How To Turn Executives Into Wizards

“Krishna? A surprise visit on a Sunday morning? What’s brought you away from your weekend priority of introducing novel stuff in your beautiful garden?”   “Guru, I sense a crisis in my career and need your help.”   “Leave aside the formalities. As friends, we face all difficulties together. Tell me, what’s bothering you?”   “We had our first meeting of the ‘USA Study Group’ last evening. Each one had to suggest projects in 3D manufacturing for discussions during the training sessions in the U.S. The first task is to submit a write-up on the key factors in the business environment that will influence the success of the suggested project.”   “That’s normal practice. You must have done it in your engineering college.”   “Nothing is normal except the heading. The change is rapid and mindboggling. All the talk was Greek and Latin to me. Some of the factors mentioned by others were  Gig Economy, Social Media Nihilism, Geopolitics, Political Chauvinism, Semantics,...

Ram was on his way to a mall one evening when he decided to drop in on his close friend Krishna. He wanted to check how Krishna’s preparations for the planned management course in the USA were progressing. Ram was aghast to see Krishna with dishevelled hair, crumpled clothes, and worry written large on his face. “Hi, my friend. How are plans progressing for your USA sojourn?” “Oh, Ram, I’m so glad to see you. You have come by at the right moment when I need your advice, like a prescient angel.”   “Tell me what problems have you created? Sorry, that have arisen?” “Not one problem, I am facing many. There are fires burning on both the home and office fronts. I am at a loss to decide how to balance work and life.” “Where did you pick up that most impractical idea of balancing work and life? Let me first uproot that from your mind in order to avoid the turmoil you are in now and will get into in the future too if this archaic idea of ‘balancing work and life is not eliminated from your...