Emerging leadership Contract to redefine CEO role, create new challenge

MUMBAI: Increasingly complex and often-contradictory global operating environments marked by higher expectations from a growing network of stakeholder groups are redefining the Chief Executive Officer role, creating a new challenge: finding and developing transformational leaders who will succeed as tomorrow's CEOs.

Said Business School at the University of Oxford and Heidrick & Struggles International, the premier professional services firm focused on serving the leadership needs of top organizations globally today announced a research collaboration intended to shape a world-first, multi-disciplinary, holistic approach to transformational leadership development. "A new leadership contract is emerging between corporations and stakeholders to ensure long-term, sustainable value creation and legitimacy," said Peter Tufano, Dean of Said Business School, Oxford.

"To succeed in an uncertain future, global corporations will need a reimagined talent pipeline to identify, develop and stretch leaders," said Jory Marino, Heidrick & Struggles interim CEO.

The research initiative brings together two globally renowned institutions in leadership with complementary, mutually reinforcing strengths. Heidrick & Struggles focuses on executive search and recruitment, leadership assessment, coaching, succession planning and on-boarding. Said Business School, Oxford focuses on leadership development, research, life-long learning and reflection.

"Both Heidrick & Struggles and Said Business School, Oxford are committed to helping the world be better led," Marino said. "Announcing this collaborative effort at the World Economic Forum in Davos makes perfect sense."

The global research initiative will explore how the world's most successful companies identify and develop transformative leaders—while also diagnosing gaps and opportunities for completely new approaches.

Said Business School and Heidrick & Struggles will announce the research initiative on Thursday, January 23 at a panel discussion of prominent senior business leaders moderated by Maria Bartiromo, award-winning television anchor and author. The panel includes Ellen Kullman, Chair and CEO of DuPont, Klaus Kleinfeld, Chairman and CEO of Alcoa; Mark Weinberger, Chairman and CEO of EY, and Ray Bingham, Chairman of the Board, Flextronics.

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Spurned Delhi youth puts up Mumbai student's profile on porn site

MUMBAI: Mumbai cyber crime investigation cell ( CCIC) detained a 21-year-old computer engineering student from New Delhi last week for allegedly posting a girl's photos, personal details and mobile number on a porn website. But the youth was let off after the girl refused to file an FIR on learning the culprit was a relative of her neighbours.

The 20-year-old instrumentation engineering student went to police after she started receiving obscene calls from across the country, as well as Canada, Australia and Singapore. Following her complaint, the crime branch set up a team led by inspector Mukund Pawar. Investigations revealed the relatives of the accused lived in the same Chembur housing society as the complainant. The youth had befriended the girl last October when he visited Mumbai and proposed to her in November, but she turned it down. He returned to Delhi planning revenge.

In the last week of December, the girl panicked as she began receiving calls from random numbers. She asked one caller how he got her number and learnt that her contact details were put up on a porn website. She learnt of the existence of a Facebook profile which she had never created.

The girl then informed her parents, who approached the cyber crime cell. Police requested the servers of the porn website and Facebook for IP addresses of the person who had posted her details. They were surprised to find both originated from the same Delhi-based address. While a police team picked up the youth from the capital last week, the web hosts were requested to block the two pages.

The youth admitted to his crime but claimed he had no malicious intent and considered the girl to be his "sister". The girl, traumatized on learning of the identity of the culprit, refused to file an FIR. The youth was later released after a warning.

Himanshu Roy, joint commissioner of police (crime) said, "Cyber space emboldens criminals due to the anonymity it offers. Yet, we are usually successful in bringing the culprits to book."

Advisory * Do not share your email ID with strangers. * Do not share your personal mobile number. * keep checking your profile on social networking web sites and other places * Change your password frequently to avoid hacking * If you notice objectionable material, immediately approach the police

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Techie murder: Police find bloodstained muffler at crime scene

MUMBAI: In a key development in the suspected rape and murder of software engineer 23-year-old Esther Anuhya, police have found a bloodstained muffler suspected to be of the accused from the crime scene.
Esther had gone missing from Lokmanaya Tilak Terminus (LTT) on January 5, a day after she left from her hometown of Machilipatnam. Her half-burnt body was found in Vikhroli on January 16.

Sources said police found the muffler on Sunday and have sent it to the Kalina forensic laboratory to find out whether the bloodstains are of the victim or of those who might have committed the crime. Police are also likely to conduct a DNA test on it to help them zero in on the suspects.
They are awaiting Esther's medical report and suspect she was sexually assaulted. Otherwise, they say, there was no reason for anyone to kill her. Moreover, her gold finger ring and cellphone were left untouched.

"The preliminary autopsy report suggests she was hit by a blunt object, but it's premature to say whether or not it's her blood on the muffler since her body was found in a semi-decomposed state," said an officer. Sources said the muffler could be an indication of the involvement of taxi or auto drivers in the crime. "Mostly, drivers working late nights wear mufflers to protect themselves from the cold. We've taken photos of the muffler and are trying to identify the wearer."

Police are looking for a few taxi drivers who have been missing since January 5. Background checks are being done on more than 400 auto and taxi drivers. Police are also collecting call records of all cellphone users in and around LTT that day, said a source. They are trying to figure out why Esther was at LTT for about 30 minutes before her cell network was traced to Kanjurmarg-Bhandup. They say the deceased may have taken a taxi since it is cold in the morning and people usually avoid taking autos at that time.

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This is how Dacoits do it in the dead of the night

MUMBAI: Picture this. A white coloured SUV stops in front of the entrance of a tower in Kharghar, and seven masked men armed with choppers, swords, rods and 'katavani' (crowbar) casually walk inside with the plan to commit a dacoity at 4 am.

A CCTV camera at the reception lobby of Grow More tower in Kharghar captured these chilling images of the dacoity in progress in the wee hours of January 10. Within exactly 17 minutes, the dacoits were seen returning back to the entrance after looting goods worth Rs 2 lakh, and sauntering back to their get away SUV to vanish in the pre-dawn darkness.

They had forcibly entered a flat on the fourth floor of the building whose three occupants were information technology (IT) professionals.

With the help of these CCTV images we have managed to identify and arrest two of the seven dacoits and are confident of nabbing the entire gang soon,'' said an official of Navi Mumbai crime branch.

Reportedly, even the SUV in which the dacoits had arrived at the Kharghar tower was stolen and later abandoned by the gang after the crime.

The ease with which the dacoits entered the building was only because there was no watchman present on the spot. They were aware of the CCTV settings, which is why they had covered their faces with cloth. However, police have still managed to identify and nab two of them so far,'' added the official.

The unit-2 of crime branch is further investigating this case, and refrained to give any more information about the gang as that will hamper the police trail. Sources have, though, pointed that among this dacoit gang are a few members with MCOCA (Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act) slapped on them in the recent past.

Just last week, Navi Mumbai police has thwarted two attempted dacoities in Vashi and at a petrol pump in Kamothe. Cops had also urged the citizens to be wary and alert of any suspicious activity or people in and around their residential complexes as there had recently been an intelligence tip that certain criminals were planning to target and loot places in the city.

Assistant Police Inspector of the crime branch, Manish Shridhankar, said that if every residential building or colony has adequate number of security guards and at night and also CCTVs, serious crimes like dacoities can be curbed.

At the recent Kharghar dacoity, there were no night watchmen. However, the functional CCTV had helped police in identifying the gang,'' said API Shridhankar.

Navi Mumbai police has also urged the housing societies to provide a secure security cabin for the guards, so that during an emergency they can safely lock themselves inside and immediately telephone the police and also the raise an alarm for the housing society residents.

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Researchers suggest ways to reduce wasteful government spending

MUMBAI: Researchers from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and Harvard University recently conducted a research that can help governments of developing and developed nations avoid wasteful spending. Professors at the universities have suggested a simple change that could lead to more responsible fiscal decisions.

As in public-sector spending cycles around the world, most US federal agencies must use all of their discretionary budgets before the end of the fiscal year or return the unused portion back to the Treasury. If the US Congress interprets the return of funds as a sign that the established budget is too large, lawmakers could cut the federal agency's budget in the following fiscal year. Consequently, agencies today have an incentive to spend any money left in their budgets, regardless of whether or not such spending is justified.

Neale Mahoney, Assistant Professor of Economics at The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and Jeffrey Liebman, Malcolm Wiener Professor of Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, have noted that many organizations have budgets that expire at the end of the fiscal year. Faced with uncertainty over future spending demands, these organizations have an incentive to build up a rainy day fund over the first part of the year. If demand does not materialize, they must rush to spend these resources on low quality projects at the end of the year.

Their research points to a positive example of the rollover effect at the US Department of Justice (DOJ), which in 1992 obtained special authority to roll over unused funds from its IT budget, up to 4 per cent of annual revenue, into the following year. The research discovered that the year-end spending on IT projects at the DOJ is now considerably lower than non-IT spending at the department as well as the year-end IT spending at other agencies. Additionally, they have found that that DOJ's year-end IT spending did not drop in quality.

The authors observe, "To reduce wasteful government spending, we suggest agencies be allowed to roll over unused funds into the next fiscal year and Congress not use these funds as a gauge by which to reduce future budgets. Congress also should commit to preserving in future budgets the amount of money rolled over. Without these commitments, agencies are likely to reject the rollover option."

The researchers tested these predictions using data on procurement spending by the US federal government. Using contract-level data on a near-universe of federal contracts, they documented that spending in the last week of the year is 4.9 times higher than the rest-of-the-year weekly average. Using a newly available dataset that tracks the quality of $130 billion in information technology (IT) projects, they showed that quality scores for year-end projects are 2.2 to 5.6 times more likely to be below the central value. Allowing agencies to roll over unused funding into the subsequent year can improve efficiency.

The researchers calibrated a dynamic model of spending and showed that allowing rollover leads to welfare gains of up to 13 per cent, and that intermediate policies can achieve a large portion of these gains. They documented that the one federal agency that has the ability to roll over unused funding for IT projects does not exhibit a year-end spike in spending or drop-off in quality in this category of spending.

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Emerging leadership contract to redefine CEO role, create new challenge

MUMBAI: Increasingly complex and often-contradictory global operating environments marked by higher expectations from a growing network of stakeholder groups are redefining the Chief Executive Officer role, creating a new challenge: finding and developing transformational leaders who will succeed as tomorrow's CEOs.

Said Business School at the University of Oxford and Heidrick & Struggles International, the premier professional services firm focused on serving the leadership needs of top organizations globally today announced a research collaboration intended to shape a world-first, multi-disciplinary, holistic approach to transformational leadership development. "A new leadership contract is emerging between corporations and stakeholders to ensure long-term, sustainable value creation and legitimacy," said Peter Tufano, Dean of Said Business School, Oxford.

"To succeed in an uncertain future, global corporations will need a reimagined talent pipeline to identify, develop and stretch leaders," said Jory Marino, Heidrick & Struggles interim CEO.

The research initiative brings together two globally renowned institutions in leadership with complementary, mutually reinforcing strengths. Heidrick & Struggles focuses on executive search and recruitment, leadership assessment, coaching, succession planning and on-boarding. Said Business School, Oxford focuses on leadership development, research, life-long learning and reflection.

"Both Heidrick & Struggles and Said Business School, Oxford are committed to helping the world be better led," Marino said. "Announcing this collaborative effort at the World Economic Forum in Davos makes perfect sense."

The global research initiative will explore how the world's most successful companies identify and develop transformative leaders—while also diagnosing gaps and opportunities for completely new approaches.

Said Business School and Heidrick & Struggles will announce the research initiative on Thursday, January 23 at a panel discussion of prominent senior business leaders moderated by Maria Bartiromo, award-winning television anchor and author. The panel includes Ellen Kullman, Chair and CEO of DuPont, Klaus Kleinfeld, Chairman and CEO of Alcoa; Mark Weinberger, Chairman and CEO of EY, and Ray Bingham, Chairman of the Board, Flextronics.

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Farooque Shaikh diverted 'Lahore' cheque to his chosen charity

MUMBAI: In 2010, a first-time director decided to make a film on kickboxing using the backdrop of the India-Pak conflict. His raw, native Haryanvi producers expected a burly man with rippling muscles, likely twirling a handlebar moustache, to enact the role of kickboxing coach. Instead the director introduced them to Farooque Shaikh, a gentleman who seemed like he'd retire from a conflict by offering a graceful 'Adaab' to his opponent. They sulked throughout the shoot.

Of course in a foregone conclusion, the investors regained their confidence -- and their money -- once 'Lahore' released. Shaikh delivered the part so convincingly it won him the National Award for best supporting actor.

Director Sanjay Puran Singh related the backstory of his first film 'Lahore' at Thursday's memorial in honour of Farooque Shaikh. By virtue of being a one-film associate of the actor, Singh could have had little to say. Yet his tribute was among the most elaborate and so heartfelt.

Singh had informed his producers that he had signed an actor for the part, although Shaikh Sahab was still to receive the script, let alone read and approve it."Fortunately for me, given that I had not even considered another performer, Farooque Shaikh agreed. Now my next hurdle was that we were on a tight budget. I was sitting in his house and I warily said I could not offer him a substantial fee. Without asking me to quote the sum, he said I should divert the cheque to a charity of his choosing. He cautioned me to be honest with myself, to not undercut the amount I had decided upon simply because the money would not go to him. Shaikh Sahab did not charge a penny to work in my first film," said Singh.

The director gained unforgettable life lessons from Shaikh. "One day on the set, he uttered a name I did not know and asked if that gentleman was alright. I thought he had made a mistake, that he was probably mixing up names from a previous film shoot, and I shrugged it off. Later he repeated his question. I asked around and found Shaikh Sahab was asking after a lightman who had injured himself during the previous day's shoot. I as captain of the ship, did not even know of this accident, whereas he knew the name of the wounded worker and was worried that he may have returned on duty too soon. Shaikh Sahab knew the name of every man on set," Singh said.

Soon after, the unit of 'Lahore' was to shoot in Ladakh but Shaikh was not to travel with them. The actor was concerned how they would fare at such high altitude where oxygen levels are low. He requested Singh to keep him informed of their daily progress. Typically amid the exigencies of time, the director forgot. "But Shaikh Sahab did not. Every morning at 7.00 am and every evening at 8.00 o'clock, I would receive a phone call from him asking if everybody in the unit was alright. Us insaan mein itni saadgi thi ki main hairan hoon ki showbiz mein aise bhi jiya ja sakta hai," Singh said.

After post-production was complete and 'Lahore' was up for release, Singh caught a glimpse of his fabled principles as well. Shaikh politely asserted he would promote the film only if he found it had remained true to the original script."I am aware that things change during the making of a movie. If I feel it has deviated from the intent, I will stay silent. I will not utter a negative word about it but I will not pay false compliments before the press either," he told his director. His faith was borne out once he saw 'Lahore' and only then did he join the media interaction.

Sanjay Puran Singh was planning another film with the actor unaware that time was short. "I had heard the saying that you need to be a good man to be a good actor. I think that adage was coined for Farooque Shaikh."

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Marathon an annual rite of fun for differently abled participants

MUMBAI: They could well be the first family of Mumbai Marathon. When the event kicked off in 2004, former athlete Tonna Dugal thought about entering the race. That question was still unanswered when another thought came to her—why not sign up her 17-year-old son? Angad Dugal, who has multiple disabilities, had started walking only two months before the marathon was announced.

"We asked the directors to allow us to carry a chair, so that he could take breaks. We told them we will be the last runners in the last race. They agreed," said 61-year-old Tonna. The gamble paid off as the media focus came to rest on the teen walking through a marathon with his family following with a plastic chair.

The Dugals and their chair were at the marathon this year as well.

Cheered on by race regulars, they were gladdened at the sight of more families participating in the 2.4km 'Champions with Disability' race.

Young Priyesh Shah was proud that his 19-year-old sister Dinkle came first among the differently-abled women participants. Dinkle, who finished her seventh race, said she has a special technique: "I maintain normal speed in the first leg and increase pace in the second half." She was left wheelchair-bound after she suffered injuries to the spine in the 2001 Gujarat earthquake. Not that she allowed the injury to hold her back. "I like sports. I come here because I am made to feel special this day," said the BCom student.

Like for Dinkle, the marathon has become a must for the Gada family. They were out in full strength on Sunday to support 22-year-old Ridhi Gada, a veteran of the event for eight years. "We might miss a wedding, but not this," said a cousin of wheelchair-bound Ridhi. Though happy at the attention, first-time participant Chinmayi Shah's mother Smita Shah found it overwhelming to keep up with her daughter, who has Down syndrome. "I wanted her to experience a marathon. But I have a back problem," said Smita.

The story of the Dugals strengthens the undying spirit of such families. Tonna said her son's communication skills and muscle strength have improved in these years. "Yesterday, Angad wasn't feeling well, but we came because of the encouragement we receive. That keeps us going through the rest of the year."

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Mumbai marathon again a runaway success

As the city woke up to a cheerful winter morning, thousands of runners converged on CST and the Bandra fire station, from where their races began. The 11th edition of Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon (SCMM) saw more participants than last year, with 39,510 marathoners deciding to hit the road this time.

For 67-year-old Otto Goetsch from Switzerland, Sunday's was a special run. "I complete 130 marathons today and achieving this feat in a city like Mumbai makes it even better. People here never let you down," said Goetsch, who is also preparing for the Marathon de Paris in April.

The city donned a festive look with people from all walks of life pouring out on the streets and queueing up along the routes, cheering the runners on. While many of the participants, like Goetsch, were passionate runners, crossing one milestone after another, some decided to put on their running shoes to spread the message of a cause and others joined the race just for the fun of it.

For full marathon, participants ran 42.195 km, starting from CST and back, via Bandra fire station. The half marathon, which was 21.097 km, spanned from CST to the Bandra fire station. Routes for both categories crossed the Bandra Worli Sea Link. The Dream Run, which was 6-kmlong, was from CST to Metro Cinema.

Most of those who signed up for the Dream Run had a cause close to their heart, women's safety, educating children and need for healthy lifestyle being a few of them. With the 2014 elections just a few months away, politics seemed to be on the top of the mind of many participants who urged citizens to cast their votes for their chosen leaders. AAP, predictably, was the "star party" with its followers sporting the aam-aadmi topi as well as its symbol, brooms. One of the posters read: "AAP jaisa koi Mumbai mein aaye, toh baat ban jaaye."

Even celebrities, actors and industrialists took a break from their professional schedules and hit the road, some to support the runners and other to take part. Actor Neha Dhupia, who ran the half marathon, finished the feat in three hours. "There's no way one will give up midway in the Mumbai Marathon as there are so many people cheering for you throughout the route. These are the real celebrities who encourage each and every runner to make it to the finish line," she said. For the second year in a row, actor Rahul Bose also took part in the half marathon, clocking a little over two hours.

For some, it was a day of reaching personal goals. Fourth-time full marathon runner 29-year-old Nimish Sawant clocked his personal best of around four hours on Sunday. "In the beginning, the weather was perfect," said Sawant after reaching the finish line. But, he said, as the day progressed, it started to get warmer. He complained that mist zones, which are little tents where water is sprinkled on exhausted runners, were missing, making it difficult for many. Another participant pointed out that the entry and exit arrangements were confusing. "Several of us were made to go around in circles while entering and exiting Azad Maidan. The problem was that several volunteers were unaware of the planning and could offer very little help," a runner said.

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‘They helped me run my race, a race I ran for them’

Grit and determination are words that come easy to reporters. I've used them time and again, especially while reporting on Mumbai Marathon for several years, without ever having fully understood what those words really meant.

By 8.29am on Sunday, I knew a thing or two about grit and determination. That's around the time I hit the finish line for the half marathon (21.097 km), clocking 2 hours 22 minutes. While comparing timings is a source of pride after a run, participants tell only half the story.

My timing doesn't quite reflect the cramp in my foot around the 17-km mark, and my sheer horror at the thought of not being able to finish the race. My timing does not tell the story of all those moments along the way when I was on the brink of giving up. Or the moments I had completely run out of breath and my lungs felt they couldn't pump in any more air. Or the time an earlier injury from a long run two weeks ago began to act up.

Finishing the half marathon had as much to do with the six months I'd trained in three different cities (London, Delhi and Mumbai) as it had to do with the sheer extent to which Mumbai's bystanders extended themselves for those running the race: Like the middleaged gentleman on the Worli sea-face who handed me a Parle-G biscuit when I was low on fuel; the Japanese contingent on Pedder Road that gave me a banana to eat as I hit an incline; the five-year-old cheerleaders with pom-poms who made me smile in spite of the pain; shouts of Bhaag Milkha Bhaag along the way; the women with hand-painted posters; the men and women 500 m from the finish line who prodded me on at a time my legs had turned to stone. They helped me run my race, a race I ran for them.

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