NeXt...is here... already..

Today started as another day..31 Dec 2013.. but something is different. 

Is it because the year 2013 is ending? Nah.... it must be something else. The last few years, I have been grudgingly aware of much trepidation that I see continuing into 2014. When the world wishes me a Happy New Year and I know that it was just so-so in 2013 as well, what is it about starting 2014 and beyond that is different from the previous years? 

So here are my thoughts and a gentle rumination of not just the year 2013 and also my thoughts on what I call the NeXt...

For some reason my thoughts veered around Nandan Nilenkani - and maybe it was my thoughts on the Aadhar card and the fact that I have not deemed it necessary to procure one - the early morning paper mentioned that the government is mulling over raising the cap on subsidized domestic gas cylinders to 12 from the present 9.. some relief - but then back to the moot point - Nandan - having 'delivered' the Unique Indentifcation Authority of India [UIDAI], what next - a career in politics, riding on back of the new movement of democracy akin to the AAP and the new found conscience, the desire to stop corruption and doublespeak, hypocrisy and other synonyms alluded with the R K Laxman mascot? 

My thoughts were on Nandan taking a breather to help Infosys 2.0 along with NRN - with the Infy brand under tremendous pressure, it might be good to either divest a good chunk of shares or set about making it profitable for yet another decade atleast.

And why? The next, in my view, is strongly centred around Credibility, Sustainability and Reliability - resonating throughout 2014 and the years beyond - from the actual 'Aam Aadmi' (you and me) to every nook and corner of India, the subcontinent and the world at large.

No this is not about economy, politics.Some other time or even better, I leave it to the pundits on the channels.

I want to talk about the trepidation that I started with - and the enmeshing of this with Credibility Sustainability and Reliability.

Credible Leadership - The words seem simple and to most practitioners of management and leadership, these are well known. The digitial omnipotency of thoughts and deeds makes credibility visible and inclusiveness almost viral in nature. Where then is Leadership in this new open world? Our ability to re-engage on practical, social needs and staying 'connected' on a daily basis could be the harbinger of this new credible leadership. 

There is going to be tremendous chaos and emotional upheaval here. As we discover newer grounds, newer pains and at the same time seek data to do the right thing, and on a real-time daily basis. The 'gut feel' experience backed by just a small slice-dice of data - and the ability to interpret these, take 'giant leaps of faith', together will define credibility. 

Now don't just say that this is exactly why the AAP emerged and their refreshing approach (the latest in cognitive memory) talks about! This is what has been happening already for years now. The pace has now become critical with the digital omnipresence of everyone and the reaction time in nano-seconds, both highlighting the risks and uncertainty with the associated rewards and recognition. It goes beyond Gen X, Gen Y or Baby Boomers.

Customer feedback, Citizen feedback - or opinions, whatever you may call it, staying connected and taking decisions that are both relevant and that can make a difference, now ,today, albeit in small ways is welcomed and recognized as demonstrating credibility.

When I go to the Hamley's store to buy a Hexbug, just as the store is closing and the staff, graciously allow me the chance to make a quick purchase, my feedback as a customer and their behaviour are recorded instantaneously, communicated through social media and followed by a million parents who have been in similar situations of buying their children a toy. Customer delight and Customer satisfaction - Instantaneously- are at the heart of establishing a new realisation of credibility. Surely one of the reasons that we could see Nandan and NRN coming back together.

Sustainability - Can the discerning customer seek instant gratification and then go on to seek newer benchmarks from us? Yup.. they continue to do so.. This surpasses the hygiene and motivation factors theory, it demands from me, the maintenance and nourishments of increasing random acts of realizations of needs, that themselves were not so long ago, were perceived as wants.

Today I see more practical breakthroughs emerging in social prevalence - drinking water - e.g. LifeStraw - that allows one to safely drink water anywhere, cheap sanitation, usage of solar power, wind and other alternate energy sources, affordable, not just cheap healthcare, relevant primary education, new found ways of demonstrating Corporate Social Responsibility and philanthropy - the list is endless, and at each new node creating newer segments of customers, clients, corporates, globally. An increasing focus on global social inclusion across geographies mark the next challenge in leadership.

Can I keep myself enriched and maintain my ability to sustain this inclusive growth? To a certain degree, yes. The need to demonstrate humility knowing that there might be situations that are unknown and needs that are befuddling and the confidence to know that transformations can be done. This 'self-belief' is core to the vital nature of sustainability. 

As leader, I need to invest in engaging more than ever before and communicate, acknowledge both my exhilarations and trepidations to the discerning and expanding customer, client base. Their feedback, opinion, advice, suggestions, will drive the co-owned inclusiveness that would nourish both governance (my sense of right and relevant) and decision making, with an assurance that will redefine the way that we sustain business value - not merely the profit component. Leadership Sustainability - the ability to balance both Conformance and Performance.. The what and the how; the reality and the spirit!

Reliability - I don't remember the last time I heard of a reliable leader - Over the years, whenever I read about various leaders, such as Alex Ferguson, manager, coach, leader for MU, or Nelson Mandela - a leader who was able to envision and implement freedom from apartheid. In the same vein, any world leader or business leader, be it Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam or Steve Jobs. A J R D Tata or a Kumaramangalam Birla; many organizational leaders that I have been associated with - every leader counted not on himself or herself to be reliable but always put together a 'reliable' team. 

Each member of the team was both a specialist and a generalist in their own way. The leader thus is able to concentrate on being the face to the customer, the person who took decisions and all this because of the reliability on the best team at that time.

Over the past months (and years), I saw and read about 'huge churn' in such 'reliable' teams, and often my friends and acquaintances, sensed a malady in the exodus or frequent change. 

What I see is the need of leaders about the 'reliability' in their team - to demonstrate 'sustenance' and 'credibility'. This transformation happens often in a short time, perhaps in the last few months, due to the digital omniprsence that I mentioned earlier. 

The challenge for leaders is to recognise the need of investing in deep nourishment of values, growth, inclusiveness and customer focused approaches and making these integral in each member of the 'reliable' team. 

My thoughts today and my trepidation arise when I consider how close my customer, client has become in every aspect of my core business and value fundamentals.

Bhagto Mee..

Lately there had been a series of instances that were leading to making my married life a 'harried' life. And that was not how I intended it to continue. The missus had given me an ultimatum - and those of you that are married will surely understand my trepidation and also my need to fortify myself with a 'neat large' and the deliberations on the next course of action.

The following day was a Sunday - I met Salvi, who, at that time, was still a paid employee of Madhupushpa Group. Salvi, in his prompt manner - assured me using all the right phrases and deftly passed the buck to the site engineer Kulkarni.

In one of my past lives, I had the misfortune to come across a person by the moniker Santosh (absolutely whose Santosh was being looked at is a deeper question here). This a-Santosh was the site engineer of one of my apartments from my previous lives. 

Prior to meeting Kulkarni - I thought in gleeful deprivity - that when the world ends, Santosh, being the worst site engineer, his end would be prolonged, painful as he agonizingly searches his innards for deliverance, by the good Lord Almighty.

God - it seems has an even blackker (if such a word should exist) sense of humour - he introduced me to Kulkarni and his 'chela' (I am certain of this chela being the incarnate of Murphy - who strikes everywhere - pun intended) a guy who consumed alcohol as an old HM Standard 1000 guzzles fuel for every task. 

Thanks to this Ku-karni and Murphy, I got introduced to the new lexicon in procrastination as they innundated, stymied and buried me under their constant stream of 'Bhagto mee..' for any requests.

I am sure if any one asked Murphy who his father was, he would say 'Bhagto mee..' while not stopping in swigging away..

Over the years, 'Bhagto mee' has become the procrastination tool and a defining characteristic of this special Punekar species. 

Unfortunately, this doesn't end here..

There is yet another species, the exalted Supremos, who use 'Barra.....'(as in OK), 'Hoy Hoy...'(as in Yes Yes), 'Karu Aapan' (let's do it) all accompanied with a gentle bobbing of the head, as if to empathise and sympathise with, for immediate action, only to later shamelessly delegate to the 'Bhagto mee..' species.

Over a hot piping 'tumbler of coffee - Leadership and Value lessons

Leadership and Value lessons

Singularly unexpected sources

Shiva Iyer

10 Oct 2013 | Pune

I'd like to share an episode that happened a couple of weekends back - I had just returned from my daily morning workout. I had made myself a good hot steaming 'tumbler' of coffee and my attention was drawn to three children playing, in the lane adjoining my house.

The youngest, Kinnu(K) must have been just 1 year old and his elder brother Raju(R) around 5 years. There was yet another boy, Jeevan(J), who was around 3 years old.

J and R were riding their trainer cycles and J's cycle had veered off into the slightly slushy side. J got down and started to push from the side. Seeing this, R stopped around 5 meters ahead and asked J what happened. - No reply - just a huge scream and a sudden bout of crying from J.

Suddenly another cry emanated in the distance - K, the younger sibling - started bawling.... Understandably he had wandered some metres beyond his usual toddling rounds and he was scared.

R got down from his cycle and started walking back towards K. With a simple, 'Wait. I'll be back..' to J, as he passed him, R reached his brother and tried to pacify him - no result. Try as he might, the 1 year old K, would not listen to R. On the other side, J found his feet covered with slush and it probably made him more irritated and he yelled; at no one in particular.

In the early hours of a Saturday morning, not much attention was being given to these 3 children playing.

R walked back to where he left his cycle and rode it back to his brother who was still weeping where he left him. He pleaded with K, his brother - 'Why don't you sit on the cycle and I'll push you back home'. No response - the bawling continued.

Suddenly R just grabbed his 1 year old brother from the back, lifted him,  and started walking back to where their house was - a small distance of around 30 metres - He didn't put K down until he reached his house and again said 'I'll be back..' to J as he passed. After leaving K, now sniffling at their doorstep, R hurried back to J, lent him his hand and said 'Come over to the drier side, I'll get your cycle out'. Oddly, J started pushing the cycle, with a renewed sense of vigour, while totally ignoring R!

R then grabbed the front tyre and started to pull the cycle - but this seemed to infuriate little J who started shouting at R. R's response was to come around with a brick that he found, to get leverage on the slushy side, and put it just ahead and under the cycle's rear tyre to help J get some traction and then hurried back to the front and started pulling.

J bent down, took the brick and hurled it back at R, narrowly missing R.

Surprisingly, R didn't do anything, but kept pulling the front tyre, not heeding the ranting  J.  As J was pushing, the front tyre of the cycle was suddenly shifted onto the drier area and R just sat down with the front tyre still in his hand. He started to get up and let go of the tyre. For some reason, this infuriated J more and he made a sudden pull that resulted in the cycle turning sideways and with one of the trainer tyres and pedals getting caught in the slush, yet again. 

Now J was very angry and he walked around for an altercation with R. R tried to explain, but J wouldn't change his stance. Resignedly, R went back to get his cycle and started riding it. Every now and then he'd kind of halt across where J was continuing to struggle with the cycle as if indicating 'Call me if you need anything'. But J never did.

Some minutes later, an adult came by, looked at J struggling, and just yanked both J and the cycle out and left them on the drier side of the road. J now walked with his cycle back to his house and started complaining to an elder as to how R had pushed him! The elder man called out to R and sounded him off. Listening to the elder's voice, R's mother had come out and she started scolding R, for causing trouble added that he didn't even take care of his younger sibling who had reportedly been crying a few minutes back.

R listened. He never interrupted or tried to explain, he just waited, then went back to cycling. He called out to his little brother who was now having something that looked like Cadbury's Gems in his hand. The little K, held out his hand and R smiled and the two walked over to J. J was busy scraping his sandals on the side-walk. R offered him some Gems and J suddenly smiled. K was lifted onto R's cycle by R and both J and R pushed the cycle. The world around them continued.

Later towards the afternoon, when I went down to buy some fruits, I walked by R's house - he and his friends were playing with marbles - I distributed packs of Gems to all the children.

The episode had started me thinking. I jotted down a few points.

Often at times, friends and colleauges share their dilemmas on projects, programs or activities. The response to the dilemmas centre around to the ‘don’t know what to do’ or the much more experienced response ‘continue doing what has worked in the past’.

Both responses – are sooner than later, followed by an ‘escalation’ that demand ‘more explanations’ and ‘justifications’. At times there could also be rebuke and warnings -  the objective remains in limbo.

At these times, it is the true sense of Leadership and Values – as espoused by Raju above – that shines through as different and effective.

Doing the right thing – getting into the heart of the ‘sticky situation’ personally, own, contribute and drive towards next steps. When escalations get messy, the ability to absorb the same, without judgement and retribution, builds character and promotes inclusion. The values and behaviours then undergo the transformation that is subscriptive and not prescriptive. Leadership is seen in doing the right thing.

The 'little gems of wisdom' that I cherish from the above episode, helped reinforce my understanding values and how our behaviours reflect these - fundamentally, focus on Doing the right thing, when faced with Volatility, Ambiguity, and Uncertainty.