Suresh Dinakaran's Blog

 

Experience takes dreadfully high school-wages, but he teaches like no other- Thomas Carlyle

 

Recently I was in India for a surgery. With no skill, competence or experience in that area or any form of medicine, I was totally at sea and succumbed completely to the experience(and of course competence) of the specialist at the hospital. Not that I could have done anything else.

 

There are many such situations in life wherein the imbalance or asymmetry in the experience is  stark. And the person on the other side is aware of it. That you are going to do it only once. You are going to book a caterer for your wedding only once(hopefully!!). As a student, you are going to apply to university only once. Pick up funds for your start up from an angel investor only once. Go snorkelling in the Andamans with an expert once.

 

In all of these situations, the individuals or organisations that you are dealing with are fully aware that you will soon be gone while they would still be around. Subliminal power dynamics.

 

In such David V Golitath situations where the asymmetry is yawning, it is better to get a local guide who knows as much as the other expert but, is on your side, as your ally, your support, your navigator.

 

Little wonder it is said that students come and go while deans last for generations.

 

That said, being at ease with not knowing is crucial for answers to come to you.

 

 

ENDS

 

 

 

2024 marks the Silver Jubilee anniversary of Alan Donald getting run out in the 1999 World Cup Cricket semi-final against Australia and South Africa going out of the World Cup. And it is said that South Africa has never recovered from the ‘chokers ‘ tag after that in big ticket ICC tournaments.

 

For those who would like to see that disheartening or exuberant moment(depending on which side of the fence you are) unfold, here is the link to the video https://www.facebook.com/cricketworldcup/videos/401458807129583/

 

That moment in time was a well-documented cluster bomb in culture, exploding across traditional media. Imagine social and memes were available at scale back then as they are now.

 

Fast-forward to today. Culture is less top-down. Social has enabled a more bottom-up, bubble-up, decentralized way for culture to emerge. And the energy, velocity and amplification power of social is reshaping our world, enabling subcultures and shifting power to consumers and communities.

 

In a few days from now, Facebook will turn 20( launched on Feb 4, 2004). And introspect on what was and what is. Upending is an understatement. And it is an incredible time to be alive. Two of the world’s biggest democracies( India & the USA) will have an election year. Two wars that should have never started in the first place show no signs of ending. Is it time to go all guns blazing?

 

The need for brands to embed cultural integration has never been greater. To win attention and connect in this new environment, brands need to understand nuances and show empathy like never before. Because, this is a new context where there is not one easy-to-understand mainstream popular culture.

 

As people crave for new individuality, as the chorus gets more hoarse on climate crisis and the deafening silence amidst geo-political conflicts continues unabated, all of this while platforms struggle with attention scarcity, differentiation needs, AI disruption and advertising under pressure. But hey, it’s the new normal. Big social is having sort of a midlife crisis.

 

If we look into the future, through the lens of culture, nothing is more certain in the times to come than, uncertainty.

 

It is indeed time for a culture reset.

ENDS

 

It is tempting. And not unnatural to be doing so. In our privileged roles as parents, mentors, coaches, counsellors, captains etc, we have the opportunity to be courageous, generous, mindful and progressive. The person at the other end values you for what you can bring to the equation that takes her forward on the journey to better. And if you are expecting that you get to hear what you hope to hear as against what you need to hear, you are on the wrong train.

 

Your lawyer has to tell you where you are headed with your case based on ground reality and not driven by simply appeasing you. Your chartered accountant may tell you that your books of accounts are in shambles and they need to be fixed on the double. What you need to hear from your counsellor at high school is the right University to apply to based on your aptitude, goals, test scores and past performance and not build castles in the air. Imagine your doctor sugar coating his diagnosis in an effort to keep you away from anxiety and the real need of the hour.

 

The givers of this ” what you need to hear ” are playing their part responsibly. And in a lot of cases, it goes unappreciated. But, for them, the quest is for meaningful connection, to care enough and to make things better.

 

When you offer the ” what she needs to hear ” drill, you are potentially passing the baton and the accompanying energy to another person or cause bringing about a knock-on effect.

 

So, what are you saying that needs to be heard?

 

 

ENDS

 

There can be no better example of spontaneous collective action than what we see as a ” wave ” in sports stadiums around the world. It began to be called by commentators as  ‘ the Mexican Wave ‘ after they saw it during the Soccer World Cup in Mexico in 1986. Though, in reality the wave became a wave and originated in the state of Washington in the United States of America.

 

It is a curious social trend and for those unfamiliar with the concept- it entails one person( lets define this person as a ‘ provocateur ‘)- or at best a small group of people – standing up spontaneously in the middle of a huge audience, throwing their hands in the air and yodel-shouting some sort of noise. If it goes well, their neighbours catch on and do the same with a knock-on effect to other neighbours down the line until the controller of the jumbotron( commonly understood as a very large video display screen of a type used in venues such as sports stadiums) sees what’s happening  and trains the camera on the activity. At this point, the movement can take on a life of its own, gradually enveloping the entire stadium audience in a style until it collapses under its own weight.

 

That’s when it goes well. When it goes badly, the aspiring provocateur is left standing with arms in the air as he turns beet red and whimpers out a few feeble ” who’s with me’s ” before sitting down in shame to drown his sorrows. 

 

It comes as a relief that to activate social movements or spur economic growth, it rarely requires exposing yourself to the boos and laughs of tens of thousands of spectators. Thankfully!

The provocation activated requires us to work with and through an ecosystem to get things done. While the provocateur might see it as a very straightforward path to a desired outcome, they have very little ability to directly influence – except at the very outset- whether it is achieved. The intent is to create a knock-on effect that, once set in motion, you just have to hope that it is seen all the way through. That said, it begins with showing up and shipping out!

 

Are you making waves? Are you activating your ecosystem?

 

Before I conclude, I would urge you to read these books(if you have not already) to understand more about ecosystems, network effect and ubiquity:

The Interaction Field by Erich Joachimsthaler and The Platform Paradox by Mauro F Guillen

 

 

ENDS

 

 

 

 

 

There is a preamble and a constitution. That is the linear sequence. Every sovereign nation has it and that which is considered the highest law of the land. The preamble sets the stage for the constitution . It clearly communicates the intentions of the framers and the purpose of the document. The preamble is an introduction to the highest law of the land; it is not the law.

 

So, what am i getting at? Yours truly is guilty of beginning emails or any communication with courtesy lines like asking ” hope all well ” and a ” good morning ” wish. Before I get to the core of my agenda, I am looking at building a base. I realised that cutting to the chase is a better option.

 

You are making a presentation and begin with reading the room, exchanging pleasantries, clearing your throat, trying to get people’s attention and all of that. Time and attention starved people are not wanting any of that. They are there to hear or see your best part. So, get to the meat of the matter. Let the rubber hit the road.

 

In a day and age where everyone knows about everyone(atleast in the digital realm), your link or story or note or preamble has reached your potential audience well before you have. So, standing on ceremonies is passe. Wield your microphone and let it all out, and delight the daylights out of your audience.

Swimming is best learned and done at the deep end. The shallow end where your feet is already touching the floor offers you only a false sense of bravado.

 

Don’t let preparation be a place to hide. Make the things you want to make. Do the things that you want to do. You don’t need to feel ‘ready’- you will figure it along the way.

 

ENDS

 

This rant is not about conspicuous consumption and the increasing stuffocation that we add to our already overwhelmed lives. That said, it is fair to co relate buying with adding more.

 

When you go to a hardware store to get a hammer and a set of nails, what you are buying is far bigger than the tools. You are buying the feeling of admiring that portrait painting once it is hung on your living room wall. And that too again and again.

 

The book that you buy will yes of course find space in your book shelf or home library. That is stating the obvious. Then, what you are buying is the quest for broadening your knowledge, the thirst for understanding another person’s perspective and the possibility of acting on some of those pearls of wisdom.

 

It might seem trivial or superfluous. But, when you are making an investment in a pair of weights, a squat rack, a bench and a pair of running shoes, you are actually buying piece of mind, not just gym equipment. Because potentially, you are buying into a better lifestyle and a healthy body.

 

“Dreams shouldn’t be about what you can buy–they should be about what mark you leave in the world.” Claire Cross.

 

When you wear a new lens and begin to re-imagine, in a lot of cases, you are offered perspectives that are better, richer and game changing. Watch video here..

 

The sum is greater than the parts…

 

ENDS

 

Do pardon the messy spelling in the caption. Yes, you guessed right- I am talking about initiative, a place from where progress, possibilities, connections and inventions take off. If you want to win the race you are running, initiative is a great starting point.

 

Being limitless is being talked about regularly in all self-help ecosystems. The realisation of potential(obvious or hidden) stems from taking the initiative. There is no capex involved in this. Nor is initiative a scarce resource that you have to worry about it running out. And it ticks the box on ‘ sustainability ‘ too as it is a self-renewing resource, albeit hugely under tapped.

 

So, it might be things as basic as making your bed, ironing your clothes, calling someone(instead of waiting), learning a new language, putting your hand up to volunteer for a good cause or something more significant like starting to write the book that you have been procrastinating on for years, put in the hard yards to bring your business idea into the real world, the engine chugs off from a station called initiative. Things begin to gather steam(pardon the pun).

Naysayers will have plenty to say. After all there is no unemployment in this world where most seem fully employed in an ‘easy to pursue profession called judging‘. That should not stop me or you from showing up and shipping out. Standing up for those whom you seek to serve.

 

Buffet or a la carte. There is plenty going around for everyone. Keep withdrawing from your bank of initiative. Soon, you will have some of them becoming winitiatives.

 

ENDS

 

Crossing the Chasm (1991, revised 1999 and 2014), is a marketing book by Geoffrey A. Moore that examines the market dynamics faced by innovative new products, with a particular focus on the “chasm” or adoption gap that lies between early and mainstream markets.

 

Crossing the Chasm is an adaptation of an innovation-adoption model called diffusion of innovations theory created by Everett Rogers, The author argues there is a chasm between the early adopters of the product (the technology enthusiasts and visionaries) and the early majority (the pragmatists). Moore believes visionaries and pragmatists have very different expectations, and he attempts to explore those differences and suggest techniques to successfully cross the “chasm,” including choosing a target market, understanding the whole product concept, positioning the product, building a marketing strategy, choosing the most appropriate distribution channel and pricing.

 

That said, this post is about something slightly different. It is about those multitudes who are taking moonshots to give the rest of the world better food, cleaner mobility, rugged technology and a greener planet. The passion and fervour they bring to the equation is admirable. May their tribe grow.

 

All of them are punting on the fact that they will first acquire a minimum viable audience, who in turn will bring in some more and so on and on. The expectation is that a vast majority of us would make the switch to green and clean. The real world plays out something very different. Critical mass is a distant reality and the new|early adopters are expected to take the load of pricing inefficiencies simply because of the demand and supply play out.

 

When sometime back car rental brand Hertz made a bet by investing in green with their having a large inventory of Tesla cars, it was thought to be game changing. Something that should inspire a lot more organisations to walk the talk on purpose, people, planet. Well, the collaboration did not go as envisaged. Hertz a few days back announced they were liquidating more than 20% of their Tesla fleet because of insufficient demand(because of higher pricing).

 

The unfair equation here is that we expect the new users|early adopters to bear the brunt of the higher pricing( even though all of us benefit) till such time the market attains enough threshold levels to sustain the product or service on offer. Unless you have sufficient staying power this bottoms out to the detriment of the provider.

Just like hope, the future is a ‘ collective responsibility ‘. The quest for a greener planet, better mobility, effective healthcare, organic food, quality education and all of that is justified when we play a greater, deeper role in the adoption and consumption.

 

For bridging the gap between now and later is to move the needle from ‘I’ to ‘We’.

 

Ready?

 

ENDS

 

Perhaps it is because of an old school mindset of mine. Making a ‘to do‘ list for the day. And since Men Are From Mars, the mind is conditioned to make sure that the list is as long as possible to correspond to your Machiavellian ego that talks back and tells you how important and busy you are. Pat yourself on the back? Well, wait!

 

A ‘to do‘ list is definitely a process and part of the journey but it can hoodwink you into thinking that you have reached your destination. Offloading from an over clogged mind onto a piece of paper(my preferred style) or an organiser or a tablet might give you the illusion that the battle has been won. You let your guard down and begin to take things a little easy. The danger is that you feel so good when you’ve got your list all nice and organized that you take your foot off the gas and don’t get anything done – the list by itself gives you a feeling of relief and accomplishment in and of itself.

 

If you permit me to state the obvious, the best way to use your mind is to think creatively. Any gadget or paper can handle a ‘to do‘ list. Forgive me if I hurt your ego here.

 

Your boss or your notification prompts may help you move the needle from paper to action. Or given the times we are in, Conversational A.I can be a perfect ally.

 

What we could also encourage ourselves to do is to build a ‘To Not Do‘ list( forgive the contradiction here) so that priority and important tasks get the focus, attention and energy and the trivial many are either trashed or deliberately put on the back burner.

 

The best films are so because of not what you see but because of what you don’t see. Elimination and subtraction is a powerful proxy to make progress. But the jury seems to be still out on that since we live in the ‘Republic of Not Enough‘ and ‘more‘ is the operative four letter word.

 

ENDS

 

Copious amount of lines have been written about the need to step out of our comfort zones while the voice in our head seems to be (far often than not) reining us in from doing so.

 

Life doesn’t pause for our precious creating moments. Sorry. The leap of faith is your best bet. Showing the courage to embrace the unknown, the uncomfortable, the uncertain.

 

The universe, contrary to perception is a willing ally in our pursuits. Especially when we show the courage to dance with the unknown. Drown the noise and doubts in our head. It begins to remove those impossible obstacles and show us the way. And during the ride, you begin to find co-creators, believers and collaborators hand holding you towards the chosen destination.

 

Just like a lot of corporates, the universe too has an R&R( Rewards and Recognition) program. So, not only does it bestow its affection for the courage you bring in, it also rewards you for it.

 

‘Afraid is a country where they issue us passports at birth and hope we never seek citizenship in any other country.’- Audre Lorde

Discomfort is a proxy for progress. Just as change is the only constant, the only certainty is uncertainty. And knowing how to live with insecurity is the only security. Life is shot through with uncertainty and sometimes that uncertainty rears its head in profound ways. The assertion here, however, is that there really is no creativity without uncertainty. Put another way: dubito ergo creo. This is Latin for, I doubt therefore I create.

 

The outside world provokes, persists and insists that we change the story we tell ourselves. Our attitude doesn’t have to be driven by the outside world, but sometimes they overlap.

 

What American ethnobotanist and mystic Terence McKenna said in one of his classic lectures, speaks directly to the power of showing courage and deliberately doing things that make us uncomfortable. You can watch the hugely inspiring video here https://youtu.be/RdJWF0xDjcI?si=BzFpQP8MSfTnt5tj

 

To quote a small excerpt from one of his classic lectures ” Nature loves courage. You make the commitment and nature will respond to that commitment by removing impossible obstacles.

Dream the impossible dream and the world will not grind you under, it will lift you up.

This is the trick. This is what all these teachers and philosophers who really counted, who really touched the alchemical gold, this is what they understood.

This is the shamanic dance in the waterfall.

This is how magic is done. By hurling yourself into the abyss and discovering it’s a feather bed.
—Terence McKenna

 

ENDS