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Words. Wisdom. Winners.
Don’t get comfortable with failing
4 actions of time management
Archive (doesn’t warrant reaction or decision)
- it’s not worth my time to reply to this
- Happens 10% of the time, for me
Reply (take a decision)
- I need to clear the passage and take a decision
- The decision, if reversible or with low “capital at risk” will be taken almost instantaneously
- Else I will reply to buy time or seek more data
- Happens 30% of the time, for me
Forward (delegate)
- Send it to someone and empower them to take the decision
- Lay out the rules of the game. And what your expectation is.
- Don’t share the solution. Then you might as well do it yourself.
- Once taken, their decision is final. No review.
- Happens 30% of the time, for me
Compose (create a new task or seek help)
- Take the lead and create a new task or identify a new problem to solve
- Create the framework to approach it
- Assign an owner to the problem
- Set a time to discuss the possible solutions
- Track the progress and bring it to closure
And here is what most people do wrong
- Archive when they should be replying instead
- Reply when they should be forwarding instead
- Forwarding when they should be composing instead
Timestamp
I wrote to Indra Nooyi yesterday.
One of her interviews inspired me to write a personal letter to the families of our top performers. Acknowledging them for the invisible support they extend in the growth of the organization.
She hasn’t replied.
She perhaps never will.
But it feels comforting that I have left a timestamp of acknowledgment. Just as she so did through her interview.
So many people to learn from
So many things to learn
So many timestamps to read
And to leave
Productive or Busy
The two are not equal.
A productive day is when you glance into the future and take decisions to reach there from where you are today. Let’s call this a workshop.
A busy day is when you glance into the past to see how you landed in the present. Let’s call this a review.
Here is the thing about review. They rarely move you forward. Because they end up being just that – a review. Shifting a review into a workshop is an art.
And a necessity!
What’s your story?
The markets are bad
The product isn’t there as yet
The systems failed
The team size was small
The long weekend impacted sales
The traffic was bad
The hours are long and I don’t have time
The money isn’t enough
The excuses I have for not delivering on my promise are unlimited
The helpless story equates excuses to output
Unfortunately, it isn’t
Instead, try the ownership story
I will make time
I will find a workaround
I will solve this
I will get it done
And if I don’t, I will not shield behind an excuse.
The hiring pitch
Pitch 1:
We have an awesome culture
We have the smartest people
We have free lunch
We have low attrition
We have great compensation figures
We have an open door policy
We are awesome!
Pitch 2:
Here is what we have done
Here is what we want to do
Here is why it’s not a trivial problem to solve
Here is why we need the smartest people to work on this
Here is why we think you are perfect for the role
Here is what you will get to do
Here is the team you will get to work with
Here is why you will make us awesome!
Pitch 2: 1
Pitch 1: 0
Output vs Outcome
Output: Here is what I was supposed to do and I have done it
Outcome: Here is what my output was supposed to achieve. And I have achieved it.
Own the outcome. Not the output.
Don’t convert yourself into a checklist.
Wild card entry
I have been extremely lucky in life to be part of tribes that I wasn’t deserving of, in the first place.
ISB – got through with less than 2 years of experience.
Kearney – got through despite not being a top ranker.
Entrepreneur – became one completely by accident
Rocket – got through after a 15 min meeting
Groupon – was asked to lead with no such prior experience or exposure
Fortune – can count 100 more people who could be part of the list instead of me
I am the wild card entry in all these. The guy on the fence. The not so obvious choice.
Here is the deal with wild card entries
No one expects you to win.
No one knows about you either.
No one expects you to contribute.
And the only direction you can go is up!
The only thing you can do is to observe the obvious entrants and learn
And perhaps someday you won’t be wild card anymore
I am a nightmare dressed like a day dream
Reading people is an art
Reading them right is a blessing
Misrreading people is lack of practice
Misreading people to suit your bias is a habit
The key to read them is not to classify them as adjectives. Rather to figure their probable reactions to situations.
Everyone has a good side and a dark side. Capable of loving and hurting. Capable of being loyal and back-stabbing. Capable of being thoughtful and selfish.
Question is: when do they behave which way?
We are all we need
Being comfortable with just yourself is a blessing.
The first 1.5 days of Beijing – I communicated with the world only through my lens and pictures on my phone. Didn’t speak a word. Simply walked the streets in the bitter yet sunny cold. Capturing faces, structures and culture. Occassionally singing to myself. Not missing where I came from because I know I could always go back to it when I wanted. While this new world will only last for 3 days.
It would be amazing if we started each day as if it were in a new city. You don’t know anyone or anything. And you only have yourself. Would you live it differently?
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