Goal setting - is it really necessary?

We all have dreams, wishes and desires. Many years back, I heard someone say that a dream with a date is a goal. In fact, a dream without a date is probably just that... a dream. Well, you will get somewhere without consciously setting a goal, the question is would you really like where you have reached? Since you are anyway getting somewhere in all spheres of life, would you rather get to a destination of choice? Or are you the impulsive creative explorer... living in the moment, seeking a sense of satisfaction by exploring uncharted territories? Is goal setting you style or are you better off without it?

Left brain right brain

All of us understand that the brain is primarily divided into 2 hemispheres, the right hemisphere and the left hemisphere. Some of us may even know that these 2 hemispheres function distinctly and differently from each other. All the logical, sequential, rational, analytical, and objective thinking that we have originates from the left hemisphere. All the random, intuitive, subjective, creative, and big-picture thinking emerges from the right hemisphere. I have generally observed that very few of us really ponder over which side of the brain really takes us forward, which side really influences us at crucial moments of decision making... thereby creating our destiny.

Importance of numbers

Are you in a place where you do not have to run through numbers for a living? If yes, then I'm assuming that you are not in the general number crunching based professions such as banking, accounting, finance, brokerage, etc. I was, and to some degree still am in a space where I do not have to literally crunch numbers for a living. But over time I have begun to enjoy seeing meaningful patters by interpreting numbers... much like how Morpheus and his team could see real images by scanning the scrolling stream of computer code / digital rain in the movie 'The Matrix'.

The right span of control

What is the ideal span of control for a people manager?
i.e. how many direct reports should a manager ideally have to ensure the success of the team as a whole?

Q and A - 2

S: (Visibly angry, with a pre-planned agenda, probably rehearsed earlier) Have you gone through the entire body of my work through the year?

I had rated S as someone who 'needs improvement' during the annual appraisal cycle. That meant that S would receive no salary increment and would probably be asked to leave if he did not show significant performance improvement in specific areas within the next few months.

Q and A - 1

R: I want to work on really challenging projects. I'm rather frustrated with uninteresting work.
R was my junior colleague a few years back who was frustrated with not being part of really high-profile projects despite having the right skills for the job

The beginning

Being the non-writing type, I wasn't sure what would compel me to want to blog at fairly frequent intervals... "so why blog at all" I often thought to myself? I do have opinions on a variety of subjects, but general opinion sharing on the web with an unfamiliar audience does not interest me. I've never had a problem with freely expressing myself, hence resorting to blogging as a medium of self expression held little value for me. This, in a nutshell, probably explains why I did not get on to the blogosphere earlier.

Q and A series - An Introduction

Through this Question and Answer format, I'd like to share some of my personal interactions at my workplace and otherwise (past and present). I may deal with some of these scenarios very differently today, but whats' done is done. I have learnt tremendously through these interactions.. which have shaped my destiny in some way or the other, so far.