Thursday, September 30, 2010

A view from the Krishna Hospital terrace :)

James Geary quips: You can’t expect a change of scenery if you never veer from the beaten track.


Evening. Around 5:30.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Employees' Boxing Club, Krishna Hospital Bhilwara

A loyal old ward-boy and a relatively new security guard come to me complaining against each other.

Ward-boy says the guard hurled an expletive at him. Guard says the ward-boy caught him by the neck.

The context? The guard didn't let the ward-boy enter with a couple of relatives of some patient. Typically, guards are instructed not to let people (except the patient's attendant relative) enter the ward.

The two men put forth their arguments. Strong arguments; so strong that no one could be proven to be at fault but neither could be exonerated as well.

Since I know that my refereeing would never solve such problems, I gave the power to the people. I gave them an empty room and an empty terrace to choose from. And I advised them, "We've got a hospital. We've got a gym. We've got heavy dumb-bells and barbells. And we've got boxing gloves too. You can settle score amongst yourselves with as much vigor, enthusiasm or anger as possible. You can get as bloody as you want to; we've got the entire hospital to treat you in case of injuries. Besides, it will also be a good watch for the entertainment-deprived people of the hospital!"

I've released a notice as well that we've got a good fully-equipped arena to settle scores in case people feel like fighting. People accepted it with a lot of cheer ;).

Monday, September 27, 2010

3 mins drive and hot chapatis :)

That's right. That's the time I take to reach my office. Precisely one kilometer from where we stay. Precisely 3 mins to take the car out of parking, vroom and park again.

What this does is allow me to come home again at lunch and have some good hot chapatis. :) Oh, how missed that ever since I left Ahmedabad for the fast life of Mumbai. Wonder how many people have a similar arrangement in Mumbai...

But that's not all. As flexible and comfortable it sounds, the 117 minutes I save get dedicated to the hospital. So effectively, it's an 11 hour tight workday for me. Not that I mind; I am gradually getting into a routine wherein I can workout in the morning without a lot of hurry and haste.

History (March 1999 - September 2010)

B.Com > PGD in Entrepreneurship & Business Management @ EDII > Sulking for the lost girlfriend > PGD in Communications Management @ MICA > Research Coordinator @ Globus > Center Manager @ T.I.M.E. > Business Analyst-cum-Product Manager @ Flora2000.com > Product Manager @ indiainfo.com > Senior Manager - Planning & Research @ Perspectrum Consultancy > Director - Planning @ Carat Fresh Integrated > Operations Head/Execution Designer @ Krishna Hospital, Bhilwara! :)

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Actually angry

The last few days have seen me getting angry, actually angry.

I can't remember myself exploding in anger, shouting so frequently like this ever. At least not since an ex-girlfriend left me, a decade old story :).

Seems that's the most effective motivation program applicable to people working out here. Let' see.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Everyone's a middleman

A staff member working in the eye department asks for an 'assistance fee' for directing a prospective patient to the orthopedic department.

Another staff member was sent to get some photos developed and a video film edited. He doesn't go to the studio that we suggest. He goes to some other studio. Why? There's some 'setting' there!

Wherever there's any distance between two parties, trust the people here to take the position of middlemen.

Ambulance drivers of a particular hospital don't mind diverting the ailing patients to another hospital right at the last moment (even after reaching the gate of the hospital).

Ward-boys don't mind calling other hospitals, fixing a commission and sending the ailing patients to another hospital.

Middlemen still thrive here. Need a Google-idea to solve this one out.

My little desk and the book curve


Just got an opportunity to arrange my books in a different manner. :)

Thursday, September 23, 2010

You don't get your score before the exam

I hear a lot of people (including myself on occasions) crib about salaries. At this hospital as well, where I've taken charge. We should be paid better. We don't get what we deserve. Our salaries should be based on the work we do.

Two questions. What is WORK? What is SALARY?

Third question: what inspires what?

I asked the folks here, "Do you think that the hospital is running smoothly?" They said, "No." So I asked again, "Have you given even one solution which could help run the hospital smoothly?" They looked at me with blank puzzled eyes.

Then, why the clamor for increase in salaries? Did you ever get your score before the exam? Salaries are just a score. A score you achieve for seeking out problems and solving them, every single day of your work.

WORK inspires SALARIES and not the other way round.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Rage

Well, I couldn't continue with my sleep beyond 3:40! After a little bit of surfing, I checked out my two pet online projects. Neither of them convinces me. Can't deny that I invested a lot of energy. But they haven't come out right. So, have decided to can them. Don't think I planned the projects well enough. Execution demands still more, at least in my case.

One of the reasons I moved to Bhilwara was to see these projects through. But I don't think I have the energy to continue with the projects any more. It angers me. Fills me with immense rage. But I can't help. If only I could code, wouldn't have waited for or be dependent on other people to give shape to my ideas. Guess, web projects demand that the code originates in the marketer's mind.

Didn't know it's just Tuesday. So many things taking place in one single day. Sunday wasn't a Sunday. The meeting which took place barely 17 hours ago, looks like it happened two days back.

Gotta get the Hospital right before doing anything else. Gotta focus!

Bless all those who are fast asleep.

Neither the fan nor the AC felt good on my skin. The duvet was causing me to squirm. My stomach didn't help either.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Clutter

I got a room cleaned up. Mobilized the people a little and organized the spaces a little bit. Removed a lot of stuff.  Still plenty left.

I sense things that fill a space absorb the occupant's energy. The extent of stuffing determines the absorption of the occupant's energy. No, one needn't know how it is happening. But the fact that things cram the space that you occupy, that you breathe in, that you keep looking at, is good enough to sap your vitality.

Lot of stuff to be removed yet. Decluttering has begun.

Silence

The noise in Mumbai killed me. Everywhere. On the roads, in the malls, in the shops, sometimes at office, sometimes simply the buzz in my mind. As happening a place as Mumbai is, most stimuli were noise to me.

Here, in Bhilwara, it's silence in general. Sometimes eerie. The surroundings are sparse enough. There are echoes but not so much noise. Most often comforting.

It seems though, the noise hasn't reduced; for the buzz in the mind has increased. Sometimes, mind-numbing. The chaotic fashion in which people function. They are so much at home in all the chaos. They are so comfortable with distractions. Their comfort rattles me. After all it's a hospital. A place which needs utmost sincerity and earnestness.

Amidst all the chaos, it would be fine if they handled all well. But they aren't focused on handling. They are focussed on following. Instructions, commands and orders. Follow. "You pay me. You can order. I'll follow. When you aren't around, I might not to know what exactly to do. But that's okay. When you come back, give orders. I'll follow."

It's Sunday evening. I'm assessing the 19 days I've been here. The mind's buzzing a little less. I can feel the real silence. Work's happening, albeit gradually. Chaos will shape into fluidity. I'm creating tunnels for the water to flow through.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Tanning in 55 minutes

Here's the formula. Natural.

Just after I wrote my last snippet, I went for a run. I left at around 7:20. Did about 9.5 kms in 55 mins. Here's the result. And I'm not kidding. :)


















You see the drastic change in skin color right above the ankle? Now, this isn't exaggeration. I hadn't gone running in the morning for quite a few days and therefore, this didn't exist beforehand.

Anyway, it was joy.

Whatever happened to my search for 'fitter' and 'flexible' life

If there are places in the world where educated people require education, then Bhilwara is definitely one of them. Not to say that Mumbai doesn't have such people :), but talking in relative terms.

The thing is I'm going through far longer workdays than I imagined. Longer than those in Mumbai surely. Mumbai sapped energy in quite a few ways. Effective workday was limited to 4-5 hours.

Having said that, longer workdays have resulted in a lot of anxiety. There's so much to be done. So much to be set in processes. So much to be standardized. And I go so deep into it, that my mind spins. There's chaos (everyone's on a trip, doing some work but whether important or unimportant is not a question). There are bottlenecks (people wait for one person to give them his 'computer' time to make some document). There is distance, literally, amongst team members (yes, all of them sit in silos, far away from each other so that no one can think of coordination). And so on...

It has been a test of my 'calm'. My back aches coz of stress and anxiety. Fueling my restlessness. Just 15 odd days!

And yeah, while my worktimes are extremely flexible, I am nowhere close to my dreamt-of fitness regimen. Getting ready for a long early morning run :).

Way to go.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Managing a hospital isn't easy

That's what I've realized. Doesn't mean I can't do it ;).

Just trying to introduce a certain way of working here.

One of the things that I find in first generation entrepreneur-driven businesses is that a lot of execution on the ground level happens without any paper work. A lot of strategic thinking also happens without putting pen to paper. So the first task I've taken is to make people do things through writing. No essays. Very simple tasks.

I'm allotting tasks as if I am preparing bills for accounts. Yes! For the first time in my life I recognize the importance of carbon paper :). There are so many tasks at the same time; I need to make sure that each one of them is taken care of. So what I do is this. I write down a task for a certain person and give that sheet of paper to that person; but I also keep a copy of it for myself so that I can follow up as and when needed.

It's working so far.

This isn't all. This also requires some management :). And there's way a to do this.

Stay tuned. More in the coming posts. Task management using trays... Coming soon :).

Sunday, September 5, 2010

Energy Economics & Petrol Prices

Oh! I just read this piece Petrol Prices Set To Hike Again. Just a few days back I shared an important bit in the post Alarm Bell on my blog polka thoughts.

I urge motorcycling enthusiasts who also like following motorcycling tit-bits online to read Jeff Rubin's thoughts on the economics of energy and how it is changing and how it is gonna change our world in a lot many ways. These price hikes are just the beginning but very important symptoms of an imminent future. Go, read.

You might do well to read Why Your World Is About To Get A Whole Lot Smaller as well. Important stuff.

Red Slingshot

Well, I am not impressed with this Suzuki offering. The color's somewhat different I can say. 
 
Doesn't this resemble Bajaj Caliber in some respects? Remember?

Friday, September 3, 2010

This is where MANAGEMENT is needed

Yes, may be there is a perception that there isn't a lot of money for management grads in small cities.

Or perhaps, 'management education' serves as an escape (to the 'good' life) from the very places which direly need management acumen/skills.

Sometime back, I read that the Chinese government deployed a significant number of management grads to work with the farmers in the hinterland.

Jeff Rubin hints farms are where the future of the world lies. I am near the farms. I can choose to work there. :)