Suresh Dinakaran's Blog

Circa 1930. Great Britain. The acronym ADHD did not exist. Gillian Lynne was considered the quintessential problem child. She did terribly in school. She couldn’t sit still, let alone focus. People called her Wriggle Bottom. Her mother, thinking that her daughter is a disorder, took her to the Doctor. And that visit would radically change the course of Lynne’s life.

What is important to note here is What the Doctor did not do. He did not label the child as difficult. He did not tell her to calm down. He did not automatically medicate her. Instead, he decided to follow a hunch. He turned on the radio in his room. And escorted the mother and himself out of the room.

The minutes the adults left the room, Lynne’s body began to move. As the music filled the room, Lynne couldn’t contain herself and danced all around, including on the Doctor’s desk. Through the transparent glass door both the mother and Doctor were watching this spectacle. A little later it was time for the Doctor to write the prescription. It said ” She is a natural dancer. Take her to dance class “. What followed was a lifetime of dance. Lynne danced in the Royal Ballet and choreographed Cats and Phantom of the Opera—two of the longest-running shows in Broadway history*.

*Extracted from Ozan Varol’s blog

Some games that we humans like playing include Scrabble, Sudoku, Monopoly, Poker, Chess and the likes. But, what takes the cake, along with the bakery and baker is a game called Find The Flaw. It is practiced with so much diligence as if it has to become an Olympic Sport. It could, you never know.

For all the unemployment and under employment that we talk about, I feel that most people are fully employed in a profession called ‘ judging others ‘.  And no, the jury need not be out on that. The default setting is fault-finding mode—high-definition, surround sound, and zero buffering.

The uncomfortable, inconvenience truth is that ” we are addicted to deficiency detection “. There is a difference between flaws and fire. Flaws don’t define people. Their fire does.

Finding flaws is a cultural epidemic. For eg when it comes to performance appraisals- the reverse of the Pareto Principle works here. 80% of reviews and appraisals are spent on finding areas of improvement and 20%(condescendingly at that) on celebrating strengths. Because by focusing on whats wrong, makes one feel more productive, more in, more serious and more professional.

Classic example is the marketing manager who takes a lot of time on client calls. The common corporate refrain is ‘ she needs to be more efficient with her time ‘. But where we miss the wood for the trees is those long calls help client retention rates significantly and boosts organic revenues. What was considered wrong was actually right.

When we start looking for ‘ what’s right ‘, remarkable things begin to happen:

The what is considered as a ‘ difficult ‘ employee who asks too many questions is the one who insulates against groupthink, echo chamber and multiple projects being salvaged. She is not difficult. She needs to be rewarded.

Or the overthinking analyst who spots the minor details( after all both God and Devil are in the details) which helps the company its next major innovation. Give her a standing ovation.

How many times have we heard this ” He’s too emotional, or sensitive ” – well he is the exact same person whose empathy makes him anticipate and understand customer problems before they become too complicated to handle.

It wouldn’t be incorrect to state that we humans have a PhD in nitpicking.

Image Courtesy: ISD Global

People call Elon Musk ( yes, The Corporate Weirdo Who is Laughing All The Way To Mars) as erratic, unpredictable and obsessed. Maybe true. But, ask what’s right with him and you find in the least the following:

• he made electric cars sexy and sought after (RIP Prius)
• he made space travel into a side hustle
• he breaks and bends every corporate rule in the book- yet, he owns categories, re-defines industries and of course prints more money than anyone else can fathom

And don’t forget he was almost written off in 2008 when Tesla was a few days away from bankruptcy.

Another brilliant example is Lady Gaga: considered by the purveyors of flaws as too eccentric, too over the top. The wrong end of the stick obviously. What if the right question to ask was ” Isn’t she a Creative Genius ?” And what is right with her includes:

-she owns her uniqueness and is unapologetic about it

-she made music more about self-love than about Instagram hashtag

-went from pop icon to Oscar winning actress– proving that reinvention is just not for iPhones

And finally another example closer home. Virat Kohli. The What’s Wrong brigade had lots to say- too aggressive, too hot headed..Doesn’t ‘play it safe’ like old-school cricket legends- what about  Just Too Damn Good ?

And whats right with him?

-he demands excellence not just from himself but from his entire team

-he revolutionised the fitness culture in Indian cricket making 6 pack abs more common than match-fixing scandals

-he wears emotions on his sleeve- because he cares that much

The default ‘ nice and safe ‘ wouldn’t have helped him help India have so many of the wins it has had.

We are wrongly trained(or hardwired) to see ‘ What’s missing‘ instead of What’s magnificent? ‘

But here’s the most uncomfortable truth of all: Our obsession with what’s wrong doesn’t just hurt others – it blinds us to the extraordinary mosaic of human capability that surrounds us every day.

So I’ll leave you with this challenge: For the next week, ban “What’s wrong with them?” from your mental vocabulary. Replace it with “What’s right with them that I might be missing?” The answers might revolutionize how you see everyone around you – and maybe even yourself.

Probably destined to be the three musketeers. The trifecta in your survival kit: IQ + EQ + AQ.

Growing up, our parents were all about growing your IQ(Intelligence Quotient). Enter the corporate bull ring, and your HR manager wanted the one with the EQ(Emotional Quotient). The new kid on the block, has come as a manna from heaven and is the glue that holds IQ and EQ together. Thy name is Adaptability Quotient(AQ). And in a zeitgeist where things can spiral downwards or move sideways, it just might be the ammunition for you to land your pot of gold.

Life does throw curveballs( far more regularly than we can anticipate or be prepared for) and when that happens, if you can’t adapt, you are nothing but a fancy car stuck in traffic like the lesser torqued ones. AQ is what helps us navigate the roadblocks, the detours and the occasional meteor strikes. It can be the difference between ” I’m a goner ” to ” I’ve got this “.

The future is as predictable as a toddler on a caffeine high. The only thing that we know for sure amidst the rapidly changing landscape of jobs, technology, society, is the fact that we don’t know anything for sure. The future happens gradually, then all of a sudden. If you don’t want to be caught like a deer in the headlights, embrace AQ. Because by doing that you can enhance your AQ. Where uncertainty and unknown are your comfort zones. Curiosity skilled the cat. Doubt and inquiry are the pillars of progress. Make them your partners in rhyme. And build your AQ muscles as you do that.

Linear journeys are a thing of the past. Life is part intellect, part emotions and part the ability to pivot when the ringmaster changes the act. The sooner we realise that human beings are rough drafts that continually mistake themselves for the final story, then gasp as the plot changes on the page of living.

In a world where trends become mainstream and then rapidly obsolete, where AI and related technologies are rewriting the rules of the game, when it is certainly not business as usual( and probably never will be), AQ is not a nice-to-have anymore. It will be the difference between you riding the wave or getting swallowed by it.

The journey up the corporate food chain will be less about what you know(IQ), or who you know (EQ). And it will be more about how quickly you can unlearn and relearn aka AQ. Counter intuitive. While people with high IQ and EQ are writing their Plan A’s obituary, those with high AQ have Plan B-Z sketched out.

Think of AQ as the yoga pose of life even though you might end up looking like a pretzel rather than a pro yogi.

AQ: The Intelligence Quotient Nobody Told You Need! Time to Q up!

The first person who convinced others to help move a really big rock probably invented management. Since then, we’ve only made it more complicated. Centuries later, the Harvards and McKinseys of the world decided to cash in.

I don’t mean to sound like Aesop’s Fables but once upon a time when we were full and truly into the cavemen era( long long long before the Mad Men one), we were the hunter-gatherer tribe, work was hunting, gathering was not getting eaten. Fight or flight was omnipresent. Work was…well not work. And mind you, the origin of work-life balance was to avoid eaten by a sabre toothed tiger.

No emails. No Slack(so, one had enough time to slack). It was just survival. No meetings. Just grunts and gestures. Performance appraisals meant- well, you have lived to see another day!  In the current context of JD( means Job Description I recently realised), hunter=risk-taker, teamwork, project execution and gatherer= detail-oriented, multitasking, risk-averse.

But, surprise surprise, we have moved on from cavemen to keyboard warriors. From hunting mammoths to arguing with chatbots.

After enough rebellion, we trespassed unknowingly into what would later be termed the Agricultural Revolution. Where work=farming; job titles could vary from farmer to plow inventor to the person who yells at sheep( now you know where we picked up the undying, timeless concept called ‘ herd mentality‘ ) and subliminally we saw the birth of the ‘ 9 to 5 ‘(read sunrise to sunset). We also made progress in the process – running from predators to grappling with back pain.

Sometime later clocks(or timepieces) came hand in hand with what in retrospect can be called the Industrial Revolution. Clock in, clock out. Rinse(if possible), repeat. The Henry Ford era, if you may. When the rallying cry was ” let’s make people work like machines “. When the grind of the ‘ 9 to 5 ‘ got re-enforced. Time was the currency, punch card the companion. Unions did everything but unite.  Humans as cogs-in-the-machine. Leading to efficiency: yes, happiness: debatable.

Before we move on, lets circle back to understand why should we even be interested in the distant past? Well, as William Bernbach(Member, Advertising Hall of Fame) said ” It took millions of years for man’s instincts to develop. And it will take millions more for them to even to vary. It is fashionable to talk about the changing man. A communicator must be concerned with the unchanging man, his  obsessive desire to survive, to succeed, to be loved, to be admired, to look after his own “.

We can see it in Milton Glazer‘s universally recognised ” I (heart) NY “. The heart symbol means that we do not have to speak the English language to understand it. He got the idea from initials carved into love hearts on trees or as grafitti sprayed on New York walls, the way it has been since Roman times.

With time, we seamlessly segued into the Corporate Era ( a jungle of another kind) where meetings are about discussing work, not doing it. Job titles go from Clerks to Chief Experience Officer to cater to inflated egos and same workload. I forgot to add office politics here which is where work gets done…or undone. And the SOS(Sea of Sameness) called the Cubicle Farm is the equivalent of a modern day prison with fluorescent lighting.

Enter the era of Digital: Where are we even working? Where we are typing angrily at our computers. The WFH-Work from Home and tackle the brief in your briefs era. Where we traded physical labour for carpal tunnel syndrome. An always-on culture where our productivity seems to peak just when we are about to go home. Where the unabashed use of lines like ” Let me play Devil’s Advocate ” brings out your worst homicidal intents. How “I’m having connectivity issues” became the modern “The dog ate my homework“.

It is time to take a deeper look. As Rory Sutherland mentioned ” We seem to be keen to understand how technology works, how product-market fit works, how targeting works, how social media works, we’ve taken our minds of a far more important question – how do people work? “

In a world made dumb by digital noise, what can individuals, brands and organisations do to make themselves relevant again?

Deep listening isn’t just an art. There is strong neuroscience behind it. When you take the effort to listen deeply, the brain enters into a state of heightened receptivity. As it engages multiple neural networks, it creates deeper understanding, distills the nuances and leaves memory imprints that are strong and relevant. Not just that- the ability for us to be heard goes up exponentially the less we talk.

Silence can be deafening- yes. But silence also helps you gather strategic intelligence, where missing the wood for the trees could be a distinct possibility. Silence helps us pick on the unspoken and the hidden opportunities. It helps us see around corners and avoid blind turns. Silence is a great conduit to understand human motivation, pain points and desires- traits that brands and marketers actually pay an arm and a leg to understand. In business, it can lead to innovative solutions, better customer experiences, and a competitive edge.

Listening is the trust building bridge that a lot of us do not take care to build.  When people are heard, they open up, place more confidence in you and work to foster a stronger relationship. Good listeners build an empathy advantage and in an increasingly automation driven world, it enhances emotional intelligence, your conflict resolution and leadership skills.

All of us are aware of the fact that most people are just waiting for their turn to talk and therefore pay sub-optimal attention to listening.  In a world addicted to noise, silence is a force multiplier. It is a power move. I say this because you would have noticed that silence makes the others around uncomfortable and they fill in the gaps and reveal more than they intended to. So, use it.

Ignoring costs a fortune. While silence is free of cost. The Titanic sank because no one cared to listen. Blockbuster( the Netflix predecessor) shut because it ignored Netflix. Listening isn’t just a nice to have. It is a vital survival strategy.

Your mouth is costing you money. Your ears can earn you millions. Train yourself to listen to what isn’t being said. Being the loudest in the room is already Red Ocean territory. Whereas being the most attentive is actually a vast Blue Ocean. Every time you really listen, you gain insight. You hear what’s beneath the words. You notice what others miss.

‘ Last words are for fools who haven’t said enough‘ – Karl Marx 

Listen. Let others chase attention. You accumulate wisdom.

Over the past several years, I have had my fill of dealing with Deans( yes, the ones who come with the dean there, done that swag and consider themselves no inferior to deaned universities) across the US, Canada, UAE, India, Europe etc and invariably come out feeling incredibly short changed on motivation, leadership…forget all that…fundamental courtesy.

That said, I must confess that there have been a few Deans who have been the epitome of grace, poise, wisdom, humility, possibilities and vision. And I consider myself extremely fortunate to have had the honor of meeting and engaging with them. And quite a few of them at top notch, highly respected, prized institutions around the world. So, certainly NOT painting everyone with the same brush.

Sometimes you are left wondering that becoming a Dean would mean that you are entering academic witness protection? The professor who would be responding to emails at 2 AM now probably considers the inbox as an abstract concept from quantum physics– it may or may not exist, depending on who the observer is.

Jordan has the Dead Sea while a lot of the Deans have Dead Sea Scrolls where ” I will revert to you ” means ” Try again in another semester…or better the next lifetime “.

I have never got my head around to understand how Deans who write fabulous papers on how to be effective communicators in organisations suddenly develop an allergic reaction to the Reply button. It is like a bizarre academic autoimmune response.

Ah, Deans I tell you, the fabled unicorns of academia, PhDs in power dynamics and the inspiration why ” I will circle back ” was invented ( by the way it is academic slant for ‘never‘). So, while their calendar might be as empty as the students’ bank account after paying fees, they are far too busy writing papers, ‘ strategising ‘ the next big move or ‘ revisiting ‘ the future of education. I am told they have super powers. At avoiding communication.

Deans also run a workshop called ” The Art Of Delegation “- why respond to you when they can easily delegate the task to an assistant who in turn can hand over the ‘ responsibility ‘ to an intern who after thorough research(to clock in the hours needed as ‘project time‘) will not look askance at auto-reply to do the skull drudgery.

They are the same tribe of people who have mastered the art of looking busy walking briskly through campus corridors holding the ubiquitous folder like it contains the secrets of the universe while actually thinking whats for lunch in the staff cafeteria. Even an attempt at responding to you will hugely dent the illusion of their omnipotence.

The linear journey of the Dean’s Guide to Communication runs thus: a) Start with showing how much you care and your deep interest in the idea b) Disappear for a loooong period of time to ensure they look super busy c) Reappear once the Aladdin’s Lamp is used ONLY if absolutely necessary d) Repeat: Voila- it is not poor communication- it is ‘ strategic communication ‘.

What you must really give them credit for is the legacy they leave behind for their students: They don’t just teach; they lead by example. From them students learn that ignoring emails is a power move, delegation is an art form, and ” I’ll circle back ” is a conversation ender. The masterclass they were looking for in professional avoidance.

But, after all, they are humans. Afraid of being found out. Just like you and me. They are terrified that if they respond to one email, it will be like opening a Pandora’s Box– they will have to reply to all. So, it is better to stay silent and maintain the illusion of control.

Deans are also adept at meetings where the chair is empty but their ego is present. As you present enthusiastically, the Dean is mindlessly looking at her phone, aimlessly scrolling LinkedIn, sending you a very clear message that ” I value your time “.

In the Dean’s lingo, ” I’ll get back to you ” is the corporate equivalent of ” let’s do lunch sometime “. While it does sound promising, NASA has better chances of finding aliens in outer space than you do of hearing back.

Moore’s or Murphy’s Law(it can be any one, I don’t care) says that the longer they take to respond= higher the perceived status. Mind you these are the same set of people in protein form who have enough time to post Instagram stories about their avocado toast but mysteriously go missing when it is time to respond to your message.

Methinks we should institute an Awards Ceremony for people who respond to mail a month later with the line ” Oops, I just saw this ” – especially when it was their idea to begin with. They should also be conferred( yes, I insist) the Critics Awards especially if their last email ended with ” Let’s connect ASAP “.

What goes around, comes around. You would have the ultimate irony, where students who have gone through Dean-led institutions often grow up(?) to become Deans themselves. The law of karma kicks in, except instead of enlightenment, you get unread emails.

Just like you have Otis…sorry office etiquette, I reckon we could have had elevator etiquette as well. But, alas, that was not be. Mind you, this is no elevator pitch for elevator etiquette. Far from it. So, stop stairing!

Caveat Emptor( Reader Beware): These are inspired by everyday observations that you and me have been tormented with. At the risk of falling from grace, I am taking a shot at it. Because it was too much to remain boxed in. I am told that before I could say Mom(sorry Amma), the first words I uttered were ” out -of – the- box “(without the hyphens of course). After all, I had to keep up(and down) with the Joneses.

Silence is deafening. It is bizarre that you can actually hear a shin drop( and if you are lucky to own multiple chins, that as well) inside the lift. Welcome to the theatre of awkward silence where the best way to kill time is to watch the thriller movie running( read looking at the floor numbers on the digital display). You don’t have to have anything to do with product or industrial design but the intense gaze at the elevator ceiling fan( where one exists) to avoid eye contact with others in protein form(probably lesser mortals) is moonshot thinking of a different level.

And it is not as if silence is your only companion. You also get the good samaritan who wants to break this quite eerie earth with questions like ” going up? “, to which a polite, poker faced response could only be ” no sir, I am here just for the ambience“.

I am sure you also have been victims of the SSIS– no, it has nothing to do with Sam Altman or another Open AI platform- it means Smartphone Sudden Interest Syndrome. Where suddenly everyone finds their smartphone incredibly fascinating. And even with no wifi signal, pretend to send WhatsApp messages. Especially when you spot the neighbor whom you have been trying to avoid judiciously. I wonder what makes them tick or double tick!

You are also fortunate to spot the video game players who think the elevator buttons are their console in disguise and they keep punching the ‘ door close ‘ button as if they are playing Mortal Kombat. Who is to console the rest of the mute citizenry inside the box? One really feels buttonholed. Dr Cialdini, you did not say anything about forceful persuasion in your classic book The Psychology of Persuasion. I expected better from you. 

Believe it or not, as if the office was not enough, hierarchy has a role to play here as well. Like the person who stands in the corner like they’re the CEO of the elevator(spoiler alert: no, they are not). Imagine their visiting card saying ” CEO: Elevator Corner “- EC isn’t it? Or worse, when they are driving and they are asked ” can you give me a lift “? . Then there is the part time intern-the one who holds the door for everyone, earning the unofficial title of “Elevator MVP.” And last but not the least the person who faces the wall of the elevator not the door- rebel with or without a cause? Not wanting to have his backs to the wall? The jury is still out on this…

There is more drama in this hydraulic amphitheatre: like the elevator philosophers who sigh as soon as they get in as if they are carrying the weight of the entire world on their shoulders and have to not only deliver it to level 34 but get an acknowledgement and stamp as well.

One should not fail to mention about the talkative extroverts– who use the elevator as a networking event:- perfect for life stories, business pitches, and unsolicited advice. Yes, the same guys who have their visiting card on velcro for anyone one to peel off. 

And there is this wonderful breed of escape artists who immediately have to make a call as soon as the elevator door opens failing which Tim Cook will have to close down Apple. And the other type who will bolt out of the elevator as if he is the main cast from Fast & Furious, (and beat Usain Bolt at his own game) even though he is just getting off on the mezzanine floor. Do you think they should get their exit strategy right? VCs are you smelling an opportunity here?

I bet you have seen the load management experts as well as you go up and down like over disciplined pedestrians– the ones who make the complex calculation of how many people can fit in; who will lie saying ” I will catch the next one ” when they see its too crowded or the one who initiates the sardine-can shuffle and encourages others that everyone can be squeezed in.

There is nothing called a free lunch. You bet. Nowhere does it play its part than inside the lift. The breed of phantom farters. Hell bent on leaving a legacy. They exit, but their aura (that ambush your olfactories) linger. Who nose what they had for lunch? And once the doors close, you are battling that and making a silent judgement of other people’s lunch choices, not to mention you trying to suppress the quiet awkward stomach growl. So much responsibility to handle in 57 seconds. You wish you were gone in 60. Breathtaking stuff! Literally at that.

And thats exactly the reason why we have this community of cologne enthusiasts. As soon as they enter, you know that all the perfume shops in the Champs Elysees would have had an inventory shortage issue recently. And you are gasping for air and wanting to take the next flight into Cologne. But, what to do- Shenghen Visas are not easy to come by.

And there are these silent sufferers. Cramped in a crowded lift, breathing into someone’s armpit, but refusing to complain. They have been told that torture builds character. And if you were to be in Daryaganj, Delhi, they would have reminded you ” Yeh Tho Arm Baath Hain “. 

It will be remiss of me not to mention about the entitled breed in this space. The one who saunders in as if her family owned and runs Otis Elevator Company, Schindler Elevator Corporation, KONE, ThyssenKrupp Elevator, Fujitec, Hyundai Elevator, Mitsubishi Electric, Hitachi, and Johnson Lifts combined. So, when you help her get in by keeping the door open(pressing only the right buttons), the dismissive air of indifference is a sight to behold. Words like Thank you are TWO sub-standard for her to bark out. Leaving you with the feeling that a KONE…I mean con job was better.

You don’t have to be a practicing psychologist to conclude that elevators are the microcosm of human behavior. Where strangers come together to silently judge each other’s life choices( yes the same jury who was out, they have come right back in, after all judging others is a full time occupation)- a destination probably invented by a hair brained scientist wanting to conduct a social experiment in human awkwardness.

Sorry, got to go…” the lift has come “(sometimes, because of all that happens inside it, this does sound like an achievement worthy of the Nobel)- Adnan Sami, are you listening? Mujhko bhi tho...

On a recent trip overseas, I had some weighting to do upon landing at the airport, so decided( after the usual skirmish with sweat, suede and swear words) to be an inno scent  bystander next to the baggage carousel as it aimlessly(and somewhat harmlessly) went around in circles. Everything, Everywhere is about the circular economy( not the Oscars, by the way!). So, here’s the 360 degree on it, motivated by well, you guessed it- bags of time.

The absolute nonchalance with each and every piece of baggage gets treated once it finds its (p)ride of place on the carousel has convinced me that the carousel is the only place in the world that is completely agnostic to brands. Tumi, Louis Vuitton, Delsey, Tommy Hilfiger, Samsonite, American Tourister, VIP, BOSS, Open Story, Away, Echolac, Safari…all came (and went) alike. The message was loud and clear. Rest in Piece…till such time your owner( or an imposter) gets a handle on you! Oh there goes my Safari and I am not able to get hold of it. So is it TATA to the Safari? That you can take the rough with the smooth?

I realised that the carousel is like a dating app– everyone is waiting for their perfect match, in all tinderness. Where your suitcase is playing hard to get. And watching other people’s bags go by is unadulterated entertainment. And do not be deterred by the SOS(Sea of Sameness) which means the black bag that you think is yours, has 47 other clones. We can call it airport roulette. While all the time you are consoling yourself that ” my suitcase is just taking a few victory laps before coming to me“.

Nowhere will you see a better study in contrast. The bags taking its own sweet time to get to where it ought to, unabashedly relaxed, clinically unrepentant, approaching arrogance ( I am the BOSS here, you better give me the VIP treatment), do not intrude on my hammock style existence. On the other side, the owners: anxious, impatient, irritated, worried, chaos personified.

The bags I tell you love drama (and some gymnastics as well). Every now and then they bring you to the edge as they salsa, spin and swirl but manage to stay on top of the carousel. That in the process they knock off a few socks from ankles( sorry, that’s the Malayalee in me) and aundies (aunties for the uninitiated) is a different story. Really edge of the seat stuff!

The area surrounding the baggage belt is actually a medical practitioner’s delight. The ideal place to diagnose the following including but not restricted to : Slip disc, Parkinsons, Blood Pressure, Hypertension, Colour blindness…is it blue or green? (And the real owner sees red in the bargain). If you don’t mind, could you please help me offload the bag(read cargo) asks the lady in red with an unabashed sense of entitlement– I travelled light this time-it’s just 87 kgs( any more and she would have had to hire a cargo plane). Though she swore, it was not a corpse in the bag. And we took her sword for it.

Do you think the carousel is an ideal candidate for acute nausea? Imagine going around in circles, hour after hour, day after day- where does it begin? And where does it end? Flight or fight? Journey to nowhere begins here. Methinks its happy to be a spin doctor!

So the next time you travel, carry XS baggage. Xtra Small. Before you get ideas. Give the carousel a break. Unless of course you want to see some Delsey, all at sea! BOSS it makes no sense TUMI! Weight- I will ask TOMMY– maybe HILFIGER it out! Or should it be Facebook? They have pretty good offices with the carousel, I dare say.

You might know why texting was invented. Just in case you didn’t, the Finns at yesteryear mobile giant Nokia could not bear face to face rejection when proposing dates.

Equally compelling is the story why the stethoscope was invented. French physician Rene Laennec who invented the stethoscope dreaded placing his ear on the patient’s chest especially when the patient was a woman.

History is rife with many famous inventors and creators who were very shy. They include the likes of Nikola Tesla( whose inventions fundamentally shaped our modern world by revolutionizing how we generate, transmit, and use electricity),  Albert Einstein ( Theory of Relativity & much more ), Steve Wozniak ( Co Founder of Apple) and J K Rowling( author of the famed Harry Potter series). Their shyness allowed them to focus deeply on their work and bring transformative ideas to life.

Shyness also serves as a fodder for resilience and perseverance, two key traits for inventions and bringing game changing ideas to fruition. Shy people also gravitate towards technology to engage with the world indirectly. Resulting in innovative apps, devices or systems that enhance connectivity or simplify tasks. Shyness often leads to people spending time alone, in solitude which in a lot of cases is the bedrock for creative thinking and experimentation- they thrive in solitude.

Because shy people are introspective and sensitive, they are able to design products that cater to human emotions and unspoken needs. Shyness and caution go hand in hand leading to inventions that improve safety, security and efficiency. Resulting in them being able to invent and bring to world things like encrypted messaging, privacy tools and ergonomic designs.

On the one hand while we see shyness as a social challenge, it is a powerful catalyst for creativity and invention.

So why not shy, when the potential for invention is high?

The most well-known quote regarding a “lump in the throat” is attributed to poet Robert Frost, stating: “A poem begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness.”. This phrase captures the idea that a feeling of constriction in the throat can often be a precursor to deep emotions like sadness, longing, or nostalgia. 

Creativity, after all, is just our best sense making mechanism for what this is and what we are. We create — a poem or a theorem, a novel or a song or a product or a work of art — in order to explain the world to ourselves and explain ourselves to the world.

The value of marketing does not lie where you have been told it is. So, time to forget those tired email lists, the expensive pre-roll ads, the same old meeting same old. Time after time. As we move on from an ownership economy to an experience economy, what we are responsible to deliver for our patrons and audiences is edge of the seat experiences that bring goosebumps, that LIT(lump in the throat) feeling. Experience is the new ownership. 

Forgiveness has the quiet power to dislodge the lump of blame from the thorax of time and fill the lung of life with the oxygen of the possible.

Passion capital is a powerful ally if you want to create the LIT(Lump in the Throat) for your customers. Look no further than brands like Pixar, Singapore Airlines, Disney, Apple, Cirque du Soleil etc. What separates the women from the girls?  The great brands from the average ones. Yes- you guessed it- The World’s Most Valuable Asset. Passion Capital.

In a world savaged by commoditisation and frenzied obsolescence( both planned and unplanned) in a perennial quest to be within the SOS(Sea of Sameness), the experience that you deliver, the WOW, goosebumps one, the one that brings the LIT(lump in the throat) into play, will be your best product or service.

As a brand owner, the quest would be to keep saying ‘ we LIT up the experience ‘ for our customers. Because they are emotional. They are tribal. They are predictably irrational. Because analytics can only inform, but emotions compel.