Slow and steady does win the race in business afterall !

When I heard the story of the The Tortoise and the Hare for the first time, I was filled with questions. Why did the hare stop to take rest? Tortoise are so slow that even if the Hare slept for hours, it still could not win the race etc. All very logical questions and concerns in my kids mind. My father used to have a tough time trying to explain the concepts and convince my "scientific" mind to see the message behind the story and understand what it truly means.

Growing up and struggling to survive in the business world, I always felt that the hares won all the time. The person who can talk smoother, Dress better and network quicker won. The only thing I could do was to work twice as hard to make up for the lack of proficiencies in these departments ! Wallowing in self pity, I was slow to notice that folks who went up too quickly sometime crashed and burned even more quickly. There seems to be some natural force which balanced the inequality. Not all the time I admit (I have seen too many people in leadership roles with absolutely no skills) but enough to make me believe. Also, I noticed that some of the so called "hares" where really smart tortoise who were slow and steady - But too quick by my standards !! It was my short sighted views that labelled them as flighty hares !!

Lamplight vs. Spotlight - Can Introverts survive in this business enviornment?

 Coming from an Indian culture, my natural Introvert instincts have been further hardened by the culture which expects kids to be seen and not heard. Growing up, the hierarchy of business food chain was reinforced - summarized as Your Superior is always right ! For the last 15 or so years in the US I have been struggling with the society's deference to the Extroverts - Leadership was decided based on the person's "Charisma" and who cares if the content of what he says sucks as long as he is able to say it in style and sound intelligent. I used to spend sleepless nights blaming everybody for the lack of recognition of the value I deliver. To this day I struggle with this facet of life, even though I sort of accepted this fact of life and moved on. So this book Quiet - The power of Introverts in a world that can's stop talking" by Susan Cain  caught my I eye and I had to read it ! 

Kitchen Nightmare- Cooking Show or Management Lessons ?

People either hate him or love. Even though I am not a cooking fan myself, I watch all of Gordon Ramsey's shows to learn from his management styles. I can see your eyes roll. But walk with me a little longer. 

Take the Kitchen Nightmare show. In this show, Gordon helps restaurants in a very bad financial state to get a chance to become successful. He tackles food, budget, cost and even family issues to provide the owners a chance to succeed.

The show typically begins with Gordon meeting the family members, then tasting the food. He makes recommendations for change (Including fixing inter personal issues) and then mentors them as they successfully transform the restaurant. Most people call it monotonous and highly exaggerated. But, the shows has a policy of going back after a year or so to see what happened to these restaurants and there are successes and failures shown. 

For me the fascination has been his process and how it applies to our professional lives and projects.  So here is my view of the process

Get the Context (Get the Background)
One of the first thing Gordon does is to get a context for the problem. He does this by visiting the neighborhood to check other restaurants or by having chats with the key stakeholders to get their perspectives 
 

When we go to do similar project reviews, we have meetings with key stakeholders and try to get an understanding of the context before we try to fix the problems with the project

Taste the food (Check the Deliverable)

Next Gordon orders from the menu and samples the food being served in the restaurant to see if there are any problems. If there are any problems, the feedback is direct and not sugar coated. It is very harsh and get the cooks and owners really riled up.

When we do project reviews, we review all the deliverable created to date and make sure we provide detailed feedback on our findings. There is a need to  create a real baseline of understanding before we can fix any problems

Observe the functioning (Monitor the team)

Once the feedback is given, Gordon then watches the operation of the restaurant for one meal services. This way he can see first hand where the problem lies and allows him to confirm the feedback he received from the stakeholders. 

We watch the team go about its activities to observe how they interact with each other and the stakeholders. This gives us a first hand look at the actual problems with the project

Prepare the Owners (Motivate the team)

Most of the time, the Owners are living in a distorted view of reality - They blame everybody except themselves for the problem. Gordon does a thorough job of demolishing the owner's ego and get them to face reality. He fixes any other personnel or staff issues so that they are ready to receive feedback and be ready to change. Otherwise it is water off a Duck's back !

When we do project reviews, we really work on the people involved to make sure we understand their motivation and be able to fix any issues (Fire people if needed) so that the project has a chance to succeed. Without getting the team ready mentally for a change, any recommendations we make is just a waste of time!

Ring in the changes (Execute our Recommendations)

Gordon then rolls out the changes he wants. New menus. New Decor. New processes. Everything which will help them run a smooth restaurant

Once the team is mentally prepared, we walk them through changes in templates, process as well as organization. Making sure the team has a reasonable chance of succeeding

Mentor the team (Support Roll Out)

Gordon then watches and supports as the restaurant goes about trying out the new changes. The success of this try out and the positive feedback from the customers reinforces their minds and give the restaurant a chance to succeed 

We spent some time helping the team execute on our recommendation. Answering questions. Supporting the team and making sure they are ready to internalize the recommendations 

Closing (Exit)

Gordon, at the end of the successful services, get the team together to summarize and celebrate their success. With some last minute motivation and confirmations, Gordon moves on to his next project

We conduct an Exit session, where the team is able to feel the change and celebrate their success. Reenforcing their positive behaviors, we also provide them with key instructions on other tuneups they may want to pursue.

What do you think now? Don you think it is a Cooking related show or a management class? Do send me your thoughts !

 

Raghavan (Raj) Rajendran

The Curse of Knowledge

Have you been presenting to folks and getting not so good reviews? Do the stories you tell your friends some time falls flat ? Read on to find out the cure for that malady...

 

Here is the secret of how I overcame the same problem. "Made to Stick" by Chip & Dan Heath is an excellent book on how to make ideas stick in peoples mind. One of the aspects they talk about is the Curse of Knowledge where a "Tapper" has to tap out the rhythm of very popular songs on a table so as to get a "Listener" to identify it. The crux of the matter is that the tapper playing the song in his mind, tapped the table with the full confidence that the listener would understand it and identify the song. Meanwhile the listener without that knowledge has no clue what the song is and is unable to identify them !!

That story stuck to me ! Let me explain why and how it helped me with my issues ...

One of the problems I face when I make presentation to teams, is that sometimes I get the "glazed eye" look- Sheer boredom or folks fervently praying that I would not ask them questions and embarrass them in front of their peers.  Very frustrating right? Here I am putting my heart and soul into the presentation and I get this? In my mind I was explaining some basic concepts which everybody should get. Finally one of my mentors pulled me aside and had "The talk". He asked me pause and understand the audience - Take time to look at my presentation from the audience's level of knowledge. Some of the folks were business users and did not understand the techno speak. Or other did not understand that particular techno speak! So they did not have the context and they did not have the foundation to build on. Not their fault and here I was making a leap of faith that they are at a certain level of knowledge. The song was playing clearly in my mind. But the tapping did not make any sense to the audience ! 

Being me, It of course took multiple attempts to overcome my ego and make me get it. But when I did get it, I found that I was being understood better and was able to get a better agreement from the audience. Suddenly I was in demand as a presenter as well as a facilitator !

Makes sense does it not? So stop playing to the music in the mind. 

Try it out and let me know if you experience the same empowerment as I did 

Raghavan (Raj) Rajendran

Data Mining to Target your habits !

I just finished reading the book "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg ( A must read for everybody in my opinion. But more about that in a later post). There is an interesting anecdote in the book about how the giant retail store Target performs data mining that I wanted to share with you..

It starts with the Marketing team wanting to market to parents before their babies arrived. The data mining teams gets to work and comes up with an algorithm (Habits like buying lot of unscented lotions as well as increased purchase of vitamins  etc.) and Coupons started to be sent to families where there was somebody pregnant. Everything is fine till an irate father walked into the local store and complains that Target was sending his high school daughter coupons for baby cloths and cribs ! He was worried that Target was encouraging his daughter to be come pregnant ! The manager apologizes profusely and cools down the man. The manager call the man back a few days to make sure he was okay. The father confesses that his daughter had spoken to him and she was actually pregnant and due in Aug !

Just imagine what happened. A person who lives with his daughter 24x7 has no clue that she is pregnant  while a machine sitting thousand of miles away could figure that out.

So next time you use your frequent buyer card, remember, you are sharing  a lot more information than you think !

Suddenly, privacy is no longer something you can take for granted !!

Raghavan (Raj) Rajendran

The power of teaching people to think better

One of my favorite quotes is "Give a Man a Fish, Feed Him For a Day. Teach a Man to Fish, Feed Him For a Lifetime". David Rock, in this excellent book "Quiet Leadership" takes these concepts to the next level and explains the reason for its effectiveness in a scientific and credible manner. He convinces the readers on the effectiveness of the idea and then provides a framework for executing this in our professional lives. This is a must read for all those who want to become more effective leaders and managers

 

Some of the key concepts he introduces are:

1. It is difficult to "unlearn" old habits. It is much easier to teach people new habits which overrides the old ones
2. People learn new habits better when they learn it themselves 
3. Once people have new tools and know how to use them, they can teach themselves new effective habits 
4. The tool of a better thought process is the ultimate tool since it can be used across all aspects of their life to become better and effective

In my first start up, my mentor taught me the concepts of "fire in the belly" - have the passion for what you are doing-  as well as "Set the bar high" - stretch goals make for better personal satisfaction/motivation.  So the thoughts presented in this book resonated well with me and reinforced the approach I have been adopting to mentor my team mates.

Read this book and let me know if you agree or disagree with the concepts...

Click here to go to the Author David Rock's personal blog. If you need to visit the official web site of the book, Click here

Raghavan (Raj) Rajendran

Lessons from the Lotus Eater

When I was growing up, the story "The Lotus Eater - By W. Somerset Maugham (You can read the story here) fascinated me. It was of a person who wanted to lead a perfect happy life and the consequences of this approach to life. At that time, it struck a chord in me and I was not sure why ! Last week, I was talking to my friend about taking an early retirement - do nothing but live and enjoy life- I remember this story. So I went back to read it again and this line stuck in my mind...


"Wilson`s plan was all right. There was only one flaw in it and this, I suppose, he could not have foreseen. It had never occurred to him that after twenty-five years of complete happiness, in this quiet backwater, with nothing in the world to disturb his serenity, his character would gradually lose its strength. The will needs obstacles in order to exercise its power; when it is never thwarted, when no effort is needed to achieve one`s desires, because one has placed one`s desires only in the things that can be obtained by stretching out one`s hand, the will grows impotent. If you walk on a level all the time the muscles you need to climb a mountain will atrophy"


That is a powerful message both for people planning to retire as well as people working for decades in a "secure" job. When you retire, you need to make sure that you keep challenging yourself so that the mind and the brain are exercised at all times and prepared to handle any changes. On the other hand, people sticking to one company where they have a "secure" job also need to learn this message. No pressures but No growth. No stretching to get something desirable.  Finally where the change happens (Loss of job or other life events), these people find it difficult to get back to living.. Their will has atrophied and the ability to clamber back seems to be lost.


When my father was growing up, he took one job and then retired from it. But in this world of Globalization and Out Sourcing, it is not just enough to have a job and "coast" along. One needs to keep sharpening the skills and keep stretching the brain muscles so that you are ready for anything fate might through your way...


Are you a lotus eater? Do you have to change? 

Raghavan (Raj) Rajendran

Elephant thinking–Unlock your potential

If you have read my book, “Why Do Elephant's Have Big Ears”, you would know that I use two elephant stories to help you understand how we limit ourselves and fail to realize our full potential.

Over the weekend, I had been to the library (In spite of the fact that I had TWO kindles !! sometimes going to the library and reading a non digital book has its own charm!)and picked up a few books to read. I was very surprised to read a similar story in the book “Self Leadership and the One Minute Manager.


Here is the extract –“When they begin to train an elephant for the circus, they chain the baby elephants‘s leg to a pole in the ground. The baby elephants wants to get away. He pulls and tugs. but he can’t escape – the chain is too big and the pole too deep in the ground. So he stops trying. As he grows up, he just assumes he can’t get away. Today he’s a six ton elephant.he could sneeze and pull that chain – but he doesn't even try. Circus trainers say that they can put a piece of sting around the six – ton elephants' leg and he won’t break away”


Coming from a traditional Indian background, the Indian society is more interested in telling you what you CANNOT do rather than inspire you to try  out new things. I call it the the “society's train track”. They create one for you, lay it and expect you to follow it !


Coming to the USA has been an eye opener. No constraints and the fact that you could work hard in whatever you want to do and make money/be happy or just live. It is very liberating ! 
So friend, whether you have Elephant thinking or Large Elephant ears, it is time you unlock your potential !

Raghavan (Raj) Rajendran

Teaching people to fish around the world !

One of my favorite motivational concept is to not give people fish, but teach them to fish (The proverb “"Give a man a fish and he won't starve for a day. Teach a man how to fish and he won't starve for his entire life."  has been attributed to everybody from Chinese proverbs to Confucius and Jesus Christ !). So I spent a lot of time teaching my team members the actual understanding of the concepts to get things done rather than give them a list of instructions to follow.  This has been  very useful for me during my years working with teams of all shapes and sizes.


I wanted to have a similar concept for my charity too. It was then I found Kiva.org. They allow individuals to a lend a little as $25 to help people around the world. They difference is that you can choose the projects and these projects are folks trying to better themselves by building a business or doing something for the society. As a trial I decided to help a gentleman Mr. Joseph in Uganda put structures on his farm and to buy fertilizers to support new live stock. It was a pleasure to see that the loan was repaid and his farm prospered.  This was followed by supporting the Amistad Group in Guatemala. All with micro loans of less than $50. That too was successfully paid back

.

This is a great way to help people not just by donating money to an large trust and hope that they spend it wisely. But actually get involved in the process of selecting how the money gets spent. Also, 100% of the money you lend goes to the person needing help (Kiva is funded by other sources and contributions)
The only limitation I can think of it that some countries like India are not represented here !

Do check it out today ! Join me in doing good.,.

 

Raghavan (Raj) Rajendran

Good is the new average !

There is an interesting article in Business Insider  which is based on Seth Godin's view "If You're An Average Worker, You're going straight to the bottom". Interesting read. This one of the lessons I have learnt during my years of working and one I keep preaching to my team members all the time


Right from the school days, I always put in the extra effort to differentiate myself from rest of the students. While working, I spent a lot of time creating my own brand - Hard Work, Good Grasp  of  the problem, Structured thought process, Innovative solutions and successful delivery. In fact, in my first start up I worked in, I was the Mr. Fix It. If there is problem, they would call me to fix. 

So the two takeaways I try to give my team is 

Good is the new Average
Being average is no longer an option. You have to be good. You need to put in the extra effort to make sure you exceed expectations and deliver. Working out the details, Making sure the documents are formatted properly (I hate it when people are too lazy to do a spell check- Takes two minutes !), preparing for the presentations more thoroughly. Small things, which add to separating you from the rest of the team members and helps you leave a very positive impression in the minds of your stakeholders. Try it and see the difference !


Create your own brand
In my view, we sell all the time. Whether it is in our personal life or in the professional work environment. So why not sell ourselves so that our talents are properly understood by the others. If you set you standards higher, you have won half the battle. But if you can "market" your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) - create you own personal brand - you have the magic mix to make sure you are recognized and rewarded for what you do. More on this in a later post...


Read the article and start your journey to being Great. Average is for losers ! 

Raghavan (Raj) Rajendran

Being Indian is now a badge of Honor?

I have been fooling around with a Proud To Be Indian web site for quite some years without  much traction, In its current incarnation, it can be seen at www.P2BI.com.


So it was with great pleasure I started reading the book by Ramith Sethi (I Will teach you to be rich Blog fame). His blogs are fantastic. His writing style is very different. You see his interviews, you can see his passion just burst out ! Overall, his blog is something I would strongly  recommend to everybody. Even though he pushes his ware very strongly, his interest in helping others shines through. And who can blame him for charging for the value he delivers. Not me !
What was interesting was the fact that he was using his “Indianness” as a badge of honor. He talks about his parents (Who migrated from India) who spend 5 days negotiating for a car and then walk out of it because the dealer refused to add a Floor mat to the deal. He also coined the interesting acronym – WWAID (What would an Indian Do?).


When I came to US (about 15 years ago) most of us felt the need to blend in. As the IT boom took over the country and the Outsourcing became the name of the game, we felt  guilty for causing disruption in the life's of the locals here
Finally I think we have moved on to a state where being Indian, and bringing in the values of our culture is considered to be good. People recognize us not just for the nerds who are the “Computer Whisperers “ but actually folks with an idea to present and the presence to make an impression !


Go for it. Love this. In fact, as part of this discovery, I am starting a career focused blog (Take off on my book Why Do Elephants Have Big Ears) to share the lessons learnt over my 25 year career with folks who can use them.


The blog should be ready in the next few weeks, But you can go over and register so that  you can be notified when it goes live….


Your thoughts?

Raghavan (Raj) Rajendran

When the Idea creator's credibility is challenged, should the ideas credibility be questioned?

Most of my friends know that I am a big fan of Robert Kiyosaki and his books based on Rich Dad Poor Dad paradigm. I like his concepts of residual income, the quadrant approach to money making etc. In fact I had recommended his book Cashflow Quadrant to my friends 


So it was a shock when I read about John T. Read's write up about Kiyosaki. John is a very influential person with strong beliefs and ideas. He is very successful and his ideas on making money are very interesting (More on that in a later post)


He really goes to the town about the Rich Dad Poor Dad's "factual errors" and numerous "Extremely unlikely accounts of the events that supposedly happened" . It was an interesting read and John has spend quite some time to research his target. 


Whether we agree with John or not, the point which I was concerned about was the impact on the ideas and concepts Kiyosaki had put on the table. Since Kiyosaki's book's content has been questioned, does it mean that his ideas were also wrong? Was I just drinking Koolaid and not looking at the facts clearly? Should our impression of the ideas be influenced by the negative information on the author?


In my opinion, the baby should not be thrown out with the bath water.. Even after understanding all the accusations, the fact that there might not be a real "Rich Dad", I believe the central themes with Kiyosaki put forward are still valid. The fact that ideas may not be used by all of us talks more to the our limitations rather than the viability of the idea.


I still continue to believe in the concepts of Rich Dad Poor Dad.  I think ideas should be judged purely based on its merits and the idea creator shenanigans should not impact its credibility .


What do you think? 

Raghavan (Raj) Rajendran