Sunday Posts

Today is the first day of rest of my life. I have written this line before, and write it again now. This quote, whoever it is from, is some kind of tag line that describes how I live fairly well.  It is true that I feel like being at an inflection point. I have lived far too long in a survival mode, licking my wounds for a past adventure and unsure of when and what I should embark on next. As it always comes with failure, I had the endless re-run of the past in my mind - if only I did that - but also what Emily Dickinson would call 'precarious gait', experience, that told me I am not ready yet. But, then, one is always ready. The sense of failure that I describe, a combination of re-runs and caution, is too attached to living a past life. Life, however, is lived forwards, and the secret of being ready, as this very moment signify, is to stop living what has been lived, and start living what is to be lived from this point on. This is not about wiping out any memory, bu...

I have always been a great admirer of Howard Gardner's work, and therefore, my views of the abilities required for the future is indeed informed by his formulation of the Five Minds - the Disciplined Mind, the Synthesising Mind, the Creative Mind, the Respectful Mind and the Ethical Mind. To put it simply, these are the five cognitive abilities and/or ways of being Professor Gardner thinks are necessary for a professional of the future. It is quite a departure from the 3 Rs, Reading, 'Riting, 'Rithmetic, that I grew up with, and like many of Professor Gardner's other work, this indeed seems intuitively correct. However, while thinking about these Five Minds, it is perhaps important for me to think what these means for me, and how I shall further develop these abilities and skills. And, only as I do so, I can start translating some of these ideas into my practise - develop five minded professionals through my various educational projects.  Disciplined Mind ...

I need a meta-theory to explain whatever happened in my professional life, as I reach another decision point, where, yet again, I have to do some explaining for what happened so far. When I narrate the story of my career, which is a sequence of several mini-careers, it appears like a dance than a journey, the usual metaphor most people would be comfortable with. I moved vertically, did things which seemed like going back on time, took risks commonly deemed unacceptable, and mostly lived on the brink. I may have achieved too little, reached the right place often too early, and preached, to those who cared, a view too antiquated. Someone, who was my Line Manager for several years, told me that I was the most intelligent person she ever worked with, but I should be mindful that intelligence is a double-edged sword: The wisdom of her words is beginning to dawn on me only now. There is one easy explanation of my relationship with work: That I sought meaning. I was motivated by the stor...

It is one of those moments: I am tired of my rusty old self and want to make a fresh start. So, no mid-life crisis for me. That would be against the principles I grew up with: Never mind the difficulties, keep working and things will happen to you. Sort of thing my grandfather, who built a successful business from the scratch, would have approved. He went by some sort of Asian value - 'the man who rises up before dawn 360 days a year, never fails to make his family rich' - but this may as well pass by the name of 'protestant work ethic'. But, whatever it is, it serves me well. Despite the inescapable ups and downs, recessions and all that, it helps to keep my head down and keep moving. This is what I am doing right now. I had to write off my last few years of work, relationships and all that, and make a fresh start. But that was okay: I could condition myself to think that my life is starting afresh and I must be humble enough to absorb the difficulties and keep my mind...

I am currently working on structuring the Leadership training initiative I spoke about before. The more I look at the possibility, I feel more passionately about it. The more people I speak to, I become aware of the need for a catalytic change that we need in India, and the desperate need for a generation of rainmakers who will bring this about. For all the myths about mechanical industrial progress, the leadership that England attained in the Nineteenth century, or what United States achieved in the Twentieth, did not come about purely through the tweaks of the government policy. It was not even pure greed of the entrepreneurs, coupled with an advantageous Geo -political condition and military muscle, that brought about a sustained change in the society. The transformation needed intellectual leadership, experimentation and a commitment to better the lives of all countrymen by a few. India, while it is making great strides in creating wealth for those in the city, still lacks those l...

I am not yet in Christmas mode. Really. I still have a very busy six weeks to go. In fact, these last six weeks appear all important - as important as the last few pages of a novel - where a conclusion must be reached. So, I am not in a summary mode yet. However, I have indeed reached a moment of reflection - a point when I can look back a bit and start thinking what I learnt [and what I still haven't] - which may make these final six weeks more meaningful and interesting. Contrary to my previous expectations, 2009 did not turn out to be my worst year yet. Instead, it was, like for many people across the world, a lost year. In my life, if it did not happen, it almost would not have mattered. That is a frank admission - I almost sleepwalked through the year, expecting that things would be worse than it actually turned out to be. So, I gained nothing and am standing, at the end of the year, where I was twelve months back. I can easily project back to a year back - the days before 26/...

I could not write for last ten days. Considering my obsession with this blog, that's a long time of not writing. And, though I was busy, the reason for not being able to write was not my schedule, but the fact that I have started writing seriously. Holy cow! Suddenly, I realized writing a blog is a very public show. While it is as exciting to be invisible and nude in the public at the same time, it starts getting serious when I am upgrading my writing as a serious hobby. Something I wish to pursue, that is, with a little more effort. Besides, I am told that my writing is too verbose. By more than one person. And, that it put them off. Suddenly, I have this load on my head - thoughts on how I can make my writing more interesting. Pretending can be a lot of burden, and my pretensions have at last caught up with me. So, the world comes full circle. I started writing this blog as a sort of 'morning pages', attempting to practise writing and sending off writers' block f...

I am now through with what has been an extremely demanding visit - to India - during which I got caught inside general strikes, a sudden flu, some very unpleasant business transactions, and yet, going back with a fair amount of hope and optimism. This visit was an eye-opener, unusually quiet in a sense, allowing me more than average time to reflect on what I am planning to do, and what I wish to do. I also got the feeling that with age, some amount of maturity, shall we say realism, is also seeping into my character, and where none existed before, this is indeed a welcome change. Last two years have been quite an experience in my life. Never before I was expected to rely on my own personal abilities so much. It was the nearest thing to entrepreneurial existence I ever got to, in terms of brinksmanship, though not in terms of freedom. My abilities, along with the commitment to remain ethical, fair and open was constantly tested, and the highest amount of personal sacrifice was constant...

I am feeling free. Yes, that liberating feeling that lets you be your best. That's very me, indeed, nothing much had to change in the real world to make me feel this lightness, almost unbearable. It is not that a gate had opened yesterday. It is like the feeling of being able to swim, when the sea goes beneath you rather than being on top of you. Or, is the comparison with air more apt, for this is a flighty feeling. But the lightness, as if I am being carried, is like that of swimming, not of flying; and so is this choice that I can just be still - still as in unmoved - and enjoy the moment of lightness. Is Ireland doing that to me? I was in County Fermanagh for most of last week, staying up at Anne's. Working indeed, but literally setting my mind free to question all old assumptions. As if I got a new slate to draw on. And, indeed, I did draw on a new slate, questioning why we do what we do and finally coming up with a plan that makes far more sense than pushing the wall poi...

I was told, by a well-advised friend, that I have a disease. Attention Deficiency Disorder, it is called. I found it very appropriate, and laughed - only to be told that it is indeed a disease and needs medical attention. I found myself in a rather silly position where I mistook a serious statement as a joke [though I much prefer it than doing the other way round] - I did not even know that there is a disease with such a normal sounding name, and was further enlightened that there were many great men and women, including Paris Hilton, whose greatest achievement was to reach the tabloid centrefolds on both sides of the Atlantic, had the privilege of having this disease. I was also told that if someone is already rich and successful, it is indeed delightful to have such a disease [provided one can employ a diligent lawyer without any trace of distraction and keep oneself covered by a permanent pre-nupital agreement and avoid costly divorces], but not so if one's working class, like m...

I am back from Ireland with a very positive mindset. That's a rarity these days for me, especially after I decided to leave the current employment no matter what happens by the end of August. As some friends and well-wishers reminded me - we are in the middle of one of the worst recessions in a lifetime and walking out of a job isn't the cleverest thing one should do at this time. But then, to state the obvious, time is more valuable than money. To quote Edmund Wilson, there is nothing more demoralizing than a small but adequate income. One can waste a lifetime just being contented, being in a box, recession or no recession. And, so, I must do what I must do, because it's time has come. Why must I move on - I was thinking for a moment last week - when I was sitting with my MD and he was describing the grand vision he had for our International business. He was indeed sincere, speaking from the heart, and was talking about what he wanted to achieve. He is indeed a brilliant m...

I have again lost track of my 100 day plans, but it does not matter anymore. I am clearly at an end now - which means a new beginning for my kind of people - my patience running thin, and my enthusiasm surging ahead. At precisely the wrong time to start a business, when one predicts the British economy is deeply hit by this recession, when Gordon Brown is floundering at the top and the nation's morale could not be any worse, I am raring to go. This is possibly because I am forty. I got the sense of urgency back in my life with that magic moment of Birthday - or should I call it rebrithday - which opened an window for me to re-see everything, everything including myself. I am still killing time. Killing time is just an essential part of middle class life, it is as if we wait for our retirement benefits are handed over to us, that we don't seem to find an escape route easily. But, I am tired - let me go. There were momentus decisions to be taken. Like, on my future in Indian poli...

I am now focused on next three months, the period ending 31st August, beyond which a new phase of life will eventually become. Those who know me know that I thrive on these three month periods - something programmed in me by the quarterly cycles of my earlier employers and practised since on my own initiative, in a rounded 100-day review cycles. This comes naturally to me, setting objectives which are medium term and allow a bit of breathing space and my characteristic patience, but not too far that no meaningful effort can not start today. As I start this, my agenda is more or less set. As I write, my application is being reviewed by the Home Office for an Indefinite Leave to Remain in Britain. If this comes through, and I shall know by today end, this will mark an end of a five year long project, when I stayed in this country, in the middle of various restrictions and meeting various odd and awkward criteria, to go through the process of settlement. Indeed, I wanted to experience how...

After I set down the categories, it was much easier for me to focus on things and starting to get things done. I have worked a bit on all of the areas. Booked my Life in the UK exam for 13 th of May, and pushed myself into studying. It does not look complicated at this time. The sale of our centre progressed modestly, at least the discussion progressed too. I am now being asked to file a daily activity report, which I hate, but this shows me how little my company understood the nature of my work and why this whole thing is running towards abyss at a breakneck speed. But anyway, I am very good at passivity, and this is what they will get. I shall do everything they ask for, but take no new initiative myself. Of course, I still have the accountability to our customers and I must carry this out properly. But I must admit, this is a terrible bind. I should resign and go away now, immediately, as my mind is not into it and I am not doing justice to my work, but I can see that everything wi...

I am a sort of a culture enthusiast, or so I have become in last few years. The reason is rather obvious: I chose to live in a different country and the culture issues affect my daily life. This exposure allowed me to explore the academic literature on culture at work, and what I found both impressed and scared me. I have been selling internationally for many years now but have never known the nuances of various cultures. And, this is not just about choosing the right word or behaving properly: I understood that this is about the whole way of thinking and behaving. With many Indian companies going global now, and more dealing, or attempting to deal with, International clients and their customers, this must be a huge issue to be tackled. Indeed, I have seen this gem of a movie called Outsourced, which takes one through the life of an American manager forced to live in India. While this fictional rendering is of enormous value, the practical aspects of culture at work needs to be explore...