Why People Are the Next Big Tech

Our age is swamped with technology. 

From robotics to smartphones; from e-rickshaws to international space stations; from CRSPR-Cas9 to Solid State Drives. Human ingenuity and science are being rapidly encapsulated in complex algorithms and packaged into dense devices and executive routines. Governments and corporations are ramping up R&D budgets to create or acquire the next big technology, like with AI, Data Science, and Machine Learning.

Donkey Donuts

The guy who brings donuts is popular.

He may not have any talents or skills, but if the organization is big enough, he'll rise high.

Hierarchical Sloth

"What the fuck is this?"
"What? This is the final product."
"You're going to sell it like this?"
"Yeah. What's wrong with it?"
"This is crap! This is bullshit, man!"
"Hey, it's been approved by the top-management. And we don't have time to re-do it. We have to meet our targets, the retailer is waiting for stocks, the designer has been paid once already and no one really gives a shit. Just let it pass, dude."
"No I wont! Coz I FUCKING CARE ABOUT THIS SHIT!!"
"Suit yourself, bud. It's your funeral."

The Situation Room

Sanjay: "Ladies and gentlemen, we have a grave situation. From where I stand, I can’t see shit!"

Agatha: "I’m pretty sure it was the butler. Why else would the tea be cold?"

Albert: "Totally out of tune, totally out of tune! He couldn’t have been going that fast."

Ali: "I should’ve moved sooner. The bloody butterfly stung me!"

Coco: "Frills, frills, frills! Come on people! Show some class!"

Mohan: "Can we all just calm down for a while? Look, guys, I’m not in favour of this division."

Howard: "What? You want money? Money you want? Let’s start all over again."

Marie: "If she can do it once, she can very well do it once more. I wish I had some lead in me!"

Winston: "I say that we go for Cuban cigars. The lightning bolts here make me edgy."

Joseph: "Ah! Finally! Glad you agree. I’m going to continue west. And I’m going to sunbathe naked."

Yudi: "Thanks, guys, for your vote of confidence. I’ll be honest: people are dumb. So it’s settled. It’s going to be strip poker. Yay! Where’s Tommy?"

9 Success Lessons from Cricket World Cup 2011

1. Success is a Slow Process

It is not a lottery ticket, it is not a windfall gain, it is not bungee jumping, it is not a sprint. It is a trek, it is a marathon. More often than not, the road to success is bland and boring. To try and shape the process otherwise could lead to premature burnout. It happens very frequently with the ambitious and the intelligent. Plodding cannot be overemphasized even for the ambitious and intelligent. Success is its own reward. But if you want to spice up the journey, break it down into sub-projects and sub-goals, and enjoy the achievement of each milestone.

In some respects, yesterday’s match was somewhat slow and unexciting. Only 6 wickets fell for Sri Lanka and only 4 for India. Jayawardene went on and on. The two crucial partnerships that built India’s innings (Gambhir + Kohli; Kohli + Dhoni) didn’t have many fireworks; just slow, steady run-making. And that is what, in the end, piled up the runs that won us the match. 

2. Consistency is the Key

It is better to have consistent above-average successes rather than one big success at the beginning or one big one at the end. Consistent performance throughout the lifetime of the project is more important than starting with a bang or ending with a slog. The pressure is evenly distributed and your reaching your goal is more assured.

The two big partnerships displayed amazing consistency of scoring. They made up for the lack of big boundaries with several, well-earned singles, doubles and triples. This consistent run-making is what helped not put pressure on the batsmen in the later stages, when they could’ve been more error-prone. It was important that the team did not repeat the domino effect of previous matches.

3. Have a Well-balanced Team

It is better to have several above-average team members rather than one or two high-performers. Depending too much on high performers is risky. They could leave you anytime. And there may not be anyone to take their place. It is better to have several above-average performers in your team and train them to become high-performers. Your risk is spread out and the increased average performance will add to total performance in time.

Even though we lost the openers in the early overs, thanks to our batting depth, we were able to recover from that setback. Gambhir and Kohli reclaimed the innings brilliantly. But also, we cannot underestimate the fantastic, textbook fielding that our team showed yesterday. They must have saved us at least 50 crucial runs. This is the kind of balance that every team must have.

4. Follow Your Training

Textbooks and training lessons are there because they teach us how to do things. It may sound counter-intuitive, but the best leaders are the ones who are able to follow their training when under tremendous pressure. Many a men have buckled under pressure by compromising their education and succumbing to their emotions. Being impulsive in a crunch situation is only going to make you error-prone. The leader must tune out all noises in his/her head and just follow his/her training.

Everyone knows that Dhoni is a big hitter. Where were the big hits yesterday? They were missing because under pressure, Dhoni did the right thing –– build the innings. He played regular, careful cricket, piling up runs, strengthening India’s scorecard. He relied on his training and strategy sessions to do what he has learned to do.

5. Silence the Expectations

As a leader, you must only think of the goal and not about the expectations of your peers and bosses. Expectations are one goal multiplied by several voices. And this multitude of voices may cloud your judgement. It is best to set your own standards and work toward the goal.

This principle was displayed by the captain brilliantly. Despite the fortunes of the nation pressing down on his shoulders, Dhoni’s judgement was crystal clear.  He didn’t let the expectations of a billion make him act impulsively or become nervous. 

6. Nerves that Twang and Balls that Clang

Courage is a great quality to have in a leader. Courage allows the leader to take daring risks. Courage allows a person to silence the noise of expectations, take decisions that really matter, stop unforced errors, command respect of the team and peers. The catch is that not everyone is equally courageous. Courage is an in-born quality that is built on the foundation of strong principles and unyielding will power. You may not be very courageous, but everyone knows what courage looks like. So, if you think you lack in this department, the next best thing is to ‘act’ courageous and deal with your jitters in private. At least it would have the desired impact on your team.

Fortune favours the brave. It favoured M.S. Dhoni yesterday, when he promoted himself up in the order to take on the responsibility of building the score. It takes balls to face the challenge head on, especially under the kind of pressure that the Indian public can exert on its cricketers. Dhoni was cool as cucumber, almost cocking a snook at us all! But he did it for us. Perhaps, he has more steel in him than all of us put together.

7. Failure is a Clarion Call

Failure at any stage is a call to action. It tells you that it's time to tighten your belt and roll up your sleeves. It's a heads-up to an opportunity to undo the mistakes you've been committing. Failures are perhaps more common than successes and the path to success is a series of course corrections.

The dramatic collapse of the batting order in our match against South Africa indicated to Dhoni that players are unable to take pressure and stick to the wicket. The course correction showed result yesterday when the top order, despite the early departures of Sachin and Sehwag, plodded diligently to ensure that the middle order does not face the pressure. 

8. Do It for the Special Person in Your Life

We all have a special person in our life. It could be our parents, our spouse, our best friend, or children. It could even be a colleague or a senior you look up to. If your own ambitions and self-actualization needs fall short, then think of that special person in your life. Think how you will add value to that person’s life. Think how you will make her/him happy. Imagine how your effort/contribution connects you with her/him more strongly and at a deeper level. There can be no greater reward than the love, affection and respect of your loved ones and peers.

The Indian team did it for the very special person –– Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. There couldn’t have been a bigger motivation.

9. Destiny Plays a Role

I don’t know how to prove it through this world cup, but destiny does play a role –– sometimes minor, but always there. A few missed catches, a few opportune wickets, a fortunate match fixture, a timely advice, an untimely injury –– the chance element, the probability factor is always lurking in the shadows. And the only way to keep her on your side is to train well and act courageous.

The Royal Palace

Once upon a time, there was a great king. He was very powerful and prosperous. So he built a huge palace for himself and his 76 queens. It was a magnificent palace of gold, silver, and precious stones. It was the most beautiful building in the whole of the world. Other kings were jealous of this king's palace and were in awe of its beauty. People used to travel hundreds of miles to come and have a glimpse of this palace. But then, one day, the king became ill. He became weak and could no longer rule. The princes killed the king and fought among themselves. One of them emerged the most powerful after killing all his siblings and crowned himself the king.

The next day he called the royal architect and told him, "You're an incompetent fool, a nincompoop! You don't know design from horse dung! You don't know how to design buildings or palaces! This palace has been made unprofessionally. I want a rework. No, I want to break this palace down and build a new one! Bring me new designs, show me new schedules, give me fresh budgets! But this aberration must go!"

The royal architect was shocked and disheartened. He said,"But sire, it took 21 years to build this palace, it is the most beautiful palace in the world! People from far and wide come to see this magnificent structure. They sing praise of our kingdom and its king. How can you call this heavenly palace ugly?"

The king replied,"Because now I am the King, and what I say is the truth. Do as I say and you'll be richer than you can ever imagine. If you refuse, I'll decimate your entire clan."

The royal architect learned his lesson and decided to rebuild. At least he retained his head and his job.

Let Me Summarise - Our Love of the Gist

I took this pop-quiz that rates your life. Even while you're answering the really straightforward questions, you can make out how you're doing. But then there's the joy of watching all that in the form of bar graphs and decimals.

We human beings have a strong attraction for summaries. We love the fact that our birth chart can predict when we're going to 'drop out'. We love the thing that the lines on our palm can tell others how screwed we really are. Isn't it great that your percentile score in CAT or GMAT can almost accurately predict your pay package in 3 years time and yet reveal nothing about your ethical character?

Corporate honchos have a special love for charts, graphs and figures. They can see their popularity, commission and wife's love rise and fall with the revenue and profits graph. I would say that one look at the faces of your employees early Wednesday morning can tell you more about your company's performance than all the stats churned out by your overpaid accountants.

'Screaming Headlines' Do headlines really scream? Yes, they do. They scream out the entire story in a few words. Its supposed to attract your attention to the story but what it really does for me is that it tells me whether the story is worth reading. The louder the scream, the more suspect the content. But I too fall into the trap of sensationalism sometimes. News these days is more entertainment than news; more advertisement than information, even if it is about rape, murder and elections. I guess we still read and watch news just because we want a pre-packaged, easily digestible, least involving, distance maintaining, hygienic way of interacting with society at large. Its a hard-to-resist summary of the world around you.

Every religious leader worth his donations account and every prophet worth his sombre look has tried to summarise life for us. Some such aphorisms come to my mind - Love thy neighbour (but don't get caught); God is Great (but Devil comes close); Take the Middle Path (but don't get crushed). [The words in brackets are not mine but additional notes by charlatans and realists down the ages] Don't we just love these lines? Sometimes they inspire, sometimes they simplify and some other times, they rectify. Religion is nothing but spiritual fast food. Pre-packaged, quickly delivered, easily eatable and quite filling. On top of that, inexpensive. Just imagine how much more difficult life would be if each one of us were to develop his or her own personal religion. (But some of us like to rough it out.)

I guess we love summaries because life is too complex to be understood in bits and pieces.

This Is My Life, Rated
Life:	6.5
Mind:	7.5
Body:	7.3
Spirit:	7.5
Friends/Family:	4.9
Love:	1.4
Finance:	4.7
Take the Rate My Life Quiz

Organisation as a Mother's Womb

Employees are profit centres and should be treated likewise -- as investments. Employees should be called stakeholders; in fact, Primary Stakeholders.
There are good/bad organisations and good/bad performing organisations. Employees are most affected if the organisation is good or bad. Hence, they are the primary stakeholders. Everything an organisation does, is done by people. These people are the actual profit generators. Therefore, they must be nurtured, nourished and taken care of. They are the atoms that make up the matter.
Employees should feel secure, happy, and relaxed working in the organisation, just like a unborn child feels inside mother's womb. Like a mother, the organisation should take care of the worker -- providing love, structure, and guidance. Even when the employee eventually leaves the organisation, he must feel unhappy about leaving. He must feel happy coming back to visit his 'alma mater'. 

Lazy Bones and Creative Minds

The winter this year in Delhi seems especially trying. Its such bone cracking chill outside and inside the home that I have to keep drinking tea and coffee and run to the loo every half hour. Pissing is almost as annoying as getting out of the bed in the morning. There's just too much exposure! My grey cells have gelled like the diesel in my car. My car refuses to start in the morning. My brain refuses to start forever. Even in summers. I was wondering if I'm chronically lazy. Or terminally. Or genetically, coz my brother shares some of my lazy traits. Either I'm too distracted or I'm in a stupor. Mind is either a cesspool of bubbling slimy ideas or is squeaky clean like my just harpiced toilet bowl. Well what do you know, there are others in this world who mirror me and my predicament; who share my guilty conscience. Read this interesting article on laziness - http://positivesharing.com/2006/03/my-lazy-life. My guilt at not being able to accomplish on a daily basis reduced considerably after reading it. I'm just not that! Of course I remember the days when I slogged like a beaver on a mission. But thats the point, I need a mission, something creative enough, and some freedom to think and act. Alas, 'mission' and 'creativity' have ended up becoming PR catchwords for corporations desperate to attract talent. But they don't understand that talent is developed, realised and retained; not attracted. There are three kinds of workers - Ants at one end of the spectrum and Leo Da Vincis at the other end. And transition guys in the middle. Employers should realise who is who and assign work to them accordingly. Otherwise creative people are easy to frustrate. I wish I could become the transition guy. I know I was at one time. But time and age push you towards rigidity of ways and hierarchy pushes you towards conformation to systems. Now thats another big dilemma!
I tell you, when you are lying on your bed and wondering where your next meal is going to come from, there are no dilemmas.
Thats when it helps to just close your eyes and fall asleep..ZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Group Dynamics

Group dynamics have many manifestations. Groups could be small teams, large armies or simply rampaging mobs. There is something in a group that amplifies everything about an individual-good as well as bad characteristics. Groups can reduce inhibitions, whet intra-group rivalry and increase insecurity.

Mobs are equally capable of both ethnic cleansing and regime-changing revolutions. A mob is an extreme form of a group that allows free expression to hitherto suppressed instincts of cruelty and courage, hostility and camaraderie. Similarly, joining a theatre group reduces your stage fright by several basis points.

An organisation is another form of a group. Most work related organisations act differently from your average group. They amplify opposite feelings in individuals in different settings. People join companies for security in their personal lives. But at the cost of insecurity in their professional lives. A genuinely decent person in personal life can behave in an utmost despicable manner in an office surrounding. It is not uncommon for his colleagues to be pleasantly surprised when meeting him in a more informal setting. Most employees are insecure, unless they have a genetic propensity for security. In fact, most secure employees are those who are in denial. Employees live a schizophrenic life- a different man at home and in office. The aim of good organisations should be to resolve this split personality, or at least, to reduce it to a level which nurtures good workplace behaviour. How can we do this?

We can do this be periodically exposing employee groups to informal interaction settings-like picnic, outing, recreation, group-work unrelated to work, games etc. Another good method would be to make communication, policy making and reward system more transparent. People should be made to feel less threatened of each other. As far as possible, the personal growth of an employee should not depend on the quirks and fancies of another individual.

-- first written on 9 September 2004.