Time

All resources have limits. Most of us are most constrained by time. My wife has a solution that a former colleague also used in the past: they do not use watches! This cannot work in an office situation, especially if you are not the owner or head.

Here are a few ideas from my memory of busy days; please add your own:

1. Separate the urgent from the important
2. Delegate
3. Put a time limit for a meeting; do not attend unless all participants agree to read detailed agenda notes in advance; insist on minutes.
4. Sleep in Shava-asana, at least 4 hours after a light meal; you can gain 2 hours over other people every day!
5. Create and update a manual of procedures. ISO certification is the best way I know.

I would love to expand on these points, and to discuss your ideas at length as well.

Now for a case study:

This picture is from Malihabad near Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. The people on the tractor spray mango trees for a living for orchard owners like the gentleman on the right in a jacket. The spraying season lasts for about 100 days a year. These people have to get diesel and water, maintain the tractor and their equipment, get contracts, sleep, eat, rest, and also spray mango trees. This excludes their family and social responsibilities, to say nothing of ill-health and the uncertainties of life in Uttar Pradesh!

How can these poor youths make better use of their peak season and off-season times?

Your solutions can help all stakeholders in the world of farming.

 

Communication secrets

It is like marketing. Everyone seems to be an expert, yet very few know the secrets of successful practitioners, and authoritative specialists.

It is not my claim to be exceptionally skilled at speaking or writing. I can point you to sources from which you can learn and improve, if you like. However, it may not be out of place to recount here, some of my most memorable lessons.

Non-verbal communication is significant though subtle. We all know that lawyers, hospital staff, airline crew, and police have dress codes, if not specific uniforms. Indian politicians have subtle conventions in this respect. Shrimati Indira Gandhi always made it a point to wear a handicraft from the area she visited (Prime Ministers were elected in those days, and spent most of their time amidst their votaries).

The impact of color on communication is not widely known, though we may exercise discretion in the matter without thinking about it. Westerners wear black at funerals, whereas Indian Hindus abide by white. Pink is thought to convey friendship and a willingness to compromise through negotiation. Red is a popular symbol symbol for passion. Green represented nature, even before conservation activists abrogated it. It is the same with brown. I personally love all shades of blue. 

Young people of today think nothing of wearing jeans to a place of worship. They even appear for dinner at restaurants in shorts and shirts without collars. Inner wear is another, I believe, way of non-verbal communication. There are deep natural roots to such behavior, as any peacock or other bird out to make an impression will tell you.

Hairstyles, visible brand names, chosen transport vehicles, favorite places to dine, shop and vacation, are other ways to communicate with others, without saying a word. I know some people who write about their choices in these matters, to spread the good word far and wide. The welcome propensity of people to travel internationally, is celebrated more as an indicator of national economic progress, rather than of dropping air fares, hotel deals, and evolving services.


Hands and eyes have much to convey though they may have no voices or pens. Italians and some Indians are known to move their limbs more than conservative British and most Japanese (bowing excluded). These strong cultural dimensions must pose challenges for international corporations and the United States. There is little chance of Gaddafi chatting with Cameron, which is not such a bad thing anyway, but what if Berlusconi had to deal with Hina Rabbani?

I do not need to say as much about eyes as I have about other modes of non-verbal communication. Any docile husband such as I dreads the angry glance of a spouse. Dogs are best at interpreting looks though. Is this related to their sensitivity to waves to which humans remain impervious? I have a friend in Saurashtra who can even ask his family to serve tea, without saying anything. It certainly beats my rushing to the kitchen every time a friend drops in. Let me conclude by stating that 'look me in the eye' is a worthy adage. Use it to convey sincerity. Drop it like the proverbial hot potato when you have to lie. Fortunately, video calls are not affordable as yet where I live.


The stuff of this post should not suggest that I consider verbal and written communication to be unimportant. I would love to exchange ideas on how to communicate better in a speech, discussion, on paper, or online.

I met these people in May 2009, very near the final resting place of Lord Buddha. We had assembled to discuss honeybees and honey. The seated crew came from Punjab to exhort the farmers standing behind them to start rearing honeybees. Most of us are afraid of getting stung. Honeybees can visit gardens in cities, just as they do with crops and farms. Can you think of a presentation that would persuade you to establish hives?

Empathy has much to do with effective communication. It helps to get in to the shoes of targets, and to try and think like them.

   

Marketing muscle

One of my business Gurus, Dr Tarun Gupta, loves to say 'you can have a business without any resource or function, but not without a customer!

Marketing is a discipline that most of us think we know, but the reality is generally different!

Marketing is just as important for small business and individuals as for corporations. Top salespeople know that they must sell themselves before any product or service.

Imperfect competition covers up wasteful and erroneous marketing. This is especially true of India where scarce infrastructure and corruption can act as huge entry barriers. International companies have insidious ways of keeping domestic and small players away from vast swathes of markets.

Just as water finds its own level, so it is with market share over the long term. Profitability is another leveling factor since organizations with access to cheap funds can, in the short term, use predatory pricing to keep potential competitors away.

I value your contributions to how to find and retain customers:

1. Segment creatively.
2. Target with laser-sharp focus.
3. Check that you can fill a real market gap sustainably and with profit, before you enter.
4. Never take customers for granted.
5. Emphasize internal and interactive marketing; keep external marketing under-stated.
6. Ensure that each element of the marketing mix is in tune with all the others.

I can expand on the points above if you wish.

Now for an exercise. Here is a picture from the deep interiors of Northern India:

One of my colleagues, Kuldeep Singh Khushwaha is first from left. The others are farmers. 

How would you go about making and executing a marketing plan to cater to these customers. We can exchange notes with what my colleagues and I have done with farm inputs.

How to take decisions

Leaders of countries and large corporations have to make difficult choices. Some of them are historic. Most of them affect large numbers of people and families. Dramatic decision-making is not restricted to lofty people. Everyone has to make judgments on a daily basis.

It is useful to have a method to take better decisions. What is a better decision? I can think of the following:

a. Transparency: everyone affected by a decision should understand the process and the reasons behind it.

b. Participation: this is related to transparency. Everyone affected should have an opportunity to contribute to the construction of a decision.

c. Considered trade-offs: life is not perfect! There could be downsides to whatever path is finally chosen. A group or an individual probably has conflicting aims in any case. A good decision is an optimal one: it is based on deliberate priorities.

d. Creativity: decisions based on confrontation are unlikely to work. It is better to think of and to evaluate as many alternatives as possible. It helps if this phase is isolated from bias of participants.

e. Recording: an apparently 'good'  decision may not look right in future. There are always lessons from taken decisions. Therefore, the process by which a decision is taken should be recorded in as much detail as possible.

f. Contingency: a decision relates to the future. Therefore, it is based on projections, most of which will not prove to be true. That is why decision-making should dovetail with potential problem analysis. Steps to prevent and to contain serious and probable risks are features of excellent decision-making.

Here is a link for more information on professional decision-making:

http://www.informs.org/Pubs/DA

I have practiced decision-making during my career, based on formal training by my employers. I can help you. Do write in the space below and establish contact.

Here is an exercise to end this post:

The people in the photograph above did not react to the unpleasant news of an interminable flight delay, in the same way. I love the person in the foreground, who is not bothered, and happy to delve in to his newspaper! However, most of us are not so calm. Should we try a train? Will we get something to eat? Can we get a refund? But most of all, what should I do?

What did you do the last time your schedule was seriously upset? How can you prepare for such an eventuality in future?

Ideas

Fresh ideas have always been invaluable. Our ancestors have used them from the time of discovering fire to our contemporary times of the World Wide Web. We love to celebrate the artistic skills of singers, poets, composers, and painters. However, the ability to search inside the human mind for breakthroughs is equally important. 

Creative thinking and deep introspection have helped Sages found new philosophies and faiths since time immemorial. Every brain has the potential to reach unknown heights in this regard. Nerve tissue is like muscle: regular practice improves function. A creative thinker can imagine new enterprises. Such mental processes are also helpful when we are in very difficult circumstances with no obvious escape.

Society promotes logical thinking in general. Wild ideas are actively discouraged. This is why the natural ability to think creatively is suppressed in most people. It need not be so. People of all ages and backgrounds can train their minds to foster creative processes. This can be done in an organizational setting, apart from on an individual basis. I learned to think creatively from the books written by Edward de Bono. The best way for you to do this is to visit the following link:

http://www.edwdebono.com/

I can help you learn the methods of de Bono, though I have no claims to any special expertise or certification.

You can achieve new levels of success in your business, life, and relationships through creative thinking. 

I end this post with an exercise: think of what you wish for your country. What kind of a future would you like for your coming generations? What if you were a leader of your country's government?

I ran an essay competition for children from some villages of Varanasi District in Northern India in 2009. The topic was "India of my dreams". A portion of the winning piece is reproduced below in the original handwriting of its brilliant author. 

I can provide links to the full essay, and a translation from Hindi to English.

Compare your ideas with those in the essay above. Ask other people to contribute. I hope that you will discover the power of creative thinking.

I would love to help and to participate.

Managing Enormous Financial Risks

I am relieved that some soul-searching has started amidst the community of proponents of capitalist free enterprise.

Visit the following link for an exposition of new thinking about the merits of the most established way of developing business:

http://hbr.org/2011/01/the-big-idea-creating-shared-value/ar/1 

My focus at this forum is on small business and individuals. We are strongly influenced by the methods of banks. The stock market system is another powerful dimension that shapes the planning of potential and hopeful entrepreneurs.

Communists and assorted socialists are the only ones who do not celebrate instances of major enterprises being built from borrowed funds. Much of Management methodology revolves around developing persuasive business plans to woo investors. Indeed, this is a significant aim of the Planning process about which I wrote last week.

What happens when projections go awry? 

Banks and other lenders cover their lending risks with aplomb. Stock owners can jump ship at any time. The borrower is alone.

I recommend Islamic Banking as a safer alternative to conventional ways of raising money from others to realize your dreams. Study the material at the following link to understand the tenets of a system that shares the risks business development through committed participation in management:

http://www.islamic-banking.com/profit_and_lose_sharing.aspx

Suppliers, the downstream supply chain, and external customers, are three useful categories of stakeholders, who can help you build an enterprise through Islamic Banking principles.

What if you are unable to service debts that you taken already?

I do not know of anything that can bring on the kind of despair that such a tragedy unfolds. Nevertheless, most situations of this genre are not as hopeless as they may seem. There are no easy answers for the seemingly intractable problems of life-threatening debts, but here are some samples of the bitter medicine for financial reconstruction:

a. Save on recurring expenses

b. Liquidate assets 

c. Negotiate realistic rescheduling of interest costs and repayments

d. Pursue every avenue to raise income

e. Seek one-off grants from well-wishers

None of these steps may work adequately or in time, but it is worth trying.

I am willing to help. Write to me in the space below, and I will do my best for you.

Here is a picture of rural youth from Northern India (Padrauna, Uttar Pradesh):

They are neither well-qualified, nor adequately-resourced. They are amazingly gifted artists. How can you help them become celebrities and stars, which they surely deserve?

Management of the Planning Process

We all plan.

This may be by way of random thoughts, casual conversations with others, or even a rudimentary form of organized thinking.

Planning may be for a business, a family matter, a career, or a new enterprise that we dream to start.

Budgeting is a term related to Planning in Management terminology. Budgeting differs from Planning in three respects:

a. Budgeting is more quantitative, while Planning has large qualitative components.
b. Budgeting is normally for not more than 12 months, while Planning should have a time-frame of 3-10 years. Some large enterprises plan for two decades ahead.
c. Budgeting is a corollary to Long Range Planning. Some of us may rest content with informal monthly budgets for personal and household expenditure, but it will help to build a secure future if short-term budgets are derived from a longer-term plan.

Management has comprehensive tools for effective Planning and Budgeting. I learned some of this at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. I have also served in the Planning and Budgeting function of the erstwhile Sandoz India Limited, which was an affiliate of an international, research based corporation in the Life Sciences and Industrial Chemicals sector. I continue to be an avid reader of the subject on the World Wide Web.

I would like to help anyone who is interested to make the transition from amateur or casual planning to a structured process, with outputs that can be put to good use. I should warn that Planning and Budgeting are dynamic processes. Plans must be reviewed every 12 months, and budgets not less often than once a quarter.

Let me give you a trailer of the full Planning and Budgeting process.

The first step is to make an Environment Scan. You can think of this as a kind of astrology! Why is such a strange step required?

The reason is that Planning is all about the future. Who needs a detailed plan for what to do today, or even tomorrow. Doubts arise as we delve further and further in to the future. What will the world look like 10 years from today. Politicians may paint rosy pictures, but can we count on them?

Professional planners consult domain experts in order to piece together images of the distant future. Technology drives many of the important changes in our lives, hence it is a common practice to consult leading scientists and specialists from various fields. One of the common methods for an Environment Scan is to use the Delphi Technique. We can do this together, or you can use the article at the link below (accessed July 2011):

www.unido.org/fileadmin/import/16959_DelphiMethod.pdf  

The Environment Scan will provide leads to the following:

1. Disruptive changes that will affect our lives and business.
2. New opportunities for us to live better, and to earn more; also to advance our careers.
3. Threats that may emerge to our security, well-being, and wealth generation.
4. Possible challenges that our children may have to face.
5. Large opportunities for professions and markets that exist today, but which could decline tomorrow.

Tobacco companies of the 19th and early 20th century have diversified in to foods and hospitality in order to deal with the opposition to their original business.

Manufacturers of typewriters and related office equipment have jumped on to the electronic bandwagon, in order to continue to generate profits, and to grow in a new world.

Skin and Venereal Disease has never been the most glamorous arm of the medical profession. However, skin specialists and cosmetic experts, as some of them are now christened, are more respectable and sought after in elite circles, than in the past.

Please consider the following aspects:


i Small business and individuals, especially young ones, need Environment Scans just as much, perhaps more, than large corporations.

ii. There are long time gaps between a new technology or development coming to retail shelves, and the original idea generation.

iii. It pays to be a leader or at least an early entrant in an emerging field, rather than a laggard, or a simple follower.

I hope that I have persuaded you to take the first step in the Planning and Budgeting process. I would love to hear from you in any case: just write in the space below.

I sign off with a picture that you can use to practice an Environment Scan:

This is a farm family from the Saharanpur District of Uttar Pradesh. Everyone works on a small patch of land, and they grow a variety of vegetables around the year. They have reasonably assured irrigation, and the lucrative markets of Delhi and Chandigarh are nearby.

What do you think is the best course of action for this family to build its future?
What can the parents do for the children to have options for their careers?
Should they remain in agriculture?

An Environment Scan is just a first step in Planning and Budgeting. There is plenty to follow and to gain. Let me know if you would like me to continue.