Month: February 2025

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

Raise the (Brand) Bar! Not just praise from afar. Your brand too can be a star. So, bring it on the radar!

 

There is a myth that needs to be debunked- the sooner, the better. That attention is scalable. Adding to team members, pumping in more resources, automating processes etc are all tried by organisations and entrepreneurs alike in the hope that they can scale attention. Alas, all these are sub optimal tactics and do not deliver.

 

Paul Graham‘s essay “Do Things That Don’t Scale” highlights this paradox beautifully. He argues that the most impactful actions often require personal engagement and a hands-on approach, which are fundamentally unscalable.

 

Think about it. When was the last time you truly gave your undivided attention to something? In our hyper-connected world, we’re constantly bombarded with notifications, emails, and messages. At ISD Global, we’ve observed this phenomenon across industries – from healthcare to fintech, from education to retail. The more we try to expand our attention bandwidth, the thinner it gets stretched.

Brands, marketers, and businesses have been conditioned to believe that more visibility equals more success. But is that really the case? The law of diminishing returns is at play here—more exposure does not necessarily translate to more engagement, let alone trust. In the world of branding and communication, companies often fall into the trap of believing that more is better—more ads, more social media posts, more emails. But the reality is, without a strategic approach, this only leads to diminishing returns. Attention doesn’t scale linearly; it’s not a numbers game. It’s a quality game.

There is less to more than you think.

Take a moment to consider the barrage of content that bombards us daily. Newsletters, notifications, live streams, reels, tweets (or should we say X-posts?), all screaming for that sliver of undivided attention. But does it work? Not quite. The problem isn’t that people aren’t paying attention—it’s that they can’t, not at the scale businesses want them to.

The future of work isn’t about expanding attention – it’s about allocating it wisely. It’s about understanding that while technology can scale indefinitely, human attention remains precious and finite. In our consulting practice, we’re seeing organizations that embrace this reality outperform those still chasing the myth of unlimited attention spans.

 

We constantly need to remind brands that grabbing eyeballs isn’t the same as holding minds. The brands that truly succeed in today’s hyper-noisy world are those that focus on depth rather than breadth. Instead of chasing vanity metrics like views and impressions, they double down on meaningful engagement. Scaling attention isn’t about increasing reach; it’s about increasing resonance. And that happens when brands shift from merely broadcasting messages to fostering genuine connections.

So, what’s the new attention paradigm?  What’s the way forward? Instead of stretching attention thin, we need to deepen it. Here are a few ways to do that:

Focus on substance, not just spectacle. Virality fades, but value endures.

Prioritize depth over width. A smaller, engaged audience is more powerful than a million passive viewers.

Create trust, not just noise. Attention is fleeting, but trust compounds over time.

At ISD Global, we champion brands that defy the attention economy’s rat race. We believe in meaningful engagement, disruptive storytelling ( we craft what is called UFP- the Unique Feelings Proposition ) , and an unlearning-first approach that shapes the future of brand communication.

 

So, the next time someone tells you that scaling attention is the key to success, ask them this: Is it attention they’re after, or impact?

 

Because at the end of the day, only one of those truly scales.

 

The 5th of Beethoven was an all time favorite and my first exposure to it was from the Saturday Night Fever album. The appeal, the aura, the agitation, the audacity, the unabashed release of creativity, the freewheeling restraint, had me spellbound.

 

While it is very remiss of me to have heard Beethoven’s ‘ Ode to Joy ” only very recently, what will cause it to remain etched in memory forever is the fact that Beethoven composed this one of the greatest all-time classics while battling total deafness. Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” is not just a musical masterpiece – it’s humanity’s heartbeat set to melody, a testament to the indomitable spirit that resides within us all. An incredible against all odds chapter worth cherishing and being inspired by.

The magic lies in how it builds. Starting with a whisper, a gentle hint of what’s to come, it grows like a thought becoming a conviction. When the full orchestra joins in, accompanied by the choir declaring “Alle Menschen werden Brüder” (All people become brothers), it’s not just music anymore – it’s a manifesto of human unity.

 

The Ninth Symphony is based on Friedrich Schiller’s poem An die Freude (To Joy) did not just set the cat amongst the pigeons, it shattered stereotypes, time and space. Beethoven could have been a willing sucker to wallowing in self-pity( can I have some cheese to go with my whine?) , given his condition and a life drenched in turmoil but he ended up creating an anthem of euphoria. Rebellious, raucous, reverberating, a rallying cry for joy to be centre stage. Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” is not just a musical masterpiece – By 1824, when the Ninth Symphony premiered, Beethoven was completely deaf. He couldn’t hear the thunderous applause that followed. Yet, he gave the world its most eloquent expression of joy.

 

Most of us treat joy like an occasional indulgence; we suffer from imposter syndrome as we do that. By default, the culture has set it that joy has to be hard won, after a long and tiring day at work, a noble deed, or a milestone ticked off. Beethoven, in his raw, unabashed, surreal genius screamed exactly the opposite. He said ” Joy is not a privilege. It’s a right, a birthright “. Not the sugar-coated, joy filtered and primed multiple times by social media but the primal, deep, soul stirring, goose bumps generating joy.

 

Somehow as a tribe, we are so apologetic about seeking joy. We walk around as if joy is contraband and we are into trafficking. We dumb down on our happiness, hinge it to achievements and artificial benchmarks. We tell ourselves- I will wait for tomorrow- and that remains in a state of perpetual postponement. But our inventory of tomorrows are finite and we will soon run out of them. 

 

Ready to Die Empty? 

 

Let me promise you that joy is not a future situation. It is a present decision. And the present is a present. So, wake up!

 

Today, as I write this from my corner of the world, watching the setting sun paint the sky in hues of orange(awerange should be more like it?) and grey, leaving you gasping soaking in this unmatched visual spectacle choreographed by nature, I’m struck by how relevant Beethoven’s message remains. In an era of digital walls and viral divisions, “Ode to Joy” reminds us of our shared humanity. Joy, after all, doesn’t recognize borders(geography is history in any case), doesn’t need translation, doesn’t check your social media status.

 

As we ride the pandemonium filled journey called life, a gentle reminder- joy is not a luxury, it is not to be conserved for the future but it is be seized in the present. And, just in case you feel pangs of guilt thinking about, may I suggest you close your eyes and let Beethoven’s masterpiece wash over you and come out salved on the other side realising what it means to be gloriously, unabashedly human.

 

So, here’s your challenge: Beethoven your life. Live like a Symphony. Make it loud, make it large, make it count. Make it unforgettable. Make it an ” Ode to Joy “.