Measuring Distraction

I knew I would write this post right after I scanned this piece of paper. And yet, what did I do? I opened an email which led me to open another link before I reminded myself that since I had scanned the format, I should write this post.

If your mobile phone and laptop suck up your time and leave you tired without any feeling of satisfaction at the end of the day, you might just want to do this exercise for a few days and measure your DISTRACTION QUOTIENT.

If you look at the sheet, you'll see 4 columns. You'll also see some symbols and words highlighted in green.

The first 2 columns are sort of 'purposeful'. Obviously, we use mobile phones and laptops for purposeful activities. So the first 2 columns give you the space to record what you consciously decide to do using these gadgets. They are marked with 'right tick' on top. You can fill these columns well in advance.

The 3rd and 4th columns are meant to record the instances of 'unintentional' or 'undetermined' use of these gadgets. The kind of thing I did (narrated right at the start of this post) before I started writing this post. You would fill these columns only after you've distracted yourself and done something which wasn't quite consciously determined in advance.

The ratio of the number of items in the first two and the number of items in the last two should give your DISTRACTION QUOTIENT. I hope you would know how to interpret that ratio :).

Inadvertent disrespect, is it?

Early morning I called up Justdial to get in touch with some guys who offer injection-moulding services. Out of the few results I received via SMS, I picked one which was nearest to my place and dialed the number.

After an exchange of hellos and explaining how I got his number, I asked, "Do you offer injection-moulding services?"

Guy says, "Yes."

I try to explain to my requirement, "I want to get a box made in transparent plastic material..."

He doesn't let me complete. Blurts out, "Time nahi hai!"

Taken aback, I respond, "Kya matlab time nahi hai?!"

"Matlab ki spare capacity nahi hai."

"Oh, ok!" I hang up.

One of the most amazing things about entrepreneurship is bearing and negotiating your way through numerous such conversations as you are trying to set things up.

Politeness isn't just being nice on the face (and talking whatever behind the back). Politeness is a face of the respect one holds deep within for just being human and for appreciating humanness. Business or no business is at best a consequence, to which politeness, along with many other factors, contributes.

When things start losing meaning

There must be a guy who first started using the word 'marketing'. Now folks from my parents' generation talk about any brand initiative that disgusts them as 'marketing'.

There must be someone who defined the term 'networking' and showed its importance. Now everywhere people are out to 'network'. And very often, rather uncomfortably.

There must be someone who first used the words 'fine jewelry'. Now most jewelry brands, whatever the hell their offerings, say 'fine'.

What do you do when big and important concepts start losing meaning? Why did these concepts become meaningful in the first place?

So what's the scope?

Parents and their kids, who are just about to choose a stream/pursue a professional qualification, ask this. Some young pros considering starting some form of business or entrepreneurial venture ask this. As if this question is going to make their careers or help earn a great deal of money.

And while I've answered that question, I have not been internally satisfied with my answers. I wonder those who asked for my opinion were satisfied either :).

MBAs would know better that 'scope' can be answered through Porter's 5-forces model. However, with supply trumping demand in most categories which pertain to life in general, Porter's 5-forces model might not be sufficient.

'Scope' is a category question. And it can't be answered categorically. Besides, it requires that once you put a name to the category, you do a lot of slicing and dicing. More on this in other posts.

For now, let me try and close this by saying that in today's economy, scope will be largely determined by how you intend to connect with people, how long are you willing to check and evaluate whether you are connecting with people in the greatest possible manner.

If you want to earn a salary, 'scope' might often be a redundant question.

The catch-22 of taking initiative

Entrepreneurs and owners of organizations often complaint that people around them, especially employees, lack initiative and don't do much for the organization and leave the organization without any compunctions.

If these people could really take initiative, would they be employees? Besides, what does a typical small/medium sized entrepreneurial set-up give its employees? A person who has sought employment in such a set-up is anyway very much insecure in many respects. And if entrepreneurship is a result of initiative, it would again fall on the entrepreneur to take initiative and lead and somehow instil a sense of security among the employees.

There's a belief among entrepreneurs that since they've taken risk, they deserve the huge rewards that might follow. Since they came up with the idea, the rewards are theirs. That nobody has a right to those rewards but he. And therefore, he builds and accumulates his wealth. If so, then how does the entrepreneur instil a sense of security among employees? By protecting his own wealth? Or by helping the employees partake of his wealth in some form (without losing the wealth really)?

If the answer to the last question is affirmative, then the entrepreneur has to take the lead in sacrificing his 'I deserve all the rewards' sentiment and share, until such time that employees' sense of personal well-being is taken care of and they feel gratitude towards the employer. Then is the time for the entrepreneur to accumulate and amass.

It's easier said. It's a tight rope. So much depends on a shared dream and general camaraderie.

An idea for aspiring MBA-lured entrepreneurs

Having 'studied' entrepreneurship, one thing is clear to me. You needn't study entrepreneurship if you really have to become an entrepreneur.

Also having been a management student and now training management grads, I realize how much money and time goes into pursuing an MBA. 10-12 or may be 14-15 odd lacs in a couple of years. Daily expenses excluded.

Here's an idea:

Enterprise MBA, let me call it. Instead of putting in a million bucks for sitting through the classrooms and listening to all the gyan all the time, I propose to invest part of the fee in setting up an actual venture. Rest goes into classroom training which would be limited to a couple of hours in the day on an average. For the duration of the MBA, you are guided in running this venture and make it work. When you graduate, you have something of your own. Already!

Imagine if 4 such students pool in their fee into a venture!

I propose this also after I have spent all the money in studying and this and that, and after I've found it extremely hard (and still find it hard) based on these credentials that my education accorded me, to raise the seed capital. Why waste all of this precious resource called capital into simply sitting (and very often sleeping through) the classes!

Stop. Repeat. Stop. Repeat.

Hitting the right spot on the first occasion is always desirable. But most of the things that we do, the simplest tasks, are a function of repetition. Brushing teeth, cycling, breathing while running, pushing up and so on...

How do we get the position of an entrepreneurial brand just right exactly on the day of the launch? Before the launch, do many such launches.

An exam of your own choosing

Last night, Dad said, "You must be feeling like you've passed an exam."

Just a thoughtful fraction of a second and I said, "Exactly!"

His commented in response to my update on my attempts at photographing earrings.

The thing is I didn't quite relish exams, even if I would score pretty well. Even now, some rare dream dips me in those days and fills that night with the dread of school-time exams. Guess the problem was they were imposed. Goals of organizations also felt like that on occasions. Anyway...

I work better choosing my own exams.

Bee the Baker

A MICAmate is doing interesting things.

The first interesting thing is the name of her venture/initiative Bee the Baker.

Second interesting thing is her designation: Chef, CFO, CEO & Office Boy at Bee the Baker. 

Third interesting thing is her FB page: https://www.facebook.com/beethebakerindia

Fourth interesting thing is all that she is doing to make that FB page come really alive.

Fifth interesting thing is the visual rendition.

Wanna do something interesting of your own? Here's a little to learn.

Creating rungs

As an entrepreneur, the only rungs you climb are the ones that you create. There's no ladder visible. Clouds and ceilings are visible. But no ladder.

The myth of confidentiality of ideas

On a lot many occasions, when I am asked for ideas or suggestions/advice, I find myself holding myself back. On many other occasions, I am sharing ideas left, right and center to many people's surprise. Near and dear ones even alert me on occasions when I go overboard talking about my ideas.

And my experiences so far lead me to conclude that the idea that 'there is merit in keeping ideas confidential' is a misplaced fear. And like many conclusions we come to, there are some exceptions to this conclusion as well. People share a hell lot of ideas on certain idea-sharing sites. But there are many - I suppose, majority - who don't.

I categorize ideas into two types:

• talking-dependent ideas
• doing-dependent ideas

Mind you, 'talking' also means 'doing'. Out here though, 'doing' excludes 'talking. :) You get the drift.

What do I call a talking-dependent idea? It's an idea which doesn't demand any significant change in the physical set-up (for once, consider 'software code' as physical). So that means a 'doing-dependent' idea is one which demands a significant change in physical set-up.

If you share some marketing communication ideas, it might be fairly easy for people to pick it up and run with it on their own. And that happens. But share an idea which implies birth of a new business model and you'll see how often it gets picked up.

Does that mean 'doing-dependent' ideas cannot be 'stolen'? Of course, can be. But the chances are slim, very slim.

I reckon a 'doing-dependent' idea would get 'stolen' if all of these conditions are met together. The person stealing the idea:

• has domain expertise
• has and is willing to risk his time and money on something that isn't his own 'idea'
• is intelligent and reads all that's in between the lines
• is energetic

Just 4 conditions but they are 'big' conditions to fulfill, all at the same time.

Is your idea 'doing-dependent'? Go, share! Chances of hitting the ears of a supporter are greater than those of a stealer. :D

The critical question for a consultant

like me is, "Who gets to decide?"

No, am not asking, "Who is the decision-maker at the client's end?" I am asking, "Between the client and consultant, who gets to decide?"

One would say, "It's the client's business. He/she's spending the money; goes without saying he/she would decide."

Whoever said that spending money helps one make an appropriate (or a great) decision. In the first place, a consultant is hired because in certain respects the client lacks the capacity to make decisions. And also lacks the skills which would help him take decisions.

And most often spending money would not imply that the client has developed the capacity to make decisions or has learnt the skills which would help him take decisions.

It seems to me that, right at the outset, a consultant must ask the client, "Who gets to decide?" Depending on the answer, the consultant can determine what role he plays. That of a decision-making consultant? Or that of a consultant whose job is just to furbish all sorts of options for the client to consider and take a decision?

A lot of heartburn can be avoided (and satisfaction can be guaranteed) when, for a consultant, that one question is addressed clearly. What role would you be happy/satisfied playing?

And someone might say, "Why can't both take a decision based on mutual agreement/consensus?" Try it. Am observing.

Achieving entrepreneurial ambitions

needs 3 things to my mind:

• have a mission
• ability to live a low-cost existence
• investing in our own skills

If I convert these 3 points as questions for you, how do you fare?

"Identify the Institute" Contest

Identify the institute as per the ad given below:

The Times of India, 29th Nov 2010

  

  

 

  

  

  

    

    

   

    

Answer: Entrepreneurship Development Institute, Ahmedabad

Congratulations if you got it right!!! :)

The institute doesn't understand the same thing that entrepreneurs usually don't. Building a brand! No wonder they've simply missed putting the institute's name in the ad, leave aside highlighting it. Ridiculous!

Where time-frames to learn and execute are getting shorter, the institute has converted the flagship program into a 2-year one! Entrepreneurs need to be fast, right? Respond quickly to challenges, right?