I don't know! 3 powerful words for a new beginning...

As a part of my journey as an entrepreneur I happened to meet an investor a few months ago, who is part of a popular VC Fund based in Bangalore. My objective was to gain some insights and this meeting was organised by a common friend. 

The huge enthusiasm I had prior to the meeting faded away pretty quickly within 15 minutes into this meeting with my namesake. He asked some really smart & tough questions,... and you know what.. I didn't have the answers. I felt terrible saying most of the time 3 words (that I hated so much then) - I don't know! I came back terribly demotivated from this meeting and remained low for a few weeks. But then, I pulled myself up and said to myself - so what, if I don't know? I can always learn.  That was a new beginning for me. 

There is always something you would know and I may not. The inverse of this is also true. So what's the big deal, as long as I am willing to learn. The one thing that can keep our self-esteem high and our orientation positive is - our willingness to learn and grow ourselves each day. In order to grow it is essential for us to be open to criticism and also be self-critical. At the same time, it is also essential to forgive oneself and allow oneself to take the road to new learning. These are a few essential attributes to grow oneself each day and keep moving forward. I am not preaching through this post, I am merely sharing my learning journey and hoping there could be something for you as a reader to learn therefrom. I have often struggled to forgive myself and I recognise that has been my undoing.  I think it is most important for self-critical people to learn to forgive themselves. It is ok to make mistakes, it is ok to be imperfect, it is ok to fail at times and it is perfectly ok to be human; as long as we are willing to learn and improve with each passing day. 

Do share your thoughts !

Learning Bite-Sized

When I used to work at Unilever more than a decade ago, there was a huge disruption happening in the market then. The disruption was "small is big" and "big is getting small". Are you wondering what am I talking about? 

I am talking about the fad of small packs that was introduced then in the market. Surf Excel used to sell more in Re. 1 small packs vs. 500g large packs. The entire business model of manufacturing and distribution was hugely disrupted by this change. Factories had to gear up to manufacture small 10g packs of Surf Excel, packaging machines needed to be reconfigured, distribution & sales teams needed to be reoriented to selling small packs, which was turning out to be a big business opportunity. Small packs sold more volume of detergent than large packs. 

In today's times, the Gen Y population is soon becoming majority of the workforce. They are different from Gen X, have a different view of the world, more confident, more agile, quick learners and most of all more impatient. In such a context, the world of learning is also likely to change its construct very soon.., if it hasn't already it better change. Long duration learning programs over 3-5 days will be thing of the past. Unless there is a certification or a qualified skill being imparted, such learning will soon lose relevance. The world of learning will soon move to BITE-SIZE learning. People want to learn real quick. Want quick sound bites on how to solve a problem or situation. This is an impatient generation, where a person is browsing on 3 sites simultaneously, managing 2 gadgets, 4-5 applications etc. at the same time.  If one browser is slow, there is another one opened up. People moving up from a 2G to a 3G to a 4G connection quickly, because they don't want to wait..., speed is of essence.  In such a world, 3 to 5 minutes of bite-size learning is a disruption that will soon gain traction. One key message, one key learning - deliver in 3-5 minutes. Make the point and move on. Don't beat the concept too deep. I don't need it. I want something workable for now!  Bite-sized learning is in..., watch this space... a new agile disruption in the world of learning on its way. 

Disruption, a good word...Uh!

The world of learning is transforming at a very rapid pace. Over decades the modus of learning has been - I know, You don't know. Let me teach you. The world has transformed so rapidly in the last 10 years through the advent of social media that learning has moved from I know You don't..., to neither of us know everything but between us, we all know a lot. 

This has grossly disrupted the way the world is evolving each year. Google has become the biggest "guru" not because google has all the answers. It is because, more than half the world is on google and they are sharing information freely to help others. Google by itself isn't much, it is the wisdom & IQ of the world who live on google daily who have made it so valuable today. 

What does that mean for learning? The world of learning will move to crowd sourcing of knowledge & content at a rapid pace. Anyone can learn, at any time and from anywhere ! There will be no fixed place from where he will learn. The world of learning has to be a market place for people to be able to play around and pick what they wish to learn. So the biggest challenge will be to organise the learning market place across the world. To find something today in the world of disorganised internet information pile, is a kin to rag picking. It will be imperative for the world of learning to organise itself in order for the learner to easily find what he/she would be looking for. Coming together and collaborating vs. competing with each other is likely to be the way forward. 

Shouldn't learning be easy?

I guess it should. When I look at my 15 year old son struggle and stress for his 10th Std. board exams, I wonder if I experienced as much stress back in my time. May be I did too. The world of competitive education has not changed much over years. We work incredibly hard for 15-18 years of our childhood to learn and be called educated. Thereafter, most of the forced learning ceases once we get our degrees or diplomas etc. 

Learning is a continuous process..., what does that mean? Nothing much actually in a place like India where learning is a PUSH. Learning is fun, when it is a PULL vs. a PUSH. When one makes a choice to learn something, one tends to enjoy the same. However, when one is pushed to learn, give exams, be compared with his/her peers,... it ends up impacting one's self esteem. If one compares better, it adds to the self esteem and when one does not compare well, it adversely impacts one's confidence. There is always someone in this world who is better than us. Isn't that true? Then, how can we ever feel good deep within in this world where one is always comparing one individual with another. Why can't we just accept the fact that each one is talented in his or her own way. Isn't that great? We are world made of people with varied talents. 

Learning needs to be made easy, made accessible, made self paced and most of all fun. It shouldn't be a drag for anyone. Learning happens best when one chooses to learn vs. when one is forced to learn. Demand based learning is here to stay.

Stop! Are you spending tomorrows $ to solve yesterday's problems..?

As a Talent & OD lead in one of my jobs,  I once confronted my CEO as to - Why are you slashing my L&D budget each quarter? After a few minutes on niceties, he blurt out in frustration - you are spending my precious tomorrows dollars to solve yesterdays problems. I do not see what value L&D brings?

It took me a few seconds to realise what he said. He was so damn right! Most companies have an LMS system that churns out training needs based on previous year's appraisal. The development needs are of the previous year. The L&D function takes 3-4 months to consolidate needs etc. and develop a calendar. The calendar is then run for the next 12 months. From gap assessment to actual development, the time could be anywhere between 6-15 months. In the ensuring period the market requirements may have changed, the functional skills required may have shifted (esp. in the IT or digital world). I would agree that  some fundamental softer skills or attributes or behavioural gaps may remain constant. So the CEO was damn right. He could have invested the L&D dollars to grow his business instead by investing into new markets. 

The truth of the matter is, most HR and L&D  functions have struggled to embrace "agile" learning methodologies. As HR professionals we have stuck to old age proven models and not reinvented ourselves to deal with the world radically changing around us. This is where a learning market place model, where demand & supply dynamics balance each other, could play a defining role. Ability to diagnose the right issue, focus on the right audience with the most agile approach, is critical to the success of any L&D intervention. In a changing market, where old skills need to be shed as fast as embracing newer ones, a learning market place approach provides the "agility"  that CEO's would like to see.  

Are we as HR and L&D professionals willing to reframe our thinking? Isn't staying relevant important to HR's credibility.  What do you think?

Learning can reduce attrition!

Attrition analytics has been one interesting trend in companies over the last 5 years. People have created interesting frameworks and models to understand why people leave. Yet, after China India is a market where there is very high attrition across the industry, esp. IT & ITES. 

Let me provide you with a 3rd lens to this problem. I would stick my neck out and say – your people leave your organizations because of 2 primary reasons:

1. You do not invest enough on their learning & growth (both intellectual & career) – investment is not necessarily money, it could be a combination of time, effort & money.
2. As a result you do not make their work challenging & exciting enough

In summary your people leave you because they are not learning. When they start looking out, they realize they are not earning either. So the trigger to attrition while appears to be “earnings”, the true invisible trigger is lack of learning.

Here is my argument:

It’s a no brainer that organizations invest top dollars on their A Players (top 20%). This may be necessary. However, what I have noticed over years, being in HR is that 80% of the L&D budgets are invested on 20% of the people. This is an unwise move. The so-called B Players are almost 70% of the company and the backbone of the company. They stand by and support the company even in challenging times. It is the A players who desert the ship first, when a storm hits the ship. These loyal B players get almost zero development dollars. Even if something comes their way, it is a-kin to the mid-day meal in Government schools. Yes, I am being a bit uncharitable here. The truth of the matter is the L&D programs provided to B players are random off the shelf programs, which create very little value. They are not personalised to the needs of these employees.

Leadership teams in organisations need to take a serious look at how they are making learning investments. If I pick an example from marketing, there was a time not so long ago Marketing leads thought there was no alternative to ATL and BTL channels to reach customers. Digital and internet were dismissed as irrelevant. Google was branded as a mere search engine, Facebook a past time of teenagers, Twitter a passing fad. Now look, where we are today. There are special digital marketing courses going around. Every marketer is being asked if he/she understands social & digital marketing.

Is HR making a proactive shift into the future or waiting to turn irrelevant.  The employees across companies are deeply social and very active on both internet & the digital medium. Unless HR departments can respond to the needs of their B Players through alternate means, 70% of people in organizations will look to other means to grow themselves, including attrite to other jobs.

Desire to learn & grow is the fundamental right of every human being. Restricting and limiting the availability of means to learn is against the very spirit of enabling human potential.

Democratising learning by adopting learning through digital & technology is the most cost effective & efficient answer available at this time. What do you think?

The Invisible Teacher

In a small town in Kerala, there was a distraught young man who was struggling in this career. He took up various jobs, but nothing was working out for him. Over 10 years, he felt his career was going nowhere. Many of his friends had reached high places and were earning good money, but this young man was finding it hard to make ends meet.

One Sunday, while he was looking through the window he saw a Monk walking down the street. He recalled that he had seen the same Monk many times over the last few years and started wondering where he goes each Sunday. Along with his curiosity, occurred a thought that he should walk up to the Monk and share his woes. So he did. The distraught young man quickly wore his slippers, ran out of the house calling out the Monk. The Monk was a young man in his early 20’s, he stopped and turned around on hearing this distraught man calling out at him.

Who are you and what do you want? Asked the Monk. My name is Raghav, said the distraught young man. I want to speak to you for a few minutes. The Monk replied, sure but for that you will have to walk along with me to the Monastery as I have a prayer to attend. Raghav readily agreed.

Monk: So, how can I help you?

Raghav: I have been struggling last many years in my life and I have no one to speak with. Will you be my teacher and help me work through the struggles of my life?

Monk: I am not sure what you want me to do, but I can definitely listen to what you have to say.

Soon Raghav started narrating his woes, how people have been unfair to him, challenges in life and work, how money has been hard to come etc. etc. The Monk & Raghav reached the Monastery and the Monk who was attentively listening so far sought a break to attend his prayers for 30 minutes. Raghav quietly watched how calm and unruffled the Monk was as he followed all the rituals & completed his prayers.

After the prayers, the Monk walked back to Raghav.

Monk: I heard your story. I am sorry to hear that you feel you are going through so much hardship in life. What I do not still understand is why are you sharing this with me and what do you want from me?

Raghav: I want you to be my teacher. I think I have not had a good teacher all my life. My school teachers were bad, my father and I did not get along, my mother is uneducated, I have not had a good boss at work, etc. etc. and Raghav again went on & on as to how unfair life has been to him.

Monk: Raghav, what makes you believe I am a good teacher?

Raghav: I have observed you last many months, you have a discipline, you walk up here to the Monastery each day, same time, do your prayers, you are so calm & unruffled, you amaze me with what you have achieved.

Monk: In your entire narration so far, you have talked about career success, growth, money & fame etc. I have achieved none of this, so what makes you believe that I have achieved a lot?

Raghav was now a bit confused. He did not have an answer to this question.

Raghav: I do not know how to answer this question. I am very disturbed; I need a teacher to help me.

Monk: When you called out to me an hour ago, you did not know me at all. Yet you called me out. In the last one-hour you have invited me to be your teacher. You watched me go by your house for last many months, yet I was invisible to you so far. How many such invisible teachers are walking past you each day and you are not observing them. How many invisible incidents are occurring to you or occurring around you each day and you are not observing them. Raghav, you do not need me as your teacher, you need to observe & learn from people, events, occasions, happenings & life around you and what is happening to you. There are numerous invisible teachers around you & one teacher within you, teaching you daily something very precious. The day you start observing them, they will become visible. Your life & its experience is your biggest teacher. Recognise its power, embrace it and learn from it.

Raghav was spell bound by the wise words of the Monk. He thanked the Monk and walked back home in deep thought.

How many of us have ever thought what attitude we wear each day towards life? How are we learning & what are we learning? Are we gathering these precious pearls or letting them roll off our palms like lost wealth?

Thoughts…..