A famous basketball coach once said, “You may be on the right track. But, if you just stand there, you will be run over”. When I read this, I didn’t realize that it will have such a huge impact on me. Today in my ice breaker I’m not going to talk about my school days I had spent at Tambaram. I’m not going to talk about my college days in A.M. Jain College where I did my Maths graduation. I’m not going to talk about my retired parents, my spouse who is a home killer, sorry, home-maker and my daughter doing her 6th standard. I’m also not going to talk about my career in HR and about my 6 years in CSC. I’m going to share with you some other aspect that has made me who I am today.
Let’s go back to that sentence. You may be on the right track. But, if you just stand there, you will be run over. Back in the year 2000, I had a normal life and everything fell in place most of the time and life was smooth. I had a decent job, my wife was about to deliver a baby, I got married. Oh, not necessarily in that order. I got married and my wife was about to deliver a baby. As a family we had paid all our debts. So we had an independent house. I had bought a car. Life was smooth and beautiful. What more would a middle class young man want? I was on the right track, but I was just standing there.
When I started driving my car on the road, I started viewing life differently. You see, life on the traffic lanes is like our life. It is very similar to how we approach life. Driving is like living. You start from a place and you have a destination in mind. Sometimes you drive slowly, other times you drive fast. You may go at a constant speed some other day. It teaches you so many things. Driving teaches you what your boundary is. You also learn how to be disciplined. You learn how to survive in a traffic jam, how to maneuver cramped space when everyone is trying to nudge forward.
It teaches you the power of Positioning. When you position your car at the right place, you keep going without getting struck in traffic. When you travel long distances, you realize that you might be on the right track but if you just go at a very slow pace or get struck, you may be run over. The same thing can happen in life as well. In fact it almost happened to me.
In 2000, I had become an HR Manager in a reasonably reputed IT firm. My wife asked me what do you do in HR? Well, most toughest question. I said, “I’m in the business of changing lives”. “Then why some people complaint about HR?” she asked me immediately. My response was, “Well, for most of them our change is from bad to good. Sometimes it happens the other way around as well”.
So, there I was enjoying my managerial career. Suddenly I realized that it has taken over 8 years to reach a good position where people reached similar if not better heights in life much faster. How? They had good educational foundation – MBAs from reputed institutes and they constantly kept learning something or the other. When I looked at myself, I was just a B. Sc Maths graduate, competing against stronger contenders. Yes, I was doing well, but in the next couple of years I will become an “also ran” with the competition around. I quickly enrolled for a part-time MBA and spent the next 3 years going for my classes 5 days a week in the evening after work. My career also progressed thanks to my MBA, couple of certifications I obtained and the learning I had from people around me. I had a different perspective on Management and got recognition as well.
Again, life was ok and my lane was good. But when l looked at my destination and see where I was then, I was not doing enough. That’s when I enrolled for a Ph. D and in about 2 years time, I will complete my Ph. D in Management.
Ladies and gentlemen, life is not a 100 meter dash. It is a marathon. You need to constantly sustain and learn to survive, adjust and go on to last the distance and to come out in flying colors. After all, you may be on the right track. But, if you just stand there, you will be run over.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2007
Moment of Truth – Is winning everything?
28th Oct 2007. Results were being announced for the Division E evaluation contest for Toastmasters (www.toastmasters.org). 3rd place – not my name. 2nd place – not my name. The winner of Division E, District 82 P evaluation contest for the year 2007 was Kumar Viswanathan. I did it! Moment of truth! Freeze this moment!!
French open finals at Roland Garros, 1998. Steffi Graf Vs Natalie Zvereva, an unknown Russian reached the Singles final for the first time. The match was over in 26 minutes, making it the shortest final in Grand Slam history. Steffi thrashed Zvereva, 6-0, 6-0. The poor loser, Zvereva totally won just 8 points in 2 sets. The match was over even before many people in the audience could settle down in their seats. During the post-match conference with the media, Steffi said, “Today I was in a zone. I was playing my best tennis. I did not see the opponent. In fact the opponent did not matter. I was playing against myself, trying to beat me. It was like a dream. I was woken up when I suddenly heard the noise from the crowd and the scoreboard read 6-0, 6-0” Moment of truth! Freeze this moment!!
Sergei Bubka, the world record holder from Ukraine in men’s pole vault did not have strong opponents who could give him a run for his money during most part of professional career. During the early 1990s the world record was 5.6 meters. Due to a boycott, he missed taking part in Olympics during his playing days. He had a goal in his mind and was not bothered about what was going on around him. In every tournament he was competing, he kept raising the bar and wanted to clear 6 meters, a feat no human being have achieved. He went on to beat the world record and became the first athlete to cross 6 meters! He went further and had beaten his own world record 7 times! The record he set in 1994 at 6.14 meters is yet to be broken. He was not competing with anyone, but himself. Moment of truth. Freeze this moment!
Is winning everything? Does winning really matters? Former International Olympic Association president, Antonio Samaranch said, “it’s not winning that matters; it’s participation”. Ricky Ponting, the Australian cricket captain surely will not agree to this. He is obsessed with winning. That’s why they play so hard and they continue to win almost all matches they play. Former F1 champion Ayrton Senna goes one step further. He once said, “I wouldn’t mind killing other drivers on the race track to win the title”.
25th Nov 2007, District 82 P evaluation contest for toastmasters, Mangalore. I was in a “zone”. I have just completed the best evaluation speech in my life. Everything fell in place. I didn’t mess up. The flow was flawless, all points covered, made excellent recommendation and my timing was just perfect. I had a very nice feeling at the end and was very confident that I’ll bag the 2nd or the 1st prize. This feeling was better than the one I had after I had finished my evaluation speech at the Division contest. There my summary was not all that good and I expected 2nd or 3rd prize. But I came first there a month ago. When the results were announced at the district contest, I did not hear my name! I did not win when I had performed at my best! My best was not sufficient to bag the trophy. Ok, I lost to better opponents!
Although I was upset initially, I recovered quickly thanks to couple of calls from my friends. I lost at the Area level contest the previous year. This year, I have reached the District finals winning at club, area and division levels. My performance at the district was the best by far, although it did not fetch me the coveted trophy. It set me thinking. Does the trophy really matter? What matters is my standard, my level of performance. I have beaten my earlier performances and today I’m a better evaluator. I have raised my own bar. Well, if I had bagged that trophy, it would have been nice, but do I need that external reassurance? Not always! Sometimes, your own satisfaction can give you more happiness than the external reassurances like the trophy! This is my moment of truth.
French open finals at Roland Garros, 1998. Steffi Graf Vs Natalie Zvereva, an unknown Russian reached the Singles final for the first time. The match was over in 26 minutes, making it the shortest final in Grand Slam history. Steffi thrashed Zvereva, 6-0, 6-0. The poor loser, Zvereva totally won just 8 points in 2 sets. The match was over even before many people in the audience could settle down in their seats. During the post-match conference with the media, Steffi said, “Today I was in a zone. I was playing my best tennis. I did not see the opponent. In fact the opponent did not matter. I was playing against myself, trying to beat me. It was like a dream. I was woken up when I suddenly heard the noise from the crowd and the scoreboard read 6-0, 6-0” Moment of truth! Freeze this moment!!
Sergei Bubka, the world record holder from Ukraine in men’s pole vault did not have strong opponents who could give him a run for his money during most part of professional career. During the early 1990s the world record was 5.6 meters. Due to a boycott, he missed taking part in Olympics during his playing days. He had a goal in his mind and was not bothered about what was going on around him. In every tournament he was competing, he kept raising the bar and wanted to clear 6 meters, a feat no human being have achieved. He went on to beat the world record and became the first athlete to cross 6 meters! He went further and had beaten his own world record 7 times! The record he set in 1994 at 6.14 meters is yet to be broken. He was not competing with anyone, but himself. Moment of truth. Freeze this moment!
Is winning everything? Does winning really matters? Former International Olympic Association president, Antonio Samaranch said, “it’s not winning that matters; it’s participation”. Ricky Ponting, the Australian cricket captain surely will not agree to this. He is obsessed with winning. That’s why they play so hard and they continue to win almost all matches they play. Former F1 champion Ayrton Senna goes one step further. He once said, “I wouldn’t mind killing other drivers on the race track to win the title”.
25th Nov 2007, District 82 P evaluation contest for toastmasters, Mangalore. I was in a “zone”. I have just completed the best evaluation speech in my life. Everything fell in place. I didn’t mess up. The flow was flawless, all points covered, made excellent recommendation and my timing was just perfect. I had a very nice feeling at the end and was very confident that I’ll bag the 2nd or the 1st prize. This feeling was better than the one I had after I had finished my evaluation speech at the Division contest. There my summary was not all that good and I expected 2nd or 3rd prize. But I came first there a month ago. When the results were announced at the district contest, I did not hear my name! I did not win when I had performed at my best! My best was not sufficient to bag the trophy. Ok, I lost to better opponents!
Although I was upset initially, I recovered quickly thanks to couple of calls from my friends. I lost at the Area level contest the previous year. This year, I have reached the District finals winning at club, area and division levels. My performance at the district was the best by far, although it did not fetch me the coveted trophy. It set me thinking. Does the trophy really matter? What matters is my standard, my level of performance. I have beaten my earlier performances and today I’m a better evaluator. I have raised my own bar. Well, if I had bagged that trophy, it would have been nice, but do I need that external reassurance? Not always! Sometimes, your own satisfaction can give you more happiness than the external reassurances like the trophy! This is my moment of truth.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Be Original
I used to have a friend, a Sales guy by the name, Sashi. One of the difficult jobs for any sales guy is to get an appointment with any prospect. They always cold shoulder you. He was also dejected one day when he did not get the appointments. Suddenly his eyes lit and he was full of energy. An idea was born! He picked up the phone and called a prospect. He started, “Good morning, Sir. I’m Sashi from ABC. I have a wonderful tool to make life easier for you and your team. Can I meet you tomorrow at 10.33 am?
“Did you say 10.33 am?” the voice on the other end asked.
“Yes, Sir” replied Sashi
“Why 10.33 am? Why not 10.30 am?” asked the prospect with a surprised tone.
“Well, sir. I’ll be there at your office by 10.30 am. 3 minutes is for your front office to let me in.” said Sashi with a smile.
“Mr. Sashi, you certainly have caught my attention and you seemed to be a different salesman. Let’s meet at 10.33 am” said the prospect.
Sashi was thrilled and pumped his fist in the air.
Now, this is what being creative or being original is all about. Try to do something different. Don’t just do what others do! Use your own imagination and be original. That’s what I learnt from Sashi that day.
No one is going to complain if you are original. Imitation is a great form of flattery, but it kills your original thoughts. In a way, this blog is all about how to resist being someone else!!!
Being original means doing what is “right” for you rather than what is “good” for you. It maybe tough but it’s worth the trouble.
You've gotta be original, because if you're like someone else, what do they need you for? - Bernadette Peters
To determine whether someone (or something) is original, ask these 3 questions: what exactly was done, when exactly was it done and was this ever done before.
Here is a true story on being original.About 8 years ago I interviewed a candidate for a Documentation/Technical writer position. In his cover letter he had misspelled the word 'writing' (as 'writting') and had it highlighted in several places.I asked him if he had spell checked the letter. He replied he had done it.Then I asked if he knew he had misspelled any word incorrectly. He said he did.Then I asked why he didn't correct it. He said. “It got your attention and I'm here now, aren't I?He got the job for his original creative thinking!
Being original means being creative, being bold, being ready to take on the road less traveled. Only the courageous can do it. Do you have this quality in you?
Why do people copy and fail to maintain their originality?
It’s just because, they lack imagination, courage and more importantly, lack self- conviction. They think if something succeeds, it can be manipulated to their advantage and can ride the success wave. How mean! How ignorant they are!! People do identify the imitations quickly and will not pay attention. Originality has a beauty that an imitation cannot match up to. When you fake a product or try to imitate others, you may succeed temporarily. You lose the game in the long run.
Being original means being true to oneself! True to our conscience! No matter what! If you are brave, believe in yourself, you will be original. Copy others and you make a mockery of your own individuality!!
Being original is applicable to all walks of life. It could be the dress you wear, the soap you choose, the mobile phone that you use. Know what you want and look for the right one, not the one your friend or neighbour has chosen. Your needs are different and don’t try to go by what others do. Just because the majority follows a pattern or does something, it does not mean it is right.
Our cricket players have lost many matches when they try to bat like a Kapil Dev or a Sachin or a Dhoni! You’ve got “your” game and not Kapil’s or Sachin’s or Dhoni’s. Their style is different. You can’t be a Kapil or Sachin or Dhoni.
Being original applies to a child’s upbringing too! This reminds me of Bernard Shah, the famous philosopher. During Bernard Shah’s days, there lived a beautiful actress. Once she told him, “Mr. Shah, You have an amazing brain and I’m the most beautiful woman. If we have a child with your brain and my beauty, that’s ecstacy, isn’t it? Bernard Shah replied, “It will an agony if it’s the other way around”. Why should she think her child should have a “Bernard Shah” brain? There can be only one Bernard Shah and that’s him.
These days we have many options. What your child wants to become is entirely with the child and the way the child is brought up. Instill our culture and value system, our way of life. Don’t try to ape the west in everything. I’m not against MTV or Coke or Pepsi. Never ever lose your originality at any cost. Embrace changes, new cultures, behaviours without affecting our roots.
“One who sits in two chairs, will fall down” is a Russian proverb.
For us being Indian is being original. Someone said. “You can take an Indian from India, but not India out of an Indian”
Ships are safe in harbour. But they’ve got to sail and that’s what they are meant to be. You might be safe when you imitate. It’s like protecting the ship at the harbour. Let it be free and like the ship, your originality will take you places.
“Did you say 10.33 am?” the voice on the other end asked.
“Yes, Sir” replied Sashi
“Why 10.33 am? Why not 10.30 am?” asked the prospect with a surprised tone.
“Well, sir. I’ll be there at your office by 10.30 am. 3 minutes is for your front office to let me in.” said Sashi with a smile.
“Mr. Sashi, you certainly have caught my attention and you seemed to be a different salesman. Let’s meet at 10.33 am” said the prospect.
Sashi was thrilled and pumped his fist in the air.
Now, this is what being creative or being original is all about. Try to do something different. Don’t just do what others do! Use your own imagination and be original. That’s what I learnt from Sashi that day.
No one is going to complain if you are original. Imitation is a great form of flattery, but it kills your original thoughts. In a way, this blog is all about how to resist being someone else!!!
Being original means doing what is “right” for you rather than what is “good” for you. It maybe tough but it’s worth the trouble.
You've gotta be original, because if you're like someone else, what do they need you for? - Bernadette Peters
To determine whether someone (or something) is original, ask these 3 questions: what exactly was done, when exactly was it done and was this ever done before.
Here is a true story on being original.About 8 years ago I interviewed a candidate for a Documentation/Technical writer position. In his cover letter he had misspelled the word 'writing' (as 'writting') and had it highlighted in several places.I asked him if he had spell checked the letter. He replied he had done it.Then I asked if he knew he had misspelled any word incorrectly. He said he did.Then I asked why he didn't correct it. He said. “It got your attention and I'm here now, aren't I?He got the job for his original creative thinking!
Being original means being creative, being bold, being ready to take on the road less traveled. Only the courageous can do it. Do you have this quality in you?
Why do people copy and fail to maintain their originality?
It’s just because, they lack imagination, courage and more importantly, lack self- conviction. They think if something succeeds, it can be manipulated to their advantage and can ride the success wave. How mean! How ignorant they are!! People do identify the imitations quickly and will not pay attention. Originality has a beauty that an imitation cannot match up to. When you fake a product or try to imitate others, you may succeed temporarily. You lose the game in the long run.
Being original means being true to oneself! True to our conscience! No matter what! If you are brave, believe in yourself, you will be original. Copy others and you make a mockery of your own individuality!!
Being original is applicable to all walks of life. It could be the dress you wear, the soap you choose, the mobile phone that you use. Know what you want and look for the right one, not the one your friend or neighbour has chosen. Your needs are different and don’t try to go by what others do. Just because the majority follows a pattern or does something, it does not mean it is right.
Our cricket players have lost many matches when they try to bat like a Kapil Dev or a Sachin or a Dhoni! You’ve got “your” game and not Kapil’s or Sachin’s or Dhoni’s. Their style is different. You can’t be a Kapil or Sachin or Dhoni.
Being original applies to a child’s upbringing too! This reminds me of Bernard Shah, the famous philosopher. During Bernard Shah’s days, there lived a beautiful actress. Once she told him, “Mr. Shah, You have an amazing brain and I’m the most beautiful woman. If we have a child with your brain and my beauty, that’s ecstacy, isn’t it? Bernard Shah replied, “It will an agony if it’s the other way around”. Why should she think her child should have a “Bernard Shah” brain? There can be only one Bernard Shah and that’s him.
These days we have many options. What your child wants to become is entirely with the child and the way the child is brought up. Instill our culture and value system, our way of life. Don’t try to ape the west in everything. I’m not against MTV or Coke or Pepsi. Never ever lose your originality at any cost. Embrace changes, new cultures, behaviours without affecting our roots.
“One who sits in two chairs, will fall down” is a Russian proverb.
For us being Indian is being original. Someone said. “You can take an Indian from India, but not India out of an Indian”
Ships are safe in harbour. But they’ve got to sail and that’s what they are meant to be. You might be safe when you imitate. It’s like protecting the ship at the harbour. Let it be free and like the ship, your originality will take you places.
What is your religion?
We live in a funny world. A world full of hypocrites. How else would you explain the barbaric wars/violence that we have when there are so many places of worship? We consider ourselves very pious, religious, noble and good-hearted, but continue to lead our fanatic life throwing tolerance out of our window.
We have so many religions fighting with each other to claim supremacy with religious leaders leading the crusade. But do we understand why we have religion in the first place? We are too much bothered in finding and establishing which one is better before
realizing the need for a religion.
First, let us try to figure out what God is all about. In some religion, god is a mythological character with divine power of creating, maintaining and destroying lives. Other religions talk about individuals who had lived in the earth propagating their philosophies and ways of living. Science and religion do not go well together. Science is about logic and religion is about faith. Some people get caught between the two and get confused. How and why did man make God? The answer is simple. God was created to tame men. He was born wild. Men needed a force to be guided in the right direction. He needs to be told what is good and what is right. So fear has to be injected in him early in his life so that the mind accepts before it starts challenging. Once this idea is deep-rooted, the mind loses the power to question. Men also required an external source to keep him going. A shoulder a cry on. A force to get inspiration from and gain psychological strength. An external peace. Early men thought these two needs namely creating fear and providing peace could be achieved by a force called God. In simple terms, "god" is the result of the need for creating fear and acquiring mental strength. The next step is to come up with doctrines, code of living, scriptures, stories, leaders etc to propagate this theory. Men succeeded in doing all the above through a variety of means. These "means" later came to be called "religion".
Thus, we have a legacy of religious leaders, temples, churches and mosques. All these are always crowded. Does this mean we are religious? No. We go to the so called places of worship after committing serious crimes to fellow human beings and/or continue to do the same after we come out of the places of worship. True religion is all about being tolerant to others' views, ideas and ways of living. Who cares what you eat or how you celebrate or what rituals you follow? Are you good at heart? That is more important than
following a tradition that is considered "sacred". Religion is supposed to be a personal thing. Yes, when you are alone. When your religious faith or belief clashes with the person sitting next to you, it is no more a personal thing. In the name of religion, we give more impetus to what was said earlier by our religions leaders, rituals and traditions and fail to listen to the hearts of fellow human beings.
There is so much animosity, hatredness one-upmanship and violence. This is not what your religion is all about. This is not what your so called "god" preached. The intention during the early days of forming religions may have been good, but all the current religions today have lost its power or the sight of its true goals thanks to the interpreters who came along the way. The result is, the current generation is perplexed.
We humans spend too much time unnecessarily on trivial issues trying to find out too much. We have an earth today with a place to live, work, make a life. Why bother about how the earth came into being, who created it, which came first etc. Accept, enjoy and love nature. Do something to protect it. You don't have to pray and perform rituals. Whom are you trying to impress? Are you true to yourself? Lead a good life. Think and be good. Do good things. You don't need any "religion". Don't harm others. Don't harm yourself. Help as much as possible. When you do it, you are god to the receiver. You are a grown up adult. You have the power to think on your own. You could be good at differentiating the bad from the good. You can make your own choices. You can have a mind that is clear. Why do you need "god" and "religion"? You are a god and if you lead a life as above, that is your religion.
We have so many religions fighting with each other to claim supremacy with religious leaders leading the crusade. But do we understand why we have religion in the first place? We are too much bothered in finding and establishing which one is better before
realizing the need for a religion.
First, let us try to figure out what God is all about. In some religion, god is a mythological character with divine power of creating, maintaining and destroying lives. Other religions talk about individuals who had lived in the earth propagating their philosophies and ways of living. Science and religion do not go well together. Science is about logic and religion is about faith. Some people get caught between the two and get confused. How and why did man make God? The answer is simple. God was created to tame men. He was born wild. Men needed a force to be guided in the right direction. He needs to be told what is good and what is right. So fear has to be injected in him early in his life so that the mind accepts before it starts challenging. Once this idea is deep-rooted, the mind loses the power to question. Men also required an external source to keep him going. A shoulder a cry on. A force to get inspiration from and gain psychological strength. An external peace. Early men thought these two needs namely creating fear and providing peace could be achieved by a force called God. In simple terms, "god" is the result of the need for creating fear and acquiring mental strength. The next step is to come up with doctrines, code of living, scriptures, stories, leaders etc to propagate this theory. Men succeeded in doing all the above through a variety of means. These "means" later came to be called "religion".
Thus, we have a legacy of religious leaders, temples, churches and mosques. All these are always crowded. Does this mean we are religious? No. We go to the so called places of worship after committing serious crimes to fellow human beings and/or continue to do the same after we come out of the places of worship. True religion is all about being tolerant to others' views, ideas and ways of living. Who cares what you eat or how you celebrate or what rituals you follow? Are you good at heart? That is more important than
following a tradition that is considered "sacred". Religion is supposed to be a personal thing. Yes, when you are alone. When your religious faith or belief clashes with the person sitting next to you, it is no more a personal thing. In the name of religion, we give more impetus to what was said earlier by our religions leaders, rituals and traditions and fail to listen to the hearts of fellow human beings.
There is so much animosity, hatredness one-upmanship and violence. This is not what your religion is all about. This is not what your so called "god" preached. The intention during the early days of forming religions may have been good, but all the current religions today have lost its power or the sight of its true goals thanks to the interpreters who came along the way. The result is, the current generation is perplexed.
We humans spend too much time unnecessarily on trivial issues trying to find out too much. We have an earth today with a place to live, work, make a life. Why bother about how the earth came into being, who created it, which came first etc. Accept, enjoy and love nature. Do something to protect it. You don't have to pray and perform rituals. Whom are you trying to impress? Are you true to yourself? Lead a good life. Think and be good. Do good things. You don't need any "religion". Don't harm others. Don't harm yourself. Help as much as possible. When you do it, you are god to the receiver. You are a grown up adult. You have the power to think on your own. You could be good at differentiating the bad from the good. You can make your own choices. You can have a mind that is clear. Why do you need "god" and "religion"? You are a god and if you lead a life as above, that is your religion.
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