B-Drive

Tech toolbox for the upwardly mobile, and an exit route map

6 Blogs about the business of running a business

http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/
http://www.economist.com/freeexchange/
http://www.freakonomics.com/blog/
http://equityprivate.typepad.com/ep/
http://www.tomglocer.com
http://www.management-issues.com/blog.asp

5 Hot gadgets for people in suits

Blackberry The near-ubiquitous Blackberry is a must-have for anyone who wears a suit to work. The only accessory you need is an extra pair of thumbs. One accessory ships free: What do you get when you eat a Blackberry? A bluetooth!

GPS device Essential for those who want to send out the message that they know where they’re going. There’s a strong chance that the universal gps voice will be Bob Dylan’s —another reason why you should have one.

ePaper, Kindle etc Electronic ink is indelibly here. Read, erase, and turn pages using ePaper and turn on devices such as Kindle that have wireless connectivity, generous battery life and near-paper reading quality. The question to ask is, do they also kill germs?

Netbook Lightweight portable devices, the right antidote to heavy wallets. Digitally
speaking, it’s the ubercool black suit.

iPhone The famous touchscreen is not going out of fashion. It may have thousands of unhappy users, but none of them say, the iPhone doesn’t look really cool.

3 Clinchers to wriggle out of tough situations

Whenever you’re not quite sure what’s going on…use “to be sure”, “we’ll see” and “next meeting” in the same sentence.
To reject funding for a proposal, make sure to call it “a black hole”.
If your first PowerPoint presentation is sloppy…you are “still learning the ropes”.

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A man went to his bank manager and asked: ‘I’d like to start a small business. How do I go about it?’

‘Simple,’ said the bank manager. ‘Buy a big one and wait.’

Survival skills for the corporate warrior, boss-management mantra

5 Cool twitters to follow

http://twitter.com/jack_Welch GE’s ex-CEO is an authority on management
http://twitter.com/OM Malik’s True Ventures funds early entrepreneurs
http://twitter.com/timoreilly The O’Reilly Media founder has 1,081,410 followers.
http://twitter.com/guykawasaki Change your world is the Alltop founder motto
http://twitter.com/eV Evan Williams is the ceo of the twitter revolution

8 Hot on-the-job tips for managers

Practise public speaking; this much-neglected skill is necessary in almost any profession—and it’s almost as important as the mba degree.
Master PowerPoint, Word, Spreadsheets, using slide presentations and all other Office tasks that are essential to any manager’s job.
Networking is crucial. Linkedin is useful, but be careful about what you say on Twitter and what you put up on, say, Facebook. Remember: somebody’s watching.
Always be on the lookout for new job opportunities—switching jobs is how most people make their money in the profession. Ensure that your professional profile shows up on a Google search of your name (and not pictures from the wild party last Saturday).
If you’re higher up on the food chain, put some thought into what you’ll say on your appraisal form—or what you’ll write about your juniors.
Buy an expensive gadget that connects to the internet. Tell friends it comes with the job. Then make your family miserable by waking up at 2 am every morning to shoot off e-mails to colleagues.
Avoid eye contact in public and look busy while you are driven through traffic jams, waiting at the airport lounge, or walking past colleagues’ workstations.
Prioritise after-work time: Play golf. Tennis, squash and fishing are also acceptable sport—collecting stamps isn’t.
Watch for business opportunities that could transform you into an entrepreneur—that’s what people get an MBA for in the first place.

3 Truisms that never go out of fashion

A clean tie attracts the soup of the day
A consultant is an ordinary person a long way from home
A good slogan can stop analysis for fifty years

Management gurus made easy, dress codes for the corner office...

3 Websites for MBA admissions anywhere

http://www.vibranture.com/ Write those killer essays
http://www.MBAFocus.com Recruiters that want MBAs
http://www.mbaclubindia.com/ Forum of MBA professionals

8 Business gurus who are easy to quote

Michael Porter The world’s most famous B-School professor invented the ‘five forces analysis’ that sets the tone on competitiveness, and therefore attractiveness of an industry.

Tom Peters predicted in the early ’80s that the microchip will “colonise all rote activities”, is a top management thinker and best-selling author. He also said that people would have to “scramble to reinvent” themselves once the microchip becomes ubiquitous.

Malcolm Gladwell A pop sociologist, who shot to fame with his book The Tipping Point in 2000 followed by Blink in ’05, and Outliers in ’07.

Ram Charan Reclusive coach to ceos has been famous and wealthy for decades; his
latest work on tackling the downturn has shot him to fame in the US as well as India.

Don Peppers became a well-known expert on customer relationship management in ’93 with a breakthrough book he co-authored that said customers need to be managed, not products.

Daniel Goleman The inventor of emotional intelligence could not have guessed in his dreams that his theory would rise to a powerful status in boardrooms.

Bill Gates founder of Microsoft, the biggest software company.

Scott Adams creator of the comic strip Dilbert. He also created the most inspirational Indian cartoon character, Asok, who graduated from iit. He sleeps only on national holidays. His job gets outsourced—to India. Now, that should ring a bell.

5 Wardrobe rules

MBA bankers pinstripe shirts, black suits, don’t allow any hint of colour
MBA consultants thick black tie, cuff links
MBA engineers white shirts, brown suits and black shoes
MBA doctors many blue shirts and as many brown pants
Dotcommers khakhi pants and collared T-shirt, seamless suits

Reading list for gravy train riders, back-up plan for the also-rans

10 pieces of old Jargon now in plainspeak...

Management speak—Plain English

Out of the box—Quick and interesting

Value-add—Inexpensive but profitable

Proposition—Offer

Push the envelope—Do it fast

Deliverables—Task, or just ‘job’

Bull—Bear

Actionables—To-do list

Adhocism—Chaotic, Unplanned

ASAP—Not too fast, check with accounts first

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10 Books for MBA students & grads

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki, Sharon L. Lechter
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
How to Read a Balance Sheet: An ILO Programmed Book by International Labour Office
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
Winning by Jack Welsh
McDonald’s: Behind The Arches by John F. Love
The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors & Closing Deals Online by David Teten & Scott Allen
Trends by Tom Peter and Martha Barletta
How to Become CEO by Jeffrey Fox
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

5 things to do if you don’t make it to B-school

Start your own business anyway—show your friends that entrepreneurs are also born. You can hire them when they graduate.
Try again later, preferably when you’re slightly older. Executive mbas are quite the rage.
Try becoming a ski or para-gliding instructor. Short-circuit your way into the adventure mbas are promised, but never get around to.
Enrol for a Masters or PhD. There’s a lifetime of opportunity in academics and beyond.
Get a real job. You’ll be lucky to get your hands dirty rather than sitting around theorising in classrooms. Don’t forget that recommendation when you apply for B-school next year!

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All I ask for is the chance to prove that money cannot make me happy.