A good leadership practice!

Gudi Padva, or the arrival of the new year, was celebrated throughout Maharashtra on the 30th March.
On this day, in each home, the traditional gudi is put up -- a long bamboo stick, to which is attached a new silk cloth, a garland and a dangling neem twig. A silver or a metal pot is inverted onto this arrangement.
The gudi symbolises victory. It also indicates a wish for an individual to prosper materially and spiritually.
Some of the special sweets served on Gudi Padva are Puran Poli and Shrikhand.
and Aambe Dal and Sunth Paak. But the interesting thing is that before you start gorging yourself on the sweets, you are supposed to have a small portion of Neem leaves mixed with sugar and lightly roasted with ghee. The confection has a bitter sweet taste - much like life, which is a mix of bitter and sweet experiences! That also is the idea behind the ritual.

I think business leaders should take a portion of the neem confection everyday - just to remind themselves that their job entails taking pleasant, as well as unpleasant decisions. Something many leaders seem loath to do.

Sleep over this!

Researchers these days, seem bent on overturning our fondly held beliefs and practices! If you ever spent many hours agonising over the pros and cons of an important decision, you are now told to sleep over it or better still try getting yourself distracted! However for simple choices, such as between different towels, conscious thought will produce better results!

These are the findings of Professor Ap Dijksterhuis of the University of Amsterdam. Suggesting an explaination for the behaviour, the good professor says that out subconscious mind can deal with more facts and figures than our conscious mind. With easier choices, our brain has less information to process, and can make better decisions after giving a few minutes of thought.