The absurdity of having an Intellectual Point of View

Several years ago, I had attended a seminar by a renowned management Guru who at that point, some of us had labelled as a PKIA (Pompous Know It All). The seminar was about learning how to developing a Teachable Point Of View (TPOV). TPOV is a concept that was introduced by Noel Tichy and generally accepted as a fairly insightful concept. PKIA talked extensively about how a TPOV can be developed only through experience and thereby is extremely authentic/credible. The "Been There, Done That, Learnt From It" articulation helps bring positive/authentic change. People are less likely to question authentic ideas especially when articulated by somebody who brings that experience to the forte. In addition, the TPOV comes along with a repeatable and workable template that can make adoption of the practice faster.

However the PKIA was quite emphatic in how much chaos, a "POV" can create if it is not teachable. In his view, the intellectual POV (IPOV) which is cultivated by just reading something or hearsay information could be the equivalent of a nuclear bomb in the amount of catharsis that it can spread as people tend to debate endlessly over half baked information or even delusions, resulting in rhetoric diarrhea as opposed to getting a clarity of thought. He warned about how a connected world is going to make these intellectual delusions an order of the day. Very specifically, he talked about the cocktail of misinterpreted data, strong but pretentious articulation and dubious pedigree of the articulator can actually make a POV sound extremely realistic even if it has no bearing in reality. He cautioned the audience on forming a POV unless they can support it with experiential wisdom. In his view, don't stop reading or gaining intellectual know-how but if it really needs to translate to wisdom (Point of View), it will have to be substantiated by Field research or relevant experience. And he put a very delicate example to drive home the point. "You aren't going to learn swimming by reading the laws of physics on buoyancy". If you have understand the laws and also learnt swimming, then you have a TPOV else it is just pure know-how at best. Sure, you can teach it to a bunch of Physics students but not to a motley crew that turned up for a swimming class. The other thing that he cautioned was how the concept of debating becomes pointless if a IPOV is already formed. A TPOV improves the ability to listen but an IPOV almost always blinds it as the articulator gets into a defensive mode to somehow justify the lack of experiential wisdom by coming out with absurd/rhetoric arguments.

At that point, i did not fully comprehend as to where he was headed but looking at the drivel that goes on in FB or the media, couldn't stop admiring at how prophetic that he has been. Over the years, i have had several personal experiences which have proven how ridiculously daft, an IPOV can be.

Recently i had the fortune of reading a book written by my college senior Ajay Chaturvedi about the lost wisdom of the swastika (My review of the book can be found here.) , where he has articulated the same concepts, drawing upon his own experience. The following statement keep resonating and i couldn't stop admiring at how profound and how relevant it is in today's cacophonous world.

"Natural law is in being and experiencing. Not in defining and forcefully naming something"

Well w.r.t PKIA, i guess the real PKIA in the room was me :)

Lost Wisdom of the Swatika - Turiya Tales by Ajay Chaturvedi - It is all about Experiential wisdom !!!

One of the things that I have grappled with over the years is about the trap of the materialistic pursuits which in some ways is quite a bit of a vicious cycle. There is definitely a sense of awareness that these pursuits, whether it is glory, money, power, social standing etc., plunge the human into this rather devious cycle of perpetual craving. Well, some would call the competition or survival of the fittest (or smartest). And while these pursuits definitely give those eclectic highs, it could never be construed as true happiness. But what it definitely has created is a chaotic world replete with hatred, jealousy, pride, greed etc., It is a Gordon Geckoian world where "Greed is Good". In addition, it is a constant struggle to understand the rationale for these mindless pursuits which anyways don't give you the true happiness. Even one of my friends once asked me as to what the hell is this game that Cosmos (or God) is playing out there?

The Indian culture is replete with several idiosyncrasies. We have been caught between the limited understanding of our heritage (which has been significantly eroded in the 2 centuries of colonial rule) and the western capitalist based fast paced drivel which has been peddled as progress. Several of the customs/traditions/rituals have been lost/misinterpreted amidst the adoption of the "supposedly" western rationalized way of life. The recent deluge of information overload in the name of knowledge has just made this even more convoluted. So we have a significant amount of knowledge out there (either hearsay or acquired through reading) but very few of this translates to anything concrete. 

And this is exactly where this book fits in. Deftly weaved in as a work of fiction by Ajay Chaturvedi (Chats to those of us who knew him in BITS Pilani), but is in reality a chronicle of the experiential wisdom of the author as he went about his journey of searching for the ultimate truth - Why/what exactly is the game all about. It answers several questions but most important, re-stresses the need for experiential wisdom. In fact one of the chapters is appropriately titled as "Knowledge is Wisdom's Worst Enemy". Very true and quite profound. 

As somebody who has embarked on a journey of experiential wisdom for the last few years and have seen the miracles unfold, it was a refreshing re-enforcement that I am on the right track. It answered several of the questions that had cropped up during my self journey. In fact at one point, as Zian vents his frustration at the arduous journey of self realization, i could totally identify with him. This is definitely a must-read for those who are willing to "learn" with an open mind. For instance, the comparison between the well known "Maslow's hierarchy of needs" to the Chakra system throws a very refreshing point of view into what is commonly accepted as "Self Actualization". 

As Maharaji says in the book,

"Natural law is in being and experiencing. Not in defining and forcefully naming something". So simple and so profound and so not followed in today's world. 

Thanks Chats. All the best for your continued journey and hopefully some of us will get there someday

Second Lives by Anish Sarkar - Enjoy the ride of this fast paced thriller

There is a book by Jeffrey Archer called "As the Crow Flies". This book had a rather unique way of story telling. Most books have the author as the main story-teller in a third person narrative who takes you through the chapters as the plot unfolds. In this book, however Archer used a combination of the usual manner of story-telling plus having the characters of the story spell out their points of view as the plot unfolds. So you will have a chapter which is written in the usual way. This would be followed by a narrative by a character, say "Charlie Trumper" who then provides a view on how he looks at the world. This would be followed by the usual narrative of the story-teller or it would be another character and so on. 

Second Lives is quite unique in the sense that the entire plot unfolds through the eyes of the different characters. Every chapter is the point of view of one of the characters. And the fast paced plot unfolds through this novel writing technique. In addition, it switches between the past and present of each of the characters in a rather seamless way which is very important for such a fast paced whodunit plot. 

Anish manages to retain the interest all throughout and delivers a winner. This is quite different from his earlier book Benaami which had a more complex plot and which straddled across different centuries and had elements of rebirth, the 1857 Indian mutiny interspersed with life in the 21st century (including mis-use of nuclear technology). Second Lives is much more simpler and has a very intelligent plot which moves at a rather scorching pace and does throw a chill down your spine at frequent intervals. This book offers a staple plot for a Bollywood thriller though the screenplay would require a slightly different way of storytelling.


There are a couple of minor things that could have been fleshed out better. The experience of Roy post his revival from the river (Chapter 68) doesn't have a follow-through. Secondly the climax seems a little too hurried and predictable. Would have actually preferred something that left things quite hazy, thereby leading to potential sequel. However these are relatively minor and don't take away the sheen of the thriller

At INR 49 (for the Kindle version), this book is a steal and is perfect for the bibliophile who likes to get tucked away in a nice thriller plot for the weekend. 

Our Angel turns 5 - And gives us more than 5 reasons to introspect

As a couple, My infinitely better half, Sumitha Iyer and i have had the usual highs and lows which is fairly commonplace in any marriage. But a significant life changing event happened in early 2012 when our little Angel Anwesha entered our lives. This was anything but conventional. For one, she was adopted. For two, we brought her from Bhawanipatna, a place in the interiors of Odisha. It is the district headquarters of Kalahandi district, which over the last several decades (to quote wikipedia) has become symbol of backwardness in popular media and among politicians or social workers. If we didn't have the luxury of Google Maps or Wikipedia, it would have been impossible to locate this place on a map. Well, some would say that of Odisha as well. Which is kinda ironical as Wikipedia would tell you that it is the 9th largest state in India in terms of land and 11th in terms of population. And it has a huge significant historical significance since the days of Emperor Ashoka and in its earlier avatar as Kalinga.

The journey to Bhawanipatna in 2012 was a kind of a revelation in itself. For those of you who are still struggling to make sense of this place geographically, this place did not have rail connectivity till August 2012. The access to this place depended on getting to the nearest railway station at Kesinga and then driving down the 35 km highway (some would say I am kidding when i refer to this stretch as a highway) to Bhawanipatna. And strangely enough, the trains at Kesinga stop for just 2 minutes. It almost feels like even the Indian Railways doesn't want to stay longer than what is needed else it might get engulfed into the backwardness prevalent here. As for us, We did 3 trips in 2012 to Bhawanipatna

1. An impulsive decision by Sumi to see the child (the mom in her couldnt hold back) after she was identified and reserved for us for adoption. This involved flying down to Vizag and attempting to drive north to cover what was mentioned as approx 350 Kms by road. Sumi managed to cover this distance in over 11 hours unfazed by the absolute lack of civilization (and more importantly any form of signboard or directions) and reached Bhawanipatna. She was ably supported by two youngsters (my dad and her mom) in this journey. Anwesha met her prospective mom and won her over asap.
2. The actual trip to take Anwesha into foster care. We still had not realized the convenience of Kesinga and decided to fly down to Raipur and then drive south east over what was again told as a similar distance but better defined than the #1. For me it was an interesting contrast. Business class travel from Chicago to Chennai, an economy class fare from chennai to Raipur and then the interesting road trip through what used to erstwhile Naxalite infested areas. Even for somebody like me who had visited a few of these places in the past, (Bastar, Dantewada are close examples), the journey was anything but arduous. My dad kinda humored us by reminding us constantly as to how Anwesha (which means Search/Quest in Sanskrit) was how my daughter wanted us to find her this way and also launch us on our quest towards self realisation. While returning back, we became wiser and used the convenience of Kesinga to return to Vizag and then fly back to Chennai.
3. The final trip to complete the adoption process. This time, we were better prepared and decided to do the train route, the entire time. Much less arduous than before.

But the important thing that was life changing was not the fact that our angel was adopted or she was from an backward area or that the journey was arduous. It was our first exposure to a side of India that we really didnt realize existed. Yes, you read it in the press but then we are attuned to focussing on stuff that offers sensationalism like a Shobha De comment or a Donald Trump rant or at the minimum, a Rahul Gandhi POV.  Or for some of the more erudite ones, it is about reading a book or an article and coming to a conclusion that they know it all. In recent times, i have referred to some of them as the Facebook paper tigers. This journey taught us the importance of experiential wisdom. Amidst a sea of what traditional capitalists would call backwardness, there was so much humanity and love that one would find it hard to imagine. The orphanage (Nehru Seva Sangh) was a temple in itself. The people who were working here, having devoted their entire life to bring up neglected/ under-priveleged children were he deities. And the children themselves were such angels. And amidst that was our little baby. The amount of effort that the people at this organization put in to keep this as an honest, ethical and clean place needs to be seen to be believed. In a so called "developed" world, where corruption is beginning to be recognized as an acceptable practice, this oasis in an exceptionally backward world stands as a beacon of what humanity is all about. Every single penny is accounted, receipts issued and they dont accept anything more than what is prescribed by the law. 

Since Anwesha came into our lives, both of us internalized and started  doing a few things

1. When things are not going our way, we stopped asking the "Why Me?" question. 
2. Started feeling blessed and thankful for what we have had thus far, whether it is in terms of money, recognition or any other form of material comfort. 
3. Realized what real humility is all about. We had gotten used to feeling great about rather mediocre achievements (and that too despite us) when there are giants like Nehru Seva Sangh doing amazing things under rather dire circumstances without a whisper.
4. We wanted Anwesha to realize the culture/humanity of the place of her origin.  A close friend of mine even questioned the rationale and wanted us to know if we were over-doing this bit. Well my answer was that he had not experienced what Sumi and I underwent 

Today Anwesha turned 5. And we again undertook what was an arduous journey 4.5 years back. This time, it was myself, Sumi, Anwesha and my brother-in-law who is again a Ram :)

But this time around, no sweat. We flew to Raipur and then caught the train to Kesinga and did the 35km stretch to Bhawanipatna. Yes, things have improved a bit here on the development plank, thought not significantly. But somethings are like gravity, i reckon. They never change. And that is the humanity/love that this place is known for.

We had a surreal experience at Nehru Sevak Sangh. We spent a lovely evening with over 160 children who live in that orphanage and the selfless staff who help run it in the most ethical, honest and efficient manner possible in such places. We had arranged for some snacks (some pastries, ice cream and some savories) to celebrate Anwesha's bday there

1. We met Sthuthi, a talented 10 year old child who has extraordinary skills in music and who was playing the harmonium for us and signing beautiful songs. She has also cleared some exams in music. Well, she is just blind in both eyes
2. We met Sunitha, a beautiful 4 year old child with a lovely smile. Well she has syphillis.
3. We met Sumod, a charming 6 year old boy. He is deaf and this was the first time, he had tasted ice-cream.
4. We met Pratiksha who is about 6 years now but was facing a serious heart condition in 2012. She has recovered and is going to placed with parents in Italy very shortly
5. We reconnected with Bhoomi Sudha who is about 8 years now and completely blind in both eyes and also with a low brain development. I remember her holding my hands in 2012 when we went to pick up Anwesha.
6. Scores of other normal children who were very excited to talk to us and hear Anwesha/Sumi sing. It was melancholy at is best.
7. We reconnected with Sarojiniji who at 70, serves as the Secretary keeps performing her service without expecting any thing in return. In addition to their usual activities, they have also started a rehabilitation facility to help older children who have run away from their homes. For Sumi, she is a mother who didnt give birth to her. But in every other way, they are bonded. For me, she is a terrific role model and who keeps reminding of how selfish and myopic that some of us have become in the modern dog-eat-dog world in our quest for corporate glory.
8. The government has reclaimed some of the land of the orphanage as they are expanding the road. Sarojiniji mentioned that this is neccessary for the "Greater good". I was just astounded as in the cities today, we keep fighting for every inch of sqft even with our families and friends and here is somebody who is willing to give up a portion of what could be rightfully claimed as their land for the bigger good.
9. For Anwesha, it was an interesting experience, albeit confusing. We had kept telling her the story of bhawanipatna from the time she was two, She is still too young to understand the concept of adoption, but she did make a genuine effort to fit into scheme of things. Especially towards the end, the scores of children who remembered her, came over and showered tons of affection by hugging and kissing her. We are preparing for the barrage of questions that are going to come our way next time around
10. We also connected with a couple of other friends in this area and their families.

At the end of the day, as we returned to our hotel, our hearts were filled with warmth. However for Sumi and myself, it was time to re-introspect again. For my Brother in Law, Ram, it was his moment of truth as he got to see the place where his favorite niece came from.

Amidst the gloom and doom that seems to pervade all of us today, there is still sufficient humanity and unadulterated love left in the world. And it is not in the materialistic or comfort capitals of the world or in those exalted board-rooms or luxury spas but in those places like Bhawanipatna, which doesn't figure in any of the "Lonely Planet" books of the world but in the the experiential memories of the few of us who were lucky enough to be there.

It does seem a long time but we are readying ourselves to go there for Anwesha's 10th bday. Till then the memories of the 2016 trip will hopefully help us retain our sanity as we get back to the day-to-day conundrum.

Tribute to that master story teller - K Balachander

As 2014 came to an end, so did the life of one of the greatest film directors of the Tamil movie industry - K Balachander. Though KB, as he popularly called carved out masterpieces in several Indian languages (Hindi, Telugu etc.,), his legacy lives on mainly through his Tamil masterpieces. Over the years, I have had the wonderful opportunity to watch many of his movies and have just been stuck by the sheer simplicity with which he conveyed his messages powerfully. KB's legacy as a director spanned 5 decades ranging from the 1960s to 2006 and ranged from simple adorable comedies to movies with hard hitting social messages that were well ahead of their times. In this tribute, I am going to provide my view on which was the top movie in each decade and the rationale for the same. A full filmography is available here

1960s

This was really the decade of the lovely comedies which even today would put a smile on fast paced Next-Generation like Bama Vijayam, Anubavi Raja Anubavi, Ethir Neechal, Poova Thalaiya amongst others. Over the decade, KB came out with slightly more serious topics with interesting screenplays like in Major Chandrakant, Iru Kodukal (which focused on the dilemma faced by a man who due to circumstances gets married to 2 women, one of whom comes back to be his boss). My vote however goes for his directorial debut Neerkumizhi which starts of a subtle comedy but then morphs into an emotionally charged screenplay leading to a touching climax. Over the decade, KB also made that famous comedian Nagesh into a brilliant actor.

1970s

KB's movies in the 1970s were a reflection of the times. The 70s in some terms signified the coming of age of India as the nation grappled with increasing levels of unemployment, Emergency and the initial signs of rebellion against social evils. KB's movies during this decade focused significantly on the Indian women and the challenges faced by them. Arangetram focussed on a woman who decides to become a prostitute to support her family. Avargal focussed on the challenges of a single mother (separated from her sadistic husband) who tries to make meaning of her life. Maro charithra (later remade as Ek Duje ke liye in Hindi) focussed on inter-caste marriage. Nizhal Nijamagiradhu focussed on a servant girl who is sexually exploited by her employer. My vote however goes for Aval Oru Thodar Kathai which focused on a woman's singular journey to keep her family moving amidst several challenges. It also introduced to Tamil cinema, an explosive actress Sujatha who in several respects embodied a modern Indian woman. One of the best parts in the movie which was presented in such a subtle manner was the way how Sujatha manages her sexual feelings when her sister and her husband (who has been a former lover of Sujatha) consummate their marriage. The dialogues were raw and well ahead of their times. This was also the time, that KB introduced and chiseled 2 of his most famous proteges - Kamal Hassan and Rajanikanth who would go on to be superstars and legends in their own right

1980s

This decade was a mixed bag ranging from films that focused on social issues - Varumai Niram Sigappu, Unnal Mudiyum Thambi, Achamillai Achamillai, Kalyana Agathigal, Thaneer Thaneer. to wonderful comedies like Thillu Mullu to strong screenplays like Sindhu Bhairavi. What remained consistent however was the sublimity with which KB crafted his screenplay and extracted fantastic performances from even fairly mediocre or lesser known artists.  My vote here goes for Varumai Niram Sigappu which portrayed the challenges faced by 3 youngsters amidst an era of unemployment and despair. I personally think that this was Kamal Hassan's greatest performance where for once, he played a character rather than himself. 

1990s

This decade was when KB morphed into more of a mentor or a role model for several next-gen directors like Mani Ratnam who did take leaves out of the maestro's books.I also felt that this was the time that age caught up with the master.  While he didn't lose his skill, his audience had evolved. Oru Veedu Iru Vaasal was quite a masterpiece in storytelling on highlighting the state of different sets of women ranging from the uneducated house-help to the sophisticated and erudite ones. Vaname Yellai was quite ingenious on the frustrations being faced by youngsters and was reflective of the early 90s when the Indian Economy was just opening up. However in my view, the best KB movie of the decade was Kalki which was taken to the cleaners by the critics and the audience alike for its bold theme. The way the protagonist made the chauvinistic Prakash Raj (another KB-introduced talent) repent for his hitherto mistakes was brilliant and was a strong reflection of woman power. 

2000s

As the maestro moved into his 70s and beyond, the handful of movies that he directed in this decade did not pay any tribute to his enormous repertoire. So nothing much here. 

Just like all great artistes, KB will remain immortal for future generations through his  movies. His movies are a good reflection of the times in which they were taken and for any tamil movie lover, they offer rich content conveyed in the most subtle manner through a combination of strong screenplay and character development. 

RIP KB Sir !!!. 

Is technical brainpower needed for defining a problem?

I got some interesting feedback on my earlier blog on Problem Definition. One particular feedback that intrigued me was

“Do you need technical brainpower for defining a problem? How early do you decide that you need the best techie out there to get out there for your problem?”

While the person who asked this question was from the IT industry, I believe that this question is applicable pretty much across the board. Technical brainpower is absolutely a must for solving a number of problems but the quantum and the real need for the same definitely varies depending on the situation and phase of the problem solving life-cycle.

In my view, technical brainpower is really not needed for defining a problem most of the times. Problem definition can be done pretty well by somebody asking pointed questions by looking at the symptoms that have come up. As a matter of fact, the entire industry of management consulting has originated by just focusing on problem definition. There is a popular joke about Management consulting which goes like “ A Management Consultant borrows your watch to tell you the time”. I think this statement is extremely profound and in my mind, is a good appreciation of what a Management consultant does. The person who is wearing a watch (in some cases, this can even be the CEO of the firm who has been in the industry for decades) knows that he is wearing a watch and knows that it is showing the time except that he can’t read it because the time is buried under a halo of symptoms/speculations/politics/numbers etc., The consultant’s job is about asking questions logically so that the mist is cleared and the problem gets defined clearly. Very often than not, once the problem is defined, the solution becomes a no-brainer. I have seen in a number of cases, the person who has helped define the problem has not been part of the team that has been grappling with the problem. Not being part of it, helps the consultant to assess the situation with an unbiased/unemotional perspective. The example in my previous blog is a clear case of technical brainpower taking over and completely diluting the problem definition exercise.  The above diagram gives a view on how a systematic problem solving model should work. One should however falling into the trap of applying this for every single issue as there are enough problems where the problem definition/fixing are reasonably seamless without going through such a process.

Once the problem has been defined, the next step is to evaluate multiple solutions to the problem. Somebody with the right technical know-how would definitely help at this stage as that person would have the ability to present the business case as to why a specific solution is the best available solution for a problem.  The key caution at this stage would be that some really passionate techies fall the trap of focusing their attention on the benefits offered by the solution as opposed to focusing on whether those benefits are really relevant to the problem at hand. I have seen a presentation where a SAP consultant went into an over-drive on how the MM(Materials Management) module of SAP offers a number of benefits and is the best in the world in terms of how it integrates with the FICO(Finance & Control) module. Somebody had to remind that the pitch was about implementing the FICO module and the client was a Financial Services Client(in this case a Mutual Funds firm).

The next step is about solution definition and this is a case where the technical brainpower is required significantly. The solution very likely is very specific and how well the technicality is going to be used to solve the problem does require the best of experts. One would find the architect fraternity jump into the game at this stage. A number of projects, both IT/Non-IT have gotten into trouble because the right technical brainpower was not injected at the solution definition stage and had subsequently lead to the overall solution not solving the problem that it was intended to solve. Careful and Meticulous design of a solution will go a long way in solution implementation and subsequently problem resolution

The next step which is solution implementation does require occasional bursts of technical brainpower specifically when the implementation runs into issues that for some reason where not thought of during the solution definition phase or even simply to enforce the principles that were defined during solution definition (and contain deviations, if any). The need here is more for good project/program managers who can ensure that the solution is implemented as designed. They need to have sufficient technical knowledge to gauge and guide the progress of the solution and also to take a judgment call on when the technical brain power needs to be infused. The folks implementing the solution also need to have the discipline to follow the right engineering/quality processes.

The last step is about the team that helps run the solution so that the benefits (one of which is the problem resolution) are achieved. These folks do have some technical knowledge and as they get better at their jobs have the potential to become good problem definers. Technical brainpower may sometimes be needed if the service runs into serious issues primarily because of something not properly designed into the solution.

While none of the above commentary is revolutionary or new, the way the right brainpower is wasted in activities where it is not needed or lack of infusing the same where it is really something that baffles me. I think the lack of problem definers is the reason why this catharsis happens and if some of us can get to be better problem definers, the quality of the solutions can go up drastically. In fact, I have started appreciating the Sherlock Holmes books a lot more these days. As a matter of fact, Holmes’ method is all about focusing his energy on problem definition by observing every single item that a case throws up. His clarity of thinking is best amplified by the way he reconstructs a person’s entire life history by analyzing his walking stick in the “The Hound of Baskervilles”. We just have to remember that we don’t need a surgeon every time we have a medical problem. The family physician can help diagnose the condition systematically by just talking to us about the various symptom before deciding if a surgeon or a specialist is indeed required. The best of the doctors do exactly that. However in a fast paced world, where getting into details is considered taboo, poorly crafted solutions for poorly defined problems continue to rule the roost.

Defining the problem statement is really half the problem solved. How profound and how so easily not followed?

Some years ago, I was attending as a participant in a workshop for new managers. One of the sessions was a case driven one where a group of us were asked to work on a business problem and come out with solutions. The case was about a firm that was the market leader in mattresses and which has been losing market share rather heavily over the past couple of years and was looking for solutions to arrest the trend. There were a number of items mentioned in the 10 page case study including market information, financials, product variants etc., Our group was a diverse one with folks primarily from a technology background. We had a 1 hour slot to come out with some options. 

Barely had we started reading the case, when one of the guys who was the oldest in the group and who had been a Siebel CRM consultant started out

Siebel Consultant: “Guys, this is a ridiculous waste of time. The solution is to implement Siebel CRM and move on. That should just help them get market share. I have done 7 Siebel implementations and every time the market share of the firms increased.“

“Hold on” came a rather harsh voice. It was a close acquaintance of mine who at that point in time had been asked to build a SAP Practice.

SAP Consultant: “SAP has just launched some cool features that will help their call center executives get upto date order information as it seamlessly integrates with the SAP SD and FICO modules”

I was furiously running through the pages to see if I saw the word “SAP” anywhere as I wanted to see where my SAP mate had got this rather interesting information. Another thing that intrigued me was the issue around call center executives for a firm which sells mattresses. Well stranger things have happened and I just listened to the group continue. It was now the turn of the Open Source guy, a Java expert to talk out

Java Expert:”Come on folks. The future is all about open source technology. While the packaged tools have their advantages, you need Java folks to build the interfaces to the legacy applications to ensure smooth flow of data”

The last part of the straw was the data warehousing expert who was skilled in a rather rare skill at that time (Ab Initio).

Ab Initio Expert: “Remember all these implementations are useless unless the management can have robust reports. Make sure that you include that as part of your solution”

Within a few minutes, what was mooted as a business problem became a technical architecture piece as each of the guys started talking about different ways to implement the system. 

The meek “generalist” in me was overwhelmed with all this technical know-how and watched the drama unfold. One of the guys was actually polite enough to ask me about what I felt. I started out by saying “Should we probably look at the case to help define the problem”. This was met with a startled “You moron” looks and the group returned to their animated conversation.

When it was time to present, the CRM Expert proudly went to the board and announced “Our group has discussed the case and we think that Siebel is the way to go. We should implement a Siebel solution which will interface through Java interfaces with the SAP modules and support it with a strong reporting system in Ab Initio to provide management with the necessary reports to take the right decisions.” He then went on to describe how this can be implemented in a rather accelerated fashion using some assets (that his team has developed).  He finished it with a rather arrogant flourish which seemed to indicate “This is just too simple for my level”

Our arbitrator who was a management consultant took a few minutes to digest the information and then started out what was actually a profound response.

“Team, excellent solution. But can somebody just tell me as to what problem is this solution intended to solve? If you had bothered to look at this case properly, you would have noticed that it is about a mattress company that is losing market share. It is also rather intuitive that Mattress firms don’t sell their products through a call center. A little bit of analysis on their financials and product portfolio would have told you that. And you are telling me that you want to implement a Siebel-Java-SAP-Ab-initio solution which will generate reports that will very likely tell me the info that I already have today?”

While this may appear rather intuitive, this kind of behavior is increasingly becoming the norm today. People are ever so eager to apply their skills on problems that they don’t bother to define the problem in the first place. As my boss once said “This is akin to a doctor who performs a heart surgery on a patient (because he is a surgeon) only to realize that the patient actually came to him for a common cold”

A close pal of mine who is looking for the next big job opportunity thinks that getting his resume updated by an expert will probably help him get that coveted job. Again a great solution but what is the problem that he is trying to solve? Does he have evidence that his existing resume is sub-standard? Not really but somebody mentioned it as a solution which has got his thinking going.

Problem definition is the first and the most important step in any problem solving exercise. It is very important to hold on to solution finding till we have probably defined the problem. But any good problem definition requires the participants to analyze the landscape fully and come out with the right facts that would help put the jigsaw of the problem in perspective. Many a times, people come to the table with half-done analysis and then try to define the problem in a haphazard manner which further confounds the problem solving. A common mistake is to identify a symptom and conclude that it is the problem. A headache is rarely a problem but is a symptom. The problem for this symptom could be as drastic as a brain tumor or as simple as not having had adequate breakfast. To identify which is the problem, the physician has to systematically go through the diagnosis including analyzing various medical reports. Only then is a solution recommended.

A systematic approach to problem definition will go a long way in finding the right solutions to the problems. It will take effort but it will be well worth it as very often than not, solutions turn out to be very simple once the problem has been properly defined.

Too big to fail? Is that a healthy place to be in?

Over the last few weeks, I have heard the audio book of Too Big To Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin as well as watched the movie based on the same book, which outlines with some good insights on the 2008 credit crisis, the actions/intentions of the various key players involved and the catharsis which started with the fall of Bear Stearns and ended with the massive bailout of the financial industry by the US government through the TARP Plan. Towards the end of the movie, Cynthia Nixon (of Sex and the City fame) who essays the role of Michelle Davis(who was at that time, the Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, Public Relations) makes an interesting comment on the bankers resistance to participate in the TARP plan which kind of put things in perspective.

“These guys bring down the entire financial system. And we can’t impose any restrictions on the money that we give them to stabilize themselves because they won’t take it”

The comment is quite profound and quite bewildering to a normal observer but it comes as no surprise to those who have been through the “Too big to fail”(TBTF) phenomenon. Corporate as well as world history is littered with organizations (political/corporal/military) which also grew to a position of being TBTF and then came crashing down in spectacular fashion. The empire of Alexander, the Roman empire, Hitler’s 3rd Reich, the Soviet Union are quite a few that come to mind instantly. The corporate world especially over the last couple of decades is littered with Enron, Worldcom, Bear Sterns, Long Term Capital Management(LTCM), Lehman Brothers, AIG to name a few.

Looking at the rhetoric around “Too big to fail” makes me wonder if this exalted position is really something that an organization should aspire to achieve. Well, it does offer some compelling benefits

• Gives it unique arbitrage (read bullying) opportunities. Gives it additional leverage to arm twist competitors/suppliers/employees and even customers. (Does anybody remember Enron and California?)
• Gives it an opportunity to become a monopoly
• Aids it to influence government policies.
• Offers greater opportunities to gobble up (read M&A) smaller competitors.
• Offer additional/new pockets to hide losses/misappropriations as much as possible
• Sell the “success story” to an extent that the halo around tends to sound like the real truth.
• Does keep the shareholders happy. However bear in mind, the shareholders that matter to the corporate are only the institutional investors who buy in chunk and not the singular retail investors.

However the biggest learning from history is that almost all of these benefits are “short term pleasures” and the support structures that help create these benefits are extremely fragile.  A organization which is reaching the TBTF position also inherits the following pains which significantly dwarfs the short term pleasures specified above

• They become fat and sloppy (like some of who are fighting a losing battle against body weight). They lose the ability to be agile to market changes. Even if they are, getting the entire organization to turn rapidly around proves almost gargantuan
• The arrogance which comes naturally with the TBTF position leaves tons of bad taste/enmity in the entire ecosystem. The TBTF corporate inherits the maximum number of folks who actually want to see it fail.
• Leaves the corporate open to leaks all over the place. The sheer size means that the possibility of leaks increases almost exponentially. A significant amount of senior leadership effort goes away in handling the leaks as opposed to thinking about the future (The story about Westinghouse is a good example of this phenomenon)
• Ultimately leads the management to adopt a ponzi scheme. Whether it is Hitler’s policy to keep the war machinery going in the 1930s in Germany (and building the halo of a post-depression growth explosion) or Enron trading its energy products in the form of spurious derivatives or the complex mortgage based derivative instruments that created the credit crisis, all of the TBTFs have ultimately landed themselves in ponzi schemes

So who really benefited from the TBTF firms? It is probably the rich banking fraternity or the leadership of these firms which ripped the firm off during its heydays by getting dividends/fat salaries/bonuses or capital gains by buying at a low and selling at a high (by getting insider information). The rest of the ecosystem(The employees, customers, supplier, retail investors) has had to deal with the excreta left behind due to these excesses.

Interestingly another lesson that history teaches us is that this phenomenon never really goes away. As Gordon Gekko (played so adeptly by Michael Douglas in Wall Street) says “Greed is good”, the anger after the fall of a TBTF firm is invariably replaced by investment in another similar entity which then over the next decade attains the TBTF state and then the next disaster happens.

Research done in this area like the ones documented very articulately in the book “Built To Last” by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras does allude to the fact that the more successful or enduring firms have been the ones that have learnt from these mistakes and have learnt to stay agile even if it means that they don’t reach TBTF status. Wall Street is of course a strong exception to this rule. Another recent movie that I watched, “Margin Call” illustrates this very well. Towards the end of the movie, when the CEO of the fictional wall street firm, talks to his head of trading portrayed by Kevin Spacey, he talks about the different disasters (read crashes) that have enveloped Wall Street ever so often and how that the Wall street firms are helpless. They seem to have made a business of just creating products and services which lay the basis for the next crisis. The ones that survive the crashes are so greedy to make money from the opportunities that arise from the recovery that they achieve TBTF status very fast by indulging in a number of activities(many of which are beyond scruples) geared to make sufficient money to survive the next crisis.  However they may also be reaching their nadir as this time around, they needed Japanese/Middle East/Chinese financial institutions to actually bail them out this time.

So the key question for corporate leaders or governments is that whether they want to reach the TBTF status? How often do we say “How the mighty have fallen”?

How well do we harness the power of listening?

The following is a recent conversation between a boss and a subordinate who are working at multiple options at diffusing a critical situation

Subordinate: I have analyzed the situation and there are 2 possible options. Option 1 costs C1 and provides benefits B1, B2 and B3. Option 2 costs C2 (which is greater than C1) and provides benefits B1, B2, B4, B5. In my opinion, we should go for Option 1

Boss: Good analysis. I would still recommend that we go for Option 2 because cost is not a major consideration at this stage. Further the client has specified that B4 and B5 are an absolute must while the other benefits are nice to have.

Subordinate: I totally agree with you. However I think that we should go for option 1 as C1 as it costs us less.

Boss (a little surprised but still retains his cool): Did you listen to what I said? The client definitely needs B4 and B5 and so option 2 is the way to go.

Subordinate: I completely agree with you. Nevertheless we as a firm don’t sometimes understand that cost is the main problem with our operations. So we should go with option 1

Boss (now getting irritated): Ok, I don’t think that you are listening to me. Further I don’t want to lose any more time. I have made the decision. Please proceed with Option 2.

Subordinate (now animated): I totally agree with you. But I think we should explore Option 1.

Boss (now close to bursting out): Time out buddy!!!. Get going with option 2 and if you can’t do it, I will get another guy to do it.

Subordinate (goes out grumpy and murmuring to himself): This idiot!!! Doesn’t listen to reason. He has no respect for individual views. And finally takes a silly decision.

I am sure that people would agree that the above is not a unique situation  and that all of us have faced this quite often. Many times, we have been the grumpy subordinate and at a number of times, have been the boss who has to try hard to make reason with his subordinate. Interestingly both the boss and subordinate in most cases are intelligent and sensible individuals who have the best interests of the stakeholders. But then what causes this discord?

The more I think of it, I begin to come to the conclusion that the primary culprit in this case (who, in my view is the subordinate) and in general in other similar cases is the inability to listen to what the other person says. For instance in the above example, the subordinate who has every right to disagree with his boss is not engaging in a constructive dialogue for the following reasons

• He first wants to be seen as an understanding person and starts the conversation by saying "I agree with you". A few other euphemisms that are in vogue are "I hear you". If he really did agree with what the boss said, there was no reason for any further debate. That is a first indication that while he has been hearing to what his boss said, he has not been listening.

• The boss who in general must have a better understanding of the bigger picture has specified clearly that the client is looking for only B4 and B5 and that cost is not a major consideration at this stage. The subordinate could have disagreed with this and pointed out why he disagreed with this hypothesis. Instead he again starts with "I agree with you but". This only irritates the boss as it is very clear to him that the subordinate is not listening.

• In essence, the subordinate is fixated on the solution and feels passionately about it but not on the problem. This is good but then any solution needs to be assessed with respect to what is the problem that is being handled. Defining the scope of the problem is always the first step to defining the right solution.

I believe that this behavior seems to be getting more and more common in today’s world because in the quest to make our voice heard, we have forgotten to listen to somebody else's voice. Yes, it is important to speak your mind, let people know what is your point of view but what is more important than all of this is to clearly know your audience and then present the proposition to the audience in such a way that ensures that the right decision to come out. We have to remember that debate is not a monologue and listening to an argument is sometimes more important than commenting/reacting to it.  Increasingly I find myself mediating in situations where for some funny reasons, both warring parties keep saying exactly the same point of view but keep arguing because neither is willing to listen to the other. Very often, the only thing that I do is to create an environment where each of the parties are given an option to articulate their position and the other party has to acknowledge/disagree point by point rather than jump to generalizations or past history. Invariably once this is done, both the parties are able to come to a logical understanding pretty quickly.

Sometimes, a position of belligerence or an extreme point of view is adopted in a controlled position so as to dictate the proceedings of a negotiation. In this case, even the person taking the stand is listening to the others but is sticking to a definite point of view with an ulterior motive. Even in these cases, listening effectively will help us get a few clues on how to diffuse the stalemate. Not listening at all and just hearing the words is only going to move things to an argumentative and rhetoric stalemate from where recovery is almost always exceptionally painful than if the receiver listened to the argument with an open mind and responded appropriately. We will have to remember that disagreements are absolutely welcome and highly respected as long as the disagreeing party lays it out in a sensible manner and after providing due respect to the person with whom he is disagreeing with.

Listening is not a sign of weakness. On the contrary, it has immense potential and the folks how have harnessed its power are definitely better influencers than the ones who just stop at hearing and go on the aggressive only to find that it has not got them anywhere.  But is anybody listening?

Does Fear of Failure(FOF) ultimately makes us a loser?

As I was wading through the maddening Chennai traffic en-route to work, a familiar sight greeted me. An auto rickshaw driver blatantly came on the wrong side of the road and bludgeoned his way through the traffic (with absolutely no regard for the anguish it was causing the other folks on the road) only to get stuck at the next signal. The interesting point is that he would probably have reached the same point even if he had followed the traffic rules. This set me thinking on what triggers this kind of behavior. Many of us are familiar with the concepts of the zero-sum game and the Prisoner's dilemma which are principles that do dictate human behavior by piggy-backing on one of mankind's pet phobia - The Fear Of Failure (FOF)

Thinking aloud, one begins to wonder if we are all victims of FOF in some way or the other. Our lives, habits and behavior are getting increasingly determined by not what we really want but by the peer pressure or competition which are nothing but manifestations of FOF. Andy Grove in his landmark book "Only the paranoid survive" advocated the need for firms and individuals alike to reinvent themselves so that they can be relevant to the markets or enterprises that they serve. To ensure that this is followed, he had propagated that both firms/individuals should be paranoid about the next wave that is coming and ensure that they ride the wave. Through FOF, we seem to be carrying this principle to rather ridiculous levels. Increasingly employees are getting upset not by their ratings but about better ratings that their colleagues obtain. They want to get promoted not because they performed well but because some other guy is getting promoted. Even parents or grandparents fall victims to this phenomenon as they indulge in a competition to showcase the achievements of their little kids. I came to know of an acquaintance who claimed that his 3-year old grandson could actually boil vegetables (LOL). In the name of competition or even innovation, we are slowly but surely becoming like the auto rickshaw driver. The key point to note is that this attitude did not really propel the driver to beat the traffic. As more people started adopting the same, it only lead to chaos and the driver actually had to spend more effort to reach the same point which he could have very well got to with minimal effort by following the traffic rules in the first place. Firms are no different. Advertising for instance is becoming more and more mean with firms trying to portray the virtues of their products by pointing out not what they have but by pointing to what their competition does not have.  As more and more folks start doing the same, the competitive edges start getting diluted leading people to an even higher level of FOF.

FOF ensures that its advocates stay in a constant state of tension. They need to be aware of all that their peers or colleagues are doing. In many a case, this state of tension makes them undertake immoral/unethical practices that possibly may help them get some temporary competitive edge but ultimately does take its toll in different ways. Paul Coelho in his masterpiece “The alchemist” mentions that "If you try hard enough, the whole universe conspires to get it done for you”. While I subscribe to this view, I also believe in the fact that “The universe manages to retain the balance by ensuring that with every gain, there is always a loss”. In a war, every inch of land is gained through loss of lives. In most business, every marginal point increase in market share seems to come with ever increasing costs that sometimes seems to be dilute the business case for the increase in market share. Every penny obtained through illegal means brings with it a loss of peace of mind. By being victims of FOF, the practitioners do gain temporary fame or quick wins, but generally tend to lose their peace of mind or state of health.

In my personal experience, I have found that discarding this FOF gives one the tremendous confidence to do the right thing. One still has to subscribe to the rules that govern but the amount of support that the universe provides is just amazing. However discarding this attitude is not very easy and at best, I have been able to stay clear of it for weeks if not months. It does have a funny way of reinforcing its ugly head once too often.

It is indeed times like this that I keep telling my 7-month old daughter “never to grow up” lest she be engulfed in the flame of FOF. I am sure that excellence can be achieved without FOF. And that possibly is the way to make the world a better place as we would all be better human beings. But is anybody listening? After all it is time we replace the "what's in it for me?" with "what is the right thing to do?"

First Available Reason:- Do we take it too FAR?

Over the last several years, i have been exposed to an interesting phenomenon which seems gives a rational explanation to some of the irrational aspects of human behavior. I should thank my boss at work, a very wise man who triggered this thought process. This phenomenon is what i would refer to as FAR - First Available Reason.

Whenever a human is asked to provide a rationale for his decision/judgment, FAR invariably kicks in and we get into an endless mechanism of excuses/explanations which collectively sometimes makes sense but unfortunately fudges the point of view. A simple illustration is as follows:

"A subordinate is expected to be in the office at 9:00 AM in the morning for a client meeting. At 8:45, he calls up his boss to mention that he is stuck in a traffic jam and so can't make it to the meeting"

Upfront the excuse seems reasonable. However to understand FAR, you need to read between the words. The main thing to focus on here is the word "so". Without the so, the statement is fairly innocuous and is just a status update. The "so" transforms the sentence into a "cause and effect" syndrome. Here is where FAR kicks in. The subordinate is pretty clear that the reason why he is late for the meeting is because of the traffic jam. However his boss is aware of the FAR phenomenon and so decides to have a nice chat with him. Here is how it goes

Boss: "Hmm, traffic jam eh? Interesting! So where was the traffic jam?"

FAR subordinate: "Oh, it was near the airport.”

Boss: "At what time, did u get to the airport?"

FAR subordinate: "Well, at about 8:40"Boss: "Is it the usual route that you take from home?"

FAR subordinate: "Oh yeah. It is. I am an expert on this route. The traffic jam around this time is absolutely dreadful. The police don't seem to want to do anything and keep frustrating us every day"

Boss: "Indeed you are an expert. So i am sure you would know that the airport is about 35 minutes from our office even if the road was absolutely empty".

FAR subordinate: "Absolutely. I always hated our management team for putting up our office so far"

Boss: "So let me get this straight.

• You take the same route everyday
• You are aware of the fact that you will hit a traffic jam at a specific spot at a specific time
• You are aware that even if there was no traffic jam, you could still not make it your appointment.
• You also know in advance at what time was appointment.
• Still the traffic jam is the main reason why you could not make it to office in time today?"

FAR subordinate: "No, No, No. I think it is our management that doesn't seem to understand that we have to travel so far.”

Boss (with a smirk): "Oh, that makes sense. So it is our management that screwed up things and made it difficult for you to attend the meeting today. But I understand that you were among the guys who preferred this office as opposed to the one downtown which was not that spacious.”

FAR subordinate (now stuttering): "Of course, of course. To be honest, the real reason why i am late is actually the irresponsibility of the traffic police. They are so callous to the challenges faced by us and don't want to do anything about it. They are a disgrace to our nation.”

As one can see, in such a situation, the FAR phenomenon does provide some explanation for the ridiculous responses of the subordinate.

• The subordinate decided that the FAR - "the traffic jam" was why he couldn't make it to office on time.
• When his boss made him realize that the traffic jam was an expected event, the FAR became the "The management which decided to put up a office so far"
• When his boss again made him realize that the subordinate was an advocate for the current office, the FAR became "The irresponsibility of the police" and further the "the police have become the disgrace of the nation".

Normally the FAR cycle does continue till a point where the subordinate runs shot of excuses or does figure out the actual reason. In this case, the actual reason was that he had actually forgotten about the meeting and started for office in his usual time. When he got a reminder on his cellphone that he had a meeting at 9:00 (15 minutes before the meeting), that is when he realized his predicament and decided that the traffic jam was the cause for the problem.

Now this situation is not unusual and manifests itself in every walk of life. I have also been a victim of FAR for however long i can remember. However recently, i have realized a couple of things as the reasons for FAR

• An inherent hesitation to take responsibility for our actions
• An inclination towards self pity which subsequently becomes a comfort zone where poorly developed habits reside
• A desperate need to transfer the blame on to extraneous factors.
• Trying to find reasons to justify the point of view, just to satisfy our ego

So do we take FAR too far? I think so and this results in a number of unnecessary side-effects

• Breakdown of trust and credibility
• Unnecessary mental tension as we focus our mind towards finding the next FAR rather than sort out things in a rational way
• Poor problem solving skills. This results in poor judgments that can impact our life in fairly dramatic and painful ways.
• Sometimes, it can affect our families and subordinates and can dictate their behaviors as well. Just as mosquitos transmit malaria from person to person, we do transfer negative behavior very easily over our spheres of influence.
• Also often results in incomplete solutions. We think that the solution to the FAR will solve the problem only to find that it just cleared the way for the next one to be rearing its ugly head. This then turns into a situation which i would call as "Running like headless chickens".

How do we combat FAR? No easy solution but here are a few tips.

• Stop blaming others for your situations. It is very likely that you are in a specific situation because of your actions/decisions.
• Stop giving excuses. They are the biggest single deterrents to logical problem solving.
• If in doubt, if something is the reason for a situation, very likely it is not. Most situations have a very simple and logical explanation. Simple doesn't mean it is easy to identify or accept but it will be definitely be logical.
• Be unemotional when you are doing this introspection. Emotion is like a smoke that clouds our judgment.
• Learn to take full responsibility for your actions. Do realize that it is ok to make errors in judgment as they indeed do provide tremendous learning opportunities.
• If your subordinates or folks within your sphere of influence get into FAR, don't hesitate to correct them.
• Not letting ego come in the way of logical reasoning. Don't try to bully facts into a rationale just to satisfy Mr. Ego.
• Last but not the least, accepting your mistake and saying sorry is a virtue and not a self-defeating proposition.

Hope we can do something FAR? After all, taking anything too far has never been helpful, isn't it?