Excellence in Execution – Taking us Beyond Assembly Lines and Corporate Settings

Lubricant or Leverage?

Excellence in Execution (e@e) has traditionally been considered to be associated with productivity. Productivity, on the other hand, has traditionally remained linked to improving machines, methods and means. As industrialisation evolved, interventions aimed at e-in-e started considering ‘human beings’ as a possible avenue where results could be reaped. But such considerations remained limited to rewards and remunerations, much as lubricants to a production or production-assisting entity called man. Higher remunerations and better rewards, it was believed, would somehow elicit higher productivity. This approach to e@e confined it to the lower rungs of Maslow’s pyramid[i].

E@e, often associated and pursued only with professional life, should not be limited to the confines of work areas. It must originate from within and end up defining the person himself /herself. It is then e@e becomes a leveraging tool. If viewed and approached from the higher strata of Maslow’s pyramid, it offers unending intervention possibilities and limitless scope of improvement. At that level e@e becomes the hallmark of whatever one sets eyes on and put hands on.

What impedes e@e?

What promotes e@e?

Where does it originate from?

Does it pay back?

Instilling Inadequacy to Pursue Excellence

Right from my childhood, all through my adolescence and well into adulthood, I felt everybody around was better than me in everything. It had serious fallouts. One reason for this personality dent could have been due to the persistent comparisons I heard, growing up. Pervasive, it covered anything and everything. Age or gender differences didn’t matter.

“See his hand writing and see yours” “look at him, he speaks so well; and you?”. “He has already got a job and You; walking around with books and studying’.

“Look at her. see how she conducts herself; and you?”. “

“Do you know, Einstein and Faraday studied under street light and Ramanujan walked ten kilometres to the school; and You? “You a room to yourself, a table and a table lamp. The school is next door and you still can’t top the class!

The list was endless and almost for certain in areas where I was helpless.

Back then ‘fake news’ was not yet the norm. ‘Fact check’ was unnecessary and impossible since google was yet not conceived. With nothing to verify and unwilling to risk the consequences of questioning those who declared such amazing feats, I had no choice but to believe all that. Einstein Faraday and Ramanjuan were my nemeses, worthy of my despised respects. There were few others too, like me. Those days, major tool of parenting, it seems, was all about comparisons. Such comparisons inevitably sow seeds of inadequacy in individuals.

On the other hand, there are / were many who grow up with an unending flow of praises and approvals, irrespective what they do or don’t do. When faced with ruthless realties of the competitive world, they are forced to come to terms with the brutal truth that success and failures coexist. Unvaccinated and unprotected, these people are grievously stricken and find it harder to recover.  

Continuous comparisons compromise chances of success by undermining self-worth and eroding e@e.

The fact remains that, No one knows one’s true self.

 Knowing Oneself

Analysis of the data collected from many training and facilitation sessions I led, reveal that, socio-economic conditions, age and gender notwithstanding, we are blind to many of our strengths. It has also been proved universally, that most of us hide our good qualities out of self-doubts. Interestingly, these are clear to others. The exercise I lead participants through, quantitatively and convincingly revealed how much positive aura each one of us carry and how hard we try and block it.

The journey to excellence must originate with stocktaking of one’s known strengths and discovery of the latent ones. This fortunately is in our own control but unfortunately, extremely difficult. Yet, unless and until one becomes aware of one’s own strengths, the range and reach of excellence we are capable of, would remain unexplored.

It’s best to remember, e@e can be built only on strong foundations of ‘Self-Awareness’ and ‘Belief in Self’. Only when a lamp is lit can it spread its light[ii].

The Canvas

We tend to compartmentalise excellence. We want to do well in one field and choose to abandon others. This is strengthened by our ‘everyday understanding’ that the more prioritised and compartmentalised our efforts are, better our chances of excellence. Common sense and contemporary dominant short-term winning formulae dictate investments in one or two chosen areas. However, such investments risk reaching point of ‘retarding returns’[iii] sooner than expected. That is where ‘burn outs’ begin. The concept of e@e cannot /shouldn’t be confined to any one canvas.

If e@e is truly internalized, its overwhelming presence can be witnessed in all that one thinks, speaks and does. It is easy to visualize and experience if we assume ourselves as a bottle of most exotic, expensive perfume.

Can a bottle withhold fragrance, of the perfume within, from spreading everywhere once it is uncapped? Can the perfume select where to spread or not spread? It just spreads. Those closer to it, experience it the most and those farthest, the least. Likewise, is the concept of e@e once integral to us.

Self & Beyond

An interesting area, I take the participants of my facilitation programmes, is the ‘give and take ‘garden. I have proved to the participants that in the long run smart givers are fare better than pure takers and slave givers. One has to learn and practice the art of large-hearted, non-suicidal ‘giving’ and enriching ‘taking’.

Most of us are conditioned to garner things, avenues, and accolades for one self. After all, winners take it all! However, victory in individual events and instances essentially neither adds up to holistic success nor make us winners. ‘Victory in battles essentially doesn’t win you the war’. Neither the opposite is true! Losses in battles don’t help you win the war! That defines the conundrum.

When the euphoria of an instant victory ebbs away, one realises how much social capital has eroded. It doesn’t mean that instant defeats accumulate social capital. Certainly, it doesn’t; losers are losers.   But ‘spoils’ (credits) of victory if not properly appropriated, diminishes chances of subsequent victories. It is proven beyond doubt that success in anything, even in individual competitions, come from collaborative efforts of many. Most successful surgeons have convincingly attributed their success to the team that works with them. Millionaire caddies of millionaire golfers are known.

Infinitesimal Approach to Victory

In an era where quick fix and ‘few steps’ to anything become chart busters, everyone is trying to be successful, rich and famous instantaneously. In such an environment my prescription to success, though sure footed and assured, may seem hopelessly outdated and impotent. Nevertheless, everyone has to fallback to it in due course. The method I prescribe is less invasive, less burdensome and least demanding one, which I call ‘The infinitesimal approach’.

Infinitesimal improvements in everyday activities, both personal and professional with higher purposes in mind, if consistently and diligently applied, over time brings about huge changes in one's outlook, as well as personal and professional life. The trick is to apply small course corrections, or improvements continuously to one’s trajectory. This has to be steeped in incorruptible value systems.

Victory Stand

Unlike many quick fixes, one cannot expect to have a dramatic appearance on the victory-stand. Adoption the infinitesimal approach to e@e will certainly guarantee us a longer presence at the victory stand.

As we leave the year that troubled us with Corona and look forward to unchartered challenges ahead, it may be worthwhile to pause, and consider the infinitesimal approach to e@e.

Wish you a great year ahead, packed with unending excellence in execution. Wish you loads of e@e.

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[i] Maslow’s Theory of need hierarchy

[ii] Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Mathew 5:15

[iii] An offtake on ‘Law of diminishing returns’

Special Mission – The Ultimate Teams and Eureka Moment

This is a true story!

The Plot

It was a well-orchestrated corporate training program which by all parameters of evaluation could be considered a success.

I was the choreographer, conductor and trainer. CEO of the company, a brilliant innovator, research scholar, and educator, a man with a vision, is on a mission. All his employees are handpicked, high achievers, brilliant brains and wonderful individuals The CEO had recognised the need and defined the desired outcome-state. He was clear as to what he wanted.

Challenging and interesting, I customised the entire training program, to suit the demand, in line with their vision statement. When I discussed the blueprint of the proposed programme, the CEO insisted that all his employees go through the programme. 

Methods - Surreal or Real

Most training sessions abound in sermons of lofty ideals and ideology delivered from self-assumed high pedestals, a touch of authenticity added incorporating generous mix of quotes and a few well-worn instruments complete the jamboree. Some stories, real or not, of great valour and sacrifice add the surreal.  Few fun activities thrown in; the salad is done.

I deliberately dumped the established model. My sessions were filled with hands-on activities to yield real work-life lessons. Each session had a clear aim. In general, it brought out individual’s strengths and his/her relevance to the combined potential, in reference to organisational vision. The subtle but real focus was to help individuals identify creases and roll them out to produce a collective which became the base for as many seamless special mission teams as required.  The company designed tangibles from seemingly intangible dreams and ideas!

They are in the process of bringing home, tomorrows today.

Revelations

As the programme unfolded, I observed the random manner in which participants formed groups, broke up and regrouped. I witnessed how competition and collaboration played out as situations unfolded. That is when I noticed team dynamics at play, away from work but as much in force and presented few eureka moments.

I intend sharing with you here, what I discovered. But first let us understand some basics.

Team Types

There are basically two types of teams; one where roles are specifically assigned to the members and the other where members are not specifically assigned roles, but are expected to cooperate, put in their best towards achieving team goals.

However, there is also a hybrid version, like a football (soccer) team where, roles though assigned, necessitate members to dynamically assume different roles to take advantage of an opportunity that emerges or chip in to stem an adverse situation becoming critical.

Characteristics

A team, where roles are formally assigned, will have a team leader, selected or nominated. The leader is expected to direct, lead, command, and control the activities of the team to maximise synergy of efforts and deliver targets expected. Leaders’ individual competency and more important, his/her ability to draw from members and aggregate efforts dictate the final outcome.

A team where no roles have been specifically assigned, members ‘consider themselves’ equals to start with. However, as the task progresses, one individual emerges from within as the leader or a few as the power centre. In such cases, the initial part of team formation could be chaotic. However, depending on the quality of members and their levels of personal aspiration, matters settle down and start working.

The hybrid version of the team presents the structural formalities of a formal team and few dynamics of a team of equals.

Irrespective of the team format, dynamics of the team can be seen through the triad ‘Authority- Accountability and Responsibility’.

But there is more at the beginning! It starts as early as ‘team selection’. 

Selection Criteria? What They Believed

The first major individual activity of the training required each participant to assume leadership of a ‘special mission’ team. He/she was required to choose just one team mate.

‘Leaders’ were then progressively allowed to choose more members, one by one, up to a maximum of three. The selection was in strict anonymity. (Surprisingly only one participant had asked what the ‘mission’ was!)

In one subsequent activity, participants created their own ‘strength template’ aided by others in exploring their ‘Jo-Hari’ ‘hidden’ and ‘blind areas’. It was no surprise that the arena for each individual was insignificant compared to the two other areas. Everyone promised to work towards subsuming the hidden and the blind areas into the arena.

During the ensuing discussion on team-selection criteria, each participant vehemently emphasised that ‘selection’ to the team should primarily be based on competencies.

After all we all believe and preach that all selection should be merit driven. 

Selection Criteria? What They Practiced!

Armed with the fresh knowledge and a well cemented rationale that selection must always be merit driven, the selection process adopted by participants was then dissected.

Without fully knowing the nature of mission, how could selection be merit based? How could the selector have correlated competencies with the mission requirements without knowing the mission characteristics?

Stated convictions apart, everyone confessed that they chose members based on ‘trust’ and not on any commonly accepted competencies. What drove the selection process, in contrast to what each participant believed in and advocated?

Participants were then made aware of the nature of the mission and allowed to change members if need be. Surprisingly nobody did, although the entire process was done in absolute anonymity.

Everyone was sure, that members they chose will stand by them and deliver results; without even knowing the nature of the task and what competencies will be required.

Trust remained unshakeable! ‘Trust’ emerged the biggest competency!

Meanwhile, I walked around and peeked a view of the selections made. I was surprised! Few names were found in almost all the teams. So there were a few whom everybody trusted!

Would they deliver? How would they impact team dynamics?

I decided to put it to test. 

COG - Center of Gravity

Any team, when stripped off the structural format, consists of functional entities.

One person becomes the fulcrum and around him or her the entire activities would revolve. It is from this ‘center of gravity’, that all instructions and directions flow out to all parts of the team and it is to this person that all information flows inwards. Ideally, this must be the leader of the group when formally nominated and when a team converges to an individual as the leader, he or she becomes the CoG.

In teams where the structure and roles are formally assigned, deviation from this circuitry is a sign of weakness, existence of multiple power spots or challenged leadership. In teams where leader had emerged from amongst equals, deviation is clear signs of leadership being challenged!  In both the settings, output is certainly suboptimal. This is also commonly seen in large organisations where information meanders through multiple channels and layers.

In teams that adopt the hybrid version, presence of defective circuitry inevitably brings unbelievably steep fall in output. Many a national team with defective circuitry has made spectacle of themselves, even against teams considered minnows.

Nothing remains stable when center of gravity is disturbed. Unquestionably the leader must remain the most important cog in the wheel. The foundation triad ‘authority - accountability – responsibility’ must rest here and here alone. 

Catalysts and Facilitators

In and around the CoG functions the set of ‘catalysts and facilitators. They form the effective neural network of the team. It is this set of people who make things happen.

Nobody has to tell them what should be done. They actively seek, decide and execute what should be done in the best interests of the organisation. All of them actively participate in pursuit of the team's goals. Few however, look for opportunities to emerge from the shadows of the existing leadership. Few of them set their sight on the leadership role. Challenge to the leadership normally emerges from them. Some of them are noble. Shorn of ego they expect their fruits of labour to be decided on merit of contributions. The actively bear and hold the two pillars ‘accountability’ and ‘responsibility’ in the ‘authority - accountability – responsibility’ triad. 

The Bulk

These are people who would do what is asked for, to the extent they perceive have been asked to, and in the manner, they think should be done, unless specifically told to. If nothing' has been told, nothing need be expected from them. In situations of adversities, they often adopt the hands-off approach keeping themselves away from the ‘authority - accountability – responsibility’ triad.

It is not that they have no aspirations or lack competencies. It is likely that they are waiting for the opportune moment to come to light. They do not generally fritter away their competencies on chores, they think is not worthy enough. They preserve their competencies for a later day!  If and when it comes, is another matter!

The Experience

When I constituted the teams, I deliberately cast one team with more than three of the ‘most trusted people’ together. In one I put two of them together, in one I ensured just one from the most trusted lot. One team were just the others!

The result was astounding.

The one with many ‘most -trusted’ individuals performed the worst. They took more time in sorting out the multiple power centers. The general environment was that of competition rather than collaboration. When the clock stopped, they were left wondering what happened.

The one with just two ‘most -trusted’ fared much better. It struggled a little but ended up reaching a solution; but split.

The one with just one ‘most trusted person’ quickly completed the task.

Surprisingly, the one that was constituted at random performed the best.

Lessons?

Few questions.

Does trust subsume all competencies of an individual?

Or is trust a sum total of all  competencies as perceived by the environment?

Though I would love to write down my inferences, I am tempted to leave it for my readers to come up with their own explanation as to why, what happened, happened!

THE ULTIMATE SECRET OF ORGANISATIONAL SUCCESS

 

Truth Not always Obvious 

Prima facie, M[1] is ‘just another’ employee of the firm. He was one amongst the 20, I was hired to train. Outwardly shy, to the point of being withdrawn, he spoke only when asked to.

But, as the session progressed and activities rolled out, I saw him, a different person. He was the natural ‘centre of gravity’ and literally made group activities come through. Though everyone in the group was individually brilliant and did their very best, both individually and collectively, his sense of commitment to the group and accomplishing the task was palpable. He was commitment personified. As I stood watching the group[2] strive and accomplish various tasks assigned, I realised I was witnessing a group’s success mantra unfold at work. 

Profitability and Productivity 

Profitability is an inevitable survival-ingredient for organisations involved in commercial activities. Business strategists consider productivity and profitability as inseparable Siamese twins and spin survival and growth strategies around the dictum ‘higher the productivity better the profitability’. Most fly by night operators and even some mega brands pitch all their efforts only for profits in sight. They never realise that profits alone don’t define brand value. 

Confined to productivity-profitability linear relationship, management machinery gets down to the act of conjuring numbers, which if achieved would ensure bottom-lines that is ‘owner’s pride’[3] and graphs that could be ‘competitors’ envy’. Such numbers, once approved are driven down the hierarchy. However, in its journey downstream to the foot soldiers, the numbers start bloating up unrealistically. Everyone in the chain generously adds his or her bit of cushion. Managerial activity becomes creating, crunching and controlling numbers, accompanied by carrots and sticks. Fudging and cheating is common in such an environment. 

Carrot and Stick 

Organisations, to ensure productivity and profitability, arm themselves with sweeping powers to reward performers and weed out non-performing assets. Those who manage to reach stipulated targets survive to struggle the next quarter or fiscal, those who don’t, end up being discards. However, magicians who tame the unassailable, with numbers beyond targets are differentially rewarded. 

Crunch numbers right, convert it to targets, assign it to people, get them to achieve it. Reward those who comply, jettison non-performers overboard and ride to eternal profitability! It sounds almost like a fail-proof strategy? No. Companies fail, flail and vanish. Even ruthless titans have bitten dust! 

Compliance Don’t Guarantee Success? 

Stipulated outputs demand compliance with instructions on standards, procedures and all aspects of roles assigned including targets to be achieved. These are arrived at after due deliberations. If compliance was the key to success; then operational viability and profits should have lasted till eternity. It doesn’t happen. If retrenchment was a remedy, human resources discarded based on competence should not have found acceptance outside and head hunting would cease to exist. 

Clearly there’s something more to success or failure than compliance; something not very obvious yet existential. It is commitment. Commitment of individuals to the cause of the organisation is the soul that keeps entities going. Close look at the trajectory of organisations that have survived adverse conditions like recessions wars and political witch-hunts, reveal that there were more than a handful of committed individuals who stood firm and steered it through rough seas and storms to greater glory.   

Incidentally, that sense of commitment I witnessed playing out as the group I was training, attempted to complete the task assigned. Seeing them operate, I knew this company is bound to make waves. 

Compliance versus Commitment 

Adhering to instructions and standards is what compliance is all about. It is merely execution of what is expected. Compliance has a legal connotation and brings along accountability, mostly legal. Compliance is closely associated with rewards and individual growth in hierarchy. It is a demand that has to be met and failure has a cost associated. Commitment goes far beyond compliance. 

Commitment is all about ownership and sense of belonging. It instils an additional sense of responsibility. It elevates individuals from being mere employees to being owners. The committed need mentors not supervisors. Commitment is an attitude that breeds a two-way trust system and often considered a personal trait. 

Cultivating Commitment 

Commitment, though an inborn personal trait, can be cultivated and nurtured by organisations to reap dividends. But for that to happen, organisational culture must be holistically conducive. Functional and progressive organisations invariably have few committed individuals spread across verticals. They are Islands of ownership and cannot be considered as products of organisational culture. 

For an organisation to be reap rewards of employee-commitment, majority of its employees must feel and shoulder ownership. Many companies allot shares to its employees to inculcate ownership and ensure retention. However, equating ‘sense of ownership’ with ‘owning shares’ is the biggest fallacy in vogue. This model of lured allegiance is being aggressively propagated. Unfortunately, ‘commitment on sale’ will move towards better prices. After all, that was not commitment to start with. Monetising everything and handing over a document to establish claim on the company's assets and profits do not instil or cultivate commitment. 

Commitment is a sublime, amorphous entity that commences existence beyond lure and monetary rewards. It starts and ends with emotions. It defines how central an organisation is to the individual’s existential wellbeing. The easiest and the surest way of cultivating commitment is recognition of an individual as the organisation and driving home, his irreplaceable role and impact on organisational goals. When an individual feels his relevance in an organisation, commitment is mostly the outcome. Yes, there would be some who may ride it rough. But those would be exceptions and can be taken care of.

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[1] Real name of the individual kept guarded for sake or privacy. My enquiry about him later revealed that he is a very valuable asset of the company and makes his presence felt across verticals. 

[2] The dreamers’ group, design and convert our fantasies into working electronic devices! 

[3] Inspired by the tagline from an advertisement of a Television that has become extinct. Ironic though!

AFGHAN REGIME CHANGE AND US: THE SWORD OF DAMOCLES WE DON'T SEE

 

Men From Skies

The whole world watched in horror, live on TV, the crowd either ignorant of the consequences or hopelessly desperate to find space inside or outside, running along the huge military aircraft taxiing out for takeoff.

Few smuggled themselves into the undercarriage space that offered safety till the retracting landing gear claimed its space and spill out human remains before landing. Many clambered onto the wings and held on to each other and whatever else they could hold. Hopes seldom secure one against airstream of a plane in flight. Sooner than they thought, they gained height, only to fall from the sky. Men rained down from the skies above! Those who managed space within the aircraft escaped, at least for now.

The human tragedy that unfolded itself in Afghanistan in the month of Aug 2021 will haunt humanity for long. The photograph of Major General Chris Donahue, Commander U.S. Army 82^nd Airborne Division, walking back, consumed in the ‘night vision device green’, will remind US lawmakers for long, of another regime change gone wrong.

Regime Change

Successful or not, Americans have either carried out or attempted to carry out ‘regime changes’ across the world. But, the Afghan story remains unparalleled.

It all started on 7 October 2001 with a night bombing to decimate enemies of the US. It ended up as chaos on 30 August 2021. USA suffered more than 2,400 combatants and 1,800 civilian dead and more than 20,700 combatants wounded. It created 26 Lakh Afghan refugees and displaced 35 Lakhs internally. It took USA 20 years and $ 3 trillion to remove Taliban from power and reinstall Taliban!

The mighty US, turned hapless and negotiated with those, they once declared terrorists. The regime change presented the world with the Hobson’s choice of accepting or recognizing Taliban regime at the helm in Afghanistan. What an irony, those at the high table of geopolitics are already racing against each other to negotiate their terms of business with the same very people they called primitive, barbaric and fanatic. While governments the world over are trying to find reasons and excuses to reach common grounds with Taliban, they blissfully turn blind eye to something sinister, the ‘Sword of Damocles, emanating from the graveyard of empires.

What could it be ?

The Sword of Damocles

Damocles the obsequious courtier of Dionysius I, the 4th-century BC ruler of Syracuse, Sicily at least realised in time, the perils of the razor-sharp sword hanging over his head on a slender single strand of horse tail hair. We as individuals or as societies don’t realise there is one over each one of us! 

What is it that we must look out for?

Geopolitically it's a mess out there. No one knows who is in control. Anyone worth anything is trying to find ways and means to connect with those once considered pariahs. There are groups within trying to upstage each other for control of the landlocked country, forever in turmoil. Where it will lead to and when; nobody is sure. 

Under conditions of geopolitical uncertainty, countries often review bilateral relations, trade and business.  Everyone still there is either trying to hold on to a turf, a bargaining chip or create a new one.

As far as India-Afghanistan is concerned, bilateral trade is truly insignificant both in volume and importance. Geopolitically we seem to have been edged out as of now and our projects worth $ 3 billion, as of today, is a candle in the wind. However, it could become the seed, if it ever happens, for rekindling the much talked about ‘people to people’ relationship. Irrespective of what ‘people to people’ relationship means or ever meant, it is the very same people who chose to sideline and ignore India.

As regards domestic politics, reassuring for the ruling dispensation, the opposition seems to have switched on the ‘silence mode’ on the Afghanistan. There seems to be convergence on what various political parties think about the crisis and how it should be handled. 

Unfortunately, nobody seems to notice the sword of Damocles! It is present everywhere across the world, in every nook and corner of our neighbourhood and they have their origins in Afghanistan! It’s about opium and its drug derivatives.

Menace is Around the Corner

Talk of anything out of Afghanistan, one is tempted to first consider the spread of fundamentalism and Terror. But it is opium and its derivatives from Afghanistan that is now consuming the world. Though news emerging out of Afghanistan tend to indicate that Taliban is cracking down on drug trade in the country, it is believed that drugs had a significant role in financing Taliban’s come back.

The surge in supply of Heroin the world is witnessing is being attributed to crackdown by Taliban, forcing drug traders to ship out huge quantities of drugs in various forms into safe havens. But it is also common knowledge that they are in dire need of hard cash! If reports are to be believed, Taliban could be earning sixty percent of their annual revenue from illicit narcotics.

Whatever be the role of Taliban in drug trade or their intent to curtail it, the fact remains that there is a huge pile of drugs already out in the streets around us. More is likely to arrive. It has to be sold and it will find clients. They will create clients somehow. Some of us or our acquaintances may already be under its capitulating influence. Each gram of the substance found, captured and destroyed, represents a mountain of it already in the streets on sale. 

Anyone could be prey!

Drugs and drug trafficking brings along its wake a series law and order issues. It impairs societal peace and wreaks havoc wherever it reaches. it finally kills the society itself.  With such large quantities up for sale, law enforcing agencies must be up on the lookout. 

Politics and ideologies apart, if we all as responsible citizens do not come together, we may end up paying a deadly price.

 INDIVIDUAL - CURRENCY AND PARITY VALUE

The Currency

Independent currency is a powerful symbol of sovereignty. It comes in different denominations, each different in looks, dimensions and security features. Differences aside, each one carries a statement of promise lending it credibility and making it legal tender, an instrument for value transfer and a medium of exchange. But there is a catch about the value “assured” to be transferred.

Face Value

Each note carries a promise that assures value at par with the printed face value. The value, said to be guaranteed with commensurate gold reserves, keeps fluctuating based on supply and demand, interest rates, inflation, public debt, and other macro and micro factors. Socio - political environment, itself speculative and make believe nowadays, influences currency value. Experienced as, purchasing power parity and expressed as exchange rates, a strong currency may equal many of a weaker currency.

Transaction an Imperative

Inflation weakens currencies, erodes value guarantees of a currency and forces it to deliver much below par its face value. Weak or strong, a currency realises its value only when transacted. Each time, a note changes hands, it imparts the denomination value to the service or transaction without itself being consumed. Thus, ten transactions, of a single ₹100 note, add ‘thousand rupees’ value yet retains only its face value before, through and after transaction. Though small denominations have high turnover, high denominations make up even with small movements. A ₹10 note toils two hundred times to achieve what a ₹2000 note does in one transaction. Unfortunately, bigger denominations tend to get hoarded more!

Believe it or not; we have much in common with currency notes!  

Let’s Face It

We all, to start with, have a face value! Based on how others perceive our looks, cast, colour, creed or being a member of a family, an organisation, society or nation they arbitrarily assign us a notional value. We could even maneuver ourselves into positions of authority and responsibility using this bias.  But for those who aren’t worthy enough, inflation catches up and exposes the difference between ego and worth. Our competencies dictate our denomination and consistency of our actions and its conformity with our claims determine our exchange rate values. Our antecedents, which reach places before us, like reserve bank promises, create expectations. Meeting expectations result in improving value and failure to do so leads to credibility-erosion, an inflation of sorts. 

Parity

Parity is a major issue with us. Many, significantly visible contribute insignificant little, whereas few insignificantly visible contribute significantly.  They are everywhere. We have the choice of deciding to commit or not commit ourselves to action and even choose how much to commit. We often choose to contribute just the minimum required and hoard and resist deploying our real strengths.

Doing so, we are devaluing ourselves. When it becomes known, we are no more required. We would be like demonetised notes! 

Comparisons

When currency loses value, government intervenes in an attempt to shore it up. Human relationships are no different. Though we exercise long-term patience in the case of currency, hoping a turn-around, we seldom afford this luxury even to intimate interpersonal relationships. Interpersonal problems emerge mostly from judgmental comparison between ‘expected’ and ‘received’ and lack of required interventions.

Broken relationships are manifestations of impatience and inability to invest long term in relationships. Society is littered with broken relationships and courtrooms are brimming over. Falling short on assurances is natural but not accepting the likelihood of falling short is the problem. Unfortunately, unilaterally or are led by other’s projections, we set high standards for others to meet while we are satisfied delivering sub-par.

Takeaways

Like currency notes, all of us, have face values. Real or unreal, it is up to us to live at par, over-par or sub-par. Inaction to avoid risks is hoarding and can lead to devaluation. Unpredictability or volatility will result us being dumped like demonetised notes.

The more one commits and acts, better the velocity of turnover and higher the chances of carrying over accumulated credits. Comparison with others help to upgrade or intensify inputs but if used for anything else may lead to terrible depreciation. Finally, it’s about actions at micro levels conforming to the macro values, our value systems.

 

THE MOMENT OF GLORY & THE GLORIOUS MOMENTS OTHERS DON’T KNOW OF

Caveat

If the story narrated resembles any award function, it’s NOT intended!

Advice

To enjoy and get the best out of this article, as you read, try visualising being there watching it all. Lessons, you can draw thereafter.

Visuals

The dancers vanished from the stage after the scintillating sequence and the applause soon waned. The master of ceremonies took the stage wielding her mike like a sword. She surveyed the audience attempting to dramatise the occasion and even more dramatically announced “It is time now for the final award”.

Silence consumed the crowd.

Stars, mega, super, budding, fading, fallen and even self-assumed shuffled in their seats. The churn within notwithstanding, actors all, they put on their most detached looks as cameras panned. Fans waited to cheer. They create and nourish stars and celebrate anyway, even as the stars they created were kept safe, from them and their miserable existence, by bouncers. The fans crowded a real-life planet and nourished the stars in the celluloid galaxy.

The guest for the occasion, a star of the yore, took the stage. He wore an air of authority because he had a ‘sealed cover’. He acknowledged the glitterati in front and surveyed the world beyond and then dramatically looked at the cover. The more time he took on the stage, the more attention he earned and though fleeting, longer the relevance he earned.

Expectations turned strained patience. It was brimming over bated breaths. The moment of glory was almost there. 

The Climax

The special guest pulled out the card and said “This year’s award for the best actor goes to…”.  Then, he laboured to pause, looked at the card , looked at the crowd and announced, “goes to…”.

He looked at the name printed on the card. “Am I seeing it right?” he thought. He took a closer look and said “This year’s award for the best actor goes to…” and announced the name.

You could hear a pin drop. 

The Moment of Glory

He knew he was being considered. He longed for it; but…! He thought he heard his name. It was music to his ears, as he struggled to believe.

His celluloid journey was filled mostly with insignificant roles. An insignificant speck in a galaxy of stars, he was genuinely unassuming even when visible.

The crowd broke into a thundering applause. The embodiment of simplicity, unbelieving still, looked around and slowly walked up to the stage. He belonged to everyone in the crowd. 

Yes; it was his moment of glory!

The actor continues to turn out some amazing performances, year after year. His victory is driven by professionalism. Looks and fan clubs he doesn’t have.

If he could; so, can I! 

Few would have thought then; many later. 

Recipe for Success

Who doesn’t want success, recognition and adulation? Who doesn’t long for a moment of glory? 

Who doesn’t want that heady feel of walking up the stage, amidst thundering claps and crowds roaring in adulation?

 

How do I get my, ‘moment of glory’?  

Should I wait for an eternity?

Can I advance it?

Can I master those winning traits and succeed?

or is it all about destiny?

Yes; there are answers.

Persona

To be reckoned and recognised as a star one needs to have that looks. Is my physical appearance good enough to make me a star? Do I have the physical attributes to succeed?

Often, we rely on physical attributes to gauge individuals. Physical attributes is not just looks alone. It includes the environment one is lucky to be part of, in the normal course of existence. Tall, short, rich, poor, backing of influential people etc all could be elements of physical attributes. Imposing physical attributes do provide initial advantages but those seldom carry us through. The attributes naturally associated demand  certain quality. but when actions do not match expected quality associated with perceived physical attributes ridicule is the result. As we get to the core of any activity and when it comes to the crunch, physical attributes are forgotten, persona counts; only persona counts.

Persona is less about physical attributes and more about character. It is  about the triad of competence, commitment and performance. 

Master the triad and become a star.

The awardee doesn’t possess physical attributes that we often associate with stars. His ordinary looks merit not a second look and helps him easily submerge himself in any crowd. 

Competence

If competence is an ingredient for success, why didn't he get the award earlier? Was he incompetent before?

Competence is all about knowledge and the skill to apply it to the demands of the situation. Many of us, often mistake familiarity with situation as competence even when our actions scream incompetence. Building competency is a long, arduous and painful process. Since the world and its ways are changing every instant, there is so much need to imbibe, calibrate and upgrade knowledge acquired to be of any relevance. Building competence is a continuous process.

To be successful, relevance of competencies is only one part. Competencies also need to grow, to allow us, to move into higher echelons, bigger roles and provide brighter visibility. Success must prime growth; growth is success and competence its fodder. Only actions can testify competencies. When one acquires competence to handle higher roles, even at the lower role it is visible. Brilliance is sensed and opportunities come calling.

Competency building starts from within. It takes time to mature. It's like a flower, miniature as a bud, hung slender on an insignificant stalk and then all of a sudden bloom to capture attention and overwhelm surroundings with beauty, fragrance and abundant nectar.

The awardee played many insignificant roles before he was entrusted with the role of the protagonist. A review of his body of work clearly shows how his competency matured over time. 

Commitment 

If commitment assured success, wasn’t the actor committed before?

Commitment is an addiction of sorts. It can neither be forced upon us nor taken away from those addicted. Persistence is the visible face of commitment. We have to plant it within, all by ourselves. It grows on us slowly and with time. Slow to root, it helps us persist, despite innumerable hurdles encountered in the journey.

Commitment is faith in the process and one’s own capabilities. It allows us to, identify and acknowledge own shortfalls, accept challenges, open ourself to receiving knowledge, enhance our capabilities and reengineer our efforts. It also prepares us for the many falls we could encounter in the journey and help us relaunch ourselves. Commitment is actually the power to carry on, regardless.

The awardee’s journey is a classic case of gritty persistence. Anyone one without unshakable commitment would have quit. 

Performance 

Did that ‘one’ great performance of the actor get him the coveted award?

How do I get, that one chance? 

Most of us are conditioned to believe that a reward or recognition is the consequence of ‘one great performance’. There can be no bigger fallacy than that. We forget the immense sacrifices made, terrible injuries risked and suffered, and the time and effort that successful people commit themselves to before their moment of glory on the podium. Immense pain from countless failures, physical and emotional bruises suffered and hours of anxious loneliness weathered lie hidden behind the podium as the victor stands smiling on it.

It does us well to remember that ‘the moment of glory’ under public gaze comes much after many ‘glorious moments’ of overcoming tribulations and triumphing over hurdles of apathy, anxiety, fear, naysayers, undermining elements of the environment and consequent hopelessness.

The one great performance others get to see is often the sum total of many small great performances that others haven’t seen. Many glorious moments in the journey precedes that ‘one moment of glory’

Though not the protagonist, the awardee had given some stellar performances even in insignificant roles.

Opportunity

I can make myself competent, commit myself and even perform my best, but without opportunity, how is success possible? How do I find opportunity?

The loudest and most common lament of people is about lack of opportunity. The successful seldom lament. They transform every moment into opportunity. They don’t wait for an opportunity to perform. They perform every moment and thus every moment is an opportunity.

If everything is given on a platter, then success is momentary and at best short lived. One, by the luck of birth, may get an easy shot at success but to sustain it, the triad is imperative. Every moment at every place is an opportunity. It depends on us to convert the time-place duo into opportunity. Most of us reserve our best for the apt opportunity, little realising that it would have come incognito and gone by.

Many of us offer the minimum inescapable to meet the minimum expected but expect to maximise returns and reap success. That formula doesn't work for long. Giving our best at whatever we are doing, wherever and whenever, actually gravitate situations into opportunities. Success is the result of linear equation where minimising anything becomes detrimental.

Critical review of the body of work reveals that the awardee had essayed each role, however insignificant, wholeheartedly.

But!

If he was so good and he gave his best always, why did it take him so long to get a role of substance?

A very logical question that does not have answers convincing enough.

It takes time for us to excel at what we are doing. But it takes more time for others to take note of us. It takes much more than time and efforts for them to risk their dreams, life and future investing on our competencies. We may call it their inadequacies, if it offers any solace. Though very reasonable an explanation, our impatience doesn't allow us to accept it as such. Unfortunately, in a very highly connected and inter dependent society as ours, success depends on many elements beyond our control. Patience is a virtue and persistence the key. 

Destiny! Why Sweat and Fret?

If success has so many imponderables, why should we sweat and fret over it so much? Destiny!

There is none in the world compelling us to be successful. If the call to succeed is from within, we have to labour the pain. The sweat and toil is worth it.

Doesn’t destiny have a role in ensuring success?

The answer, irrespective of faith, belief and disposition is ‘Yes’. Fortunately, the undeniable fact called destiny lies in our hands; not etched as lines in our palms but as our actions. We tend to mistake destiny with fatalism.

Fatalism is the hide of the lazy. It helps justify consequences of inaction. It helps shift responsibility and accountability of failures to the power of the unknown. It is the perfect excuse for resignation without sweat. But even those, adept at fatalist resignation, cannot dispute the omnipresence of “cause and effect”. 

Call it by any name, assign divinity of religious dogmas, only action can beget reward. If at all, inaction brings along something, it is accidental and transient.

Glory Awaits

Set sight on the many glorious moments of everyday life and toil, the giant moment of glory follows.