Redbus

Truly impressive story. As Mahesh Murthy puts it "no iit/iim whiz kids", just a bunch of people willing to work hard and create "Value" (such an over-used word, especially by us MBA's).

Why am I happy about the story

1) Demonstrates to all aspiring entrepreneurs that it is all about identifying a problem and solving it with passion. Yes, you need investment to support your livelihood when the company is not generating revenues, but the focus is not just on multiples. I dont think the founder team ever aimed only for a sell-out/listing. Dont drink the start-up koolaid; just identify a problem and focus on solving it.

2) Success stories are good for the ecosystem. Bangalore has always been panned for being just a back office for IT Services and not being the right comparison to silicon valley. Stories like redbus (and of course inmobi/flipkart etc) help create more positive energy in the city

3) And of course the financial returns; the ESOPs im sure have been effective and the team members can pride themselves in getting what they deserved for taking a risk and believing in making an impact on people's lives.

We are more alike than we are different

I will not take credit for the statement, but when a senior colleague said this, it struck me as a powerful statement.

It's true isn't it.  Given all the cultural, regional , racial differences that we may have in the global workplace today, we are still more alike than we are different.

Some examples

*Management - Promoter-run companies show the same pattern of management - be it australia, india, china or the states. Obviously there will be differences in culture, but the management behaviour tends to be very similar and most promoter-ceo's tend to show the same behavior. One would think that an American company vs an Asian company run by promoters would show different levels of professionalism? Probably not.

*Employee behavior - Our motivations are very similar; we are all driven by similar aspirations and are emotionally affected in a similar way.

*Relationships - Family relationships take precedence(or not) in a very similar fashion for people from most cultures

There are many more, but the bottom-line is very simple - if we are all so similar, why do we have issues at all. It boils down to empathy and communication. The lack of it leads to prejudices and create a chain effect on the drift in relationships and mutual understanding at the workplace.

Very simple, see the other person as you and just make sure your words mean the same as they mean to the other person. Coz in the great words of Amitabh Bachchan - "English is a phunny language. Bharoin becomes baron and baron becomes bhairon because their minds are very narrow"

Why Miami will win the title again

The Playoffs have sure lived up to expectations. Lets take a closer look at the match ups :

Semi Final Lineup

Bulls vs Heat - While the Bulls have managed to get under the skin of James & company, with the injury problems plaguing them, they just dont have the firepower. Only a matter of game 5 for Miami to close the round and move on. Would it have made a difference if Derrick Rose had played? - Well, i definitely think so. Rose could have provided some offensive support and at least made sure that the hard earned playoff semi final berth is not being squandered.

Pacers vs Knicks - The Knicks are an offense powerhouse and not that great on defense. In fact very similar to OKC.  They have always rallied on the shooting of Carmelo and it is only natural that he will have a few bad nights. Given the intensity of the playoffs, that will cost them this round. The Pacers are gritty (like Memphis) and take the game to the paint, converting high percentage shots. Of course, Paul George is high on confidence and even if he misses, he knows he has the big guys to support him. For NYK, Chandler will not be enough to counter that.

OKC vs Memphis - This series has been very entertaining, especially given two different styles of basketball at play. OKC with finesse and shooting capabilities of Durant against the defensive big guy line up of Memphis. Gasol and Randolph are just too much to handle for the Thunder team and Ibaka will not be able to contain both. Like i mentioned above, this series is very similar to the Knicks and Pacers match up. Memphis have been very impressive, converting high percentage shots and most importantly playing defense that is hard to break. Memphis will take this series by Game 6.  Is the Westbrook injury costing Thunder a lot - probably yes, but I would have still given the edge to Memphis going to game 7.

GSW vs Spurs - GSW has surprised all of us with their aggression and the hunger to play in the big league. Curry and Thompson have been just unbelievable  managing to rattle the veteran Spurs who know how to win the ring. While the series is leveled right now, I give the edge to Spurs to win the series, simply because they know how to win the playoffs. The experience of this team, backed by the best coach in the league, the Spurs will hold an edge. They need to find an answer to Curry's insane run of 3-pointers that they just cant seem to contain. This series should end by game 6, but hats off to GSW for displaying the level of basketball of the highest standard. The future for GSW, they need defense in the front court - a center/power forward who will take care of business in the paint defensively. Bogut does have the potential to do that.

Where does that leave us with the next round :

Heat vs Pacers - This will be a closely fought series. The Pacers know how to beat the Heat. The deciding factor, will be Chris Bosh. He hasn't been playing very well so far in the series. It is simple, if Bosh comes to the party, then Heat will take the series. In either case, I think it will go down to game 7 and Heat will win.

Memphis vs Spurs - This is a match up I would love to watch. The series will go down to the game 7 again, and the deciding factor will be Tim Duncan. He is old and not at his quickest best. Having said that, he has won championships and is mentally a strong candidate. Popovich will sure have his strategy mapped out. Each shot will be contested heavily and we will see a lot of perimeter shooting from Parker and Ginobili. I think the Spurs will take the series.


NBA Finals :

Spurs vs Heat - Oh what a match up. Two teams who are mentally strong and have been there before. At this point, I think the trio of James-Wade-Bosh will trump the Duncan-Parker-Ginobili lineup. It will be a hard fought series, but I expect it to close by game 6 with the Heat winning the championship.


Standard Disclaimers apply - Injuries can make a lot of difference to the predictions as they evidently have throughout this season.

Personally, I am not a fan of Miami Heat. I would like to see the Spurs win the title for Greg Popovich and the team that he has built.

Down under

Over the last year, work has been taking me to Sydney quite often and it continues to be a unique experience working with the Aussies.

As a travel enthusiast, I attempt to stay the weekends and travel around a bit. Sharing some bits that have caught my interest.

History and demographics -

It's well known that the Aussie outback acted as a prison to accommodate the rising number of UK prisoners . It has indeed come far from the convict-land identity and evolved to be a beautiful efficient country. Some interesting facts to note :

• 80% of the island is uninhabitable; the population of the country is 22 million(huh!) and 20% of the nation lives in and around Sydney. The nation is RICH in resources. 

• Interestingly, Terra Australis was not first discovered by the British. The Dutch had made their way to the west coast in early 1700's but found the land uninhabitable and left. Little did they know, had they dug deeper, they would have found a wealth of gold reserves on the western region. History may have taken a different turn. 
• The aboriginals like most pagans have very similar elements of nature worship. Can also find the "swastika" amongst the various symbols that are part of the culture. The population has far diminished now and I believe that the northern territories have a more concentrated habitation. Of course, they are they invented the boomerang! Interestingly, the boomerang is always thrown in the direction of the sun during a hunt, as a decoy to slow down the game, and not as a weapon directly. 
• The other iconic cultural item - "didgerdidoo" was actually named by the Brits simply based on the sound that the instrument made. The instrument is a creation of  nature. Termites eat into branches making them hollow, and the aboriginals tap branches on a tree to find such stretches and then chop them off. Of course they are cleaned, painted and used as a musical instrument.
• The national symbol has the kangaroo and the emu - not only because they are native to the country, but also because neither animal can move backward. An indication of a nation that will only surge ahead.
• Flora & Fauna - The forests of Australia have some fauna from the jurassic age dating back millions of years. Some of it continues to be protected to avoid exploitation.
• Tasmanian Devil - Of the unique animals found in the region, the Tasmanian devil is also known to suffer with a type of facial cancer leading to dwindling numbers. Scientists havent figured out a cure yet and continue to research.

Nicknames 

The Harbour bridge is also called "Coat Hanger" - simply because when it was built during the Great Depession era, it was meant to drive some positive economic activity but in reality the depression continued.

The Anzac bridge across the Darling Harbour is called "Madonna's Bra" (http://www.sydneyrocks.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/anzac_bridge_5.jpg)

Finally , the party culture - the Aussies love their watering holes and there are some really nice bars around the George Street area. But nothing beats the view at the Opera House bar. One just cant get enough of the place.

To close this piece, I must comment on the local way of greeting - "How ya going" !

I really dont know how this term came to be used. Maybe it was a combination of "How are you " and "Where are you  going" or "How are you goin wherever you're goin" - I dont know. Of course I'm kidding. I sure have heard Russel Peters pick on this.

Cheers!