Wishing you all a Peanuts Holiday Season

'Tis the holiday season. A time to cheer, relax and recharge. By reading comic strips.

Most of you know about my love for Peanuts. Friends have notched points for gifting me Peanuts collectibles (books, stuffed toys, tags, decorative sets, a salt-and-pepper shaker and even a trash can). These characters pervade my life. Even the web address of this page is a nod to the college-going-class-bunking Joe Cool (who is an avatar in Snoopy's fantasy land).

It was not always this way. Charlie Brown & Snoopy had merited only an occasional viewing in the Sunday newspaper. It was only after flipping through PEANUTS A Golden Celebration - about 12 years ago - did I understand why Peanuts was the No. 1 comic strip of all time. The book, published in 1999 to commemorate 50 years of Peanuts, was a treasure trove of famous strips accompanied by Charles Schulz's insightful comments.

Do personalities evolve? You bet. To the left is a collage of strips from the book that show the hunched-Beethoven-loving-plastic-piano-playing Schroeder's evolution in style and form over the years. The first strip is from the 50s, the second from the 60s and the last belongs to the 80s. 





It is often said that there is minimal tolerance to contrary points of view today due to extreme talk-radio and opinionated media. Well, one look at this letter from the 60s from someone yet to get a grip on school desegregation tells you strong opinions - regardless of media influence - have always existed. And if you still harbour some doubts, how about the Thanksgiving strip below that triggered such a robust response?
  

  

Snoopy's affinity to a turkey....

.... resulted in THIS?

This holiday season, I figured that I would go one-up on the Golden Celebration. Enter Celebrating Peanuts - 60 Years. This 500+ page hardcover edition is bigger, glossier and grander than its predecessor. And every bit as magical.

 

As I take leave to bury myself in this massive masterpiece, I want to take a moment to acknowledge your unlimited support and encouragement during 2012. Every time I thought that I had nothing more to add, someone would ask "when's your next blog?" Creativity blossoms when there is interest. Thank you.

 

Wish you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday season and a fabulous new year.

Snoopy Common Sense Approach
Edition 1

Snoopy Common Sense Approach
Edition 2

 

 

Exam Time

Writing a paper and pencil exam. Without a word of preparation. Priceless.

Infosys encourages us to undertake a certification exam every 6 months. This exam can either be internal or external. You just accumulate more points when you take an external test.

By now, you know how we chai-buddies inspire each another as we consume awesome filter coffee and tea twice a day at Hatti-Kaapi. This is where crazy ideas are encouraged and exchanged. Some months ago, the brightest among our lot encouraged me to complete an external certification exam. After brief thought, I decided to listen to Mr. Bright and give it a twirl.

Another colleague handed over the exam material. It weighed 3 kg. Thrice I opened the first page only to fall asleep in 5 minutes. Next I glanced through the table of contents to fathom if I could 'reverse-engineer' the details. No luck there. I randomly picked pages for numerical problems. The 3 kg monster was pure theory.

4 months whirred by without a single word of preparation.

The exam day arrived last weekend. That morning, it took me 20 minutes to find two pencils, a sharpener and an eraser. There was no pencil box to put this stuff in, so Priya lent me a pouch that holds her cooling glasses. I also carried her old solar calculator from her B.Com days. The hall ticket was printed just 5 minutes before starting the car. When I finally took the test, answers were determined through logic gleaned from Calvin and Hobbes comic strips, 'strategic' sounding words, inky-pinky-ponky methods and pure coin tosses. In the past, I would spend the last 15 minutes of any exam in reviewing answers. This time, there was so such conflict. Masala Dosa at Adigas next door vs. 15 minutes for review? Coin tosses are not wasted on such obvious choices.

Looking back, I wouldn't have scripted this experience better. Lack of preparation for an exam was an unknown phenomenon for me until now. While never a topper, I would always finish near the top. Preparation was the key. (What choice - other than preparation - do you have when you belong to a traditional middle-class South Indian family where cousins get nothing less than multiple gold medals?) And now, with nothing to lose, the entire experience was such a rush of joy. Maybe that is why Anupam Kher's speech resonated so well last night.
 

So Mr. Bright, what's your next big idea?

Excellence

Infosys hosted its Annual Awards for Excellence (AFE) today. If there is ever a lesson you need on how a multi-country-multi-city-annual-corporate event must be conducted, this is it. Every step of the 2.5 hour event is amazingly choreographed, seamlessly integrated and flawlessly presented by Infoscions every step of the way.

 

All global Infosys locations participate simultaneously in the AFE. Hence, when award announcements are made for a project / unit that comprises of members working across several locations, the team members across these locations can walk up to the stage simultaneously to collect their awards. To me, it seems that we have not only pioneered the global delivery model but have also refined the global recognition model. The AFE celebrates the best of values that Infosys represents viz. Excellence.

 

We also invite an eminent personality as the Chief Guest for the AFE who represents excellence in his / her field of work. Anil Kumble has been here before and so has Barkha Dutt. Naseeruddin Shah was invited in 2010 while 2011 was the year of A.R. Rehman. Today, it was the versatile Anupam Kher.

 

When greats speak to you, what remain in your mind are their simple words and rustic wisdom. When you stop fearing failure, Mr. Kher said, you automatically start on a path to excellence. Learn to listen well and learn from others. And above all, an actor must always remember that he is no different than a carpenter. Both of them just execute things. But an actor lets things get to his head because he sees others write something about him. That reminded me so much about Naseeruddin Shah's speech about excellence a couple of years ago. We all start small. We just want to do the simple things right. Excellence comes much later.

 

Starting small. Listening. Staying true to yourself. Remaining grounded. That’s the path to excellence for you. How easy to remember. And how easily we forget….

Tracking the year....

I have long accepted that tracking & reviewing is a necessity in my professional life. This activity is not something new to you to understand as a reader. You set out to do something. You track. You bucket it into a few measures. You learn. And then you start over. After all, this is what experienced gurus have been telling us to do for ages - whether you are at work or at home. It is not always fun to review old numbers, but then you get my point that this is something you must do as a 'best practice'.

I am equally clear that as much we may think that such best practices are inculcated during our college years, the reality is that you can zoom from cradle to 40 years in just a second and still understand the concept. I mean - just look at the eco-system around you right now. Log into facebook & you will see a delightful button that serves a personalized 2012 Year in Review. Isn't that cool? Flick CNN-IBN & you will see the 'Person of the Year' program for the next 2 weeks. December is the only month in the year when Santa Claus is so busy running while the rest of the world is so busy reviewing. (I wonder whether this is why the New Year resolutions are so popular. Since you have spent the entire month thinking - the thinking goes - can you at least not decide on something by Jan 1?)

Tracking & reviewing what I have done may not be fun. But tracking & reviewing what others have is a lazy man's delight. And that is precisely where I found myself an hour ago. It is Time Magazine’s season for the Person of the Year. This is something I have loved guessing every year in the past but have lost track of in recent years. It was interesting to scan the profiles that have kept us engaged & entertained through 2012. Mr. 'Gangnam' Psy is at one end of the spectrum. Malala Yousufzai - the brave Pakistani girl who braved a Taliban bullet & wants to continue to speak up for women's rights - is at the other. In the middle are politicians, entertainers & sportspersons. All in all, a good list.

Obama won a tough re-election, but I doubt he would make it. Aung San Suu Kyi and Thein Sein from Burma have come out of 2 decades of turmoil, but I would rather wait to see a better life for Burma before elevating them. Sportspersons entertained us at the London Olympics, but somehow no one took my breath away.

Five entries caught my eye. Hillary Clinton has been an amazing American Secretary of State for the past four years & is capping off a remarkable innings (for now). Tough, Disciplined, and Tireless are words often used to describe her. She is also a policy wonk respected for her intellect and hard work.

The undocumented immigrants reached a tipping point in American politics. A number of them will soon come out of the shadows and will change the demographic mix of America. Hopefully the national dialogue also changes with words like 'amnesty' and ‘self deportation’ being replaced with measured fairness. 

Three entries share a common thread of scientific discovery. Felix Baumgartner jumped from the edge of space. The Mars Rover landed 160 million miles away. The Higgs Boson was simply the God Particle. Individually, they represent a significant breakthrough. But collectively they represented the human will to - yet again - expand the frontiers of science. Work in each of these three areas will continue to grow in the decades hence. And – like science always does – will only make the future generations better.

Here’s what I think. The Scientific Discoveries of 2012 must make it as the Time POY. With Hillary Clinton & the undocumented immigrants as the runners-up. Now let's see what the jury thinks on Dec 19....

Men Apart, Every Man an Emperor

It is not very often that I post blogs as frequently as a day apart, but today was no ordinary day. 5:30 PM is when one wants to pack up and look forward to going home. But some of us were sufficiently piqued to go to the Convention Centre at the Infosys campus to watch the Territorial Army Symphony Fusion Orchestra perform. (Note: I don’t ever think I can articulate the experience of being in the Infosys Convention Centre…. let’s just say that the sound system ,seating, video projection and the stage make up a truly world class auditorium.)

When Col. Deora, Commanding Officer of the Territorial Army (TA) came on stage to deliver the inaugural speech, he looked the part. Tall. Commanding. The ‘Army’ moustache. (Do I say that I was swayed into labeling him based on appearance? You bet!!!) What followed was a 5 minute lesson. On Leadership. Humility. Patriotism. And Public Speaking. I paraphrase… but the essence of his speech was thus: The TA is an all-volunteer force and the second line of defense after the Indian Army. Being a member of the TA cannot be a profession or a source of employment. In fact, you must already be employed elsewhere if you want to join us. You serve only when called. The front line soldiers of today’s battles are no longer the regular soldiers as we know them, but YOU, this multitude of professionals in the audience. The battles of the 21st century are not of matter but of mind. Gone are the days when armies move into a rich country to occupy it, and after establishing a beachhead, allow colonial structures to be developed. And we are here to talk to you, salute you and entertain you.

For a Commanding Officer to say that about us, I was amazed. Now, I am under no illusion that the software and consulting profession can match a soldier’s heroics. Soldiers fight battles. Or lose limbs. Or get hurt. We on the other hand shed our only drop of blood to that mandated medical test before getting a work permit.

Yet.... everything of what he said was true. The current crop of Indian professionals establish beachheads in new lands - with a difference. We go global not to colonize. But to co-opt. Co-exist. And co-create. Every time one of us travels overseas, (s)he does more than create a solution or offer a service. We represent our nation, and very often with dignity & pride. Understated yet efficient, we extend value and transform companies. At the same time, we do not gloss over our country’s limitations. We come back to inculcate the same global best practices that we have learnt on our journeys. And to make a difference at home.

The Territorial Army Fusion Band then took over. For the next 90 minutes, Infoscions were treated to a melody of instruments as varied as woodwinds, percussion, strings, brass, and pipe. Indian and Western tunes were played with flute, bagpipes, clarinet, drums, horns, trumpets, violins, saxophones, tabla and santoor. Ek Pyaar Ka Nagma Hai was followed with Somewhere My Love. Then came the popular Nepali folk song Resham Firiri. It was only today that I learned Surangani is not a Goan song, but a Sinhalese original. When John Newton’s Amazing Grace came up, it was clear that wherever you are, redemption and forgiveness hold true. The Indian Territorial Army Song was a pleasure to listen. And when the Infosys song, This is My Infy, was played, it was nothing less than a standing ovation (this amateur video is the closest that there is of this song in the public domain).

But the heart tugging moments were truly the patriotic ones. Who can beat Lata in Aye Meri Watan Ki Logon? I swear that I tear up every time I watch or hear Sandese Aate Hain. How about Kandhon Se Milte Hain Kandhe? Or our eternal favorite, Saare Jahan Se Acha. Playing of the National Anthem completed a memorable evening.

Two things remain. Col. Deora’s exhortation to us at the end to never hesitate to go beyond the last mountain while we will take care of defending our land. And the banner that read Men Apart, Every Man an Emperor. “What manner of men are these?" asked Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery as he reflected on an elite fighting force, the Parachute Regiment. "They are, in fact, men apart, every man an emperor”. The Indian Territorial Army lives up to the same principles....

It was difficult not to have goosebumps or teary eyes at the end of it all. We take a bow, Dear Soldiers, to your Leadership, Patriotism...... and Humility. Jai Hind!!!

PS: If you know of better links to any of the above, please send them over. I will replace the current links.

Swayed by Irrationality

Imagine that you have been selected to participate in an experiment where you are paired with a stranger. The experiment requires a total of $10 to be split in any proportion among yourselves. But you are also told that you would be placed in separate rooms and cannot see or communicate with each other. Once the experiment begins, one of you would be randomly designated as the giver and the other the receiver. Once the giver determines the split, the offer would be taken to the receiver. If the receiver accepts the offer, both of you would collect your respective share. However, if the receiver rejects the offer, both of you will walk out empty-handed. This experiment will be conducted just once; there are no second chances.

Now imagine that you are the receiver. Would you accept the offer if offered less than $5 (50:50 split)? Next, you are told that your partner is not a human but a computer. And imagine that you are the receiver again. Now, would you reject the offer if the computer gave you just $1 (10:90 split)?

I imagined myself as a participant and concluded that I would offer 50:50 as a giver. I would also walk out if I get anything less than 50% from a human partner. But I will take anything when a computer determines my cut. I suspect – but cannot conclusively prove - that most of us would follow the same approach.

But.... but.... most of us are rational, correct? From that perspective, it makes no sense to reject any offer in both cases, is it not? After all, any money is better than no money, and this money is free to begin with. So why do we want to be offered 50:50 where essentially the receiver and the giver are chosen at random? (Note: It turns out that most participants of this real-life experiment did offer 50:50, and in many cases when it was not, the receivers rejected the offer.) 

Well... it turns out that the reason we behave this way is that we are more bothered about the process than the outcome. When we say that 'it is about principles and not money', what we actually mean is that our sense of fairness sways our decision more than anything else. This, and several other situations, stories and scenarios, frame the immensely eye-opening Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behaviour. In under 200 pages, the authors show us that we humans are not as rational as we make ourselves to be, and that we are swayed to irrationality much more than we care to acknowledge.

It turns out that we sway due to two factors, viz. our own limitations as individuals and our confrontation to situations in social settings. Limitations include aversion to loss (think how we hate cutting losses in a stock market), commitment to a past decision regardless of how badly it is turning out (think Vietnam/Iraq), and our preference to attribute value based on first impressions (think love). Social settings sway us while in groups (think situations when we choose not to speak up even when we disagree with everyone else) or when we believe we are dealt with anything unfair (think.... well.... the previous paragraph).

The range of examples is breathtaking. You read about the (seemingly senseless) actions of a KLM pilot who took off without clearance in 1977 only to lead his passengers to a fiery death. You understand why you opt for 'flat rate' phone plans regardless of their true relevance in life. You learn much from how eggs and orange juice are purchased when prices rise or fall. You travel to Java to get a perspective on how archaeological discoveries are irrationally debunked by world scientists. And just in case you think that logic and rationality exists in 'near death' situations, you are shown samples of irrationality in the Israeli Army & in a Swiss town dealing with nuclear waste.

My favorite story? A world famous musician in jeans and baseball cap plays his  $3.5M violin in a Washington subway. Over a 1000 people pass him by and he is largely ignored. Normally accustomed to playing in front of sold out crowds and thunderous applause, the 40-minute subway performance of complex music does not even merit a few glances. Why? Because the audience attributed value based on his appearance. Now imagine the crowd around him if he was formally dressed and there were TV cameras around.....

If Blink encouraged us to trust our 'gut', Sway reiterates the power of irrationality in our subconscious. But where Blink lacked in explaining how negative stereotyping can be avoided, Sway stands out by explaining our bias and how their influence can be reduced in thought and action.

4 stars!!!

Questions, Labels, Binaries & Greys

1.

Certain questions constantly swirl.... What constitutes a balanced life? How do you measure success? Do fame and wealth signal that 'you have it made'? How do you explore spirituality in the realm of your daily life, and how do you grow? And if these are not enough, the fact that you go to work every day forces you to confront questions of a different kind. What defines a 'good' manager'? At what times do you - as an employee - look at yourself in the mirror and say 'job well done'? What does leadership mean to you and to those who look up to you?

Life goes through conversations around these – and several other. Some happen within our circle of family, friends and co-workers. But most happen within us. We contemplate, analyze, decide, test, learn, and adapt. This is a never ending cycle - one that peels through layer after layer of introspection. What we learn, imbibe and reflect in such moments defines our identity. And our way forward.

2.

We are a binary generation. We like answers to be a Yes or No. Take investments or retirement planning, a topic we instinctively run away from. We consider the person who gives us a quick one-hour dump for life's investment planning as a godsend. If you do this, it will help. If you don't, you will face consequences. Binaries distill our choices. This or That. Easy.

But not all situations, and answers, are binary. They fall into what I call the 'shades of grey' variety. The more we are uncomfortable with these, the more they seem to target us. The discomfort comes not just from the multiplicity of choice, but also from the labels that would define us based on the decisions we will eventually make. For instance, what do we call a person at work who refuses to take that plum promotion-inducing overseas promotion? A person with a lack of drive, maybe? But what if it was not taken up since (s)he did not want to uproot the family or affect the kids' education? Does that now make the person 'grounded' or 'balanced'? Which label will now apply?

3.

I was reading the excellent Steve Jobs recently. He must be complimented for giving Walter Isaacson a full rein for capturing his life and work. The book portrays him as a genius who possessed great intuition and was a perfectionist. He was also inspiring and built an A team. He was known to give consumers unbounded joy when they came across his products. The book says that a century from now, he would be heralded as one of the greats of the 21st century. But – yes, there is a but – the book also shows his other side. He was known to be wildly temperamental. He could make people feel small and bring them to tears. He displayed anger, caused hurt & created fear at work. He also acknowledges that he could not spend as much time with his family as he would have liked.

So in the context of those questions at the opening of the blog, where would Steve Jobs be on balance, success, fame, wealth, leadership, spiritualism et all??? More importantly, should any label apply?

4.

The McKinsey Award winner for the best article of 2010 in the Harvard Business Review was Clayton Christensen's How Will You Measure Your Life?. (Note: His book The Innovator's Dilemma is featured in multiple Top 25 business book lists of all time.) In this article, he talks about defining life's purpose, allocating resources to reinforce this purpose, the importance of humility and creating an enduring source of happiness. And concludes that we must think about the metric by which our life will be judged. (Incidentally, this idea was the inspiration behind my 'Think Think Think' lesson in an earlier blog.) 

This is where we humans falter. We forget that while life is a concoction of questions, labels, binaries and shades, there actually is a sequence and priority. We love simplicity, but by forgetting priorities, we get caught up in a swirl of confusion.

 

Only one label matters. To judge oneself (and be judged) as having lived a successful life. And success must only be measured in terms of having led a life of purpose (and not based on fame or money). Questions that life throws at us – and the answers we derive – must only reinforce this objective. Whether a situation is binary or grey is immaterial. Nor those other labels. 

Sounds easy.... but being human, this is where we get all mixed up....