Serendipity and Learning

For the last few months, AI has been the rage. Yet, if you saw the future of work predictions from the recent past, you would never see it as a threat. It was barely visible. But now with some new products being launched, it suddenly seems inevitable.  And thats why prediction is difficult. It is easy to go along with the herd and agree to what people are saying and have common ground - it is difficult to really think ahead.  And that is why as much as one can plan 5 years ahead, it is not of much use, unless one has a contigency plan for every plan and then some. 

I am suffering from readers block - yes you read that right; I have readers block. I am unable to bring myself to read anything. Ok, thats not entirely true - I do read and doom scroll on twitter and instagram and I did manage to read half a book, but  to sit and read a book - somehow I am unable to do that.  Partly it is because of the phone, but there are other factors too I suppose! Another thing to think about. 

Every so often, an idea wanders and knocks the door to enter into my head and I let the idea in (the door is usually open). As I evaluate the idea, it seems obvious that this idea will never be forgotten and I miss taking a note of the idea. The idea comes in and settles down somewhere in a nook. I am also fairly sure that I know where the idea is sitting. And I delay the note taking further.  And then all of a sudden, the idea is gone. I have to run around search around the brain and it seems like that idea was a ghost. Much panic ensues. I retrace my steps. Eat the same food. Spend time staring at various places. Sometimes, one of these steps, brings the idea back or makes it visible and then I quickly jot it down somewhere - usually by messaging to myself on Whatsapp or Google keep or evernote or a piece of paper nearby.  And thats why I take notes. On Evernote, on Google keep, on Kindle, on a paper beside me, by messaging myself on whatsap. More well formed ideas go into s...

 If everything is taught, what remains? How does a child learn to be spontaneous and learn by serendipity if everything is taught? I recently saw an ad for Lego classes and it left me wondering.  My EO learnt Lego by going through the "idea book" - often as father and son. We started off by making Legos as mentioned in the idea book, but very soon, the Lego was dismantled and became a part of his imagination. This was the fate of every set - except the railway set (I got only the locomotive and the tracks) and a set which had Gandalf.  And then what we made became a story. This is a creative process I have enjoyed much and we created vehicles like a snowpusher (no it doesnt exist) or an ice jeep or gliding horse or a double decker with 4 decks or a vehicle that was made every brick we had. We made endless towers that stretched from floor to ceiling and airports and cities that spanned our entire room.  And that was the extent of my expertise - He outpaced me very soo...

I have coached quite a few people of different age groups, experience levels and standing in life. One thing I find common is how much underplay their own uniqueness/strength. This is the -tva suffix of Sanskrit - which signifies "-ness". This is hard to explain and I probably will attempt to do so at some time.  People often either underplay themselves or do not see their own strength - which is so visible to you as a coach/manager/mentor/teacer/guide. Of course, your job is enable them to see it and then they realise it works and it becomes a Eureka moment. Again, they may or may not take it directly - they go through a process of discounting it or telling themselves, "This is no good" or some version of the imposter syndrone. But the process of seeing your client/friend go through the journey to realise it is an satisfying moment...

The switch to virtual training was tough - well managed. To think of an analogy - we managed to score runs on a low scoring pitch and bad light - but there is much work to be done in this space. We are still in Day 1 of virtual training, and possibly trying to map Physical training to virtual modes. More thoughts ( here , here , here and here ) Demand for learning continues to go up. I may personally not like learning as engagement - but companies seek learning as engagement, learning as culture, learning as skill building, learning as talent management. So, more power to those who are in these spaces. Indian content is still not there yet I feel. My own book was received fairly well . So again, a space of opportunity and much more. And I am not talking about Indian models - just content optimised for India without the usual biases. I really wonder what will happen to big content providers who sell "licences" or what makes them survive so far? There are newer business models...

What is the kind of life you want to lead? This is a question I have asked myself. And in this context, I liked this article . Very often in the pursuit of our career, we forget what we want to do. Or we simply cant given the demands of a career. And what we want to do might be as simple as spend more time with children, parents. It might be getting better in an art or craft. It might be following a passion. It could be anything. He suggests a few things that resonated with me: Read books, Become a learning machine, Start a side business (not the multi level marketing kind please). But primarily, stop chasing vanity goals (material) and chase goals of self improvement (getting better at some thing - maybe one thing, maybe two things) I couldnt express it better than him, so here is the excerpt that resonated with me: B+ is finding something to aim for and going all-in on it for as long as you can. It’s not about the outcomes. Success doesn’t make you happy. Vanity goals ...

We will defeat the pandemic. This is a world where one has to be resilient. One has to change. There will be two types of people who will face this. One - the agile, the nimble and the others, the one who refuses to change. The one who refuses to change will perish in the pandemic. The one who succeeds will be one who is open to change. Work from home will be new norm. Companies have to embrace this future. There is no other way this can happen. Everything has to be reimagined. This is the VUCA world (god as much I hate this term, it is true, this is the real VUCA - a VUCA that nobody conceptualised). And for navigating a VUCA world, one has to be agile. There will be a lot of disruption. Things will change rapidly. And we will be the ones who will help navigate that change. No, all of the above are just words. The English does not make up for the shallow analysis. Please dont use any of them when talking to anyone about the pandemic. It is ok to say, I dont know. PS: I am...

It is a global pandemic like never before. Never in the history of the world have so many areas been struck by emergency at the same time. That means, all failover plans, BCP plans, inter country BCP plans have come to nought. Yes, the companies that can work virtually are working, but the ones that cannot are struggling (so, our assessment is partial at best to begin with). The disease is one which has not been fully comprehended - there are rebound cases (people cured and sent back and coming back with an infection). The level of infection it can cause is severe - and that is an understatement. There is no vaccine. (another unknown) A couple of countries have come to conquering it almost completely, but they too have got it, after superhuman levels to manageable levels. And it is still unclear. (we have no experience) In the middle of all this, if I claim to see the future, who am I? Many analyses have been published - and like all analyst reports, they exude a certain sense...

And here are my achievements (slightly tongue in cheek, so...) Caveat: Work is happening. I have always seen that WFH is way more productive since the person has work within reach. So the person manages work in a way that it suits them. I often start earlier in the day, for example. And without the commute, it is possible to be way more productive. Meetings are also scheduled in general - unlike at work. Downside is quick 5 minute catch ups dont happen. Leaders opinions cant be sought like at work. So, keeping this aside... Pros: I learnt to make Chapatis the shape of Africa. World, here I come. Games that were bought long ago, but never managed to be played have been opened (weekend). Very little clothes to wash (rest assured, we are taking personal hygiene seriously) A long walk each day because the fitness class has also closed down A 20 minute power nap on some days My office bag got washed (I washed it) Cons: Walk to the kitchen and eat guilt free because no one is w...

Every market is driven by supply and demand. In general the supply is there to satisfy the demand. For most mature markets, demand drives supply. Greater the demand, greater is the supply. So, in general if you find a supply side gap, the gap can be mapped to a demand side gap. The exception is when a new industry/service/product is being created - where the demand is created towards something new. This is a tough path to go forward on because creating new demand means educating customers, showing them something new/different/valuable/insightful and so on - and enabling them to see the value out of this new product. The LnD role is generally a risk averse role - rather the people who run it go after client needs and if the needs are not met - there is a ripple effect. Either they are perceived as incapable or out of touch with business needs or something to that effect. So, LnD typically toes the line of what business wants. And usually businesses are clear on what they want and...

A lot of times, as Human Resources, we end up questioning the intent of people we work with or we hired. Whether this is intentional or inadvertent, I cant say for sure, but many a time this is what I have observed. And I strongly feel that the moment we do that, we question ourselves and our hiring judgement. Apart from sounding sanctimonious and arrogant - we are at that point, doubting a peer. And a lot of our assumptions stem from here - stated or unstated. Most of the times the argument is unstated - but it points in the direction of questioning intent. Intent can be questioned - no doubt - with the right evidence, but without the right evidence, questioning intent is just superciliousness. Recently, in the unconscious bias class - everything was about bias. The intent of the entire organization was questioned - without any credible data. During performance appraisal calibration - there is a question of intent. Why is someone being promoted? Why is someone not? Here is a...

The Indian Microsoft wont be a Microsoft (that we think of - like an MSOffice) in all likelihood. Slowly but surely we are realising that all our data/tech/capability, private, personal, corporate is all based in a foreign land or in a foreign corporate. China has got this, we still havent. Therefore, the Indian tech giant wont be a giant the way we know it. It will be something else. It better be something else...

We were discussing the other day - what makes some people go after a moonshot? Why is it that while many people have ideas, far fewer have great game changing ideas, and even fewer step out to venture on that path and still fewer make it a success. We spoke about maybe it is depth as opposed to breadth - but then when fairly young people are going after problems that much greyer people have not envisioned - that does not quite hold water. Is it because what we are wired to see or what we have taught ourselves to wire and see? Is it because we are afraid of failing? Is it because we are all comfortable in our safe cocoons and we are leaping from the bed inside it instead of trying a greater leap outside? There must be something in it. Is it the perspective they bring to the table because of having seen some other industry. Is it peer group? It is risk taking ability? Is it a fearlessness of failure? Is it the willingness to put effort? Is it persistence? Is it an ability to never...

This is just from my personal experience. So, your experience may vary. Here are the key snippets from some of my most amazing learning experiences: Professor: Metallurgy, at college : Passion for subject, deep knowledge. Ability to transmit that passion to students. No rigid rules, but a firm belief that passionate students will get it - and by the way, most of the class did. Being far and strict as far as work was concerned. No patience with those who wanted to crack the exam, but a lot of patience with those who wanted to learn. There were a couple of other teachers - notably one in Marketing, Operations research, International Business, a couple at classes we went to who taught Calculus, Organic Chemistry. Each of them had a distinct style. But what was common was deep knowledge and an ability to get students 'hooked' onto the subject. Teacher: Martial Arts : Passion. Crazy passion. Dedication. A great performer himself - the man was amazing. He taught everybody wit...

Caution: Amateur post Recently, we started playing 'Threes'. And while Clash of Clans was a favourite, interest on it is waning - though it is still in demand. Subway Surfers has long since been forgotten. For a short while Tiny Troopers ruled the roost. Some of the drawing and sketching apps are still in demand - but they are not addictive. And yes, for a while, we did play Dragon box. First phase, you heard about the app and there is immense curiosity. You want to know the mechanics and you want to get the better of it. This is also the learning phase. With most good apps, this would last a few minutes. If it is boring or 'not good enough' most likely, the interest level drops here itself. Flappy bird did not cross this phase - it was too difficult. If the interest level is good, one continues. Next phase, is to work through the challenges of the app. Here the experience of the app begins. As you cross the first few levels, life is good and one begins to enjoy ...

The story of Ekalavya in Mahabharata is soul stirring tale and has quite a sad and gory end. Ekalavya is an epithet that is best used to describe someone who learns on ones own - in this case, Ekalavya uses the statue of Dronacharya to learn - all the while learning by himself with the guru as inspiration. Dronacharya himself, had no idea of this, until he meets his pupil in person at a later point. The internet is giving rise to several Ekalavyas. There is a generation of adults and children who are making immense use of the internet to learn. If there were an age of the autodidact , this would be it. Yes, there are courses, MOOCs, spanking websites with videos, but there are many others who with the power of the long tail - are reaching audiences they would otherwise never dream of reaching. Case in point - the little one, who alernatively is a fan of Jay Stepher , JangBricks and Zazinombies . Yes, I am very sure you would have never heard of these names - he found them some...

What is creativity? There are a zillion answers out there and I have explored some of them here itself. While I am no authority on creativity and while I am no famous creative 'type' there are occasions in my life when I have been blessed with creative output. During one such discussion where we were playing around with a new concept, one person said, "Look it has already been done before. So our idea has lost the game before it was in the reckoning" But that was the beauty of creativity. The idea may be out there - but to do it differently is creativity. For example, public transport exists - in whatever form in the country. But to do it differently - better comfort, higher speed, greater safety, greater reliability - is creativity. We have been learning for ages - but an ipad app that lets you learn through play is creativity. We have been working out for ages - but a wearable is creativity. We have been cooking for ages - but a new recipe is creativity. The ...