Corporate Becky - what do you think?

Inspiring Leaders exist all around you! 

Corporate Becky

Leadership has different meanings for everyone, for me I think a good leader has the perfect mix of knowledge and confidence; the recipe varies. I continually seek out ways to connect myself to people that exude both attributes– fortunately Accenture has been a place where it’s been easy to find great leaders. A leader does not need to be considered a “boss” or a “supervisor” and I believe you can find leadership from your peers, those that report into you and even strangers depending on the time and place.

My most recent spot for inspiration comes from my children. While they don’t work for Accenture, they motivate me to do my best every day because I am committed to giving them a good start on life. I cannot imagine leaving school, friends, having to cut my hair short and start at a new school in a new country. That is what I asked my son to do. While I have three children, the oldest has the toughest adjustment to our new life in India. His sports that he participated at school do not exist here in his Bangalore school (i.e., sailing, wrestling, track & field), there is not a traveling orchestra and his best friends are no longer a quick bike ride away. Each morning he is the first one up, he walks the dog, exercises, packs his things for school and maintains a consistent level of discipline in his studies. When my inbox is exploding, the commute is long and I just don’t know how I can have an impact in such a large organization; I look to my kids who are not complaining, producing good grades and embracing a new life. If they can do it, I need to figure out how to as well.

Professionally, I have had the opportunity to work for some of our current global leads when they were managers or senior managers. I now listen to their recorded video messages or read their email announcements knowing with full faith they are in the right role to take Accenture forward. It was those years on ground, working on staffing plans, running moderation meetings that I got to know them for their integrity and ability to make an unpopular decision because it’s the right thing for the people or our business. I go back to that mental archive on a regular basis when I am faced with a tough decision or needing to give guidance to our team. Leadership lives on and when you are a strong leader, the people around you take that forward and influence others.

Finally, I look to regular people who influence the world. I think back to Rosa Parks, an African American woman, who refused to give up her seat on the bus to a white man (which was the law at the time) and that incident started the American Civil Rights Movement. I solemnly remember the group of passengers who confronted terrorists and averted their plane from crashing into Washington on September 11th. These people did not wake up that day to change the world; however they followed their instincts, stood up for what they believed in and influenced others to make a positive change for a greater population. We all have that power and we should choose to execute it.

I recently met with a group of our IDC entry level HR people, I left them with these parting thoughts
- We are typically not faced with life and death decisions, so take a few minutes to get to the right answer.
- Don’t let a bad day yesterday ruin your day today, understand what went wrong, commit to doing the things in your power to prevent it in the future and start fresh again
- Never send emails in the heat of the moment, once it’s written you cannot take it back; it’s much better to take a quick walk around the bay or climb a few flights of stairs to reset yourself.
- Giving people the bad news is just important as the good news, don’t let either kind go unnoticed.
While these tips seem basic, they are tactics I employ every day to help me manage my inbox, employee situations and processes that are going awry. I am not academic in my leadership principles; I rely on perspective, good judgment, experience and confidence in myself and others to lead… And if these fail me, I have a great network of smart, confident people across the globe to help me sort it out.

Lost or Forgotten

11th anniversary necklace "Lost"

Let's start off by saying I am a highly organized person.  I do not misplace, lose, forget or borrow anything.  I will remember the first time I saw you, what you were wearing and where we met.  Makes for a tough argument.    I know where each pair of my 200 shoes are at any given time; all my accessories are sorted and stored.     I enjoy cleaning out closets and making labels for fun.   So call me Monica (Friends TV Show reference....).   My journey to India has flipped me upside down - literally.     In the first 2 months I have "lost" black pants, eyeliner, cover up, a David Yurman Necklace and a black diamond ring.    Additionally, I regularly forget my employee badge, cell phone and current notebooks.     I have been feeling lost.   Personally I am feeling a loss on multiple levels;  friendship, comfort and routine.  Professionally, I feel lost in a sea of very smart people.    Finding my way is part of the journey in India.  

Here today, gone tomorrow is the story of my life these days.  I see something I like in the grocery store - buy it now - because it might be three months before Ragu spaghetti sauce comes back...or more realistic two weeks before you pass by this particular store at a decent hour.     Events have unfolded indicating I am not a complete lunatic, some items have "reappeared."  I am convinced my favorite maid/ cook is borrowing my things while I am not home.     The entire family turned every drawer upside down and not one of my lost items was found, however the day we filed the police report, the make up reappeared- clearly used (YUCK).    So tomorrow is the ultimatum.  Jewelry back or job lost.   I will not be able to forget.  

The Great Escape - Facebook, the movie

Even a totally normal activity is somehow different in India.   We went to see the Social Network this afternoon with Emma and Nolan.   I am sure it's rated PG-13 or R back in the States but in India, no rating applied and all the f* words are cut out - so we figured it was a safe family movie since our other choice was Due Date that does carry an Adult warning in India (must be pretty bad).    Here the story begins, we arrive 10 min before showtime and make use of the ATM like movie ticket dispenser - all is good - 4 tickets Rs1000 ($22 USD).    Walk through an airport type security line which includes a scan of my purse.    Ok - good thing they are checking for weapons but the teenage security guard seemed more focused on outside food that might be tucked away in my purse.    On to the concession stand - Value Pack #4, 2 large popcorns and 2 small pepsis Rs250 or about $5.50 USD.    Pretty good value.  

In India, you can only get to your seat about 1 minute before the movie is scheduled to start; so like anything else here - there is no queue just a semi-organized blob.   First in and we pick the center seats mid-way up the seating.    As we are munching away on our snacks we notice people really paying attention to their tickets and looking at the seats.    Could it be assigned seating?    This is a movie theater, open seating, right?   Just as the movie begins we are told we are in someone else's seats but fortunately they were kind enough to direct us to G5, 6, 7, 8 just one row up.    Surprised by this level of organization, we settle in the darkness focused on the big screen.

The movie was great, I actually forgot I was in India for a good portion of the show.   College campuses, American jargon, Justin Timberlake (filling the role of the guy who created nabster - rather poetic I think).   It brought me back to my campus days, about 10 years earlier, even the AEPi fraternity party - some sort of Carribbean theme which is just like one I attended @ Michigan where the basement was filled with sand.    I think that this was the first time I totally relaxed, detached from life and work since I have arrived...Until Intermission hit - back to the concession stand, refill the popcorn and then finish the movie.     We topped the night off with dinner at McDonalds.  No Masala.  

Road Trip - India Style

Big Banyan Tree

Festival Season is upon us here in India.    This week marks Diwali (also spelled Deepavali) which is the festival of lights.   Di is Light in Hindi and Deepa is light in Kannada the local language here in Karnataka State.  The kids had a short school break and I had a work holiday to celebrate this occasion.     Diwali is like Christmas for Indians, all sorts of sales at the stores, commercials advocating the gift of massive jewelry this Diwali (O.K., I like that part) and massive sales of fireworks.    The kids were mesmerized by the pop up shacks of firecrackers (as they are known here) along the side of the road, in empty fields.   In Bangalore alone, 260 Crore were sold in just a few days which equates to 260 million.   Additionally, there doesn't seem to be any regulations on where you can shoot off the 'crackers and what scale of explosives is appropriate for a residential neighborhood.     We have been experiencing rapid fire fireworks non-stop for the last three days.   

Thursday morning we packed up our car and headed to Mysore which is the royal city of Karnataka.  The Maharajah still lives there and it's only a 2.5 hour ride.   Our driver accompanied us for the trip and he had his own agenda in mind.    Javeed is very proud of India and especially the history of the local area.    He initially wanted to leave at 6 am, we pushed that back to 9 am.    It was of course a day off for all of us, so we enjoyed a normal wake up time.     Most of Thursday was spent hopping in and out of our car at various spots along the way to Mysore.    Javeed ensured we saw the highlights of the area - both historical and from local films.    The Big Banyan, Tipu Sultan's Summer Palace, the Cauvery River, a very old Hindu temple and other architectural remains.    Doug and I enjoyed seeing the history and learned something new about the Hindu, Muslim, British and then back to Hindu ruling groups.   The kids were hot and yearned to get to the hotel pool and room service.    We arrived at 430 pm, quickly checked in and then headed out to Brindavan gardens to see the light show and the damn.   Our night ended with dinner at the Tiger Trail, complete with Kingfisher beer, french fries, naan and dahl.  The perfect mix of American and Indian foods.   Our hotel was complete with the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon.    It's been a while since the kids watched their favs while I drifted away.

Emma - International Ambassador

Mysore Palace

Family Shot @ the Zoo- see the Giraffe!

Friday started early with a trip to the Mysore Palace.    What a fabulous place, built in just 15 years for Rs4.5million, the equivalent of $100K USD, this architectural gem was finished in 1912, complete with electricity.   I highly recommend this as a day trip if you come to Bangalore, I will be taking my Christmas visitors back in a few weeks.     The kids loved the audio tour and learned something, this I know because they repeated tidbits through the remainder of the day.    Next was the zoo.    Nothing brings you back to simple pleasure like walking through a zoo and seeing the magic of nature.   Plus in the Indian zoo, you can actually get quite close to the animals - Bengal tigers, white tigers, African and Indian elephants, monkeys galore.    Back to the hotel for pizza and swimming, checked out the next morning.    Nolan and Emma wanted an extra night - I guess that's proof we planned a good trip.

Emma achieved Britney status on this trip, every place we went people asked to take their picture with her.  She is growing in India, because these requests did not disturb her as much as the first time.   It was interesting to see the rest of us get passed over for requests but once Emma agreed to a photo opp, others stepped out of the crowd to get their turn.   

On a shoe note, our white sneakers are now clay red after traipsing through the dirt paths ...

No Tricks, All Treats for Halloween in India

It's good to know that Halloween in the expat communities in India is alive and well.    Houses are decorated, pumpkins carved, spooky music bellows down the streets and kids are decked out in costume.    We had two opportunities to celebrate in Bangalore.   First we checked out a party sponsored by the Overseas Women's Club at a local hotel.   The kids were a little old for the group, however we did get to do some rock climbing, hold a baby goat and win a ghost cake.   All was not lost. 

On Halloween, we headed over to some friends house for a light Indian dinner and some good French wine.   The host travels to Paris frequently and was kind enough to share a bottle of Bordeaux from a recent trip; I lapped it up.    Then we let the kids loose in Palm Meadows (our neighborhood) for 2 hours of trick or treating.   Ms. Starburst (a.k.a. Emma) joined a bag of Peanut M&Ms (a.k.a. Sonia), Will dressed as Uncle Sam (no pictures available) found his friends and Ironman (Nolan who refused to wear the mask) joined Percy Jackson and an Arabian Night.     We draped fake spider webs across our landscape, hung paper pumpkins in the trees, placed our illuminated pumpkins on the laws and handed out American Candy.   Apparently the kids like to trick or treat in Phase 1, which has the bigger houses, but we still got our fair share of kids in Phase 2.     Doug and I decided to leave the bowl of candy on the porch and took a stroll with our pup to check out the houses and see the action.     We ended the night with a family movie.

India and Apple Pie

We will admit it, we are feeling homesick.   Three months is supposed to be the hump you need to get over, things are starting to feel routine and the awe of seeing cows or a family of four on a scooter is wearing off.    Food, family, friends are a void which cannot be totally filled in India.  Will says he cannot check facebook, he misses high school life in the US.    Emma misses her friends and both Doug and Nolan miss American football.   I am so busy working every waking hour, I just miss the pace of my old job on occasion (which I thought was hard).     I miss decorating my house for Halloween, celebrating with friends and Doug's wicked Hallow-tini's topped off with real dry ice.     The key to success when you are far away from home is to try not to replace what you are missing with the India version; it's better just to do something different otherwise it (the food, the place, the time) just don't stack up.

 Last night we focused on fulfilling the food piece and went to The Only Place, a staple in Bangalore since 1965.   http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bangalore-India/The-Only-Place-Restaurant-Bangalore/151278534042  It's famous for Beef.   Steaks, burgers, beef stronganoff, chicken, garlic bread, cheese fries and apple pie.    Our mouths were watering.   No reservations needed, so we showed up at 7pm and were the first people seated.   The Only Place resembles a pavilion decked out with red and white twinkle lights.   You enter off Museum Road and walk back past a boutique (who flipped their sign to open as soon as this pack of foreigners showed up), the toilets and some assorted shacks.    However upon entering the pavilion with its red checkered table cloths and tall vegetation around the perimeter, we felt like we were in Little Italy, NY vs. Bangalore.     

Our table was in the corner and my back was to the general clientele, focused on my family and the menu of American favorites we quickly ordered:   cheesy garlic bread, hot wings and onion rings as starters; a round of cokes in the bottle (if you are a coke connoisseur like myself, these are the best variety); followed by Chateaubriand for Doug, American cheeseburgers and fries for Emma and me, more hot wings for Nolan with cheese fries and Will tried the Big Irani Burger (stuffed with cheese, pickles, mushrooms).    No fighting or complaining from the kids.  The only sound I heard was an occasional slurp and some lip smacking.    The dinner was not high end, but it tasted like it should.   No Masala!    Regular tasting American food.    Every plate was clean.    We followed it up with hot apple pie a la mode with French Vanilla ice cream.     We moaned a little as we loaded ourselves into the car and enjoyed a food coma.      

Goldilocks Survives in Bangalore

Back in April when we decided to make a go of life in India, the decision hinged on one crucial point - will I be able to maintain blond hair amongst a sea of brunettes?   Fortunately I have few secrets, as you are all learning by reading my blogs, so I promptly sent out queries to the expats I know in India with my picture attached asking "can you get highlights for blonds in India?"    The answers were resoundingly positive.    OK, decision to go to India locked - I can get my hair done.    Very shallow, I know, but if you feel like you are falling apart and life becomes on very LONG bad hair day...sense of self gets lost.  Maybe not that dramatic, but close.    

Step 2, locating the so called "skilled colorists" in Bangalore.    I began my search on the message boards about living in India, the best one any traveler to India should check out is www.indiamike.com.   I certainly figured out where not to go for haircut or color - skip Spratt, Bounce and the Lakshmi salons.    Apparently this woman called Tracey who is only available via cell phone is the bomb when it comes to cuts.    I am not sure I like the idea of having someone come to my house to cut my hair - but home service is the rage in India.    One particular place kept surfacing, Jeannesalon.   No website for this shop but the message boards and the OWC (Overseas Women's Club) handbook highly recommended it.     I called for my appointment and it was a 2 week wait (sigh).  I took it, I could not stretch out too many more days of two toned hair.   

October 29th was my appointment at noon, yes I took vacation time to get in for a haircut.   Located in Indiranagar, a good blend of restaurants, shops and interesting housing (however this is India, so cows, trash and pot holes abound).    Jeannesalon had a fuchsia geometric sign perched street side.  Success, we found it.   For women, a salon is a place of refuge - you are pampered, shoot the scoop with your stylist, sip on a mocha or in some swanky spots - chardonnay and you leave feeling like a million bucks.   Back in Michigan, I try to time my appointments with a night out or something special.  When you spend $150 you need to go someplace.    The exterior of Jeannesalon was not great, but it didn't look any worse than the rest of the street....however I was slightly alarmed when I saw across the street was Hong Kong Hairstyles which resembled a Chinese take-away restaurant.   Could I be in the right spot?   

Jeannesalon looks like a pop up salon inside someones flat.   I can look past that as my expectations in India have changed after three months.   There is only one stylist, a Chinese woman named Jeanne.  Her husband is the receptionist and he looks like a Chinese version of Mr. Magoo- gray crazy hair, little glasses and hunched over his laptop.    The waiting area was packed and people were there for cuts, facials, nails and more.    I had to wait 30 min for my appointment but in the mean time the receptionist loaded me up with Western hair magazines, UK beauty periodicals and a fan of color choices for my hair.    If you are of the fairer variety, you really don't add color to make yourself blond - just bleach and conditioner applied on very small strands wrapped up in foil for 10 minutes.   Picture a tinfoil Medusa and you know what I look like.    

Jeanne is GREAT.    She is third generation Chinese born in India but has worked as a stylist since 1972, however she looks about 40.    Chinese women have the most amazing skin.   She learned to cut hair in London and then spent a few years in Sweden working on all the blondies.   She goes back to Europe every other year for Hair school.   The treatment was superb and my hair looks like me, I could not be happier.    All this for Rs3500 or $78USD.   I will be back in three months and feel relieved to know at least on the outside I am still the same Becky you remember.   As for the inside, she is evolving...