Saturday, June 13, 2009
SECRET OF SUCCESS !
Boss making passes? Tips to handle it with care : (Courtesy: Priya)
Three Powerful Words : (Courtesy: Priya)
Training Yourself For Better Concentration (Courtesy: Vasanth)
It helps to know what it is like to concentrate, so that you can get back to that state of being.
What is poor concentration?
When people say that they can't concentrate, it usually means that they cannot stay focused on one thing for as long as they would like. Most of us experience lapses in concentration every day. We are not usually concerned about it; we may not even notice these lapses in concentration. They only become a problem when we find that we cannot get things done as quickly as we would like, or when they cause us to make mistakes.
You do not concentrate when you allow your environment to distract you, and/or your thoughts and feelings to interrupt you. Your thoughts are scattered; your mind jumps from one thing to another like a monkey. It helps to learn and to practice concentration strategies, to harness your monkey mind, so that it works at your will. If you know the causes of your poor concentration, you can learn to control these factors.
Factors that may cause poor concentration
Lack of concentration is one of the frequent complaints among students mainly due to distraction. There are two types of distractions: external and internal.
External Distractions
External distractions are related to the physical environment of your study area. Once you have identified these distractions, it is often easy to deal with them. Some of the common external distractions are:
a. Noise; conversations
b. Inappropriate furniture; inadequate lighting
c. Interruption from other people; telephone , mobile, sms
d. Television, FM Radion, mp3 player
e. Work: paid or unpaid; housework
f. The Internet; email
Internal Distractions
Internal distractions are related to you: your body, your thoughts and your emotions. Some of them can be easily dealt with once they are identified. Others can be managed with practice and/or with a little help. Some of the common internal distractions are:
a. Hunger; tiredness; illness
b. Lack of motivation; boredom; lack of interest
c. Personal worries; stress; anxiety
d. Negative thinking
e. Daydreaming
f. Lack of organization; dyslexia
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Words of wisdom - a must download & watch presentation
So whenever Life pulls you backward
Don't Worry - It is an indication of a path leading you towards victory.
Words - Powerful than swords.
Let's see whether the attached Words of Wisdom have impact on our thinking tanks.
Click here to download and watch this beautiful presentation with your speakers on.
To All Married Couples and Singles Who Intend to Get Married (Worth reading this)
(contibuted by Anik Mehta)
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
WHERE ARE YOU RIGHT NOW (REAL MORAL STORY)
The Inner Child...
- Little child you were who desired to be nurtured, cared for, and loved. This child still resides within you as an adult.
- Free spirit, pixie, and elf you have tamed and controlled, yet who resides within you.
- Emotional and sensitive you whom you have channeled, controlled, and silenced and who is still living within you.
- Creative, imaginative, and artistic you who has been molded, structured, and organized; who still resides in you and is needing to be set free.
- Hurt, pained, neglected, frustrated, abused, and ignored you whom you have masked, hidden from view, and denied the existence of. This child is always just below the surface, causing you to be anxious, worried, and fearful of mistreatment.
- Fun loving, happy, frivolous, joyful, humorous you when you were young and unsophisticated; that person you have replaced with a sophisticated, mature, serious, task oriented demeanor.
- Childhood you have lost or forgotten; yet it still resides in you, dwelling in your subconscious.
- Person who knows how to have fun and play for play's sake; who can help you prevent burnout and manage the stress in your life.
- Person you could be as an adult if you lightened up, let go of your seriousness, overcame your fears, and accepted flexibility and change in your life.
- Person within you who needs healing, support, and reinforcement through a variety of Tools for Coping activities. Through this you can be given new life, health, and a chance for personal growth.
The "Inner Child":
- Resides in every adult person.
- Lives in every adult because it is captured in the brain's memory bank.
- Exists in the memory or subconscious because each one of us has poignant memories of our past that shape our present motivation and future drive.
- Exists because when we adopted specific behavior characteristics and behavior scripts to cope in our dysfunctional environment we masked, covered up, or forgot the "real'' inner child we had been.
- Comes back to many of us in our dreams or daydreams. We can clearly picture what the little child looks like and how the child is feeling and acting.
- Is the person we controlled, repressed, and hid in order to survive in the world of stress. Since it was repressed we held onto it in our subconscious.
- Is the link we have to our spiritual being because it is in the spirit realm rather than in the realm of conscious behavior.
- Is a component of our current value and belief system; however, we are unaware of its influence on our decisions.
- Exists because when we were overcome by guilt as children, we climbed inside of ourselves to avoid the feelings of not being ``good enough.''
- Exists because when we were little our family rules required that we present an image of a happy, healthy family, even if we weren't. So we repressed our little child to appear more responsible, serious, and achievement oriented.
What is the
unfinished business of the "Inner Child"?From growing up in a dysfunctional family, emotional maturity was stunted.
This failure to mature left the "Inner Child" unfinished because we:
- Grew up too fast
- Became small adults; little “moms'” and “dads”
- Were either over responsible or overachievers
- Were emotionally vulnerable
- Were not given a chance to grow and mature in a normal sequence of events
- Put on a public “mask'” or image to stifle our child-like needs
Repressed joy, vision, and feelings - Still have an “inner child'” waiting to grow up and take its proper place
How does the "Inner Child"
come into being?The "Inner Child" comes into being by:
- A denial of true feelings
- A denial of the person we are
- Trying hard to live up to others' expectations
- Holding back our child-like responses, while we provide adult like responses to stress
- The fear of being “found out”' about how we really feel
- Insecurity in the midst of chaos, confusion, or the vacuum of repressed feelings
- A sense of obligation to always “look good'” and “be good”
- Inexperience at being loved for “who you are” rather than for “what you do”
- Not being given the role model of how to “enjoy” life and to have “fun”
- Always having to be “serious'” about life
- A lack of encouragement to broaden our scope of vision about the “potentials” in life
- The stress of staying vigilantly in the “here and now” so that we stay in control and the “walls didn't come tumbling down'” around us
- Never being given or taking the freedom to “play” and act “childish”
- Not being given role models of how to take pleasure out of the “little” things in life
- A compulsive drive to fulfill our “role” in our family
- Not recognizing that we can make “choices” in our lives to make it what we want it to be
- Continuing even now to follow our “compulsive” role(s) rather than choosing to change and be free from the restraints this compulsion creates for us
- Silencing our “inner child” and guarding ourselves, retreating behind “masked” barriers
- Feeling that it is not safe to grow up, to accept love, or to share feelings
- Learning to spend some time each day in pleasure and play
What are the
We know our "Inner Child" is active when we:
- Lose ourselves in frolic and fun
- Cry at a sentimental movie or TV show
- Over-indulge our own children
- Enjoy playing with children's toys
- Love visiting Walt Disney World or other theme parks designed for children
- Seek out adult toys to play with
- Cry or grieve as adults for the losses we experienced in our past
- Still seek to please the senior members of our families of origin and our extended families
- Get sentimental looking at old photo albums, home movies, or scrap books about our childhood
- Experience the same intensity of feeling we had as children as we role play or act out experiences from our past
What
messages did the "Inner Child" need to hear, but which went unsaid?When the "Inner Child" climbed inside you it probably was hoping to hear:
- I love you, I care about you, and I accept you just the way you are
- I am so proud of you and all that you are
- I am so happy you are my child
- You are so beautiful and attractive
- You are so bright and talented
- You are so artistic and creative
- You are such a good worker
- I am sorry I hurt you
- I am sorry I neglected you
- I am sorry I forgot you
- I am sorry I ignored you
- I am sorry I took you for granted
- I am sorry I made you grow up so fast
- I am sorry I had to rely on you so much
- You can trust me to take care of you
- You can trust me to be there for you
- You can trust me to protect you from any hurt or pain
- I will get help for myself and for the family
- We will work at getting healthy together
- We will have healthy fun and play together
What are the
negative consequences of suppressing the "Inner Child"?
When as adults we choose to suppress the memory, needs, and desires of the "Inner Child" we run the risk of:
- Never learning how to feel normally
- Never learning how to play and have fun
- Never learning how to relax and manage stress
- Never learning how to appreciate life. We would rather work at living
- Taking ourselves too seriously
- Feeling guilty over not being “good enough” and driving ourselves to work harder to be “good enough”
- Becoming workaholics
- Not enjoying our family life with our children
- Being suspicious of people who enjoy life, have fun, and know how to play
- Social isolation, afraid to get involved with other people for fear we will be found out to be inadequate, not normal, or a misfit
What
nurturing messages can you give your "Inner Child"?You can tell your "Inner Child" that it is OK to:
· Have the freedom to make choices for itself
· Be “selfish” and do the things you want to do
· Take the time to do the things you want to do
· Associate only with the people you want to associate with
· Accept some people and to reject others
· Give and accept love from others
· Allow someone else to care for you
· Enjoy the fruits of your labor with no guilt feelings
· Take time to “play” and have “fun” each day
· Not to be so “serious”, intense, and inflexible about life
· Set limits on how you are going to relate to others
· Not always “serve” others
· Accept others “serving” you
· Be in charge of your life and not let others dictate to you
· Be honest with others about your thoughts and feelings
· Take risks and to suffer the positive or negative consequences of such risks
· Make mistakes, laugh at them, and carry on
· Let your imagination and creativity be set free and to soar with the eagles
· Cry, hurt, and to be in pain as long as you share your feelings; do not repress or suppress them
· Be angry, to express your anger, and to bring your anger to some resolution
· Make decisions for yourself
· Be a problem solver and come up with solutions with which everyone may not agree
· Feel happiness, joy, excitement, pleasure, and excitement about living
· Feel down, blue, sad, anxious, upset, and worried, as long as you share your feelings
· Love and be loved by someone whom you cherish
· Be your “Inner Child” and to let it grow up, accept love, share feelings, and enjoy pleasure and play
What are some
Step 1: In order to identify your “Inner Child” get into a relaxed state and close your eyes. Spend thirty minutes picturing yourself as a child between three and eight years of age. See yourself as this little child and watch yourself interacting with members of your family of origin. Look at how you as react to your family members as a little child.
Watch yourself with your playmates in the neighborhood or at school. Notice how you get along with your friends and playmates. Notice the fun you have at play and what type of play activities you enjoyed.
Watch yourself in the classroom and notice how you get along with your teacher and how you react to the school environment.
Finally, picture yourself in a family setting. Are you happy, frivolous, joyful, energetic, excited, and enjoying life? Are you serious, solemn, down, sad, unhappy, scared, disappointed, being miserable with life?
If you see only an unhappy, serious little child, try to remember your last happy experience as a child. This last remembrance of you as a happy child is the “Inner Child” who climbed inside of you to cope with stress.
Step 2: Now that you have identified your "Inner Child,'' answer the following questions in your journal:
a. How would you describe your "Inner Child?''
b. When did your "Inner Child'' go inside? What happened for your little child to climb inside of you?
c. How do you know when your "Inner Child'' is active in you?
d. What messages does your "Inner Child'' still need to hear?
e. How willing are you to give these messages to your "Inner Child?'' One way to do this is to develop self-affirmation statements that will nurture your "Inner Child'' and lead to self-healing.
f. What irrational beliefs did your "Inner Child'' have about life?
g. How willing are you to deal with these irrational beliefs and replace them with realistic truths? It is important to deal with these now so your "Inner Child'' can come out and finally enjoy life.
h. What are some of the negative consequences of suppressing your "Inner Child?''
i. How open are you to enjoying the little things in life?
j. What part does fun play in your life?
Step 3: You are now ready to make a plan of action to nurture your "Inner Child.'' Develop a plan of action and once your plan is completed, put it into action and take care of your "Inner Child''
Step 4: The following three activities can help the action, planning and nurturing of your "Inner Child:''
Activity 1: Learning How to Enjoy the Small Things in Life
Open yourself to experience joy at being alive by taking the following steps:
Step A: Open your eyes to the beauty and majesty of nature about you, e.g., paint photographs or simply observe sunrises or sunsets, a body of water, listen for bird calls, try to distinguish the different sounds, plant a garden and watch it grow.
Step B: Expand your “sensory” vocabulary. Try to experience life through all of your senses, use sight, sound, smell, and touch to explore and describe the experiences in your life.
Step C: Explore the natural environment, e.g., take a walk on the beach, relish natures’ wonders, take a walk on a wooded trail, enjoy the moonlight, the stars, and search out natures' magic.
Step D: Begin to slow down and let go. Enjoy children, pets, and the aroma of food. Listen to music, enroll in a ``fun'' class, enjoy the human side of those in your life, develop a sense of humor, a new hobby.
Activity 2: Learning How to Feel and to Share Feelings
Step A: Keep a journal in which you record your daily range of feelings.
Step B: Identify in your journal one new feeling a day to increase your feelings vocabulary.
Step C: Watch a sentimental movie and have a good cry, but pay attention to your feelings. Describe in your journal how you felt watching the movie and how you felt once you began to cry.
Step D: Begin an activity to generate positive feelings each day. Explore the world or your life in general. Recognize one good thing about it daily. Come up with a positive feeling generated by this “good thing,” add it to your feelings vocabulary in your journal.
Step E: Write a fantasy story in your journal describing you experiencing at least ten different positive feelings.
Step F: Relax and visualize yourself experiencing a positive feeling. Enjoy that visualized feeling. Once you have mastered the visualized feeling, plan an activity to make that feeling real for you. Record the experience in your journal.
Activity 3: Learning How to Play
The following tips can help you learn to play:
Step A. Let go of any guilt feelings you might have about indulging yourself in “play” activity. Redefine the role of “play” in your life. Restructure your life activities, and include some play time.
Step B. Define some “acceptable” play activities you would be willing to experiment with over the next year.
Step C. Be spontaneous and let go of the need for “rigidity” in the ways you play. Let your “child” out and freewheel through your playtime.
Step D. Don't stifle your “child-like” responses to a “play” activity. Loosen up and let go of the need to be “mature.”
Step E. Don't worry about your “public image,” as long as what you are doing harms no one. Vent gut-level frolic responses to your play activity.
Step F. Learn to be your own best friend.
Step G. Frolic and have fun without the use of artificial stimulants (drugs, alcohol, etc.)
Step H. Let your “responsible adult mind set” have a vacation. Practice looking at life with a child's perspective. Imagine how a child would view play. Let the sense of wonderment, excitement, imagination, make believe, and creativity reign.
Step I. Laughter is therapeutic and essential if playing is to be fun. Learn to let go of a good belly laugh.
Step J. Playing requires the use of fantasy. Let your fantasy life emerge and grow. Use imagination and visual imagery to broaden the scope and expand the boundaries of your “play.”
Step K. Take a risk and set up a “playtime” for your “inner child” in a family-like situation where you can play outdoors with children, e.g., have a food fight, a water sprinkling war, play Rover Red Rover, dodge ball, etc.
Step L. Give yourself a child's party. Invite your friends to bring their “inner child” to a party in which you indulge in children's games, e.g., pin the tail on the donkey, musical chairs, bobbing for apples, hopscotch, jacks, etc.
Step 5: After you have implemented your action plan using the Tools for Coping tools to nurture your "Inner Child,'' and after you have tried the three activities in Step 4, your "Inner Child'' should be more visible and active in your life.
If you still find yourself suppressing your "Inner child", return to Step 1 and begin again
The lion in UAE..(with due regards to all, interpret it in the right context)
The lion thought its prayers were answered. When one day a Dubai Zoo manager visited the zoo and requested the zoo management to shift the lion to Dubai Zoo.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Attitude ...
"I am a senior manager of Materials Department and I joined an organization 25 years ago as an Engineer Trainee and over the last 25 years I have gone through every experience in the organization.
During the initial part of my career, the job was very challenging and interesting.
However, all those exciting days are gone since I do not find my joy any more interesting because there is nothing new in my job. I am now feeling bored because I am doing a routine job.
However, Sir, I am living in the same house for over forty years, I am the son for the same parents for over forty five years, I am the father for the same children for the past ten years and the husband for the same lady for the past twenty years !( the toughest job!)
In these personal roles I do not feel bored Please tell me why I am bored of the routine in the office and not in the house?"
The response from Scholar was very interesting and convincing. He asked the executive the question:
"Please tell me for whom does your Mother cook ?"
The executive replied that obviously the mother cooks for others.
Then the Scholar said that the mother "Serves" others and because of this service mindedness, she is not feeling tired or bored. But in an office, we "Work" and not "Serve". Anything we consider, as service will not make us feel bored. That is difference between Serving and Working.
He asked the executive to consider his work as service and not merely a work !! This was a very interesting analysis!! Whenever you put a larger context around your work and see a broader meaning for your work, you will take interest in your work and it will make a very big difference in your internal energy.
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Swami Vivekanand shares his thoughts on GOD.
When I Asked God for Brain & Brawn He Gave Me Puzzles in Life to Solve,
When I Asked God for Happiness He Showed Me Some Unhappy People,
When I Asked God for Wealth He Showed Me How to Work Hard,
When I Asked God for Favors He Showed Me Opportunities to Work Hard,
When I Asked God for Peace He Showed Me How to Help Others,
God Gave Me Nothing I Wanted He Gave Me Everything I Needed.
- Swami Vivekananda
"Everyday starts with some Expectation, But ends with some Experience"
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Religion of Vedas (paper on Hinduism - 1) by Swami Vivekananda
In this piece of his Chicago speech on "Paper on Hinduism", Swami Vivekananda gives a brief introduction on Hinduism.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
You are what you want to be...
I have responsibilities to fulfill today. I am important. My job is to choose what kind of day I am going to have.
Today, I can complain because the weather is rainy or I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free.
Today, I can feel sad that I don't have more money or I can be glad that my finances encourage me to plan my purchases wisely and guide me away from waste.
Today, I can grumble about my health or I can rejoice that I am alive.
Today, I can lament over all that my parents didn't give me when I was growing up or I can feel grateful that they allowed me to be born.
Today, I can cry because roses have thorns or I can celebrate that thorns have roses.
Today, I can mourn my lack of friends or I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new relationships.
Today, I can whine because I have to go to work or I can shout for joy because I have a job to do.
Today, I can complain because I have to go to school or eagerly open my mind and fill it with rich new tidbits of knowledge.
Today, I can murmur dejectedly because I have to do housework or I can feel honored because the Lord has provided shelter for my mind, body and soul.
Today, stretches are ahead of me, waiting to be shaped. And here I am, the sculptor who gets to do the shaping.
What today will be like is up to me. I get to choose what kind of day I will have!
Have a "Great Day" ... unless you have other plans.
A man is as great as .....
As great as the love he bears,
As great as the value he redeems,
And the happiness he shares.
A man is as great as the thoughts he thinks,
As the worth he has attained;
As the fountains at which his spirits drinks,
As the insight he has gained.
A man is as great as the truth he speaks,
As great as the help he gives,
As great as the destiny he seeks,
As great as the life he lives.
- C.E. Flynn..
Learning from the trees...
1. It's important to have roots.
2. In today's complex world, it pays to branch out.
3. If you really believe in something, don't be afraid to go out on a limb.
4. Be flexible so you don't break when a harsh wind blows.
5. Sometimes you have to shed your old bark in order to grow.
6. If you want to maintain accurate records, keep a log.
7. It's okay to be a late bloomer.
8. Avoid people who would like to cut you down.
9. As you approach the autumn of your life, you will show your true colors.
10.You could be Brilliant! In other words "bloom where you are planted"
Thursday, March 26, 2009
POISON THAT KILLS DREAMS !!
People who inculcate positive thoughts achieve more, while peole with negative thoughts in their minds keep brooding...
Click here to download a wonderful presentation that can help you take better control of your life !
Formula for Success or Failure.....
A paper flying in the air is due to luck.
But a bird flying in air is its effort.
So, be a bird and struggle with hurdlesto become successful.
Friends, let us remember Success is never permanent, failure is never final.
So, always let us not stop trying until our victory becomes the sign of our history.
Click here to download a wonderful presentation on the subject.
Have a successful day ahead
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Computer Shortcuts
Click here to download this file in pdf format. You will need Adobe Reader installed in your computer to view this. It is a freely available software from www.adobe.com.
I Love Living Life. I Am Happy.( A must watch motivational movie for all)
Nick Vujicic and his attitude serve as a great examples of the celebration of life over limitations.The human spirit can handle much more than we realize."I LOVE LIVING LIFE. I AM HAPPY."
---------------------------------------- ------------------------
Think you've got it bad?Need some encouragement?Fallen down?Can't find the STRENGTH to get back up?Watch this video. It will help. Then share it with others.
---------------------------------------- ------------------------
"If I fail, I try again, and again, and again..."If YOU fail, are YOU going to try again?It matters how you're going to FINISH...Are you going to finish STRONG?We are put in situations to build our character... not destroy us.The tensions in our life are there to strengthen our convictions... not to run over us.
---------------------------------------- ------------------------
Nick is thankful for what he HAS.He's not bitter for what he does NOT have.I have never met a bitter person who was thankful.I have never met a thankful person who was bitter.In life you have a choice: Bitter or BETTER?
Women and leadership: Learning from the social sector
Jacqueline Novogratz, CEO of Acumen Fund, shares lessons in leadership from her work in venture philanthropy.MARCH 2009
As a venture philanthropist, Acumen Fund’s Jacqueline Novogratz leads entrepreneurial projects across the globe—many of which put women at the helm of emerging local businesses. In this video interview, she discusses her experience developing other women leaders, the way they have shaped her own approach to leadership, and the different leadership cultures she sees at play in the public and private sectors.
This interview was conducted by Bill Javetski, an editor with the McKinsey Quarterly, in February 2009. It was recorded in the New York office of Acumen Fund.
The Quarterly: One of the secrets of your activity in building entrepreneurialism is focusing on women as workers. Can you talk about that?
Jacqueline Novogratz: I had been in Rwanda where I worked with a small group of women to start the first microfinance organization in the country and, simultaneously, a bakery with 20 unwed mothers. My own background has taught me a lot about the power of investing in women, because you do end up feeding a family and not just an individual.
I worry actually that the international-development community may, in focusing so much on the women, end up demoralizing and devaluing men even further. I don’t want to be glib about just investing in girls. We have to build healthy societies and we have to recognize that boys and girls develop differently and [we have to] find ways really to include, to value, to have high expectations, and to provide opportunity.
And so there’s this big, philosophical question around how do you hire, how do you encourage different behavior. Can you—in the dormitories—bring in other activities to bring in reproductive health, to help with microfinance and savings? There’s a really interesting platform here.
The Quarterly: Your story of the bakery in Rwanda was in large part a story about developing the women that you worked with there. What did you learn about leadership from their experience of developing into owners and operators of that business?
Jacqueline Novogratz: I went in as a leader with pure audaciousness. I didn’t have as much humility in that I just assumed—I’m the eldest of seven, I can do the Bad News Bears thing really well, I’m just going to cheer them on—without having the humility of really understanding what their starting place was.
After many mishaps, including having them steal from me and having them not really know how to sell—I mean they would look down the whole time and have to explain to me that they were considered prostitutes by many; for them to go and look somebody directly in the eye and shake their hands was not exactly a Rwandan-woman kind of thing—so I had to learn to have the humility myself to really listen to their perspectives, and yet not stop there; to have the audaciousness to say, “It’s a good starting point, but we want to get you to this other place.”
The real lesson for me was how that dignity is so much more important to the human spirit than wealth. And that what these women, as all of us, needed was to know that we could cover basic needs, but to have the power of being able to say no to things that we didn’t want, that we didn’t want to do. And so leadership as a way of inspiring, listening, and letting people, you know, grow themselves in their own way.
And it was a small experience in some ways, and yet one that I think about all the time that taught me so much about listening and dignity—and laughter as a really, really key component. The more stressed I got, the less anything worked; and the more we could laugh, the more we got done. And so that was probably another really big lesson.
I’m a big optimist. I really believe in setting impossible goals and then making them possible. And I really love people—and I think people feel that from me. So it’s probably that sometimes very confusing mix of optimism, idealism, but also high expectations, lots of discipline, and pragmatism.
Part of the journey that those of us who are privileged, which is pretty much everyone in this country, has to make is not being embarrassed by privilege or guilty for privilege or confused by privilege, but to start from that place of recognizing that your responsibility is to use that privilege in the best way you can to serve the world. And there are lots of ways of serving the world.
The Quarterly: Many women work in social sector, fewer in finance. Let’s say actually fewer lead in finance. You’ve succeeded in both. Any thoughts on the skill set, and why one isn’t more prevalent in the other area?
Jacqueline Novogratz: I think that girls really are relational, and what I love about finance—and what I love about accounting even, which is kind of embarrassing to admit—is it’s another form of storytelling. And if you could teach young people to find the stories in the combination of the balance sheet and the income statement, I think we would see a lot more girls taking leadership in finding that comfort.
I just did a panel for women on Wall Street, and what they spoke about was how rigid our financial institutions continue to be around integrating women into the workforce—particularly after they’ve had children—and that the rules are so driven by a different kind of discipline that the social sector has taken upon itself to reinvent. And that may be more to the point as to why we don’t see as many leaders—women leaders—in finance. It’s a much older club. It’s been driven by a stricter set of rules and expectations.
I have four brothers who all work on Wall Street, and I remember when one of my brothers’ wife had a child. And I said, “Well, is there, you know, paternity leave?” And he said, “Oh, yeah. We have the most liberal paternity leave on Wall Street—but I would never take it, because if I did, everybody would think I was, you know, wimpy.” And I think there’s great truth to that. So there’s a cultural piece that needs to be looked at. Whereas in the social sector, as a woman leader, you have the opportunity to invent the culture in which you want to work and thrive.
Young people often will come to me and say, “I really want to do this, but first I feel like I need to do A, B, C, D, and E.” In some ways I think we’ve put young people, especially, on a track where they have these expectations that they’re going to do one thing after another because that’s what everybody else does—and then they will get this freedom. And I think there are lots of different paths and that the path isn’t always clear, but you just should start; that work will teach you; and that I can’t imagine a more joyful way of living than a life when where you are serving in the spirit as equally of adventure as you are of change.
Courtesy: The Mckinsey Quarterly









