26 ways to success - X for (e)Xcitement - " Are you an eXciting person? " article published in The Hans India on 15th July 2016

Are you an eXciting person?

Think of your friend who is the life of the party. What is that unique trait that makes him/her tick and why is that he/she is most sought after person is the question worth pondering about. If you were to do a detailed analysis a startling truth would emerge. That individual is the most popular as he/she is the most exciting person to be around. An exciting person is able to arouse or bring out our innate feelings and is able to stimulate us. That arousal or stimulation is often something that we all miss. Resultantly we crave for the company of people who can excite us.

As spending powers have increased, people are willing to shell out more money on trying out exotic dishes. Sushi and Fugu or Puffer fish eating has become an exciting activity. For the uninitiated Fugu fish is a deadly Japanese fish. The restaurant preparation of Fugu is strictly controlled by law in Japan and several other countries, and only chefs who have qualified after three or more years of rigorous training are allowed to prepare the fish. Domestic preparation by untrained chefs has occasionally leads to accidental deaths.

The Fugu fish’s blood and body organs are more poisonous than cyanide. The Fugu fish dish makers are extremely skilled and trained to remove even the minutest traces of Fugu poison. Obviously they get paid very well and there are very few Fugu fish experts in the world. So what is so exciting and death defying in eating a Fugu dish? There is a definite amount of risk. Even the minutest traces of blood or traces of body parts eaten could lead to instant death! Lesson: Excel at something that is valued, unique and treasured.

Employees of Disneyland: Travel to USA is incomplete without a mandatory visit to the Niagara Falls and a visit to the world famous Disneyland. My family was very excited about the Disney world trip that we had undertaken in the year 2008. The entry ticket to the Las Vegas Disneyland was a whopping US $ 100 per person (Rs 6,700/-) for a day.

Eateries in the Disney Park are very expensive and visitors get their own home packed lunch.  We were partaking lunch in the parking area and just behind us were three huge trash cans. I saw three Disneyland employees; two young men and a woman approach the trash cans and hesitate. I could sense the dilemma in their faces. Should they just wait (they could pick their noses, appear to be bored, or busily text or chat on their cell phones) or just do their job and say “to hell with the visitors” and be oblivious of our presence. They are entitled to do their job and not be bothered about any other thing. What they ended doing stunned us.  I still get goose bumps when I remember what transpired.

All three springy and bright as beans Disney employees took out drumming sticks and started rhythmically drumming the trash cans. They were providing us with accompanying music as we ate! They kept drumming as long as we ate. That was the most enjoyable and exiting meal that I have eaten in my entire life. Those three Disney employees taught me a lesson that I can never forget. Make the day of every visitor so exciting that he/she would never forget it in a life time. Disney perfectly understood that for many visitors a visit to a Disney land Park was a once in a life time event and it strove to make the visit as memorable and exciting as possible. 

Lesson: Do everything that is possible to make someone else’s life a little better and more exciting.

So far so good, how do develop that exciting personality and be the person whose arrival every one waits for.

1.    Get outside your zone of comfort: Most of us tend to stay within our zones of comfort and never venture out. It is critically important to challenge ourselves. Challenging ourselves would not only be rewarding but might bring out facets of our personality hitherto unknown. The best way to get out of zone of comfort is to try and become an oversized stuffed carton figure who is employed outside a toy store or a super market. These stuffed toy figures entice customers to come into the store. Once inside a dress, one can become a cartoon figure like a Mickey Mouse. The individual identity is lost but it is quite liberating. Most people lose their inhibitions. The stares, the leering laughs, the insulting comments that some people make are more than compensated by the hugs, the warmth and the handshakes that the   cartoon figure gets.

2.  Do some unplanned, crazy and fun filled activities: exciting people tend to be unpredictable. Unpredictability is a trait that people love. What can be more exciting than do something that is not planned? ‘Have wings, will fly’ should be the motto. Go for an unplanned holiday or a sojourn. Try out bungee jumping or a long trek. Organize a get together of your school friends. Never let the monotony of daily life wear you down. Be the person who is bubbling with new ideas and implement those ideas. Never be afraid to try out new things. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

3.      Pick up a new skill: Conquer your internal demons. If you fear something, take it head on. If you do not like public speaking, tackle that issue head on. Practice, practice and practice till you become an expert. Such a big expert that people actually queue up and pay to listen! That would really be a victory to cherish.

4.    Be the person who can galvanize social gatherings: learn the tricks of engaging people. Can you organize small parties or conduct games? Can you perform some simple magic tricks or read hands. Are you good or organizing things and tying up the loose ends?   If you can do these things you could be the person that everyone enquires about in a party or a social gathering.

5.      Be kind: Do something nice for a friend or even a complete stranger. Pay for someone else tea or buy a bus ticket for a complete stranger. Even better, feed someone. Leave a thank you note and appreciate the efforts of others.

6.    Be curious about people. Ask people old or young, questions about their lives. Learn what other people do and what makes them successful. You might discover something intriguing about them and yourself. There could be something in their life that could be similar to yours. Unknowingly you might strike something big that might completely change your life.

7.     Try to do something that you always wanted to do but were afraid to do or were told not to do so by others: In many cases we wanted to do something but were told not to do so by somebody else, for example by our parents or elders. If that something is what you always wanted to do – get that monkey off your shoulder. Do it. Yes the new activity might be frightening, difficult and even bothersome but it needs to be attempted. If you dream to be a writer there is no better time to start than now. Try it out. Learn how to write. Attend a workshop. Write, write and write. Slowly but steadily you would pick up that craft. There is nothing in this world that can’t be achieved if it is attempted with seriousness and with a sense of purpose. Impossible is a word that is found in a fool’s dictionary.

8.   Try to emulate someone who is successful but don’t be a copycat: We have often seen other successful people who are exciting and try to imitate them. That is a very big mistake. Each one of us will have to develop a unique area where we excel. Kapil Sharma the standup comedian has developed his own wonky style of humour laced with witty one-liners. There can’t be another Kapil Sharma but there can be one unique you. The journey of self-discovery is an eternal pursuit. 

9.   Dreaming and dreaming big: one needs to dream and dream big. Nothing in the world should stop you from dreaming. Dreams are enjoyable, exciting and yes very liberating. Don’t be afraid of your own dreams. Don’t allow random thoughts of negativity and lame excuses as to why those dreams can’t come true enter your head. Just dream your wildest dream. And you deserve your dreams. Accepting the dream is the first step in trying to achieve it. You deserve your dream and it can be a reality. If you don’t stand up for your dreams then no one else will. Learn to stand up to your dreams. Dreams are what will not allow you to sleep at night. They can relentlessly drive a person on to a path of glory and success.

10.  Taking action: Only dreaming is not going to help. You need to plunge into action to make the dreams come true. Action orientation is imperative. “Full on” as the phrase goes. Plunge into action. Give it all that you have. Not 100% but 120%. Let everyone around you know that you are doing all that you can do be the person that you have always dreamt to be. If you have to be the gardener, be the best gardener in the world. People should identify you by your unique style. Javed Habib the hair Doctor became popular due to his unique way of looking at the business of hair styling.  

26 ways to success - R for Relate to a cause - article published in The Hans India on 4th June 2016

Relate To A Cause!

What do a tree hugger, a bird watcher, a big industrialist, a dancer, a painter, a cartoonist and a movie maker have in common? Passion and the cause they espoused. So much so they made the cause their life mission. They became the cause.

What is a cause? It is an issue or an event or a happening that is relevant and is of social importance. All the issues discussed in this article are socially relevant. Most of us are driven by materialistic pursuits. The drive to excel in materialism can be a self-feeding parasite. One goal reached and another one beckons. Before we realize we are all part of the never ending rat race. This leads to fatigue, loss of interest and a feeling of déjà vu.  We are left with a feeling of hollowness and question ourselves, what is life meant to be?

Maslow rightly calls this point where we question ourselves as a point of self-actualization. We have been brought into this world with a purpose.  Find out that purpose and our stint in this world could be worthwhile.

Even corporates have climbed onto the bandwagon of causes. Called Cause marketing many companies openly advocate and promote causes that are socially relevant. Some of the famous ones include Aircel propagating the conservation of tigers in India and NDTV advocating the green India campaign and the “Every school in India should have a black board”. Given below are some famous Indians who have devoted their lives for a cause.

1. The Tree hugger: Sunderlal Bahuguna is a noted environmentalist and the Chipko movement leader. The idea of chipko movement was of his wife and Sunderlal Bahuguna popularized it. For years he has been fighting for the preservation of Himalayan forests. He and his followers hug huge trees and do not allow anyone to cut them. How true is this cause! We are already facing the ill effects of deforestation. Cities are becoming difficult to live, the ground water table is falling alarmingly, summers are becoming unbearably hot and we are lashed with unseasonal rains. All signs that causes like the chipko movement are not simply fashionable. They are the crying need of the hour.

2. His painters are our deities: Raja Ravi Varma was a celebrated Indian painter and artist. He is considered as the greatest painter in Indian art. In particular, his depictions of Hindu deities and episodes from the epics and Puranas have received acceptance from the public and are found as objects of worship across the length and breadth of India. Our visual imagery of gods and goddesses are all from Raja Ravi Verma’s paintings.

3. Small Car – Big dreams: Ratan Tata, the Ex CEO of TATA motors was travelling in his car and driving next to him was an Indian family (husband, wife and two kids) precariously perched on a scooter. The sight troubled Ratan Tata. He was pained to note that even after 50 years of Independence a car was out of bounds for an average Indian family.  

And that was the cause that Ratan Tata championed and made his life mission. He declared to the dumbfounded word media that he would make the cheapest car in the world. A car that would cost Rs 1,00,000/-. No one including his own employees initially believed him!

But Ratan Tata did the impossible. He coaxed, cajoled and motivated his team to work around the problem. The selling price was fixed and his team worked backwards to make Ratan Tata’s dream come true. And it was done! The Tata Nano was born and the world woke up to the startling reality of a car that was to be sold at US 2,000/- dollars. And that price Nano was even cheaper than what the Czar of cheap production China could produce!

Yes Tata Nano did not do as well as expected but is a prime example of what can be achieved with steely determination, daringness to dream and making something a cause to dedicate one’s life. Ratan Tata says that his most memorable day was the day when Tata Nano was launched.

4. The Kuchipudi Kalabandhu: Vempati Chinna Satyam was an Indian dancer and a guru of the Kuchipudi dance form. As he mastered the nuances of this style of dance, he was successful in popularizing the Kuchipudi dance form all over the world. The craze and the fame that Kuchipudi enjoys today can be attributed to Vempati Chinna Satyam who dedicated his life in making this ancient dance form become popular again.

5. Salim Ali – The Fall of a Sparrow: Salim Ali was an Indian ornithologist and a nature lover. Popularly called the "birdman of India", Salim Ali was among the first Indians to conduct systematic bird surveys across India and several bird books that he wrote helped popularize the concept of bird watching. He created the Bharatpur bird sanctuary and prevented the destruction of what is now the Silent valley national park.

6. The Indian Walt Disney: Anant Pai popularly known as Uncle Pai was an Indian educationalist and a pioneer in Indian comics. He is most famous as the creator of two comic book series the Amar Chitra Katha which retold traditional Indian folk tales, mythological stories, and biographies of historical characters; and Tinkle a children’s story book.   Amar Chitra Katha, the series went on to become a publishing milestone for the Indian comic book industry, selling over 86 million copies of about 440 titles. Most Indians awareness and knowledge of the Indian history, mythology and epics has been through the colourful pages of the Amar Chitra Katha. And the saga continues albeit in the digital front as Amar Chitra Katha is more popular in the digital form. Anant Pai single handedly made generations of Indians feel love and pride for their own history and epics.

7. They also serve those who stand and stare: Murlidhar Devidas Amte, popularly known as Baba Amte was an Indian social worker and activist known particularly for his work for the rehabilitation and empowerment of poor people suffering from leprosy. Amte followed Gandhian philosophy and led a Spartan life. Amte also used Gandhian principles to fight against corruption, mismanagement, and poor shortsighted planning in the government.

8. The talkies man:  Dhundiraj Govind Phalke popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke was an Indian producer/director/screenwriter, also known as the father of Indian Cinema. Starting with his debut film Raja Harishchandra in 1913, which was the India's first full-length feature, he made 95 movies and 26 short films in his career.

The Dadasaheb Phalke award for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema was instituted in his honour. It is the most prestigious award in Indian cinema and is the highest official recognition for film personalities.

Why should we relate to causes? 

1.   There are things that no one seems to care for: the zodipi Goats from Nellore, the beautiful rock formations of Hyderabad, the famous Ongole bulls have no one championing their cause.  They are the envy of the world but no one seems to care. Time for some of us champion their cause and see that they are preserved and kept live in pristine condition for many generations to come.

2.   Listen to the inner yearning: It is important to listen to the inner self. What is our calling is not  known. Salim Ali the birdman of India developed interest in birds when he shot down a sparrow.  Examination of the dead sparrow inculcated a life time interest in bird watching, wildlife and conservation of nature. Once we discover our inner yearning, no force in this world can stop us. Happy is the man who devotes his life to a cause that he dear to him!

3.   There is a lot to live and die for apart from materialistic comforts and satisfaction: Man does not live only for his bread! There are many other things that are more important. Saving a 300 year tree from wanton destruction not only saves a noble tree’s life but also goes a long way in making this planet more hospitable. No trees and in very near future no man kind!

4. Helps a person reach level of self-actualization: Relating to a cause gives great mental satisfaction. Even though Ratan Tata was stupendously rich and had everything in the world, the launch of his pet project ‘the world cheapest car’ Tata Nano, gave his more satisfaction than all his wealth put together. His dream got fructified!

5.  The success of the cause will have a Tsunami effect: Once a cause becomes famous and gets into the eyes of the media, there could be a snowball effect. More people would get interested and the cause could get the critical mass to sustain itself. The renewed popularity of the temple dance of Kuchipudi is a great example.

26 ways to success - Q for Questioning- " Question The Status Quo, The Holy Cows – In Short “EVERYTHING”!" article published in The Hans India on 2016

Question The Status Quo, The Holy Cows – In Short “EVERYTHING”!

Most would consider a good student to be one who can answer all the questions posed. I have a different take. A student, who can answer questions to the satisfaction of the teacher at best, is an average student. He is trained to be a convergent thinker. That is answering the given questions in a particular fashion and style.

But things in the modern world are very different. Divergent Thinkers are the need of the hour. Divergent Thinkers are those who can start at a point and progress in any direction. They end up questioning the question itself. The purpose of divergent thinking is not to come out with clever and apt answers. Rather it is to develop the ability that most of us have lost - the ability to question things. What can be questioned, the status quo, the holy cows, and the standard procedures; everything has to be under the question scanner.

A disruptive innovation is an innovation that creates a new market and eventually disrupts an existing market. For example the car was not a disruptive innovation, because early automobiles were expensive and they did not disrupt the market for the traditional horse drawn carriages.

The market for transportation essentially remained intact till the entry of the low priced Ford Model T car.  The mass produced model T automobile from Ford was a disruptive innovation and it changed the dynamics of the transportation market as it made cars affordable for everyone. 

How did it happen? Henry Ford questioned the status Quo. He asked himself “Why should cars be so costly? Why can’t I make cars more economic (from this came the revolutionary assembly line production concept) and the most brilliant question “Why can’t I make the cars so cheap that even my own factory workers can afford them?” That is brilliant questioning ability.

Developing the questioning ability: We can take the help of the five Ws and one H concept. The Five W's and one H were memorialized by Rudyard Kipling in his "Just So Stories" in which a poem accompanying the tale of "The Elephant's Child" opens with:

I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.

Who is the person or the persons involved. All of us are social beings and human interest and people are very important. Any questioning process which takes place without considering the human element is as tasty as an Indian curry without the spicy Indian masala!

What happened has to be examined clearly and without bias. In many cases we might have committed mistakes. Accept the mistakes and move on. We should not carry mental baggage. Yes question whether what transpired happened because of us or inspite of us. If we have done the chain of events deliberately we need to introspect. If the things have happened without our knowledge move on. We can’t win all the time. Let us live today for a better tomorrow.

Where did it happen? The location is very important. Did it take place in a local area, in the state, or in the same country? Rules of the game are not the same for all the places. Having white teeth is universally admired. A tooth paste maker tried out its “makes your teeth the whitest of the white” campaign in Thailand and came out a cropper. The campaign was a total flop.

The company questioned itself. The answer was very simple. In Thailand at that time the role models were the business leaders. And Business leaders in Thailand had yellow teeth (yellowed due to excessive betel nut and tobacco chewing). So in Thailand having yellow teeth meant being rich and successful and having sparkling white teeth was not an aspirational trait.

When did it take place? When is the issue of immediacy. We need to examine the issue as early as possible. I worked in a solar photovoltaic company. We had a production process where solar cells have to be cut. The cutting of the solar cells was a critical issue as the solar cells were very fragile and tend to chip off. This was leading to loss of efficiency. The process of cutting involved placing the solar cell on a stationery table and running a high tensile platinum wire over it repeatedly. Our design team was pouring over this tricky problem. Whatever we tried out, the chipping off continued.

One of our scientists came out with a brilliant solution “Why should be keep the solar cell stationary and move the wire. Why can’t we keep the platinum wire stationary and move the solar cell” The simplicity of the process was brilliant. And to top it all the timing of the solution saved the efficiency of the solar cell and the production process became smother and more profitable.

Why did it happen? Why is the motive.  Why explains the process and makes it logical. In one of the Sherlock Holmes story, Sherlock is placidly sitting and smoking his cigar at the scene of the crime which is a palatial building where a murder has been committed. There is plenty of hustle and bustle around him. Detectives are everywhere. They are looking for foot prints, finger prints or any other clues. In short they are busy as bees.

This irritates Dr. Watson, Sherlock's trusted deputy. He says “Sherlock why don’t you do something?” Sherlock replies “Why should I do anything, the murder has been solved” “Solved?” gapes Watson “how”. “Why didn’t the dog bark?” says Sherlock.

This opens a new process of thinking. Sherlock rightly argues that the pet dog never barked when the murder was being committed. His deduction which is later proved right is that the pet dog will only bark at strangers. As it didn’t bark it meant that somebody known to the dog or somebody from the house had committed the murder.

How did it happen? How is the modus operandi? The modus operandi is critical as it tells how the entire chain of events were planned and executed. How becomes very important as the modus operandi is like a signature tune and many people tend to repeat their modus operandi.

Questions that we need to ask ourselves:

1.      Question the holy cows: The apple falling on Newton’s head triggered the thought process. Why did the apple fall down? Why didn’t it go up? This thought process led to the invention of Newton’s Principles of motion. Similarly in any field questioning the holy cows is very important. Erstwhile it was difficult to be noticed in the film industry. Youtube is a boon for wanna be directors and actors. They can shoot a great movie and upload it. The world could come knocking at their door step if the movie is appealing enough. And Youtube is absolutely free! 

2.  Questioning with critical thinking: As the story Sherlock Holmes has demonstrated critical thinking is very much needed. Just because someone else has not thought about something does not mean that there is no solution. Our ancestors were pushing and pulling things along laboriously till someone invented the most revolutionary invention of them all - the wheel. Similarly Indians singlehandedly created the concept of mathematics by inventing the concept of zero.

3.     The obvious might not be correct: If any offer is too good, most probably it is false. Most of us receive E-Mails and messages saying that we have won crores of rupees. And a humble message “please deposit Rs 1,00,000 as processing fee so that we can transfer the money into your account”. Question yourself “If they have so much money, why would they give it to us. They would enjoy it themselves”.  

4.    Go off the beaten track: Too many crooks spoil the broth. As Al Ries and Jack Trout very lucidly say in their book “Positioning the battle for your mind” we only remember the first person who climbed Mount Everest. No one remembers the second, third and the fourth. So don’t try to be a copycat. Facebook as a concept has already been created by Mark Zuckerberg. Think of something new that no one has even dreamt of. Question yourself “this is so frighteningly different that I am sure that it will be rejected initially”. Out of that moldering cauldron of self-doubt and uncertainty might emerge the next new breath taking innovation.

5.      When the questions come up think of innovative answers: When you question the status quo it is important to think of an innovative answer for the problem. The ability to pound square pegs in round holes is what is expected. Companies were worried about their falling profits and operational efficiency. They questioned themselves as how efficiency can be maintained and profitability be improved. Out of this questioning emerged outsourcing. Outsourcing is a concept of giving out non critical jobs and functions to outside agencies. Outsourcing reduced the cost of non-critical activities but not the efficiency of the entire operation itself.