How cool is 'Cuil'?

Cuil Inc (mouthed 'cool') is the new competition for Google!! Guess who is behind Cuil? Ex-Google specialists!! Who else!!

Promoters claim that Cuil, a new search service, can index, faster and cheaper(read it as 'than Google').

But one thing is for sure... that the time has come and the time is right for a formidable challenger who can really make Google sweat. For the moment let us forget that it is coming from Google's own farm of innovators.

Itching to check how 'cool' is Cuil? Sorry for the intended pun!

Understanding the Mind

The research team, from Durham University and the University of British Columbia, say that elements of human cognition and perception that are not yet fully understood by scientists may receive greater insight by analysing tricks and techniques used by magicians.

CASE STUDY EXPERIMENT

In one experiment, described in Dr Kuhn’s current paper, a group of volunteers watched a video of a ‘misdirection’ trick while their eye movements were recorded with a tracking device. The magician lights a cigarette with a lighter then subtly drops both items into his lap while directing his audience’s attention to his empty right hand, making watchers believe the items have simply disappeared.

The scientists then asked the volunteers if they had detected how the trick was done. They found that the chance of volunteers seeing the items being dropped was not related to the direction in which their eyes were looking – suggesting that where they paid attention was the more important factor. These results offer a striking demonstration of how looking at an object does not necessarily mean we see it.

Dr Kuhn highlights that the observations made in this experiment are related to recent findings in vision science, which showed that only a small part of information that enters our eyes actually enters our conscious awareness.

Click here to view the video clips of some of the magic tricks performed.

~ Satish Chathanath
Call : 9884011654
Mail : csadhy@yahoo.co.in

Day One : Disengaged

Various global research states that nearly 70% of employees 'quit' even before they complete one year with the organisation. What would be the reasons?

I would point it at 'satisfaction'levels. The engagement levels are at the best when a new employee joins a company. Then why is that a consider share of employees become dis-engaged soon. Sadly, it starts right from day one.

It is up to the organisation to retain, energize and elevate the levels to a new high. But unfortunately, most often, companies don't realize it till they see absolute signs of disengagement. Many companies have a ‘routine’ pre-joining processes, followed by dull induction session where things are forc-fed to the new joiness and the interactivity takes a rear seat. Needless to say, creativity is the answer here. We need not have a standard induction guide book and have a ring master to mindlessly follow the processes as it is in the HR book.

But people who stay on for more than a year have a brighter chance of going with the company for a good length of time.

~ Satish Chathanath
Call : 9884011654
Mail : csadhy@yahoo.co.in

Stories Happen

Pizza Hut undergoes a grand brand transformation exercise. Even though they are tinkering with the outlet looks to top-up menu, my post will just restrict only to their new logo and brand positioning.

Pizza Hut's positioning has evolved from ‘Treat You Can’t Beat’ to ‘Good Times, Great Pizzas’, and now finally, ‘Stories Happen’.

It wants to become a fancy dine-in experience where people can spend a lot of time, as opposed to just a place where one comes and goes. Probably it is taking a leaf out of Barista's Brand Book.

Human interaction evolve when you provide the right environs, a relaxed ambience and loads of time on your hand. So this is a clear move away from the 'fast food' tag that is normally attached to Pizza Joints even thought that is not the case.

The new tag 'Stories Happen' syncs well with its earlier tag 'Good Times'. Between the two brand phases, the brand positioned on 'Great Pizzas' for a while and to my mind that was off the mark.

On the new logo : the mascot 'hat' is retained but tweaked a bit. A safe transformation!

~ Satish Chathanath
Call : 9884011654
Mail : csadhy@yahoo.co.in

Growth or ROIC or Both ?

Often SME companies are caught in the 'growth freeze' zone. For example, a 500 head count company will struggle to hit the next big target of 1000 people. They have to sustain as well grow as well create value for customers as well produce profits for the stakeholders. Big ask!! When you find time, read what Bin Jiang and Timothy Koller of Mckinsey got to say on growth pangs.


Here is the summary of the Mckinsey Article :

'Value-minded executives know that although growth is good, returns on invested capital (ROIC) can be an equally—or still more—important indicator of value creation.1 Yet even executives at the best companies often wrestle with strategic decisions in order to reach the right balance between growth and returns. We repeatedly come across executives whose companies earn high returns on capital but who are unwilling to let those returns decline to encourage faster growth. Conversely, we see executives at companies with low returns working to promote growth instead of improving their ROIC.'

~ Satish Chathanath
Call : 9884011654
Mail : csadhy@yahoo.co.in

Who's on the bus?

Top management guru and best-selling author Jim Collins quips : "If the bus is your company, and getting the right people is crucial to success — more important, even, than your strategy... and what do you do if you've got the wrong people on the bus? Or the right people doing the wrong things?"

I think that there are times when your most revered and most performing employee may have lost the golden touch or the zest. An aggressive Sales Eagle who wins account at will might become one average sales manager on promotion. A multi-faceted executive could get jaded if micromanaged to put all the eggs in one basket. And employees who thrive in a creative set-ups may choke when you tell them that rules and processes are sancrosant, which is the case in a big company.

How will you match great resources to right jobs?

Would these questions help in every performance appraisal ?? : What is the resource good at? What is the resource not good at? What does the resource love about his/her job? What does he/she hate about his/her job?

Now match your judgements with his or her observations on the same set of questions :What are you good at? What are you not good at? What do you love about your job? What do you really dislike about it?

~ Satish Chathanath
Call : 9884011654
Mail : csadhy@yahoo.co.in

Business minus YOU is delegation

Micromanagement is the enemy of Delegation. Your business or department or project should run without you. That is the power of delegation.

Brian Blomgren, owner of business coaching and training firm ActionCOACH rightly points out : "The first person to convince that you can have a business that works without you is yourself. If you do not have a vision of what that looks like, then how can you expect someone else to have that vision for you?"

Read Business Week's 'Smart Answers' Section :
"I have a small company and want it to grow, but have no experience trusting employees to take care of the details I now look after myself. How do I start delegating tasks once I start hiring a larger staff?" —K.G., Seattle

~ Satish Chathanath
Call : 9884011654
Mail : csadhy@yahoo.co.in