SEGMENT YOUR AREA OF OPERATION
VOLUME IV CHAPTER XVII
Some years back , Rick Nash was the Chairman of the Cambridge Consulting Group. was approached by a very successful dog food company that wanted help in identifying new growth opportunities. He found that dog food divided their market into small, medium & large dogs. But, Nash balanced it into one based on the owner’s relationship with dogs.
- The pampering parents (dogs are treated like their children)
- Performance fuelers (indulge the dogs in their healthy actions)
- Minimalists (use dogs as alarm bells)
He asked the company to erudite dog food according to those 3 segments. If you try to be all things be people, you get into tragedy for mediocrity.
You choose your segment, your niche area and work:
Gandhi Niketan, T. Kallupatti – Education revolving around work
Gandhi Ashram, Tiruchengode – Education linked to nature
Rishi valley, Madanapalle – Free thinking
Shreyas, Ahmedabad – Gifted children
Banyan, Chennai- Spastic children
Little flower, Chennai – Deaf and dumb children.
“Your success today depends on your ability to develop a hypothesis for future demand while it is still forming” says Nash. Focus your energy and effort and equipment to hidden a developing demand in new field of education.
Nash has an alternative definition of innovation
“Finding unsatisfied profitable demand and fulfilling it.”
This is what persons at Namakkal, Azamgark and Kota are doing. This is a push rather than a pull strategy. Think of demands first and organise your supply. Think and act- which type of school to start where and in what size.
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ONE WHO KNOWS (VOL 4 – CHAPTER XVII)
– Dimensions of the Life and Work of a Principal –
478) One who knows that excellence can be acquired only by relentless training, frank feed back and constant self- improvement.
479) One who knows that the roots of true achievement lie in the will to become the best that you can become.
480) One who knows that to become a change agent, he has to develop a new mindset characterised by self- confidence, openness, fairness, humility, global bench marking and meritocracy.
481) One who knows that what counts is not the number of years in your life but it is the life you put in your years.
482) One who knows to combine in himself
- The knowledge of Hinduism
- The tolerance of Sikhism
- The sacrifice embodied by Christianity
- The brotherhood of Islam
- The compassion of Buddism
483) One who knows that his value system is the protocol for behaviour that enhances the trust, confidence and commitment of the staff.
484) One who believes in the wisdom of Sir Josiah Stamp’s advice:-
“It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but, we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities Ones that are more important.”
485) One who knows that the more important we become, the more answerable we should become.
486) One who knows that a person who values privileges above principles will soon lose both.
487) One who knows that responsibility is the price of greatness.
488) One who conducts himself as a great citizen rather than just as a good person, so that he can serve as a good example for the next generation.
489) One who instills in his students that discipline is about complying with the agreed protocols, norms, desirable practices, regulations and the laws of the land designed to improve the performance of individuals and societies.
490) One who makes his pupils have discipline in time management, thought and action.
491) One who impresses on his students that history is a valuable rear window to look into past, learn and move confidently towards the future.
492) One who tells his office staff that they should be like an ATM which does not discriminate against a peon.
493) One who tells his students:-
“Let us build an India which receives respect, from every global forum, because, we will be high performers, we will be peace-loving, we will be gracious hosts, we will be fair, we will be pluralistic and respect every faith and we will be trustworthy.”
494) One who advises his staff that children are keen observers, they want their principal and teachers to be the epitome of all that is good, if they do not see them walk the talk they will lose faith, and so the staff should embrace good values and must seem unbiased.
495) One who knows that the first talk of a leader is to create a grand vision – a purpose which is noble, lofty and aspirational, a dream that excites and energies everybody.
496) One who as a leader creates trust by demonstrating his commitment to the values and vision by example.
497) One who knows that if he wants to walk the untrodden path, if he wants to dream big, if he wants to have conviction, if he wants to go against the conventional wisdom, if he wants to take unpopular decisions, if he wants to communicate to his staff that a plausible impossibility is better than a convincing plausibility, then he must have courage and say I am much more optimistic about my team today than yesterday.
498) One who creates a value champion every year from his staff.
499) One who enhances the self–esteem of his staff by making them participate in making decision that affect them.
500) One who knows that as long as he praises his staff in public for their performance, he can earn the right to criticize them in private.
501) One who constantly asks :-
a) Can we do things faster?
b) Can we bring better ideas?
c) Can we execute these ideas with a better level of excellence and quality?
502) One who knows the difference between mind ( source of thinking ) and mindset ( belief and dogmas) and does not allow the mindset to overpower the mind which only enables him to move forward.
503) One who knows that accountability requires a regime of impact measurement.
504) One who knows that each time he stands up to improve the lot of others, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.
505) One who knows to have succeeded if one life has breathed easier because of him.
506) One who knows that strategy is an important building block of success and is all about becoming unique in a market place.
507) One who knows that his people assets (staff) walkout every evening, mentally and physically tired and that it is his duty to make sure that these assets return next day well rested, energetic and enthusiastic.
508) One who believes and acts according to the dictum of Martin Luther King Jr:
“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moment of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”
509) One who knows that success depends on his ability to recognise, learn and assimilate changes quickly.
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EMINENT THINKERS (VOL 4 – CHAPTER XVII)
(Whose ideas have been adapted for Education Management)
381) Louis S. Amour
382) R. M. Nixon
383) Hoashang N. Aktar
384) Woody Allen
385) John S. Dicky
386) Samuel Butler
387) Henry Frederic Ahiel
388) William Hell M A
389) William Wordsworth
390) Joseph Addison
391) John Billings
392) Paul Boose
393) G.L. L Buffon
394) Edmund Burke
395) Dr. Leo Buscaglia
396) Andre Gide
397) Marcus Aurelius
398) Chief Joseph
399) Frank H. Crane
400) James E. Frust
401) Spencer Johnson
402) Claire Booth Luce
403) Dr. Thomas Fuller
404) David shepherd
405) Rukmani Chanla(Harper Collins)
406) Caroline Nonbury(Random House)
407) Gautam Westland
408) Drew Barry More (actor)
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REFERENCES (VOL 4 )
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The heart of man, which is now allowed to lie fallow, has to be ploughed by spiritual exercises like repetition of GOD’s name – Sri Sathya Sai Baba