Essay on Personal and Organizational Inertia

 Inertia is a concept well-known, thanks to Newton and his first Law. 

It is hard to wake up in the morning, we all know. We have to galvanise ourselves into waking up, and making that cup of tea. I have now mastered the art- of doing both. I usually wake up at 5 am, coz the Sun rises early in Kolkata, and I feel I have a duty to keep up with it.

Getting ourselves to do anything of significance- making up the bed, or writing a work email- sounds like a chore. Somewhat like washing dishes. So we generally delay, or to use a Tharoorian word, procrastinate. And this goes on, with various To Do lists in life.

We generally don't forget to marry, because of a constant push from parents, in accordance with Newton's First Law. But do you know that organizations also have inertia? Because humans make up most organizations- for now, until robots throw them out. 

They should be doing things like strategising, right-sizing, growing, implementing strategies, and many other things, to keep owners, or shareholders, happy. But they don't. They get caught up in an inertia vortex, and 'This is how we do things around here syndrome, and forget to do the few essential things for survival and growth. So some remain sleeping giants, like those mythical entities. And some slip into a coma, never to come out.

Those organizations that remain agile, beat them by a mile. Happened to K Mart in the US when Wal-Mart came along. Happened to Biyani (Future became Past?), when D Mart came along. And will happen to many others..

Debating- A Dying Art?

 I am not talking of the loud antics on television channels that pass off as debates. The well-prepared speeches for 3-5 minutes by good speakers, that we used to see or take part in. 

Some people speaking For the Motion, and some, against. One such tradition at the Tollygunge Club in Kolkata I was witness to, on Sunday. It was also well-attended, and had a good controversial topic- that the Institution of Marriage has lost its Relevance.

 Lively speakers, sometimes quoting research, and sometimes taking pot-shots at each other. There were lawyers, doctors and professors. A journalist too, and a couple of audience members chipped in. But the real star of the show was Kunal Sarkar, who moderated. Himself a doctor, he added a lot of witty comments and remarks, to keep the House engaged.

A pic or two from Tolly-

A view of the stage, above, and us relaxing before the event started.

Bibhuti Dash, and Anuradha Nargundkar, with a view of the Golf course behind.

Alumni Meet of JIS University School of Management

 We had the inaugural meet of JIS School of Management yesterday. It was a lot of fun, with alumni from the BBA, MBA and the Ph.D. programs attending. It was a rainy day, so the weather was cool, and the audi at Austin Tower campus was full. We had the VC and Pro-Chancellor speaking to express their delight. The program was well-organised, with some music and dance, and lots of nostalgia in the air! One of the BBA alums flew in from Bangalore,, where she works for Google! We had Adwitiya Datta Banik, an influencer on Social Media, and Mr. Imran Zaki, who's been the Alumni Association head for St. Xavier's, encouraging all our alums to give back, and enjoy the feeling of camaraderie that meeting friends and faculty can bring. I agree.

Some pics. 

Students performing - above and below.

Below, Adwitiya Banik, who was a special guest. She's a visiting faculty and social media influencer.

Superlatives- Use and Misuse

 I'm the best, I'm the best.. so goes a song. No, I didn't create the song. Some Hindi film lyricist writing in English did.

Super cool? Awesome? Maybe. But what's this fascination for the superlative? Being good is no longer good enough? You have to be the best? And what about the rest?

Cricket commentators on radio in the good old days (before television happened) had this urge to call any good shot a "brilliant" shot, any good catch a 'superb' catch, and a good fielding attempt "incredible".

Now, social media rule the roost. And therefore, we have people describing an event as incredible, without any basis. Attending a conference? Incredible opportunity. Attending a faculty development program? Incredible. Listening to a speaker from industry, or better still, a startup? You guessed it- 'incredible.'

At this rate, nothing would remain credible anymore. You would be lost in an awesome wave of an 'incredible' ocean swallowing you up, and coming back on land would be impossible. Ever think of that?

Anniversary Number 37

Sounds like a lot, doesn't it? 

Started in Pune, continued to a stay in the U.S. till we returned to India in 1991. Then, we went places within India. Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Harihar, Lucknow, Kozhikode aka Calicut, and on to Bangalore, Nagpur, Indore. Then, back to Bangalore and a second stint in Indore. Possible last stop is now Kolkata, for work.

Two daughters came along the way, and both are now grown-up young ladies with minds of their own. We are growing old and heading towards a sunset, but it has been an enjoyable time on the whole. Whether to marry is a personal choice that you have to make. If you do marry, you will more likely than not have kids, and take care of elders in either family at some point. Also make friends, and keep some.

It's an Endurance Test of a kind too, as there will be ups and downs of various types. But through it all, you have an assurance that you are not alone. That is a comforting thought, and makes it worthwhile. Just my view..

Why IMT Nagpur Was Magical

 Can't put my finger on one thing, but I think the place had a vibe that was special. It included the people, and the way they interacted with each other. The students, the faculty, the staff, and also some of the inanimate objects. That may sound strange, but tangible inanimates do play a role in our lives. The grass, the trees, and the rocks. The design of some rooms, colour of the walls (Red Bricks in this case). 

Most of all, the people. Kirloskar Institute in Harihar (where I worked a few years before IMT) had this vibe too. In addition to a very tangible Golf course, but that's another matter.

The students had a mix of IQ and EQ that put them in a unique category, with a high total score. Other Qs too, perhaps. After all, we are multidimensional. So I would say that people brought their uniqueness to it,  being from different corners of the country. The faculty were actually global- many had studied or worked abroad.

Diversity makes a campus more vibrant, and we saw it in all IIMs I was at- to study or to work- 4 in all. We had it in good measure. I am still able to meet alums in Ahmedabad, Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad if I visit these places- so many years after I stopped working at IMT. Many faculty have stayed for 15 years or more! Another sign of a good place!

The autonomy we enjoyed in running the place was also a contributing factor. Which meant student and faculty needs could be met without looking over our shoulder. 

Oral and Written Communication

 Our (Indian) education system, in school particularly, stresses written communication much more than oral. As a result, when we get into higher education- college or beyond, our spoken skills are limited. Except for a few students who get into debating or speaking classes.

What I observed in the U.S. is that spoken skills are a lot better among undergrads. Maybe among school students also. Their society needs some socialising skills among opposite genders for dating and so on, which are accepted forms of getting to know potential partners.

Whatever the reasons, our students need a lot more prepping for communication skills. My MBA was the first time I was expected to really participate in a class discussion, and that was when I was 22 plus!

Some training, and opportunities for all through curricular and extra-curricular activities- drama, for example, may be great to develop these skills. Schools and colleges, and individual teachers, can do more in this respect, I think.

Not sure what the impact of social media is, on these two forms of communication among youngsters.. a research topic, maybe?