Lessons of Life

 These are triggered by a reunion of friends from approx. 40 years ago. 

The lessons-

1. We age. Some like Whisky or wine, some like beer.

2. Some of us are driven, and some let go.

3. Talent lives on.

4. You can't argue and win any argument about intangibles.

5. Warmth is a human trait to be cherished. Coldplay, not so.

Also, Kids don't listen, whether you are in India or abroad.

Brand Launches

 

Ok, now that we have launched our MBA@Prestige University and are about to launch the IMP or 5 year integrated program next week, here are some thoughts about brand launches-

1. It's hard work.

2. Needs lot of planning, no matter what type of service/product it is.

3. Various wings/parts of the organisation need to work together.

4. Consumer's reaction is unpredictable, as his range of options is large, and his reasons for choosing a brand are sometimes not very clear.

5. Investment in branding usually does not go to waste. It adds up.

6. Selling skills matter. So does positioning.

7. Your previous networks can help generate goodwill for a new brand.

8. It's hard to put together a team that will work like in a startup towards this launch.

9. It could be expensive, in the first couple of years.

10. In education, both physical infrastructure and people matter a lot.

Learnings From Activities and Careers

 Camping- living in a small tent when you could be comfortable in your own home. Teaches you sacrifice!

Mountaineering- Risking life when you could be comfortable in your surroundings.. teaches you empathy.

Doing engineering when you could have taken Arts/Humanities. Learning how to take torture (in case you are captured by enemy soldiers), what with all the entrance exams.. 

Doing MBA.. Working harder than you have to.. a lesson in itself. Also, how to do group assignments when half the group is missing. 

Becoming a professor.. discovering how people are not interested in your lessons, and that's a lesson. You were the same when you were a student, so it's a deja vu of a different kind!

Holistic Approach to Life

 Today is the festival of Holi in India. So, naturally, I had to think about the word holistic. I don't remember when I heard the word first, maybe in the 80s while doing my M.B.A. Some other words from the same period were Value Engineering, M.R.P. (later turned into E.R.P.), Positioning, and lots more.

Returning to holistic, that's a view of anything, a more rounded, broad view. So if one were to look at the Corona pandemic, a holistic view would include all stakeholders, including government (worldwide) which learnt (hopefully) that welfare of its people, including healthcare and hygiene, comes before economics, no matter what the Pink papers have to say. Hospitals and healthcare industry, which learnt that R and D has a major role to play, and many frontiers remain unconquered.

The common man in many countries learnt how responsive his government (elected, in democracies) was to his pain. We all learnt to live digitally, order food online, educate our kids online, and work from home. Pollution on roads and in factories declined, weather improved as a result, and some positive effects on health were felt in urban areas.

We also lived with no major congregations for any reason, proving it can be done. Also without international travel- discretionary- and it did not affect us as much as we imagined. Of course, the tourism industry took a hit, and the hospitality sector. And airlines-but most of the airlines always have a yoyoing life, economically, even without a pandemic. 

The biggest negative was not being able to meet classmates, colleagues (those we like and dislike!), teachers, and relatives and friends, whenever we wanted to. A big loss! Hopefully we will get back!

So What is New?

 Mostly, it's a matter of perspective. Not much would change in a day. But just as books have chapters, we like to look at time in compartments. Calendars are on way to do it, and clocks are another. The stars were quite enough for our ancestors. They kept time by them.

Also, it gives us a chance to think about where we may be headed, in the next block of time-365 days approximately, in this case. Whole industries have been shaken up by the COVID pandemic, and countries too, in many cases. Some are on their way to recovery. It's not that we are new to man-made disasters..we have had plagues, cholera and lots of other killers-malaria, for example. Even though some of these are spread by rats or mosquitoes, we create conditions that help the spread.

If you want a one line summary of the learning from this pandemic, it could be -" Clean up your act, humans." In more ways than one, we have dirtied the planet, and ourselves. Soap is not going to cure all those ills, nor sanitisers. Unless we live sensibly (some sense has hopefully been forced on us), it will be another disaster, and then another. 

Here is hoping that we learn, and progress, as humans are meant to be (I think).

Halfway Mark at Covid Lockdown and the Future After

I think it was a bold and necessary step to lock down India -a vast country- for a period of three weeks. U.S.A. has not been able to bring itself to do that, nor the U.K. until recently.

The next step/s will also be critical. To isolate areas or cities with a large population (or even a significant small population) of likely spreaders, and current hot spots. If this is done well, and it may mean a spurt in detected cases- a good thing in the short run during lockdown- we may be able to prevent a larger disaster. The hot spots may need a further bunch of restrictions over a longer period, in my own view.

Either home delivery of groceries and medicines, or keeping small stores open with distancing being practiced will of course be required, and can be geared up once areas are identified that need it for longer periods. Migrant labour camps will also need to gear up and provide food and/or a kitchen and groceries.

Domestic flights except for the hotspots can be started at first, and then all domestic flights, in phases. International flights should be restricted to those who have a family emergency and can prove it..otherwise they can wait for a couple of months. Big congregations including malls, theatres will in my view, have to remain shut for a few more weeks. If not, gains made will be frittered away.

Sensible planning (and behaviour) may still carry the day. Let us hope so!

What I Learnt in Electrical Engineering

This post owes its origin to a discussion I had with Surbhi Dayal, a colleague..there you go, Surbhi :)

OK, so these are things I learnt (or think I did).

1. Never work the hard way, if there is another way. Inspiration- electricity takes the path of least resistance...so do humans -or should.

2. Circuits can work in parallel, or in series. Make mistakes in parallel, and succeed serially. In relationships, try other ways of connecting if one does not work..some relationships should be without parallel, though. :)

3. Starting torque has to be provided to a motor from somewhere..you need something to motivate you..sounds similar to some Newtonian stuff, but it's different.

Gyan (wisdom) is good in small doses (like an electric shock)- so I will stop for now, lest you are shocked out of your wits..

Approaches to Life- Learning from Cricket

I used to play cricket in school. Until a few years ago, I was also a regular cricket-watcher. Now, I am an occasional watcher, mostly an hour of any match which interests me in one day is enough. But it can certainly teach you a lot about life and how to approach it.
For ease of understanding, I have tried equating different approaches with current cricketers. I am quite sure equivalents can be found among past cricketers too.

The Sehwag Approach: In old cricketing lingo, this is called the hit out or get out approach. It is good if it works, and enjoyable for the spectators-not always for the player. A carefree attitude, and living in the present moment are the hallmarks.

The Dravid Approach: Somewhat stodgy, appears boring at times, but it works. A person who slogs it out, unmindful of criticism, knowing that the team's goals are paramount. In life, a guy who slogs it out for the family may be an equivalent.

The Laxman Approach: A sort of via-media between the two approaches above. There is a tendency to play your shots, and also a high chance of bringing them off, unlike the Sehwag approach. Finnesse, rather than brawn, achieves the objective in this case. A balance between team's requirements and personal freedom, and also a willingness to never say die. For me, one of the greatest innings ever was the Eden Gardens double century against Australia played by Laxman. What a spirit!To paraphrase an old cigarette ad, 'Smoothness was never so satisfying'.

The Dhoni Approach: This has more to do with leading others, motivating others, giving space to others, and not trying to bask in the glory of everyone else's achievements. We all see around us people who can advice when needed, withdraw when not needed, and give others the credit whenever they can.

The Srisanth Appproach: This could be described as "Apne Pairon Pe Kulhadi" which negates the inherent talent that one has, by sheer lack of focus and application. Vinod Kambli would be an earlier example.

Tsunami

In 2004, I did not know the meaning of the word. But the Dec 2004 experience that Eastern India and the Andamans went through changed all that. This one in Japan has also proved devastating, never mind the technological brilliance of Japan. There is fear of nuclear radiation leaks too, after the explosion in a nuclear plant. Just goes to show how fragile our equilibrium on the earth is. It can vanish at a moment's notice, if nature chooses to make it.

So, what are the lessons for humankind? One is not to be too arrogant under the false notion that we can control everything. Humility, is lesson number one. Second, celebrate the moments and the life that we DO have, doing everything you wanted to, or enjoy doing. And it is not the big things necessarily, though they are also contenders. The world cruises, the big holidays, the houses (or castles) to be built, and so on. It may also be the small things, like smiling at friends (or strangers), or going for a walk, or cooking something special, or a celebration with friends. Or in today's world,making the status update on facebook that you wanted to. Whatever gives you joy, you can never have too much of. Or doing the best at your workplace. And not because the boss said so.