I have a six year old. And like most six year olds, he spends most of the time in front of the television. Watching cartoon shows from across the world and across generations – Japanese cartoons to Disney toons. Ones that I recognize and ones that I don’t.
All of them dubbed in Hindi. Chaste Hindi. As a result, his spoken Hindi has improved to unimaginable levels. He uses words that we don’t generally use at home and sounds really, really cute when he talks in this strangely formal manner.
He also recognizes jingles, characters, categories and brands and also probably knows the perceived benefits that these brands offer.Simply fascinating to see how quickly kids get into brands without even realizing it.
And oh, by the way, he is addicted to thumb sucking. Given a choice he would keep at it all day and all night long. So, as responsible parents, we are always admonishing him for this habit. “Stop thumb-sucking.” “Don’t suck your thumb.” “No thumb-sucking beta……”
Coming back to brands, the two of us were chatting – at the dinner table – about a product category that has been the subject of his fascination for the past couple of years – Carbonated Cola drinks.
I don’t remember how we got talking about this but I do remember me asking him to describe it. With a twinkle in his eyes and big smile on his face he described the experience. ‘It’s cold’, he said, ‘and gives a shock when you drink it’.
I grinned at this very appropriate description in the words of a little boy. I pushed him a little further to see if he could distinguish the brands.
‘Coke’, he said as his first choice, thereby confirming that it is not for nothing that Coke is the biggest brand in the universe.
‘Thepsi’ was the second brand that he recalled. Fair enough, I thought to myself. If Reebok for kids can be Weebok, why can’t Pepsi for kids be Thepsi?
But my little one was not yet finished. He then went on to describe his favourite cola. The one that gives him the most delight. One that he prefers over Coke or Thepsi because he just loves the taste.
‘Thumbs Suck’ is his favourite cola. He could not understand why I was on the floor rolling with laughter but I will make it a point to share this with Ramesh Chauhan the next time I meet him, assuring him that his iconic brand is safe in the hands of the next generation.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Endangered Species
The census results are out and looks like the “Punjab di Kudi” is on the verge of extinction.
Shame on Punjab and Haryana for the female infanticide.
Shame on Punjab and Haryana for the female infanticide.
World Cup Ads
Companies will be paying 24 lacs for a 10 second spot during the world cup finals tomorrow.
Looking at this from my company’s lens, money for just one 10 second spot can help build a school that can provide education to a thousand students.
Year after year after year.
Looking at this from my company’s lens, money for just one 10 second spot can help build a school that can provide education to a thousand students.
Year after year after year.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Too Big to Fail
Reading this fantastic book by Andrew Ross Sorkin. Set in 2007-08, it provides a detailed blow by blow account of how the economic crisis unfolded.
The interesting thing here is that the book focuses more on the human aspect of the story - the hectic parleys, the long hours spent hammering out deals, the negotiations between the companies on the brink of failure as well as what the government was doing/not doing to manage the crisis.
It is an unputdownable thriller and not at all a geeky book. Anyone with the slightest interest in the economy, business, leadership and crisis management will immensely enjoy reading the book.
The interesting thing here is that the book focuses more on the human aspect of the story - the hectic parleys, the long hours spent hammering out deals, the negotiations between the companies on the brink of failure as well as what the government was doing/not doing to manage the crisis.
It is an unputdownable thriller and not at all a geeky book. Anyone with the slightest interest in the economy, business, leadership and crisis management will immensely enjoy reading the book.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Intuitive Technology
The other day one of the people at work approached me with a very important document that was to be presented later in the day to an important audience. There were several changes required in the document and I proceeded to tell the employee all the changes that I wanted in the document.
At the very last moment, I also commented that the document had been stapled incorrectly and went on to show her the way in which I wanted it to be stapled. A colleague sitting next to me was watching the whole thing grinned and made a sarcastic remark saying that he had no problems in looking at any document that was stapled in whatever way.
This triggered a thought in me. Was I being an ass or was there more to my spontaneous remark? I could not help but link my observation to something that goes by the name of intuitive technology.
Ever wondered why they have ridges on bags of potato chips? So that you can tear open the bag without using your teeth! Then there are camera tripods that one can operate without even bothering to refer to the manual. Or the “file flow process” of a loan application which seamlessly flows from one function to another without people having to think too much.
Websites that use intuitive technology have buttons and links at the most likely places making them easy to navigate.
The more I thought about this, the more I was convinced that what seems so easy and intuitive happens after a lot of research on things like time and motion study. You sit down and explore all possible options of doing the same thing – say opening a packet of chips. What becomes the industry standard is the easiest most convenient (and also the most cost effective) way of doing it. Engineers study such concepts in subjects like Value Engineering. Business Process Re-engineering too has a similar objective – to make things simpler, remove non value adding steps and to make things at a certain level intuitive.
So then, intuitive technology itself is not intuitive. One has to go through a grind to come up with things that we don’t even think while doing. Which is why, if I ask someone to staple the pages in such a way that it helps the reader turn the pages in an intuitive manner, am I asking for too much?
At the very last moment, I also commented that the document had been stapled incorrectly and went on to show her the way in which I wanted it to be stapled. A colleague sitting next to me was watching the whole thing grinned and made a sarcastic remark saying that he had no problems in looking at any document that was stapled in whatever way.
This triggered a thought in me. Was I being an ass or was there more to my spontaneous remark? I could not help but link my observation to something that goes by the name of intuitive technology.
Ever wondered why they have ridges on bags of potato chips? So that you can tear open the bag without using your teeth! Then there are camera tripods that one can operate without even bothering to refer to the manual. Or the “file flow process” of a loan application which seamlessly flows from one function to another without people having to think too much.
Websites that use intuitive technology have buttons and links at the most likely places making them easy to navigate.
The more I thought about this, the more I was convinced that what seems so easy and intuitive happens after a lot of research on things like time and motion study. You sit down and explore all possible options of doing the same thing – say opening a packet of chips. What becomes the industry standard is the easiest most convenient (and also the most cost effective) way of doing it. Engineers study such concepts in subjects like Value Engineering. Business Process Re-engineering too has a similar objective – to make things simpler, remove non value adding steps and to make things at a certain level intuitive.
So then, intuitive technology itself is not intuitive. One has to go through a grind to come up with things that we don’t even think while doing. Which is why, if I ask someone to staple the pages in such a way that it helps the reader turn the pages in an intuitive manner, am I asking for too much?
Monday, August 3, 2009
Lease or Ownership?
Some people behave as if they own the Earth.
It is their own property to do as they please. Abuse it, pollute it, dirty it. Take everything for granted. After all, they own it, right? And nobody is going to take it away from them.
On the other hand there are others who realise that their time on this planet is nothing but a long term lease.
At various points in life I have lived in my own house and in a rented house. And recently I have had the experience of leasing out my house to a family. I’ve seen both sides. As tenants, we have always gone out of the way to make sure that the house is in the same pristine condition. After all, who wants anyone to point fingers saying that we have not been responsible as tenants?
I extend this logic to our time on this planet. This is indeed a term lease and we all will have to vacate this place one day. And it is our responsibility to make sure that we keep Mother Earth in the same, if not better condition which we inherited.
But who is the equivalent of the landlord in this case to ask questions? Who else but our children...
It is their own property to do as they please. Abuse it, pollute it, dirty it. Take everything for granted. After all, they own it, right? And nobody is going to take it away from them.
On the other hand there are others who realise that their time on this planet is nothing but a long term lease.
At various points in life I have lived in my own house and in a rented house. And recently I have had the experience of leasing out my house to a family. I’ve seen both sides. As tenants, we have always gone out of the way to make sure that the house is in the same pristine condition. After all, who wants anyone to point fingers saying that we have not been responsible as tenants?
I extend this logic to our time on this planet. This is indeed a term lease and we all will have to vacate this place one day. And it is our responsibility to make sure that we keep Mother Earth in the same, if not better condition which we inherited.
But who is the equivalent of the landlord in this case to ask questions? Who else but our children...
Delayed Flights and Managing People
I am sitting at an airport and my flight has been delayed by over two hours. With a patchy net connectivity, I don’t even have the choice of surfing the net. With nothing better to do, I decide to put my mind to do something that we seldom do – think. Somehow, my mind focuses on a topic very close to my heart – Leading people. As my thoughts crystallize, I get this sudden urge to document the thoughts in the form of bullet points.
• It is very important to select the right candidates for any job. A poor performer will directly impact your own performance.
• It is better to select people with the required competencies rather than hoping that one would be able to train people on the job.
• Selecting the right candidates is as important as selecting right clients. Once the chaff comes in, it makes matters very difficult.
• Having a cheerful temperament and enthusiasm is important but is not the only criteria on which one gets selected.
• It is necessary to have a rigorous interviewing process and select the best possible candidates.
• Ask lots of questions. And listen hard to the responses.
• Leading and Managing people is the most important job at any supervisory level. Spend at least half of your time doing this.
• This is one job that just cannot be delegated.
• The acid test is whether the employee has confidence in sharing his problems/dark secrets with you and trusts your intent and ability to resolve his problems.
• Leading by example is one of the best ways of leading a team to success. Set high standards for oneself.
• It is impossible to empathize with the problems of your team if you don’t get your hands dirty and live their life.
• There is a thin line between delegating and relinquishing control. Recognize it.
• When a team member needs help to perform better, offer specific tangible help as compared to global statements. He will be yours for life.
• Avoid forming impressions about people early on. It is very difficult to change one’s impression once it gets formed.
• As teams get larger, people who do not have a direct contact with you will depend only on your impression about them. This could make or break careers.
• Supervisors who do not get their hands dirty get information about team members only through their sources. It is necessary for the supervisors to ascertain the biases of their sources.
• Most people, most of the time want to work hard and grow in an organization. Always remember this when judging people.
• When two people get into a work related conflict, make sure both sides are heard. It always, always helps.
• In a work related conflict situation or working on the attitude of a team member or addressing the lack of performance of an employee, try to resolve the problem yourself first. Escalate only after your efforts don’t work.
• Senior officers of a company have the biggest influence to shape someone’s future. They also have the least information about these very people. Stay in direct contact with people.
• It is very important to select the right candidates for any job. A poor performer will directly impact your own performance.
• It is better to select people with the required competencies rather than hoping that one would be able to train people on the job.
• Selecting the right candidates is as important as selecting right clients. Once the chaff comes in, it makes matters very difficult.
• Having a cheerful temperament and enthusiasm is important but is not the only criteria on which one gets selected.
• It is necessary to have a rigorous interviewing process and select the best possible candidates.
• Ask lots of questions. And listen hard to the responses.
• Leading and Managing people is the most important job at any supervisory level. Spend at least half of your time doing this.
• This is one job that just cannot be delegated.
• The acid test is whether the employee has confidence in sharing his problems/dark secrets with you and trusts your intent and ability to resolve his problems.
• Leading by example is one of the best ways of leading a team to success. Set high standards for oneself.
• It is impossible to empathize with the problems of your team if you don’t get your hands dirty and live their life.
• There is a thin line between delegating and relinquishing control. Recognize it.
• When a team member needs help to perform better, offer specific tangible help as compared to global statements. He will be yours for life.
• Avoid forming impressions about people early on. It is very difficult to change one’s impression once it gets formed.
• As teams get larger, people who do not have a direct contact with you will depend only on your impression about them. This could make or break careers.
• Supervisors who do not get their hands dirty get information about team members only through their sources. It is necessary for the supervisors to ascertain the biases of their sources.
• Most people, most of the time want to work hard and grow in an organization. Always remember this when judging people.
• When two people get into a work related conflict, make sure both sides are heard. It always, always helps.
• In a work related conflict situation or working on the attitude of a team member or addressing the lack of performance of an employee, try to resolve the problem yourself first. Escalate only after your efforts don’t work.
• Senior officers of a company have the biggest influence to shape someone’s future. They also have the least information about these very people. Stay in direct contact with people.
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