Stories Win Business

Craig Pipe was confused by the surfeit of mobile phones in the smart phones category. Everything looked more or less the same and offered similar features and functionalities. He had been at the store now for more than hour and wanted to buy the best instrument for his girlfriend’s birthday falling the next day. He decided to call his friends for their opinion and within minutes received feedback through calls, text messages, and more importantly links to customer reviews. It took Alex an extra hour but when he walked out of the store, he was contented about the purchase.

There is no doubt that youngsters like Craig increasingly rely on their friends and their network to finalize a purchase decision.

What is important to note is that this trend is not confined to consumer products but even in corporate decision making. For example, when it comes to availing IT services, most decision makers prefer to cross check with existing customers rather than rely on the vendor’s brand name and team’s capabilities. Thanks to the advancement in collaborative and social communication channels, peer judgments are effectively leveraged and decisions are made swiftly. In the IT services landscape where organizations contemplate substantial investments towards business critical projects, they don’t want to go wrong in the partner they choose. An increasing number of organizations are known to evaluate the track record of IT services providers (demonstrated success) and seek references before finalizing the deal. In an intensely competitive landscape where competitive differentiators between IT service providers are diminishing, client references or endorsements could potentially make a difference between winning or losing the deal. A compelling story narrated by a client is the best marketing weapon.

Take the example of the leader in global IT services – IBM. The company’s ‘Smarter Planet’ campaign has been creating waves across the world – educating and compelling audience to take action towards o making many aspects of our world 'smarter': roadways, health care, power grids, food production – all aimed at a better way of living. According to the company, a smarter planet will require a profound shift in management and governance toward far more collaborative approaches. The company has very clearly articulated its vision for a smarter planet. Better still, it has ensured that the vision is substantiated by actions, which has been endorsed by clients. Can anyone claim that ‘smarter planet’ is a hollow and unproductive campaign?

Finally, as Geoffrey Moore, the Silicon Valley based high technology consultant and author of Crossing the Chasm – considered to be a tech marketers bible – says that "the notion that part of what defines a high-tech market is the tendency of its members to reference each other when making buying decisions-- is absolutely key to successful high-tech marketing."

Are companies really employee-centric?

HCL leader Vineet Nayyar questioned in HBR blog as to who would be the catalyst to change in an organization – employees or their leaders? The company has been in the news for the substantial improvement it has made – thanks to the Employees First, Customers Second initiative undertaken by the company. According to the website, ‘the initiative places the needs of employees before the needs of customers. This seemingly counterintuitive strategy has provoked a sea-change at the company, and, believe it or not, greater customer loyalty, better engagements and higher revenues.’ The company has placed the employees first but for what? The organization’s gain. How long would employees support such an initiative? Every knowledge worker is continuously questioning his organization about the value it is providing him or her. What is in it for me has become a standard question?

When we undertake an employee-centric change management initiative, aren't we deviating from the core objective of empowering employees? Here, change is initiated from the interest of the organization - to power HCL into the big league, for example. From a career perspective, employees might or might not benefit from an initiative like this as the value they derive as an individual is questionable. This initiative, from an employees perspective, is yet another motivational programme. If an organization wishes to accelerate, the focus should be on improving employees' performance (very obvious) - individually. Like how a coach works with an athlete or any sportsman. The focus is not on Olympics or CWG but continuous improvement. How can he better his forehand, how can he improve his speed from 10 seconds to 9.5 seconds? Likewise, can't organizations focus on individual performance to ensure mutual benefits and then collective gain?

Greet a soldier today

Captain Dinesh Yadav’s return home awoke the whole colony, when in the middle of the night - crackers burst, music blared and residents seemed to increase their decibel levels to best the ongoing cacophony. Dinesh is a 20 something, dapper soldier serving in one of the country’s most sensitive areas – Kashmir. Obviously, any soldier returning home from such an area warrants a hero’s welcome. Senior Yadav – now touching 80 – had tears running down his cheeks when he tightly embraced the young soldier. He had good reason, I thought.

The senior Yadav had sat me down, two days earlier, sharing his perspectives with me on corporate services and ‘risk management.’ Corporate service personnel have a cushy life, he said, stretching himself on the sofa. What could be the worst thing – losing a job, ending up with debts? Yes, I nodded, with my eyes transfixed at a conspicuous photograph of Dharmesh Yadav, who was killed 15 years ago at the valley. Dharmesh was a born soldier, and laid down his life protecting hundreds of others, said the old man. His voice extremely proud yet poignant. There is absolutely no guarantee for life once you decide to become a soldier, he continued lighting an incense stick near his son’s photograph, yet no one really cares about soldiers. Our conversation later veered towards what corporate entities could learn from soldiers, especially on risk management.

However, the conversation and more importantly the circumstances had sent me into some kind of an introspection about the value of life. Mr.Yadav, I thought had a very strong point. At a time when corporate India is pampering its employees- offering cash and kind - to stay put in one job, thousands of soldiers are trying their best to effectively deploy their risk-management strategy in a do or die situation. While we throng malls and multiplexes in search for continuous entertainment, soldiers are fighting it out to let us sustain our entertainment quotient. Despite a luxuriant life, we are still continuously seeking incentives for motivation to carry out personal as well as professional tasks. Leaving the old man’s house, I asked him what he does to motivate himself and other soldiers. Shake hands with them and let them know their job is crucial for the nation – he said.

I am now looking for soldiers…

Lesson from the MD

The conference was just four hours away and the approval for the press release had not come. It had gone through at least 10 iterations – majority of them undertaken by the communication, marketing and the legal team based in US. Why the delay then? The MD based in India is yet to go through it, said our client counterpart. One of my senior team members was on the threshold of losing his temper over the client who was repeatedly checking about ‘all the other things,’ which he knew were in place. As time passed, we knew there wasn’t anything anybody could do but just wait for the MD to approve. Sitting amidst team members, who were vociferous about the MD’s ‘attitude’ and the company’s slothful culture, there was no room for airing anything positive.

An hour later, two foreigners emerged out of the business center followed by the head of marketing in India. No sign of the MD yet. As if to increase the tension in the air, the marketing head wanted to know if we had everything in order. All I could hear was someone gnawing their teeth. Ten minutes later, the MD emerged out of the business center - in a wheel chair, heavily bandaged and unmistakably in enormous pain. The blood stains were still fresh on his forehead and feet – the white bandage and the numbers on the wheel chair indicated he was coming directly from the hospital. As he approached us, he congratulated us for getting the ‘messaging’ bang on. He apologized and asked the person who was pushing the wheel chair to handover a green folder. “Thought, I’ll get the printed copies myself as we are getting delayed,” he said while moving on to the conference hall. No one from our team spoke for what seemed eternity.

Once the conference was over, one of the members went to the MD and helped him move around his wheelchair so that he could interact with the press. Why did you make it for the conference, asked an inquisitive journalist. Why shouldn’t I? Am perfectly fit to make an announcement – so why not? A start-up in India, and part of a diversified group, he was the innovator behind a game-changing product that was being launched. When the last journalist left the venue, he called our team and thanked each and everyone. His parting words still remains fresh in my memory. “You guys have one of the toughest jobs. How do you write something that is in synch with others thoughts?”

That event taught me couple of lessons. One is to increase my tolerance levels, two to be kind and three – everyone has a way of writing, what is important is to capture the idea, the thought.

Shadowing those in power

Discussing colleagues at workplace, my wife made a passing mention that her colleague was trying to google their CEO’s hobbies. For what? I exclaimed. The justification went on for 5-10 minutes but did not actually make sense. Her colleague had his own reasons, I thought. The next day in office, a colleague was digging into LinkedIn to extract details about a client. Well, it is important when you are planning to do business together, I thought. However, there seems to be more to this practice of ‘finding out more.’ According to psychologist Susan Fiske, “People pay attention to those who control their outcomes. In an effort to predict and possibly influence what is going to happen to them, people gather information about those with power." That is the ground reality.

In an earlier company that I worked, there was a deliberate and collaborative effort towards understanding clients. It was imposed on every client facing executives to find out – what does the client like the most, when is his/her birthday etc. Was there any result, any benefit to anyone? Absolutely no. Social capital or the ability to network should be an outcome of something larger. Smart executives in the same company pushed their knowledge with the client to get his buy-in and ultimately built a stronger relationship. The idea holds true in every professional relationship – an agency/client or a leader/follower. How much can one stretch his/her social capital to make a difference?

This ‘finding out more’ practice is mostly done for an immediate requirement – a project, a lead. Happen to read what Dr.Ivan Misner, who is supposedly a networking guru had to say about investing in networking. According to him, "You should always ask new contacts to tell you about a business challenge they are confronting. That way, you might know someone who can help, and that's the start of a relationship." Everyone has a way of accomplishing what they want in life – some leverage their networking skills while others rely on their intellectual capital.

If you want to be the best, let others be…

Everyone wants to be the best – no doubt about this. And, everyone has a way of being or becoming the best, be it at the work place or life in general. Now, it is said that people are at their best when they are happy performing a given task – when they enjoy the task. Am forced to believe that workplaces should hence be nurturing happiness so as to ensure sustained productivity. Personal experience also tells me that happiness is directly linked to freedom.

Back in school based in Munnar, then famous for its wildlife, we were barred from cycling, especially in the tea estates. We were warned about tuskers, wild buffaloes and other possible elements that could hinder our cycling experience. When questioned about the freedom to do what one enjoyed, my dad would say that the feeling was mutual - cyclists would encroach upon the freedom of animals. As kids, we would in any case enforce our freedom – cycling to the elephant lake and trekking to the boondocks. Age brought along with it the necessary freedom and parents would just extend ‘advisories.’ “Heard there is a rogue elephant on Maduppaty Estate – be careful.” None of us would go anywhere close to that estate as we had seen and heard enough about the consequence of bumping into a rogue elephant. The ‘advisory’ or ‘direction’ worked well for us. We could extend our freedom to a vast expanse and be happy.

Going by the attitude of today’s youngsters at work, organizations better apply the same logic. This is especially true in a people-centric business where business is awarded to best consultants and not the best-known ones, where clients seek talent, not firm names and where competition for new projects is not between firms, but between people and their ideas. We all know ideas can flow from anywhere in the organization. Remember the success of Post-it? The point is everyone in an organization is capable and can contribute significantly to the growth of it. It is just that everyone in an organization should believe in others; be tolerant of the way others accomplish a specific task. Be kind and helpful. Above all, proactively try and nurture an ecosystem for happiness. According to leadership expert, Dee Hock, “There is never a time when our knowledge, judgment and wisdom are not more useful and applicable than that of another. There is never a time when the knowledge, judgment and wisdom of another are not more useful and applicable than ours. At any time that "other" may be superior, subordinate, or peer.”

Every employee is a leader in one way or the other and hence it is important to note what Dee Hock says, “a true leader cannot be bound to lead, a true follower cannot be bound to follow.” The moment they are bound they are no longer leader or follower. If the behavior of either is compelled, whether by force, economic necessity, or contractual arrangement, the relationship is altered to one of superior/subordinate, manager/employee, master/servant, or owner/slave. All such relationships are materially different from leader/follower.”

The blind spot

Ever wondered about ‘blind spot’ in your career? It dawned upon me during a Sunday evening drive with a cousin of mine. He remarked that the ‘blind spot’ (part of the car that blocks vision) in my car was posing enormous challenge especially while anticipating turns on the long winding road from Lonawala to Pune. Having driven the car for over 2 years, ‘blind spot’ was something that I chose to neglect. After all, it was just a fraction of a second experience and nothing unusual can happen in that period. It wasn’t a very convincing response as I could make out from his face and he reeled out accident cases that occurred as a result of a millisecond of negligence. While leaving he asked me to be careful about the blind spot.

The next morning newspapers had unusual photographs on the front page – airhostesses. While most of them displayed a toned-down disposition, there were a few antagonized ones up in arms. None of the flight attendants had anticipated a drastic step of this nature from their employer. One of them was quoted saying she was asked not to report to duty when she reached the airport. Couple of others were featured in a box on the front page, highlighting their focus to be a flight attendant, move to Mumbai and the expenses incurred to secure a job with the leading airline and finally how their dream was shattered in a day. Nobody anticipated this despite the mounting losses airlines were reporting at that time. The airline’s case was one that hogged limelight in India. World over, the year 2009 saw millions of people losing jobs and then blaming their organizations and economy for being cold-blooded.

I’d like to believe that people know the possibility of a job loss but become enamored with what they are pursuing that they choose to neglect that remotest possibility. Just like how I chose to neglect the blind spot in my car. Most of the my friends intellectually understand that the industry is transforming but stick to the tried and tested skill sets and knowledge, which very clearly will not be a differentiator. “We will see when the change gets onto us,” is the customary response. Should we get into trouble and then run paranoid seeking to re-build ourselves?

Not that one has to reflect insecurity but it is important to understand from the network of friends what is happening in one’s office and industry. More importantly, be ready for the distant opportunity by continuously attempting to grab it. Remember, companies aren’t chasing market share but opportunity share so as to build a secure future. Why not us?

Frogs, mistakes and tea sessions

Early in my career, mistakes – minor or major – resulted in a closed door team meeting at the end of which members walked out as if they had bullets riddled all over their body. There would invariably be an exclusive target – thrashed to pulp - who would disappear for ‘tea’ after the meeting. I’ve had several such ‘tea sessions,’ which was in retrospect a test of tolerance. And, it would result in two key decisions. One, never to commit such mistakes again and two, never to let people go for ‘tea sessions’ while working in a team. The stint in that company, and with that boss in particular was enlightening as it paved way for me to be more responsible – in work and with team members. When I moved to another organization which had quite a few people working with me, the lessons imbibed earlier were diligently implemented. In the first meeting after joining, my boss said, ‘there are 7 team members here and their growth is your responsibility,’ and he left. If he is extending that much freedom, the team would obviously expect the same from me, I thought.

While pondering over the new role and the responsibilities entrusted on me, my mind went down the memory lane – to the science practical periods in school. Our teacher used to push me to dissect more frogs than anyone in the class primarily to ensure that I overcome the irrational fear of ‘dissecting something alive’ and get best results. ‘The more mistakes you make, the better you will learn. They are an essential part of experimentation and the innovation initiatives undertaken every day.’ she would reiterate while I stood grief-stricken over yet another mistake – a dead frog. This unbearable exercise or practical learning crossed the threshold of my tolerance and during one such session, I put the frogs ‘allotted’ to me in the dust bin thinking they would escape or be safe. Well, sometimes action done under ‘good faith’ turns out be great blunders or mistakes. The frogs jumped out of the dust bin, landed next to the group of girls where our teacher was detailing the objective of the session. Once the ensuing pandemonium ceased, it was clear what the next steps would be – point fingers. It was difficult from then on to gain trust from the teacher but I still the remember the days when she would stand next to me until I produced results to her satisfaction, the bar for which she would raise higher and higher. The lesson from this, according to her was that she wanted me to not just learn by making mistakes but ‘master the art of dissecting’…something alive, I would add.

Cut to the new organization and the team of seven who was now having coffee with me. After getting to know them, I shared three of the following points:
1. Make mistakes – silly or grave.
2. Realize the mistake, own them and more importantly - learn from the mistakes.
3. Let me know the mistake before the client calls.

The tea sessions continue even today but with colleagues and more importantly as a team bonding exercise.

Mobile menace - The ring tone that I hate

The lounge was packed with people - many with mobile phones wedged between their shoulder and ear-conveying and receiving positive messages.Positive vibes was evidently forced upon the bystanders of patients - by doctors, nurses and other visitors.Amidst the cacophony over phone,there seems to be a deliberate attempt at maintaining the decorum, ie, not to disturb others anxiously waiting. No phone rings more than twice.

It was in this scenario that a faint ring tone first caught my attention. The old Hindi number became louder and no one appeared to own it.Well, the ring was slowly hitting the peak and the already anxious lot now seem to be getting perturbed including myself. I was trying my luck to figure out the origin of this now ear-piercing ring tone, which obviously was inappropriate to the grim situation prevailing in the lounge. Just then it occurred to me that the crowd was staring at me. The most scornful expression ever trained at an innocent 'also anxious'
bystander, I thought. The person next to me couldn't resist and pointed to a bag next to me where I had left my Dad's phone. The phone was handed over to me while my brother went to collect medicines for Dad who was admitted at the CCU.Unfamiliar with the ring tone, my mind conveniently dismissed it as not mine.The next couple of seconds are best not recalled. All I remember is the thought of the floor just paving way for me to go down-away from the glare.

With Dad in the CCU and me being an unpardonable owner of a frivolous moment, the anxiety and embarrassed situation must have been obvious.Some of the bystanders proactively tried to strike a conversation-with an attempt to shield my embarrassment. This shall remain forever etched in my memory and obviously of several others.

The days to come...

So, computing is now following the utility model – pay as you go. There is a grid which supplies how-much-ever, whoever wants. Today’s cloud computing model was proposed long ago – even before Nicholas Carr keyed in the then (in)famous book, ‘Does IT matter?’ It is not surprising as we humans follow a pattern in whatever we undertake. Take the example of cars. The early models used to resemble a horse carriage. Television resembled radio. How about the internet? Remember the early days when pages were content heavy? Well, it followed the newspaper model. The early newspaper used to highlight events for the day so as to attract people for the same. Entertainment, education and sometimes pure business – newspaper played a vital role in bringing together people with similar interests. Now, we have social media addressing such niche interests.

No doubt, the internet has since evolved to create a virtual market place, replicating the brick and mortar businesses. Where do we go from here? While the internet gave us the convenience of doing whatever we wanted from home, the emergence of mobile as a device capable of doing anything, anywhere gives convenience a new spin.

M.S.Dhoni, captain of the Indian side can enjoy a ride inside a tanker truck. Thanks to technology enabling him to take part in a birthday for which he got delayed, be on the dance floor in a pub…it could be real and very soon. There is no doubt that the young are relying more on their smart phones, which could possibly mean that the coming generation would be seen skipping the technology called PC or notebook. If a fisherman in remote Andhra Pradesh can today sell his catch through the mobile phone even before hitting the shores, imagine what could happen in a metro in the days to come. My neighbor, Retd.Cdr.Sukumaran Nair tells me that he talks to his son on his mobile, chats with his granddaughter at night on the same device and reads news while on the go.

I was left thinking about how brick and mortar organizations would change their business model to embrace ‘mobility.’ More importantly, address an increasingly segmented audience that are increasingly seeking personalized services. For those in the business of communications, it is time to look for devices and applications that is enabling customization.

Lessons from Carlton Towers disaster

Carlton Towers was once a landmark on the airport road in Bangalore, housing prominent business giants. It was also one of the earliest buildings reflecting the rapid development of Bangalore as an IT hub. After 11 years being in the limelight, the building was gutted last week by fire and now controversy shrouds it.
The reams of pages written against the building owners reflect one important factor of life. When you’re on top, be sure about the way down. Development is rapid today and all of us get caught up with the urge to move up the ladder of development. At Carlton Towers, being in the thick of things - maintenance, repairs and investment towards this seem to have been overlooked. Overconfidence? Yes, it’s pretty common. At office, we were discussing about someone close. At a young age, when he tasted success – he began showing signs of being lackadaisical and arrogant. While on top, he neglected the very fundamentals that helped him succeed in the first place. It’s the case with most of us. As we become used to development, we tend to oversee the fundamental rules – or feel that it doesn’t apply to us any longer.

In the case of the building in Bangalore, the owners were focused (my opinion) in generating more revenues and closed the fire exits to pave way for something else. “This is a robust building, one of the best in Bangalore and nothing can happen to it.,” seems to have been the attitude. Sounds familiar? Certainly, we hear it from people in leading organizations. While the seniors in the organization carry an attitude of ‘been there done that’ for all the initiatives, new joinees are given no training in carrying out tasks. This implies erosion of competitive advantage that enables the organization sustain its leadership. Read that engineers at the Chernobyl nuclear plant overlooked routine safety checks because they had done so before, and nothing had happened. We all know what happened there after.

At Carlton, the slide must have begun when ‘security’ wasn’t a discussion point, when people responsible conveniently skipped a crucial process or discipline. After all, why do we have so many fire exits?

Social Networking and PR - the power of complements

You can't let what you know limit what you can imagine. Case in point – Mrs. Kumar, a 65 year old neighbour who was excited to share with me the success of a get-together she organized via facebook. Facebook? I repeated in disbelief. She sat me down for half an hour and gave me a lecture on the various benefits of social media, reiterating how it is transforming the communication landscape. Oh! certainly – I remarked and eased myself as I was keen now more than ever. Her husband was feeling really bad for me and informed Mrs. Kumar that people my age are proficient in social networking and that she should stop advising me on the same.

The response from her was immediate and will stay forever with me. She said, “as one attempts something new and exciting, it is important to look to others for ideas and practices, especially from an unrelated field. What works with or for them can possibly be applied to solve your challenges.” In a nutshell, if one wants to improve business, look at adjacent market for ideas. I quickly recalled the power of complements about which I was reading that morning. Complements are products that tend to be consumed together. Think of movies and popcorn, or pen and paper, or personal computers and digital cameras.

The story of Michelin brothers is a classic case here. Nicholass carr detailed the story. In 1900, shortly after the two brothers took control of their family’s venerable rubber business, they suddenly decided to publish a guidebook for tourists. Their Michelin Red Guide provided information on gas stations, hotels, restaurants, and other roadside attractions along with various maps and driving tips. The brothers printed 35,000 copies of the first edition - and gave them away free.
The move seemed hard to justify. After all, book publishing has little to do with rubber processing. Management gurus, if they had existed then, might have chided the brothers for losing sight of their “core business” and expanding beyond the scope of their “organizational capabilities.” They might even have used the story as a case study on why family businesses should bring in professional managers. But the diversification turned out to be an act of genius. The brothers had already realized that they needed to shift their company’s focus from the production of rubber, a basic commodity, to the production of rubber products - goods that they might be able to differentiate in the marketplace and sell at a premium price. They started by launching a line of pneumatic bicycle tyres, which quickly became popular. As the turn of the century approached, they realized that car tyres might turn out to be an even more lucrative extension of their traditional rubber business.
There was just one problem: automobiles were still rare and exotic products. Cars tended to be purchased by a fairly small set of well-heeled thrill-seekers, who drove them only occasionally. Before the Michelin Group could make a go of the car-tyre business, more people would have to start buying cars and they’d need to drive their vehicles more frequently. That’s where the Red Guide came in. André and Edouard saw that by giving motorists a practical, problem-solving handbook for traveling by road, they’d encourage the sale and use of automobiles - and in turn pump up their company’s nascent tyre business. Tourist guides and automobile tyres are complements. Make it easier for motorists to find a decent hotel room, and they’ll take longer trips in their cars and, in turn, replace their tyres more frequently.
Mrs.Kumar has more on the power of networking and leveraging social networks for the same. The more the medium, more need for communications and hence more PR professionals.

Influencing the trajectory of development

The PC industry had witnessed the mighty coalition of IBM, Microsoft and Intel when the industry was still in a nascent stage.
The trio set the objective of establishing an industry standard for increasing PC penetration and of course establish leadership.
Many would have believed IBM to take the lead with its already established O/S2 architecture but the coalition triggered an
unlikely disruption with MS breaking away with its own standard, leaving IBM gaping. Windows and Wintel became a household name
within a few years. Coalitions are formed usually to increase a company's share of influence in the industry.As an increasing number
of organizations focus on the future, competition isn't about building products for future, it is about influencing the trajectory of
industry development. The rise in coalitions can thus be attributed to the quest towards 'influencing.'
 
How about employees? How can they play a role in influencing the growth of an organization and possibly the development of an industry
in which their organization is present? The answer obviously is coalition.
- Partner like minded: While many organizations advocate the need to have globally integrated talent, today it is important for employees
to proactively reach out to others with similar skills xperience and outlook.
- Collaborate:Many already do this via social networks. However, majority of those logging in don't have an agenda or objective. One can
successfully collaborate only when there is clarity in terms of the intended outcome.
- Eye on future:What one possess as talent today might become obsolete the day after. In a coalition, it is imperative to keep ones eyes
and ears open to understand where the organization is heading towards and the industry. What are the necessary competencies for the future?
- Be open:There is no room for the rigid-in an organization as well as in the industry. If the objective is development, it should be collective.
A coalition can also collectively hamper growth, remember. 

Posted via email from rahulanands's posterous

The new innovation agenda

There’s this wide-spread notion that Indians aren’t good at innovation but just dishing out services to support someone else based in India or else where. While it may appear to be trivializing a broad subject as ‘innovation’ by linking it with the movie, 3 Idiots, now running to packed houses in the country – it is a reflection of how a broad subject hitherto restricted to the realms of intellectuals can be simplified and served to the masses. From the definition of manufacturing to flying a small airplane to successfully delivering a baby sans any medical support – the movie offers enough for innovative minds to chew. The fact is that there is perhaps no other country which is as stretched as India when it comes to leveraging resources – natural or otherwise. And that very fact make Indians adaptive innovators. We come out with the most effective solution though it may not be the best when it comes to presentation of the same.

No doubt, India’s innovation prowess can be substantiated by several products that left the worldwide market bemused – Nano being the latest. How about the Mumbai dabbawalas – who gave management gurus new framework on process innovation? If one delves into India’s business landscape, examples of innovations would come out in plenty. Who can forget the shampoo sachets customized for a specific audience in India? According to Navi Radjou, Executive Director of the Centre for India & Global Business (CIGB) at Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge, Indians have a penchant for turning adversity — such as widespread scarcity of natural and financial resources in India — into an opportunity to innovate and create more valuable products and services at less cost for more people. Radjou provides the example of Harish Hande, who founded SELCO in Bangalore, India in 1995. While the Indian government is still deliberating on how to effectively deliver electricity to the 600 million Indians who live off the grid, Harish has already sold more than 100,000 modular solar lighting systems in the remotest regions of India. His firm SELCO employs an innovative business model that relies on a cost-effective grassroots distribution network to deliver affordable electricity on a pay-as you-go basis to underserved Indian shops, households, and schools to power their everyday socio-economic activity.

As the shift to the networked economy becomes more pronounced, the world will possibly embrace India’s standards of innovation – quick and cost-effective. Why? Couple of reasons:

a) Innovation can’t wait: As competition increases, faster innovation-to-market will become a norm. Organizations will open their innovation horizon – beyond a captive center - and equip themselves to understand the market they serve and also the adjacencies. Innovation will not be restricted to a specific number of people in the organization but manifold implying the rise of intrapreneurs.
b) Cost of innovation: Obviously, with the need for more and more innovations, cost will race down the spiral and force companies to leverage best resources across the network. Having said that innovation will also become customized to address specific markets. Example, IBM’s spoken web initiative in India.
c) Innovation will be value-based: Incremental or disruptive, as organizations focus on addressing specific markets by customizing their innovation initiatives, the focus will necessarily be on extending the best value for their customers. Recall the introduction of shampoos through sachets in rural India – the customer proposition will be largely value-based of which cost becomes a significant component.

When you're in Australia, do as the Australians

It was one of those days when our neighbour was forced to stretch his parking area -
his sedan slightly encroaching upon our area. That was enough for my wife to spent
her energy - repeatedly checking if he corrected himself and warning me how in the
long run this could potentially become a habit. Obviously, her tolerance limit was low. The neighbours weren't any different;my wife was forced to reduce her tolerance. For that matter, such behaviour seems to be common.we increasingly tend to become ourselves and would love to have a system or society that is favourable to our way of thinking or culture.

Cut to Australia where Indians are facing so called racism. The issues seem to
have grabbed media attention all of a sudden. The question is whether the same has
been happening for a long time and been kept away from the media or has racism cropped up all of a sudden? The latter seems to be more probable going by the increasing number of Indians targeting the land of kangaroos as a destiny of promise. The real issue also lies in the burgeoning Indian population in Australia.

As the numbers swell, they excessively try to be themselves-replicating culture, tradition,festivities etc challenging the established and distinct social structure prevalent in the country. It is a case of repeatedly challenging the tolerance levels of natives and provoking them to eject those trying to force fit something new to the system. Indians conveniently forget the age old saying-when you are in Rome, do as the Romans. Like in business, diverse culture should blend efficiently towards building best practices, thus realizing a common goal.

Until and unless Indians seek to blend with the Australian culture, challenges will mount and individuals will face the brunt.

The clean state principle

My kids demand a clean sheet of paper to show their artistic talent, mostly when they have nothing else to do. At 2 and 5, their effort isn't anywhere close to art but a reflection of their observation. A simple straight line would be termed a snake, for instance. The uncomplicated drawings and clear justification for the same also connote something very important - a clear mind that acts like a powerful absorbant. It's unadulterated even though it is untethered. They demand a clean sheet of paper as they seek something that resemble their mind, which can clearly articulate even the most complex article that they come across with ease.

Is there a lesson for us adults? Of course. Let us first take our approach to people. We meet someone and we become judgemental immediately. The person is most often lacking in something even if he or she is friendly, smart or intelligent. With that in mind, it becomes a challenge at the workplace to strike a cordial relationship. Move over to activities at work. There is always one way of carrying it out and the best way is yours. No one cares the fact that it is an expression of mind and it could differ from people to people. There is a mindset in carrying out activities and it increases with the size of an organization.

Can't we leverage the 'clean state principle?' Such an initiative is important for the success of the organization as well as individuals key to drive success.
The clean state principle means the need for viewing resources - people, activity, process etc- as a leverage for driving competitive differentiators. A person could bring fresh perspective, new competence to the organization.However, this can be attained only if the organization permits a culture of openess. A new person should be seen as someone who could make a difference at an individual level. What is the difference in this approach? Well, it is not a top-down approach but a bottom-up one where every individual strives for a clean state every day.

Rise of social networks will diminish value of journalism

An increasing number of journalists are reserving their best – comprehensive and incisive articles – for their independent blogs. Competitive landscape for journalism is certainly changing and expectedly, established media houses are employing dedicated resources towards building their presence in the new mediascape. In the absence of incentives for providing content for another medium, journalists, especially the senior folks tend to set out on their own. Their independent venture is usually blessed with readership from the erstwhile print publications. With the new medium proving to be interactive and lucrative, seasoned journalists are increasingly being lured to online medium. Print publications are left with fresh minds trying to match wavelengths of CXOs and industry analysts. With few in numbers, they are increasingly relying on corporate communication executives for content. The result is for everyone to see. The dailies seem to be focusing on more positive news with industry trends, corporate profile, management profiling etc finding flavor.

The rise of social networks that relies on real-time news is also forcing organizations to rethink their communication strategy. A wrong move could trigger off uncontrollable dissemination of news. Organizations are today holding back on communication – be it external or internal or they are focusing even more on the ‘key messages’ they want to deliver. In summary, they are making the journalists job much more challenging. For the same reason, print publications are unable to provide business decision makers a platform to get insight on their industry. More importantly, CEOs are under less public pressure as most of their strategies are confined to the four walls of their organizations – no one questions the efficacy of the same until the organization slips remarkably.

'Forwarding' happiness?

It’s apparent by the dozens of ‘mail forwards,’ that happiness is much in demand. The stakes seem to go up by the day with ‘forwards’ stating tangible values as the outcome. Well, who doesn’t want a million, especially when it could come after a few clicks – keying in names from the friend’s list. A new job? It’s not surprising that ‘forwards’ reflecting ‘new jobs’ have been on the rise as the downturn had rendered many jobless. Any mail promising something even remotely close to a job would certainly entice the jobless and hence the rise in such forwards. ‘Forwards’ have become a priority for many - my friends and relatives categorize them as important, urgent etc. They can’t be blamed. When you’re in a sticky wicket – you tend to reach out to even the most impertinent of stuffs. And, when there’s a tinge of a intimidation in the ‘forward,’ there is desperation and hence it goes to the ‘urgent’ mails. On many occasions I have myself opened ‘forwards’ that blaringly stated – ‘if you don’t forward this to 10 friends in the next 10 seconds, your boss will call you aside to share a bad news.’ Do I take a chance?

These days I ignore most of the forwards and try to stay focused on what I want. It’s a lesson I learnt from a friend who was desperate to get clients for his new consulting business. He went through a rough patch especially in the first few months when the recession set in. However, his undying passion and perseverance in following up with prospective clients; long wait at several coffee shops across the town clearly reflected a promising future for the business. He is now a jet-setting consultant but still trying to push clients for the next appointment. When asked the secret of his success and that too in a short time, he said, ‘what you focus is what you get?’ That for me was a powerful statement with multiple connotations. Ever since that day, it was easy for me to overlook enticing mails – be it job offers or a million for just forwarding.

Coming back to the forwards reflecting happiness – if one is genuinely focused on creating happiness to 10 others – am certain it’s just a call away or worse a personalized e-mail away. Remember the days when we were deprived of such instant communication tools, the days when we wrote long letters to friends? We were always trying to establish a connect, which would provide an emotional high, right? Why can’t we recreate such ‘happiness’ with instant communication tools? Every time I call my Mom, she says don’t forget to call on Sunday evening thinking that am busy and can set aside time only on Sundays for her. Well, these days I call her at least twice a week. One interesting change has been the change in the structure of our relationship network – from a two-way, expectation-free network, our relationship is turning out to be unidirectional and purely driven by profit motives. It is so because one ‘expects’ something back from the relationship being established. The moment one ‘expects’ something from a relationship, there will arise a critical yardstick called satisfaction. Knowingly or unknowingly one prioritizes activities to carry on the relationship, based on the ‘expectation’ and the ‘satisfaction’ derived from the same. Happiness is thus only a possible outcome.

As the authors of The Go Giver says, When you base your relationships – in business or anywhere else in your life – on who owes who what, that’s not being a friend. That’s being a creditor. The authors further state that “Your influence is determined by how abundantly you place other people’s interests first.” For me, it’s all about being invested in people, it’s all about ensuring the person next to me is happy.

Is Mukesh Ambani a good leadership brand?

The trip to Mumbai made me think of leadership styles and the perception it evokes amongst public . An under construction multi-storied building started it all. The building apparently is a multi-crore project by Mukesh Ambani to house his family; clearly reflecting his taste for luxury and reason for being in the Forbes richest list. Now, it's believed, at least in India that a successful person-in
business or otherwise is one who is humble and relentlessly working towards uplifting the needy. More importantly, I was reminded of what Management Guru, the late Peter Drucker said, “The CEO is the link between the Inside that is ‘the organization,’ and the Outside of society, economy, technology, markets, and customers. Inside there are only costs. Results are only on the outside.”

Mr.Ambani seems to be an exception. The cabby who was driving us to the hotel from the airport related Mukesh Ambani's ambitious project in the middle of India's commercial capital-Mumbai to Ratan Tata's gesture towards terror victims of Taj Mahal hotel. Tata, Chairman of Tata Sons is obviously held in high esteem as he went out of the way to be a part of the grief stricken families. This is an era where business leaders are required to evoke inspiration. Young executives – increasingly trying to integrate corporate social responsibility into their daily activities are reflecting a renewed passion for purpose and values, a sense of responsibility to local and global community. More and more of these executives are seeking a work atmosphere that reflects a ‘business movement’ aimed at addressing a larger social cause. Does Mukesh Ambani fit into this?

According to John Baldoni, a leadership consultant, leaders have an identifiable persona that is a reflection of what they do and how others perceive them. It is called the leadership brand. According to him, the leadership brand is a reflection of the leader’s credibility. The objective is to develop it wisely and nurture it carefully so as to help create strong bonds of trust with followers. What it is not is all the more important. Leadership brand is not about chasing visibility. Mukesh Ambani has reportedly sponsored an event to felicitate Sachin Tendulkar after the cricketer finished 20 years in cricket. With most of the bollywood's 'who is who,' the event seem to be an ideal set up for garnering personal visibility. Do we see Ratan Tata doing similar PR exercises?

Why is India ranked low in IT adoption?

India ranks low in the latest Global Information Technology Report (GITR) report that evaluates IT adoption. It’s appalling considering the potential of this country and the promise seen by MNC technology vendors who are establishing their presence in the country. The country has also been witness to several automobile giants, retailers and manufacturers setting shop - why then this low adoption? The most obvious response would be the economic downturn. However, if reports from domestic IT majors are to be believed, IT adoption in India across verticals has been quite encouraging. The flip side is that India still has a long way to go vis-à-vis other countries when it comes to embracing the digital model for business. In other words, the country is an undersold market for technology.

The report throws light on interesting facts that would see growth in IT adoption in the days to come. For example, it points out that the price of personal computers is falling rapidly and the emergence of a whole new class of laptops, priced as low as US$100 to US$300 is enabling large segments of the population of emerging countries to now get access to affordable computing. Software capabilities are improving steadily, and they account to a large degree for the growth in popularity of social networking platforms and other Web 2.0 services. What’s most intriguing is the growth of members in LinkedIn, a social networking site. This despite the slump in economy. It goes on to show the significance of internet and networking in daily lives. IT seems to be indispensable. While mostly confined to tier I and tier II towns, internet penetration and social networking is increasingly becoming a imperative, especially amongst youth and is expected to drive further growth in cost-effective net-books.

The other reason pointed out in the report is related to the fact that both public- and private-sector leaders now fully accept the important role of ICT in stimulating growth and enabling the development of economies by significantly increasing productivity across sectors. Agility and productivity has become a norm. Imagine booking a railway ticket to any place of choice in India sitting in office, transferring money from the nationalized banks to parents in remote areas. Well, all this when you’re stuck in a remote town – implausible, isn’t it? Jagadish, a fishing contractor based in Nalgonda in Andhra Pradesh is today able to fix the price of his catch even before his boat with the catch nears the shore – thanks to the penetration of the mobile phone. Farmers are able to flash biometric cards for updating their bank accounts on a daily basis or for that matter avail loans without having to spend time at co-operative banks – thanks to technology, which is empowering people at the bottom of the pyramid.

Another key factor that might trigger better ICT growth here is the reverse brain drain. With the downturn, many Indians and even foreign nationals are targeting India as a potential job market. With global exposure and deep domain expertise, these people can leverage their skills to establish market ‘colonies’.

Teaching is the highest form of understanding

It’s a knowledge-driven economy - individual knowledge and collective wisdom could possibly be the differentiator for success – an individual’s or of organizations. ‘Independence’ has paved way for inter-dependence where the success of an individual or organizations could possibly trigger off world of opportunities for others. In business parlance – the network effect. . At home, Captain Gopinath’s focus in bringing the ‘dream of flying’ closer to the masses helped commoditize flying with low cost carriers stretching the market. Today, millions of Indians fly across the country – saving precious time, enhancing relationships, or simply improving life. Today, every feature story about low cost flying in India has a mention of Captain Gopinath. Take the example of Toyota. Though there are several car manufacturers across the world, the manufacturing process of Toyota is vividly discussed, why?

The answer is simple. We tend to quote or refer ‘learnings’ in our day-to-day conversations. The phenomenon seems to increasing as pressure on individuals ‘to learn’ mounts every day. This is prevalent in an organization as well as outside. With competition elevated to a global landscape, neither organizations nor employees can rest on past glory as competitive differentiators become a moving target. The quest for learning hence is a continuous process and stretches outside the organization. Gary Hamel, the influential business strategist, likes to say that one of the most urgent questions facing leaders (and thus their companies) is, "Are you learning as fast as the world is changing?"

It could possibly be inferred that employees will stick to an organization where continuous learning is encouraged and embedded in its culture. An ex-colleague of mine used to engage all of us in a discussion about latest trends in technology, every day in the morning. We used to discuss, debate and also distribute knowledge assimilated via this exercise to clients and journalists who were in contact with us. All of us would prepare well for the ‘debate’ in the morning lest we run out of points. In a nutshell, we would keenly look forward to the ‘mornings.’ The debate also enabled the team start an in-house journal besides helping win new business mandates showcasing ‘knowledgeable team mates.’

Many leaders have now come to terms with the fact that for their companies to stay ahead of the competition, their employees, cutting across the entire organization, have to learn more than the competitors. Employees will have to acquire new skills, keep tab on emerging technologies, and suggest new ways to do old things, from manufacturing to marketing to R&D. An organization can be a learning one only when it truly understand its people and their unique requirements. Aristotle famously said, "teaching is the highest form of understanding." Ever wondered why the likes of Infosys founder – Narayanamurthy, Air Deccan’s Captain Gopinath to name a few are recalled by the masses? While they stayed focused as leaders in their organizations, they also knew what is ailing the industry, what should people learn and more importantly they were willing to share what they knew. We don’t forget what we learnt and from whom. Our favourite teachers are the ones from whom we have learnt a lot.

Value add

India has been witness to organizational transformations and business model innovations. Pepsi, the beverages major says that it will tailor the company’ global model to suit Indian markets. IBM, has been stressing its unique approach to India by ‘lowering its center of gravity.’ As companies rev up to emerge successfully on the other side of the down-turn, many seem to be changing their business models while trying to be as close as possible to where the action takes place – the market. More and more of these organizations are scampering towards reviewing their own values and culture while simultaneously attempting to adapt to the dynamic local markets, India for instance. It is obvious that only those organizations that are nimble and flexible will thrive as they experience unusual and challenging market scenarios. How can a successful company operating in a mature market in the US replicate the same operating model in a remote village in India? The answer to this lies in the success of shampoo sachets introduced in villages across India by a small firm in Chennai, India. The company, through this initiative changed the existing landscape for shampoos.

How did CavinKare disrupt the market with shampoo sachets? Simple, it understood the market better than the gorillas of the industry. Its employees gave an insight that transformed the company’s fortune. As organizations transform their business model, it is imperative for the employees to change their working model as well. What are the necessary competencies required for the future? Well, the obvious answer would be deep domain expertise that ensure the power to leverage insight as well as foresight. Take the example of IBM. The company leveraged its global ‘Steel expertise’ to develop a template that can be put to use in markets when the demand picks up. It had the foresight that Indian steel manufacturers would adopt the template two years before they actually did. However, it’s common knowledge that there is a dearth for such specialists. Even if they’re available, it’s at a premium.

Such specialists come with unmatched and unbridled passion that organizations find it tough aligning them to their culture. What is the solution? One way to overcome this would be to let employees work part-time – allow them to undertake whatever they are passionate about for the rest of the time. Organizations can align their business goals with employee’s personal goals and derive utmost benefit. There should of course be some alignment of objectives. For instance, a journalist who would like to focus on the NGO’s can possibly pass on intelligence in leveraging the NGO’s for building a targeted information network.

A finance executive who passionately believed in contributing to the society relinquished her plum job to focus on mobilizing funds for a school for the under privileged. Her firm later allowed her to follow her dream but engaged her with the company on a part-time basis. While she could network with the firm’s clients for funds towards the under-privileged, the firm benefitted from her expertise and also the NGO’s client base. As organizations re-visit their values and culture, employees should do the same. It’s time to follow the heart. The finance executive re-joined the firm because she knew the association would be mutually beneficial and that her expertise in the firm could uplift a part of the society.

As Rosabeth Moss Kanter writes, People search more broadly, see more opportunities, and generate more ideas if they are encouraged to think about the world and not just about their function. If they look closely at society, not just as a market abstraction but as a collection of fellow humans with needs worthy of attention, they see that there is always room for improvement. "Better" is always a moving target. When people feel their ideas will contribute to serving society, beyond the quest for revenues and profits, there is an additional motivational boost to focus on new solutions, not just pushing more of what they already know. They care about solving the problem because it is connected with their values, and they are willing to keep working until the problem is solved, not just until they have a product to throw over the transom.

Network Now

Three months back I met Mosses, a friend who lost his job due to the downturn. It was a surprise why he lost his job. After all, two weeks before our meeting, he was regarded as a key performer, someone integral to the organization's long term plans. Alas, a day can bring in unforeseen and dramatic changes. Mosses was aghast but guess what - it lasted just for a day. He leveraged his expansive network spanning various social networks to seek another permanent job. The response according to him was overwhelming.He was in fact finding it tough to say no to many of them.

Well, the point is that we have come a long way since the days of inland letters, trunk calls and even emails. It just takes a few clicks to activate ones 'network.' More importantly, it is simpler, cost effective and real time. It can be customized to individual needs - one way networking, two ways or multiple ways. In essence, the network can be leveraged to suit ones intended benefits - a reason why Networking hitherto restricted to the extroverts has many takers today. It's kiddish says a successful senior executive, while discussing benefits of the ubiquitous social network. That's when I take the example of Mosses who could seamlessly transition to a new job because of his network. Competition is implausible irrespective of the field, and the market one is in. What one is today need not necessarily remain so. Remember, there is a need to develop a competitive advantage for self more than ever. While firms big and small communicate their competitive differentiators for garnering market share, why not individuals? The task has in fact become imperative. The power of networking help individuals to strongly communicate their differentiators.

Follow your heart

Dad put in over 20 years at Tata Tea and when he finally managed to pull himself out of the comfort zone, he felt he missed out on a lot of learning, which could have been assimilated from outside. Ever since that conversation, I've been in pursuit of variety - for want of better exposure. When companies seek diversity to foster creative thinking, why can't employees adopt the same strategy - i.e, seek diverse employers to accumulate 'best practices'? Nothing wrong, I would say, if one has a sound objective while pursuing variety.A friend of mine recently decided to move on from an MNC consultancy after putting in two years.His chat with me clearly pointed out something significant - in work, as in love, one has to follow his/her heart. As mentioned in my earlier posts, it's important to focus on what matters most as a person. It enables one derive utmost satisfaction from a value perspective - monetarily and otherwise. Why? As one spends time pursuing personal goals that are closely aligned with professional ones, leveraging capabilities inherent or assimilated, one feels that the time is being spent intelligently. In my friend's case - his focus was on social media, his personal interest lie in the same and so does his capabilities.

There are couple of points that one could introspect on:

a. Brand equity - Is brand equity of an employer a priority? There is a phase in ones career, when big labels make a difference. Learning here might not be substantial but from a career perspective - it provides the necessary impetus.

b. Nature of job - There are people who are driven by freedom to do what they want, something intellectually stimulates drives them, challenge is a stimulant. What matters is doing what interests them with enough autonomy. Place of work is not a priority.

c. Security - These are people who have learnt to adapt to a particular atmosphere, developed an ecosystem with people that time and again repose faith in them. They grow at their own pace with the belief that growth is rapid and in synch with industry. These are typically those in PSUs and old economy companies. They hate job hopping and hoppers.

d. Rewards - With increasing peer pressure, there are people who jump in search of monetary rewards. Serious employers will be skeptical in hiring these folks as their CV resembles that of a 'pole vaulter.'

As for me, am continuously in search of challenges that will enable me assimilate 'best practices.'

Can anyone manage time?

Time is very subjective. For instance, a working professional is constantly chasing a deadline – that’s time for him. A house wife is waiting for the next episode of a serial – the wait is time for her. For a kid – time is always revolving around games. Everyone wants time. But for what? Everyone wants time to do what they want and be satisfied. ‘Oh! I have absolutely no time’ is a common expression, isn’t it? What are they actually complaining of? Did ‘time’ decide to give them a slip? Or, was it a mismanagement of activities? We all know time waits for no one - yet time is always the villain.

My son is supposed to watch television in the morning only when he finish his breakfast. However, by the time he manages to gulp everything down, it is time for school. You can imagine the cacophony one has to undergo, when a four year old misses his favourite ‘Looney tunes’ show. Well, there is no point discussing ‘time management’ with him but just urge him to focus on what he’s doing and finish it faster. Chew the food faster and refrain from pestering his kid sister, for instance. The point here is no one can manage time but everyone can manage the activities, tasks they undertake. Does it mean one has to multi-task and be efficient in doing it? Not really. One will be giving too little attention to too many things while multi tasking and more importantly - fail to do anything well. Like how my son missed his favourite show.

Time is subjective and is measured mostly in terms of satisfaction. A working professional will be satisfied only when his tasks for the day is complete – and to his satisfaction. What one should hence do to ‘manage time’ and to generate satisfaction is to identify the tasks that will create the most value and focus on those. By prioritizing value over the number of tasks; focusing on the things that really matter, one will increase the quality of work and obviously the value one extend. Am worried my son will find more value in watching television than the breakfast he is served.

Remember, time = satisfaction. No wonder then it’s said that a busy person is one who finds time for everything.

'Uncertain' lessons

I’ve been a victim of uncertain times. And, as a person notorious for snap decisions – my social medium is filled with posts reflecting uncertainty. It’s after all an established phenomenon that when the future is uncertain, functioning in the present becomes challenging. Obviously, I need to vent my frustration somehow. The good thing is that my network has friends who understand my situation and instill confidence. Then there is this quest towards optimism that enables me to assimilate positive thoughts. The last couple of days have been continuous learning despite the overwhelming negativity.

So, here’s the learning. According to ‘Human Motivation,’ a book by David McClelland, a Harvard psychology professor, Everyone is driven by three things – a) achievement (the desire to compete against increasingly challenging goals), b) affiliation (the desire to be liked/loved) and c) Power - the desire for influence and respect for yourself and the desire to empower others; to offer them influence and respect. The author states that people will remain motivated and engaged if they have the opportunity to do the above.

So, what am I doing? Am trying my best to engage myself with whatever work I have, get connected and try and influence those who need to be…From an organization perspective, employers should realize that people become political when uncertainty spreads, which could be unfavourable especially during challenging times.

Office is my home, err...is it?

It was one of those usual conversations between colleagues in the office but it raised questions about triggering assumptions based on earlier conversations and then ultimately leading to distrust amongst employees. While the parties sat together to try and resolve the matter, I made a gentle exit with the thought that it was just a case of social interactions getting complex. A little later, an ex-colleague called to say that he is throwing in the towel at his present job. He feels insecurity is ruling over everyday tasks. There is no word of appreciation, absolutely no care from his employer. Undoubtedly, he despises the very thought of heading for work, I could surmise. Yet another casualty of the downturn – how could I help him? Thought, I should spend some time to get more clarity on the situation, I reached out to him.

My doubts were proven right. While my friend was expecting the organization to cheer him up even when the going was extremely tough, he seemed to have been left to fend on his own. With the employee spending close to 12 hours in office, it is but natural to expect ‘care’ from his employer. A quick look at news reports generated in the recent past indicate that organizations are increasingly focusing on growth at the expense of employees instrumental in driving this growth. As someone said, human brain is a social organ. Its physiological and neurological reactions are directly and profoundly shaped by social interactions. A challenge at a professional level might evoke the same response as a challenge at the personal level as the distinction is blurring today.

According to a research done at University of California at Los Angeles, it was found that although a job is often regarded as a purely economic transaction, in which people exchange their labor for financial compensation, the brain experiences the workplace first and foremost as a social system. When people feel betrayed or unrecognized at work — for example, when they are reprimanded, given an assignment that seems unworthy, or told to take a pay cut — they experience it as a neural impulse, as powerful and painful as a blow to the head. Most people who work in companies learn to rationalize or temper their reactions; they “suck it up,” as the common parlance puts it. But they also limit their commitment and engagement. They become purely transactional employees, reluctant to give more of themselves to the company, because the social context stands in their way.

On the other hand when leaders take initiatives to understand their people, make them feel good, clearly communicate what’s expected from employees, give latitude to make decisions, support people’s efforts to build good relationships, and treat the whole organization fairly, it prompts a reward response. Others in the organization become more effective, more open to ideas, and more creative. They notice the kind of information that passes them by when fear or resentment makes it difficult to focus their attention. They are less susceptible to burnout because they are able to manage their stress. They feel intrinsically rewarded.

An organization is today more like an employee’s home where he fosters certainty, each and everyone is treated fairly, caring is a given, and where freedom is not a choice. Every leader or employer should keep in mind that ‘home is where the heart is.’ Where is your employees heart?

Are organizations conditioning employees to lose?

This is the time when employees are supposed to do ‘more with less.’ This is also the time when organizations come to terms with ‘productivity and efficiency’ that could have been and so prune resources leaving the rest to address clients clamouring for ‘more with less.’ The situation reminds me about the story of an eagle that was brought up with chickens. The story has it that an eagle’s egg was placed in the nest of a prairie chicken. The egg hatched and the eagle grew up thinking that it was a prairie chicken. It did what the chickens did. One day it saw an eagle flying majestically in the sky and asked the chickens, “what is that beautiful bird?” The chickens replied – “Oh! That’s the mighty eagle, who flies very high. We are prairie chickens – we cannot even think of flying like the eagle.” The eagle didn’t give it a second thought, completely trusting the chickens. He lived and died as a prairie chicken. Born to win but conditioned to lose.

Cut to the corporate nest. With ‘uncertainty and doing more with less’ as the focus, employees behave like the eagle. Am yet to hear someone talk about how organizations should be focusing on how it can make the most positive, possible difference in the future. Implying the future of employees, existing clients and itself. For this to happen, they should think beyond the present. With everyone discussing ‘downturn,’ most organizations today seem to have an installed base of thinking, a myopic view of opportunities – present and future- that compromise investment towards client satisfaction, employee satisfaction and there by growth.

Look at the pressure on listed companies today. It has become imperative for them to focus on numerator growth rather than tinkering their denominator-led strategy. As Wall Street makes it clear to them, “Go ahead, squeeze the lemon, get the inefficiencies out, give us the juice (dividends). We’ll take the juice and give it to companies that are better at making lemonade.” The point is that the focus should be on growth – of employees, clients and the company and that will certainly not be a result of doing ‘more with less.’ Management gurus say that the bus should have right people at the right place at the right time so as to move. Who would want to be in a stationary bus?

Lessons from 'Abhiyum Naanum'

a. Freedom – Give others the freedom they seek. They ‘know what they’re doing.’ While we might have a strong point against theirs – remember, it’s ‘our point.’ A tree doesn’t grow the way we want it to grow though we nurture it.
b. Trust – Life is a network of networks. And, trust is an integral part in ensuring that the network sustains. Everyone has a reason doing what they are doing. Trust their instincts.
c. Respect – It’s not important to visit a place of worship. Nothing counts more than the ‘respect’ we bestow on others irrespective of their age, profession and social status.
d. Contribute – Happiness is a result of providing something without expecting anything in return. When one is driven by ‘giving,’ it doesn’t really matter if someone else is trying to take advantage of the magnanimity.
e. Surprise – Be ready for surprises everyday. One could take this as continuous learning.

Too tempting to remain focused

I love the word focus. Unfortunately for me, the seriousness of this came pretty late in life and by then I was all over the place scampering for a share in the ‘me too’ market. And then, someone someday articulated the need to bring some ‘focus’ in life. Ever since that day, am relentlessly trying to integrate my initiatives to sharpen my focus. As an individual it’s pretty easy. Abhinav Bhindra, Sachin Tendulkar to name a few successful people wouldn’t have been where they are now without focus.
Moving over to the corporate jungle, can we recall a company that has a clear focus? Not many, heh! One would believe that organizations would narrow their focus in an intensely competitive global market where products get increasingly commoditized. A quick look at the Indian market would reveal that companies are diversifying, widening their focus to grab as much of the market share as possible. Coca Cola entered and diversified – from colas to drinking water to snacks. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a ‘Coco Cola Hotel’ in future. Unilever - the only thing I recall of the company is its continuous endeavor in reducing the number of brands – amassed over the years chasing existing and non-existing markets. Take the example of Maruti. As a potential customer, do you have a clue of which car to buy from their stable?
The point here is as companies diversify, their focus on extending values diminish. Growth becomes a constant in all strategic plans – straining the management as well as the people on ground. The values promised to customers through various brands, values for employees, values for partners etc. In a world where, brands or for that matter companies disappear within days, it is important for companies to ensure that customers reverberate its values. Recall Lehman Brothers? What happened?
Going back to why I love the word focus. It’s only because it’s an all encompassing word for a company. Focus on people, focus on customers, focus on partners, suppliers, market etc. Everything else will automatically fall into place if the buzz word is focus within a company.

Consumer electronic cos getting disengaged

Sony, the electronics giant has over the years built an indelible brand equity amongst consumers with its compelling products-price-performance value proposition. Many of its products have aspirational value that the burgeoning knowledge workers in India would vouch. ‘You got a Sony Bravia, wow!,’ ‘a Sony VAIO – Oh My God!!!’ are common expressions amongst youth these days. The question is whether the company is living to its value proposition? Well, recent events clearly indicate a perception – reality dissonance.
One of my colleagues had a harrowing time chasing the service engineers to replace a part on his Bravia so that he could enjoy the ongoing Champions Trophy. He’s yet to get a response after three weeks. Yet another colleague was figuring out contact details of LG for mending a two year old washing machine. These can be dismissed as one off experiences. However, the intense competition in the consumer electronics market seem to be forcing companies to get disengaged from its ‘fans.’ Can we imagine Sachin Tendulkar snapping at a young cricket fan in public? Do big brands lose customer focus? Can they afford to? A restaurant where am a regular stopped offering customers tea as it curtailed the possibility of selling their money spinners – kebabs, shawarmas and fruit juices. As I sat for my regular parota, chilly chicken and tea, the server informed me about his boss’s decision but offered my regular tea nevertheless. That for me was a ‘wow’ moment. I still go there and binge on parotas and chicken sans the tea.
There’s a lesson for big brands from this. As the business get commoditized, the need for customer focus and service should only increase. After all, customers are increasingly seeking ‘wow’ moments.

Employees will drive IT adoption

Saddled with years of investment into IT, maintaining the same and now making the ‘cob-web’ of IT effectively work - CIOs of today have a humongous task. And, when each employee is seen as a cost-center, the proposition of ‘what’s in it for the employee’ becomes the focus while deliberating on next investments. ‘Employee’ will become the center of focus for IT purchase. And, no doubt, industry will soon be abuzz with ‘end-user’ adoption.
Google, Salesforce.com, Citrix to name a few are possibly aiming at this market – the oversold market - where ‘simplicity’ is the norm. The market will soon revolve around what the employees prefer. Are they bothered about servers? Storage? No, not at all. They are only bothered about finishing their work fast and leveraging applications that will enable them to efficiently undertake their work. Google launched an operating system centered around the web as the company saw an increasing number of people relying on the web to carry out their work. Salesforce famous for simplifying ERP and hosting the same on the web is another example. Citrix seems to be simplifying ‘virtualization’ by targeting employees with an effective desktop virtualization solution. All these companies are targeting employees/users in an enterprise.
As more and more employees pull out convenient applications from the web or the ‘cloud,’ there is no doubt that the market will revolve around powering these applications. Remember, how we use electricity for various purposes. Be it powering the refrigerator, geyser or microwave – all it takes is a switch. Do we know where electricity is stored? Now imagine every employee as an equipment – refrigerator, geyser etc. IT should be able to power these equipments, i.e, employees. Like the equipments that decide the amount of power to be consumed for a specific purpose, employees will decide the type of technology they will use.

When clients behave badly...

My colleague was upset the way our client spoke to him. Then there was yet another one complaining about an aggressive and hard-to-convince partner in Ahmedabad. Both the colleagues were going back home mentally pooped or sulking in office - forced to tolerate what they had to undergo. We are constantly shocked by the things other people say and do or by the things they don't say and don't do. How can my boss have ignored me? How can my colleague have taken the credit? How can my employee have made that mistake? How can my partner be so inconsiderate? As a leading management practitioner puts it - The problem is not us. And it's not them. The problem is our expectations. It's not that people behave well or badly. It's that we expect them to behave differently than they do. Even when they have proven our expectation wrong time and time again.

The Indian market is attracting lot of interest - it's expanding, integrating diverse interests, cultures and of course redefining tolerance. The likelihood of us interacting with people very different from us is increasing by the day. And of course, we should admit that people who are different do things differently. How often have we come across pople who don't look at us when we speak to them, people retorting, people absolutely quiet.
Have we forgotten the rule - 'Treat other people the way you'd like to be treated?'
It's important for us to take every interaction as an experiment that gives out a little bit more about the individual we are dealing with. It's easy then to change expectations to more accurately align with reality. Every interaction provides a clue to better yourself in dealing with the other. It's because we are automatically changing our expectation every time...

Let neurons fire

According to Carr’s recent article, throughout our lives our brains adapt to the way we gather and process information. Performing an action over and over changes the brain’s circuitry. The new firing patterns of neurons become more stable and push aside older patterns. If you give up performing an action, then neural circuits formerly dedicated to it get weaker and are eventually used for other activities. No wonder Management Gurus harp on the need to have ‘focus.’ As they say, ‘what you focus is what you get.’ The more you focus on something, the more neurons are fired towards realizing that task.
Anything we do on a regular basis rewires the brain. There’s a saying among neuroscientists that “neurons that fire together, wire together.” When you practice a certain skill, the circuits get stronger, and the area of the brain dedicated to performing the skill gets larger. Malcolm Gladwell writes in Outliers that it takes the brain 10,000 hours to assimilate all that it needs to know to achieve true mastery. In study after study, of composers, basketball players, fiction writers, ice-skaters, concert pianists, chess players, master criminals," writes the neurologist Daniel Levitin, "this number comes up again and again. Ten thousand hours is equivalent to roughly three hours a day, or 20 hours a week, of practice over 10 years... No one has yet found a case in which true world-class expertise was accomplished in less time."
Well, now the unfortunate part. With the Internet increasingly becoming our universal medium for gathering information, we’re training our brains to take in information in the way the Internet supplies it — that is, with an emphasis on speed and with continual distractions. There are some who do it for 2 hours a day and there are people who only do this. The point is that the extensive search – information overload- is making all of us more productive but with convenience we forget to exercise our thinking cells, losing the analytical bent. Does it impact our decision making abilities? It certainly does as we increasingly rely on web as a source for information. Imagine Gen Y - they might not even know what they are ‘losing’ as they get exposed to the ‘web’ at a very early age.

True leader

Was reading Navi Radjou's blog which had some interesting perspectives on leadership. The hard-hitting facts about leadership are unfortunately not taken seriously these days, which is increasingly evident in the collapse of many businesses across the world. Today, leaders focus on short-term goals - attaining leadership instead of 'creating a future' that will bring with it leadership. Example of Apple and how it changed the digital music industry is an example.

Dr Kalam, ex-President India, in a speech stated that corporations as well as nations desperately need what is called "creative leaders," a new breed of visionary and empathetic leaders who act less as commanders and more as coaches, less as managers and more as facilitators, and who foster self-respect rather that demand respect.

To illustrate his point, Dr Kalam cited leaders he has personally encountered who are/were imbued with these eight wisdom qualities. For instance, when India's first satellite launch mission failed in 1979, the chairman of the Indian space agency Prof Satish Dhawan took full responsibility for the failure, even though Dr Kalam was actually the mission director. But the following year, when they successfully placed the first Indian-built satellite in orbit, Prof Dhawan didn't attend the ensuing press conference; rather, he asked Dr Kalam to share the success story with the media, thus giving him full credit for the mission's success.

Diminishing differentiators

Walking down the Brigade road this weekend, it dawned upon me that with the world getting increasingly networked, it is also giving rise to homogeneity. Why Brigade Road triggered such a thought? The ‘on your face’ branding on both sides of the narrow road, which is not significantly different from the mellowed branding in now ‘under construction’ Indiranagar. KFC, Levis, Pizza Hut, Nike, Louis Philippe etc don the congested stretch. What’s more – most of these sought-after brands don the landscape of Pune, Mumbai, Chennai and other cities across the world. Didn’t we expect globalization to bring in diversity – heterogeneity? Does it also imply that the more differentiators we try building, the more homogenous we become?

Path to wisdom

The first thing the head of US army in the New Generals School tells his new Generals is: “Remember, as soon as you get those stars, everyone will laugh at your jokes, but you’re not that funny, and everyone will write down your comments but you’re not that smart, and women will want to have sex with you but you’re not that handsome. It’s just your title. Don’t let it go to your head”. While Marshall Goldsmith adopts these wise words while coaching CEOs, it's something for all. Whatever be the position, one ought to believe that people are not saluting him/her, they’re saluting the position and the second one thinks it’s all about him/her, its over. Each and everyone of us should keep listening, keep learning, make mistakes and apologise for them - that's the path to wisdom.

Law of Least Effort

Grass doesn’t try to grow, it just grows. Fish don’t try to swim, they just swim. Flowers don’t try to bloom, they bloom. This is their intrinsic nature. In ancient Indian Science, this was called the Law of Least Effort. Nature’s intelligence functions effortlessly, frinctionlessly, spontaneously. It is non-linear, intuitive and nourishing.
In a similar way, in the conduct of our business, we are in harmony with Nature when our actions are motivated by values. When one seeks power and control over other people, we waste energy. When our actions are motivated by values, our energy multiplies and accumulates. So, what does it mean in practical terms to leverage the Law of Least Effort through actions that are motivated by values? There are three components to this Law of Least Effort:
accepting that things are the way they are at this point of time without blaming others, taking responsibility to change things for the better, and avoiding defensiveness of your view, your past actions
Count on your natural instinct for values.

Job losses - points to ponder

A nation's standard of living in the long term depends on its ability to attain a high and rising level of productivity in the industries in which its firms compete. This rests on the capacity of its firms to achieve improving quality or greater efficiency. It’s no different when it comes to individuals. More than ever, one needs to put in that extra bit to raise the bar so as to stay ahead of competition. As companies across industries looks at bolstering operational efficiency, there is no doubt that many would lose their jobs. TCS, Wipro, IBM, Infosys etc extended pink slips to non-performers who would have otherwise stayed on had the IT industry been bullish. Many of these youngsters would now be mulling over what went wrong. Venkata Narasaiah has some very important points for these aspirers which can be accessed through http://business.rediff.com/column/2009/apr/24/bcrisis-a-not-so-young-job-seekers-tale.htm.

Youngsters should learn to be adaptive innovators. As IT service companies compete – out-innovate for big deals, youngsters should work towards carving a competitive differentiator so as to attract work or let’s say better work. My key take away is the fact that in a society one ought to follow the management principle – simultaneous improvement of complementary goods. What it means is that if you wish to go up, ensure that the ecosystem rise up too. It’s worth reiterating the conclusion by Narasiah.
· Love your job and learn as much as possible. Learning comes primarily from your job. After fulfilling this requirement you can aspire for higher qualifications. If you don't respect the job you are doing who else would?
· When you are in a society you are not alone. You may have a family to support. You should not be a liability to the society or to your family.
· You can make mistakes. But don't repeat them. In important situations in life, ponder over other solutions also. But do not jump to conclusions.
· Save money for future. If you spend on unwanted things, you may not have money for essentials in the future. And, last but not the least, believe in God.

Politicians twitter, blog - does it really matter?

This election is very different with political parties trying to lower their center of gravity - trying to tap into the large and dynamic youth population in the country. Most of them have been pretty successful by leveraging various modes of communication - youtube, twitter, mobile phones etc. Does it really work? Am very skeptical. These are mostly one way communications and does not address or reflect what the youth want. Let's go back in time when the same politicians leveraged the advent of television for their campaigns. Do you recall any of the campaigns? Well, do you recall the old cinthol advertisement where Vinod Khanna tries to control a horse in a beach? Am sure many of us do recall the Cinthol ad but certainly not any of the political campaigns or rallies.

It's time for politicians to understand that they need to extend an impactful value-proposition to their audience through their communication. It can't be a one off communication - wooing them with hollow promises - which might still sell in rural India. According to Don Tapscott, author of Grown Up Digital, "The New Web, in the hands of a technologically savvy and community-minded Net Generation, has the power to shake up society and topple authorities in many walks of life. Once information flows freely and the people have the tools to share it effectively and use it to organize themselves, life as we know will be different." Politicians should realize that the world has transitioned to become an interactive and increasingly transparent market. Free televisions, tax sops doesn't really matter but address 'what's in it for me?'

Increase in social networking

Am given to understand that there is a spurt in social networking - especially since the advent of industry downturn. Well, no hard facts to prove it but am witnessing an increasing number of people very active in social networking these days possibly driven by the need of the hour to seek if anyone anywhere has anything for them. Tried a few names in twitter including jobless, jobsless, no work etc to see the magnitude of networking. Not surprisingly, 'no work times' had more than 240 following, jobsless had an equal number. What intrigued me was the messages in these profiles - free healthcare for the jobless, free software, free movies etc. So, no wonder why there is increased networking - freebies are ubiquitous.
Wonder how this network will evolve? Will it result into job-sharing? Will it give rise to new social-networking based business models?

Is Business Intelligence really Intelligence?

An interesting article in CIO.com reinforced my increasing skepticism that IT thrives on complexity. Companies worldwide invested in data warehousing – to store corporate data and structure them with rules and then adopted business intelligence to obviously get ‘intelligence’ from the data stored. What then is analytics? According to Scott Staples, Co-CEO at Mindtree – Business Intelligence is a misnomer. The gorillas in the industry coined the term – a concept possibly to create new avenues in the database market, targeting companies that were now seeking ways to slice and dice data and generate reports. That was intelligence ten years back – just churning out reports. The scenario is very different today with mobile workforce and an economy that warrants decision-making in a jiffy. Organizations are required to know themselves and the ecosystem better than others, implying analysis of ‘whatever information residing across the organization’ anywhere anytime. That’s where analytics come into play – empowering today’s organization with ‘intelligence’ at the point of action. Wonder why it’s not called Business Intelligence 2.0 – remember web 2.0? Well, it seems until and unless there is a new concept – technology adoption doesn’t gain traction. How is the concept of utility computing any different than today’s buzz word – cloud computing? Most technology firms today seem to have specialists who can churn out ‘buzz concepts.’

Poverty of attention

Was thinking about the plethora of information that's available today for carrying out specific tasks, when I was lead to an interview with Google's Chief Economist on McKinsey quarterly. According to him what's really scarce in the internet is attention. Well, isn't it true? He quotes psychologist Herb Simon - "A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.”
That brings to me the theory of positioning. Am not referring to the marketing concept but positioning of self. Does having 500 people in your network of friends enable you achieve anything better than someone with just 50? Does quality of friends circle matter? Well, am trying to recall names of all my friends and what they do these days - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ....8 Oops! tough, am racking my brains for more.
As the world becomes increasingly connected, quality of friends-circle and positioning matters a lot. Bigger the circle doesn't make one effective.

Quest for prominence

Everyone wants to be first, everyone wants to be known - that's common across India. Be it on the roads in Bangalore or in the digital fast lanes -online, the quest for prominence is increasing by the day. An article in the Hindu corroborates this http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200904031878.htm. According to the Norton Online Living Report, Indians are more likely to make friends online and fall just behind the Chinese in seeking friends online. Be it film actors or technology companies, the quest for prominence is evident in their initiatives. Kareena Kapoor, a leading bolllywood actress dumped lesser known Shahid Kapur for an established and 'prominent' figure in the industry - Saif Ali Khan. Technology start-ups are more likely to come to Bangalore than other cities as they can leverage the existing ecosystem for technology in Bangalore. Their strategy would then be limited to gaining prominence in this existing ecosystem.
The undying quest for prominence is today attracting others to be a part of the 'prominence' ecosystem.

India's the focus for marketeers

The best solution often pops up in a crisis. With the economic downturn, an increasing number of companies seem to be closely reviewing their marketing strategy. From cars to software, emerging markets for now seems to be the only opportunity. Laden with oversold and undersold customers, markets like India could potentially be a marketeers delight. At a time when stakeholders are crying for optimal use of resources and organizations worldover seek cost effective resources - skills and raw materials, countries like India gain prominence. Take for instance IBM, which is leveraging India as a market and also a talent hub. The company recorded a growth of 27% (to be confirmed) in 2008 in India. Cisco is no different. GE Medicals, in its attempt to make India a strategic center for its global healthcare equiptment market is investing $25 mn in a special laboratory in Bangalore that would simulate the complete environment of a hospital to test new products. The company expects to double its revenue from India to $1 bn in three to five years. Further, GE healthcare is also looking t targeting Indian home healthcare market with sleep care and home respiratory system.
Added to this is the focus on tier II and III towns in India. With sanity prevailing across the unreasonably paid workers ecosystem in India, several of them are moving to the outskirts to cut costs - especially the exorbitant rent. This should eventually pave way for development in the periphery, pmlying further growth in the market. Add to this the reverse brain drain, Indian market is all set to be an attractive destination.

Was again caught at the railway gate this morning and when the train passed by – it reminded me of the year 2008. Time’s passing by at warp speed, so is technology getting integrated into our lives. The question is – are we adapting to the change? Here are some take aways:
a. This is a take from Forrester on marketing. However, considering the market situation at this juncture, thought the points are apt for our business as well. We all know there is need for a new approach to ensure client delight. The research firm proposes a metric called engagement that includes four components: involvement, interaction, intimacy, and influence. Well, all of us are doing one or more with our clients but the objective should be to ensure we carry out all.
b. Be human – Be more service-oriented. Give a personal touch to all your interactions with clients. Here’s a mail from someone which was forwarded to me - I talk to reporters and bloggers and my publisher. “I get a lot of email. An awful lot. After 13 years as an analyst, a lot of people know my email address, and I’m on many, many marketing mailing lists. I am a target for PR people. In all these interactions I have observed something. When people treat me like a human and not a “marketing target,” I like that. Not only that, when I make a human connection with somebody, whether it’s the client building a social application strategy or the person checking me in for my flight, it goes better. When things go wrong, I can nearly always trace it back to somebody not behaving like a human, and not treating me like a human. I will no longer put up with this. And you, my readers, are going to help me.” Treat clients and journalists the way you’d want them to treat you.
c. Network – Orkut, Facebook, LinkedIn etc. Guess, it’s time to get offline and meet people…