Saturday, December 11, 2010

Tenacious BUS Driver

RanadivĂ© came to America as a seventeen-year-old, with fifty dollars in his pocket. He was not one to accept losing easily. Ranadive reminisces, “I actually talked my way into the office of RBI. I was 16 years old at that time. I requested them that I should be allowed to get some foreign exchange so that I could go to MIT. After all the effort, I showed up on the shores of America (Boston) with one quarter’s tuition paid for because of the foreign exchange restriction and less than a $100 in my pocket. Since then I have been on my own.” He and everybody are on their own if we realize or not in life, with the company of many good hearted people on our way in life -- esp parent's,sibling's, friends, few good mentors, but still we will be on our own to create the world of our own and we combine it for everybody's benefit and so did he, and created the world of "BUS" - TIBCO (The Information Bus COmpany).

The idea was to have a software bus and plug applications into it and make it a real-time bus and Goldman Sachs was their first customer and from then on its been a ride of a life time for TIBCO BUS. He believes that "If you have just a little bit of the right information a couple of seconds or minutes in advance, it’s more valuable than all of the information in the world six months after the fact" It’s a premise he calls “the two-second advantage,” which will also be the title of his next book, other than his best seller -- The Power of Now & The Power to Predict. Ranadive is a tenacious BUS driver - Paving and creating the blue book, road signs in the least traveled roads !! I hail his tenacity for putting his skin in the game and risking his life to make younger generation believe that "U R On U'r Own - Give U'r All Out", you can pave the way for generation to use and create one more like them !! Some of his philosophies, I enjoyed and liked it and hope you all too,

Business philosophy


Essential business philosophy: Always surround yourself with people smarter than you.


Best way to keep competitive edge: Create an open environment within your organization that enables your top talent to flourish. Put your customers first and when you see an opportunity, move quickly.


Guiding principle: Never, ever give up.


Yardstick of success: I measure it by how many people's lives you can impact or help in a meaningful way, whether that be through technology innovation, sound business judgment or lasting personal connections.


Judgment calls


Best business decision: Becoming an entrepreneur and taking the path least traveled.


Worst business decision: Not going with my gut feeling. You need to trust your instincts.


Toughest business decision: Having to let go of an employee is never an easy decision.


The one word that best describes you: Tenacious.


True confessions


Like best about job: Working with really smart people. I love the fact that I am continually surprised, enlightened and motivated by the talented individuals that I collaborate with every day, both within my own organization and throughout the tech community.


Like least about job: The bureaucracy involved in building a global organization. Too much of it can stifle innovation so you have to be careful to strike the right balance between process and flexibility.


Most important lesson learned: When you make a mistake, acknowledge it, learn from it and move on.


Person most interested in meeting: Leonardo da Vinci -- he was a true innovator.


Most respected competitor: IBM


Three greatest passions: Spending time with my children, playing and watching basketball, cricket and baseball, and, of course, applying my competitive skills in the business world.


First choice for a new career: Basketball coach. (First Indian American to have a stake in NBA Team), Coached her daughter & team to National Finals with no prior experience, http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/05/11/090511fa_fact_gladwell


Predilections


Most influential book:

Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter. It combines an exploration on the mathematics of Godel, the art of Escher and music of Bach with a look at the relationship between computers and the way humans think.


Most influential movie: Shawshank Redemption, protagonist's attitude of Never Giving Up.


Read more: Vivek Ranadiv