Biscuits and Dustbins

For a few years now, I have had too many young techies and consultants mention to me that they consider certain elements of their work 'boring'. They profess interest only towards pursuing those aspects that 'suit' them and 'help them learn'. Upon deeper probing, it turns out that they have issues in doing things that they consider as 'coordination' or 'management' or 'providing status updates'. And then the conversation degenerates into how hopeless their managers are :-).....

Well, I have had the opportunity to reflect through each of these complaints. Admittedly, some of them have merit. I will also confess that I see shades of myself when I hear them. At the same time, I wonder whether these issues have really been thought through by the youngistan of today. More importantly, is rigidity creeping in these minds when one must ideally pursue a different kind of balance?

My post today is about my dreams as I set out on my career 15 years ago. I will then segue into the lessons I have learned & the type of balance I think one must strive for. So here it goes....

In the summer of 1995, I had three simple dreams for life. I dreamed that I would never be a manager. I dreamed that I would have just one manger for life. And I dreamed that my professional peers would be a tiny number. I am not joking. This is all I thought I wanted to make my life simple and easy.

I never wanted to be a manager. Managers, according to me, were excel-and-outlook creatures. They had no idea what they wanted. They would talk at 20,000 feet during performance appraisals. They would never give you the right guidance and always butted into meetings with half-baked knowledge.

This is what I thought & that is why I did not want to be a manager. What happened in my life however was something else. A year into my first job, I was a team lead managing four people. Over time, my teams grew – and at one point, the size crossed 100. Performance appraisals came along & so did the drama in them. To paraphrase Calvin in Calvin & Hobbes, I had transmogrified into that very excel-and-outlook monster. One particularly instructive moment occurred during a skip level meeting. I asked my team what their problems were. Two hands went up. One said there was no dustbin under his desk. The other wanted Britannia Orange Cream in the break-room instead of the boring Marie. 10 years after B-school, I was dealing with biscuits & dustbins.

I also wanted just one manager for life. I planned to understand the idiosyncrasies, wants and warts of just this person. I would then ensure that this one soul is so happy that he/she would completely forget about me and not disturb me.

Again, what happened in my life was something else. Over the past 15 years, I have had 12 managers. Some lasted only 3 months. And yes - when some of them transitioned out, they did not pass feedback about me to the next person.

My final dream was to have very few peers. I had no issues with friends, but peers were different. I had no intention of figuring when I must be a team player in one year so that my teaming skills would be rated better and when I must be an initiative taker during the other so that my personal leadership skills score higher.

Again, what happened again was something else. Over time, my peers multiplied. I was pulled into strange things like hardware budgets and facility movements. At every level, I felt I was moving away from my core and farther from my dream.

Now… most of you would be able to relate to some - or all - of what I am saying. We all want to remain - if possible - a little more technical or a little more functional or to put it bluntly, a little less manager. And when something outside the 'mainstream' sprouts, we get uncomfortable. Well, I am now going to puncture some of your balloons. Whether you like it or not, each one of you is going to be a manager in a few years, if not already one. Excel movies in vivid color are coming soon to a theater near you. While you try to grapple with what you must do with your lives, there will be 10 people reporting to you who will want career advice. Your managers will forget to fill all data points in your appraisal - and so will you.

But let me now tell you a few secrets that will show you that all is indeed well even if your path leads you into becoming a manager. I looked at enormously successful people in similar situations and noticed that they did not complain. They did not let their environment affect them. They understood that there was always something meaningful to create in every situation. And lastly, they developed tons of patience over time. No, they were not aimless in life. They were clear what they wanted. But they had struck that right balance - a balance that enabled them to be focused, yet flexible, in a manner that they would achieve what they wanted regardless of the path. They taught me that true balance was in keeping the journey as meaningful as the destination.
 
That's it for 2010 folks. Thank you all for your support and feedback this year. Wish you a very Happy & Wonderful 2011. I travel next week to the US (my first in 6 years) & will post again after a month or so. Until then, please keep those comments coming.

My first official blog....

One thing that attracted me to Infosys was their expectation that I blog frequently on supply chain topics. Well... my first blog that came out over the weekend can be read here. Do let me know your thoughts.

Julian Assange is a hero !!! REALLY?

It's that time of the year when the countdown begins for the announcement of Time Magazine's Person of the Year. See here an earlier post on the winner four years ago.

Some intro to PoY (from Wikipedia): The 'Person of the Year' features and profiles a person, couple, group, idea, place, or machine that "for better or for worse, ...has done the most to influence the events of the year." It must be noted that we live in a world that is optimistic and forward looking and works on making things better. Hence, even though a person/machine/idea that has influenced the world 'for worse' could technically make it as a PoY, the reality is that the magazine goes with those that make the world a better place. [Just in case you don't believe me, look up the PoY winner of 2001. It was not Osama bin Laden but Rudy Giuliani, then Mayor of New York for his fantastic response to the attacks & pulling the city together. Saddam Hussein likewise has never made it to the list. The last known 'bad guy' was Josef Stalin, winner circa 1942.]

So why am I bringing out the good guy/bad guy analogy? Because say what you want, Julian Assange is a BAD influence. I am completely certain Assange won't make it, but I can't believe that people think of him as a hero & that he currently leads online polls for winning the PoY of 2010 (note: the judges at Time do not use online poll results in deciding the winner).

Why don't I like Julian Assange? Well, what possible good can come out of leaking to the public the thoughts of US diplomats regarding other countries? To those who say that we need to know what the US thinks of us, I would say 'Think Again'. We are talking diplomacy here, not your street corner kabbadi game. Statecraft is played by grownups who know how the machinery of the world must be oiled. You & I don't. These players don't take barbs and baits to heart. You & I will. I really don't care what the US thinks of India in these cables because I know fully well that India will also think of the USA in a similar manner in its cables (hopefully they never come to light). Lest you think I am a mouthpiece of 'American policy', I urge you to check the term 'Arthashastra' on Wikipedia. Our own Chanakya outlined the very same principles centuries ago that USA is today accused of practicing. These principles are a political reality. So let's stop feeling offended.

Also, I don't like blackmailers. Period. Currently, some of the info posted online by WikiLeaks is redacted (in other words, some key points are blackened by WikiLeaks before publishing so that security interests are not compromised). Assange has threatened to release the password to his original data should his life be made miserable. Since when have blackmailers been considered heroes?

Lastly, there is a good likelihood that people will get harmed. WikiLeaks may post a cable without much editing because it doesn't think much of it. But a different entity might use this information for nefarious purposes - and act in a negative manner against certain people.

So folks out there who think he is a hero.... please think again. David vs. Goliath is always an inspirational & heart tugging story, but when our Mr. Julian 'David' Assange is wrong & unstable, you must root for the Goliath.

And my preference for the PoY 2010? See here for the list of nominees. I am personally partial to Robert Gates for his outstanding work over the past 3+ years as the Secretary of Defense. But if I were to bet, I would go with Steve Jobs for his success with the iPad at the top of the list followed by a joint second between Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and the trio of Elizabeth Warren, Mary Schapiro and Sheila Bair for their work during 2010 in cleaning the cobwebs of the US financial system & bringing it on track.

We'll soon know.

Lessons from my Suresh Kalmadi Moments

In my previous post, I had given a brief on Toastmasters & mentioned about the Infosys Toastmasters Club (ITMC). Incidentally, ITMC is the longest running club at Infosys today.

My first speech below was given a month ago at the ITMC. This was before the Commonwealth Games had begun, and Suresh Kalmadi was in the news for his bumbling buffoonery & meaningless mouthfuls.

Before you get into the speech, you may want to check here for the objectives of Speech One (The Icebreaker) at Toastmasters. This speech is about introducing yourself, talking about your personal history, values & interests – all woven into a nice story. Essentially, breaking the ice. Now to the speech....

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Suresh Kalmadi & I have just one thing in common. We don't think before opening our mouth. For too long, I have suffered from the perpetual foot-in-the-mouth syndrome, and it has taken me an extraordinary effort to realize that I must stop talking and start listening. However, over the course of today's speech, I will prove to you that certain Suresh Kalmadi moments are indeed fine – provided they fall under certain precise conditions.

When your father is a banker and your mom is a music teacher and you are the only child, frankly, you are screwed. There is no way you can outclass your dad when it comes to the world of finance, and you can't beat your mom when it comes to music. However, since you move from city to town every three years due to your dad's transferable job, you realize you must adapt. You realize that if you don't go out of your way to make new friends, you will be left behind at school. You realize that if your neighborhood has no kids your age, the best way to kill time is to start playing games against yourself. (Of course, doing so has its advantages. You always win in chess even if the rulebook says that a rook can never travel diagonally. :-)). But you also realize to give people the cold shoulder. “Oh, you are the only child. What is it that you want to do when you grow up?” Until today, I have never understood the connection between being the only child and my life plans. And more importantly, you don't appreciate such personal questions when you stand 35th in a class of 37 :D.

Luckily, I found my interest. Initially, it was Biology in general, and Genetics in particular. However, while completing my B.Sc in Genetics from Hyderabad and an MBA in Marketing & Finance, I developed a passion towards software and computers. It dawned upon me that Logic was my calling.

That, Ladies & Gentlemen, is my first Suresh Kalmadi lesson for the day. Only if your father is a banker and you are the only child and you somehow want to create academic linkages between the world of Genetics, the world of Management and the world of Computers.... don't think, just do it, you will be fine.

Baan Company in 1996 was my first employer. From then on until I joined Infosys a few weeks ago as a Principal Consultant with the Supply Chain Practice, life has been one professional blur. Software engineer, support analyst, business analyst, implementation consultant, delivery manager, project manager.... the roles have been diverse & enriching. Excellence & integrity are what I hold dear, and reading – and occasional blogging – are my interests. But what I remember the most of my professional years is something else. A few days after the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001, my client indicated that there was no budget to continue with me on the project, but asked if I was willing to travel to Chicago. Loading everything I had in the backseat of my Camry and with no cell phone, I drove the 2200 miles alone from California to Chicago in 3.5 days. For those of you who have never done a long roadtrip before and contemplating one, I would say “Do it”. There is so much you learn from the kindness of strangers and fellow road travelers.

That, Toastmasters & Guests, is my second Suresh Kalmadi lesson for the day. Only if your father is a banker and you are the only child and you want to create academic linkages and want to take up varied roles in your career.... don't think, just do it, you will be fine.

But every kahani has a twist, that lurking danger, that roadside bomb you must watch for. Here is mine and it happened several years ago. A few months after getting married, my wife asked me just what is it about her that made me decide to marry her. It was a loaded question – and I completely missed it. I looked at her, I looked to the ground, I looked at her and I looked to the ground. I talked, and talked, and blabbered, and talked. My verbal diarrhea lasted a full 10 minutes. Until today, I don't remember a single word of what I said. Until today, she remembers every word of what I said.

That, Ladies & Gentlemen, is my final Suresh Kalmadi lesson for the day. Even if your father is a banker and you are the only child and you want to do so many things in life.... if you can't give your wife a romantic answer on why you are marrying her.... please think, don't just do it because you will not be fine.

Thank you.

Toastmasters International

Toastmasters International is a non-profit organization focused towards developing and enhancing public speaking skills. I had come across some of their videos of accomplished speakers a few years ago and was blown by their delivery, diction & style. Every city around the world will have a Toastmasters club that meets weekly and where public speaking is practiced, honed and critiqued. With 12500 clubs in 113 countries over 260,000 members, it is the best forum out there to develop public speaking.

One of the first things I noticed upon joining Infosys a few months ago was that they had a Toastmasters club. Sufficiently piqued, I started attending the Infosys Toastmasters Club (ITMC) meetings as a guest and then transitioned to a full-time member recently. I would strongly advocate becoming a member. What you learn in these meetings is the structured approach towards being a better speaker. Every new member is given a starter kit that outlines the specifics. And the best part? Every time you walk up on stage and speak, someone in the audience observes you & provides feedback. Together, we all grow into better public speakers.

You can learn about Toastmasters here.

Facebook & the Original Idea

After watching an interesting movie, I make it a point to go online to read the articles & points of view that are presented on it. It helps to know the 'various versions of truth'. Movies, after all, burnish specific positions in order to segue into a particular outcome. While that works well on screen where a five year period can be compressed into a slick & compact 120-minute capsule, life events are much slower and more nuanced. Last night, it was time to watch 'The Social Network', the excellent film on the founding of Facebook and adapted from the book 'The Accidental Billionaires', and do some follow-up reading.

Mark Zuckerberg is indeed a genius. You don't have to watch the movie or read the book to tell you that. For those of us that long looked for a delightful, easy-to-use application to express our thoughts, stay in touch, post pictures, and see what others are up to, Facebook is a beauty. It has kept content clutter-free and exquisitely easy. The Wall is your canvas to post your musings. Boxes allow you to diversify and add color. The Search helps you pull out long lost friends out of the forest. In short, Facebook is everything what you want it to be.

But what was niggling about the movie and various articles was Mark Zuckerberg, the person. Now I really don't care that his earlier application Face Mash was written to spite his (ex)-girlfriend. Nor do I care much about the fact that he once read mails of other Facebook members. People do stupid things, and one's actions at the age of 21 must not really frame one's character.

But my specific grouse is with the ownership of ideas. Very clearly, Facebook was NOT Mark's original idea. He heard it from fellow Harvard students, the Winklevoss twins and Divya Narendra. They wanted him to join them and build this application that would keep Harvard students connected. Equity ownership was discussed. Everyone agreed to them. There were no contracts, but for heaven's sake, this is college life when one still experiments. No one thinks of contracts as much as wanting to build something cool.

Right after hearing the idea from them in December 2003, the movie depicts Mark Zuckerberg telling him as being hard pressed for time while building Facebook in the background. And in an incredible two months, thefacebook.com is launched. Records in public domain present a slightly different - and a more devious - picture. Mark actually told his 'partners' for a while that he was building their application. There were even white-board sessions where he outlined some code. In short, he was keeping them close so that they would not go to a different person to build this application. And once his code was finished, he just turned around to tell them that the idea would never take off while launching his own site with the exact same idea.

Bill Gates also faced a lot of public criticism while he built Microsoft. His testimony during the anti-trust trial against Microsoft was widely panned. The contribution of Microsoft to the demise of the original browser, Netscape, was deemed heavy-handed. There were also lawsuits about ownership of code. But say what you want, nobody accused Microsoft of stealing the idea that constituted very core of the company.

And that precisely is Mark Zuckerberg's problem. The perception in the public domain is that he is a cheat. That he did not give credit to his Harvard mates who came up with the idea, and that it took him ages to share the profits. He may be the world's youngest billionaire, but it is clear that from now on, he needs to do a lot of incredibly good things for the rest of his life to erase this blot. For now however, my respect of him has been lowered by miles.

The Harvard Business Review on Supply Chain Management

An excellent collection of eight articles on Supply Chain Management published in the Harvard Business Review during 2003-04. While they are indeed dated, it is clear that they remain as relevant today as they were six years ago. After all, supply chain maturity - as a concept - remains a distant dream even in today's world.

The first two articles in this collection outline the importance of building collaborative partnerships with your suppliers, and use case studies from Wendy's and Honda Motor. The next article features a holistic approach undertaken by Zara - the much discussed fashion clothier from Spain - towards supply chain operations and supply chain costs.

The construct and inter-relatedness of agility, alignment and adaptability within a supply chain framework are well argued in the 'Triple-A Supply Chain' while the challenges of aligning incentives across the chain are well-fleshed in another piece.

My icing on the cake? Two articles on Toyota Production Systems show once and for all why replicating these principles is such a tall ask. Toyota, after all, has been a beacon of production excellence, and has freely shared its practices over the years. Yet other than Toyota Motor and its suppliers, no other organization till today has even come close to replicating their world-class manufacturing processes. This article explains why. [To those who may want to question Toyota's vaunted processes in the light of its recent vehicle recalls, I would argue that these incidents would, in all likelihood, turn out to be an issue of non-adherence & non-conformity to the very production systems it pioneered. Let us all wait for the results of the investigation to come out].

All in all, the 'Harvard Business Review on Supply Chain Management' is an insightful & stimulating compendium that will hold your interest and evince a deep appreciation of such an important topic.

First Pharaoh in Charge of Royal Supplies

Maverick is an engaging account of the radical transformation at the Brazilian company Semco over a period of 13 years. Written by Ricardo Semler who took over from his father when he was just 21, the book brings about the best of corporate democracy, empowerment, teamwork and ownership.

Semco is a manufacturer of marine pumps when the economy in Brazil nosedives in the 80s. Noticing that his prodding of the top management is not yielding results, Semler fires over 60% of them on a single day. He then embarks on a journey that all of us are familiar with, viz. discipline, controls, rigor, cost centers and budget trackers. He also buys companies that manufacture marine and food services equipment. All of this gets Semco out of trouble & makes Semler happy; but it bothers him no end that workers still don’t trust the management & Semco continues to be late on its deliveries.

The causes the first phase of transformation. By focusing on the work environment he wants to create, Semler brings changes at the most obvious level to communicate that employees are trusted. Semco stops frisking them when they leave. It asks its workers to decide the color of the uniforms (horrified managers complain to Semler that bright orange may be chosen; he is prepared, but workers choose petroleum-blue). Employees are allowed to paint their areas (this sometimes results in garish hues) and cubicle walls are replaced with plants.

Such steps lead into the next critical phase where all decision-making is now taken only by committees comprising relevant stakeholders. Does it result in long winding discussions where nothing is decided for ages? Yes. Does it cause immense grief since all information is now open? Oh yes. Over time however, workers and managers realize that this is their company and their decision, and the wheels slowly start turning.

Manufacturing cells replace traditional assembly lines. Workers determine areas of improvement. Economies of scale are thrown out in favor of optimal unit sizes. Sounds like kaizen so far? Sure – and here’s more. Rules around travel, and eventually the entire rule book, are discarded. Employees are taught to read the balance sheet. There are no restrictions in speaking to the press. There are two open seats in board meetings for employees to sign up. Bonus payouts are distributed equally to all, meaning that the factory cleaner gets the same amount as an executive. Managers are reviewed every 6 months by their teams, and the results are posted openly. Salaries of managers are encouraged to be made public, and eventually they determine their pay hike. (This is not idealism as one would think. Since salaries are public, there is a strong incentive on the part of managers to be rational when it comes to choosing their hike.)

The final phase of transformation is completed when all hell breaks loose in Brazil. The country goes into a deep recession for two years. As everyone concludes that layoffs are inevitable, Ricardo Semler does his final act. He retains all functions such as design, engineering and assembly within Semco and outsources everything else to employees he plans to fire. Semco even leases them equipment so that capital costs for the subcontractors are minimized. The result is a larger pool of entrepreneurs and, hopefully over time, more Semcos.

Every book leaves the reader with something to marvel and ponder. This is what will get me thinking next. The traditional organizational pyramid has been built on the foundations of complexity and the need for control that came with the industrial revolution. But in Semco there are no controls & hence no pyramids. There are instead concentric circles. At the center are the Counselors who coordinate strategies & policies, and who typically are the equivalent of vice-presidents. The second circle are Partners who lead the business units. The last circle are Associates that includes everyone else. And floating somewhere are the Coordinators who perform the basic leadership roles at the unit level. This results in greater fluidity, job enrichment & above all, lasting peace since it is perfectly fine for Associates to earn more than the Coordinators. Semler posits that man has always adopted the four-layered organization from the time he was a hunter. The one who spotted the mammoth first was the Spotter. The one who ran the fastest behind it was the Runner. The one who threw the spear most accurately was the Marksman. And the one who managed to lead became the Chief.

And yes - individuals are free to print any title in their business cards that best describes their position. Semco does not interfere. Even if, as Semler says, the title is something fancy like the First Pharaoh in Charge of Royal Supplies.

Amen to a new way of working.

Shattering the Org. Pyramid

The pyramid, the chief organizational principle of the modern corporation, turns a business into a traffic jam. A company starts out like an eight-lane superhighway - the bottom of the pyramid - drops to six lanes, then four, then two, then becomes a country road and eventually a dirt path, before abruptly coming to a stop. Thousands of drivers start off on the highway, but as it narrows more and more are forced to slow and stop. There are smash-ups and cars are pushed off on to the shoulder. Some drivers give up and take side roads to other destinations. A few - the most aggressive - keep charging ahead, swerving and accelerating and bending fenders all about them. Remember, objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.

Extracted from Maverick, by Ricardo Semler. A book that shatters a lot of conventional thinking about an organization. In case you think it to be a rant, look him up. Ricardo Semler grew Semco Brazil by 30-40% per year for two decades to well over $200M in revenues by 2005 by being - well - an unconventional maverick. And yes - he thinks a circle is better than a pyramid :-).

Review to follow....

Leadership as I see it

All of us, at sometime or the other in our lives, will hear someone say, “You are the future leaders of the organization” or “As leaders of tomorrow....”. I suspect that in many such instances, the comment would be made (and received) in passing. After all, there would be, at that moment, action items to be completed, fires to be fought and issues to be addressed.

However, such statements - upon subsequent reflection - have always prompted in me the question: OK, so what is leadership and what do leaders do? What is it that I did till yesterday that now makes me a 'future leader'? And how does one transition from a 'future leader' to a 'leader'? My view was that it definitely cannot be a title/role that you play in a company because that would imply an 'organizational blessing' to you being a leader.

This note is only an attempt to provide my perspective on leadership without any of the boiler plate terms such as vision, strategy, intent etc.... By no means do I claim that I am right. However, after coming across varying examples on leadership, I have concluded if one wants to come up with two pages of points on leadership, (s)he still would not be any wiser.

My leadership attributes are therefore culled from just three sources among the few that I have read. And these three, I believe, are clear, simple & concise (at least for me).

Seth Godin was first. His essential question in his book 'Tribes – We Need You to Lead Us' was “Do you want to be a leader or do you want to be a manager?” and followed up with “Leaders lead, Managers manage”. Simple, yet powerful.

Harvard Business Review opined that there were only 4 attributes of a leader:

1. Leaders always have the TRUST of the people they work with.

2. Leaders always have the ability to HOLD the ATTENTION of their group.

3. Leaders always COMMUNICATE the approach, direction and way forward.

4. Leaders always KNOW how/what to DEPLOY resources at their disposal.

Lou Gerstner in 'Who Says Elephants Can't Dance' outlined that successful executives just had 3 attributes viz. superb focus, superb execution and superb personal leadership. Focus pertains to developing steely detailed strategies and commiting resources to make them work. Execution talks of measurements (people respect only what you inspect), world-class processes and enabling a high-performance culture. Personal leadership includes passion and integrity, and I suppose you could add the 4 points from HBR above.

Before I forget, if you still have not read 'Good to Great' by Jim Collins, please do so. So far, my note only tells you about WHAT makes a leader. For HOW to get there, Jim Collins is your guide.

As always, I would love your feedback on this topic.

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

Blink deals with our innate capability to make snap judgments in the blink of an eye. Malcolm Gladwell strives to address three broad themes in this yet another masterpiece. He lays out that snap judgments could be every bit as good as ones taken after prolonged deliberation. He then states that we need to know when to trust such instincts and when we must be wary of them. Lastly, he states that the the human mind can indeed be trained to control and enable rapid cognition.

What follows is a deep-dive into the way human beings judge situations and come to instant conclusions. It turns out that we are all experts at 'thin slicing' - an ability to find patterns based on choosing specific experiences & filtering out the rest. And as we are thin slicing, our subconscious mind does guide us towards a conclusion. To prove this point, Gladwell takes us through the world of art experts (who, at a moment's observation identify a fake), a marriage analyst (who, upon looking at perceptible facial expressions & hearing conversations determines the strength of a marriage) and medical malpractice lawyers (who can hear snippets of a doctor's conversation with his patient and conclude his risk of being sued). As you go through such examples, you marvel at his ability in marshaling his points and presenting them in such a manner that you can actually relate to them.

But how do we sift the meaningless slices from the important ones? Gladwell states that slicing based on physical attributes, stature and stereotypes are best avoided. In other words, you change the way you thin slice. And, it would help to reasonably limit the options/choices that you use to arrive at a conclusion.

While the first two objectives of the book are well structured, it is the third aspect that the book lacks, viz. how can the human mind be trained. The reader is only advised that he must 'practice'; the examples mentioned thereafter are on how repeated mind reading enabled under less pressure could lead to reduction in accidental police fatalities. While I wholeheartedly agree that practice makes perfect, I definitely would have liked better examples. Or may be, there is no better example than sustained experience?

Regardless, this is yet another brilliant book from one of the world's most original thinkers. The next time you come to a conclusion in the blink of an eye, try to ascertain what you did. You may be surprised by what you find.

Fortune: The $600 billion challenge

About 3 years ago, I wrote about my admiration for Bill & Melinda Gates for their philanthropic activity. Sometime later, Warren Buffett announced that he was promising much of his wealth to charity - and that most of the proceeds were going to the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation.

The new issue of Fortune outlines the collective efforts of Bill, Melinda & Warren to get half the US billionaires to pledge half their net worth to charity during their lifetimes or at death. The expected windfall to the philanthropic kitty? $600 billion. This is a great read & if successful, would transform philanthropy worldwide.

The Tipping Point - Book Review

Another highly influential book from the Gladwell stable, The Tipping Point explores what makes something 'tip' from a state of equilibrium into a phenomenon that is viral, contagious & sticky. While the basic tenets are drawn from our understanding of the outbreak of health epidemics, the book goes farther to explain rapid adoption of fashion trends, precipitous fall in crime rates, word-of-mouth influences on book sales and underlying rationale of teen smoking.

Gladwell sets the tone and direction at the start by asking 2 simple questions. Why do some ideas or products start epidemics while others don't? And how can positive epidemics be deliberately created and sustained?

The answer, as covered in the rest of the book, is quite breathtaking. By making small changes in the way a message is communicated or by ensuring that a small group of influential messengers get to know about the idea or product or by making subtle changes to the context of the message, the epidemic gets rolling. To a lot of us that call for 'systemic reform' and 'top-down accountability' to address pressing social issues, the importance of 'small' and 'subtle' is a welcome counter-argument.

The book takes us into the world of Connectors, Mavens & Salesmen, individuals who have a tremendous influence in the spread of epidemics and trends. We are also exposed to ways by which a message could be structured and formatted so that it sticks in one's mind. And lastly, we are explained the 'Broken Windows' theory that argues a broken window left unrepaired is an invitation for more windows to be broken in the neighbourhood (since the unrepaired window is a sign of anarchy and an 'anything goes' culture). By adopting zero tolerance to 'mundane' and 'petty' crimes such as fare beating & dirty subway cars in the 90s, the city of New York sent out a firm message that every broken window was being fixed – regardless of the effort - thereby resulting in a rapid and steep fall in crime rates.

I personally liked the Outliers more for its ability to persuade & hold your attention, but The Tipping Point is a piece of work that must definitely not be missed.