i can lead . . . . .

The sight of trees like Gulmohur and Amaltas in full bloom during the hot summer months is always wonderful. There is another plant that grows in parks, on the roadside, in the terrace gardens and balconies of  homes whose fresh and vibrant colours always attract my attention and lift my mood – the Bougainvillea. It blossoms in an array of vivid colours from the white to pink, red, magenta, orange, yellow, purple and all hues and shades in-between.

The bougainvillea somehow always inspires me and I believe we can learn a few lessons from this humble flowering plant. These are my thoughts and I am sure you can add more…

- it teaches us to be tolerant because it generally grows in dry, warm conditions. It gives the best flowers with the sun beating down  as though telling us to give our 100% in the most trying situations if we want to succeed.

- it promotes a sense of cheerfulness and hope due to its unfading bright colours.

- this ornamental plant with delicate paper-like flowers is actually quite tough and hardy, requiring very little care and water once it is planted suggesting that even with the least of support, we should be mentally strong so as to live well without demanding much attention specially as we age.

- the sight of  these flowers soothes our eyes in the scorching sunlight inspiring us to do good always as it may help someone unknowingly.

- Bougainvillea generally flowers round the year – it does not wait for a particular season. Likewise we must find reasons to be happy all the time without waiting for any special occasion – we wait for a pleasant happening to smile but happiness says  “Keep smiling- I will always be with you”.

- just the way the Bougainvillea creeper climbs over other less good looking trees and makes them look beautiful, we need to ensure we provide cover to people in times of need and always make them look good

- it also teaches us to be adjusting and adaptive by virtue of the fact that it blossoms with ease in different climates and soil conditions across the globe

- thorns along with flowers are like sorrow and joy. We have a choice to be happy and joyful even in adverse conditions.

These are  a few of my learnings from this ever flowering, colourful plant. Next time you happen to pass by a bougainvillea plant, do spare a moment to admire its beauty and draw inspiration from it.

Be happy …

Ruchi

Mumbai Indians lost the match to Delhi Daredevils and I the bet and had to take a few friends out for a nice meal. A bunch of passionate people always makes for an animated conversation. While I have dealt with characteristics of “A” players earlier, this one was intense about qualities that make an employee desirable – and remarkable - in times of uncertainity and change.  

We are living in an era of mergers and acquisitions. Market forces are leading to the formation and shaping of new organisations all the time. Some necessitated by a desire to grow and become bigger, others forced by an instinct to survive. Whatever be the reason, welcome to the new reality of business!

By an unusual stroke of occurence, I have found myself to be in the midst of a few such situations. While the stated objective of every integration is addition to revenue and profit, experience suggests that mergers are usually all about people. Softer employee issues determine the success of the outcome rather than pure play product extensions and other associated market capture opportunities. 

The reason is obvious. Combining workforce often means eliminating overlaps and irrespective of the seniority or track record, employees get nervous and anxious about their own future. Corridor and cooler conversations acquire a whole new meaning and speculation – largely baseless and unproductive – becomes the norm. Wouldn’t  it be a pleasure to have some terrific, remarkable  people around you with qualities that may not appear on performance appraisals but have a major impact on performance. Let me elaborate a few :  

- ability to work in ambiguity - they ignore job descriptions, display flexibility. While one can be totally straight jacketed in approach, desired are employees that can think on their feet, adapt quickly to shifting priorities and do whatever it takes, regardless of role or position, to get things done.

-  speak when others won’t -  An employee once asked me a question about potential layoffs. After the meeting I said to him, “why did you ask about that, you already know what’s going on.” He said, “I do, but a lot of other people don’t and are afraid to ask. I thought it would help if they heard the answer from you.”

Some employees are hesitant to speak up in meetings. Some are even hesitant to speak up privately. Remarkable employees have an innate feel for the issues and concerns of those around them and step up to ask questions or raise important issues when others hesitate.

- display a sense of urgency – being action oriented is perhaps the biggest antidote to anxiety. Such employees take initiatives and act rather than wait for things to happen to them. Don’t look for divine intervention or directions from superiors all the time – that won’t happen. Just decide and keep moving forward!

- publicly praise, privately complain - praise from a peer feels awesome, especially when you look up to that person. Remarkable employees recognize the contributions of others in group settings where the impact of their words is even greater. They are sensitive to the fact that problems are better handled in private. So even though their performance gives them the latitude to raise controversial issues in a group, they refrain.

- just hang in there - you can exercise little control in such situations. The fact that uncertainity does not persist for long is well understood by them. So just put your heads down, avoid too much gossip and stay focused on the task at hand.

You can visualise these to be a wide range of easily defined but hard to find qualities. I am certain there are many more and you should add and contribute through your comments. My personal experience has made me realise the virtues of the above 5 – almost a sure shot way to managing effectively during such times. 

happy reading!

rs

One of the determining attributes I look for while recruiting is attitude. Not to undermine ability and brilliance as crucial ingredients for success. Clearly brilliance alone does not matter but what you actually do with that brilliance, how you put it to use is the big differentiator. And application is always a function of attitude – affirmative attitude that seperates life’s winners from losers. 

Isn’t it then hugely comforting that we have the ability to choose our attitude – almost on a daily basis. It is a mindset and research has indicated that our mind works like a switch. You can OFF it to literally become a bundle of gloom and negativity or ON it to spread cheer, happiness and positivity all around. Contagious as they say! Many people climb up the ladder of success because of their talents and skills but slide down because of their character. Positive attitude as a foundation to success and life of fulfilment!

Any situation we encounter has multiple dimensions – at least 2 at a minimum - and that forces us to make choices every moment of our life . YOU choose, I choose, we all do and the choice we make determines the outcome of the day, controls whether we feel good and upbeat or down and out! I woke up early today excited about all I get to do before the clock strikes midnight. Have responsibilities to fulfil and will do the most I can. My job is to choose the kind of day I am going to have. 

Today I can feel sad that I don’t have more money or I can be glad that my finances encourage me to plan my purchases wisely and guide me away from waste. 

Today I can grumble about my health or I can rejoice that I am alive and enjoy the wonderful world around me. 

Today I can complain because the weather is rainy or I can be thankful that the grass is getting watered for free. 

Today I can lament over all that my parents didn’t give me when I was growing up or I can feel grateful for the selfless love, affection and blessings they showered on me.  

Today I can cry because roses have thorns or I can celebrate that thorns have roses. 

Today I can mourn my lack of friends or I can excitedly embark upon a quest to discover new relationships. 

Today I can whine because I have to go to work or I can shout with joy because I have a job to do. 

Today I can complain because I have to go to school or eagerly open my mind and fill it with rich new tidbits of knowledge. 

Today I can murmur dejectedly because I have to do housework or I can feel honoured because god has provided shelter for my mind, body and soul. 

Today stretches ahead of me, waiting to be shaped. And here I am, the sculptor who gets to do the shaping. What a privilege! What today will be like is up to me. I get to choose what kind of day I will have! 

That attitude is so infectious. Teams draw upon their attitude from their leader. When a leader is engulfed with a heart-warmed and upbeat attitude, everybody follows and adopts the same.  So always look to spread a sense of hope and confidence, of stability and security and create a genuinely caring environment. You will then get the team to believe, behave and act accordingly.   

As Zig Zaglar said – It’s not your APTITUDE but your ATTITUDE that determines your ALTITUDE in life. 

What choice are you exercising today?

have a great day!

rs

One phone call from a long lost college colleague (I was hearing from her for the first time in 25 years) transported me back to the days spent in college. The campus, all my friends, exchanging notes to complete our files and registers, the professors, mass bunking to watch a movie, night duties in the hospital during internship and the numerous cups of tea sipped with friends sitting in the winter sun after the OPD — all flashed in front of my eyes.

Now there was a chance to meet some of these colleagues after a gap of 25 years ( I was in touch with only a couple of them). This was not to be missed.

A quarter  of a century had gone by since we passed out from college but as soon as we met each other we were all hugging and  laughing aloud, joking and screaming at the top of our voices as if those years between us had been erased. Nothing seemed to have changed barring a few wrinkles and pigmented faces and a few kilos lost or put on here and there. We were all lost  in our world oblivious of the fact that we were standing in the centre of a marketplace with people were staring at us. But we were least bothered about anything else other than trying to know about each other.

We  decided to sit down in a restaurant and exchange notes about our lives after college and also recollected the good old college days. Some of us have moved on to other professions while most  are practising Homoeopathy very passionately. Everyone has been through various ups and downs in the journey of life – most of us are happy in our roles.

As we talked excitedly about our pasts and present, I could sense that we were all AT EASE with each other – no airs of any kind which was indeed heartening. Each one was enjoying THE MOMENT. It actually felt as if we were always connected, as if we were always together even though most of us were not in touch with each other. It was a great feeling.

It was a  get-together in a real sense. Nothing official ( no cheque payments for a reunion and no sweat shirts in return, as generally happens in college reunions ) – just the effort of one person who took the initiative to contact others and floated the idea of  meeting for lunch.It took less than a week to materialize as one and all were excited on hearing about this plan. Luckily most of those who were contacted made an effort to come despite the short notice.

What a great time we had -  all of us were refreshed and rejuvenated in the little time we could spend together. A meeting we all will remember and savour forever.

best wishes

ruchi

So much of what we accomplish in our life is due to the selfless support and immense sacrifices of the immediate family – our spouse and children. Almost impossible to make any meaningful progress in the absence of that. Not sure if this fact has dawned on you, even more unsure if we do enough for them and one of the things that makes me sad is not having spent enough time with my son in his formative years. I was so caught up in work that all else seemed secondary. Ruchi more than covered up and therefore Samarth has become a lovely boy. But that does little to soften my miss.  

Life needs to be really balanced – a good combination of work and relaxation, of professional ambitions and drive and personal passions. I read a story recently that not only reinforces this belief but also provides a unique perspective to what should perhaps be some of the most significant priorities of our life.  

How many marbles do you have?

The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it’s the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it is the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.

A few weeks ago I was shuffling toward the kitchen with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it. I turned the volume up on my radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning talk show. I heard an older sounding chap with a golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business himself.

He was talking about “a thousand marbles” to someone named Tom. I was intrigued and sat down to listen to what he had to say. “Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you’re busy with your job. I’m sure they pay you well but it’s a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter’s dance recital.” He continued “let me tell you something Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities.” And that’s when he began to explain his theory of a thousand marbles.

“You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know some live more and some live less but on average folks live about seventy-five years. Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime.

Now stick with me Tom, I’m getting to the important part. It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail” he went on “and by that time, I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round-up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right here in my workshop next to the radio. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away.

I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight. Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until next Saturday then God has blessed me with a little extra time to be with my loved ones…… It was nice to talk to you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your loved ones and I hope to meet you again someday. Have a good morning!”

You could have heard a pin drop when he finished. Even the show’s moderator didn’t have anything to say for a few moments. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to do some work that morning then go to the gym. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. “C’mon honey, I’m taking you and the kids to breakfast.” “What brought this on?” she asked with a smile. “Oh, nothing special” I said. ” It has just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we’re out – I need to buy some marbles.”

Clearly a story of many learnings and relevant at every moment of our living. Lead a fuller life – holistic and more balanced, focus on a few important and meaningful priorities, utilisation of time…..can go on and on. You derive your own lessons.

happy reading!

rs

Wow! what an enriching discussion I had over the last weekend at Pankaj’s house with a bunch of highly animated friends. All immensely successful in their own ways. And the topic, it turned out, seemed very close to their hearts – what does it take to lead in today’s hugely complex, interconnected world.

The world around us has become less predictable and much more uncertain. Information required to make critical decisions is sketchy at best and non-existent at most times. Almost 60-70% of decision making happens in the grey zone. So what determines a good outcome now is the speed of execution - at least you have the possibility of altering the course quickly if things do not turn out as expected.   

In such a situation, a few vital qualities expected of CEO’s are :

- decisiveness - uncertainity and lack of information can never be a defence for inaction after all

- holding people accountable – clarity of expectations and measurement of performance against those is a good insurance policy for any organisation

- realistic optimism – instill self belief and a spirit of can-do, often the intangible magic differentiator between an average performance and a successful one. You cannot be successful and not be an optimist!

While that was already too much for the day, Arun quietly diverted the debate towards behaviours or practices that should be avoided – almost like he had an agenda! Now that is a huge topic and always generates a lot of passion and heat. We spoke of many and a few seem more important than others :

- having a low standard of oneself and one’s direct reports – a sure shot recipe for mediocrity!

- tolerating infighting and silo based thinking – after all do you play your best eleven or your eleven best, a star team or a team of stars

- excessive focus on consensus building – it is far more productive to have a 60% consensus with 100% commitment

- blindly trusting what is told by your direct reports – this is a contentious one as the environment can be vicious in the absence of trust. Hence trust you must but verify as well and don’t be closed to inputs from other sources

- overdose of micro management – in the all pervasive transience we live in, necessary to differentiate between micro sense versus micro management

Lunch over and it slipped into chai time - we could have gone on forever. The evening theatre show beckoned and we had to wind up. Perhaps only to re-group at a later date!

Have a great 2012!

rs

My current job is waking me up to many leadership behavioural subtleties. Conflicting at times and almost always on the edge. How to be strong but not rude, be kind but now weak, bold but not a bully, be humble but not timid, thoughtful but not lazy, proud but never arrogant!    

In fact, the key to a successful leadership today seems like INFLUENCE and not AUTHORITY. Use of positional power is turning out to be far less productive. After all people have emotions and super performance gets delivered through a heady combination of heart and passion!      

Sustainability of organisations is increasingly becoming contingent upon the quality of leaders. The environment is so dynamic with things changing at such a frenetic pace that more and more leadership failings are becoming apparent. Let me attempt to cover a few :   

1. Speed of decision making in matters of people. Best people on biggest opportunities is such a good mantra to go by. People who make the cut should be told and those that don’t should be told sooner. My personal experience is that any delay here can cause irreparable damage, both to the person as well as to the organisation.  

2. Solve the tough issues. If leaders don’t, who else will! Idea is to take problems head on and provide appropriate management attention to morale, legal, personnel or any other matters with empathy and compassion. And all with a tremendous sense of urgency.

Wish you all a very joyous festival season. Hope you have wonderful celebrations and all that you cherish and desire may become yours!

While there are so many, many people in the world, amazing how we keep meeting the ones we know so often. And a great learning in life therefore is – be always nice to people. No matter how adverse the situation, how difficult the circumstances.  The recent past has made me marvel at the proverb “what goes around comes around” even more. Philosophy of Karma in a way! A little bit of kindness, a small good deed, putting a smile on someone’s face… Everything goes a long way in improving the happiness quotient. 

A recent true story I read reinforced my convictions.    

One day, a poor boy, who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school found he had only one thin dime left. And he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly and then asked “How much do I owe you? “You don’t owe me anything” she replied. “Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness.”

“Then I thank you from the bottom of my heart.” As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically but his faith in God and man was stronger also. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Many years later that same young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled and finally sent her to the big city where they called in specialists to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.

Dressed in his doctor’s gown, he recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to her case. After a long struggle, the battle was won.

Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words…..

“Paid in full with one glass of milk.” — Signed — Dr. Howard Kelly.

Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: “Thank you, God that Your love has spread through human hearts and hands.”

The good deed you do today may benefit you or someone you love at the least expected time. Not that you do good with an expectation of return! So if you never see the deed again at least you would have made the world a better place.  

Perhaps that’s what life is all about. Remember, the reverse is almost always true too!

best wishes

rs

The charisma of Anna Hazare is for real! His simplicity, integrity and ability to lead from the front has drawn people from all over the world and from all walks of life.

He has proved to the world that leadership is not about  power or money but being true to the mission. A mission which connects people all across, touches everyone’s lives and makes a difference to the community.

You would at times wonder the support you draw unconsciously from people just because you are unrelenting, selfless and championing the right cause.  Team Anna has had no dearth of support in terms of basic necessities- food, water, shelter etc. as hundreds of people and corporates have contributed in cash and kind to the wellbeing of him and his followers. Did he demand for it? NO.  His single point agenda, ability to reason , decision making and willingness to take risk has left an impression on all and sundry.  Above all,  this was executed  under the ambit of law, not succumbing  to violence.    

There are learnings for all of us in the Corporate World too. How often do we find a leader who connects with every employee and demystifies the Mission and Vision Statement for everyone. Does he walk the talk. Can people stand by him in good times and bad times because of the impeccable faith in him.   

The Corporate World too needs Team Anna. The Team we all can be proud  to be a part of.

Nation behind Anna.  Lets all rally behind  a LEADER like him.

best wishes

Mona

We were  in Scandinavia recently for a 10 – day long vacation. It was an amazing trip as we soaked in the culture, art, history, architecture and the scenic beauty of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. The sea, numerous lakes and the greenery, the waterfalls and a boat ride in the fjords with crisp wind blowing and seagulls flying along, cobblestoned streets lined with cafes and a variety of unusual museums have been imprinted on our minds.

A most remarkable part of our trip was our interaction with the  tour guides in the cities we visited. They were all between 60 – 70 years of age, spoke very good English, were extremely courteous and well informed about the history and geography of that region. They gave us all the general information about their country – its population, education system, social welfare schemes, governments, monarchy etc. They showed us around the various monuments, museums, churches, parks, town centers and palaces giving us the details of their significance.

Inspite of their age, they looked fit and full of life - satisfied and as if the second innings was becoming almost as fulfilling – or even more – than the first. Eager to answer all the queries put up by the tourists, they took great pride in showcasing their country and its artistic and historic heritage. As summer months are ideal for visiting these countries, there were lots of tourists from around the world. To be able to cater to the rush season, the guides have to sometimes work in two shifts – morning and afternoon. Yet they always seemed fresh and raring to go. Another good quality was the respect and awe shown by them towards the royal families of their respective countries, speaking high of them. Besides imparting knowledge, their jovial nature made them come across as very warm and friendly.

It was so heartening to meet and listen to such enthusiastic persons, ready to mingle with people of different nationalities and cultures at an age when it is perhaps time for most to retire and call it a day. A real tribute to their spirit and zest for life. You truly get to learn that life can be so fulfilling and fun filled if you keep yourself gainfully engaged in something that you love to do. I am sure they had  different professions earlier and have shifted to this career later in life demonstrating capabilities of change and adaptation – a must to be happy in life. 

So many 60+ people start feeling old and tired, dull and bored. The Scandanavian guides taught us that it is all upto us to be happy and live life to the fullest, irrepective of age and also for us to decide till when we want to keep going. 

So remember not to tire even after you retire!!

best wishes

ruchi