Investor meet

Learn to be able to read things, plan them in your mind and bring out details which might later affect business.

Focus on few things and with full attention.

Take a stand, on the spot think how things might break or become better.

Strategy formulation exercise at work

Today we conducted the strategy formulation exercise at work for the coming half year. Following is what we did step by step:

Step 1: To make the process more inclusive we first started with asking each department to share their SWOT analysis. So each team send a SWOT analysis of their team

Step 2: Now we tried to understand the focus area of the company then by sitting with the founders and deciding the focus areas for the next 6 months.

Step 3: Once we had done that, we mapped the SWOT analysis of each team under the focus area.

Step4: Now to decide which ones to pick and which ones to Ignore.

For doing Step 2, we tried another approach to arrive at vision/action for the teams.
First was to find the current and desired state for the company and categorize it between Core, Delight and competitive advantage. Post that we did a SWOT of the current and future core to understand if we are on the right track or not. Having done that then we drive Actionable items from this.

Training function at Startup

 Yesterday, I was part of an excellent session regarding corporate training.
The trainer had excellent energy and enthusiasm about the things he was talking about. So following are some of the takeaways on how training helps build an organization:

1. Training has to be done for all levels and regularly.
2. Training as a team is as important or rather more important in setting up the processes
3. Training acts as a parallel team to operations and sales wherein they modify processes, train teams on new products and keep monitoring closely the operations
4. Trainers have stringent KRAs basically around quality
5. The line manager is only concerned about numbers and conversion, but how good the new team member is performing is a function of how well he has been trained.
6. Trainer supersedes the roles of an HR in terms of conducting the test for the team members and asserting if the person is eligible for going to the next level or should be promoted
7. Trainers understand/become the expert on the process themselves first and then they build training module for the org.

Process definition has to be simple, crisp and very specific. There should be no room for subjectivity.

Building a balanced scorecard

Last week, I was part of the balanced scorecard exercise conducted at my workplace. Since it is a startup so this was the first time such exercise was being done. Here is how the process worked out and things I could grasp:

1. Balanced scorecard had 4 broad heading. - Finance, Process, Customers, Learning
2. Define KRAs [Broad goals in words], Metric [how to measure the progress on those goals], Targets [actual targets].
3. Work with the CEO and define KRAs under each of these broad heading and respective metrics and targets. These KRA are overall company priorities for the year.
4.  Now, based on these, understand which other teams in the company will support in achieving each overall company KRA. This way, organizational priorities can trickle down to each team in the company.

We did the exercise till here now, it took us approximately 4 hrs for this work. From here we hope to do this (expected time = 20 hrs):

1. Identify all the teams in the company.
2. See which company goals do these teams contribute to. Apart from this, there will be some others and deeper goals each team will pursue.
3. Assign targets and % weights for each of these.
4. After teams, in a similar manner, this will drill down to each person in the organization.

S returns learnings

Be strong n determined

Don't be scared of people or things

Be a beacon of hope

How does he inspire his team n his team follows him blindfolded?

- by taking a stand that is moral

- batting for his team mates

- very clear policy n decision making

- everybody knows the character

New Job learning

Learning following things at the new job:
- In a meeting always go with a viewpoint i.e. what you represent or want to get out of the meeting. Only then you will get anything out of the meeting

-  Learn to think on the spot and ask questions
- Actively contribute to the discussion, take queues
- Dont just sit and smile sheepishly

Dhirubhai Ambani quotes

1. If you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs.
2. Think big, think fast, think ahead. Ideas are no one’s monopoly.
3. If you’re born poor it’s not your fault but if you die poor it’s your fault.
4. Our dreams have to be bigger. Our ambitions higher. Our commitment deeper. And our efforts greater.
5. Only when you dream it you can do it.

If you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs. ... read more on yourstory.com

If you don’t build your dream, someone else will hire you to help them build theirs. ... read more on yourstory.com

Dream lifestyle

Day 1: Wake up early in a seaside town on spanish coast.
Two hours: have breakfast and put your trades.
Three hours: roaming around and lunch.
Afternoon Two hours: Check trades and sleep
Evening: Roam around and party till late.

Spend some time writing
Enjoy a concert/music show
Meet locals
Sit in cafes
Sip wine and try out local cuisine


Day 5: A new city/new country.

Project Discover

Ebay Advertisement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkwp7OcHs6Y


For a moment lets forget who you are, what you like and dont like, what represents you or who are you as a person.
Once the inside is empty...then: Discover project

Lets start with simpler things -
1. Choose doing things which interest you and which do not.
2. Observe which ones stick and make you forget about time space continuum.

No judgement, no baggage if something does stick, Just try the next thing....keep trying

Go out there and find other stuff which you might like and find your world.

All the passions hobbies deep inside will slowly come out one after other

When you stopped remembering who you were, unknowingly you will start discovering who you can be

For 1 month: discover what you love doing, what you love wearing without caring who you were, keep trying new things, experimenting and always start simple.
Rule of thumb: whatever you do repeatedly without forcing is what you love doing :)

New things to love and be passionate about..surprise, shock and discover yourself.

Learning from Outsourced

Todd - Good natured, friendly, be upfront and take the problem headon.
Gupta - Confidant and do not care for what people think of you
MM - confidant, cheerful and boisterous
Tonya - Sharp, competitive and smart

India Vs SA, Semifinal, WT20 2014

Today India was chasing a big target i.e. 170 in a crucial match. Following is some learning i got from the runchase:

1. Kohli: He loves challenges. Bigger the target more determined he is and more effort he puts. In his mind he knows it can be achieved. Don't be afraid of the challenge, simple life will not become a legend. Be bold and face challenges. Be confidant that you are up for the challenge. Never bow down.

2. Know that it is a long term game and you will get a number of occasions to hit sixes. Do not panic, if those are not coming right now.

Play to win and not just survive or give a fight. Play to win.

Practicing Negotiation skills

Preparing for Negotiation

1. Understand what are their negotiating points
2. Think through what they will set as the price
3. Build couple of probable price scenarios

Starting Negotiation

1. Start with setting a high expectation from your side - If that is totally out of line, the other party will end the discussion. Else they will play try to coax you to come down.
2. Then divide the offer into its components
3. Talk about each component and try to maximize it. Back up with numbers wherever possible.
- start with the component most important for you and you want to maximize. 

4. At no point, out rightly agree with the other party
5. Try to show that you have agreed to something they wanted to they owe you more somewhere

6. Practice it with somebody to bring out problems.

Bezos style of working

http://www.forbes.com/sites/georgeanders/2012/04/04/inside-amazon/3/

1. Be aggressive in your thinking
2. Have a strong customer focused thinkin.
3. For managing a tech team, give them a goal/deadline and let them figure out how to do it.
4. Business metrics should refer be designed based on customer satisfaction.
5. Spartan living and simple thinking.

lessons from V's no promo at infy

Following are some of the learning from my lecture:

1. Believe in yourself and trust that you deserve better.
2. You deserve better because you can work harder, smarter and faster than your peers.

3. Decide on what you want to become or be remembered as and then jump into it with so much rigour that the world remembers it.

4. When everyone with you is at the same level, the one who is more hungry/passionate/energetic/wanting..he will get furthest ahead. Rest will tread along and do just fine.

5. Don't be upset cos your peers achieved something. Don't change something cos your peers did that. Think of your life independently and judge what will be best for you !!

Career Growth: Bansal talk

Spoke to my friend Bansal and concluded some of the following learning regarding career growth:

- Have to get confidence that I can take up something and do extra ordinarily well in it.

- Confidence to command the respect and good work

- worry only about doing good work. Remaining you can rest assured, good things will happen.

Learning from VicDon

Be strong

Never fearing 

Never in low voice

Be loud and clear

Have fun

Always be on top

Take independent decision

Do not think too much. Take life more lightly and happily. 

Gravity Queen

Gravity:

Always have a second support plan in place.

Queen:

Be genuine and compassionate
Be happy and spread that around you
Support and help people
Most importantly - have fun, step out of your comfort zone and explore the world !

Career decision on March 5th

I was doing market research on hotels tonight mobile app idea. Realized that there are people who are already started this but they are not far out ahead of me. Still i realized that my main problems are in marketing something. So what is the guarantee that after spending 2-3 lacs and getting all the setup in place i will be able to sell it?
And then going back to the other ideas i realized the reason i had left them was precisely the same thing that I was not able to market them properly and couldnt generate response. On some i had spent money too. And then there was an idea on which already development has happened and it just needs to be marketed. There is a market and there is revenue for that and just it requires marketing. thats when i thought why not spend my energies there and build it and get my marketing abilities improved.

So that's the career decision i followed, that i will not be somebody who gives up when faced with a problem. I want to improve myself and make things better. Lets see if I can do that and get confidence out of it.

Learnings weekend march 1&2

Saw:

Poirot: be graceful, very observant, keen sighted, 

A separation: take care of your family, control yourself 

Valentines day: be nice and be genuine

Peaceful warrior: focus your mind

Marley and me: family is important, make people around u feel special !!, love n care unconditionally

Life is limited. Have to make the most of it.

LIfe and work lessons from Senior executive

Things essential for professional success:

1. Don't let perfection get in the way of good. get the product ready and launch with 80% good. Get the product out and look to improve it as you go along.

2. Timely communication and responding. does not necessarily mean you delivering product. it just means setting good expectations.

3. Always put yourself in customer's shoes.

4. Doesn't cost anything to be nice. you are person who come to when they want to work, when they need help. this is the cheapest invest you can have.

5. when requesting information, always understand what is the use of it, purpose of it etc.

6. Know your audience. what you are speaking and communicating. Take care of your jargon, context, setting expectation. Find ways to connect with them.

7. Never more than 3 email exchanges. Pick up the phone its more efficient. use email to document things.

IMP for any work:
a. Setting and receiving crisp expectations. Managing expectation.
b. Now execute on the expectation. Communicate if you can not execute or by when you can execute
c. Exceed expectations. As often as you can.

Process Automation Thinking

Couple of days back I interviewed for a process automation position within the organization with a Vice President. The interview went its own course but made me pick up couple of interesting point on the way.

Most of them are regarding managing processes and running systems:

1. The system should be designed in such a way that it should work as independently as possible. It should have minimum dependencies on other processes and most essential on manual triggers.

2. Technology is the biggest leveler and enabler. Use technological advancements to your benefit by tweaking them to help manage your process.

3. Whenever designing a system, process, planning - always as this: if tomorrow the system were to handle 10 times the current volume, there should not be 10 times more error or 10 times more manpower required. If you are able to do this, then the system is successful.

Weekend Learnings Feb 8 & 9th

Saw: The blind side, Jack Reaper in the movies.

Learning:  Good things will happen if you put in the hardwork. Do not give up.

2nd and more important learning: Like Micheal in the blind side, do not take things for granted or that you deserve it. Since he had nothing before meeting Leigh, so he takes care of anything he gets. For example, food on Thanksgiving - he eats it on table, blankets on couch -  he folds them properly, he never resists studying or practicing more and harder. So i think the lesson is that we should nt take anything for granted and more so, consider everything donated (gifted) to us, learn to keep it well, safe and take care of it. Appreciate these small things in life and be happy that you have them.

Goal of life is to be happy. In whatever situations and circumstances. There are a lot of ways to think about any situation. Think about it in a way that makes you accept it and move on in life. The more you are stuck, the more it will haunt you from being happy. Happiness is a state of mind. try to be in that state of mind. There will be distractions, there will be conflicts but if you know you have to accept those and be happy, then you will be happy.

What if there is something else which makes you happy and you do not have that right now? Well in that case, are you sure you know when you will have it. If you are not sure then its better to accept what you have and be happy. You are already better off than majority of people having those things.

But does that mean we should not strive for anything? Change anything or work on improving or being a better self? Being happy is different from being ambitious or being perfect. That's is what makes you wake up in the morning. That is what keeps your hunger alive. You do not eat only to be happy. Your primary motive to eat is to satisfy the hunger. Similarly, your primary motive to work, learn, grow is to satisfy a hunger for becoming rich, becoming famous, becoming knowledgeable. Yes, it will make you happier once you have satisfied your hunger but it doesn't mean you can't be happy with what you have.

So be happy and stay hungry.

Lessons from Senior Executive Seminar

Attended a seminar by the senior leadership of the company the other day. It was really inspiring. Some of the lessons learnt:

Regarding giving a good seminar and presentation:

1. Ask what the people are expecting from this seminar, take aways
2. Be cheerful, crack a few jokes on yourself
3. Presenting accelerators, ensure you set the context, why you are doing this, who else has done it in the industry.
4. Share your motivations of being there
5. Ask the name of the person contributing from the audience.
6. Mark: Show why this is the best place to be in the world.
7. Excite about the company and the work.
8. Show future opportunities, take examples of some people who make it really big
Regarding the work, life and decision making:
1. Think well before you join a firm, the reason for doing work
2. Develop a keen sense of business understanding wherein you fill in gaps/unknown parts and create/understand the big picture yourself. Requires really fast and out of the box thinking.
3. See beyond the words, what is not being told.
4. Understand the psyche of the other person who is talking by being observant and thoughtful.
5. Read and consume Annual reports, educate yourself to understand how companies work and what makes them click. The secret sauce of how things get done.

Learning from Product Demos.

Yesterday there were detailed product demos where each product manager was presenting their product in the 30 minutes slot given to them. Some of the Dos and Don'ts which I picked up from that session were:

Do's:
1. Keep a flat and strong voice, everybody can hear comfortably
2. Keep the tempo slow so that everybody can understand. You can speak slightly slower and with modulation in your tone.
3. Have less content on slide and more figures or diagram to show thereby making presenting easier.
4. Always helps to mention what you are planning to cover and going to present?
5. Have an agenda at the beginning and time taken for each item.
6. Have a demo scenario and highlight the points taken from that scenario.
7. For showing change, show before and after analysis

8. Make a demo video/ppt instead of showing application.

Don'ts:
1. Should not say "..aahh.." or take long pauses. Speak slow and ensure you have the speech practiced before.
2. Do not speak numbers or figures without showing on the slides.
3. Do not shift too many screens

Quick analysis

Today was reading the Stanford week of some students. I wanted to be part of their life or lead their life. Reverse engineering the feeling, I realised that because of following things I want to be in their shoes:

1. Decide their own course of action and day

2. High flier - meeting big people, attending seminars, brainstorming, always active and involved.

3. Hopes of a brighter n financially better future.

Now knowing this, can I project these in my life. I think very easily.

1. Got to be doing something of my own or quickly reaching a place where I can do stuff at my pace

2. I think I am already doing that. Have to consciously believe in that. I am in fact doing real work of getting startups off the ground.

3. Need to plan n build qualities for a better financial future. Lets see.

In fact, mine can be better as I don't have that big a loan, already have a job, though have a smaller chance of expanding my circle.