Lessons from the Family

Growing up in a joint family, I was witness to most of the decisions being taken by my grandmother. The decision would follow muted and often derisive discussions, frowning, frustrated and nonchalant family members running helter-skelter as if doors existed everywhere. The upside was that one clearly knew - there would be only one decision maker, how to influence that person and the ramifications, especially of being in the unfavourable side of the decision. No doubt, the joint family ecosystem increased the level of tolerance and tenacity as dependency to garner prominence was fairly high and involved intellectual subterfuge and guile. The continuous application of such an exercise eventually becomes an integral part of the person’s life that it is employed wherever he or she goes.

 

As I see it, growing up in a joint family is akin to working in a large organization. Decisions are taken by a leader which creates ripples within the organizational rank. Like in a joint family, individuals network and gossip in the corridors discussing the merits and demerits of the decision albeit any expectations of exercising a change.  And, my experience working in several organizations suggest that people who grew up in a joint family form a majority in the business landscape. It is hence not surprising to see organizations (even in this age) with a linear and inflexible approach to management. After all, it is a process that most leaders running organizations today have been following since childhood. 

 

Do we see or hear Indian organizations with multiple leaders? Tata, Birla, Wipro, TCS, L&T, HCC, or political parties like Congress and CPM – most have one face, one decision maker. At a time when organizations are relying on more and more of young talent, shouldn’t they be changing their management thinking? According to Sangeeth Varghese, author and leadership expert, more forward-looking organizations are moving away from the traditional closed forms towards an Open Source Leader model, where people are nurtured across layers by opening unto them the power and authority associated with leadership. If organizations and leaders do not keep up with this evolution, they will be left in the lurch. But if they manage to keep pace, they will live another day, to tell the tale of their success.

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Going by the buzz…

Agility is high on every marketers mind. Be it an FMCG company or an IT services company – the one who gets to the market faster with the right solution to the right customer wins. Gone are the days when marketers would spend time researching markets or analyzing the ‘technology life cycle’ to launch their offerings. As futurologist Alvin Toffler predicted, this is the age for ‘mass customization’ or mass production of highly customized products. With customers making their presence felt regardless of time or location – thanks to digital nativity – marketing (communication) seem to have acquired a new meaning.  An increasing number of companies are focusing on established groups, forums across social networks to activate promotional campaigns. The returns are quite promising. Hundreds of groups with thousands of followers are active on these networks. Take for instance the group that go by the name ‘bikers’ on facebook. The one that appears first on the list has over a lakh followers. What does it imply for companies? It enables them create opportunities for cocreation. According to an article in McKinsey, by distributing innovation through the value chain, companies may reduce their costs and usher new products to market faster by eliminating the bottlenecks that come with total control.

It doesn’t take much effort to analyze success of companies that are leveraging social networks. Frito-lay’s engaged their customers in preparing different flavours for the company’s potato chips. A dedicated portal www.yourlaysflavour.com ensures continuous innovation of the product and the company engages customers using various social networks. It’s quite enchanting how the brand tries to establish a strong relationship with its customers and attempts to cocreate. Anybody interested in noodles? Well, there is some hot discussion about shrimp noodles underway in the group - noodles. And then there are very interesting and specific conversations revolving around ‘where to hang out.’ Take for instance a conversation on St. Patrick’s Day celebrations which started with the question, “if you’re attending a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. Where will you be raising your glass of green beer?”  

Be it a car manufacturer or an IT company, the social networking buzz is forcing them to listen (to) and engage with their stakeholders. An increasing number of companies, keen on faster innovations to market, are relying on two aspects – people and the way they communicate.

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Giving away leadership

Had Sachin opted to retain captaincy despite his dismal records as a Captain, he wouldn’t have been in the team – pressed a colleague during our coffee break. India would have been the No.1, argued the other who was obviously a die-hard fan of the maestro. A deliberate decision or not, the move seemed to have done a lot of good for Sachin as he amassed centuries in all forms of the game. Not many would go back in time to discuss his failure - as the records he managed to pile up would overshadow anything unfavourable. Is leadership all about giving away power? If so, how many would be prepared to do so? One of the most significant acts of leadership in the history of US was the resignation of George Washington as commander-in-chief in 1783. In the words of historian Gordon S. Wood, "This self-conscious and unconditional withdrawal from power and politics was a great moral action, full of significance for an enlightened and republicanized world, and the results were monumental."

Not many leaders in the corporate world seem to realize the power of giving away leadership. Corporate corridors are abuzz with stories about micro managers and the way they stifle growth of others. And, this is only bound to increase. With more well-qualified people competing for each step on the organizational ladder all the time, rivalry is intense and only getting more so. Why would anybody allow the other a walkover? It is important for leaders to understand that in order to grow, they will need to ensure growth of others. Smart organizations have clear performance metrics in place for leaders – reflecting how they have empowered their team to ensure growth. Organizations like IBM, Unilever have gone on record about how they are lowering the organizations center of gravity in markets where they have presence. The regional team is empowered to take decisions to ensure agility and flexibility – vital for garnering market share and more importantly, identifying opportunity share. So, it works today when leaders release decision-making power and put it into the hands of people actually doing the work.

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Short Stories are back

Every organization has a story. While IBM harps on the world becoming instrumented, interconnected and intelligent, Infosys highlights how it is well positioned to help customers in an increasingly flat world. Some narrate a complex one, others make it simple. Gone are the days when organizations thrived on intellectualizing everything. Presentations, documents, software codes, designs etc have been known to be intellectualized to a level where it was certain that the audience will be baffled or the creators bamboozled. Times are fast changing and today the strategy of ‘diffusing complexity’ doesn’t work. Obviously, as competition increased and when the need to grow business became a top priority – simplifying also topped the strategy list.

Why are organizations relying on stories? Social psychologist and Marketer, Jennifer Aaker has the answer. “Stories serve as glue to unify communities. Stories spread from employee to employee, from consumer to consumer, and, in some cases, from employee to consumer or consumer to employee. Stories are much more memorable than statistics or simple anecdotes and are a mechanism that allows communities to grow. Strong stories can be told and retold. They become infectious.” Remember the story about how Microsoft was founded? Apple’s turnaround? Infosys? Well, every brand has a story – some puts you to sleep while others invigorate you from ‘corporate hibernation.’ Stories change with market. While there is a continuous resolve to make it increasingly relevant (brand association) to a broad segment, marketers are also working towards simplifying their narration. For instance, how does one make it relevant in social media?  

“We have exactly 10 minutes, I’d like you to be to the point and fast,” is a dialogue that is commonly heard these days. Be it for a strategy presentation or an interview, everyone seem to be revisiting the past and following the words of the illustrious. As French author and aviator, Antoine de Saint Exupéry, said, "It seems that perfection is reached not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." Many organizations emerged from the down turn reflected upon their imperfections and restructured themselves for future growth. And, what do they want to do? Simplify. For example, the Bangalore based Wipro Technologies recently announced reorganization of the company to make it simple. Leo Apothekar, the new CEO of HP says that the first thing he wants in 4-5 years is for people to be able to articulate what HP is all about in 30 seconds. In essence, as the business environment is getting complex, and as organizations are becoming ever more agile so as to accelerate growth, there is a need to make stories short. As Leonardo Da Vinci said, "simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

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Time to defocus

Most often, the story about growth – be it an individual’s or of an organization – is laced with points pertaining to focus. What you focus is what you get – management thinkers would say. A quick look at what is happening around us would reveal that growth is probably a direct result of continued focus on raising the bar. Not necessarily a result of one’s focus on growth. Sprinter Usain Bolt said, “My aim is to win championships and continue to stay on top of the world,” when asked about his aim. Being the world record holder, one would expect him to be succinct  - I want to stay number one. He did not but added that “the guys at the top are great athletes and training hard to get better all the time." Have we ever heard batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar saying his focus is on staying in the team? Or accumulating centuries? He would always say that his focus is on ‘hitting (middling) the ball well.’

Many of the Indian IT pure plays would invariably communicate their intention to be like IBM, Accenture etc or better still brag about ‘beating them (MNCs) in their own game.’ No doubt the Indian companies are doing well in the intensely competitive market. The question is what should be their focus? Beating the MNCs or winning more deals and hence recording growth? The stakeholders would certainly want these companies to stay focused on winning more deals. No wonder some of these companies are posting sluggish growth, and restructuring with the hope of reviving growth.

One company that appears to be differentiating themselves in this regard and hence posting record growth q-o-q is Cognizant. According to the company’s CEO, “the two key measures and most important operating metrics when I look at the business are customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction. Scale is a natural outcome of that and our growth rate has been a natural outcome of the fact that we have a differentiated model that allows us to keep our customers very happy on one side and employees happy on the other side. That results in industry leading growth, but we don't chase growth for the sake of growth.”

 

The lesson here is simple. Be it an individual or an organization – don’t focus on growth, focus on the value add that can be extended and the result will be growth.

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End of Marketing Communication

The euphoria of social networking and the rise of social media is forcing organizations to rethink their communication strategy. Whether the business is automobiles, consumer products or IT services, the challenge to ensure transparency and engage customers as well as staff is compelling organizations to decouple communication, hitherto tethered to a specific department. The empowered customers of today is forcing business leaders to adopt a business model that is centered around trust. And, leaders know that trust is not established through communication but engendered through a relationship. A bank needs to empower its employees to forge relationship with its customers through their daily interactions, a software company needs to strike a chord with its employees and partners – all along ensuring that growth is a participative process. Can this be managed by few executives in a department far removed from the point of action? Unlike a traditional establishment that thrived on process-centric functions, today’s organizations are battling real-time challenges – primarily triggered by media fragmentation and the power of networking. Every day is a battle – to build trust, retain customers or employees and ensure competitive advantage.

Every employee becomes an ambassador – marketing, communicating, and protecting the organization’s business. An employee working at the quality assurance department in an FMCG company was baffled to witness blatant contravention of industry standards by her employer, which pricked her conscience. She cut through social networks to flash the news, which obviously tarnished the image of the company, resulting in unfavourable business outcomes. Who was to be blamed? If a global FMCG major that boasts of the best marketers and communication professionals couldn’t insulate itself from such a risk, can anyone else be sure?  Communication professionals will have to probably don a different role – that of a trainer. Instead of framing communication guidelines, nurture every employee to be a true ambassador of the organization.

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An eye-opener

There was something about her that was appealing. The captivating smile, energy and enthusiasm with which she carried out tasks – everyone in the room could feel the positive energy around her. Every person with whom she interacted seemed to have felt special as they walked into the hall and turned to give her a pleasant, approving glance. When she walked briskly towards us, I couldn’t help think that people like her put in that extra effort to be happy and spread happiness because they know with their experience - the world can change in a split second. I recalled what I had read that morning from Sensei Josei Toda, “those who experience indescribable hardships and go on to surmount them are true victors.” After a near fatal accident rendered her handicapped - with no left arm and left leg – it was apparently a deliberate attempt to live above the ‘handicapped’ mentality, I was informed.

It will definitely be challenging for her to cover up the prosthetic leg but not her enthusiasm, I thought. A handicapped person challenging the world and having fun at it. More importantly, when I looked around and saw that majority of those gathered were languid and perturbed being at an event supporting a social cause, it occurred to me that she was a handicapped person amongst an abnormal lot. With all the luxuries that life can offer, all of us – normals - act handicapped all the time.

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. 

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