Extreme Experimentation !!

While on a long flight, I was catching on a documentary on Tennis. And there was this 30 min biography of the most famous uncle in the Tennis world - Uncle "Toni".

Yes - Rafael Nadal's uncle and coach from the age of 6.

And here was the most significant piece of information I came to know from there. Rafa is a "right hander". He does everything with his right hand. He started playing tennis also with his right hand. But then uncle Toni asked him to use left hand at age 7, and the stuck to it from there on. And this also came out of some very acute observation of his hand moments in his child hood.

Its not exactly ambi-dexterity. Its extreme experimentation for that fine advantage over the usual.

After this documentary,  I started noticing Rafa throwing his wrist bands in to the crowd after winning a match - using his RIGHT HAND !! You can not do that naturally and easily if you are not a Righty ;)

Kill that initiative ..

Add a "Dalit" to "Lokpal" panel - says Mayavati !

Often we see a dreamer takes a really audacious step for an "obvious" reason. For a path breaking idea, that is as simple and obvious as day and night.

In the cycle of "Idea generation -> Communication to garner support -> getting attention / funding -> execution -> Enjoying the fruits" - most of those fundamental dreams, simplest of ideas, those that have ever pervasive implication, the ones that would have been obvious - killed before the execution starts.

Everyone adds their ideas to it. Such fundamental changes are after all never welcome... are they ??

The Human touch to business ..

Travel for leisure industry has boomed in India, many fold over the last decade or so.

With disposable income increasing and breathable oxygen decreasing, the urban lining up to hill stations and stretches of green.

And wherever you go, you come back with some level of good/bad/ugly experience.

But my last outing to South Coorg, Kutta, Spice Garden Homestay was different. I came back with a lot of memories and more over friends, I can call 4AM without hesitating. The host families were so fabulous and so dexterously mix business with the most missing "human touch", it can be scary to a  urban person.

The host spends hours with the guests. Taking them to each spice tree and talking through their uniqueness, as part of a tiger census volunteer he knows each predator in the jungle by name and pug mark. While his wife dishes out most delicious local dishes, not over looking the test and customized requirement of each one in the family, starting from 1 yr old to 65 yr.

Its the knowledge, time and genuine hospitality while keeping business, very business like - that makes a whole lot of difference.

I was wondering how he would scale if he puts so much time in to each guest. But then, it was easy when he explained it to me. Its mostly weekend traffic there, and this person just enjoys spending time with new people, keeping abreast of all information about the surrounding, learning each day something new, gaining influence by pure service to local community and gathering respect by conserving wild life. Its all a package, and the entire family just love the whole nine yards.

I am sure the business grows as an after effect. Like if I am getting out of the city for some lung space, I know where to keep going :)

Productivity and role of communication medium ..

Just a wild case study !

60+ yrs ago - another saint, The Great One, went on a "Hunger Strike" protesting against unfair laws of the land. News spread ! Word of mouth. Supporter came in herds. Protest gathered momentum, until the then govt caved in to the demands. 31 days of fasting.

Today, Anna does the same for the independence of the new kind, in the new world. Facebook, Twitter spreads it to 4 million supporters in few hours. Govt caves in in 96 hrs.

Apology

Apology = power to move !

A huge tech company, once a leader, a bell weather, is struggling for last few years.

Looking back, blame goes to some bad strategy, bad acquisitions, bad partners, wrong hires, letting go of good leaders, focusing away from core competency, being shallow etc. etc.

Not done ! The biggest cause is - "Denial" that the company is in trouble.

Being a public company, investors have severely punished this ticker over recent past. Once, the blue eyed boy of wall street, the CEO is clearly out of favor. Someone who has led this giant to where it is today in 20 yrs of his tenure as CEO.

The past glory and charisma mixed with Denial, sure confused the hell out of everyone who loves this company.

Then comes this "Apology". Like magic, the investors showing trust again. The ticker is green for a change. Hope, this is a wake up call, and the apology is an end to the denial.

Prospectives..

2011 census is over. The populations increase is 18.6% over last 10 years in India and pegged somewhere at 1.2 Billion.

20 yrs ago, when census was done, for months and years to come, each politician of the country, each arm chair commentator, each intellectual talked about close to 1 billion mouths of India that is eating it all. Talked about, how basic needs like food itself is scarce. Equated all social and economic issues to one thing - "Population Explosion".

Last 15 yrs, a portion of young, upwardly mobile India, has referred the "billion mouth" to "billion minds and 2 billion hands". Referred "population explosion" as "Rich human capital".

No wonder, 2011 is so much more positive. The key diagnosis of all diseases, population, has become the panacea. No sweat, analysis, intellectual blabbering over the number 1.2B !!!