Random thoughts on self motivation

A chat with an acquaintance of mine regarding his plans brought up an interesting thought about motivation in employees. This blog is about two issues. One, motivation by the organisation and two, self-motivation.

The person was demoralised about the lack of incentives or other forms of motivation in the organisation. It would be pertinent to mention here that he has been with the organisation for over six years now. This was the time when the market was on the rise. It was a seller's market. The real estate industry was booming. The sales team did not have to pitch aggressively to sell. There was a queue of customers with the booking amount!!

Change to late 2008 and early 2009. We all know the state of the economy then and the real estate sector too. Walk-ins were very hard to come-by. The developers tried every incentive from modular kitchens to foreign junkets to lure the customers. Selling was a very difficult task.

How do you think a salesperson and team leader who has seen only good times throughout his working career of six odd years would respond to the changed conditions? He can either adapt himself to the change or withdraw into a shell. Become non-communicative. New initiatives by the other team members were stifled.The morale of the team suffered.

The management on its part was too busy monitoring the cash flow, to keep its projects going, to pay adequate attention to the aspect of team motivation. And now when the market is picking up, the team leader has reached the point of total disillusionment.

He blames the management for not motivating (read incentivising) people. The management is of the view that even in difficult times it did not relieve anybody. From their perspective they are right. It is the sign of a good organisation to stand by its employees when others in the industry were downsizing. So who is at fault? Is it the organisation for not overtly taking motivational steps. Or the team-member for not possessing enough drive to keep himself motivated.

The person has a very impressive knowledge of the real estate industry "Pranavji, I want to start my own concern but people will say that I am a broker".

I said "Look friend. You have to focus on what you want. If you give services like a broker, you will be called a broker. But if you project and approach the client as an advisor, you can position yourself in a totally different league. It is not the work which is good or bad, but what quality we bring to the work,which is good or bad." " You will need to improve your communication and presentation skills, choose your clients with great care and focus on building trust rather than business. Business follows behaviour".

It is my mission to help him overcome his inhibitions and his utter lack of belief in himself resulting in disillusionment.

The bottom line is, do what makes you happy. If you cannot do that, find happiness in what you are doing.

The theme for a forthcoming conference of some elite schools of the country is "The power within you". I found it to be very apt and pertinent especially in an age when children are increasingly relying on "guides" and "refreshers" to get through school. And is that the reason why while the literacy levels have gone up, employability has come down.
How is this linked to the theme for the conference? When we were young, we were encouraged to think on our own. We had the liberty of asking weird questions and giving even more weird answers. Our teachers had the width and depth to cope with our runaway imagination. We were allowed to delve deep into ourselves, bring out these thoughts and get patient answers. This built our confidence and we are not afraid to take on anything new.
I think if the conference is able to ignite this spirit of inquiry in the children and the commitment in the teachers to help the child discover his/her inner self, the aim would be achieved.
The child would no longer be relying on guides/refreshers. She would approach academics as a means to broaden her perspective rather than as a chore that has to be done with and get back to Cartoon Network or Hannah Montana.
Encourage the child to discover the power within, to question the status quo, to become free-thinking citizens of tomorrow who cannot be swayed by skewed logic of bigots. Then our nation will see true progress. Progress that is driven from within.

Recently I read a news item ( ET Nov16,Delhi, Nandini Sen Gupta & Sumit Chaturvedi) “Auto Cos feel parts pinch/ Component makers unable to cope with sales overdrive”. The news item brings out how the "country's top car makers are struggling to meet an unexpected spurt in year end demand with component makers failing to match a sustained surge in sales since August."
We recall that an year back,the companies were in an overdrive to cut down their inventory and manpower levels. As a result, their vendors had to cut down production. Further down the supply chain, the smaller OEM and material providers were badly hit. Some could manage to stay afloat. Others could’nt.
Now the auto companies will have to go back to reviving these vendors or develop new ones to meet the upsurge. Both options will probably cost more than what they saved in the last financial by withdrawing support.
Reading the news item I had a sense of déjà vu. I remember reading the draft of a talk Prof Eliyahu Goldratt had with the top managers of a Japanese electronic OEM in January this year.

He had advised them that to capitalize on the recovery in the market, a company had to take two actions. First, do not cut capacity. Reducing manpower is painful and hiring, many times involved the long process of training. Companies that laid off people then will most likely be slow to respond to the sales picking up now.
Secondly, he advised them, to help the material suppliers. Those companies were hit the hardest and they will be the last to feel the recovery.
One needs to only study the lead times required at each stage in the supply chain of auto parts to predict how soon will the auto companies be able to bridge the demand-supply gap and capitalize on the recovery. Perhaps Mr Karl Slym, the President & MD of GM India would do well to introspect and examine his company’s actions in the light of Dr Goldratt’s views. Then he would not lay the blame entirely on the doorstep of the component makers.

Contradictory Random Thoughts?

A question that i often debate with in my mind is - what is more fun, the journey or the joy of reaching the destination? I find enduring ecstasy in even planning a trip!!
I guess this has a lot to do with what kind of a person you are. A person who is only concerned with the future or someone who lives solely in the present. "Kal ki kal dekhi jayegi." I also believe this attitude has something to do with your faith in a power beyond this ephemeral existence. Your faith in the eternal being. God.
Did i hear someone say, "God helps those who help themselves."
I quite revel in these contradictions.
Going back to the point regarding journeys.
The more one travels, the more exposure one gets. One is exposed to a plethora of situations,people and everything else which makes each person and each place unique. This goes a long way in broadening your horizon and developing empathy for your fellow beings.
But there are kill-joys who loudly proclaim- "a rolling stone gathers no moss".
So i am back to square one. Or am i ? Why should i discount the meadows, springs and brooks that i rolled through as a stone? How many people would have heard the birds chirping or the cows mooing and grazing. Or being an extension of a child's arm and helping him pluck that ripe mango from the highest branch. Along the way helping people under you learn and grow.
So what is "moss"? 'Financial mass' or 'plain simple learning'? If it is financial mass, i plead guilty. But why should i? I believe it is about 'plain simple learning'. The joy is in the journey. To be on the move. Keep exploring new vistas.
God is very kind. He provides suitable halts and supplies enroute and your needs are taken care of. (Thank God for the VIth CPC arrears!!)
So i am off to Pachmarhi this Saturday,26th for three days with both my kids. A teenager and a tweenager. We are going to have a lot of fun. You see we are going sans their mother and my wife.
More about this journey in my next post..

Random thoughts on the highway

Last week i had the good fortune of travelling through the heartland of Central India. Drove down from Delhi to Bhopal. The route decided was Delhi-Agra-Gwalior-Jhansi-Babina-Lalitpur-Sagar-Bhopal. Plan was to reach Babina cantt the first day and cover the rest till Bhopal on the second. One could have taken the road from Gwalior to Shivpuri-Guna-Rajgarh-Biaora-Bhopal. But my regiment is currently there at Babina and i would not let an opportunity to visit them pass.
Started from Delhi at 6 in the morning. Was crossing Faridabad by 6.30. The children were on their way to schools in droves. Was trying to overtake a school bus for quite sometime. A kid sitting at the back started waving. I waved back. He smiled and poked his friend. The friend also looked back, smiled and waved. I waved back again and gave up trying to overtake.
I knew i was out of Delhi.
It was a pleasure driving on NH-2. All through to Agra one crossed hordes of children off to school. Neatly dressed, ties worn straight and shoes polished. On the stretch between Agra and Jhansi, the children were in school and one did not find any on the road or dhabas. As we approached Jhansi, they were happily skipping home in their bright green and white, white and red and checked blue dresses. Satchels swinging from their shoulders, kicking a pebble here and jumping into a puddle there. It was really heartwarming to see this sight being replicated at village after village that i crossed.
A very warm welcome awaited me at Babina Cantt. It is always a touching moment going back to an organisation where one has grown professionally and personally. The bonds are enduring and go beyond the understanding of anyone who is not an army man. The officers now at the helm of affairs were youngsters in my time. It is with a deep sense of pride that one sees them in charge now. I was sitting out in the verandah when i noticed a white-bearded Sikh JCO coming across the field. I realised it was Kulbir Singh. He is a Subedar now. I remember him as a lanky and agile basketball player. " Kulbir, yeh itne chitte baal kab se ho gaye?", i remarked. " Saab, tussi bhi to itne motey ho gaye ho." Time for introspection!!
Next day when i started, the clouds were playing catch-me-if-you-can with the winds. The branches were swaying and the children were headed back to school. First stop was Sagar.
Sagar is about 180km from Babina. The North-South corridor of the NHDP is under construction. One fact which stared me in the face was the criticality of state government support towards central government sponsored development schemes. The progress in UP was pretty tardy and slow. The alternate route was also bad. Moment one crossed over to MP, short of Sagar, the conditions changed. One could see that this state government is serious about road connectivity. Driving again was sheer pleasure right through till Bhopal.
This trip has filled me with a lot of hope. I had the opportunity to experience first hand two imperatives for nation-building. Firstly,children going to school even in the interior regions. I also did not find any children serving tea or food at numerous dhabas that dot the national highways. And secondly, promising signs of improved road-connectivity are apparent.
Three cheers for a resurgent Bharat.

Driving in Delhi and Marketing Lessons

The first few days that i had to drive everyday in Delhi was harrowing. Imagine somebody who is used to driving on a particular 11km stretch and coming across only three to four vehicles. Yes folks that is how it was at Kohima in Nagaland for over two years. Then i was at Bhopal for nearly three years. My office was 12kms away and one had to cross just one red light!! Now thats what i used to call driving experiences.

Six weeks down the road and traffic-jams, there has been great learning. In fact the experience has greatly aided learning in my my new profile in marketing. The importance of some of the basics of marketing became amply clear to me.

The first P of marketing-Product. Which car you are driving determines whether you can stay on the road or will be forced to go off it. The trucks, DTC buses, Pajeros and the other SUVs have the right of way over the 800s and the Altos.

Lesson number 1- You need a "big and strong" product to survive in the market.



The second P- Positioning- Driving on the same route everyday, a perceptive driver knows when to drive in which lane. (Lane driving is not always Sane driving. In fact the Delhi Police realised this, and one does not see the message " Lane Driving is Sane Driving" painted on the traffic barriers anymore.) So how did this aid my learning? In case you have little patience and regard for others and want to move ahead, you have to position yourself suitably on the road, even if it means jumping lanes and ignoring the angry honks of those falling behind. The words of our marketing professor at XLRI came back to me," Folks, positioning of a product is extremely critical to its success".

Honking reminds me of Advertising- We do see some 'loud' ads. When Santro xing was launched we had SRK zig-zagging on the road in the commercial. Only saving grace was that he did not honk. Well, the number of Santros that one sees emulating him and going a step ahead is amazing.Well these Santros not only zig-zag they also do it with a HONK. With little thought (or lot of thought?) they will just edge their car into your front wheels, and once you slow down, will position themselves in front of you. Reminds me of product launches... If the product is weak, you can still push it by loud advertising. Does not matter if the product fails subsequently, you have made your money now!!
The auto rickshaws and two-wheelers landing in front of you seemingly out of nowhere, remind me of the tele-marketers. They have a penchant for calling up just when you are in the middle of an important meeting or a hard earned nap on your weekly off.
As the days pass, i am keeping my mind open and learning more basics of marketing driving on the roads of Delhi.
Keep watching this space for more gyan.

Yet Another Lesson for Life from Golf

This one is for the consideration of all when looking for a change in your professional life.
The game of golf can be divided into three parts. The long, short and putting.
For the uninitiated, long is the portion when you tee-off and typically would use a driver, a 3-wood or a No.3 or 4 iron. The shots that you play after teeing-off on your way to the green could be construed as the short game. And lastly is putting. When you have arrived on the green and are seeking the ultimate pleasure that is the quest of every golfer, hole after hole. The sight of the ball rolling into the cup!
One needs to focus on all three types of shots to be effective on the course.
For a sub-350 yard, Par 4 hole, you would probably need a driver shot followed by a short iron to reach the green. But if your tee shot has gone awry, you got to play your next shot with great care. And you need to play a long shot. If a 9-iron is in order for the second shot, you may need to play a 7 or even a 5 if required. But you can always bounce back into the game.
So it is with life. If you a get a good start you can probably keep ahead by just sticking to the basics. But in case you have been through the 'woods' or the 'rough' and have fallen behind by a stroke or two, you have got to take calculated risks. This may mean taking a hard look at whatever you were doing and the manner of doing. You will find the answers. And i would recommend that do not only think-out-of-the-box, pick up the gauntlet of going right out of the box. If you have been in HR get into Marketing!! Besides achieving success you will also learn a few important lessons.
But it is important to know yourself. Your strengths and weaknesses. What you can do and what you won't. I am not using the word "can't" because anything can be done. It is only subservient to what values would you stand for? So do this analysis and keep inventing yourself. Success shall be yours. Always and everytime.
Having said that, just as putting is very important for finishing the game well, so it is with any assignment in life. You not only have to start well, do well in the interim, you have to finish the assignment in style too.
Do this and you shall have the joy of seeing the dimpled ball rolling into the cup again and again and again.

Hail Tricolour!!

The strains of 'Jan Gan Man' still give me goose pimples. The sight of the Tricolour, as it is slowly hoisted on the post sends adrenalin rushing through my veins. The cry of 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' fills my heart with immense pride.
Cut to the election scene and the talk of it, including symbolisms. Somewhere along the line saffron has become associated with a particular political party accused of a non-secular agenda. Green is associated with another religion. From my balcony, I was extremely distressed to see some saffron and green flags come up in the neighbouring colony on the roof-tops. Next day, the dimensions of the flags and the length of the posts had increased. This went on for a couple of days, till there were no roof-tops available. It was as if a proxy war is on.
Can we take a lesson from the national flag. It has saffron, white and green and they coexist as one piece of a larger symbol, our collective identity as a nation. They are of the same fabric and bound by the same cord. Aren't we also bound by common customs and traditions.
I have always wondered whether the 'sashtang pranam' or the process to be followed during 'namaz' had something to do with exercising the body along with the mind. It was heartening to read that researchers have established a link between the physical activity during prayers and Yoga.
Going back to the National flag, the flag-post signifies the issues faced by all of us, the citizens. We have to collaborate and surmount the difficulties and resolve the issues, if the flag has to fly high.
To sum up, besides valour,peace and prosperity, the three colours of the flag could also signify, in these sharply polarised times, all religions- equal, of the same fabric and forming part of a greater humanity.The cord signifies our languages, customs and traditions which bind us. The flag pole is the common denomination for all the problems that beset our nation and hamper its growth. If we are to mount the post,we have to pull the cord in the same direction. Look for similarities rather than differences.
Let us stop putting each other down, be honest with ourselves and not suppress our inner voice, our conscience. I think if each one of us did our bit, within our area of influence, the cumulative effect would be extremely rewarding for our children.

More Lessons for Life from Golf

Last two months have been a real treat. One has been able to play golf four times a week. The open air, thick canopy of leaves, verdant lush fairways, birds chirping and bumble-bees bumbling along and parking themselves on your ball just when you are about to take a shot.... o! its exhilirating.
And i specially looked forward to Saturdays and Sundays. These two days my ten year old would accompany me. She would advise me during the walk to the tee, would continue during the pre-shot routine and then carry out a detailed analysis of the shot while we looked for the ball in the woods. She had usurped the position of a 'coach' just because during one of our practice sessions, she had hit the ball better than me!!
Now this particular Saturday morning, it was a roller-coaster ride. I played very well on the first three holes and then the game went downhill. Would not get a tee-shot right, would slice the ball sending it flying into OB repeatedly... you know what i was going through.This went on till the seventh.
As we walked to the 8th tee, I was lamenting the day. Complaining, cursing. Having heard me, my daughter said," Dad you were so excited after the first three holes that you kept talking about those good shots and you were not focussing on the tee at 4th." "And after the 5th hole you have been only cribbing. Why don't you just play your game?"
I looked at her askance, wondered what she said and then the full import of her words hit me. She was telling me - do not rest on your laurels and do not be bogged down by setbacks. Each shot is a new shot. As the saying goes in golf - "You never play your previous shots".
So it is in life. One has to take each day as it comes and do your best on that day.

Lessons for life at Golf

Continuing my previous post about lessons for life from golf, there is yet another one i wish to talk about.
One day i was elated. had finished playing six holes and not lost a single ball. O boy, wait till my kids hear this!!
As i teed off on the 7th, it was draw shot and the ball went into the woods to the left. A second try produced the same result. Why can't i have a good day?!! Why does God heap misery on me only? I felt discriminated.
Feeling let down, i, along with the caddy went into the thicket. A few minutes and a couple of scratches later (thanks to the overhanging thorny branches), i was ready to give up. Even the permitted 'five minutes' of search were running out. And voila! what do i see. Two balls lying side by side on a thick pile of leaves. They were not the ones i had hit. But they were there alright. God giveth what he taketh away.
But more than the joy of finding the balls was the joy that God is not discriminating against me. He treats others just as well or badly.
In fact i consider myself fortunate that God has been very kind to me in life. Along with adversities he has always given me the courage to deal with them. And whenever he felt that i was wavering in my resolve to fight, he made things that much easier by sending a good samaritan along. Some help from an unexpected quarter. This would put me back on track to fight.
This incidence at golf taught me to have a deeper faith in God.

Lessons for life at Golf

When i first started playing golf, it would be quite frustrating. Select a club, line-up, a practice-swing and then the final swing. The club would go 'thud', hitting the ground and sending a huge chunk of turf flying and the ball would very reluctantly roll about ten yards before coming to a halt.
Thankfully over a period of time, one managed to earn the respect of the ball and it started travelling at least 50% of the desired distance. Yet it continued to exercise its own mind , because the direction was of its own choosing. But then that is what it turned out to be- a battle of minds. The ball's and mine.
Very soon it started obeying me with unfailing loyalty.
On the second hole i wondered if i would hit the ball into the trees to the left of the fairway. I banished this thought from my mind while i set up. Just as i was completing the back swing, the thought crept into my mind again. Most insiduously. Down came my club, up went the ball flying. What i had not realised that the ball had read my mind and did not want to disappoint me.So it went into the trees to the left of the fairway.
As i played more often, this story kept repeating itself. Into the water hazard on the 8th, into the trees or the water hazard, depending on what i thought on that day on the 13th, across the road on the 14th and so on.
I have not been able to establish the link between my mind and the ball, but it has happened. Again and again.
Then i thought, if the ball can go to the wrong places when i think of it, it should go to the right places too.
Let me try thinking of the right places for the ball to go. I would think of the ball landing right in the centre of the fairway or flying over a water hazard to land on the green. Lo and behold! It started happening that way. And now i am practising thinking like this more often.
When i came across Rhonda Byrne's 'The Secret' , i could draw astonishing parallels between what she has written about positive thinking and my experiences at the golf course.
It is all about the power of the mind. A very important lesson for life that i have learnt at golf.

Approach to learning

A positive approach to learning is very important. I was lucky to have been nominated for an Executive Management Programme for Defence officers at XLRI, Jamshedpur.

It was like multiple windows being opened for me. The committed faculty took great pains to open these windows of the mind. The closer one went to the windows, the more one could see outside. New perspectives towards life were gained. The insights that i gained into the minds of the Professors left me deeply humbled. There is so much to learn!!

True Gurus. Thank you Sirs.