Multi-tasking, some clarification

Image source: wikipedia

A lot of us who've tried being superheroic, and tried doing things in a way that we become worthy of this appellation called 'multi-tasker', would relate to what I have found out.

For example, ever tried talking on the mobile phone or answering someone's call while brushing your teeth full of froth. How does it feel, this attempt to multi-task?

But let's say your mouth is full of froth and foam, and for a couple of minutes you ignore the call or the mobile phone ring. And once you are done with rinsing your mouth, you get to answering the call or talking on your mobile phone. How does that go?

To understand multi-tasking in the truest sense, determine whether the two/more tasks are meant to happen at the same point in time or in a sequence over a little stretch of time.

My anxious attempts at doing it the first way have put me in such inelegant spots and situations that I don't want to share them here. Currently, I am occupied with the second kind. And that is proving very very tiring.

Two more points.

Those who have developed this ability to multi-task over a stretch of time, I reckon, have mastered a very crucial skill.

Actually, a better term than multi-tasking is juggling. Conceptually and sonically, both.

Why MBAs so often suck?

Because the guys tried memorizing from the textbooks and then cleared the exams to get the MBA certifications.

Textbooks are like ready-made gourmet platters. The metaphor sounds nice until we realize that gourmet can still find good space in a stomach and be digested. If only one could lick up the words and store them in the memory bin to be digested. Mighty difficult. Digestion in the head takes doing things with hands, legs and heads together and associating the words and concepts neatly explained and organized in the textbook with the sequentially messy things happening in the world outside the textbook. This kind of digestion is painful.

MBAs, by and large, don't remember all of the textbook. Besides, they typically find it difficult to move hands, legs and heads together in any kind of rhythm. Besides lack of rhythm, all want insane amounts in salaries for that very special exhibition of lack of rhythm.

Everyone's watching.

If there's no space between the beats

Beat wouldn't be called beat. In fact,there wouldn't be anything called 'a beat'. No heartbeat. No drumming. No thump (of a Royal Enfield bullet). No music. And then I wonder, if there would be any dancing.

You are expected to stay in constant touch. You are expected to keep a constant tab on your subject, on your juniors, on your area of expertise. Won't make music that way. Won't thrill you. Won't thrill others.

You are a Bomb

Organizations are drones and employees are bombs. If not all, many are.

They want to drop you at one place. A targeted place. They want you to explode within that space and burn yourself out.

Now imagine if a bomb had a will and it made choices and decisions. And imagine if this bomb chose not to explode at one place. Instead it distributed itself in two or three or four places. And, perhaps, it chose to save a part of itself instead of burning itself. Perhaps, the bomb would choose not to explode at all on any of the sorties.

Now that makes the bomb really really dangerous. Imagine if an organization had to harness such a bomb...

Campus Placements akin to Cattle Fairs

Satish Pradhan, Tata Sons HR Chief, echoed my long-held views about campus placements while addressing the annual business summit Confluence 2011 at IIM-A.

Just yesterday, before starting my session on Strategic Brand Management at Institute of Management, Nirma University, I shared my two bits with the second year students.

Who's going to come to your campus for placements? Most likely the organizations which want to recruit in large numbers. It is unlikely that a growing small or medium-sized organization which wants to hire one good young grad would visit campuses. But sure there are many many organizations which want one such good guy.

When we've got arguably the best search tools ever available to mankind why do students shrink from searching for the right job, the right organization? Never was connecting with people so easy. And almost all organizations which are doing some good work are available to be searched, to be contacted.

Opportunities galore. Are you ready to name what you want and go searching?

Dancing minds

If an organization thrives on great minds, a movement-mapping of the minds of its members would probably showcase a rather ugly dance. In fact, there would be no semblance of choreography, leave aside the concept of dance.

Wikipedia has a page on synchronized swimming:

Synchronized swimming is a hybrid form of swimming, dance and gymnastics, consisting of swimmers (either solos, duets, trios, or teams) performing a synchronized routine of elaborate moves in the water, accompanied by music. Synchronized swimming demands advanced water skills, and requires great strength, endurance, flexibility, grace, artistry and precise timing, as well as exceptional breath control when upside down underwater.

Read that again. Synchronized swimming demands advanced water skills, and requires great strength, endurance, flexibility, grace, artistry and precise timing, as well as exceptional breath control when upside down underwater. Aren't these precisely what we desire among a group of people, team-members, employees?

Effectiveness and efficiency are a consequence of synchro-dancing minds. And the first requirement for synchro-dancing minds is 'a shared vocabulary'. An almost-precise and common understanding (among all the team members across the hierarchy) of the words and concepts that your organization/brand is hitched on.

Thaali mein chhed

As I wrote earlier, everyone who forms a part of the chain between the patient and the doctor is a potential middleman out here. While talking to Iqbal, our Relationship Manager, I mentioned this point.

I said, "even our marketing guys can serve as middlemen for other doctors or hospitals."

Iqbal has been associated with the hospital for quite long now. He left the hospital over a war of words 3 years back but has joined us again. He is great at conversation. And so often talks in metaphors.

He replied, "Sir, mere principle mein hai ki jiss thaali mein khaate hain, uss thaali mein chhed nahi karte. Kyonki, aise toh hamein hi khaane ko nahi milega."

I responded, "Aaj kal log jiss thaali mein chhed karte hain uske niche ek aur thaali rakhte hain..." ;)

Iqbal was watching me smiling and wide-eyed.

The point isn't that I am great at dialogues :D. The point is places like these require different ways of management. One needs wits to win conversations, and therefore, probably hearts, and therefore, respect of one's own people.