akweb

Category: Food For Thought

  • The Healthy Left Hand

    The Healthy Left Hand

    I meet lot of organizations and CXOs. We end discussing a lot of common areas – business landscape, opportunities, talent engagement and various challenges faced by organizations.

    One of the interesting things which I often here are issues with a particular department or a team. Probe deeper and you find that it is usually an organizational issue that is reflected through a particular department. It is like the increased stress or the heat in the body manifests itself as an ulcer.

    Can we have a one part of the body healthy and the rest of the body unhealthy? Either we are fully healthy or we are not. Does one really aspire to have a strong left hand but unhealthy tummy? The concept is of a holistic approach to health. A health body is an important goal – it means overall health ensures healthy hand, feet, eyes and even teeth – of course with a six pack !

    Similarly there are never issues alone in the delivery teams. Check what the commitment sales has made. Check what the hiring cycle of the organization is. Check what the training and learning development plan of the organization is. Check the leadership of the team. Check the customer expectations.

    Similarly there are never issues alone in the sales team. If they are missing the targets, why is it so? Is the sale response mechanism agile? Is the service offering complete? Is the offering differentiated well? How is the customer satisfaction index? Are internal bottlenecks impacting deliverables?

    The same can be applied to operations, project management, human resources or any other department.

    The aim of everyone is a healthy body and a healthy mind. The aim of every organization is a happy workplace with continuous business growth and higher customer satisfaction. Both can be achieved with holistic approach, honest assessment and regular workout!

  • The Netlfix Culture Document – A Must Read !

    I came across the “Netflix Culture: Freedom & Responsibility” document on Sunday evening. It was a good revisit of the Netflix values and philosophy of excellence.

    Sheryl Sandberg even called it “the most important document ever to come out of the Valley.”

    It’s a living set of “behaviors and skills” that the Netflix management team updated continuously and fastidiously. And it drives toward a single point: a company is like a pro sports team, where good managers are good coaches, and the goal is to field stars in every position.

    There are lot of good insights:
    1. Like the expense policy – Act In Netflix’s Best Interest !
    2. Highly Aligned, Loosely Coupled – Makes sense
    3. Pay top performers the top salaries – no bell curves or standard increment
    4. Honesty and top severance packages

    A Must Read for sure !

    [slideshare id=1798664&doc=culture9-090801103430-phpapp02]

    Source: First Round

    Also Read Harvard Document on Netflix – How Netflix Reinvented HR by Patty McCord

  • Indian Public Servants’ Vulgar Use Of Red Beacons

    Indian Public Servants’ Vulgar Use Of Red Beacons

    His Highness Respected Judge

    Hi ! Good Morning !

    You may not know me. But I know you a bit. We are “Roadies”

    Atleast 2-3 times a week, I drive the car myself at 9 am. And I get your company from Commerce Cross Roads To Thaltej Circle on Drive-In Road every morning. I reach office every early when I am following your car. My family thinks that I am still driving crazily. Actually, the secret is something different.

    I follow your car. Your car has the “Lal Batti” or the “Red Beacon”. Your driver keep its ON for 50% of the time. At every traffic signal, he goes all blazing and adds the “Sarkari Sound” as well. As you know our traffic police are still serving Government Servants first and then citizens, so they allow your car to pass and the whole traffic goes for a toss. But it definitely ensures that we have a cake walk.

    But I do not know why – but I do get upset. Now my CEO Rutesh Shah who also happens to be my mentor told me: “ Ashok – You are a good human being and a strong leader. But please understand that you cannot solve the world’s hunger problem. Please accept 10% inefficiency in the system and focus on the job at hand”. So I usually try to not challenge and question the “Sarkari” and “Self-Proclaimed” leaders everywhere around me.

    But this thrice a week disregard for common public and vulgar display of power has finally hit me. I would have done RTI, posted your car picture with registration number (I have the car pictures!) etc etc. But another IT veteran and a mentor wrote in his book and I follow – “Not all wars are worth fighting for”.

    Alcoholics Anonymous said “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference.”

    But can a dog forget to wag his tail? No – I have to register my protest. And this is the mildest protest. I am writing this on my blog and putting it on my network.

    India got independence in 1947. The-good-doctor-turned-scapegoat-PM gave us Economic Independence in 1991. Our ‘Nayak’ Kejriwal and TsuNamo Modi has changed the standard of expected behavior. Please change. You know the rules of using those privileges. So please do not embarrass yourself. Let me paste the link for you:

    http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Red-beacon-only-for-high-office-not-for-MPs-MLAs/articleshow/27198073.cms

    Please do not use the “Red Light” and stop those blazing sounds. Remember, I have the pictures!

    Finally, I appreciate one fact about of many good things that you possess. You are out of home at 9 am everyday ! Punctuality is the first sign of an organized individual. So I am sure you would like to continue and work on your strengths.

    Regards
    Ash

    Lal Batti

  • Collaboration Is Nothing Without a Shared Purpose

    Collaboration Is Nothing Without a Shared Purpose

    I Recently Came Across Wonderful Note From Vineet Nayar In HBR Called – A Shared Purpose Drives Collaboration

    In an effort to improve collaboration, and to make it seem less forced and unnatural, companies spend a lot of money on new technology and training. But this approach doesn’t get at the heart of great team work: a shared purpose. Collaboration can’t be “processed” into being. It only works when leaders articulate the problem — along with the challenges and the goals. This is why the team at NASA worked so well together after the Apollo 13 crisis. Ditto on the Federal Aviation Authority during 9/11. When leaders express the problem, the challenges, and the goal in clear, direct, and motivational language, great collaboration will result.

    Very true !

    Indeed, I have always believed and quoted – Purpose Is Bigger Than Processes. Share Values Are Bigger Than Strategies.

    I recollected the movie screening and discussion around Apollo 13. The central point was that crisis brought everyone together – everyone was working for the same goal. So whether it is crisis or a football match, collaboration is automatic when there is a shared purpose. And then everyone trusts each other, there is openness and communication is clearer. Leaders have to drive the vision and create the purpose for the organization.

  • Culture Trumps Strategy

    Culture Trumps Strategy

    For a company to succeed, strategy is important, but a great culture is paramount. It’s the one distinguishing feature that a competitor can’t duplicate. So how does one go about planting the seeds of a great culture? First, leaders must surround themselves with the best and the brightest — people with extensive experience and high emotional intelligence. Second, leaders must be compassionate. People are the most engaged, the most passionate, and the most productive when they’re listened to, and when they’re encouraged to grow and learn new skills.

    SOURCE: Creating a Culture of Unconditional Love by Claudio Fernández-Aráoz via Harvard Business Review

  • Are You Ready For 2014?

    Are You Ready For 2014?

    The end of the year ! Time to review. Time to redefine.

    2013 will soon be history. I am sure we will say “GoodBye” to 2013 by remembering its highs and lows. More importantly, enriching ourselves by the lessons it taught us.

    2014 is in front of us. Let us look ahead.

    How do we want 2014 to be?

    What do we want to be in 2014?

    And in 2015? And further ahead. It is important to set those right priorities for ourselves. It is important to set clear goals. Once that is done, there is tremendous clarity of thought. All things fall in place.

    The most important things after having clear goals is discipline and commitment. Nobody won a nobel prize for their plans. Nobody got a promotion for their thoughts. Everyone got ahead because of results and actions, which only happen after execution and discipline. Let us act. Let us fight that cynical voice. Stay away from negative thoughts and persons.

    Things may not go as per the script. But we still have to face reality. Take adversity by the horns. Accept challenge and prepare a new approach, if things do not right. It is always important to have Plan B.

    Always be positive. Always manage time well. Google Maps cannot guide our lives. Nor can anyone else. We are our own architects. It is convenient to find problems outside of us. Difficult people will fall in line eventually.

    Finally pursue excellence. It helps you become expert. It helps you to leave your mark. It helps the world to help you !

    How does this translate into workplace? Let us have clear goals for ourselves. Let us have clear KRAs. If we have some challenges, be pro-active and clear it. Review self. At a high level, if we see our work or anything that we do as job or task, we have one approach. But if we see our work and other activities as mission, our perspective changes. We get lot of power and energy from within. HR Performance Appraisals, Punctuality, Attendance, Follow-Ups, Reminders, Stress – all go out of our lexicon. Leadership becomes our mantra. Making it happen becomes our mantra.

    Time flies. 2013 is gone. 2014 will also be soon gone. Focus on only 3 goals for 2014. These goals can cut across work, family, self. No more. No less.

    I hope everyone of us have more achievements and more celebrations in 2014. Dreams do come true.

  • Soylent : The Future Of Food?

    Everyone has pet ideas and interesting concepts that are pure fun, very energizing and often seemingly impossible. I have my list. One of the ideas in the list was Annapurna Tablets. The idea was simple. Body needs food. Food takes lot of time. I really hate time spent on lunch. Even dinner – if I am busy. Many of my friends and colleagues visit home for lunch – waste of time, fuel and break from thinking. My mother or wife have to worry about the menu for the lunch – especially difficult for a person like me. Why not have a tablet that gives you all the necessary ingredients of the daily food? Going beyond the normal supplement pills ! Imagine a pill for dal, chawal, roti, subzi etc. It helps in many time. Saving precious time for you and your environment. In a country like India, it will release the time from housewives – as this becomes their major chore. They can invest in other productive areas including their passions, kids or helping family business.

    The joy of food increases. You really cherish those lunches and dinners of full food. You really spend time with friends and colleagues and spouse when you go out for lunch or dinner.

    Of course my parents always warned me. But this will not allow the natural growth of your body. Many body parts exists such to help us digest food. Including teeth ! I agreed to some points.

    Annapurna Tablets was a thing I never thought would happen. Mine was just wishful thinking and part of my friend conclaves. I am sure that there are lot of people thinking on same lines. I was overjoyed and extremely excited when I saw the concept of Soylent. It addresses the very same issue.

    Soylent is an efficient form of fuel for humanity for the first time in history. Soylent is an affordable nutrition drink with all the essential ingredients the healthy body needs. It is an substance that is intended to replace food – just mix the powder with water and drink.

    The name Soylent is inspired from the 1973 movie Soylent Green

    What Soylent consists of ? Read It Here

    Soylent seems like the future of food. Cut the emotion out of food. Do not worry about what to eat. Just eat Soylent which addresses the needs of your body. Have the same thing. It is time efficient. Saves money as well. Steve Jobs did not worry about what to wear – saves decision making and one less thing to worry !

    And when you really want to enjoy food – do that. The same food may test better !

    Of course Soylent may be very controversial as well. I am sure enough research has been done on it and its effect. It is ready for delivery in US from early 2014. It will soon open for international orders.

    Maudene Nelson, a dietician at Columbia University’s Institute of Human Nutrition. “Nutritionally I don’t think you can make a food that delivers everything,” she says. “This is an obsessive way of making food choices. It’s not obsessively overeating. It’s obsessively micromanaging.”

    The dream of replacing food has been around for hundreds of years, popular with science fiction writers and utopian communities, says Amy Bentley, an associate professor of food studies at New York University. “In the 19th century, Victorians talked about the meal in a pill,” she says. While the idea may appeal to a small group of people who find eating to be a chore, she says, “for better and worse, most people find food pleasurable.”

    Soylent is a revolutionary concept. It is a major mindset shift for mankind. Can it solve the world’s hunger problem? Or it will be just a Silicon Valley techie’s time-saving tool only? Let us see !

    References:
    Soylent Website
    Businessweek Article on Soylent

  • Google ReUnion Ad : Emotional, Moving, Humane !

    The Google Reunion Ad Has Gone Viral ! It Has Crossed More Than 4 Million Hits Within 4-5 Days Of Release. It Is Love And Hailed On Both Sides Of The Border In Real World. The Online World Including Blogs, Twitters, FaceBook Is Spreading The Message !

    The Google Reunion Ad Is Highly Commendable Work. The Ad Is Emotional, Moving, Humane ! It Is A Warm Story Told Very Beautifully. Very Tear-Inducing. Very Smart As Well – It Goes Beyond The Usual Indo-Pak Stories. It Re-Ignites The Need To Move Forward And Have A Healing Touch !

    People On Both Sides Of The Border Want To Have A Positive Relationship. People On Both Sides To Look At Sunny Side Of The Things. People On Both Sides Want To Celebrate Similarities Rather Than Differences. This Ad Should Be Shown To All Politicians, Bureaucrats On Both-Sides !

    The Ad Is A Clever Piece Of Localization By Google ! It Not Only Highlights The Power Of Google But Also Connects Google To Two Countries. The 3.32 Minutes Will Be The Best Investment Made By Them – It Increase The Local Connect Of Google !

    The Ad Tells The Story Of Two Boys Who Were Separated 66 Years Ago Following The South Asian Subcontinent’s Independence From British Colonial Rule And Its Subsequent Partition.The Advertisement Explains How The Two Friends Are Brought Together Again By Their Grandchildren Using Google Searches. After The India-Based Man Tells His Granddaughter About How He And His Friend Used To Steal A Sweet Called “Jhajariya” From A Shop Close To “An Old Gate” In Lahore, The Girl Uses The Clues To Search On Google And Eventually Tracks Down His Long-Lost Friend. She Contacts The Pakistan-Based Friend’s Grandson Who Also Trawls Google For Advice On How To Obtain An Indian Visa And The Advertisement Ends With An Emotional Surprise Birthday Reunion In India.

    Google – Congrats For The Great AD
    Ogilvy – Great Work Done !

  • The LunchBox – Food For Thought – Watch It !

    The LunchBox – Food For Thought – Watch It !

    The Lunchbox is a moving story of two lonely individuals in a big metropolis, who accidentally get connected and developed a liking for each other. It is a simple love story made with lot of care and attention to detail.

    Mr Saajan Fernandes is a widower on the verge of retirement. Ila is a neglected wife busy with her daily routine. Ila sends lunch to her husband via the Mumbai Dabbawallas. The lunch box reaches Mr Saajan instead of her husband and this is where their connect starts. They exchange notes and get some solace from each other.

    The outstanding performances of Irrfan, Nimrat and Nawazuddin light up the movie. Aunty’s voice is the fourth lead in her own way. Irffan delivers another stellar performance after Paan Singh Tomar . His body language, his eyes, his his walk, his sadness, his smoking, his dilemma – Irrfan is the finest actor in the country. Nawaz is a strong match to Irrfan and he shines as Irrfan’s junior. But the heart of the movie is Nimrat Kaur – her effortless acting and her portrayal of the neglected and cheated wife moves you. You want her to be happy – you want to make her smile. Amazing act ! What a find !

    The movie shines by capturing observations of Mumbai city and humans trapped in the city. The Mumbai Dabbawallas are the backbone of the movie. The Dabbawalla refuses to acknowledge the mistake and claims that Harvard School and Prince Charles have come to study their famed delivery – how can they go wrong? Mr Saajan is a Catholic and is disturbed that he will get a vertical burial. “I’ve spent my life standing in trains and buses,” he says, “now I will have to stand even when I’m dead.”

    Nawaz’s Act, Playful Children, Ila’s Mother’s Loneliness, Ila’s Husband’s Adultery add strong shades in this colorful painting. Orient Fan, Streetside Painter’s Paintings, Ila’s Seduction Attempt, Banana Eaters are the other rich textures.

    Go watch it ! One of the best movies of the year !

    LunchBox is Food For Thought but somehow it makes you hungry after the movie !

  • The Good Road Controversy – Let Us Look At The Road Ahead !

    The recent nomination of Gujarati Film ‘The Good Road’ for the Oscars In Best Foreign Film Categry has created lot of controversy. It is all fire and rage against the movie.

    Let us look at the issues.

    1. Better Films Lost Out – The Ship Of Theseus And The LunchBox !

    Lot of people believe that films like ‘The LunchBox’ and ‘The Ship Of Theseus’ and ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ would have been better choices. I also agree that ‘The LunchBox’ and ‘The Ship Of Theseus’ could have worked better. But this happens every year.

    Year 2012 : Barfi was India’s nomination. Everyone felt that Paan Singh Tomar, Kahaani, Deool, The Dirty Picture were better films and could have better chances.

    Year 2010: Peepli Live was our choice. Udaan was definitely a better movie.

    Year 2007: Do you really think Eklavya was the best choice? Chak De India, Gandhi My Father, Guru or Dharm could have given more teeth to Indian representation.

    Year 2005: Paheli was the Indian choice in 2005. It was selected ahead of Parineeta, Swades, Page 3, Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi. I would rooted Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi or Swades.

    My all time favorite – Jeans in 1998 !

    So it happens every year – nothing new.

    2. Wrong Depiction of Gujarati / Indian Culture

    As Vidya Balan said in The Dirty Picture, films are made for entertainment, entertainment and entertainment. Not all Oscar nominations are made only for social message.

    Also, The Good Road’s depiction of certain issues could be a reality which we may want to ignore. Did SlumDog Millionaire represent India correct? Does BA Pass represent India correctly?

    I understand that movies with universal message and human stories appeal to the Oscar jury. The Good Road has struck a chord with Indian jury – it might also strike a chord in foreign shores. Also, apart from the message, there are also the marketing and lobbying efforts that determine the Oscar victory.

    3. Political Angle

    No comments here !

    Overall, I think it was very sad to see the negative publicity around ‘The Good Road’. I believe that it is natural for ‘The LunchBox’ team to be disappointed. It is a great movie – one of the best movies in recent time. Even ‘The Ship Of Theseus’ is a class apart. Maybe they would have been great choices. But now that choice is made, let us stand behind it. Let us make it win !

    The bright side is that all these three movies are made by first time film-makers. It give us great hope. The Indian Cinema is lucky to have these gems. They have more movies left in them and this critical and commercial acclaim will only encourage them to take bigger risks.

    Second, NFDC produced ‘The Good Road’ and ‘The Lunchbox’. It represents another positive note. Kiran Rao picked up ‘The Ship Of Theseus’ and Karan Johar picked up ‘The LunchBox’ after the production. It means studios are willingness to support good cinema and give it a wider release. A great victory for all.

    So – Let us look a the road ahead. Let us support this movie. Let us help it win ! It is now India’s case !