Serendipity and Learning

The title is a play on Go East, Young Man - as applied to people in the Indian IT industry. As Karthink observes in his very perspicacious post, it is the End of Experience . As someone who has been in this industry doing various roles including Leading Java modules without knowing to code to searching nonexistent flex fields in Oracle applications so that I could satisfy business needs (this role, was indeed quite satisfying) to Implementing a useless ERP for a firm that couldn't care less on the supply side to a firm which was not interested in the system anyway to Leading a testing team to charge down whatever the developers coded (how I loved this role) to  Chief Form filling administrative officer in a multitude of useless sytems that measure useless metrics to be viewed by no-one in particular. And then I was the chief form filling officer for an entire business unit where I got a hapless team to fill out complex excel sheets without using a single formula but using all th...

Or Atul Gawande. Or your favorite writer (mostly, except the repetitive kinds and I dont count pulp authors. Other exceptions are random and arbitrary). So, cut to the chase. When you read Malcolm Gladwell (or your favorite writer) they make you think - first. Then, just as you begin to think - they have hooked you. Now you want to know more. And they take you through that journey. They tease you, make you wait and you tag along, like that fish snagged to the bait. You float, you whizz (its not as bad as it is for the fish) and then the writer reels you into the final. And repeat that, over plots, sub plots like in Harry Potter. Or if it is a Malcolm Gladwell, the number of aha moments you get when you are exposed to new concepts (I had no idea umami was a taste) and new connections. Or if it is Atul Gawande  - who writes on something as droll as 'The Checklist Manifesto'  and healthcare and yet manages to fill you with a-ha moments. Or if it is Michael Lewis - who ...

Story is the new black. Everybody wants to tell stories. Every marketeer, every technologist, every HR person - everyone. (However when the finance guy tells you stories, you know something wrong is happening - but leave that.) Is there is a danger with stories. Like everything overdoing stories may not help. But my theory (trademark alert) is about two things. One, a story being used as part of an initiative at work - cannot just be a story - it must leave the listener with a 'how to'. Otherwise, it is just a story. And the second danger with that is that if it is a story about person x in an organization by person y who the audience knows about - the audience, most likely, knows the story and the story behind the story and every member in the audience already has their perspective of your story. So let us say, you shared the story of a great project that was led from the front by person x. And this is told by person y. But I already know what person x did in that pro...

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...

Mani Sir was no ordinary teacher. Indeed he was no teacher at all. Flowing silken white beard. Ash on his forehead. Flowing hair. Wore a kurta and a dhoti - sometimes saffron, mostly white. And he wore actual wooden slippers (I thought that was cool and wanted to try how that held on the feet). And came to school on a rickety bicycle (with those wooden slippers). He was old, I don't know how old. Whatever his age was, he was active and always full of energy. He was different from the other teachers with his glowing visage and gentle demeanor. He was tall and stood with great command. As gentle as he was, he commanded the students attention. And in his class, never did the students ever create a ruckus - I wonder why. Perhaps he knew how to channel energy or perhaps he just let them be. I remember him asking us to make noise, but keep it under control - which no other teacher ever told us. I don't remember him raising his voice. He was not a regular teacher - though I...

We are lucky. We have as careers, this amazing job, and passion of being in the learning world. Our jobs (and passion) involve designing learning experiences for people. Children, adults, teams, professionals - whatever our audiences - our jobs are to make learning experiences amazing. (And just what does that mean - topic for another post). (Conundrum: On the one hand if you have passion, you will learn, however, wherever - think Ekalavya - but on the other hand, a beautifully designed learning experience will take the learner to heights faster and might even light a fire of passion in them.) What does it take for a person to be in this profession? What do you know about? What do you care about? How do you do that? Here are some of my thoughts: Oodles of passion for one. If you are not passionate, you cannot be in the learning business. Unless you wake up excited each day imagining the possibilities of learning, this is not for you. What are you passionate about, ask them. An...