Name the ten wealthiest people in the world.Name the last ten Heisman   trophy winners.Name the last ten winners of the Miss America contest.Name eight people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer prize.How about the last ten Academy Award winners for best picture...Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners. How did you do? The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners. With that in mind, here's another quiz. See how you do on this one: Think of three people you enjoy spending time with.Name ten people who have taught you something worthwhile.Name five friends who have helped you in a difficult time.List a few teachers who have aided your journey through school.Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you. Easier? The lesson:The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the credentials, but the ones that care!

This interview with John T. Chambers, chairman and chief executive of Cisco Systems, was conducted and condensed by Adam Bryant. Q. What are the most important leadership lessons you've learned?A. People think of us as a product of our successes. I'd actually argue that we're a product of the challenges we faced in life. And how we handled those challenges probably had more to do with what we accomplish in life. I had an issue with dyslexia before they understood what dyslexia was. One of my teachers, Mrs. Anderson, worked with me and she taught me to look at it almost like a curveball. The ball breaks the same way every time. Once you get used to it, you can handle it pretty well.And so I went from almost being embarrassed reading in front of a class - you lose your place, and I read right to left - to the point where I knew I could overcome challenges. I think it also taught me sensitivity toward others. I learned another lesson from Jack Welch. It was in 1998, and at that time we were one of the most valuable companies in the world. We were the stock of the '90s, and I said, "Jack, what does it take to have a great company?" And he said, "It takes major setbacks and overcoming those." I hesitated for a minute, and I said, "Well, we did that in '93, and then we did it again in '97 with the Asian financial crisis." And he said, "No, John. I mean a near-death experience." And I didn't understand exactly what he meant at that time. Then in 2001, we had a near-death experience. We went from the most valuable company in the world to a company where they questioned whether the leadership was really effective. And in 2003, he called me up and said, "John, you now have a great company." I said, "Jack, it doesn't feel like it." But he was right. It was something I would have given anything to have avoided, but it did make us a much better company, a much stronger company. Q. Any other important lessons you've learned?A. My parents are both doctors. They taught me very early in life that when there's an accident happening, that's when you've got to be the calmest. And yet that's when most people are not. And so they taught me early on if there was a phone call coming in from one of their patients - my dad was an obstetrician/gynecologist - he said, "You've got to listen very carefully because often their emotion doesn't really say what's going on." So I've learned when something with tremendous stress happens, I get very calm, very analytical. Q. How has your leadership style evolved over time?A. I'm a command-and-control person. I like being able to say turn right, and we truly have 67,000 people turn right. But that's the style of the past. That was great when you were a single product, when the market was moving slower and one executive or an executive team could run the whole company. Today's world requires a different leadership style - moving more into a collaboration and teamwork, including learning how to use Web 2.0 technologies. If you had told me I'd be video blogging and blogging, I would have said, no way. And yet our 20-somethings in the company really pushed me to use that more. Q. Did you need to be pushed?A. Well, at first, I didn't like the message. I thought I was very leading-edge in terms of how I communicated. My team just kept pushing, and I finally said, "Why do you want me to do this?" And they said, "John, if you don't do it our company won't learn how to do this. It won't be built into our DNA for the way we interface with customers, our employees. The top has to walk the talk." I was expecting text blogging and we did video blogging. The first one was a little bit uncomfortable, because it's very unprofessional. You just basically put a camera there, and you go. By the second one, I realized this was going to transform communications - not just for the C.E.O., but it would change how we do business. Q. How do you find out what employees at all levels of the company are thinking?A. Each month, I have breakfasts where we don't allow a V.P. or above in the session. It is free form - probably anywhere from 500 to 1,500 people attend physically and virtually - and we go for an hour and 15 minutes, and any question is fair game. It's done in a family-type environment, with candor both ways. I learn tremendously from it. Q. You mentioned what you've learned from Jack Welch? What about from others?A. Sandy Weill at Citi taught me very early on that when you're interfacing with people who have dramatically different views from yours, you immediately gravitate to the areas that you share in common, and then focus on those. That's how you build relationships, even with people who might have different views or different attitudes toward business than you. Q. Who else do you rely on for advice?A. My wife. We've been married for 35 years and she's been there through the good times and the bad times. She has a way of picking me up when I get knocked on my tail, and I don't get knocked down too often. But also if I get a little bit overconfident she brings me back to earth. The other day, I was practicing a concept with her and saying, "You know, there are two major mistakes that I make and Cisco makes repeatedly." She looked at me and she said, "Only two?"My mistakes are always around moving too slow or moving too fast without process behind it. And it's something that, if we're not careful, we'll repeat again and again. Q. How do you hire?A. First thing I want to ask you about: tell me about your results. I never get hard work confused with success. So I'd walk you through the successes you had, what did you do right in those. At the same time, I'd ask you to tell me about your mistakes and failures. And that's something people make a tremendous mistake on. First, all of us have had mistakes and failures. And it's surprising how many people say, "Well, I can't think of one." That immediately loses credibility. It's the ability to be very candid on what mistakes they've made, and then the question right behind that is, what would you do differently this time? You learn more about a person in those first two questions than almost anything else. Then I ask them who are the best people you recruited and developed, and where are they today? And that tells an awful lot. Third, this one I have to do a little more gently: I try to figure out if they're really oriented around the customer. And when I recruit somebody or we acquire a company, you know in five minutes how they feel about customers. Are they driven by the customer, or is the customer just somebody who gets in the way?And then I look at their communication skills, and one of the largest parts of communications is ... what? Q. Listening?A. You betcha. Seeing how they listen, how they interpret it, and are they willing to challenge you? And then I look at their knowledge in the industry segments, especially the area that I'm interested in. And as basic as it sounds, those six or seven elements are what over the last two decades I've used to recruit and develop people. Q. What's changed in the last few years?A. Big time, the importance of collaboration. Big time, people who have teamwork skills, and their use of technology. If they're not collaborative, if they aren't naturally inclined toward collaboration and teamwork, if they are uncomfortable with using technology to make that happen both within Cisco and in their own life, they're probably not going to fit in here. Q. Teamwork is an intangible. How do you make sure they have it?A. Well, I might ask you right off the bat: "What sports do you play?" I've only played team sports all my life. Even when I played tennis, I always played doubles, not singles. One of the quickest ways to find out is to say, "Who would know best about your teamwork skills?" And I call somebody who I know in common and ask about their teamwork skills. And that's where you learn if people are being candid. If they say up front, "I need to be a better team player," that gets you over the hurdle. But if they say, "I'm a very good team player," and then I go out and check and find that you're not, then it's probably not the right spot for you. Q. What do you think business schools should teach more of, or less of?A. Normally I'm very careful about giving others advice, because anybody who thinks they can come into an environment that they're not familiar with on a regular basis and tell you how to do your job better is probably overconfident and very likely wrong. However, you can share experiences you've learned and say, "Here are some of the things you ought to focus on." And I would say, as an example, "Here's where I think the future of business is going, in terms of collaboration and teamwork and the use of these technologies." I can very frankly say that when I was trained, it was about me, it was about personalization, and how to win as an individual. But the future is about, how do groups think together collaboratively, and how do you add discipline to that? Very few of the business schools really teach that today, both in practice and with the necessary technologies. So if I'm looking at where I recruit - it's about the best and brightest, and who's well prepared. But I would like to see business schools teach more of the collaboration skills, and more of the Web 2.0 skills, in practice and capability.

by Nyanaponika Thera Once the Buddha told his monks the following story (Satipatthana Samyutta, No. 19): There was once a pair of jugglers who performed their acrobatic feats on a bamboo pole. One day the master said to his apprentice: "Now get on my shoulders and climb up the bamboo pole." When the apprentice had done so, the master said: "Now protect me well and I shall protect you! By protecting and watching each other in that way, we shall be able to show our skill, make a good profit and safely get down from the bamboo pole." But the apprentice said: "Not so, master! You, O master, should protect yourself, and I too shall protect myself. Thus self-protected and self-guarded we shall safely do our feats." This is the right way," said the Blessed One and spoke further as follows: "It is just as the apprentice said: 'I shall protect myself'--in that way the foundations of mindfulness (satipatthana) should be practised. 'I shall protect others'--in that way the foundations of mindfulness should be practised. Protecting oneself, one protects others; protecting others, one protects oneself. "And how does one, in protecting oneself, protect others? By the repeated and frequent practice of meditation (asevanaya bhavanaya bahulikammena). "And how does one, in protecting others, protect oneself? By patience and forbearance, by a non-violent and harmless life, by loving kindness and compassion." This sutta belongs to the considerable number of important and eminently practical teachings of the Buddha which are still hidden like buried treasure, unknown and unused. Yet this text has an important message for us, and the fact that it is stamped with the royal seal of satipatthana gives it an additional claim to our attention. Individual and Society The sutta deals with the relations between ourselves and our fellow beings, between individual and society. It sums up in a succinct way the Buddhist attitude to the problems of individual and social ethics, of egoism and altruism. The gist of it is contained in those two concise sentences: "Protecting oneself, one protects others." (Attanam rakkhanto param rakkhati.) "Protecting others, one protects oneself."(Paramrakkhanto attanam rakkhati.) These two sentences are supplementary and should not be taken or quoted separately. Nowadays, when social service is so greatly stressed, people may be tempted to support their ideas by quoting only the second sentence. But any such one-sided quotation would misrepresent the Buddha's standpoint. It has to be remembered that in our story the Buddha expressly approved the words of the apprentice, that one has first to watch carefully one's own steps if one wishes to protect others from harm. He who himself is sunk in the mud cannot help others out of it. In that sense, self-protection forms the indispensable basis for the protection and help given to others. But self-protection is not selfish protection. It is self-control, ethical and spiritual self-development. There are some great truths which are so comprehensive and profound that they seem to have an ever-expanding range of significance that grows with one's own range of understanding and practising them. Such truths are applicable on various levels of understanding, and are valid in various contexts of our life. After reaching the first or second level, one will be surprised that again and again new vistas open themselves to our understanding, illumined by that same truth. This also holds for the great twin truths of our text which we shall consider now in some detail. "Protecting oneself, one protects others"--the truth of this statement begins at a very simple and practical level. This first material level of the truth is so self-evident that we need say no more than a few words about it. It is obvious that the protection of our own health will go far in protecting the health of others in our environment, especially where contagious diseases are concerned. Caution and circumspection in all our doings and movements will protect others from the harm that may come to them through our carelessness and negligence. By careful driving, abstention from alcohol, self-restraint in situations that might lead to violence--in all these and many other ways we shall protect others by protecting ourselves. The Ethical Level We come now to the ethical level of that truth. Moral self-protection will safeguard others, individuals and society, against our own unrestrained passions and selfish impulses. If we permit the "three roots" of evil--greed, hate and delusion--to take a firm hold in our hearts, then their outgrowths will spread far and wide like a jungle creeper, suffocating much healthy and noble growth all around. But if we protect ourselves against these three roots, our fellow beings too will be safe. They will be safe from our reckless greed for possessions and power, from our unrestrained lust and sensuality, from our envy and jealousy; safe from the disruptive consequences of our hate and enmity which may be destructive or even murderous; safe from the outbursts of our anger and from the resulting atmosphere of antagonism and conflict which may make life unbearable for them. The harmful effects our greed and hate have upon others are not limited to the times when they become passive objects or victims of our hate, or when their possessions become the object of our greed. Both greed and hate have an infectious power which vastly multiplies their evil effects. If we ourselves think of nothing else than to crave and to grasp, to acquire and possess, to hold and to cling, then we may rouse or strengthen these possessive instincts in others. Our bad conduct may become the standard of behaviour for those around us--for our children, our friends, our colleagues. Our own conduct may induce others to join us in the common satisfaction of rapacious desires; or we may arouse in them feelings of resentment and competitiveness. If we are full of sensuality, we may also kindle the fire of lust in them. Our own hate may provoke them to hate and vengeance. We may also ally ourselves with others or instigate them to common acts of hate and enmity. Greed and hate are, indeed, like contagious diseases. If we protect ourselves against these evil infections, we shall to some extent at least also protect others. Protection through Wisdom As to the third root of evil, delusion or ignorance we know very well how much harm may be done to others through the stupidity, thoughtlessness, prejudices, illusions and delusions of a single person. Without wisdom and knowledge, attempts to protect oneself and others will usually fail. One will see the danger only when it is too late, one will not make provision for the future; one will not know the right and effective means of protection and help. Therefore, self-protection through wisdom and knowledge is of the greatest importance. By acquiring true wisdom and knowledge, we shall protect others from the harmful consequences of our own ignorance, prejudices, infectious fanaticism and delusions. History shows us that great and destructive mass delusions have often been kindled by a single individual or a small number of people. Self-protection through wisdom and knowledge will protect others from the pernicious effect of such influences. We have briefly indicated how our own private life may have a strong impact on the lives of others. If we leave unresolved the actual or potential sources of social evil within ourselves, our external social activity will be either futile or markedly incomplete. Therefore, if we are moved by a spirit of social responsibility, we must not shirk the hard task of moral and spiritual self-development. Preoccupation with social activities must not be made an excuse or escape from the first duty, to tidy up one's own house first. On the other hand, he who earnestly devotes himself to moral self-improvement and spiritual self-development will be a strong and active force for good in the world, even if he does not engage in any external social service. His silent example alone will give help and encouragement to many, by showing that the ideals of a selfless and harmless life can actually be lived and are not only topics of sermons. The Meditative Level We proceed now to the next higher level in the interpretation of our text. It is expressed in the following words of the sutta: "And how does one, by protecting oneself, protect others? By the repeated and frequent practice of meditation." Moral self-protection will lack stability as long as it remains a rigid discipline enforced after a struggle of motives and against conflicting habits of thought and behaviour. Passionate desires and egotistic tendencies may grow in intensity if one tries to silence them by sheer force of will. Even if one temporarily succeeds in suppressing passionate or egotistic impulses, the unresolved inner conflict will impede one's moral and spiritual progress and warp one's character. Furthermore, inner disharmony caused by an enforced suppression of impulses will seek an outlet in external behaviour. It may make the individual irritable, resentful, domineering and aggressive towards others. Thus harm may come to oneself as well as to others by a wrong method of self-protection. Only when moral self-protection has become a %spontaneous% function, when it comes as naturally as the protective closing of the eyelid against dust--only then will our moral stature provide real protection and safety for ourselves and others. This naturalness of moral conduct does not come to us as a gift from heaven. It has to be acquired by repeated practice and cultivation. Therefore our sutta says that it is by repeated practice that self-protection becomes strong enough to protect others too. But if that repeated practice of the good takes place only on the practical, emotional and intellectual levels, its roots will not be firm and deep enough. Such repeated practice must also extend to the level of meditative cultivation. By meditation, the practical, emotional and intellectual motives of moral and spiritual self-protection will become our personal property which cannot easily be lost again. Therefore our sutta speaks here of bhavana, the meditative development of the mind in its widest sense. This is the highest form of protection which our world can bestow. He who has developed his mind by meditation lives in peace with himself and the world. From him no harm or violence will issue. The peace and purity which he radiates will have an inspiring, uplifting power and will be a blessing to the world. He will be a positive factor in society, even if he lives in seclusion and silence. When understanding for, and recognition of, the social value of a meditative life ceases in a nation, it will be one of the first symptoms of spiritual deterioration. Protection of Others We have now to consider the second part of the Buddha's utterance, a necessary complement to the first: "Protecting others one protects oneself. And how? By patience and forbearance, by a non-violent and harmless life, by loving-kindness and compassion (khantiya avihimsaya mettataya anuddayataya)." He whose relation to his fellow-beings is governed by these principles will protect himself better than he could with physical strength or with any mighty weapon. He who is patient and forbearing will avoid conflicts and quarrels, and will make friends of those for whom he has shown a patient understanding. He who does not resort to force or coercion will, under normal conditions, rarely become an object of violence himself as he provokes no violence from others. And if he should encounter violence, he will bring it to an early end as he will not perpetuate hostility through vengeance. He who has love and compassion for all beings, and is free of enmity, will conquer the ill-will of others and disarm the violent and brutal. A compassionate heart is the refuge of the whole world. We shall now better understand how those two complementary sentences of our text harmonize. Self-protection is the indispensable basis. But true self-protection is possible only if it does not conflict with the protection of others; for one who seeks self-protection at the expense of others will defile as well as endanger himself. On the other hand, protection of others must not conflict with the four principles of patience, non-violence, loving-kindness and compassion; it also must not interfere with their free spiritual development as it does in the case of various totalitarian doctrines. Thus in the Buddhist conception of self-protection all selfishness is excluded, and in the protection of others violence and interference have no place. Self-protection and protection of others correspond to the great twin virtues of Buddhism, wisdom and compassion. Right self-protection is the expression of wisdom, right protection of others the expression of compassion. Wisdom and compassion, being the primary elements of Bodhi or Enlightenment, have found their highest perfection in the Fully Enlightened One, the Buddha. The insistence on their harmonious development is a characteristic feature of the entire Dhamma. We meet them in the four sublime states (brahmavihara), where equanimity corresponds to wisdom and self-protection, while loving-kindness, compassion and sympathetic joy correspond to compassion and the protection of others. These two great principles of self-protection and protection of others are of equal importance to both individual and social ethics and bring the ends of both into harmony. Their beneficial impact, however, does not stop at the ethical level, but leads the individual upwards to the highest realisation of the Dhamma, while at the same time providing a firm foundation for the welfare of society. It is the writer's belief that the understanding of those two great principles of self-protection and protection of others, as manifesting the twin virtues of wisdom and compassion, is of vital importance to Buddhist education, for young and old alike. They are the cornerstones of character building and deserve a central place in the present world wide endeavour for a Buddhist revival. "I shall protect others"--thus should we establish our mindfulness, and guided by it devote ourselves to the practice of meditation, for the sake of our own liberation. "I shall protect others"--thus should we establish our mindfulness, and guided by it regulate our conduct by patience, harmlessness, loving-kindness and compassion, for the welfare and happiness of many. `Be indifferent to praise or blame' MUMBAI: ``A solid rock is not disturbed by the wind; even so, a wise person is not disturbed by praise or blame.'' -- Dhammapada. It is human nature to feel elated on being appreciated or disappointed when criticised. While this is more often considered as a natural reaction spiritual thinkers have observed that one should not be affected by a positive or a negative comment as it is a sign of a person's dependence on the opinion of others about oneself. It is also said that a person is answerable only to oneself and should not be deterred by what others say. To develop such an attitude, thinkers suggest that one should have faith in oneself and one's work. And that requires commitment. As Swami Vivekananda has said, ``Whatever you do devote your whole heart, mind and soul to it.'' He has further explained that a person should have the will to deliver the best and then be prepared to face whatever comes his or her way, be it criticism or praise. Moreover, he has observed, ``Each work has to pass through these stages --ridicule, opposition and then acceptance... opposition and persecution are welcome, only I have to be steady and pure and must have faith in God.'' Self-development gurus have explained that criticism should not affect a person and should be regarded as feedback and not as the final judgment of one's work and ability. People need to realise that no one can judge them better than they themselves. Also, one needs to think highly of oneself for the world judges a person by his or her own estimate. Moreover, when people crave to be praised, they are actually looking for reassurance of their capability. But a person who is confident of success is indifferent to applause, thinkers note. One usually sets a certain standard for oneself and strives to achieve that all the time, be it in the professional or personal front. When these standards are not met it causes much frustration. While one should always strive to achieve that standard, it might not happen every time. That shouldn't be reason for concern as a spiritual teacher has said, ``Is it possible to be committed to a set of standards that have nothing to do with being fully alive ... and are the standards more important than life itself?''           -- Roli Srivastava