TECH SPECIAL...................... Sugar from tears and blinks from brain waves

Sugar from tears and blinks from brain waves

You thought a contact lens is only for helping you see well. Now it has been put to more uses, thanks to Drs. Brian Otis and Babk Parviz. He has put in two rings on a contact lens, containing chemical sensors which measure the level of sugar in your tears, using a spectral readout. This is the new Google Contact Lens. Move over to India. The other day, Mr Sanjay Gadadhalay, a design engineer demonstrated to us a 2" x 4" device that tapes on to the backside of a smartphone. You grasp the device at its two ends and 30 seconds later it displays your electrocardiogram. This ECG graph can be downloaded, stored, printed out and emailed for a cardiologist to examine.

Fabricated by Indian innovators, and brought out by Khosla Enterprise, this hand-held phone/ECG is bound to outpace and replace the elaborate process currently used in hospitals. Or the cute, yet educative and playful puzzle for blind children, called “Fittle”, devised by Tania Jain from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, which helps blind children learn both the Braille script and the shape of objects. One example is the shape of a fish that the child has to fit in as a jigsaw puzzle. Once the pieces are fitted right, the child gets an idea of the shape of a fish, and when she runs over the surface, she can read out the Braille alphabets for the word fish. The child learns both shapes and the letters in Braille, using a toy. (Access Fittle and enjoy it at www.indiegogo.com/fittle).

Kiran Trivedi, who teaches engineering at Bhavnagar, has come out with a headband you can strap on your temples, which detects and records the brain signals (EEGs), which are captured using a B3 band sensor blue-toothed to an Android phone. This is used to count the number and strengths of blinks your eye does every minute through these signals. This device, which he calls BlinkDroid, allows him to detect abnormal eye conditions such as blepharospasm or fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Amera Ali, Aparna Hariharan, Ayushman Talwar, Laksh Kumar, Rahul Avaghan, Shakti Priyan, Syed Junaid Ahmed, Sai Revanth — all students from local engineering colleges at Hyderabad — have devised a Braille Translator and Printer.

It reads a text in English, translates and prints it out in Braille. For the last a few years, another youngster, Sumit Dagar, has been trying to make a Braille cellphone and a ‘pad.’ Imagine combining these two innovations — what a boon for the blind!

These are but four of over 30 such innovations that came out of two fortnight-long workshops that the innovation centre called Srujana at the L V Prasad Eye Institute, Hyderabad has conducted, along with BITS Pilani- Hyderabad (last year) and the IT company CYIENT (formerly called InfoTech, this year), and the Media Labs of MIT, Cambridge, MA, U.S.

Each time about 100 students in the 3rd or 4th year of their professional courses from across the country are selected to come and spend their first week at the eye hospital, think of any device they think would be of use or improvement, and work on the idea during the next week. They form about 15-20 groups, given the facilities and are mentored by the LVP-MIT team. The whole atmosphere is informal, highly interactive, yet very hardworking (often 24/7, to meet the time deadline), and mutually enhancing both for the student innovators and their mentors.

Noteworthy points

Several things are noteworthy about such workshops. (1) The students are predominantly from local areas, and not always from top ranking institutions. (2) They are immersed in a real-life situation for a week in the hospital; this not only gave them a reality check but also prodded them to think about the less advantaged and what can be done about the objects used to treat these subjects. (3) Each student goes out with self-confidence, an ability to express his/her thoughts cogently and logically, and to promise to spend time to better the device in the coming months. (4) There are just as many girls as boys in the workshop. (5) Almost all of them use the smartphone as the medium, realising its potential as a microcomputer which can be used way beyond oral communication, and devise ‘Apps.’

Herein is an example of what Marshal McLuhan said in a different context: “medium is the message.” And it brought forth a sense of scholarship, achievement and entrepreneurship in them. (6) Above all, it shows once again that innovation is not incremental but expansive and even disruptive; that it has the power to extend the boundaries of existing methods and materials. It is an act of creation, all it needs is a thinking mind, and it can be done by anybody.

D. BALASUBRAMANIAN TH140724

GADGET GIZMO SPECIAL ................... Review: LG G3

GADGET GIZMO SPECIAL  Review: LG G3

The new LG G3 is a great evolution to an already excellent product (G2). As the new flagship, LG has pulled out all the stops to make sure that this one remains the Android king for a while.

To describe it in one sentence, it's bigger, brighter, sharper and instantly impressive! Looking at the phone, you can see how thin the bezels are: LG has managed to squeeze in a huge 5.5-inch display into a phone that's not much larger than most of the 5-inch phones.

As usual, all the buttons are on the back which makes for a very clean look. Button placement does take some time to get used to though. The anti-smudge brushed metal finish is actually polycarbonate and a step below the all-metal finish of something like the HTC One (M8). The screen is a thing of beauty.

It may not have the dazzling colour gamut or rich contrast as the super amoled display in Samsung's Galaxy S5, but it has four times the number of pixels which gives it the highest pixel density of any global smart phone (pixel density of 534ppi, tied with Oppo's Find 7).
The laser-assisted autofocus is one of the highlights of the phone. An invisible laser pulse is used to accurately calculate distance to the subject which in turn focuses the camera — within a fraction of a second. The system is ultra-fast and you don't need to worry about focus at all — tap the shutter button and you know it'll be done! Photographs are definitely amongst the best we've seen from smartphones, with the optical image stabilisation stepping in to take care of shaky hands.

The only odd part is that you can't switch the OIS off, so recording from a moving vehicle gives you weird wobbly video as the OIS struggles to keep up with movement.

The battery should easily keep you company for the entire day with a bit left to spare. Overall, the G3 is a fantastic buy if you have the money to spare. The Sony XperiaZ2 is also very capable (with an excellent camera and IP58 certification too) and if you want a flagship for less money, you could always consider the Galaxy S5 (currently about Rs37k). 

Specifications 
5.5-inch (2560 x 1440) IPS LCD, 2.5Ghz Snapdragon 801 quad core, 16GB/2GB RAM or 32GB/3GB RAM, micro SD (up to 128GB), 13MP rear with OIS + 2.1MP front cam, FM, USB host, 3,000mAh, 149 grams

Positives 

Great QHD display, ultra-slim bezels, fantastic performance & interface, excellent photos

Negatives 

Over-zealous optical image stabilisation can't be switched off (wobbly videos from a moving vehicle), faux metal finish 

By Hitesh Raj Bhagat, ET140728

MONSOON / HEALTH SPECIAL...................... Get a clean bill to health

Get a clean bill to health

Hygiene means good practices of personal cleanliness such as bathing, brushing one’s teeth, and washing one’s hands after using the toilet and before meals.

Good personal hygiene can prevent health problems like skin infections, body odour, head lice, scalp infections, dental decay and bad breath.

It has taken us a long time to understand the necessity of good hygiene. In the olden days, poor hygiene led to plagues and disease epidemics. Since few doctors disinfected their instruments and surroundings while working, deaths due to infection during surgery were very high as well.

These days, even as the West has understood the importance of good hygiene, we still largely haven’t. Urban India is waking up to it, but the situation in rural India is still very bad. Many of the diseases that affect rural India can be attributed directly to poor hygiene. For instance, drinking water tends to be unclean, which leads to illnesses. Childbirth is still a messy affair. Garbage disposal practices are abominable all over the country.

Personal health and hygiene in the monsoon
The rainy season is when you are most likely to fall ill, thanks to sewage on the roads. Besides that, the environmental conditions favour the growth of bacteria, viruses and fungus in the atmosphere and on the surfaces of many objects. You must be vigilant about your personal hygiene.
 *  Bathe and shampoo regularly.
*  Wash your hands with soap.
*  Wash your feet when you come indoors.
*  Wear fresh clothes every day.
*  Brush your teeth and floss them regularly.
*  Women, make sure you’re clean during your menstrual cycle.

Herbs for good hygiene
*  Turmeric is an excellent antiseptic.
*  Add boiled neem leaves to bathing water to prevent skin infections.
*  Clove oil is good for oral hygiene.
*  Burn camphor in a clay diya to disinfect the atmosphere.

Shikha Sharma,HTBR 14072

PERSONAL SPECIAL ..................................The Biggest Thing Standing Between You and Success

The Biggest Thing Standing Between You and Success

It's not money or time--even though you could probably use more of both.

Henry Ford got it absolutely right when he said, "Whether you believe you can, or you believe you can't, you're right."

There are countless things required to start a successful company: discovering the market need; coming up with a product or service that fills that need; communicating successfully that you have the solution that people have been searching for. You could go on for quite a long time describing what you must do to create a lasting enterprise.

And I would not spend a single minute debating with you that some things on whatever list you come up with are not important.

They all probably are.

But the biggest reason people fail is that they never try.

As basketball and hockey players have said forever: You miss 100 percent of the shots that you never take.

People can be extremely risk averse and the idea of a venture not working out can scare them to the point where they never get underway. They keep thinking about the idea or maybe doing more and more research, and so they never pull the trigger.

Or they don't start because their advisers (or spouses) are very conservative and keep pointing out reasons why they should delay, and so they wait and think and refine and tweak and refine some more.

Or they take too long to test the market, putting off actually beginning to the point where the competition has passed them by.

Or they think that just one more bit of market research or one more phone call will guarantee success.

All these situations are sad.

As I have written about before, if you think you have a good idea, get into the marketplace as quickly as you can, using as little money as possible. Take a small step toward your goals, and see what happens.

Maybe you find out right away you have a hit on your hands. (It does happen occasionally.)

Maybe--and this is much more likely--you will learn that the market wants you to fiddle a bit with what you have. (To play with the clichéd example, people aren't crazy about coming by your lemonade stand to get a drink every time they are thirsty, but if you could somehow figure out a way to get your lemonade into the break room at work, they would be more than willing to give you a six-month contract.)

And if your idea doesn't work in any form, you aren't out very much, since you kept the cost of your initial small step toward your goal to a minimum. That means you will have the resources to try again.

But if you don't try, you'll never know.

That's why I truly believe that the biggest thing standing between you and success is you.

BY PAUL B. BROWN

http://www.inc.com/paul-brown/the-biggest-thing-standing-between-you-and-success.html?cid=em01020week30d

MARKETING / TECH SPECIAL......................... A smart way to sell a smartphone

A smart way to sell a smartphone

What is Xiaomi and why in heaven’s name should I learn how to pronounce it, anyway?  
Very few companies can change the way a phone is sold and used. Very few companies can sell a top-of-the-line flagship phone at a loss and still make lots of money. Very few companies have a ‘only sold online’ model and still create a frenzy and demand in millions. Very few companies can claim a waiting list that runs into a few months. Very few companies can update their entire phone OS and features ‘Over the Air’ every single week. Thus, when a company that can do that and enters India, and is about to change the entire mobile phone retail landscape in the country, the least you can do is learn how to pronounce its name.

What’s the big deal? Lots of companies have different business models. It doesn’t mean I have to learn a new tongue-twister every time one enters my country! 
Okay, you seem like the stubborn type and have to argue for the sake of arguing. Let me further expand this one. This is a company that is just about four years old. Eight partners co-founded this company in June 2010. The company’s founder CEO is Lei Jun, apparently one of the richest people in China. They announced their first phone, the Mi1 in 2011 and got about 3,00,000 orders in the first few hours itself. Then Mi2 followed with over 10 million devices sold and now the Mi3 is an even bigger and more astounding success.  

Okay, so they sell a lot of phones. Lots of other companies do too. What’s so different about them?
Well, quite a bit. There is literally no company in the world right now that sells an ‘only online’ sale of cellphones. And, there is a reason and a method to this madness. They do this to cut costs of retail, running shops, retail staff, distributor margin, retailer margins and a whole lot more. Thus, they can sell top-of-the line phones at a really aggressive price.

How aggressive?
Very! Besides the obvious savings in the only-online model, they also have a second-level business model that is even more interesting. They practically sell the phone at a loss. Most people report that they sell the phone at exactly the price it costs them to manufacture it, but I suspect that they go even further and sell it at an actual loss.

Why? Are they insane? 
Far from it. They seem to be a little ahead of the other companies in terms of setting up for the future. In a world where it’s becoming impossible to compete and differentiate and make money off selling only hardware, Xiaomi uses the razor-and-cartridge model. Sell the razor stick for a loss and make money off the cartridges. The good thing is that the Xiaomi cartridges (services, themes, apps, accessories) are also sold at a very aggressive price. The philosophy is simple. They sell a staggeringly large number of phones, and then sell small add-ons to that huge number of people on a very regular basis. 

Ok, so give me an example of just how cheap these Xiaomi phones actually are.
That’s easy. Let’s take the one they have just introduced in India. The Mi3. Super thin 8.1 mm aluminum-magnesium-plastic chassis, weighs 145g, and has a stunning 5-inch Full-1080P HD screen, Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 2.3GHz quad-core chipset, Android 4.4.2 Kitkat OS heavily skinned with Mi UI, 13.0MP camera at the back, 16GB storage, 2GB RAM and a massive 3050mAh battery. What would be this level of specs and features from ANY other brand be priced at? Anywhere between `25K to `42K. How much is Xiaomi selling it for? `13K! They also introduced the dual-sim 5.5 inch RedMi Note with an octa-core processor, HD IPS display, OGS and a 13-megapixel camera for `9,999!

Wow! So, that’s super aggressive. This company seems to be heaven sent!
Well, let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. There are a few little niggles that I still think need to be pointed out. First, this company has built its reputation by always talking about how millions of devices are pre-booked in China and how there is a huge waiting period there. And yet, here they are, entering into India. Shouldn’t they first take care of the huge demand in China itself? The second and far more important point is to do with service centers. The phone will be sold only through Flipkart and Xiaomi’s own web site and I would be very concerned about service and support right now. The third one is to do with this whole ‘every week’ updates of the OS. Till we haven’t tried this for a few weeks and seen exactly how well they’ve understood Indian needs and wants, I would be very sceptical of a massive automated download every week..

Cool, so I’ll wait for a few weeks then.
Yes, let’s give them time to settle in and get things right. These guys are about to change the entire paradigm of how you buy a phone, how much you buy a phone for and how you use it. Plus, they will make sure that every brand has to wake up and react and respond to this all-new Chinese invasion. On top of that, they have even announced that they will be bringing in tablets and TVs into India soon. That too a 49 inch 4K Ultra HD TV for less than `39,000!

Holy cow! Okay, so how do you pronounce Xiaomi?
Let’s first make sure we know how not to pronounce that name. It’s not Zai-omi, nor is it Zayo-my, it’s also not Exi-omi. The correct way to go about this one is Shao-Me. Rehearse it a few times, and try it with a slightly Chinese twang and you should be able to pull it off.

Rajiv Makhni

WOMAN SPECIAL....................................... HOW BECOMING A PARENT MADE ME A BETTER MANAGER

HOW BECOMING A PARENT MADE ME A BETTER MANAGER

I CAME INTO PARENTING KNOWING NOTHING ABOUT MANAGING PEOPLE. NOW I KNOW (ALMOST!) EVERYTHING.

Lately, I’ve been addressed a lot as “Mom,” and not just by my toddler--my baby is still too young to talk. There’s the nurse at the pediatrician’s office (“Okay, Mom, just hold her like this”--as my daughter tries to squirm her way out of immunization shots). There are the teachers at preschool (“Where have you been, Mom?” one jokes, when I say I’ve never seen the “kiddo bathroom,” where other women are tasked with changing my son’s diapers three mornings a week). Even the TSA officer at the airport does it (“Mom, the stroller needs to go over here”).

There is something almost stately about the way people say it, as though capital-M “Mom” is no different than, say, Madame Vice President, for all you Veep fans. Or Her Ladyship, if you prefer Downton Abbey.

I AM BASICALLY THE CEO OF OUR FAMILY. MY HUSBAND MAY BE THE PRIMARY BREADWINNER, BUT WHEN IT COMES TO KEEPING OUR HOUSEHOLD TOGETHER, IT’S ALL ON ME.

In a way, this seems fitting. Two-and-a-half years into my mom-hood, I am basically the CEO of our family. My husband may be the primary breadwinner, but when it comes to keeping our household together, it’s all on me. Like any responsible executive, I hire (and sometimes fire) people, in my case child-care providers. I reward good behavior and crack down on bad. I set schedules and make sure they’re enforced. I try to be a well-liked and “popular” boss, while also making sure people respect, and, at times, fear, me. (The latter is only a mildly successful endeavor.)

Generally, all of this is dismissed as the very basic responsibilities of being a parent; i.e., skills that fall somewhere between fixing a drain and microwaving a pizza. But I beg to differ. As a writer, I came into parenthood as someone who was remarkably good at worrying about one person: me. I was given assignments and completed them. I might have had to be resourceful and motivated, but I was spared managerial headaches. The only person I had to supervise was myself.

Parenting has changed all that and, I would argue, has turned me into someone who would be adept at overseeing people in some sort of managerial capacity. Or, at least, I would be much more attuned to the issues that are important when it comes to overseeing people--things like keeping employees motivated and happy, and treating them fairly; as well as picking individuals who are the right fit for an organization.

Not to say I’m perfect. I’ve made plenty of mistakes along the way in all those areas, and I’ve certainly learned what my weaknesses are (hello, micromanager!). But that has been part of the learning process. In fact, the things I’ve messed up have probably served me the best--“fail fast,” and all of that.

Here are a few hard-won lessons I’ve gleaned in my education in becoming a better mom/manager:

KNOWING HOW TO HIRE THE RIGHT PEOPLE

When we hired our first nanny after I had our son, I had no idea what I was looking for. I knew I wanted someone I could trust and who was good with babies, but beyond that my bar was--I realize, in hindsight--pretty low. In fact, I hired the first woman I met with.

She proved to be all the important things-- trustworthy, kind, gentle, and good to our son. But she wasn’t in great physical condition, so as our baby turned into an active toddler, it was hard for her to keep up. And what I first assumed was a quiet nature was actually an uncommunicativeness that was frustrating. When my son entered preschool and I needed a nanny who could drive (she didn’t), we let her go.

I came into my search for nanny #2 with the benefit of experience, and it paid off. This time I interviewed several candidates, noting their age, attitude, and English skills, and grilling them on things like whether they liked to spend time outdoors and what their idea of a healthy meal was.

I finally settled on someone I liked, yet I still wavered. This woman was bubbly and energetic and had four kids of her own, but she’d never worked as a nanny. How would she feel about the long days away from her own family? Would she enjoy being so thoroughly ingrained in ours? And what about housekeeping while the kids napped? Still, I liked this woman. A lot. And so I decided to give her a shot.

I’VE FOUND THAT MY GUT NEVER LETS ME DOWN WHEN IT COMES TO TRICKY DECISIONS THAT INVOLVE RISK.

It’s worked out marvelously. Both my children adore her, especially my toddler, who can barely keep up with all of her games and activities. And I have someone I can chat with about feeding and sleep schedules; she even texts me photos of them at the park.

What I learned was how important it is to have the right people working for you. Not just the most qualified, but the ones whom you synch with and who are good at the things that matter most to you. I was also reminded that gut instinct is an incredibly valuable tool when it comes to making decisions. Most of the time it needs to be supported by more tangible logic (plus/minus lists, etc.), but I’ve found that my gut never lets me down when it comes to tricky decisions that involve risk.

RESISTING THE URGE TO MICROMANAGE

Nothing has brought out my micromanaging tendency more than being a mom. “What do you mean you gave him Craisins? He eats raisins. And wait--why did you feed him at all?” I have silently fumed at relatives after they’ve been generous enough to take my toddler off my hands for the morning. Unfortunately, this instinct to make everyone around me behave exactly as I do has been hard to break, and in fact it’s not really broken. But I have learned that I need to pick my battles when it comes to “constructively” criticizing people who are ultimately helping me. Craisins aren’t horrible, and if I’m that concerned about my son eating too much, then I should just not feed him a snack before he heads out with his grandparents. Let them feed him. Everyone’s happy.

In some cases, of course, it is necessary to step in and curb behavior (yes, car seats are still required for 2-year-olds!), but I’ve noticed that often the world works better if I step back and let other people call some of the shots. Even my kids. So you want to wear your pajama top to preschool? Go for it. Ketchup on your applesauce? Sure! As child development specialists have noted, giving children options helps them feel more independent and confident. Grown-ups are no different. We all need some leeway, and I think the best moms and the best bosses are the ones who are able to trust in the abilities of the people “under” them, chief among them their ability to self-govern.

YOU CAN'T WIN A MANIPULATION GAME

Overseeing a group, even a group of two, can encourage game-playing, and not just in the Ring Around the Rosy sense.

There have been times I’ve been tempted to play my kids off of each other (“Alexei, can you please keep your voice down? Look how quiet your sister is being!”), but I resist it. At various points in my career, I’ve experienced that kind of personnel strategy and I loathe it. And so rather than set my kids up up as competitors, I try to encourage a closeness between them. (“Alexei! Look how excited your sister is to see you! You’re really her favorite.”)

The result is not just happier kids, it’s kids who are happy to be part of our whole family enterprise and who, hopefully, will strive to make it an even better one. I can’t help but think this applies to a group of people in a business setting who get far better results when they work as a team.

COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATE

By nature, I’m someone who hates confrontation, which is perhaps why I chose a profession that doesn’t involve much. We writers are able to hole up and do our thing, pretty much left to our own devices. As a mom, though, that doesn’t fly, and it’s been a struggle for me to learn how to be candid with people--namely the people watching my kids--when it comes to uncomfortable topics. This came to a head with our first nanny, whom I failed to talk with about the things I was unhappy about. When I finally let her go, she was blindsided. Granted, we gave her a generous severance so that she would have time to find another job. But still, when I look back I realize I was unfair: a bad boss. People should know where they stand and, if things are shaky, have a chance to steady them.

WHEN I LOOK BACK I REALIZE I WAS UNFAIR: A BAD BOSS. PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW WHERE THEY STAND AND, IF THINGS ARE SHAKY, HAVE A CHANCE TO STEADY THEM.

In theory, I’m not a huge fan of performance reviews. They turn a relationship between a boss and an employee--which, like any relationship, is inherently amorphous and defined by intangible things like personality--into something that can be quantified and graded. And if you’re a good employee, you probably don’t need to be told whether or not you’re doing a respectable job. What I do like about them, though, is that they provide an excuse to talk about things--what’s frustrating about a job, what could be more streamlined. Only good can come out of this kind of communication in a world where we increasingly isolate ourselves behind our screens.

Talking is good. As a mom, as a boss, as a person.

BY NICOLE LAPORTE

CAREER SPECIAL................................... Have you reached a dead end in your career?

Have you reached a dead end in your career?

Does your present job feel like a tunnel without light at the other end? It's because sometimes the tunnel is a cul-de-sac. If your career is going nowhere, despite the money and security, then it's time to take stock of the situation and make changes.

DIAGNOSIS

Conduct a P&L analysis Carry out an audit in writing. What is the goal of the business? How much is the revenue (salary/bonus) and where is it coming from? What are your expenses to get this revenue? How many hours are you investing and what are the commuting costs? Are there other operational expenses? Have you invested in making this business grow? How much are you investing in sales? How good is your marketing communication? Finally, is this business vi ..
Finally, is this business viable or are you losing out on time and alternative opportunities? Now, separately audit yourself. What do you like doing, what are you good at and what skills will the market be willing to pay you for? Put these in three intersecting circles to reflect your passion, talent and job market. In the centre of these three circles lies the right spot where you want to be.

Get external inputs 

Reinvent the day, say, by doing yoga in the morning or taking a different route to work. Reorganise your work and walk across your office to meet people from other functions. Plan a visit to a client or another company office. The changes will help you see your situation in a different light, get a grip on your priorities and, perhaps, climb out of the hole you are stuck in. Once the 'sameness' mindset is broken, new possibilities can be invented out of nothing. The next step is to push the enve ..
The next step is to push the envelope. Sign on for that dance class on weekends or go for a monsoon trek in the hills. The moment you take physical action in a space that is challenging and outside your comfort zone, your confidence will go up and change will look possible to you.

Work your cash flow 

Before you get going with your plan, calculate its financial impact. Then, target the problems you can solve immediately. This could include asking for a shift to another team if your current one does not suit you or requesting for a change in job description. Negotiate for a higher salary or bonus in case you are underpaid. Where you are unable to find easy solutions, look for alternative roles. Start speaking to people in your network to find suitable vacancies. If changing jobs is not an opt ..
If changing jobs is not an option but the cash flow is tight, figure out if you can do consulting on the side. Or, maybe, teach as a weekend faculty member.

Invest in permanent change

Lastly, invest in permanent change so that you do not find yourself in a dead-end job again. Instead of choosing a role on the basis of salary alone, evaluate criteria like learning opportunities and growth. If you have reached the peak of where your current skillsets will take you in the marketplace, invest in acquiring additional certification or skills. Make sure to pick learnings and skill combinations that are in short supply and the market is willing to pay for.
If taking a class is not an option, consider getting executive coaching or acquiring skills by working on projects where you will learn while you implement outcomes. Make sure you are working towards a planned goal. Then, at each stage of your career, you will be able to ask yourself if you are on the right path and are taking the right actions. The answers will help keep your career on track and out of dark tunnels.

HOW TO RECOGNISE A DEAD END

I am happy in my shoes.

I don't want to step into my boss's shoes. I don't want the extra work hours, responsibility, travel and sales targets for negligible increase in benefits. Should I choose to remain in a place where I am not happy to grow?

My boss hasn't been promoted in five years.

And his boss has been around for 10 years. There is no attrition here. No one wants to leave because either they are too comfortable or there are no options outside. The company or industry is in a limbo and I have no future growth.

I have been doing the same thing every day for two years.

I am doing exactly the same work that I did when I joined. It is a niche job and does not leave time for any additional responsibility or learning. I can choose to stay here and see my other skills atrophy. 

It's okay if I don't work every day.

Work pressure is negligible and I get plenty of time for my golf or trips to the mall. On some days, I can choose to work from home and spend the time reading. It's a semi-retired lifestyle with no challenge to push me. I will soon become completely unemployable.


I am becoming a zombie.

I dread going to work every single day. My mind shuts down when I am on my chair and I feel demotivated and burnt out. I am drained of energy by the end of the day and endlessly wait for weekends. Either I will be fired or I will turn into a full-time zombie.

Devashish Chakravarty
(The writer is Director, Executive Search, at QuezX.com.)