flip video

flip video, originally uploaded by Danny Nicholson.

quite interesting

What it looks like when we turn the lights on

What it looks like when we turn the lights on, originally uploaded by The Bottomless Paddling Pool.

Check it out

With Age comes wisdom

 

This guy is 72 years old and loves to fish.

 

He was sitting in his boat the other day 
When he heard a voice say, "Pick me up."

 

He looked around and couldn't see any one.

 

He thought he was dreaming when he heard the voice say a gain, "Pick me up."

 

He looked in the water and there, floating on the top, was a frog.

 

The man said, "Are you talking to me?"

 

The frog said, "Yes, I'm talking to you. Pick me up then, kiss me and I'll turn into the most beauti ful woman you have ever seen . I'll make sure that all your friends are envious and jealous because I will be your bride!"

 

The man looked at the frog for a short time, reached over, picked it up carefully, and placed it in his front breast pocket.

 

Then the frog said, "What, are you nuts? Didn't you hear what I said? I said kiss me and I will be your beautiful bride."

 

He opened his pocket, looked at the frog and said,  "Nah, at my age I'd rather have a talking frog."

With age comes wisdom.

 

4_Idiots_funny_video

4_Idiots_funny_video
Originally uploaded by lasi8_08

check it out. u had the indian version of 3 idiots ...

How to develop a habit

Use notes, lists, and friends to remind you to consciously repeat a behavior or action. Use "triggers" too. Those are things that remind you. If you do a quick meditation each time you get in your car, the car becomes your trigger. The morning alarm, seeing the sun, a place - anything can be a trigger.
Basically, you need to use anything you can to remember to do the things you want to become habit. Some psychologists say it takes about three weeks to form a habit, which seems about right, but we're all different. Consciously repeat an action or behavior until it becomes automatic - and that's how long it takes for you.

My Deaf Wife!! (Thought for the day)

A man feared his wife wasn’t hearing as well as she used to and he thought she might need a hearing aid. Not quite sure how to approach her, he called the family Doctor to discuss the problem. 


The Doctor told him there is a simple informal test the husband could perform to give the Doctor a better idea about her hearing loss. 


Here’s what you do, said the Doctor, “Stand about 40 feet away from her, and in a normal conversational speaking tone see if she hears you. If not, go to 30 feet, then 20 feet, and so on until you get a response.” 


That evening, the wife is in the kitchen cooking dinner, and he was in the den. He says to himself, “I’m about 40 feet away, let’s see what happens.” 


Then in a normal tone he asks, ‘Honey, what’s for dinner?” 


No response! 


So the husband moves closer to the kitchen, about 30 feet from his wife and repeats, “Honey, what’s for dinner?” 


Still no response… 


Next he moves into the dining room where he is about 20 feet from his wife and asks, Honey, what’s for dinner?” 


Again he gets no response… 


So he walks up to the kitchen door, about 10 feet away. “Honey, what’s for dinner?”


Again there is no response… 


So he walks right up behind her. “Honey, what’s for dinner?” 


“John, for the FIFTH time I’ve said, CHICKEN!!!” 




MORAL OF THE STORY: The problem may not be with the other person as we always think, could be very much within us!

This is weird, but interesting!

If you can read this, you have a strange mind too.


I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in what oerdr the ltteres in a word are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is that the frsit and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it whotuit a pboerlm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the word as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! If you can raed this forwrad it

Can you raed this? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.

Attitude Matters!! (Thought for the day)

Father: "I want you to marry a girl of my choice" 

Son: "I will choose my own bride!" 

Father: "But the girl is Bill Gate's daughter." 

Son: "Well, in that case...OK" 

Next - Father approaches Bill Gates. 

Father: "I have a husband for your daughter." 

Bill Gates: "But my daughter is too young to marry!" 

Father: "But this young man is a vice-president of the World Bank." 

Bill Gates: "Ah, in that case...OK" 

Finally Father goes to see the president of the World Bank. 

Father: "I have a young man to be recommended as a vice-president." 

President: "But I already have more vice- presidents than I need!" 

Father: "But this young man is Bill Gate's son-in-law." 

President: "Ah, in that case OK" 

This is how business is done!! 

MORAL: “Even If you have nothing, you can get anything. But your attitude should be positive”. 

So, THINK +++++++VE..................

WHY EMPLOYEES LEAVE ORGANIZATIONS ?

Every company faces the problem of people leaving the company for better pay or profile. 

Early this year, Mark, a senior software designer, got an offer from a prestigious international firm to work in its India operations developing specialized software. He was thrilled by the offer. 

He had heard a lot about the CEO. The salary was great. The company had all the right systems in place employee-friendly human resources (HR) policies, a spanking new office,and the very best technology, even a canteen that served superb food. 

Twice Mark was sent abroad for training. "My learning curve is the sharpest it's ever been," he said soon after he joined. 

Last week, less than eight months after he joined, Mark walked out of the job. 

Why did this talented employee leave ? 

Arun quit for the same reason that drives many good people away. 

The answer lies in one of the largest studies undertaken by the Gallup Organization. The study surveyed over a million employees and 80,000 managers and was published in a book called "First Break All The Rules". It came up with this surprising finding: 

If you're losing good people, look to their manager .... manager is the reason people stay and thrive in an organization. And he 's the reason why people leave. When people leave they take knowledge, experience and contacts with them, straight to the competition. 

"People leave managers not companies," write authors Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman. 

Mostly manager drives people away? 

HR experts say that of all the abuses, employees find humiliation the most intolerable. The first time, an employee may not leave, but a thought has been planted. The second time, that thought gets strengthened. The third time, he looks for another job. 

When people cannot retort openly in anger, they do so by passive aggression. By digging their heels in and slowing down. By doing only what they are told to do and no more. By omitting to give the boss crucial information. Dev says: "If you work for a jerk, you basically want to get him into trouble. You don 't have your heart and soul in the job." 

Different managers can stress out employees in different ways - by being too controlling, too suspicious, too pushy, too critical, but they forget that workers are not fixed assets, they are free agents. When this goes on too long, an employee will quit - often over a trivial issue. 

Talented men leave. Dead wood doesn't.

What is Your Charisma Quotient? How to bring out the charisma in you

Many people think that Charisma is inborn, an innate quality that you naturally possess or you don’t. If you don’t, you lack a competitive edge to influence others as compared to those who do.

Have you ever walk into a business establishment where the host, salesperson or customer service provider makes you feel so special that you love going back, even though you could have gotten a better deal elsewhere? The difference is more than the product, services, quality, price, terms, availability or delivery dates. It is the charisma, personality, manner, charm & presentation of these people.

The chemistry & actions of people can either repel or attract you to do business with them. All of us have to do some form of selling in every area of our life, whether we are aware of it or not. The principle of charisma, charm & a positive personality is contagious, & it attracts people to you like a magnet at work & at home.

Self- confidence
When you feel self-confident, you naturally carry with you a level of charisma & charm to the forefront. To get self-confidence going for you every morning, start with dressing for the part you want. If you are leaving for work, dressing up professionally not only makes you look good & feel great, you are more apt to conduct & present yourself in a professional manner. Chances are when you feel good about yourself; you will do your best & hence be more confident.

Focus
Maintain your focus & refuse to allow yourself to be distracted by issues other than the task at hand. This is crucial especially when you want to actively listen to your partner, your prospects’ challenges, needs & objectives. For instance, when speaking to your clients over the telephone, do not read your emails at the same time. Active listening requires your full & uninterrupted attention. Remember you are not in a meeting to give a sales pitch, but to help your customers solve their problems or achieve their objective, & you cannot do so until you know what it is. So give them your undivided attention.

Interest & Attitude
So what makes people attracted to you? Psychologists have researched & explore many factors for years, including physical qualities, cooperativeness, intelligence & many others. One strong finding is that people are attracted to you when you share the same attitude about life, such as parenting, work ethics, values & philosophy, relationships, welfare, legislation, even movies, smoking & drinking. It affirms a person’s ability to be sensible, to interpret the world correctly, and to make good predictions about the future. Another reason is people naturally assume that those who share similar interest and attitude will like them, which in turn make them like you. So if you want to be favorably received, see if you can look deeper & find where you agree rather than disagree. Everyone prefers to hear that ‘you are right’ rather than ‘you are wrong’.

Sex appeal
Another interesting fundamental is sex appeal which adds flair to your personality. Even if you are a warm, interesting & approachable person, your interactions with others can be flat if you don’t show at least a little sex appeal. Sex appeal goes beyond sexuality. It’s different from the sheer physical attributes of showing skin or flaunting your body. It is a sign of openness to engage others by becoming interested in what they do & how they think & feel. It is a healthy & natural part of yourself that you display, in all settings; whether it’s business, social or romantic. The process is the way you show your appeal, through your appreciation & attraction to others with your sense of physical confidence.
Even supermodels can lack appeal if they lack interest in others & are unresponsive.

Responding to others
“People do not want to be sold a product or service. They want to deal with people who they think have their interest or who care about them.
- J. Oliver Crom, CEO, Dale Carnegie

Showing people, however subtly that you find them unique & interesting makes them feel good about themselves, and thus they feel good about you. Giving them your full attention is a good way of building rapport & creating a momentary exclusive world of ‘you & me’. Some easy ways to show attraction is through eye contact, a warm handshake and displaying special interest & appreciation in others.

Reaching out
Another way of showing attraction or interest is with touch. Subtle touches are good if you are careful & sensitive about the norms as to what is appropriate and comfortable to most people. People generally like to be touched likely even in nonromantic settings. A gentle, light & sincere touch somewhere between the shoulder and hand such as the elbow area can have a powerful positive impact on your feeling about that person even when he or she is a stranger. When meeting someone the first time, you can touch others casually as a gesture to get their attention, or to direct their attention somewhere else. The message usually is: I like you & I am a warm person. However, we need to exercise caution that going overboard may make others feel uncomfortable resulting in an adverse effect.

Be comfortable in your own skin
Your self-image & how you feel about yourself shows in how you carry yourself, your posture and your gait. The way you exhibit your body emotion is contagious much like a smile or a yawn. You can hear your own voice but you can’t see your own mannerisms and body the way others can. Hence you need to be conscious of your physical presence and the way you hold yourself. Even though you may not have control over your physical attributes, your physical presentation, your body movement & body language are noticed by other people which you may not be aware. Avoid displaced energy such as fidgeting and nervous movements. Being comfortable with who you are with confidence is how you want to be perceived. When you embrace your body & dress appropriately for the occasion, you will feel attractive and tend to present yourself positively. In turn others will feel good in your presence & thus find you more attractive.

20 Ways to Impress the Boss

Be a Better Employee

• Whether you're vying for a promotion or just want to make a good impression, here are 20 ways to show you're dream team material:

• Know the mission. Align yourself with your boss' and company's goals and values. Make your boss' priorities your priorities.

• Understand how you'll be evaluated. Know precisely which skills, behaviors and accomplishments you will be judged on and rewarded. Focus on them like a laser.

Be dependable. Do what you say you're going to do. Better yet, under-promise and over-deliver.

• Project positive energy. Don't be the one to whine or criticize the boss or company direction. Be a motivator: the person everyone wants to be around.

• Make your boss look good. Finish your work on time and with a high level of professionalism. Bring your boss ideas that will help him and the department and offer to take charge and implement them.

• Own up. Take responsibility for your mistakes by focusing on what you've learned rather than what you've done wrong. For example, "I think this project could have been better if we'd gotten the group's buy-in early on," or "Next time I would talk more with the end-users up-front..."

• Be organized. Plan your next day before you leave work. Rank your tasks by urgency and importance and make a point of doing at least the top two items on your list.

Be punctual. Arriving for work or meetings on time (even early) shows you're enthusiastic, dependable and able to manage your life effectively.

• Be resourceful. Don't run to the boss with every question you have or setback you encounter. Think things through first. If you must report a problem to the boss, develop possible solutions to present.

• Broaden your horizons. Take advantage of company-sponsored training courses and volunteer for projects in areas outside your everyday expertise.

• Stay informed. Keep abreast of industry and company trends by reading trade journals and attending professional association events.

• Be trendy. Stay current with technological, legal and knowledge advances in your area. Upgrade your skills and learn new ones.

Be courteous. Show respect and loyalty to your boss and speak well of her to others. (At the very least don't bad mouth her to anyone.)

• Be flexible. Change is inevitable. Companies need people who can adapt and go with the flow.

Take care of your health. When you're run-down, productivity and ambition suffer -- as does your image.

• Leave your personal life at the door. Using your co-workers as therapists not only hurts productivity; it damages your credibility and can contaminate your work relationships (even if people seem sympathetic) .

• Go beyond the call of duty. Take on added challenges, put in extra hours, and never use the phrase, "That's not in my job description. "

• Be a team player. Show your boss and co-workers you have their best interests at heart by being empathetic and offering to help out when they need it.

Take a break now and then. A clear head and balanced life can give you energy and perspective.

• Look and act promotable. Don't let anyone think you work because you have to.

Here are 10 simple and great ways to begin your day in a nice way..

1. Begin the day with some great music you love; let it be of any genre. just that it has to pep you up, and fill your mind. And wear a smile on hearing that. Most morning mood issues are just because we are blank in the mind, and the void attracts negativity. And by doing things listed here, we are just attempting to get positive energy flow into us.
2. Ensure in the first few minutes after you wake up and get done with your usual morning chores, you get going with some brisk activity… can be a jog, some cycling, laughing with your wife and children, reading little of  a good book.. Anything that does not keep you idle… Morning idleness is the biggest sinner.. Be extremely active…
3. When you get up from the bed, get up and move around with deliberate gratitude. Count your steps as you do your morning chores, and for each step, say thanks to anyone/everyone you chose – can be your spouse, some friend you touched you, your loving kids… could be just anyone whom you can express gratitude. And there are so many of them, who we come across by the hour, everyday. Just that in our purposeless activities, we fail to see them.
4. Visualize a great day in your mind…. with all details, color and candor of what your perfect day should look like.. that sale close, that great meeting, your best pitch, shopping with your spouse etc.. In most times, what is visualized becomes real later in the day.
5. Start the day with a to-do list creation as the 1^st task… Let it contain not only professional tasks, but even personal and social task.. Including something mundane and as light as watering the tree, or cleaning up the desk… and off-course having fun with your family and friends. End of day, tick off what you have done… it gives you a feeling of achievement, and when you make this list, you will do most of what is important.
6. Take a piece of paper, and quickly jot down 5 things you did right the previous day, and also 5 things that you messed.. include all trivia, like not smiling at the receptionist of your workplace, abusing someone in the traffic snarl… This is one of the best ways to introspect.. and get to being a better person.
7. Make one or two small resolutions for the day… not necessarily big and life changing, but simple ones that will make you a better person than the previous day… like ‘I will smile at every human encounter’ or ‘I will say thanks to all during the day’…..
8. Help in the household chores… Pick up some simple household chore and help your spouse quicken the morning chores.. again anything simple would do.. Most of all, it keeps you active, and also saves time in the family for more things to be done.
9. Close the doors and sing a song, dance a few steps, laugh at yourself looking at the mirror, admire you from head to toe, look at how confident and nice you are as a person…
10. As your kid wakes up, lie down next to him or her, and just catch up with what they think… could be about their friends, school, a fight in yesterday’s gully cricket, some conflict in them… Just start of and run a conversation for just 5 minutes… You will see a different world, and get a perspective of what things are…

By no means are these are not the only ways you can start of… There could be many and you can design a positive start to the day, with any of these as cues….

Have this as a daily mantra… the first hour after you wake up is the golden hour, that sets the ball rolling rest of the day… By making this active  and positive, your day can be worth its weight in gold… in joy, happiness, and fulfil ment.

( and you can also do all these at anytime during the day to make a great life!!)

A True and Touching story.Must read....

to those who r married, about to be married and........................  MARRIAGE When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I've got something to tell you.. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes. Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce.. I raised the topic calmly. She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why? I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Dew. I didn't love her anymore. I just pitied her! With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company.. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Dew so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now. The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Dew. When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.. In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn't want anything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month's time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our broken marriage. This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day. She requested that everyday for the month's duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy.. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request. I told Dew about my wife's divorce conditions.. . She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully.. My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mummy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don't tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office. On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefully for a long time.. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her. On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me. On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn't tell Dew about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger. She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, "all my dresses have grown bigger.. "I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily. Suddenly it hit me... she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head. Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mum out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day. But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn't noticed that our life lacked intimacy. I drove to office.... jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind... I walked upstairs. Dew opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Dew, I do not want the divorce anymore. She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Dew, I said, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn't love each other any more. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart. Dew seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away. At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart. That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I ran up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed - dead.......I cried and cried uncontrollably and carried her for the last time from the room to the hall with tears streaming down my face and gazing at my only son, his tears rolling from his eyes, they made me cry even more. I had lost my love, my wife and a loving and caring mother  and nothing I could do  now to  put the clock backward. I had all the time now to look at her motionless body in detail but I knew it was going to be only for a short while until she made her last journey to the Lord.....I held my son and wept again and again thinking of all the things I did not do for her when she was still alive....... ..and placed gently the flowers in her hands with my tears trickling on them.......she was gone forever, all my tears would not bring her back . The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the bank, blah..blah.. blah. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your spouse'sfriend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage! If you don't share this, nothing will happen to you. If you do, you  might just save a marriage.  To those who are married, .. Not married .. and soon to be married. Have a Wonderful Day! THE TIME IS ALWAYS RIGHT TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT Moral of the story is to value all the things we possess, once they are gone we have nothing but regrets!

The Four Steps You Must Take to Create the Future

When asked about his ability to predict the future so accurately, something he had said couldn’t be done by anyone, Drucker answered that he simply “looked out the window” and reported what he saw. Of course, he was fond of answering questions somewhat tongue in cheek. Not that his answers weren’t truthful or that he was constantly making jokes. But it was easy to see why he was known as “that happy-go-lucky Austrian” by his mother-in-law, as described in his wife Doris’ book, Invent Radium or I’ll Pull Your Hair (The University of Chicago Press, 2004).

Once in class when asked a similar question regarding his reputation for being able to forecast the future accurately, he had answered, “I listen.” After a dramatic pause of a couple seconds he added, “to myself.” Pressed on these issues, Drucker answered that one had to go one step further and ask what he had seen or heard would mean for the future. Stated in another way, leaders need to observe what is going on, and then take the additional step of analyzing this information and deciding what will happen as a result of these events that had already taken place.

On reflection, Drucker’s metaphor of looking out the window was not flippant. He recognized that analyzing only internal information: cash-flow, liquidity, productivity, competency, resource allocation information and so on was useful only for short term tactics. Drucker knew that strategy of any sort had to be based on information about “markets, customers and noncustomers; about technology in one’s own industry and others; about worldwide finance; and about the changing world economy.” In doesn’t matter whether the future you want to create is internal or external to the company. You begin by focusing your attention on what’s going on in your area of interest. There are an infinite number of items that will interest you and they are constantly changing. Even trends are important, but sometimes changes can occur very rapidly. The ubiquitous slide rule carried by every practicing engineer in the world for mathematical calculations began to vanish within a year of the introduction of the handheld electronic calculator. That fact should have caused leaders in many types of organizations to think through what this meant for future operations: engineers who would be able to make calculations more quickly  and accurately, companies producing slide rules, planners who could anticipate jobs getting done with less errors, reworks, costs, and many others. HR people could also plan for a reduced need for engineers and others working with slide rules in the same manner as computers and answering machines resulted in a lowered demand for secretaries.

Looking through the window frequently requires research. This research may be primary or secondary. Primary research entails interviews, business surveys, and a personal search for the answers. In secondary research you consult other sources including the library, Internet and studies previous published by the company, the industry, or government. Secondary research is generally done first  because it is already available. It should be examined before you spend the time and money to do primary research.

As Drucker noted, just getting this information is only part of the issue. In fact, he said that if you do research and stop, you are heading for trouble. He used the example of the fax machine. The fax machine was American invented, but manufactured and marketed to great success by the Japanese because market research convinced the American company that there was no market for this product.  Of course IBM did the same thing with the personal computer. IBM’s market research told them that yearly the market for  personal computers was limited to about 1,000. This kind of thing is almost inevitable when a product doesn’t yet exist. It is difficult for consumers or businesses to feel comfortable for paying out hundreds of dollars for a product that doesn’t yet exist. So Drucker suggested that leaders must look at the market—through the window, when the product, service or idea doesn’t even exist.

What is going to happen in the future as a result of what has already happened in the past is the other important part of the analysis. Joe Cossman, the man who sold more than a million “ant farms” for children and other unusual products said that when you had a strong interest in a particular subject you needn’t worry. Cossman was always looking for new products which he could promote. He looked through the window and found that his strong interest in finding new products made his observations self focusing no matter which “window” he looked through. Once he bought 40,000 pieces of junk jewelry on a short chain for less than a penny each. They sat in his storeroom for some months. Then a hypnotist claimed he had caused a subject to regress into a past life while entranced. “Bridey Murphy” became an international sensation and suddenly there was a lot of interest in hypnotism. In order to understand what it was all about Joe enrolled in a course. The instructor told him that in order to induce a trance; he needed a point of fixation. “I’ve got 40,000 points of fixation,” he told his instructor. He hired his instructor and they designed a short course and made a recording on how to induce a hypnotic trance using one of his jewelry pieces on a chain, now described as a trance inducer. The whole package, including one piece of jewelry as a “point of fixation” sold for about $5, which meant a pretty hefty markup. Cossman had looked through the window and saw that the tremendous interest in Bridey Murphy and hypnotism would lead to an increased demand for learning how to practice this phenomenon.

We know that change is evitable. But change is caused by events that have already occurred. Drucker suggested that all we needed to do is to look at events that have already occurred and decide what will happen as a result.

When foreign automobiles first invaded the American market, it was Volkswagen about whom American car companies were concerned, not the Japanese. In response, Ford introduced the Falcon; Plymouth, the Valiant; and Chevrolet, the Chevette. However, Americans wanted more on their vehicles than what the bare bones Volkswagen provided in those days, and the three American cars grew in size over a few short years until they were basically scaled down versions of the full-sized American cars. Sales slowly eroded for all three models, and so all three were withdrawn from the market. All three cars offered essentially the same options, so all three automobile manufacturers looked out the window and saw the same thing. However, one manufacturer looked at what had happened and noted that demand for certain options was increasing even as sales for their vehicle declined. These were bucket seats, “four-in-the-floor” gearshifts, and padded dash. Only Ford asked themselves what this meant and realized that there was an increasing demand for a sports touring type vehicle. The Mustang was kept under strict security until released. When it was it resulted in tremendous sales to fulfill the demand, easily predicted by “looking out the window” and analyzing events that had already taken place and what they meant for the future.

Cossman’s hypnotism package and the Ford Mustang are both marketing examples. But the same principle applies to everything. Something significant happens. What is likely to occur as a result? What does it mean in your work? How can you use this to create a desired future?

In summary, here are Drucker’s thoughts about the information the leader needs to create the future and what to do with it:

• Look out the window and take a good at your environment
• Look both at the general and at specific questions relating to your organization
• Decide what is likely to happen as a results of significant events which have already occurred
• Take action to create the future you want