214: SHIQURDU: 21

 

121

मेरी ख़ामोशी में

सन्नाटा भी है और शोर भी है

गौर से  देख ऐ दुनिया

मेरे अंदर बहुत कुछ और भी है

 

 

122

दास्तान कैसे सुनाएँ 

खामोशी कोई समझता  नहीं

और

बयां हमसे होता  नहीं

 

 

123

रोज़ रोज़ गिर कर भी मुकम्मल खडे रहो

इन मुश्किलों के सामने डट कर खड़े रहो

 

 

124

आईने भी हैरत में

 

आदमी का

हर वक़्त नया चेहरा

हर वक़्त नया वजूद

 

 

125

दोनों जरूरी हैं

दिल में तस्वीर

और

हाथों में लकीर

 

 

  • Shiqurdu is a collection of thoughts. Although an odd sounding name, but felt appropriate for the collection.

 

  • These are simplified quotes in Hurdu (Hurdu being a mix of Hindi and Urdu akin to Hinglish i.e., hindi and english). Although in some cases the language has been simplified but attempt has been made to retain the thought and the poetic flavor.

 

  • These thoughts have been picked up from various publications. Credit goes to all the original writers who penned down these deep meaning messages.

 

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213: Management Series: Car Wheel Theory

 

 

This is further to my earlier post on management titled “Shark in the tank”. Wherein, it was brought out that good leaders and managers, know when to put the shark in the tank, to maintain an optimum level of activity in the unit or organisation under them.

 

This write up draws inspiration, about smooth running of unit activities from the Wheel management of a car.

 

For a car to run smoothly it needs following aspects of wheel management:-

 

  • Maintaining correct and same tyre pressure in all the wheels.

 

  • Wheel alignment.

 

  • Wheel Rotation.

 

  • Wheel balancing.

 

  • Spare Wheel.

 

Similar management is required for managing the human resource by the leaders and managers.

 

 

Maintaining Correct and Same Tyre Pressure in all the Wheels.

 

Making sure that the car tyres are inflated to the correct and same level is extremely important. This is essential to ensure safety, longevity and good vehicle handling characteristics.

 

Similarly, human resource in any group also need to behave in a conducive manner. At times factors like over/under confidence, excessive eagerness / callousness and ego etc. make individuals behave irrationally, ignoring the important principles of team work.

 

In a car, there is a necessity to periodically check the tyres and either inflate or deflate them to maintain same and optimum pressure in all tyres. Similarly, need arises in a group at times to give a boost (inflate) to some members by encouraging them. At the same time, there may be a requirement to control and regulate (deflate) others.

 

A good manager and leader should know when to do that. Special care needs to be taken while regulating and controlling, to avoid permanent damage to the enthusiasm. It is best to do it privately and by exercising sell type of leadership style (i.e. with a little bit of explanation). 

 

 

Wheel alignment.

 

Car wheel alignment is essential for the vehicle to move steadily towards intended direction without pulling to one side.

 

Similarly it is important for all group players to work together towards the intended group or organisational goal.

 

This is one of the important task of the leader or manager, and needs constant effort to keep the team members together and focused.

 

  

Wheel Rotation.

 

Tyre wear and tear is never uniform on all four wheels of a vehicle.  Hence in order to have uniform wear of all four tyres, it is advisable to interchange tyre positions periodically. Tyre rotation is very crucial for ensuring long life and better performance of the tyres.

 

In a similar way, human beings also need change and perform better with changing challenges. Stuck in any one type of job, they tend to stagnate with adverse effect on their performance.

 

At The same time, changes introduced too early or too often also are not good for the organisation. An effective leader knows when to introduce the change to avoid stagnation of its members.

 

 

Wheel balancing.

 

Wheel balancing refers to correcting the imbalance between the weights of the wheel and the tyre. Maintaining a balanced weight in the wheel / tyre combination is significant for a smooth and stable drive, less tyre wear and eliminating vibrations.

 

Similarly in a group functioning maintaining a balance between the task and the provision of wherewithal to execute it is very important. It is the job of the leader and the manager to provide the correct amount and quality of resources for the allotted task.

 

 

 

Spare Wheel.

 

A vehicle always has a spare wheel, to cater for unforeseen circumstances. The spare wheel also needs to be maintained in good state as any other wheel.

 

In a similar way in a group, it is good to have a standby person available for different tasks. The standby person needs to be aware of the task and its progress so that slot in is easy if the need arises.

 

Coming Up

Beer and the jar theory of management.

 

Suggestions and value additions are most welcome

 

Link to earlier post on Management Theory:

Shark in the Tank.

 

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212: US vs China on Taiwan: Shadow Boxing

 

Link to the earlier blog on the subject (China vs Taiwan)

 

Recently US Defence Department Spokesperson John Kirby made a statement on recent military exercises conducted by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army near the island of Taiwan. John Kirby told reporters that the US commitment to Taiwan is “rock solid” and that “the US is united with Taiwan against the current danger posed by the People’s Republic of China.”

 

Also the official Twitter accounts of the US State Department posted photos and tweets of Under Secretary of State José Fernandez and Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink respectively meeting with Taipei Economic and Cultural “Representative” Bi-khim Hsiao, claiming that the US commitment to Taiwan remains rock-solid, and the US will further strengthen ties with Taiwan. Media reports said that the US has invited Hsu Yen-pu, Taiwan’s “Army Commander,” to visit the US.

 

Strong Chinese Reaction

Zhao Lijian, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry reacted strongly to these developments. Gist of his rebuttal is as follows:-

 

  • Taiwan Island is China’s territory and the US is in no position to point fingers over the Taiwan question.

 

  • US has been making negative moves to sell arms to Taiwan and strengthen official and military ties with the island, including a $750 million arms sale plan, the landing of US military aircraft on the island and frequent sailing of US warships across the Taiwan Straits. These provocative actions damage China-US relations and undermine regional peace and stability.

 

  • The remarks by the US senior official seriously violate the one-China principle, sending an extremely wrong and irresponsible signal to the outside world.

 

  • “Taiwan independence” is a dead end, and the Chinese mainland will take all necessary measures to resolutely crush any attempt at “Taiwan independence.”

 

  • China’s resolve and will to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity are firm and US should correct its mistakes and stop supporting secessionists in the island.

 

  • The embassy warned the US not to fantasise about seeking China’s support and cooperation while wantonly challenging China’s red line on the Taiwan question.

 

Analytical Thoughts

 

  • So far China and US are both shadow boxing over Taiwan issue.

 

  • It seems both are testing the waters and each other’s resolve.

 

  • It is like sumo wrestlers or boxers going round and round gauging each other, before engaging.

 

  • Besides verbal duels, once in a while the two sides resort to strategic coercion and muscle flexing.

 

  • The frequency of these acts is increasing.

 

  • Final engagement and result would depend upon – who wins the power race and world number one position.

 

  • Fate of Taiwan will determine the final result of the power race.

 

  • India has a breathing space, so long as China is preoccupied with Taiwan.

 

  • Our border dispute is still not resolved, with China claiming more and more.

 

  • If it is able to unify Taiwan, it will get encouraged to try it elsewhere.

 

Doubtful Thoughts

 

China is determined to unify Taiwan with the mainland.

 

  • Will China do it with its grey zone operations?

 

  • Will China use force to achieve her objective?

 

  • Will US fight for Taiwan?

 

  • When is this shadow boxing likely to escalate into actual engagement with throwing of punches?

 

  • Will the world get divided into two factions once again?

 

  • Will India be able to maintain policy of equidistance or get drawn towards one of the factions?

 

Random Thought

 

Western powers have been ruling the roost for a while.

Coming century is of the Asia.

 

Question

What will be India’s role, position and choices in this scenario?

 

Suggestions and value additions are most welcome

 

Link to the earlier blog on the subject (China vs Taiwan)

 

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