leadership, Management, Managing Yourself, Mentoring, Performance, Productivity, World of Work

It is tough times for businesses today. Never has it been as important as now to do more with less, share resources and leverage each other’s strengths and get people to work TOGETHER as a single unit to beat the odds. Collaboration is the key to accelerating performance improvements and transformation. Different cultures, working styles and views make any project or initiative that needs collaboration a nightmare.

It does not have to be that way, though.  With a little bit of respect, give-and-take and clear communication, collaboration can become a reality.  Here are five behaviors to get people to work together that if put into practice will align individual performers into a high performance cohesive team ready to take on any challenge:

Get People to Work Together #1: Have One Shared Purpose –

Everyone on the team needs to have a shared purpose or goal leaving individual ambitions or personal agendas aside. Before starting on a project or mission, decide what the primary motive for collaboration is and what needs to be achieved when. Pull your weight, give it your best effort and be mindful about deadlines and commitments.

Get People to Work Together #2: Treat Each Other With Respect –

Treat each other with respect. Allow different views to come on the table giving each view equal consideration before collectively agreeing on the best course of action. Listen, participate and contribute. Give value to get value.

Get People to Work Together #3: Share Credit –

Don’t be an appreciation hog and shy away from giving appreciation where it is due. Be quick to praise and slow to blame. Aim for visibility of the group efforts and not just of your own. As Harry Truman said – It is amazing how much you can accomplish when it doesn’t matter who gets the credit.

Get People to Work Together #4: Let go of the “I” –

You may be an expert and know just the right way to get things done but that’s not what is wanted here. Let go of your ego and consider what the right way is to proceed as a team. Focus your energies and abilities in competing “outside” rather than “inside”. In-fighting is a sure recipe for failure.

Get People to Work Together #5: Leverage Strengths and Manage Weaknesses –

Leverage strengths and make up for each other’s weaknesses to take your group to levels of success that would not have been possible individually. Spend some time knowing each other’s strengths and weakness – ask questions, share ideas, learn new information, and bounce suggestions off one another. Then, divide responsibilities and set accountabilities so that the right people are on the right jobs and the goal becomes manageable.

What other behaviors have worked to get people to work together and improve collaboration in your organization? What irritates you when you are part of a team? I would love to get your insights.

Pic Courtesy : Tim Fishburne, the Marketoonist.