Serendipity and Learning

I discovered zerofasting app a few days ago. I was trying out intermittent fasting largely successfully for a few months (with a few cheating days in between). And when the lockdown started, I stopped all fasts (the world is coming to an end anyway). And then out of curiosity (my main driver anyhow) happened to try out zerofasting. It is nothing - all it does is makes you push a button that says "Start fast". Thats all. Just the pushing of a button, makes a significant difference. 

I was thinking of some of the lessons learnt in this lockdown - and I dont mean philosophical lessons, I mean, practical issues and some humbling lessons. First up, I admit, like many others around us, we realised how dependent on our maids and cook. But we also realised that, well, we can get by, just the four of us. Yes, it is tough, thinking from meal to meal and demanding kids and vegetable and ingredients not exactly available, but we managed well mostly, substituting with dal-chawal when we could not. A few minor kitchen accidents happened because the burner was forgotten while a call was on. So, yes while it is not easy, it is a readjustment. While we were at home, the kids wanted our time and there have been times where we have been unable to be available for them. But we managed to open all our board games (that were waiting for time) and play all of them. This was the toughest part.  Our internet was overloaded. Of course, all networks were creaking, but with...

I had to make a presentation on building disaster proof careers. Now, nothing is disaster proof, so I told them I would make a small presentation on building resilient careers - that are take more shocks, can enable one to bounce back rather than prevent the fall. Here are some points: Stand on two feet - have two skills - so that there is always a backup Think skills rather than jobs.  Think cross industry application Remember that you can pivot What that also means is that one has to think long term - think ten years, not one year and therefore, short term blips, breaks, u turns, pivots dont matter as much as the gaining of experience over 10 year.  Think skills. A skill is something you can sell regardless of firm. The more skills you have - sales, marketing, creativity, design - the more fungible you become across industry. And maybe even independent. Built a network by giving. And start early. Your school, college - are all part of a multibagger (to use a ...

When I was growing up, piracy was killing the cinemas. Was that just after the VCR was invented, I dont quite remember. But when I grew up, video parlours and video rentals were the biggest neighbourhood business. And it was said cinema will be killed. Then, computers and CDs came in, as did mobile phones - but then the multiplex arrived and through all this Cinemas has survived and thrived - morphed as they did from just movies to movies plus fun plus people.  Like cinemas, restaurants are all about people and interactions. Post covid, any business that is about bringing people together - cinemas, sports, restaurants, training, events, even travel/hospitality to some extent have to reimagine their existence.  And I dont know about the others, but will covid change the way we watch movies? Movies will need to be released, will they go entirely into homes? Restaurants are already delivering into homes. Travel - business travel has been forced to go virtual. As have...

Most of Linkedin is filled with stories of how the pandemic will alter human behaviour and how we will change for the better. And this has been going on since the first lockdown was announced. As the lockdown extends it is fairly perceptible that people are itching to go back to their routines - though, we hope, they will go back with more compassion, more empathy and suchlike. Somehow I am not sanguine. We are creatures of habit. And current habit have been drilled into us for the last few decades. Will we really change? I am not so sure. Yes, we will, for the immediate short term, a few days or a few weeks, but after that, slowly but surely, we will get back to our old Climate changing, consumerism driven worlds (or different types of course). And yes, at an individual level change might happen, but a collective level, again, I doubt it. And yes, some micro behaviours might change, but other changes - no, they need far more than this to jolt us into a more sustainable existence....

Today I met the founder of a start up. It is a very interesting model that upends the current model. They specialise in supplying daily essentials, fresh from the market. It is a specific location based self service model. Their USP is fresh, handpicked, self delivered vegetables. Users can choose which vegetables they like. Prices are slightly negotiable. All payments accepted. I also met another founder. who is using a different model. They specialise in fresh fruit sold at a really low price. Users locate the vehicle basis approximate time slot (it is slated to become GPS enabled soon) and pick up the fruits during their rounds at the point closed to them - solving the last mile problem by making the user do the work - and reduce costs in the bargain. Fruits are guaranteed fresh, handpicked from the wholesale market a few hours before, user selected, weighed in front of the user, thus assuring users of best quality. Two interesting models in which I have invested early in the m...

This is a lockdown invention. It is known as a randomiser. Designed by the siblings to solve the vexing problem of "who will sit on which side of the sofa" especially pertinent in these days of extended lockdown where they have to necessarily bear with each other and have no other kids for company. How does it work? Drop a marble from the top . Choose a side. If the marble falls on the side you chose, you get to pick the side of the sofa. A friend pointed out that this could have been solved by a coin flip, but you know how geeks are. PS: Yes, the HR lens says, this is a human problem. But for now, enjoying the creativity. PPS: Process solves will only get you so far, human problems need human solutions - which I am sure they will learn in due course.

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...

Everyday I walk on my terrace. And one of my apartment mates has a dog. The dog sees me everyday, jumps, plays, wants to be patted and then goes its way. Because of the lockdown, I can only walk on the terrace and the dog can only walk on the terrace. So, we meet, each day. A little hi, a little paw, a pat on the head and neck and I go back to my walk and he goes back to smelling every corner of the terrace. Every few rounds, he remembers my existence and pauses his walk to get patted. As we repeated this exercise for the umpteenth time today, it struck me that this whole lockdown has been a pause.  A pause button on our existence. The way we go about our lives. And a question, well, make that a few questions. A question about the needs of many things. About the so called wants. About the so called necessities. About so called likes, dislikes, do's, dont's and so on. So, as we wait to hit the play button - perhaps it is worth asking, what is playing...Before hitting that...