Tiger photographed on safari at Ranthambore, India
We at ReSource were thrilled to be able to visit India, and one of the highlights was our tour of Rajasthan: an amazing place of contrasts (like the whole of India!) where we were privileged to be able to go on a tiger safari. The entire three weeks we spent in India was a source of inspiration and joy - the sub continent has an uncanny ability to draw you out and encourage your personal growth!
Once we knew we were going to India in Autumn 2008, we started to look for the most enriching experiences there - and something that really stood out as a must-do, must-see was to go on a tiger safari.
These big cats seen in their natural environment held great fascination, and we found ourselves heading for Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, a protected area, one of the few places in India where tigers are still regularly seen, even in the daytime, and are breeding.
Formerly a hunting preserve for the Maharaja of Jaipur, Ranthambore covers an area of 392 sq. km. and is nestled between the Aravali and Vindhya mountain ranges. This deciduous forest was once a part of the magnificent jungles of Central India. The rugged terrain, hills and open valleys with lakes and pools makes it a really romantic and picturesque place to be.
It seems we arrived at just the right time, and that we even had good ‘karma’, according to the locals, as we were able to see several tigers in the course of our three day safari. The excitement of being so close to these amazing creatures was almost indescribable, a real privilege - in fact, quite an emotional experience for all concerned, and something I would recommend wholeheartedly if you have the chance to visit.
I met up last night with New York Times best selling author Dan Pink, whose latest book, Drive
launched this week in London, published by Canongate.
Dan is always a real treat to watch and listen to, and his talk at the RSA (www.thersa.org) on January 27th was no exception. Author of Free Agent Nation and Whole New Mind, and dedicated to exploring new business paradigms, Dan now turns his attention to what motivates us, and exposes 40 years of research from top academic institutions that reveals some surprising results.
In essence, the ‘carrot and stick’ approach only works in certain circumstances and contexts - money as a motivator doesn’t necessarily produce better results. In fact, it can make them worse….
The book explores how, for higher level rather than mechanical tasks, we humans need a different set of motivators, summed up as Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose. Various companies (e.g. Google) who have used such ways of encouraging their staff have found great upsurges in creativity, the best ideas often emerging from unstructured or free time - with projects like Googlemail as exemplars.
Highly recommended read - and you can find Dan here to find out more about his ideas. More to come about our conversation soon…
