Are you an expert?

Are you an expert?..... In telling what cannot be done? Almost unfailingly when a new idea is presented? Do you exercise your "NO" muscle more than your "YES" muscle? I'm not suggesting you take on unrealistic things or agree to near impossible tasks to exercise "YES" muscle, but I'm frequently amazed how some people use all their creativity and try convincing why something cannot be done almost automatically. You might want to catch yourself when you are saying NO and instead replace with "YES, but". The problem with NO is that people will brand you as stubborn/hard-to-work-with and soon no opportunities will come your way. 

Richard Branson said "If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!"

The Power of Yes!

In continuation of my previous post "Are you an expert at saying NO?", here are some more thoughts on why you should choose YES.

• You can seldom time when opportunity knocks, take it at the first knock itself. 
• YES could lead to more opportunities being open, NO will almost invariably close it.
• Someone believes in your capabilities and seeing something which you are yet to see
• In business people hardly give you a 2nd chance. Build a reputation for NO, and you won't even get first chance
• It allows you to stretch to your highest version!
• It brings positivity which in turn attracts more positivity
• You stop worrying about loosing and instead start focus on winning (when you say NO, chances are you are scared of something)

Feel free to add more observations. Here is Richard Branson's favourite quotes on opportunities.

In Search of Excellence

Based on the recommendation of my mentor, the seminal "In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America's best run companies" is the first ever business book I read (perhaps in 1996) and since then have been a big fan of Tom Peters. I strive to achieve excellence in all walks of life, though I'm very far from achieving it. There are many definitions of Excellence, but here are the two definitions I like the most:

• Excellence is doing ordinary things in an extraordinary way
• Excellence is doing the very best that YOU can

The core message of "In Search of Excellence" is just to have the organization/manager focus on three things:

• People
• Customer
• Action

Here is the summary of the eight themes:

1. A bias for action, active decision making - 'getting on with it'.
2. Close to the customer - learning from the people served by the business.
3. Autonomy and entrepreneurship - fostering innovation and nurturing 'champions'.
4. Productivity through people - treating rank and file employees as a source of quality
5. Hands-on, value-driven - management philosophy that guides everyday practice - management showing its commitment.
6. Stick to the knitting - stay with the business that you know.
7. Simple form, lean staff -  minimal HQ staff, flat hierarchy.
8. Simultaneous loose-tight properties - autonomy in shop-floor activities with centralised values.

The book is peppered with a lot of examples and written extremely well. If you have not read it, or want to read just one  non-fiction book this year, go for this one.

Do you believe in being lucky?

I do. But I never thought about it. But recently I found some interesting things behind this thought. Apparently, “When people view themselves as lucky, they are more likely to choose and persist at challenging tasks,” explains Young, a prof at UCLA. 

That persistence can have a self-reinforcing effect. The more challenging tasks people take on, the more chance there is they will succeed at some of them, giving them a sense that they are indeed lucky. A generally positive attitude towards life also makes it seem like more happy events occur for a person, says Vyse, a Psychologist. When someone has a sense that things are going their way in general, it makes for better interactions with other people. Those improved relationships can lead to more opportunities down the line.

This reminded me of an interesting book I had read by former England Cricketer and now an accomplished columnist titled "Luck: What it Means and Why it Matters" he argues, with numerous examples from sports, religion and business, that the luck cannot be underestimated.

Luck is a slippery subject and it is hard to prove or disprove anything. But if it helps me to persist a little more, I've no qualms in believing that I'm lucky.

What (MBTI) Type are you?

Do you know what MBTI type are you? Which type is your colleague that you always do not get well along? Or the type of the colleague you get along? Your manager’s? Your spouse’s? Ever wondered why something that is so obvious to you, is not seen as the same by someone else? Well, we all think differently and approach life in different ways. If you are curious, you can take the test and find out for yourself, but before that read some short theory. As a bonus, I’ve given my type and its characteristics of that type at the end (pl. note that we all evolve over a period of time and the type is not a constant).

MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) tests are a pretty famous tool to little better about ourselves. While each human being is unique, there are some broad categories they can be grouped into. MBTI tries to assess on these parameters:

1. Introvert or Extrovert (I or E): From where do you draw your energies from
2. Sensing or Intuition (S or N): How do you understand and interpret information
3. Feeling or Thinking (F or T): How do you make decisions (logic vs empathy)
4. Perceiving or Judging (P or J): How do deal with outside world (planned/structured vs spontaneous)

From the above you get 16 possible types. Interested in knowing yours? Take the test here (just 44 questions. Takes about 15 mins. Please answer based on what you are NOW, as opposed to what you may want to be).

Feel free to share your type. Note that there is nothing like BEST or WORST type.

Mine in INFJ (apparently the rarest, with only 1% of population!). And when I took it about 20 years ago, I was an ESFP. So, but for the (logic vs empathy) part, I’ve moved to the other end, and only retained “empathy”. Here is a detailed explanation of mine, see how much you’d agree with.

Threshold and Differentiating Competencies

When leaders are picked for a challenging assignment or a promotion, apart from the formal processes (forms, write-ups, SBOs etc.,), bosses are also evaluating whether the person in question stands out from the rest. When you hear someone tell "I'm doing my job, but still not promoted", chances are that the person might not be able to distinguish himself/herself from the crowd. It is therefore important to assess oneself under two broad categories:

• Threshold Competencies: These are essential characteristics that everyone MUST posses in the job to be minimally effective (programming, domain knowledge, project management etc., depending on the job profile)
• Differentiating Competencies: These are factors that distinguish a superior performer from an average one (specialised knowledge of an area, network, etc.,)

Though competencies on the technical front also distinguishes oneself, it is often the non-technical skills or EQ if you will that differentiates. It is very difficult to teach attitude/mindset. Anyone that comes with a great attitude that puts company above anything else, ability to work hard and not relax till the goal is reached, passion, sense of urgency, sense of quality etc., are all things that trumps and propel one to the top. 

What differentiating competencies you've in comparison with your peers? I hate to compare myself with others nor am I encouraging you to compete. But it helps to be self-aware.

Quote Hanger

Objections vs Excuses

Couldn't help but share Seth Godin's post on "Objections vs Excuses". 

Objections are healthy. When someone is being offered a new opportunity or product, it's not unusual for there to be objections.

These are issues, the missing feature or unwanted element that's keeping us from saying, "yes."

On the other hand, an excuse is merely a wild goose chase, something that people say to make the salesperson go away, to minimize the seriousness of the opportunity, to hide.

Objections, then, are a truly productive way for a salesperson and a potential customer to interact. "If we can figure out a way through this objection, does the rest of it sound good to you?" An objection is an invitation, a request for help in solving a problem.

Excuses, on the other hand, are merely fear out loud.

Not only are smart and caring salespeople attuned for the difference (and practiced at telling them apart), so is the self-aware buyer/student/patient/investor/customer. Knowing what's holding you back is a smart way to go forward.

Do you know what is holding you back? And if so, what are you doing about it?

What RamP's Reading (Jun'16)

Heard of Phil Knight? Probably not. Nike. YES. Well, turns out Phil Knight is the founder of Nike. He recently released his biography of sorts "Shoedog: A Memoir by the creator of Nike". It is an intriguing tale of how he created a $30B empire and above all such a household brand Nike - all from $50 initial funding from his father. Similar to how Sam Walton started Walmart by selling stuff from his car or more recently Jeff Bezos started selling books by FedExing them one at a time, Phil too started selling imported Japanese shoes from the boot of his car. The gripping story tells how we built his initial team, the numerous problems he encountered before he became an "overnight success". Like several successful people, he too is grounded in family and you feel so sad when you learn how he lost his elder son and how he laments that he should have spent more time with him. 

This is not a leadership type book, but more a story of perseverance, sweat, blood and toil. Once you pick it up, you'd find it hard to keep it down.