Serendipity and Learning

 IRCTC is a monopoly, yet it has irritating ads on its platform. Exactly why? Sure, source of revenue. And oh, the IRCTC captcha I am sure is designed by a teacher. Almost feels like imposition.  And whoever designed the chat interface in IRCTC is a genius. Dilbertian genius.  But on a larger point, monopolies have no incentive to get better. So they continue to live on, as dinosaurs, until a meteor strikes them. 

 I have three or four subscription programs of ecom sites. I wont name them here, but this is just my reflection after I cancelled one and decided to see how long I can live without a subscription program and some of my thoughts post that.  The moment I have a subscription program - my purchase from the entity goes up. And some of these entities also show you how much you have "saved" and that makes me purchase even more. And not in a binge purchase mode - but the fact that you have subscribed makes you rationalise the ordering in your head. I have already paid for it and they are offering me free/overnight/fast delivery, so I need to order that much to make up for it or it is paid for anyhow.  It obviously locks me up from having to try anything new - because I have paid for one and the second one will probably charge me more. And with all that, is there a significant value add? Possibly nothing that I can discern. One of these programs came for review. (By the way, one ...

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...

Many years ago, India was primarily a third party services ecosystem. There were a dime a dozen third party IT service companies and BPOs. This wave ran out of steam soon enough,  leaving in its wake unemployable skills and managers. And all around us were complaining op-eds on how India does not have any products and has only services. Cut to today. Whether we have products from India or we dont, we have start-ups.  We have had them for a few years now, but what this ecosystem has created or led to creation is some really cool tech talent. This kind of talent either did not exist or was hidden, but the start up ecosystem has made this the talent very desirable. Start ups are formed, many fall by the wayside, some become big - the ones that fall by the wayside try again, the ones who are big enable many people to make money some of when pour that back into an idea that they are passionate about and every single such action leads to creating an ecosystem. Thoughts as I i...

This is the age of corporate printers. Where there are uniformed print assistants, token systems and what not. The friendly neighbourhood printer (FNP) has been all but replaced by corporate printers. And it has succeeded, because the FNP is often trying to ensure that you dont print from him. Either he wont print or cant print or wont cut or cant cut or doesnt have some equipment or quotes an exorbitant amount or some other reason. Such it goes. So the corporate printer is useful to have. And work gets done very well - especially when there is no FNP. And then through a referral I visited another printer. This is the antithesis of the corporate printer. He is your FNP dream come true. As the owner, he knows his workers, his team, his customers. As he states, his job is to enable you. He doesnt say no to any challenge - and works to solve your challenge instead of the customary 'shrug, I cant do it go somewhere else'. And it was a pleasure meeting someone like this. It is no...

Recently, I read Paul Allens - Idea Man. And set me thinking about how in a team when there is one 'Big' founder, the story from the other side is often more unvarnished and presents a different perspective than the dominant narrative. And thus, I started re-reading iWoz to see if there were some parallel perspectives there. For one, both Paul Allen and Steve Wozniak were the 'idea' guys. Both were avid tinkerers (and I am coming to believe that tinkering is an essential part of the learning process.), got interested in something early and pursued it with a lot of freedom. In the not so prominent founders book, you get to see a more human side of the prominent founder with all their flaws. You get glimpses of the early culture of the company at the time it was founded and so on. The founders seem to have something in common (passion for technology, hands on in technology) and a complementing skillset (one tech, one business). One of them is more 'communicat...

Overall, what am I seeing as the trend in this year from where I see it? The big thing which I see is the reduction of age. Let me explain. Earlier, why, even 10 years ago, an average manager was in his or her early 30s, the average director at about 40 and so on it went... What I see now, is a far younger corporate India. People in their early 30s are handling entire businesses, people in their 20s are handling functions and people in their 40s are consultants (heh - that last one is a joke). And I also see average CEO age come down - mostly due to the startup rage I suppose, but then again why not. The second trend which I see as more pronounced is that many of these new companies - the hires are top class. In terms of their skills, confidence and sheer technical (or business) ability - they are second to none. What does this mean? It means a few things. If you are on the older side, you have to shape up to match these whizkids. If you are a consultant, you better add value....

It is a pleasure to see a business try out a new model. Few weeks ago I had written about how new media is still playing by old rules . It is here that The Ken is breaking new ground. It is a purely subscription model - and it prides you on getting you hard to get, well researched information. And that means real work - more than writing marketing puff pieces or opinion pieces written in a cab ride. And it is not a ton of content - it is limited content - I think its about 5 articles a week, but each of them makes you think. This is a true digital adaption - a new form of journalism that is not ad dependent (as traditional media is), but depends on discerning users. So, yes, a fan of them - almost every article has been hitting the right notes for my kind of interest, but goes on to show that even in a crowded space, there is space for differentiation. 

The entrepreneur life can get quite lonely. My views  come from my perspective as a newly minted learning consultant entrepreneur. There are times when the market doesnt care if you exist. And like any other entrepreneur, such times have to be navigated. Here is where the story of Pumpelsdrop (previous post) comes in . Suddenly, out of the blue, one gets a phone call. To make a proposal. For a company you have always wanted to work with or sounds too exciting to be true or some work which you have always wanted to do or a new opportunity to learn something. And then, the works begins in right earnest. There is a flurry of activity, a few phonecalls, data, research, books to be read and much reading about the current state of the company, industry, concept. It elevates the energy to a different level. Powerpoints are made. Structures are created. Frameworks are conceptualised. Meetings are arranged with alacrity. And with that last minute scramble, the said proposal is sent o...

Steve Jobs is perhaps the most quoted (or misquoted) person in business today. Perhaps even more than Peter Drucker and Warren Buffet. Every business presentation that you go through has some reference to Steve Jobs or other. Recently, I attended a program where almost all speakers quoted Steve Jobs. Now, dont get me wrong, there is nothing wrong in quoting a great man such as he. But the fact is, Steve Jobs was unique - there is exactly one person like him in the universe. Nobody else is even comparable. In terms of vision, execution, creative ability, ability to almost visualize the future and take the team there, talent, hard work. Therefore, using him as an example, will only get you so far, because you are talking outlier among outliers. When people quote Steve Jobs and point to him as an example, mostly they miss the hard work that went into making him the icon he is today. He failed and failed big. He took an immense amount of risk. He spent time on getting everything...

Clash Royale is back in the centre at our home. After saying no to the algorithm, we are now back with gusto. And I have learnt some interesting lessons. In Clash Royale, one tends to fall back on certain strategies that work. And like most strategies in the real world, they reach their sell-by date quickly as opponents adapt or levels change. And like most strategists in the real world, we tend to get stuck in our own world view. In the latest edition of our on off relationship with the game, it is with inputs from my son that I have been able see a different world view (and if I may add  - vice versa to some extent as well). This has led me to trying different combinations and trying out things that I otherwise would not have tried out. Why? Because it was working. It was after a lot of permutations and combinations that it began to work. Why should I change now? Because one, it is not working and two, it is good to change - was the advice I got. I also got the advice that...

It was yet another meeting in a 'star' hotel that prompted this post. The usual meetings punctuated by a tea break in the morning and a tea break in the evening with a lunch in between. Leave the lunch and the meetings and the tea and the coffee and rooms aside. What I have not been able to wrap my head around is why do hotels in this day and age of health consciousness offer 'cookies' that are just maida and sugar bombs? Why not offer healthier alternatives? Some carrot sticks and hummus? Or some wheat khakras? Or even just off the shelf crackers and biscuits that have no zero maida? There are quite a few healthier options available in the market, so what prevents them from trying out any of them? Peanuts? Maybe, well, maybe, some customers insist that they will eat these maida biscuits, but surely, there are others who would perhaps, like a choice? But no. In the last 20 years, I have not seen a single hotel anywhere in the country buck this trend. Not the newe...

I am sure, you, like me, are a member of a few ecommerce sites. Most of whom have all your personal data (but you don't know it yet). Be that as it may, for the present, they have your mail id and phone number. And if you are still among the hapless people who use the same email for registering with the ecomm sites and your work/regular email - your mailbox will be under sever duress by now. Ditto with SMS. Almost all of human communication has moved away from SMS - leaving the SMS to the bots. And what do we get in these SMSs and mails? Sale. Sale. Sale. Everyday there is a sale. Either there is sale of specs (the last time I bought a specs it was when my doctor recommended a change for me, not when there is a sale). Or there is a sale of donuts (yes, make statins miles free with them please, that may tempt me a few decades later). Or there is a half price sale of lingerie. Or apparel. Or electronics. Either it is Diwali. Or a Zillion Zollar Zale. Or the last 3 days...

As someone who follows Business Strategy quite closely, I l oved this article which states that Google is not safe from Yahoos fate. And as preposterous as that might seem, the article tells us why. Do read i t, if you are anywhere in the tech space or just working anywhere! Having seen this from the inside in many firms - I can agree to it. BPO jobs which were seen as invincible - are slowly being eaten by the bots. Software services - which was the main job giver to the educated Indians - is being rained on by the cloud. Start ups are disrupting every sphere one can think of. And in every place - the top team thinks they are invincible, that their business model is here to stay and there is no real need to change. Well, no, this is the internet age - and every industry is one disruption away from oblivion! Now I need to find that disruption in order to make a mark with my own company :)

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...

Build relationships, network they tell you. (Business context all through) If  you have a great relationship you can absorb a lot of shocks. Sounds good, but it sounds a bit like the event manager who thinks he can get away with crappy work because he knows the guy who controls the purse strings. While this is true and people did work like this once upon a time, it is a process that is not sustainable. Here comes the training guy asking the same questions again and again. Here comes the training guy asking for a meeting again. You see where this is going. Relationships are a by-product. Read that again. Relationship is not a hi-bye relationship, but something that is a result of visceral engagement and solving a business problem. If you solved a business problem, you have a relationship. It is like buying a product. Each time you bought the product, the product delivered. You wont buy a product that does not deliver. Ditto for relationships. Focus on work, relation...

At the recent NASSCOM HR Conference in Chennai, like any other conference, there were panels and discussions and speakers and events. On one side however, there were a few start ups who had set up small kiosks to showcase the work they have done. The energy of these guys was amazing. New ideas. Using technology to solve 'unstated' needs. Most of the ideas were truly innovative - if not the idea itself, the approach surely was. As companies, I think one great way to take businesses forward is to engage with start ups on a proactive basis. Companies routinely spend money on a lot of things - some of it would be well spent if they engaged with start ups on piloting an idea. Works for the company and for the start up as well - and for the ecosystem as a whole. And there is a lot of give and take on the same. And guess what, just yesterday Vishal Sikka of Infosys is talking along the same lines...

I recently had the privilege of reading Business Sutra. The book is a thought provoking read to say the least. As any creative mind would say, in order for the mind to be creative, it is important for the mind to open, expand, gather in a greater range - this book does that by using Indic (mostly Hindu, but smattering of Jain and Buddhist) line of thought to explain some of the 'sutras' of business and management. It comes across a little different - because mostly we would not have encountered anything along these lines of thought.  Throughout business school, business is from seen from a mostly western perspectives (and the only Indian companies that we referred to are used to mostly as Lalaji businesses - with barely any good thing heard about them except perhaps the 'parta' system of accounting). Through many pages as I read it, I realize that Human Resources in India has much to harness from Indian Itihasa and Purana which it has not – with the r...

Recently we downloaded this game – Pudding Masters and we have been having fun playing it. The game is unique in the sense of its ‘money making ‘ model. Traditionally, most apps offer a 'freemium' model – where one gets a few levels free – and we pay for the rest of the levels. The Angry Birds and Cut the Rope app fall in this category. Then there are those who offer in-app purchases like some random thing like a jetpack or gold coins or bananas or some such thing to make progress inside the app better. Pudding monster (like Push Cars before it - though Push cars does both) sells solutions. The question I have in my mind – is it easier to sell 'solutions' or 'challenges’? For a person like me, buying a solution is an ‘ego’ issue – I would rather do it myself whereas the challenge of unlocking newer levels is more amenable to my ‘ego’. I personally feel that selling ‘challenges’ works better than selling ‘solutions’ at an app level. But ...

Appearances are important - in everything. A part of being in business is the appearance of doing business. Exhibit 1: I was travelling in a bus a few years back - and the bus made a halt at some unearthly hour for 'tea'. The tea-shop was a bustling place with atleast 10 buses at that specific point while we halted and I am sure over the night, serviced many more vehicles. For 3 am, the place sure was busy. But what was intriguing was that a biscuit stall owner, right next to the tea stall was busy, incredibly busy arranging his biscuits, moving them a bit here, a bit there and generally appearing busy. And he was doing brisk business. There was no reason to be cleaning the shop at 3 am which in all probability was his busiest part of the day. Perhaps. Exhibit 2: There is this 'pressure cooker' repairman I often see. To be fair, I have seen him handle a real customer just once. At all other times, he is incredibly busy. Walks up and down, cleans the co...