DOES IT MATTER

Do people make situations more complex and decision making more painstaking by investing too much time and thoughts into them? Gathering information and using them as pointers in decision making is fine …but isn’t it that too much information normally acts as deterrent towards decision making and execution? What is the optimum research one should do before commencing something?

Imagine….someone keeps himself immersed in a sea of information, spends immense time analyzing all possibilities, potential problems, likely scenarios, risk analysis etc….based on assumptions (wild ones) and finally becomes overburdened with data, exhausted by (mis)/information….takes every step too cautiously (based on some illusion that some problem might happen)….and finally turns out defensive….and lacking the guts to embark....justifies lack of action to all the problems (none of which might actually happen) which he foresees….

Now consider….someone well versed with the basics….shifts gear to the action mode…faces hurdles on the way….devises ways and modes to resolve the hurdles….either he succeeds in clearing the hurdles or learns the hard way at some cost…either way his course is dynamic…sometimes success, sometimes failure….with the success rate getting better with time.

Now extending this logic to companies, should companies invest so much resources and time in gathering data and analyzing them? Does it really matter in the end? How many MBA jobs will be crucified if companies put a brake on too much data analysis.

A SMART CREDIT CARD CALLER

(Caller knows only the phone number from God knows where)

Caller (with relentless ease): Congratulations, Sir!!! You are the winner of a silver coin from our bank xxx
Receiver (wondering, what he did to deserve a silver coin): Ohhh…k
Caller (even sweeter): And along with it, we are glad to select you as a proud recipient of 8L limit credit card of our bank xxx
Receiver (now realizing that its one of those credit card callers.. throws): I don’t need credit cards. Don’t call me again!!!
Caller: Sir, Do you have a credit card with credit limit of 8 L. No other bank will give credit limit of 8 L
Receiver (realizing that the maximum credit card limit he has from existing card is only 1 L): ok, tell me the details..

(Long conversation follows. Receiver dreams that he is going to be a proud owner of a 8 L credit card)

Caller: OK sir, my executive will visit you to receive the relevant documents
Receiver: No problem. I will be ready with all the documents
Caller : Sir, just to confirm, where do you work?
Receiver (thinks…how can some bank offer credit card without knowing where he works, anyways): xxx company
Caller: Sir, if I may ask, whats your monthly salary?
Receiver (now thinks hard…how can bank offer 8L credit card without having prior salary information, anyways): xxxx/ per month
Caller: One, last question, sir, Whats your name?
Receiver (thinks even harder…silver coin, 8 L credit card etc without knowing name, salary and work, anyways): My name is xxxxx
Caller: Thank you very much Mr xxxx. My executive will meet you tomorrow evening and collect all the relevant documents

Next day: Executive collects all relevant documents
After one month: Caller receives credit card from xxxx bank

Some of the contractual points mentioned in credit card
1. Credit limit: less than 1 L ( That’s like 1/10 of 8 L)
2. Reward if you secure xxx points a month : 1 silver coin (which is possible if someone utilizes the whole credit card limit during the month)

A NOT SO SMART CREDIT CARD CALLER

(Caller does all kind of background check, gets to know the name, designation, salary, and even the take home salary…God knows from where. Also calculates the maximum credit limit that she can offer to her potential client. Then she decides to give a call)

Caller (as courteous as anyone can be): Am I speaking with Mr.xxxxx?
Receiver (almost getting a hint... responds impatiently): Yes!!!
Caller (even more courteous than before): Sir, This is xxx and I am very glad to say that my bank yyy is offering credit cards of maximum credit card limit. I have gathered something….(suddenly hears a sharp noise and realizes that the phone has been disconnected from the other end.

Story ends

PLAY SCHOOL

Over the years, so much has changed. Present day toddlers are so different from those of the past, thanks to their parents and society.

My neighbor’s daughter is not even two years old. But the search for play school has already started. Why so early? Because, the kid has to be groomed for the pre KG interviews. If a kid does not clear her/his interviews, s/he will not get admission into a good school. And the best route to be an eligible candidate is by joining playschool.

The cost of such play school starts at Rs 70,000 per year…no upward limits.

Isn’t this an example of exploitation and commercialization in the name of education? More than that, its forcing a tiny kid to forego his/her early freedom and get into the “processes” and “systems” of education provided in our country…the education which is so successful in transforming human beings into some vague creature, which knows only to run a race and move ahead of others, without knowing why s/he is running.

AM I RIGHT??

Amongst other things, smart people are often good at the following –

1. They don’t take life too seriously
2. They know whom/what to ignore and at what time
3. They know when not to follow what they generally preach

1ST DAY

Highlights of New Years Day:

My Name is Red
Three Idiots
10 km walk
A late night drive
Phone calls and emails
Lost and found a gold bracelet
(Overall a very happening day)

2010: RESOLUTIONS

1. Study Law…preferably join a part time/correspondence course in Business Law. Understanding business law is crucial in understanding business (especially in the industry I am in)

2. Visit a new place and also one of my past…with EM.

3. Get back to shape. It doesn’t feel good to carry anything unnecessary.

4. Continue reading books of all genres.

5. Post at least 100 posts in this blog during 2010.

6. Write at least one personal mail each day to someone I know. I don’t remember when I wrote a personal email for the last time. It’s disheartening to lose touch with the friends with time.

A SIMPLE DREAM

Riding bumpily on the muddy stretch of land which they call roads, we were busy confirming appointments with representatives of various oil companies who have a strong presence in this part of the world (Port Gentil in Gabon). I was accompanied by a Gabonese guy who was entrusted with the joint responsibility of driving me to the respective offices and be the French-English translator wherever required.

The meetings went well…enlightening to be precise. It’s a great experience to understand how culturally diverse people can be. But I don’t intend to go in-depth into how people work here. I will rather like to look back into the dreams of a simple African…or shall I say the dreams of a simple man!!!

This guy should be in his late thirties…its difficult to estimate the ages of people. A native of Togo, he had moved into Gabon in the pursuit of a better life. These days, he has been granted Gabonese citizenship and has well adopted to the nuances of the new culture. So have his wife and daughter.

He studied basic English in Togo and has transformed that little knowledge into his profession now. It really amazed me when I tried to map his fluency in English to his educational qualifications. Hardly a couple of years of English training and when I had asked this guy if he will guide me during the next three days he had responded “you are our customer and I will ensure that there will be no problems…”. What was striking is not the usage of words but the way they were pronounced….the kind of pronunciation which adds humility into the tone…which, according to me, is the most sophisticated form of delivering any language.

During our drives, we talked…I learned that his was a love marriage and that he had first met his wife in his Togo school as a kid. It’s always interesting when people open up and start speaking out…He spoke about his life in Gabon…the difficulties he had faced when he moved to Gabon for the first time….the kind of differential treatment which the outsiders are almost always exposed to. It took him years to reach a position of relative stability. The word stability is very dilute in its strength when used in Africa…yet he was quite happy with his stability in life.

This man…Francois…is now a proud possessor of a small land and he dreams to have his own home on this land someday. That day, he says, he will have his dream fulfilled….his dream of a family with a home.

(Sometimes, when I see people struggling so hard in life, I realize how privileged I am…just by being lucky enough)

EXPLORATION OF FAITH

The last few books I have read bear something in common. Though been authored from different parts of the globe, the central themes of these books tend to converge towards exploring the answers of the age old cryptic questions.

1. Many Lives Many Master by Dr. Brian Weiss
2. Illusions by Richard Bach
3. Life after Death by Deepak Chopra
4. The Art of Happiness by Dalai Lama and Howard Cutler
5. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

All these books have something in common. Each one of them is written by someone who has a scientific background. For example Dr. Brian Weiss and Howard Cutler are professional psychiatrists, while Deepak Chopra is a doctor. Richard Bach is an airforce pilot while Dan Brown settled down as a professional author after exploring careers in music and teaching.

Nevertheless, the idea is to stress the fact that all the authors are extremely well versed in science and they have tried to explore faith with a scientific background. The books are completely different in their context and approach. The Lost Symbol is one of the most exciting books I ever read, which so scintillatingly combines spirituality with entertainment. The Art of happiness is amongst the most practical books with a balanced approach. Life after Death is more textual in nature where Deepak Chopra provides his views on what happens after death with evidence from science and life. Illusions talk about the illusions that carve out reality. Many Lives Many Masters is about past life regression, which Dr. Weiss claims to be true.

I don’t know if the basic underlying theme of these books is true. But what if it’s close to truth….even a bit. The slightest belief in these things can bring about a paradigm shift in the way an individual perceives life.

ONE

"...each affects the other and the other affects the next, and the world is full of stories, but the stories are all one"

(The last line of "The five people you meet in Heaven")

IF

If market friendliness and market size bore positive correlation…..

(Lately, I have been involved in exploring country specific market opportunities for the services we provide. Stronger the exploration, higher the realisation that the above wish will remain only a wish)

CORPORATE VS. NONCORPORATE

CORPORATE ROLE

Beyond the management lingo, beyond the complicated corporate models and beyond all the glamour of a corporate role, sit five very basic tenets. Every possible corporate profile seems to fit into one of these broad divisions.
1. Generate business opportunities
2. Finance the creation/availability of products/services
3. Sell the products/services to earn revenues and profits
4. Maintain records of everything
5. Partner with relevant people/entities
The words highlighted have strong significance. While the processes may be different from one organization to other, but the end indicators used to measure the organizational success are often the same across organizations.

NON CORPORATE ROLE

I feel the non corporate role sits in point number 2 minus finance i.e. “creation/availability of products and services”. It can be in the form of technology/engineering or R&D or something similar.

FEELING HAPPY

Life is a travel (the philosophical cut)…..travel is life (that’s how life is these days for me). After a relatively long trip in South Africa and West Africa, I am back in Mumbai….So much things I feel I should type down in this blog…but it seems time is the culprit.

Books covered during this period….my experience in Africa….Mumbai….and most importantly feel like writing a long letter of gratitude and thankfulness to the unseen power that seems to control all the things happening in my little world. After staying away for almost two years from the sweetest person in my life, its so nice to feel the period of separation in its final phase…Three more months and life will change again…Remaining away from each other after marriage is not easy….not at all if you know that the period is for almost two years.

She handled her new life so well…Marriage and MBA…successfully managing even one of the two is never easy... Really admire the way she did it….
Never had I felt so happy in my life….not even with whatever little I have achieved till date…when she called me and said “I made it….thank you so much”. A job in Mumbai…her dream job…in finance…in investment banking/private equity…in a stable and reliable company…in the fragile economy...no joke….there has to be someone sitting right there….above us…and making all the decisions for us…

INDUSTRIES IN PICTURE

Before I try to answer the first question let me put down three snaps - each one of which pictures the industries I have worked in.

My first job (Pre-MBA): This snap is from a leading Korean Shipyard where I had spent some time supervising the construction of ocean going vessels. It was a typical field job where I had to be physically present at the construction site. (Source: dsme photos)

2nd Job (1st post-MBA role): The snap summarises the power T&D sector where I spent some time working on corporate strategy and planning for a power T&D company. Head-office role with occassional visit to local offices and sites. (Source: wktv.com)

3rd Job: This is the current industry I am working in...for an offshore (oceanic) oil exploration and production service provider specialing in offshore rigs and vessels. This is a business development role where I spend reasonable time meeting clients. (Source oil-energy.com)

Now it will be much easier to try my bit on answering the first question. Will be back through the next post.

LOOKING BACK...

After almost six and a half years of professional career, after being exposed to varied kind of roles, I feel tempted to explore the evolution that has been continually changing me through this journey. Having spent almost four years in shipbuilding before MBA followed by two and a half years in corporate strategy and business development post MBA, it is worth introspecting and dissecting the experience of professional work beyond the daily rigmaroles.

The fabric of formal education, which I was exposed to, has defined my approach to understand any situation, event or issue by asking questions to myself, reasonable answers to which shall help me to capture my experiences and learning.

Through the next few posts, I shall try to delve into the following topics.
1. How is a corporate role different from a non-corporate one?
2. How has my professional work experience helped me to understand the corporate set-up?
3. How relevant is formal education in the professional set-up?
4. What are the most relevant learnings from each of my previous roles?

(Note: The answers to the above will be highly influenced/skewed by the fact that I have worked /been working in the old economy sectors like shipbuilding, power transmission/distribution and oceanic oil exploration and production)

WHITE TIGER

This book is packaged in the form of a series of letters written from an Indian entrepreneur to a Chinese Premiere during the latter’s visit to India, the intention being to “enlighten” him about the real India. The book is about the journey of this man’s (white tiger) life in India – one part of it in “darkness” and the other basking in “light”. The darkness which prevails in the villages and the light which makes the modern cities glow…

The protagonist who started his life in the darkness and moved into the light, provides an account of the path he took to carve out of himself a successful entrepreneur. The character himself is clear on the morality issues, but has no repentance of what he did in his journey towards entrepreneurship. Very fluently, he continues providing his confessions of the crimes he keeps on committing, but at the same time, he has no repentance of what he did in his journey towards entrepreneurial success. He sites numerous evidence of the injustice and corruption prevailing in India driven by an extremely servitude attitude of those who are at the receiving end.

Aravind Adiga is successful in building empathy for the character, while keeping the style of narration extremely simple and entertaining.

However, he draws a very gloomy picture of India. Even the “light” of the cities is tainted with all the “darkness” of humanity. Of course, this is an individual and independent story line, but this book which has already won Bookers is likely to lend a distorted touch to the success stories prevalent in India.

THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS

Semi autobiographical in nature, this book depicts the fall of a Syrian Christian family pictured against the contemporary social happenings in the state of Kerela. Lyrical in style and innovative in approach, the author has built the narration through a series of flashbacks and flashforwards.

Through the lives of a pair of fraternal twins names Estha and Rahel, the author articulately weaves the rest of characters and relates them with something, which could probably have influenced her in her real life. Unhappiness is one common chord that can be identified with most of the characters…a kind of unhappiness which finds its source within the family setup. The weakness of the family system is the basis of the story. However, external factors like untouchability, communism, politics and other social prejudices have influenced the family set up to a large extent. She uses Malayalam terms like Mammachi, Kochamma, Sophie Mol to integrate the characters to the local setting.

Narration is as beautiful as ever. In one section, the author describes Kathakali dance. Very rarely have I read a description as beautiful as this.

The theme is probably supposed to be tragic but I guess it’s slightly difficult to empathize with the author. No emotional link is likely to develop with the characters. It’s once again the beauty of the words that creates the magic

THE ENCHANTRESS OF FLORENCE

This book, which is an amalgamation of fables and history, brings together the stories from three different lands (India, Persia and Italy) with a remarkable sense of imagery and floral fantasy. The theme links the Mughal Indian culture with that of the creativity of the Florentine renaissance through the beautiful princess Qara Koz. The linkage in itself is a marvelous thread of Rushdie’s imaginations...adding to the existing richness of the medieval history…which moulds together the complexity of power, politics, valor, betrayal and lust. The span of characters ranges from Akbar to Machiavelli, from an Uzkek Khan to a Persian prince, from Birbal to Abul Fazl…it’s just too extensive and unending.

A complicated Indian emperor, a mysterious stranger from Florence and the parallel subscripts of reality intertwined with imaginations and fanciful magical effects.….this book is an example why Salman Rushdie is one of the most complicated authors of this age. This book probably also acts as the voice of Salman Rushdie into his views on religion and on the existence of God. Feminine beauty is synonymous with eroticism in most of its contexts.

But, more than anything else, the book is about dazzling, ornamental lines with a fairy tale approach. If you can allow yourself to sink into this Rushdie’s creation and keep a distance from reality, you will definitely feel the extension of your imaginative horizon. Where can one find a book, where each line carries the floral effect of imagination with such glitter...that you have to stop for a while to imagine the rich dreamlike setting.

“From the black bowl of the skies, came the answering fires of the stars”

This is not an easy book to read…and not at all an easy book to understand….nevertheless an excellent book to enjoy the beauty and magic that words of classic Rushdie can create.

FOR ONE MORE DAY

Like the earlier works of Mitch Albom, this book is brushed with the theme of life and death. But, it’s not about life and death. Like his earlier works, Albom has employed the medium of life and death to explore something else, something so evident and yet so evasive. In this book, it’s about relationship.

It’s about taking relationships for granted and realizing its value only after it is too late. While the mother-son relationship is pictured in this book, but the underlying sensitivity can be applicable to every other relationship. With respect to the story in particular, I will rather leave it untouched in this post.

The novelty factor is missing as this book bears certain similarities of approach as in “Five People….”. So, probably for someone who is used to Albom’s mode of expression, the excitement factor might take a hit, nevertheless I recommend this book strongly. Especially, in the kind of nuclear life we are getting used to….with personal ambitions shading the sweetness of relationships….this book will indeed give you something to think about.

SOME OLD HABITS WELL PRESERVED

Some hold habits getting lost…some new habits getting developed….and in this process I feel I have left my blog untouched for quite some time. Not that I am short of topics to write, but the new habits seem to overpower me into adding more novelty into life.
My experience with books continues…Mumbai has forced me to continue my readings during commuting….and since commuting never ends, reading has remained one of those habits which is still well preserved. It’s more than two years since my entry into this enigmatic city and I am still to understand how this city turns home for so many millions. Life cannot be more difficult and yet the influx continues. Anyway…we will reserve this discussion on Mumbai for some different post. My intention of this post is to mention the last few books, which I read….each of which I will be discussing in different posts.
1. The Last Lecture
2. The God of Small Things
3. For One More Day
4. The Enchantress of Florence
5. The White Tiger
Five completely different genre of books in different settings….one about how to live life, one on society, one on relationship, one about fables of medieval world and one about India.