Firefighter or FireStarter

We lost to England on Sunday!

2011-03-01T15:02:00.003+05:30

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!!!

2011-01-20T12:57:00.000+05:30

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?

2011-01-01T08:58:00.001+05:30

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?

2010-08-22T13:35:00.000+05:30

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

2010-05-19T08:46:00.003+05:30

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 _ _ _ ???

2010-03-23T08:23:00.006+05:30

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*

2010-01-12T12:52:00.004+05:30

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

Are minor infections good for you?

2009-11-12T08:49:00.003+05:30

Image via Wikipedia

Are minor infections good for you? What does a minor infection leave you with? In most cases it helps build your immune system so that you end up being stronger. Right?

In life how do you view potential risks that are outside your comfort zone? Potential risks that could lead to temporary failures? Do you view them as something to stay away and avoid? As an opportunity to try and create a sterile environment and play safe?.... Or as an opportunity to get mildly infected and help you get stronger?

Your call bandhu. It’s your life!

The enemy is fear, its not hate. Its fear!

2009-10-07T14:03:00.008+05:30

Image by stuant63 via Flickr

That was what Mahatma Gandhi said long ago. That was then and this is now but what he said then is still relevant now. I've facilitated thousands of participants over the past 6 years and what strikes me every time is how 'scared' most of the world is when it comes to making change happen. While these could be legitimate fears, I'm often tempted to conclude that many of these fears are imaginary or perceived threats. It's human to react to threats by thinking 'securely' - isn't it? And acknowledging that its natural to think 'safety' could be the starting point. But change happens when we move beyond the acknowledgment piece to exploring how to make that change happen.

I saw it happen at a recent workshop where participants agreed that the need of the hour was to innovate but in the same breath, they wondered if their speed & compliance driven organization would tolerate any attempts to innovate. As part of the workshop, they had to 'ideate' on a live business challenge and subsequently present it to a stakeholder. When they hesitantly presented their ideas (many of them thought they were too radical) the stakeholder heard them out patiently and complimented them on the efforts. The participants beamed at each other with pride in their eyes but this was short-lived as the stakeholder voiced his disappointment about the ideas not being wild enough. I wished I has a camera to capture the 'jaw-dropped' expressions on most participants' faces.

So here are a few questions - what are somethings we know we need to change but cant get ourselves to? Why is it so hard to change something we know we must?

What are some things you hate about your life? About your work place? About your relationships? Can you do a reality check without your pre-conceived lenses? Can you set your 'truths' aside and explore afresh? Can you check if the reason for your inability to affect change is a will issue or a skill issue?

Can you reflect on the thought that something you hate may actually be something you fear? And can you confront that fear and strip all the imaginary part away? Can you treat your fears as your enemy?

What might be at the other end of your fear may actually be a pleasant surprise.

Tomorrow is Independence Day. Hmmm.

2009-08-14T10:18:00.014+05:30

Tomorrow is Independence Day.

Image via Wikipedia

And many of us will celebrate it.

By taking the day off or by hoisting a flag or by chilling at home or by watching the Prime Minister’s address at the Red Fort or by …

Lets ask ourselves, whose Independence Day will we be celebrating?

If the millions who fought for our independence had the mindset that many of us demonstrate today, would we have gained independence 60+ years ago?

And while we revel in the accomplishments of our forefathers, lets also look inward and ask ourselves 'when will I celebrate my personal independence day'?

Will I be celebrating my personal independence from
- the suffocating & limiting mindsets I’ve got trapped in?
- the rationalizing that helps me cope with my impotence?
- the narrow confines of a life lived without a solid purpose?
- the constant need for approval? And the urge to always ‘look good’ rather than just be who I am?

The list can go on and may or may not be relevant to all.

So what do you want independence from?

Do something crazy starting today. Your soul needs it. And you could be celebrating your own Independence Day next week, month or year.

So let me ask you this again - 'what do you want independence from'? Your call my friend – after all, its your life! And hey, nobody really cares about your life as much as you do. :)

Training Programs? Like Great Sex but no babies!!! 2 Tips for better results :)

2009-05-13T09:08:00.020+05:30

One of my colleagues Rahul Agarwal made this comment during the annual soul searching Erehwon off-site we had a few weeks ago. I thought he had very beautifully captured the consistent concern that many of our buyers (HR, L&D, OD experts) and participants have about training programs - the concern that the 'stickability quotient' (SQ) of most training programs is dismally low. Where am I coming from? It's evident, most participants give glorious feedback at the end of the workshop and weeks later, almost everyone is wondering, where did all the learning evaporate?

So lets get to basics - what is training? One dictionary defines training as - "To teach a particular skill or type of behaviour through practice and instruction over a period of time". If this is so, does putting participants through a 1 day or 2 day exposure really get them trained? And is there a way out? Here are my tips:

1) Application - a successful training program translates to application or usage of the tools. Consistent application of the tools in turn translates to skills. So if you want to increase the probability of application, choose the participant profile well. Very often, senior leaders think that if they put the middle / junior management tiers through training programs, it will work. Wrong!!! If you want new tools to be used at the workplace, almost everyone that interacts in the workplace must have a common understanding of the tools and how to use them. In the absence of this, the program will be a 'welcome break' experience and nothing more. Worse, many participants will enthusiastically attempt applying the tools and the very seniors who wanted them to think & act afresh will often unknowingly block them as they're simply not on the same page. Think about this - almost every industry has its own vocabulary (e.g. in the web space - HTTP, HTTPS, EARL, ERT WG, etc) that is used extensively in the operational space. To an outsider, this might seem Greek and Latin but to the insiders - it cuts through and gets everyone to be on the same page. Tip: Having a common vocabulary with which to engage in meetings and discussions can take the day to day operational engagements to a completely different level. And this is what cements & internalizes the learning and provides a return on the training investment. Getting teams or groups that work together to have a shared learning experience that they can leverage back in their workplace could ensure application.

2) Reinforcement - who's thinking about that? Many participants forget that all they're getting is a live learning environment where they have the opportunity to learn by interacting with the trainer and fellow participants. While this can be a great trigger and starting point there's more that needs to be done. Tip: I often tell my participants to try Drip Irrigation. Now what's that? Wikipedia defines drip irrigation as an irrigation method which minimizes the use of water and fertilizer by allowing water to drip slowly to the roots of plants, either onto the soil surface or directly onto the root zone, through a network of valves, pipes, tubing, and emitters. In short optimize resources for maximum impact. So what's the connect? Participants have real issues and real concerns and are seldom able to "make" time for anything other than fire-fighting when they're back from the training programs. The Internet has opened up zillions of drip irrigation methods and one that I strongly recommend is Twitter. Twitter gives me my daily dose of drip irrigation on various issues that interest me. An ex-colleague and dear friend Gurprriet Siingh has put together a Twitter Beginner's Guide that I found immensely useful. Here it is for you. And hey, if you want to start following me on Twitter, click here!

Thinking again about what Rahul said about great sex but no babies. Reflect - if you want to make a baby, would you bank on a single exposure? ;-)

The child is father of man!

2009-05-05T08:56:00.003+05:30

It was 1999. My 4 year nephew Mrinal had devoured a bar of chocolate without seeking permission and predictably his mom caught him red-handed. When she confronted him, he innocently replied that he had heard the bar of chocolate telling him "EAT ME! EAT ME!" and so he had just gone ahead. Most of us who were around fell off our seats doubling in laughter & what struck me was how easily children take chances. Think about it, when children are lost for options or if they don't know something, they'll always take a shot! They're seldom afraid of being wrong. And while one can't equate being wrong with being innovative, what I've seen over years of facilitating innovation workshops is that if you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll rarely come up with anything new.

Last week, I heard Rita McGrath (Professor at Columbia Business School) on Harvard Business Review talking of 'Using Failure to Grow'. She was talking about how we must plan to learn our way to future growth opportunities rather than rely on the traditional method of extrapolating from the past. This is what she said "Plan to learn, not plan to be right. Manage failure costs not rate of failure. And as they say in Silicon Valley, Fail fast. Fail Cheap & Move on. Measure not - did someone succeed at what they hoped to achieve. Measure instead - if they failed, did they fail cheap? Did they learn a lot? Have they incorporated the learning going forward?"

Which brings me back to Mrinal and us. Why do adults lose the capacity to be wrong? Why do we hate being wrong and run our businesses by stigmatizing mistakes? Why does everyone want innovation to happen but end up with a poor strike rate? Why don't we reward what we want reinforced? Picasso once said this " All children are born artists. The problem is to remain an artist as we grow up'.

In the FireStarter workshops, we talk about the FireStarter mindset. And one of the attitudes of a FireStarter is a bias towards high speed, low cost & low risk experiments rather than over analyzing. In today's context where we're constantly faced with new & unforeseen challenges, shouldn't we leverage simple options within our sphere of influence? So, if you want to bring alive the Picasso in you that you were born with - start experimenting! Stop over analyzing and instead of the old proverb 'Seeing is Believing', try 'Believing is Seeing'.

So what's your excuse?

2009-03-30T10:26:00.005+05:30

Last thursday, my colleague Gokul showed me a video clip of Anand Agarwala to demonstrate some unconventional thinking and I was blown over. It looked like a lot of fun, something I wouldn't associate with my current computer desktop interface. And as we excitedly discussed the video, I was left thinking of the impact Anand was creating. I've met many participants in my workshops who suffer from "excusitis" - a disease that tricks you into believing that the outside world is responsible for your current state. In every workshop I meet participants who want to shift their current orbits but think they're incapable of doing so.

Here's Anand, charmingly demonstrating the impact that simple but unconventional thinking can create and the power of being resourceful vs the power of resources.

Watch the video by copying the link below onto your browser's address bar. Would love to hear your thoughts on the video. And hey, also think about what's your excuse for not impacting your universe! Enjoy!!! http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/anand_agarawala_demos_his_bumptop_desktop.html

Can India shift her orbit?

2009-03-05T14:45:00.003+05:30

Think of a politician and certain stereotypes emerge in ones mind. Many of us have resigned to certain "realities" when it comes to politicians. Here's a refreshing view from a young Indian Member of Parliament (MP) - Rajeev Chandrashekhar. Rajeev was one of the 3 CPU architects of the path breaking Intel Pentium processor. He promoted BPL Mobile and now heads Jupiter Capital. Here are some excerpts from his interview with Tehelka.

The Rajeev Chandrasekhar Agenda

* Give the Election Commission a four-month budget before an election to mobilise more voting.
* Give the right to recall elected representatives for non-performance.
* Have simultaneous elections to states and the Centre.
* Have fixed terms for governments and legislatures.
* Reservation policy must have exit criteria and sunset clauses.
* Prohibit induced religious conversions.
* Make one person responsible for civil defense.
* Organise the home and internal security ministries around the challenge of terrorism.
* Have terrorism courts.
* Take away government discretion in implementing judicial verdicts.
* Have a mechanism to track individual illegal immigrants into India.
* Set 1971 as the cut-off date for offering illegal immigrants citizenship.
* Put Taslima Nasreen and Binayak Sen to a legal scrutiny. Set them free if they pass.
* Have a mechanism that audits use and misuse of laws.
* Identify land for public use, like roads, etc.
* Identify land for private development.
* Offer uncultivable land first.
* Limit government role in land acquisition only to expediting documentation.
* Restructure economy over five years so that it is not dependent on foreign funds.
* Make the LoC the final border between India and Pakistan.
* Give more powers to panchayats and urban municipalities.
* Give more powers to states.
* Avoid creation of more states.
* Trim the office of the Governor. Do away with bloated staff and outdated ceremonies.
* Appoint 80,000 judges.
* Teach contemporary India in schools.
* Track the progress of individual patients in the healthcare system.
* Trim government expenditure on itself.
* Make government attractive to talent.

Fond this exciting? Check out the entire interview at http://www.tehelka.com/story_main41.asp?filename=Rajeev_Chandrasekhar.asp .

And finally, what do you think? Could this be a start point in our political system to help our country shift her orbit?

And hey...what's your agenda for shifting your orbit?

The world needs crazy ideas to change things...

2009-02-28T11:51:00.001+05:30

My good friend Jayan K from HP sent me this note that appeared in Times People. This was an extract from Thomas Friedman's (The World is Flat fame) post in New York Times. Interesting read! Here you go...

-------
So I am attending the Energy and Resources Institute climate conference in New Delhi, and during the afternoon session two young American women — along with one of their mothers — proposition me.

“Hey, Mr. Friedman,” they say, “would you like to take a little spin around New Delhi in our car?”

Oh, I say, I’ve heard that line before. Ah, they say, but you haven’t seen this car before. It’s a plug-in electric car that is also powered by rooftop solar panels — and the two young women, recent Yale grads, had just driven it all over India in a “climate caravan” to highlight the solutions to global warming being developed by Indian companies, communities, campuses and innovators, as well as to inspire others to take action.

They ask me if I want to drive, but I have visions of being stopped by the cops and ending up in a New Delhi jail. Not to worry, they tell me. Indian cops have been stopping them all across India. First, they ask to see driver’s licenses, then they inquire about how the green car’s solar roof manages to provide 10 percent of its mileage — and then they try to buy the car.

We head off down Panchsheel Marg, one of New Delhi’s main streets. The ladies want to show me something. The U.S. Embassy and the Chinese Embassy are both located on Panchsheel, directly across from each other. They asked me to check out the rooftops of each embassy. What do I notice? Let’s see ... The U.S. Embassy’s roof is loaded with antennae and listening gear. The Chinese Embassy’s roof is loaded with ... new Chinese-made solar hot-water heaters.

You couldn’t make this up.

But trying to do something about it was just one of many reasons my hosts, Caroline Howe, 23, a mechanical engineer on leave from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, and Alexis Ringwald, a Fulbright scholar in India and now a solar entrepreneur, joined with Kartikeya Singh, who was starting the Indian Youth Climate Network, or IYCN, to connect young climate leaders in India, a country coming under increasing global pressure to manage its carbon footprint.

“India is full of climate innovators, so spread out across this huge country that many people don’t get to see that these solutions are working right now,” said Howe. “We wanted to find a way to bring people together around existing solutions to inspire more action and more innovation. There’s no time left to just talk about the problem.”

Howe and Ringwald thought the best way to do that might be a climate solutions road tour, using modified electric cars from India’s Reva Electric Car Company, whose C.E.O. Ringwald knew. They persuaded him to donate three of his cars and to retrofit them with longer-life batteries that could travel 90 miles on a single six-hour charge — and to lay on a solar roof that would extend them farther.

Between Jan. 1 and Feb. 5, they drove the cars on a 2,100-mile trip from Chennai to New Delhi, stopping in 15 cities and dozens of villages, training Indian students to start their own climate action programs and filming 20 videos of India’s top home-grown energy innovations. They also brought along a solar-powered band, plus a luggage truck that ran on plant oil extracted from jatropha and pongamia, plants locally grown on wasteland. A Bollywood dance group joined at different stops and a Czech who learned about their trip on YouTube hopped on with his truck that ran on vegetable-oil waste.

Deepa Gupta, 21, a co-founder of IYCN, told The Hindustan Times that the trip opened her eyes to just how many indigenous energy solutions were budding in India — “like organic farming in Andhra Pradesh, or using neem and garlic as pesticides, or the kind of recycling in slums, such as Dharavi. We saw things already in place, like the Gadhia solar plant in Valsad, Gujarat, where steam is used for cooking and you can feed almost 50,000 people in one go.” (See: www.indiaclimatesolutions.com.)

At Rajpipla, in Gujarat, when they stopped at a local prince’s palace to recharge their cars, they discovered that his business was cultivating worms and selling them as eco-friendly alternatives to chemical fertilizers.

I met Howe and Ringwald after a tiring day, but I have to admit that as soon as they started telling me their story it really made me smile. After a year of watching adults engage in devastating recklessness in the financial markets and depressing fecklessness in the global climate talks, it’s refreshing to know that the world keeps minting idealistic young people who are not waiting for governments to act, but are starting their own projects and driving innovation.

“Why did this tour happen?” asked Ringwald. “Why this mad, insane plan to travel across India in a caravan of solar electric cars and jatropha trucks with solar music, art, dance and a potent message for climate solutions? Well ... the world needs crazy ideas to change things, because the conventional way of thinking is not working anymore.”

----------

So what crazy ideas are you playing with?

Do you respect your National Anthem?

2009-01-19T10:58:00.001+05:30

Last week Shashi Tharoor unknowingly initiated a series of debates that demonstrated how "stuck" many of us are. The media, always hungry for something sensational, pounced on this opportunity greedily and one of the news channels actually devoted a few minutes of prime time to call in an "expert" for his views. The expert, a retired army officer, was asked by the news anchor, if the British way (at attention) or the American way (hand on heart, as demonstrated by Shashi) was more appropriate. The army officer, characteristically, went on to mention that the Indian Constitution clearly outlines the Indian way which is the stand at attention. He also went on to say that if needed the constitution can be amended (as was done recently to permit people to hoist flags on private buildings) to permit a different way from the current way but till then we must all only do it the Indian way.

Made me wonder, what does our national anthem mean? Is posture or presentation more important than how one really feels? We have so many leaders, displaying the right stance in public and privately indulging in activities that would be a disgrace by any standard.

So what's more important, what you project or what you truly feel? And if India is a democracy and as citizens if we have a fundamental right of expression, can you curb me and call me an anti-national just because I choose to pay respect to my country in a manner that is different from the constitutional way - only in form and not in spirit?

Downturn Blues? 6 of 6

2008-12-19T14:02:00.005+05:30

Q 6: Do you dilute or do you not settle for less?

We’ve seen it happen so often. Great plans conceived painstakingly….and when the rubber hits the road, friction sets in and what eventually sees the light of the day is a poor diminished version of the guts & glory plan. For many of us, the greater the level of uncertainty and turmoil, the more we react precipitously…and face the threat of well begun is half done!

Think about this: Some of us will have a strong appetite for stubbornly staying on course and not letting our plans get diluted. So when the going gets tough and you’re up against hurdles that you didn’t envisage, what do you do more often? Dilute? Or not settle for less?

Downturn Blues? 5 of 6

2008-12-09T08:41:00.005+05:30

Q 5: Do you overanalyze or do you experiment?

These are interesting times we live in! And the bias for paralysis thanks to over-analysis can pose serious threats to “fresh” perspectives. These are times that call for “experiments”…experiments that could be the foundation for future breakthroughs. Many of us are trapped in wanting to have certainty as an outcome in everything that we do. Many of us are trapped in the paradigm of "Seeing is Believing".

Think about this: Some of us will think like FireStarters and actively encourage experimentation. Some of us will break out of the "Seeing is Believing" paradigm and work on "Believing is Seeing"!!! What paradigm is guiding your thinking and consequently your action? How much of experimentation do you encourage? What’s your appetite for risk? What is risk? Is it riskier not innovating now?

Downturn Blues? 4 of 6

2008-12-03T14:10:00.006+05:30

Q 4: Do you rely on second hand information or do you bank on first hand Insight?

One thing that never changes during a downturn is customer expectations. Your customer may move towards a smaller ticket value but his / her expectation of the brand experience won’t slump even by a fraction. Customer needs will inadvertently shift as the economy metamorphoses. Many of us won’t “really” know these customers needs and consequently our offerings won't be seen as different compared to our competitors. The net impact - we face the risk of being minimized and 'commoditized'.

Think about this: Some of us will think & engage like FireStarters by getting first hand insights into our customers’ needs and create consistently delightful experiences for our customers. Where are you putting in your efforts right now? Is it adding value to your customer? Are you really sure? If it is not....is there any point in your efforts?

Downturn Blues? 3 of 6

2008-11-27T10:23:00.006+05:30

Q 3: Do you demand / sell / convince when you engage with people or do you enroll?

It’s a turbulent ride out there and it’s getting bumpy and unpredictable. Motivating your team and maintaining productivity levels during these hard times can be very demanding. Many of us will be guilty of “presiding” and directing the way forward basis our seniority from our years of experience. Many of us will have panic attacks, display anxiety and resort to push, push, and more push, as nothing else seems to work.

Think about this: Some of us will engage like FireStarters by aligning our people fundamentally and then co-evolving the way forward. Does your team own your challenges and see them as opportunities to go beyond the brief? Does your team consistently take initiatives that exceed your expectations?

Downturn Blues? 2 of 6

2008-11-22T11:28:00.004+05:30

The response to my last blog has been fantabulific :) So here's the next one in the series folks. Your thoughts?

Q 2: Are you activity / process focused or are you purpose driven?

When the future isn’t looking welcome, many of us will think “efficiency” rather than “effectiveness”. Many of us will re-orient all our strategies to protect profits and will be tempted to freeze new investments and take the path of least resistance. Many of us will resort to tactics that will be manifested by defensive and piecemeal actions – like ticking off our To-Do list’s while we sit back & wait for the storm to pass. Many of us will indulge in a “herd based” approach that is instinctively safer but could be an accelerated route to end up in a fertilizer pool.

Think about this: Some of us will engage like FireStarters and rally ourselves and our teams to the fundamental reason why we exist in our current roles…. and then do a zero-based approach to pursue that objective.

What are you up to? Focused on activity / process or driven by your purpose?

Downturn Blues? 1 of 6

2008-11-18T12:12:00.007+05:30

These are welcome times if you're a FireStarter and trying times if you're a Firefighter. So what differentiates a FireStarter from a Firefighter? Simply speaking, it is an established set of attitudes that form a mindset. And your mind set is essentially the bedrock of your thinking and consequently your actions.

Here is a series of provocative trigger questions for you to pause and reflect on what attitudes guide your thinking. My intent is not to judge you or make you defensive but to show you a mirror and help you see yourself as you are and possibly as you could be!

Q1: Are you resigned to reality or are you creating a new reality?
Right now, you must be swamped by news feeds and sound bites about the impending gloom. Many of us must be resigning to reality - that there is precious little one can do considering that I am but a small cog in a gargantuan wheel. And instinctively huddle and consider slashing costs and stretching resources.

Think about this: Some of us will accept the current reality and will consider different approaches like treating the downturn as a time to lay the foundation for future growth. Some of us will think like a FireStarter and look for new opportunities, look for ways to convert the disadvantages into advantages.

Where are you? Resigned to reality or creating a new reality?