Author: Suresh Dinakaran

 

I do believe that the word competition is over-indexed to be an external thing.

 

There are a couple of ways of examining it-

 

-What if we remove the letter ‘m‘ word from competition and leverage the energy emanating from ‘copetition ‘. The context changes completely and the narrative is all about contribution, collaboration, connection and not the hustle and pressure conventionally associated with ‘ competition ‘.

 

– Now, let’s look at competition wearing another lens. On reasonable introspection, the obvious take away is that we are the ones coming in our path. That said, since the obstacle is the way, what if we remain consistent and engaged on our path to exploring, making things better, showing up and shipping out, the rather counter intuitive conclusion is that we are at best in competition with ourselves and not anyone or anything external. This, irrespective of whether the external conditions or environment is in our favour or not.

The best part of competition especially when we treat it intrinsically is that through it we discover what we are capable of – and how much more we can actually do than we ever believed possible.

 

 

 

Hearing is a sensory efficiency. The ability to recognise or interpret a sound, whatever that might be.

 

Listening is a different mettle of fish. It happens when we put in the thought and effort to understand what it means. Listening comes with far greater responsibility. And if one does it with intent, focus and encounter the experience and emotion behind the words, that diligence puts a new spin. Which can be worrying or scary because the narrative might actually be throwing exactly what you have been hearing but not wanting to listen and understand.

 

” Hearing is listening to what is said. Listening is hearing what isn’t said “- Simon Sinek

The heart of any conversation lies in listening. One is not sure whether it is the power and flexibility of the English language or a subtle message that comes through. The letters in the world ‘listen’, also make up the word ‘silent’.

 

A quote from the writer David Augsburger has since proven true over and over: “Being heard is so close to being loved that, for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable.”

 

Silence can be deafening!

 

It is tempting to stay with the default- search for a better method when ‘everyone is content with the standard’.

 

HIERARCHIES MAINTAIN THE QUO AFTER IT HAS LOST ITS STATUS- that is the reality.

 

There is always a better way. The tried and trusted over time becomes tired and tested. The common situation for people who produce something groundbreaking: they are surrounded by people who at best are resistant to new ideas, and at worst wilfully ignore them.

Excited about our upcoming C Suite Meet tom evening ie Friday the 13th Sept at the Four Seasons Hotel Embassy One Bangalore. A meeting of minds over a melting of thoughts. New thinking meets new possibilities.

The CEO Meet series is heart crafted by ISD Global.

 

Being a leader and being led are concurrent practices. Though myth would have it otherwise. That you are either a leader or being led.

 

Self respect and dignity is everyone’s preserve. It has nothing to do with the hierarchy you hold in an organisation or anywhere else. Everyone has a voice that needs to be heard. Anyone should be able to put their hand up and speak out. And be vocal about their apprehensions and fears. Ask questions. Know the why.

 

Magic words like please, thank you, sorry and excuse me are assets. Be lavish and generous in using them. And mean it. Keep your commitment, deliver on time. If you are being vocal about anyone else, make sure she or he is in the room and within earshot. Be in the perennial quest to make things better. Do your homework. Write. Refer. Crosscheck. Show your work. Be generous with your words.

 

Enthusiasm and energy are always in demand. Offer it by the bagful. Don’t let ego come in the way if you need to ask for help. And don’t be under confident when you know you can go solo. Be proactive in taking responsibility. Give credit. Be the same while collaborating and contributing on a team. Pull out all stops. Get into what you are into.

Courtesy doesn’t cost anything. And there isn’t anything wrong in expecting it to be a two way street. Get stubborn when you are expected to compromise on what is right and better. Be accommodating- that is NOT the equivalent of being bullied. Back your team to the hilt. And expect it to be reciprocated. Have your ear to the ground and to the person who needs your ear. Clarify when needed. Amplify when it matters. Be mature enough to be childish.

 

“It stops here. With me and you. It ends with us.”
― Colleen Hoover

 

Without meaning to sound morbid or gruesome, here’s a quote that is worth reading again and again and again.

 

“Most humans, in varying degrees, are already dead. In one way or another they have lost their dreams, their ambitions, their desire for a better life. They have surrendered their fight for self-esteem and they have compromised their great potential. They have settled for a life of mediocrity, days of despair and nights of tears. They are no more than living deaths confined to cemeteries of their choice. Yet they need not remain in that state. They can be resurrected from their sorry condition. They can each perform the greatest miracle in the world. They can each come back from the dead…”
― Og Mandino, The Greatest Miracle in World

 

It is time for some purposeful provocation. Time to stand naked in your own truth. About not being apologetic when you set lofty goals. About pursuing your passion with vigor and confidence. And going out and shipping your best work or art.

 

When the preferable is not available, the available becomes preferable. Take the easy way out. Go with the herd(Not to be heard again). Beware of that. And all of it’s always been done that way syndrome. If you are Quadrant Biking through life, this would come in Concourse 1 where there is high possibility and high enrollment. Because thats where the masses are headed. Happy to be in the SOS(Sea of Sameness) space. More on this at https://shorturl.at/R9iHV

 

“It’s lonely at the top. 99% of people are convinced they are incapable of achieving great things, so they aim for mediocre. The level of competition is thus fiercest for ‘realistic’ goals, paradoxically making them the most competitive.”

–Tim Ferriss

 

Ironical isn’t it that we are knowingly ultra competitive when we are striving for mediocrity. And, ironically, the fiercest competition is for the second-class prizes. And we still don’t get it!

 

It’s a long never ending tirade. Justifications that are shallow, hollow and mere escapism. I am referring to the reasons why we endorse and end up doing mediocre work. Let’s look at the usual suspects..

The brief was lousy..

I hardly had any time..

The customer does not value quality..

We never get the right price..

It’s a one way street, we are always the one being short changed..

Does it really matter? As nobody ever notices..

You are always critical..

This market never appreciates high quality..

The management will never understand..

I have always done it this way..

My boss is a jerk..

I don’t want to fail..I rather play safe..

 

They are all sad facades, masking the real issue. The outcome where sub optimal emotional labour is committed will always reflect a huge gap between what could have been and what is.

 

If you want to grow into an extraordinary version of yourself, you must be willing to fail — a lot.

 

If we can prepare ourselves to be as indistractable as possible, zero in on distilling the vital few from the trivial many( the practice of “Essentialism“), and be prepared to look in the ugly mirror, we can stop running on the treadmill of mediocrity. Not just that. With high focus, extreme prioritization and unflappable emotional labour, we can all get to producing our ‘ One Picasso for the day .’

 

What do you uniquely do that matters the most? After all, you can only do one thing really well at a time. SIP by SIP. Engage in some Mutual Fun!

 

So, time to offer a serenade to life, in all its terrifying and transcendent uncertainty, sung in ink, watercolor, and wonder.

 

Where’s your paint brush? The canvas and the easel awaits. And your version of the Guernica.

 

Though not in all cases, as brand or management consultants, the one piece of unsolicited( and sometimes solicited) advise that is given to clients is bury your head in the sand and let the good times carry you forward. This of course when you have tail winds propelling you ahead. A not so different piece of counselling offered when the chips are down is to recommend the same path viz bury your head in the sand and hope the bad times will pass away soon.

 

Neither of the above has anything to do with prudence, pragmatism or wisdom.

 

At ISD Global, we have tried with different degrees of success asking clients to go for the jugular, especially when the tough times strike. The whole market seems to be in shut down mode and the doomsday actors are having a field day. This is the time, when we advise brands and organisations to get over active and give it the kitchen sink. Because while the rest of the market is in deep slumber, whatever you do, gets noticed, which otherwise is a struggle- in other words, you get more bang for the buck, a common refrain used in our industry.

 

And the few occassions that lady luck is smiling on you, the sun is cheerful and bright, your industry and your organisation is having a record harvest, when your brand or project launch has gone off like a T, you have been able to pull of a coup or two, try and do something that most don’t. Write the experience down, record the feedback and the impact created, make a coffee table book- anything that you can look back upon with pride and inspiration.

Because, at a time, not so far out into the distant future, this is exactly you might want to hear, see or read, when you can dance with the demons in your head and tell them I have done it. Nothing is as calamitous as it seems.

 

Certain habits are useful..and this certainly is one of them!

 

Not everyone is blessed with the gift of the gab. Or in a position to articulate their thoughts and ideas succinctly. While some will have all the eloquence, fluency, expressiveness and way with words. It takes all kinds to make up this world.

 

Our tolerance for the inarticulate is minimal, close to zero. Often times therefore we miss the wood for the trees. Language conceals, as much as it reveals. What might be said could be ” I am afraid “, ” I am not sure “, ” I don’t understand “, ” I am looking for some relief ” , while what would be heard would be something that may not fit the discussion at all because the point of reference is what we already know(the easy way out), NOT what someone is unsure about.

 

There is a landscape that is beyond and behind the words. The landscape of emotions. If we carefully try to understand the emotions and desires that are part of those awkwardly expressed words, we create a happy two way street. Communication is as much about understanding the unspoken if the idea is to establish connection, continuity, confidence and conviction.

So the next time someone is trying to read the room, her plea is to read her emotions. That would help.

 

 

If the masses had their say, we would have been burdened with a SOS(Sea of Sameness) all around us. Because the masses decide what you should create and we willy nilly fall for the temptation of conforming and complying. In the process, you end up giving up on the art that you actually want to create. This is more the norm than the exception.

 

That said, thankfully there are exceptions. Creators, artists, entrepreneurs, innovators who follow what their gut and heart and tells them. The ones who follow the story in their heads and are hell bent on bringing it to fruition. Irrespective of whether that it is high brow contrarian thinking. Critical mass is the forbidden fruit that most of us want to take a bite from.

The other way to look at it is in a zeitgeist where the Long Tail exists surely, there is a MVA(Minimum Viable Audience) for what you are going to create and you have the potential to delight and inspire the innovators and the early adopters who in turn will become the advocates to onboard the late adopters, the laggards etc.

 

So, if Oscar winner and composer A R Rahman is tempted by mass demand to compose songs for movies in Kollywood or Bollywood, his heart might be in launching a Kenny G kind of instrumental album or a Hans Zimmerman kind of soundtrack for a mega Hollywood production or produce his own version of the Sound of Music.

 

The voice in the head, the calling in the heart and the throb in the gut: once we are able to address that, bring that out in the form of your work or art that you are passionate about, you are free to pander to mass appeal. It need not be a Hobson’s choice. It is better to disappoint the mass to produce or create what you crave.

 

 

 

Filters and make-believe are the norm. Projecting a version of yourself that conforms, fits in, blends with the rest and be floating in the SOS(Sea of Sameness) is the endeavor. Authenticity is at a premium. There is a yawning gap in the market. How and where are you positioning your personal brand?

 

Last month, we, at ISD Global, conducted a hugely successful Trust Conclave in collaboration with IIM Bangalore, one of the premier management institutions in the world. In the process we opened a can of worms. The intent was to push the needle from Trust as a noun to Trust as a verb. And the movement is well and truly on its way.

 

Here’s the lesson:

Nothing builds trust and leads to real solutions like authenticity. 

 

It is said that “be yourself, everyone else is already taken “- so true. In an ecosphere which expects all of us to be Type A + at all times with the ability and strength of Machiavellian and Hercules combined is a welcome aberration. No need to pretend what you are not. There are enough and more people on Instagram who are already doing that.

Don’t settle for the safety of inauthenticity. Be yourself. The right people and organisation or community will value you for it.

 

Soul is about authenticity. Soul is about finding the things in your life that are real and pure. Truth is a point of view, but authenticity can’t be faked.

 

 

 

The term win-win was first coined in the 1920s by human relations and management pioneer Mary Parker Follett.

 

Probably it is the most commonly used term in recent history and a compelling narrative in every negotiation where both sides claim and are trying to please each other. It seems to be an easy way to round off a discussion and demonstrate to the other side that you are thinking of them.

 

The truth is that ” win win ” is never a perfect world or a zero-sum game. There will always be short term losers, especially the ones who had entrenched interests and sunk costs(including emotional labour). Ideally a long standing problem solved with all stakeholders winning is the myth. If it was that easy, someone would have solved it long ago. The issue is who would bell the cat and take the hit in the short term?

A rather democratic practice is where it is a win-lose but where most people with something at stake end up benefitting. Being all things to all people is a fallacy and leadership certainly is not the ability to make everyone happy but an enabling mechanism where most of the people on the journey are glad to be going where they are being taken.

 

Win-win is a belief in the Third Alternative. It’s not your way or my way; it’s a better way, a higher way – Stephen Covey

Difference of opinion and divergent interests have a three point resolution: domination, compromise or integration. Needless to articulate, domination is a pure play one way street and compromise is never going to make either side comfortable. Integration is the middle path where both sides may end up getting what they wish.