2008 June » Wide Aware

Disturbing trends in outbound training

Experiential Education, HR 7 Responses »

Jun 262008

There seems to be an impression floating around in companies that serious training happens indoors, and outbounds are for having fun.

While ther is nothing wrong with having fun in the outdoors, I find it disturbing to see such programmes called training programmes.

Somewhere, I find that this reinforces an unconscious desire in participants to resist change and is harmful for the overall learning environment of the organization. Most of the outbound training enquiries I get focus on the “activities”. The more exciting, the better, the more exotic, the more adventurous, the more…. something-or-the-other. Pursuit of adventure is fabulous. I make money from it. But why wrap it up as a self-development programme or management training?

From a very simple angle, you get to save money from the trainer’s fees as well as training session time to invest fully into the desired adventure experience. From a deeper angle, there is no pretense – there is a certain honesty to going after what is really desired.

I suspect some of this is about “We have a training budget….” as an HR professional had candidly explained to me. Stated almost directly in that conversation was the objective that they wish to utilize the training budget so that it doesn’t get cut down, but they really don’t have any training in mind at the moment.

What I find telling in this is the inability to see beyond fixed concepts. This is a rigidity in perspective that is only manifesting itself with me in this way in the first fifteen minutes of conversation. What is this rigidity doing everyday, to the person, to the people who are influenced by their choices and to the organization?

How do I see this rigidity? I see it when an entire document about training is read and the important issues for discussion are about travel, accommodation, activities and food. I see it when outbound training becomes a way of organizing an outing under training budgets. I see it when there isn’t the least curiosity about if an outbound training programme is a new service called thus to provide that utility of training budget, or if it really has any value to deliver.

Of course, not all companies are like that. I have conducted programmes where participants on the outbound actually needed to be told to lighten up and go with the flow, because they were so focussed on learning, that they were almost unable to “be”.

And I have found the perfect participants as well – people who had arrived with full knowledge that they were out on training, and knew that they would be spending time in the outdoors and were fine with seeing what happened with the flow.

Why do I call these the perfect participants? Because they are utilizing their value for money, because they are investing their time actively and because it brings me a glow of pride in being able to work with them, to see their transformations and celebrate being a part of it. It brings me a high to see the changes being wrought still alive in participants when I meet them on some future programme….

It brings me the joy of having companions along on a journey of discovery, and I find few things that are headier than that.

Kalindikhal Trek Permissions

Himalayan Tours No Responses »

Jun 262008

I have heard news that treks to the Kalindikhal now have new permission rules. This is unverified information from Ramesh Rawat, who handles our treks in the region, but the scene seems to be:

All trekking groups must carry a satellite phone with them.
Participants must go through a fitness test
Porterage rates have been hiked
Horses aren’t going on the route

This makes life difficult, as we have a group heading there in July, and these new developments haven’t been budgeted for. While I was not able to find any announcements on the net, the news seems pretty certain, as the one source we have has been reiable.

The horses bit probably comes from the waist deep snow at the pass, and might change when the pass opens completely for the summer. At the moment, our guide’s assessment is that it would be okay for us to go, but not clients. Unfortunately, its the clients with the plans.

We do know that one group has returned from the route successfully, but with an extremely difficult experience.

So here I am wondering if my group will go to Kalindikhal, or Damdhar kandi, or somewhere else completely. Time is running short, and there are decisions to make.

If, by any chance, you have been to Kalindikhal recently, or know of the exact new permissions in place, do drop me a line in the comments. Any information you could provide would be helpful.

If you have arrived here looking for information, stay tuned. I am in the process of communicating with authorities, and will be posting updates as I find them here.

Adventure Tourism in India? What’s that?

Adventure Sports, Outdoor professionals No Responses »

Jun 222008

The Tourism ministry insists that they want to promote adventure tourism in India. Like cultural tourism, etc. Basically what they want is more tourists.

There are fancy initiatives and Incredible India and what-nots. Yet, how much attention is paid to actually facilitating tourism? How much attention is paid to ensure that the tourists come? Sure, tourists come. India has been a hotspot for travellers for thousands of years. But, if we want more, what do we do to ensure that the people who we invite are able to come and have a good experience?

What we have in the name of tourism is fancy packages. Sure. That is one element of tourism. Yet, somewhere down the line, we forget that we are actually inviting people to experience the country. We have invited them. They are our guests.

Seth Godin shared an experience in a visa office and talks about several, really easy to manage things that could make the experience more inviting. Not just inviting, it could translate into better revenue from more tourists, convenient airline bookings, welcoming interaction…. I can empathise with this post so much. How many of us really enjoy conversing with a person behind thick glass, waiting in a place with inadequate seating that is in disrepair……. would we want to do business with such people? Perhaps…. if we needed the product. But tourism is not a need. It is a dream we are selling. Could selling dreams become more interesting in a condusive environment that says we are interested in you?

When I set up Wide Aware, I had a talk with my CA, who needed to know the nature of business for figuring out tax and things. It was a rude awakening to know that the Tourism Ministry’s invite for people to provide adventure services hasn’t made it to the Tax Office. There IS no category for adventure services. It was a pain figuring out “what we were”. We are not travel agents, we do training, but we are not consultants – we do outbound training and fun programmes as well, We do outdoor education, but we are not an educational institution…….. If the memo had made the journey to the Tax office, it would be a simple matter of “adventure services”. So, we want to promote adventure tourism, but of course, there is no adventure service provider in India. Really! Please bring your own rafting guide with you. We have the rivers. And yeah, travel agents conduct wildlife tours.

Rafting reminds me…. the river rafting that we do uses water from the dam at Bhire for the rapids. There have been numerous attempts over the years to try and bring some kind of predictability to it, so that the adventure tourism that the tourism ministry wants can happen. Nah! The dam officials don’t work in the tourism ministry, therefore it is not their problem. Thus, there is no way of knowing if water will be available, or you refund your bookings until the rafting run starts. Granted, the water is released almost everyday, but try explaining to a tourist waiting with gear ready that “oops! You get a refund – remember the cancellation clause that refers to events beyond our control?”

Last year, Amita wrote about a similar problem she had with Brightlands resort in Matheran. The hotel had overbooked, and she didn’t get the room she had booked. She took a refund, and when she called up the hotel owner, he told her that refunds were against their policy!!! There needs to be some kind of a regulation for this. I am not speaking of consumer courts, but enough issues in consumer courts reflecting in your licence.

There are tourists, there are locations, there are providers. What needs to be done is making that confluence easy and enjoyable.

Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?

Experiential Education, Mountain Learning 4 Responses »

Jun 212008

I don’t know if this can really be called road rage, but something happened today, that got me concerned about how we act….

I was travelling to Powai from Borivli in rickshaw for a session by Sankar on learning styles (that’s another post). I enjoy interacting with different people, and I was chatting happily with the rickshaw driver, when a motorcycle zipped past and overtook us from the wrong side. As the car in front of us slowed (for reasons unknown), the driver braked in panic, and this poor motorcycle guy was hit by our rickshaw.

I am not aware of the exact sequence of happenings, but it was abundantly clear that the guy lying flat on the road was suffering the consequences of his own “reckless driving”. The rickshaw driver and I got out of the rick as the guy struggled to disentangle himself from the bike. Thanks to the crawling pace of Mumbai’s traffic and the additional braking spree that happened just before he was hit, he was relatively unhurt except for a very bad scrape that was bellding quite heavily on his left forearm and the matching side of his trousers damaged beyond repair. I’d call it getting off scot free compared with what could have happened.

Seeing the guy bleeding, I stepped forward to see if I could help, but my driver reached him first, and it was then I realized that the two of us had come out for different reasons. The driver collared this biker and hauled him to his feet and was just about to beat him up, when I interrupted him.

“Boss roko!!! Ise maar kyun rahe ho?” I asked – Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?

“Madam, aapne dekha nahi, kaisi gaadi chala raha tha? Accident kota to?” he replied - madam, didn’t you see how he was driving? What if there had been an accident?

“Accident to hua. Galati uski thi, par bhugat bhi wohi raha hai. AAP use kyon maar rahe ho? Use pehlehi chot lagi hai.” I said – The accident did happen. It was his fault, and he is suffering the consequences. You or your vehicle or passenger suffered no damage. Why are you hitting him? He is already injured.”

The driver stared at me in amazement. It was clear from his expression that he honestly had no clue why he was hitting the guy beyond that that “it was what was supposed to happen” – in Mumbai, mobs sometimes bash up the offender when reckless driving endangers lives. Worse, my tone with him was also not that of anger… which was the standard tone of the innocent party after an accident…. I was sounding merely curious. He had no clue how to proceed in such a situation.

The cowering biker who was mumbling “sorry…. sorry” looked at me in equal amazement. It didn’t really fit his framework of “public behaviour” to be shown concern when he had caused an accident. His entire body language spoke of the acceptance that he was going to be beaten up.

I stood there, wondering what was wrong with this world, if people don’t even need to have a reason to hit a person who is already injured. I could see how shaken the poor chap was, and didn’t see the point moving his attention from the magnitude of his consequences toward being defensive in some conflict. Plus, how would hitting him add any value to what was happening? He had experienced the consequences of rash driving first hand, and I doubt if he needed anything explained at that point. What he did need was first-aid.

Such incidents happen in our lives daily. Be it aggressive people in buses, or riots after taking offense. I really see no meaning to this behaviour, except a declaration of a total lack of caring for the people around us.

Once, I got into a train to get off at Borivli. It was a Virar train. For those unfamiliar with Mumbai, Virar is further than Borivli, has fewer trains which are invariably crowded, and their passengers tend to be hostile to passengers who could use more frequent trains using these unnecessarily. It being a holiday and all, I thought it wouldn’t matter, and the train seemed to have space. This is the ladies compartment.

As I neared the door when Borivli came closer, one of the women grabbed my arm and pulled me back roughly. I asked her to let go, and she returned abuse. Her point was that I need to be punished for using that train. Standard punishment is that the person is not allowed to get off the train until Borivli is crossed, which gives the offender an experience of the inconvenience of the train frequency and a fear/understanding of the situation for further reference.

I do respect and fully appreciate the difficulties these people go through, but I didn’t see how this mattered in a train with plenty of space on it (by Mumbai standards). When this woman tried to manhandle me, I broke out of her hold, and simply pushed her away from me. I look deceptively tiny, and this woman was a heavy weight, but I have a whole load of pushing experience from 7 years of grooming and working with horses. She was lighter than a horse, she moved very easily, which put her off getting physical with me, and she satisfied her “outrage” by screaming abuse at me for the next 5 minutes till I got off.

Other women around rolled their eyes and made faces – all regulars on the same train. This woman stood there sweating and looking so unreasonably angry that she looked insane. She refused to respond to anything I or the other women said and just spewed hatred. That’s how I remember her as the train pulled out of the station…… sweating, red in the face, screaming abuse, and dressed like a middle class conservative woman…. I just wondered how frustrating her life must be, if she needed strangers to vent on…. travelling for about 3-4 hours everyday just to reach work and back…… I couldn’t find anger in me for her…. I was concerned.

Where does this anger come from? Why do we care so little about the people in out world?

5 Monsoon Picnic Spots near Mumbai

Adventure Getaway, Adventure Sports, Monsoons 3 Responses »

Jun 202008

Note: We are currently offering one day waterfall rappeling trips to Kondana Caves and Mahuli fort every Sunday from the 27th of June to the 15th of August. This is a rare opportunity to experience a sport that takes a lot of setup and is thus difficult for individuals to experience unless they can get a group.

This is the monsoon – the best time of the year to head into the outdoors near Mumbai! Before you lose that temptation striking your mind, let me give you ideas to put into action. Here are some of the best one day picnic spots near Mumbai!

Kanheri Caves

(a couple of hours): No, I don’t mean to visit the ancient Buddhist Caves, though that can be a side interest. What you are to do is really look at the road as you drive through the National Park, keep an eye out for the numerous streams on the way and find a fun spot for a picnic. Get into the stream, splash all you like, and then go on to Kanheri Caves. Post links to your pics in the comments for all to see. Or try any of the many picnic spots near Mumbai, like Manori beach, Aarey Milk colony, Elephanta Caves… the rain is not enough to stop boats yet. THIS is the time!

Kondana Caves

(full day): Drive to Kondivde village in Karjat, do the short hike to the caves, and have a bath in the curtain of a waterfall across the mouth of the Cave. Hike back and tell us about it.

White Water Rafting

(one day, or overnight): While you can do this round the year, the water levels in the monsoon make the rapids on the Kundalika a specially thrilling experience.

Matheran

(weekend): The monsoon being the off-season, you are never going to find Matheran like this, misty, cool, dreamy and utterly charming. Travel around on horses, stay in a fancy resort an dget drunk….. do all the whimsical things your sanity doesn’t allow in the city and in dry weather.

Stay on a historical fort in some caves

(overnight or more): Try Lohagad, Rajmachi, Naneghat……. Pack clothes and food in plastic bags, and just go ahead!

At least go out, splash in some puddles, drink hot tea on a roadside stall and have steaming pakodas with it!

If you liked this post, you will enjoy reading about the top 10 adventure destinations near Mumbai.

Update: We now have a waterfall rappelling trip to Kondana Caves on the 26th of July 2009 that you can join.

Update2: Two day low budget monsoon hike to Rajmachi fort on the 15th and 16th of August 2009.

Canyoning (waterfall rappelling) at Kondana Caves

Mountain Learning, Outdoor professionals No Responses »

Jun 162008

Ram and Kishore, who work with the authorized dealer for Petzel in India had invited me to join them for this programme on the 14th July. I was working officially with them for the first time, and hence excited. The plan was for canyoning, which is basically “waterfall rappelling” when done at Kondana.

I’d been doing corporate training programs for a long time by now, and I was extremely energized by this opportunity – change in work being rest and all. Really, it doesn’t take much to be tempted to the outdoors in this weather. The beginning of the monsoon, and being paid to get wet and do what I enjoy. What more did I want? Work is a fun way of life in any case.

Plan was to leave Mumbai late in the evening and stay near the location, but traffic, rain and other events conspired to delay us till we reached the location at 2:30am. Setting up the activity

7 instructors and a driver, a trunk full of equipment was the staff load. We were expecting about 80 participants. We slept immediately, and woke up almost immediately (it seemed) at 7am.

A quick breakfast later, we had distributed the equipment load for the hour long haul to the top of the Caves. We were expecting the group to reach at the rappelling location by 10am, so we had taken along some biscuits to keep us going through the day (it was going to be long) till a late lunch.

Our plan was to rappel from the top of the Kondana Caves, and we were standing facing the valley.

Seen the rain many times, got wet many times, but this time, we stood at the edge of the valley and could see the rain in the valley, while we stood clear. And then, the wind shifted, and the sheet of rain raced to us, and we raced for cover. Half the day was spent in fun like that, as you can’t see from the photos. I had to put the camera in – there was no way to protect it. Pit. The pics would have been fantastic.

Sam (another instructor – not a typo for Ram) and I were working together after 4-5 years, so it was a superb time for us. Talking, flashbacks, catching up with what was current in each other’s lives… and he was leaving to the US in a few weeks.

It had been raining in torrents since noon. The drizzle had been there all day, but really, after noon, it poured with a vengeance right until evening.

Of course, the group came late. By then we were wishing that we’d had lunch and come….. The group reached the rappelling location by 2:30pm, we began the activity late, and we ended the day late. The activity itself was much enjoyed, though we instructors were literally running against time to get the group completed. For the participants, the view of the valley spread at their feet, the dramatic weather, and the experience of rappelling right through the water was incredible. “Absolutely a once-in-a-lifetime experience” as a participant put it.

60 participants of the 80 had done rappelling. Whoever wanted to do the rappel, got their moment of glory. In spite of starting late, we had somehow managed to work hard and fast enough to not refuse anyone out of a lack of time. And thus, this rappelling session was finally concluded and we hurried the group back to the road head as fast as we could.

In my experience, the group comes for adventure, but they take the whole experience lightly, and have no concern for the reality of the situation. In their excitement, they had no concern for the delay and danger in the dark. The stream was swollen from the days rain, and the group was unused to the terrain. This was when they realized that it was no longer the trickle they had jumped across on their way in the afternoon and finally realized why we had been asking them to hurry.

Our human caravan slipped and stumbled through the thigh deep water and shivered across to the other side. The road from here on is muddy, but pretty straightforward.

In the beginning, I had been considered the villain when I tried to rush them along, and this is the point where they realized that I had been talking out of concern for them, and not myself, and I found myself happy to suddenly be the much appreciated hero.

On the way down, one of the newer instructors said, “Sir, I’ve got a dilemma”. I asked him what he meant. “Do we go down and have lunch or dinner?” he asked with a laugh.

I pondered for a bit and shared what I was certain of, “No matter what we call it, I’m going to eat like a starving elephant.”

What should have been done in daylight by 4pm ended at 8pm as the group stumbled and groped their way back in the dark.

On reaching down, we decided to pack up the equipment and wind up the logistics of the programme before freshening up and eating, knowing that it would be twice as hard once the adrenaline levels went down and our bodies figured out that we were tired. Finally…… we sat down to eat misal paav. It was a long time before anyone wondered if the traditional snack was lunch or dinner.

Power of Positive Thought

Experiential Education 2 Responses »

Jun 162008

APJ Kalam never fails to amaze me with the depth of his understanding, insights, and the caring that comes through so clearly in his words. This article from him is something I truly respect and hold close to my heart, rather than in high esteem. Esteem is cerebral, this truly touches me, and inspires me to see things in a more meaningful way.

HR Professionals and their masses

HR No Responses »

Jun 152008

I came across a discussion on how to “deal with” a woman who wears revealing clothes in an office with no stated dress code.

The discussion runs into some 24 pages with not a single HR professional seeing the woman as anything less than a problem to be dealt with and lengthy ways of dealing with it ranging from firing her to emailing a dress code to all staff, etc.

What I see happening, is that the entire community needs to immediately get this woman into the “acceptable” (for them) one way or the other. Few people bothered to ask if this woman is indeed productive, collaborative and otherwise functional.

Not a single person expressed acceptance for this girl.

If this is the state of HR, how to we expect employees to respect women beyond their looks?

I see an unconscious process in this community, which I suspect is also happening in our society. People just can’t get over their own jealousies or lust when faced with an attractive person to see the person as a whole. Somehow, they need to drag that person to an “ordinary” level. What that person feels doesn’t matter, because they are not even looking at her feelings here.

Whatever happened to HR being available for all employees and not just the ones they choose to support? If the position is to be used as ammunition to defend what we like and attack what we don’t, it is no surprise that one of the members stated “But some time HR have to be rude , thats a reason why 75 % employee are
not happy with their HR [ Because we force them to behave in a
particular way ].”

Like I posted there, no one HAS TO be rude. Rudeness happens on its own, when we stop caring about and respecting the person we are speaking with.

People are not idiots. They can sense when a person doesn’t care about them, but still disapproves of them and has rules they should obey. Really, do you like people who don’t care about you, but know what is right for you?

The sad part of this is that it seems to be an accepted part of being HR. How can an HR department be functional, if the H of it doesn’t like them? Yet, advice seems to be that to not worry about being rude and “just deal with the woman”.

I’d like to share my posts there over here:

Hi,

Even though your organization has no stated norms about clothes, from
your post, there seems to be an unsaid norm about the same, or you (and
others) wouldn’t be bothered by what she wears.

No one in the office (including that girl) is fool enough to believe
that an email sent to all on this subject really applies to all, if
that new girl is such a sensation, and it would only serve as a public
reprimand that came out of the blue, and thus humiliating for her.
Plus, if you mean it for her, why pretend its for all?

If I were in your place, I would go about things like thus.

First, I would meet with the girl privately. I would explain the dilemma I was caught in. On one hand, I respect her individuality and choice to wear whatever she thinks she should. On the other hand, as a person in HR, facilitating an atmosphere that’s conducive to harmony is my responsibility.

I would explain how I see the impact of her attire (without allocating ANY blame ANYWHERE):

Women
staff show discomfort in her presence – this could and probably IS
leading to her being looked upon with envy or disapproval, and will
impact her working relationships in the office and impact productivity
negatively.

Men seem to be attracted. This could have an
impact in terms of being seen as too inviting by the opposite gender
and thus not taken seriously, which would again impact performance when
it came to the value of her contributions – would men be considering
her capability (would they even notice it amid the decoration)?

This
would lead to working interactions based on a stereotype of her that
has nothing to do with how she actually works. That troubles me, both
for her, as well as the well being of us as a group. On a
personal level, I have little experience, and thus comfort with such
clothes, and I find it a little awkward (feel shy) and can’t get over
them to see her, as a whole person, which I would like to.

I would ask her for help on this matter, as I would prefer it for
myself, for her and the group if personal clothing wouldn’t be a matter
for an official rule to be laid down.

Then, if she agrees to help, I would simply trust her, and see what
happens for the next week or so. If she doesn’t agree, OR if she
doesn’t present herself suitably, I would call a staff meeting and
share that I had observed that there was an unsaid norm about clothes,
though there was none officially, and would explain how I see the
situation currently.

I would explain my bottom line that we keep the norm, or it goes, I
couldn’t care less, but we make it clear what happens to it. So either
we throw away the norm, in which case I expect the members of the staff
to quit flaunting either their disapproval, or their drooling, or we could state it clearly and define what constituted appropriate clothing which everyone would be expected to follow.

They KEY DIFFICULTY in this issue is not dealing with the girl, but
keeping our own value judgments away from our facilitation of the
situation. As an authority role, we are expected to be available to all, not just the ones on whose “side” we are. I say this specifically, because I sensed you being on the “side” of the women.

The clothes are the woman’s responsibility, but the responses and reactions belong to all and not just her.

I am very concerned at the state of HR in
our community, where judgments are passed so easily, and there is no
sensitivity for the girl.

I believe that as HR, we are available to all people and not just the ones we choose to support and attack the ones we don’t.

With recommendations of:

“Shock
treatment” – are we not laying a role model for women to be looked as
objects in a derogatory manner? And why shouldn’t the girl sue you for
those comments – just because you’re in the mood to play Freud?

By
laying down rules for the entire staff, are we not imposing our sense
of “right and wrong” on them? What makes us so certain that everyone
indeed has an issue with what we see an issue with?

How many
people here have exhibited understanding and enabling support for the
girl? Is she not a member of the staff that you provide an HR function
to?

Sensitivity and caring seems to be a value long lost
among members in their superiority and judgments on who is right and
wrong and power plays on how they should be “dealt with”

Some pages back Shaival hit the nail on the head, without really understanding what she said “But
some time HR have to be rude , thats a reason why 75 % employee are not
happy with their HR [ Because we force them to behave in a particular
way ].”

No one has to be rude. We become rude when we stop caring about the
person we are speaking with. Even if employees can’t state it as
clearly as this, they can sense it, and really, who likes someone who
doesn’t respect them? Do you? Do you like someone who doesn’t really
care about you, but claims to know what is best for you and then goes
ahead and imposes it on you? If 75% employees are not happy with their
HR, isn’t it high time HR used this feedback to re-create themselves to
be more functional?

I’m sorry to say that I am utterly disgusted.

10 important changes to transform your life

Development Methods, Experiential Education No Responses »

Jun 142008

This post could be considered the ultimate guide to professional excellence, or any relationship for that matter. Why do I call professional excellence a relationship? Because it is. What you do, is important, but it is how people see it that matters – that’s how it is about relationship.

Get over your obsession with presenting perfection already. For one, it is too open to interpretation, and thus too vague in terms of what needs to be done. Instead, get obsessed with initiative. Attempts to be perfect block most of our initiative and leave us anxious. Learn to accept that you are doing what you think is best, and if it doesn’t turn out to be so, you then know that for sure, rather than imagining consequences and fearing them. <— this is not as easy as it sounds.
Embrace the goals you have committed to. This means, don’t take the lazy man’s way just because what seems best looks tough. Doesn’t matter if it is finding the strength to run an extra mile for your weight loss goal, or doing extra research to bring in thought provoking perspectives for that corporate presentation. It is about adopting the goal in your heart, and making the effort to stand by it through tough terrain.
Don’t panic. It is those who try who fail, or succeed. Know that you have tried, and respect yourself for it, even if things fail, because failures when accepted and learned from bring great strength and sure knowledge of what to avoid.
Acknowledge the people you are with. This doesn’t mean mindless agreement. It is simply acknowledging that they see things in a certain way, or feel strongly about certain things, regardless of whether you agree or don’t. Accept that they have their own stands which are as valid for them, as they are for you.
Throw those approvals and disapprovals out. They do more harm than good, because you end up constantly judging people rather than understanding them.
Standing up in the face of all for what you believe in takes courage, but is counter-productive, if it means that you end up deciding for everyone (or attempting to). It helps to present your stand on it, and your feelings about it. “Let us throw away the current policy on tea breaks – people are getting lazy” may not be as effective as “I see the tea breaks disrupting our schedule, and few of us seem to want tea at that time. Can we re-look at them and see if we can come up with something that suits us better? I suggest….”
Contribute, don’t dictate.
Don’t just agree, act. Agreement is passivity. Action is what causes positive change.
Try and be sensitive to the state of being of the person you are with. A colleague who looks harassed has a concern you could perhaps help him with, rather than as him to review your latest invention.
Blame alienates and frustrates – even blaming yourself. Learn to see the person as a whole that is much more than a specific action.

Not as simple as it looks.

Wide Aware is growing

Mountain Learning No Responses »

Jun 142008

I see interest in our activities from all kinds of people – corporates, schools and other educational institutions, adult organizations and clubs, individual people in search of adventure, people who wish for counseling for their children/families…..

Its just me, and a whole new array of directions for growth, for making a meaningful difference in people’s lives. Its a heady feeling. It also scares me on some level, as I don’t really know if I can do all this justice. If I can live up to the belief that people have invested in me.

Thank you everyone for your continuing support and being there with your suggestions as well as walking with me as we venture together into exciting new terrain. This spirit of adventure in you, in me, is what makes this whole thing worthwhile.

Wide Aware

Disturbing trends in outbound training

Kalindikhal Trek Permissions

Adventure Tourism in India? What’s that?

Boss, wait!!! Why are you hitting him?

5 Monsoon Picnic Spots near Mumbai

Kanheri Caves

Kondana Caves

White Water Rafting

Matheran

Stay on a historical fort in some caves

Canyoning (waterfall rappelling) at Kondana Caves

Power of Positive Thought

HR Professionals and their masses

10 important changes to transform your life

Wide Aware is growing

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