Business to the Buddha

Tag: Business

  • Faith







    “Gamblers are the biggest believers!” Prof Mankad told this to me. He asked “who do you think are the biggest believers? They have faith, next time… if not this time one more time, next time fortune will be mine. They believe that one next time; they have faith.”

    When I heard this, I promised Professor Mankad that I’ll learn the games played in gambling. This is seemingly contrary to what we have heard – gambling is not a good thing! On the other hand gamblers can be the biggest believers in the world! I wonder if there is a God he must be sitting in some casino and helping someone make fortune! Isn’t it?

    I had been thinking of writing a blog on our that small piece of chat, and I received this small story – modified a bit.

    FaithBar

    There was a town; often visited by many traders and nearby villagers during the weeks for all sorts of trade. In that town there was a church, but no bars. A person saw an opportunity seeing many visitor in town but bar. Hoping that after a tiring day people would come and just chill in the bar; so quenching thrust with booze was huge business case! However, this person could find a place only opposite the lone church of the town! He started his business there.

    Church

    People from all walks of life visited his bar, not only after a tiring day in the market but also after their prayers and other casual visits to the Church. Earlier only Church used to a common meeting place for town dwellers as well as for villagers from far and wide. Now the bar had taken over. The church was a serious matter and bars were for fun and frolic. Even for heart broken people it was a place to forget the pains. The heart broken had route as – message to Gods in the church with emotional stories, after the painful saga go to the Bar for comforting oneself. The church authorities were pained with this challenge from a competitor just under the nose. They prayed daily against the bar. As fate could have it, the prayers were heard sooner rather than later – the bar was struck by lightning and caught fire.

    Bar owner sued the church for the cause, as an action by their prayer. The church authorities denied all responsibility!

    So, the judge commented – “…its difficult to decide the case because here we have a bar owner who believes in the power of prayer and an entire church that doesn’t believe in it.!!!”

    At times you find somethings at the most unexpected place!

    Disclaimer & sources – The author does not intend to hurt any sentiments, and does not question the authority of the churches [he has his STRONG opinions though]. The author does not want to claim any Intellectual Property Rights – Copyright – to the story [even though he has modified the story].

    Images [used for purpose of representation only] source

    Church – http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/St._Andrew%27s_Forane_Church_of_Arthunkal.jpg

    Bar – http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/NfRrEUz62Lw/hqdefault.jpg

  • Special situation needs special solution







    Crisis unites, for how long? I was thinking about Quantitative Easing of Fed in the US. While thinking undoubtedly read G20 communique of 2009 e.g. London Summit here. A prologue about this communique. In 2008, US financial market collapsed. This resulted in domino effect across geographies. Every country, its financial system and thus citizen of the country were adversely affected. Do not ask me – what happened to those who were responsible for this collapse? Many of them made huge money and (almost) vanished! as – according to the books – they earned legitimately. Coming back to the point – otherwise a competitive world became a co-operative world. The mindset changed like this –

    “…We will conduct all our economic policies cooperatively and responsibly with regard to the impact on other countries and will refrain from competitive…” (source – London Summit communique para 12).

    I am forced to think – do we need crisis to unite the world and people?

    The thought is in the mind because now, when things seem to be fine with the US economy or may be just because US Fed wants to reduce burden on its balance sheet they came up with a solution of QE and rest of the world feels US is renaging the agreement/communique.

    I assume, we may go in another set of moderate crisis in coming time, we have not come out of the crisis completely. However, perhaps, this time world would have lesser belief on Govts, financial system and the cooperation as agreed by the leaders, economists and Financial Organizations.

    The trust deficit we live in – or we will live in – requires special measure. A special situation demand a special solution. Since, I am more of an spiritual person I feel the solution is moving towards spirituality. This can be done two ways – bringing spiritual lessons in corporate life or making corporate values resonate, implemented and executed spiritual life. Signing a document does not solve problem in long term – we are seeing that happen through tapering of quantitative easing by USA.

    Disclaimer – Author doesn’t intent to criticize QE, author is of the opinion of looking at the basics of the problem – Greed. Author has written few blogs on Greed earlier here.

  • Why wait?







    Last week I wrote on being at a crossroad. Generally, we are all making some or the other decision. I specially like entrepreneurs who need to be constantly analyzing situations their business and survival + growth. Life becomes very interesting, challenging and driven by passion. One has to balance between Guts, Analysis and if possible one can work on instinct with the help of awareness. Follow my one tweet recently.

    I am no expert, yet feel there has to be a balance in life. Balance between extremes. Whether its about love or hate, passion or dispassion, emotions and logic or Socialism and Capitalism. The balance (which we professionals) generally is restricted to something such as Work-Life balance. Balance goes beyond that limited definition. Yet for the time being assume balance as work-life balance. I want share a news few months back.

    Founder of Hexaware, Mr Atul Nishar sold off his stakes in the company and the news was that he wanted to go for a 10 day Vipassana meditation. Read the news here – After selling Hexaware, Atul Nishar longs for ‘nothingness’. I am no one to comment on a very successful businessmen yet in the news one point made me think.

    QUOTE – “I have been constantly working for more than last 30 years and never took a break. This is a great opportunity for me to take a pause and feel nothingness,” says Nishar… UNQUOTE

    I was thinking that there are two options – 1. learn from this statement and start bringing balance in life now or 2. struggle tirelessly and – may be and may be – one day we’d be next Mr Nishar to experience “Nothingness”. Question is, why wait? concurrently why go on any extreme? Grow as businessman/professional and spiritually together?

    Related blogs – “Balance”

    The Middle path, Balancing Act, Irony, Dichotomy on happiness…

  • Impermenance







    Recently, I relocated from Posh South Mumbai to Suburban Mumbai. There were reasons for this move. I used to travel 2+ hours one way in different public transports (a meager 35 KM distance). Not that I cannot afford a personal vehicle (or can not drive); I do not want to buy one. Considering various issues in Mumbai (India) – parking, traffic jam and notwithstanding petrol prices.

    So, after a troublesome one year travel of 4+ hours each working day, I decided to move on from the coveted South Mumbai (SoBo) to Suburban Mumbai. Now I travel 20-25 min (walk). Considering the kind of horrible experiences I had in last one year, this was a wonderful change. Alas! it had cost associated with it. (If you want to achieve something you have to let go of something else!) One one side I was happy that I am saving more than 3 hours of travel daily but the flip side was the kind of royal life e.g. three swimming pools (one Olympic size), track (again Olympic size well maintained) Golf Course at backyard (yes you can see a hole from 1 window of my bedroom), Happening place etc etc.

    I knew since day one of shifting to SoBo that I cannot afford it and I don’t belong here (at least currently). I always knew that this is not a permanent place for me. However, when I moved out of that comfort I felt strange as if that was my permanent abode. While I am yet settling down in Suburb, I know this is also a temporary abode (rented apartment). Yet, slowly we try to settle down as if we are to stay here forever. This transfer taught me good lesson on impermanence and our inability to come to terms with life and change. Change is difficult and change makes us uncomfortable.

    As an individual I found a very important change difficult; this must be even more difficult for organizations where many do not even realize the need for change, many are not willing to change and many just can not withstand change.

    Now I remember my MBA Marketing class with Prof Lopez, even more. He told me – “Pravin Marketing is like playing golf, you need to swing naturally.” Now there is no Golf course view from my bedroom and I did not move out of SoBo Naturally! Everything is impermanent even Sachin Tendulkar (God of Cricket) playing Cricket for India.

  • Big data – lesson on spirituality







    I was talking to my MD – Dr Vivek Damle. I said, Big data is “relevant information provider” for real time. One cannot rely on old data generated by a person, say in 2010, for marketing strategy (I am writing this blog in 4th Quarter of 2013). The discussion went on a very strange yet lovely tangent, Dr Damle said – “… so big data would take us on the road of spirituality, is it? I mean to say – like suggesting us to live in the present!”

    I was impressed with this thought. So here comes the lesson learnt from spirituality and applied to the Big Data and vice versa.

    Big-dataBig data is all about volume, variety and velocity… so data generate say 2 yrs back is likely to be irrelevant for today’s marketing campaign. In coming days or say months – all analytics would move to the real time e.g. at the moment of truth. Spirituality teaches us this very simple lesson (difficult to apply in real life though) – “live in the present moment”. As Master Oogway says in The Kung Fu Panda – Yesterday Is History, Tomorrow Is a Mystery, but Today Is a Gift. That Is Why It Is Called the Present.

    I was thinking – is technology forcing us today to spiritual concepts? Or unknowingly are we moving towards concepts of spirituality through technology?

    Big data can help identify a persons choices and predict his or her future course of action… but what in case of older data? That data would have lesser significance. Take an example in India, Narendra Modi (PM candidate in India from Opposition Party – BJP) for someone was communal few years back now is a hope, why? because perceptions changed. Vice versa for Dr Man Mohan Singh (PM of India). Old data less relevance. If I talk about my owns example of last month – I was searching for rental apartment, not now. The data I created while searching for a rental apartment last month is irrelevant now. The marketing campaigns will be more real time e.g. the present not based on “Historical” data.

    Earlier in my professional engagement as a marketing analytics consultant, we made a predictive model. The client executed the recommendation more than 8 months later. result – failed. no one wanted to take the blame. That’s what is the case is in a fast moving world.

    Live in the present.

    For Business people – try to be more real-time data based decision makers.

    Image source – http://www.greenbookblog.org/2012/03/21/big-data-opportunity-or-threat-for-market-research/

  • Generation running behind Technology







    Over the weekend I was talking to Rummuser uncleji. We were talking about many things one was – “uncleji you dont call me, its only me who calls you!”. So he said “Pravin  I am a generation old and for me internet, mobile etc are new age things and not necessary to communicate.” In fact he told me that he even receives inland letters from some of his friends. What? thats history right? But yes  STILL that is also a mode of communication.

    I happened to read the following, copied as image some time back (source unknown now). I was thinking that it is true, my father must be thinking, this is too much what these guys and the kids do. This is complex and where all would this technological running around go and end?

    Convergence of Social Tech
    Convergence of Social Tech

    The question I asked myself was is it generation, running behind the technology? That is Latest things and fashion introduced and the young one’s running behind them. Or is it Generation running behind, technology? That is generations left behind the technology evolution and just trying to catch up or sit and relax. Older people who use technology as and when required.

    Perhaps 30 years from now I would think the same manner. Technology would be even more evolved and kids of that generation would find it cool, ok and obvious. At times those kids would think – how our forefathers survived without such gadgets?
    I think if my father is thinking something about technology and how far would it go? He is right, there seems to be no end. Step back and ask yourself – do you need a tweeter or a facebook to have a “Social Network” or to be “socially connected”? Do you think you need a mobile to Communicate? Do you think you need a TV or movie for Entertainment? I dont intend to say that we dont need many things; the question is how much is needed? and when is it needed?

    World would keep on evolving but there would be something that wont change and time and again a few people would think about it. Should we just stop and look within now? Is not it enough of running around?


  • Wealth and Wisdom







    Wealth is the abundance of valuable resources or material possessions. Wealth in itself is of no value, someone owning it gives “it” some “value”.  Similarly Wisdom (Hinduism) is considered a state of mind and soul where a person achieves salvation. Again here salvation is achieved by “someone”. So salvation may not be anything in itself, right? Once you achieve it there is no “self”, that is another side of it though.

    The definition of wealth (or for being wealthy) in my opinion is – when you have no more desire to earn more possession – when you have complete disinterest for money – you are wealthy. Because there is no end to earning. There may be a possibility that you are the wealthiest person on earth in the list of Forbes. You may not be interested to say “enough is enough!” I don’t need more money.

    http://media-cache-ec3.pinterest.com/originals/af/fa/97/affa97f31778a0e75cb506d1e38f0f95.jpg

    According to me one is wealthy – if one decides doing things because he/she enjoys doing the work and therefore does his/her work just for the hack of it. Say if I go to office with a motive of Salary at the end of the month, I am not wealthy. But if I do the same work because I enjoy doing it, feel self-satisfied and content. so the salary is not the desire but the fulfillment I achieve makes me wealthy. The later becomes reality with wisdom.

    What if wealth and wisdom meet? The age old approach of the west (wealth) meets the even older approach for life of the east (wisdom). I do not think the world would remain the same, this world would become wealthy and wise. Largely we would stop running for growth, to bailout countries and to make more money. This would be the world where the Business would meet the Buddha and people would do their work as their duty rather than compulsion.

    Definition source – Wikipedia

    Image source – Pinterest

  • The dog and the fox







    Assume (as few may not believe in rebirth) that someone died as a Jew and born again as a Muslim. The soul has only did one thing – changed sides from one HATE group to the other. Remember Jews and Muslims have conflict in Palestine, I am not an expert on international politics so please do not take these statements as expert opinions – concentrate on the moral.

    Please understand – I do not intended to hurt any particular religion or ideology, it was just a story which I read and liked the message – We have enough religion to hate but not enough to love.

    —

    Just to make my point, here is some related story. This is a story I read today (on my old blog account), liked it so here is the story as a blog. The story is from a book titled “The Prayer of the Frog” volume I, By Father Anthony de Mello publisher Gujarat Sahitya Prakash, Post Box 70, Anand-388 001. India.

    We really have so many Beliefs to hate or create identity but rear for love – ‘unconditional love’, or sometime Humanity. We have a lot of things (and religions) – shouldn’t we have little Humanity in us!

    The dog and the fox

    A hunter sent his dog after something that moved behind the trees. It chased out a fox and corralled it into a position where the hunter could shoot it.

    The dying fox said to the hound “were you never told that the fox is brother to the dog?”

    “I was, indeed,” said the dog. “But that’s for idealists and fools. For the practical-minded, brotherhood is created by identity of interest.”

    Said the Christian to the Buddhist: “We could be brothers, really. But that’s for idealists and fools. For the practical-minded, brotherhood is created by identity of beliefs.”

    Most people, alas, have enough religion to hate but not enough to love.

    I used to blog in 2006 also. This blog is from that blog post. Though I did not continue blogging there (at that time the interface was not that evolved for me).

  • Do what is right in perpetuity






    The class was nostalgic, remembering the last couple of days of sessions of Operations Management with Prof Moradian. Today we were attending his last session of Operations Management. We all enjoyed each session, the quick wits and learnt a lot. We were attending his last session and thus all that was coming to an end for Operations Management.

    That session was very special, I could still hear his one statement very clearly that – “…in your career whenever you have to take any decision, always do what is right for your company in long term…”.

    When I recollect those words from Prof Moradian – “… do what is (make decisions which are) right for the company in perpetuity…” that makes a lot of sense to me. That one statement made me speak couple of tough truths in my career, but it feels good when you consider big picture vis-a-vis to your personal interests.

    An organizations need to learn the art of balancing between the short term sustainability and the long term growth OR short term profit and long term uncertainty. In current economic scenario short term sustainability seems the way to survive, let alone long term growth or profit for that matter. Message seems clear to me – Do what is right for the company in perpetuity.

    Actually this statement equally applies to each individual in life too – we should do whatever is right for us and others – IN PERPETUITY.

    Related blogs –

    Balancing Act – Professor Mankad shared this story of Balancing act with me earlier.

    Fruit will arrive in its season

  • Conflict of interest







    Disclaimer – Author himself is an MBA in Marketing (has been and is in the business of – kind of – selling dreams) and has worked as operations management consultant (has been and was/is/has been facing the challenges faced by operations department)

    I was comparing ourselves as an organization. I am an organization in myself, so are you and Ms Y. I was wondering about the departments Marketing and Operations. Marketing is selling dreams and Operations is capabilities. What I dream to be, could be the job of marketing department and what my capabilities are is the reality of operations.

    There is nothing wrong in dreaming, in fact it is good. At the same time knowing the capabilities is also important, that would help us realize the true potential and opportunities of improvements. Though, how often we dream then review our current potential and then think of building future capabilities to achieve potential? That’s where I think Marketing and Operations Department lock horns.

    An incident reminded me of a lecture of Prof Moradian, long term Vs short term and conflict between Marketing and Operations departments. I started seeing more reasons for conflicts between Marketing department and Operations Department.

    Marketing and Operations lock horns with each others. Because generally Marketing team communicates moon, Sales team sells the idea of “reaching the moon as a reality” to prospect and Operations finds it difficult to do that. Why? Because Operations had the capabilities and was supposed to put the prospect in the sky (not necessarily on moon). Thus, challenges faced by operations and promises made by marketing are different.

    The second issue is Marketing and Sales team lives on quarter on quarter (Q-o-Q). They have to show the revenue which is the goal for any organization. On the contrary Operations team cannot take decision for one quarter. For example – operations may not say we need infrastructure for one quarter and not in other quarter and thus make huge investment in one quarter and sell those equipment back in next.

    A branding expert told us that marketing managers (brand manager) want to start new brand building exercise (to gain in short term for writing on their resume – ‘I started this initiative’) and move to next level. New manager comes he/she too does the same. Short term gains are there for the marketing manager; yet for long term the brand is diluted perhaps no one knows what would the brand stand for in future.

    This was/is the case of 2008 melt down. Decisions were made on short term with one phrase in each agreement – “systemic risk”. BFSI industry created various certificates (CDR) etc to sell junk to make big buck in short term. Dreams were sold without real fundamentals. In other words, operations did not have the capabilities of generating the kind of returns promised – with a rider of systemic risk – to prospects.

    This is what is conflict of interest for us as individuals – our dreams Vs our realities. The same is true with Organizations – their marketing Vs operations. This is also true for us as economy – our dreams Vs the reality of systemic risk and capacity of economy to fulfill the dreams.

    Image source – http://www.cravingtech.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/project.jpg