Serendipity and Learning

Children love to play. They love to play games or with their toys.  Children love to create. They like to imagine, create, make and build. If you can combine the two - they create/build and play with it - the joy is exponential. And thats why Lego is such a favourite from generations.  Stage 1: Make what is mentioned in the instruction book. (We called it the idea book) Stage 2: Dismantle it and play with your imagination but keep bricks from the newest set safe. Stage 3: Mix everything, make whatever you please and create your own stories. Stage 4: Learn advanced techniques from websites, youtubers and Lego experts Stage 5: Create your own things using advanced techniques Whatever stage you are at, the fact is that at each stage, you can create AND play. And that is why Lego is superior to other toys. You build and then you play. Over time the children learn to "make", use their hands to draw, paint, build and other things than just be passive consumers of entertainment/edut

The last few weeks I interacted with a few senior leaders who I admire and there was a certain commonality to the discussion.  One of them told me how their ex-boss of many years ago still calls them up on their birthday and anniversary. It might seem trivial, but he knew this ex-boss when he was a Management Trainee 20 years ago.  Another leader mentioned to me how today if someone falls like, they are fairly unlikely to get a call/ping/inquiry from the manager on how they are. It is "as if some work is affected, but nothing more than that". There were other people who took a day off only to find her inbox promptly filled for next days deliverables.  The third example was of a team that appreciated their leader. A leader who was simply present during 1:1s, fully. No phones, no distractions - turn on video and fully present. And the leader did the same during long review meetings - asking good questions. The net result? An incredibly motivated and charged team - who says, wow

I have always been uncomfortable with the descriptor of a "family" when it comes to work. A few years ago, we were at an offsite and the guest speaker, who shall go unnamed said, "It feels so good to be here. Feels like a family." Really?  "Feels like a family" is the most vacuous word you can use, especially when you are meeting 400 people for the first (and likely last) time in your life.  Ever since then I have heard this being said by many people in many organizations. And guess doesnt actually say it, yes, The family.  A family is a collection of individuals related by blood or genetics or legal association (to begin with) and a strong emotional bonding or attachment. Yes, there are people who may not be related by blood or genetics or legal association and you may yet share a deep emotional bonding. And there will be people in that family you absolutely hate - and they are family as well.  What is the difference between a family and an organization?

A few years back, we poured out milk from a toned milk packet for the cat. The cat came hungrily, sniffed at the milk, looked at us with nonchalance and walked off. It did not recognise this toned milk as milk - it failed the smell test.  Milk branded in cartons or tetrapack, written in bold and colour, white in colour, equally liquid - the cat doesnt care. If it doesnt smell like milk, I am out.  Humans otoh, can believe anything... So, who is better, cats or humans? My vote is for cats. 

Recently we were in a discussion about a new tool that was being commissioned. The world of tech tool is such that no tool does everything.  For instance, Outlook (or Gmail) will allow you to send mails, block calendars and mark important mails. But if you want to have a conversation, it has to be on Whatsapp (or some other platform). If you want to conduct performance reviews on Gmail or Whatsapp, good luck with that. Or goal setting for that matter. A learning management system is none of the above. An Excel sheet much less. A social media platform within work or outside work has some intersection with the a few things above, but it is not everything.  This search for a tool that will do everything is a futile one. There is no one thing that will do everything for you.  This is like the search for the mythical monster or the stone that will turn iron into gold. Or that single equation that will solve all of physics.  So, in such a forum, does the tool bake bread is a question that is