We lost to England on Sunday!

Image via WikipediaWhile the match ended in a draw I still can't help thinking that we actually lost the match. We were cruising with the contributions from Sachin and Co. and with the kind of batting depth we had, we should have ended our innings at 370ish. A total that the Poms would have found a lot harder than the risky 338 that we finally gifted them.  

Yesterday, all over the papers and everywhere, the only comments I could hear was how poor our bowling  was and is. And how we badly need options.  Come to think about this - I hear this not only about our cricket. I hear this almost every time I meet parents who're constantly worrying about their children. I hear this almost every time I meet leaders who're concerned about the next level of leadership. There seems to be a near obsession with what's not 'right' and therefore needs to be fixed.

Let's talk about you.
Do you know what your talents or strengths are?

Whenever, I've asked this question, I've very often got tentative responses and at best domain descriptors. And I wonder, if people only have, at best, a foggy idea about their talents and strengths, wouldn't that be hard on them?  If all they do, based on past conditioning, is to keep fixing their weaknesses, what would the net result be? A lifetime spent in repair? At a cost of  in-built talents & strengths remaining dormant and invisible to the outside world? A loss of opportunity across a lifetime of potential achievement?

Coming back to last Sunday and the obvious conclusion- we need bowling options.  Well, it's too late for options now, isn't it? All we can do that's within our immediate control is play to our strengths. And I'm wondering - shouldn't we aim to score 400 runs every time we bat first? And if we're chasing, just get 1 more than the opposition? That would be playing to our strengths right?

Incidentally, did you recognize the picture above? You must have seen this character on your screens every time India plays. His name is Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary and I am pleasantly surprised to find a Wiki page on him.

He's playing to his strengths and he's doing what comes naturally to him. Are you?

Thanks for stopping by. If you found this interesting, will you share it and leave your comments behind?

On time performance? My foot!!!

Image via WikipediaHave to fly out again and my colleague Jiji mails me various options from and to Bangalore. As I scan the options, my eyes fall on a Kingfisher flight and instantly my last experience comes alive. It was an IT 111 from Mumbai to Bangalore. All went well and as we taxied to our parking bay, the hostess mentioned that we'd arrived on time and that the airline is proud of its on-time performance. I felt relieved that 'air-traffic control' who's invariably 'delays' all flights, had let us go scot-free this time. Excitedly, I bounced all the way to the conveyor belt and that's where my joy got fused. I waited and waited and waited for almost 30 minutes after which the baggage came streaming through. And not a single soul from Kingfisher who could have helped me and a few others keep their shirts on.

Cut to the present and I'm thinking - when I travel from one point to another, shouldn't the airline guarantee me that I'll be out of the airport in XX minutes? Shouldn't the 'on time performance' include baggage delivery as well? After all, I'm considered checked-in only after my baggage has been taken. Right?

Cut to work and I'm wondering. At work, do I feel good about the fact that what I offer is world-class? Do I know what my customers experience at every touch-point? Do I implicitly associate higher value to certain components of my work? Uncomfortable questions that need some solid answers. After all, as consumers and customers, it's the quality of the total experience that matters, not just a part right?

What about you? Are you focusing on your offerings across the consumer touch points or are you proud of your 'on time performance'?

So, what's going to be happy about the new year?

Today's deeds lead to memories tomorrow. So, what memories are you creating for tomorrow? Best wishes for a 2011 that's abundant in fulfilling memories.

Leader? - Enabler or Disabler?

I find early mornings delicious to walk and reflect. The planet and its inhabitants look rested and ready to emerge from the slumber. The air has an infectious freshness having purged the hangovers from the day before. It was one of those walks, months ago, when my sights fell on a snail, slowly but surely crossing the road. I had instinctively paused to help it when the tragic story of a caterpillar being helped out of its cocoon flooded my memory. I had paused again but this time, I had left the snail to cross the road believing in the power of the universe to protect its species. I moved on and discovered the crushed remnants of the run-over snail on my way back. The guilt had caused some discomfort but I had rationalized it very quickly and absolved myself by concluding that there must have been a grander design.
Last week, I spotted a snail again on my path, once again attempting to cross the road. This time, the gory remnants flashed back and without thinking twice, I picked up the snail and dropped it to a safe spot on the other side. Did I do right? Did I help the snail or was I an impediment in the survival of the fittest? Didn’t I superimpose my need over that of the snails? Did I play God when there may have been no need to do so?
I’ll never know but a thought is lingering – as leaders in our workplaces - do we create environments that enable the fittest to survive? Or do we fall prey to our emotions and ‘help’ them out? Do we consciously pause to evolve a path forward that factors everyone’s notions of growth? I know I have miles to go on this. Where are you ?

Thanks for stopping by. What are you thinking of now? Will you leave your thoughts below?

Everything's viral these days

Back from a 2 week holiday across Kashmir and Ladakh. Some experiences have been divinely pleasant and some just plain outrageous and unacceptable. I'm not talking about the locales - they were all mind-blowing and awesome. What I'm referring to are the places we stayed in. I remember 'googling' all these places when my travel agent sent me the travel itinerary. And I got carried away with the 'promotional' web-sites promising the moon and the stars.

Back home I came across a site called trip-advisor. It's a neat site that lets you review hotels and locations. So I've put down my experiences of a few properties that I stayed in and while doing that I discovered that there are a few more reviews out there. And I'm thinking, if I'd read through these reviews earlier, I could have eliminated or at best minimized the outrageous experiences I went through. The internet has really changed everything. From being a small inconsequential consumer, it can change you to be an expert basis your experience. So, when you got through a bad experience, rather than talk about it to your friends or crib silently or just write if off as the law of averages catching up, do something else. Use your keyboard and let the world know what you experienced (both good and bad). You'll be doing a favor to to potential consumers who could gain immensely from you and as an added bonus, you'll be sending a wake-up call to service providers, giving them an opportunity to fix issues.

So, what will you do the next time? Scream out loud or whimper silently?

Curiosity killed the _ _ _ ???

Image by dsearls via Flickr

It's a nice crisp Tuesday morning in Bangalore. I'm driving to work and the clock on the dash board glows 7:33. On an FM station, the RJ throws a question to all his listeners and promises them goodies if they give him the right answer. The question - Curiosity killed the _ _ _? He urges all who're listening in to call him and fill in the blanks. But his question sets me thinking...we're fed on many such proverbs and phrases during our formative years. Proverbs, phrases and idioms that are valid truth's in a specific context. And in today's context? Would not being curios help?

I've been guilty of not being curious - of evaluating and judging without really understanding and its always led me to consistent and predictable results. Results that kept repeating themselves. Results that I've not been proud of. And then, I started being curious about being curious. And then, I suddenly started discovering aspects and dimensions that were always there that I just hadn't recognized. From discovering pleasant connections with 'difficult' people to finding exciting and unpredictable consequences to daily mind numbing stuff.

As I write, I'm reminded of another old William Ward quote - "Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning" and I'm thinking - no cat ever died by learning. Did they Mr. RJ?

Take a lesson from the mosquito. She never waits for an opening, she makes one*

It’s the 12th of January 2010.

It’s the time when many well meaning new year resolutions will encounter the ‘rub

Image via Wikipedia

ber hit the road’ test. When intentions alone will not suffice and the sheer gravity of habits aka ‘comfort zones’ may weigh one down into diluting these well meaning intentions. I’ve met hundreds of people who’ve stopped taking on new year resolutions simply because they want to stop looking foolish.

It’s also the ‘natural’ inflection time for many of us to pause and reflect ‘where do I go from here’? ‘How am I going to spend the rest of my life’? ‘How longer am I going to continue with the 10 hour week days that leave me tired, empty & bored’?

Either situation will call for reinvention – a scary thought for many, fraught with obstacles and loaded with the fear of failure (fof).

The fof syndrome almost always immobilizes one's thinking. And in most cases, it's due to the fact that there isn't a compelling and powerful reason for going beyond the apparent fear. So, instead of getting trapped in the 'here & now,' can you create a powerful & compelling reason for overcoming the fear? And can you acknowledge the fear and 'learn' how to address it? We live in a 'room-service' information age. Almost any information about anything can be delivered to your mailbox through blog, RSS & twitter feeds. Information that can help you 'learn' how to reinvent yourself.

I’ve been guilty of leading a moderately unhealthy lifestyle and I’ve always rationalized it to my travel filled work and my need to enjoy life. It’s showing on me now:) Many of my attempts last year at fitness were just that – merely attempts. I hadn’t tied it to a compelling end objective. This year will be different. I’ve started running and I will compete in the Sunfeast Open 10K Run in May 2010. Followed by the Half Marathon in December 2010. And I want to run the Marathon at least once before I go poof. Some tell me it will be risky considering that I’m already 48. But then don’t the biggest rewards come from the biggest risks?

This isn’t just about the beginning of a new year. It’s the beginning of a new decade. It’s a time for all of us to realign our lives with what we’ve always wanted to do and to create history for ourselves. It’s time to leave an indelible impact on the universe. It’s now or never. Take a lesson from the mosquito. :)

Best wishes for a great 2010 and a greater decade.

* Quote by Kirk Kirkpatrick