The "Silos" Problem

Ok, so week 3 and another topic which will be a mix of relections of my own professional journey and of general business problems that we deal with. I will again attempt to put this out in as simple terms as possible.

So "Silos", what do we actually mean by the term. If one were for quote dictionary meaning it will come up as "a tall tower on a farm used for storing grain, etc" and if one were to refer the business meaning of this term it will come up as "the separation of departments or teams". Sounds similar eh!

Well here is where the problem begins. Silos on the farms are designed to ensure effective storage whereas departments in business are meant to be cohesive and co-ordinated. So what we begin to see is while the translation from English to business is literal the effect and outcome is very different.

In a business environment the effectiveness of any operations (and the sub processes involved) lies in how well co-ordinated departments and units are. What we generally see though is the opposite. In the name of specialization departments charter out a separate path for themselves. At times these paths can be overlapping and at times these are set up as parallel lines.

What in effect happens is the below domino effect

1. Departments charter their natural course of execution 

2. The course of execution is created as swim lanes for effective execution.

3. The swim lanes have then boundaries in them which start to become soft barriers

4. Once hardened and specialization sets in these boundaries start to act as barriers to entry and exit of data and people

5. Ultimately it leads to the creation of fictitious issues like this is my team, my data, my goals etc. which then start to supersede the organisation goals

6. This still gets passed as end of the day for every manager the key starts to become it ain't my problem but someone else's

7. And thus we land in a situation of us vs them leaving the core business issues far behind

What can organisations do to not fall in this trap

1. Always have cross functional people available in the team at all key levels. This will ensure the goals being drawn and executed take the bigger picture in mind

2. Success and the effectiveness of it should be 2 different metrics measured separately

3. Department heads should be held liable for overall outcome. 

   For eg - It cannot be I sold you deliver or you go sell and I can only deliver. It is a problem joined at the hip and the ownership of failure and success should be equally at the door of both sales and delivery

4. Support groups should have one goal which is aligned to the overall business outcome with the same weightage as the business. It will imply that the success will feel as sweet as bitter will the loss

5. The core of all this lies at how well separated yet jointly run is Strategy and Ops for one devices and the other executes.

As they say "Jack of all trades but master of none", well I would say in business the 🗝️ to sucesss lies with "Jack of some trades who know the trade well".

As always looking for your feedback. 😃😃

The Leadership Conundrum

Ok, so welcome back all. Hopefully you all liked the last post. In this series of posts on professional life today we will discuss on the word "Leadership". 

A very key term in any setup but one that is much maligned. Why the word "maligned" because howsoever key the term Leadership is, it is used that much loosely.

What defines Leadership - A set of mindsets and behaviors that aligns people in a collective direction, enables them to work together and accomplish shared goals, and helps them adjust to changing environments.

This is a definition by the book. But Leadership in action is above and beyond just a group of words. It is common yet an uncommon trait. As per it's not a trait developed but one which is inbuilt. Let's see below what actually is Leadership and how is it confused with Management or just simply bosses.

1. Leading by example - Sounds simple right. In action it is not that easy. What people generally tend to assume is that leading by example means taking the first step of the ladder. In reality it does not end their. Leadership is climbing all steps and helping those who cannot climb. Examples need to be set by actions and it lies in those small actions, those small things which matter in the bigger picture. 

2. Standing up - Leadership implies standing up for your team. Standing up in crisis and backing them when the chips are low. Stating the obvious is not leadership but silently standing behind is what true leadership is.

3. Lead from the front and back - Leadership requires one to not only lead from the front but also take a step back when needed. This implies giving the team a chance to take the stand and letting them you have their backs. Leaders know accolades and brickbats both stand at their feet.

4. Show the path and also allow others to make one - Leadership puts the team on the right path and also knows when someone in the team is capable enough to build the path and backs them.

5. Self aware - Leadership is the ability to be self aware of oneself and all those in their surroundings. Leaders need not know answers but have the capability to know when and how to find them. 

What we have seen in the above 5 points is an ideal scenario but now we will see where this becomes muddled waters.

1. People assume leadership in action means dropping points here and there. Just merely getting to the starting point is assumed as Leadership in action and that is a big fallacy.

2. Two words of encouragement does not signify standing up. Yes it does help but standing up implies a lot. It's the small actions on a day to day basis that matter the most and not occasional big actions.

3. Everyone wants the coveted top position but no one wants to lead from the back. It is a pride to be the one in front but standing at the end of line and still driving the team ahead is not fanciful.

4. I am the boss and this is the way I have decided. That's the easy part and is oft mistaken as a Leadership trait. This is actually a mistake. 

5. The most challenging part is everyone feels they are self aware but how well one is gets tested in adverse scenarios.

In all the key point is, there is a very thin line between Leadership and Management. What separates a true leader from an everyday manager is how a person is able to draw a line and able to deliver when needed.

Strategy & Operations

Hi,

So back to doing what I dearly want to do but am not able to dedicate time to. Now onwards will try and surely part some time for this. Also, the topics will now be very professional so please bear with me on the same.

Ok, so now coming to the topic of the day. 2 very key words which drive any organisation is any industry. And as a matter of fact oft talked about words but then how deeply and truly are these words resonant to actions end up establishing where an organisation eventually ends up going.

Let's start with a basic scoping of these 2 words.

Strategy - In simple terms it is nothing but at a macro level the direction or path any organisation wants to take. It is planning in motion answering why and how.

Operations - In simple terms it's nothing but a micro level of how things happen. It is execution in motion answering when and what.

Sounds simple right, but then again it is these 2 key aspects where organisations message up. And even if one of them is not done the right way mishaps are bound to happen.

Interconnected words, worlds and key actions.

As a leader what becomes key is that how well are these 2 terms defined and their execution interconnected leads to simplification and hence the growth path. When we plot organisations on the business life cycle which is 

1. Initiation - Here is where strategy takes a key position. It dictates the path, answers right or wrong. It is where the focus of the leader needs to be on the right path selection, right execution and right focus. Organisations who are able to answer at least 2 of the 3 rights are those who progress while the rest fall by the way side. Operations here take a back seat as the set up happens and baby steps taken.

2. Growth - This is the stage where slowly strategy starts taking a macro picture and operations hits the road. The key here is how well is the set up to support operations and what kind of checks and balances have been put in place to drive operations. This is the stage where operations drives & controls output which helps establish an organisation's forte and face.

3. Peak - This is the interesting stage. When you reach here it implies that the strategy was rightly defined and the operations enabled it's execution to the T. What happens here is very interesting. Your initial strategy nears exhaustion and operations has now started to hit blocks, because overtime teething issues do appear. What and how a company does here is very important and listing below some relevant questions to the same.

   i. Based on the initial strategy where was the peak expected and was there a next step defined then for this time.

  ii. What is the scope present in the market to draw/redraw strategy for the next steps

 iii. How refined is the output of data from operations to draw out conclusions and guidance

 iv. Most importantly is there a proper segregation in the organisation leadership that drives strategy and operations

4. Dip - Here is the stage where the challenges are abound. Organisations have tasted success and peak but now do not know what has hit them. The same strategy that worked is now not giving results. Operations has hit a roadblock and the gates defined earlier have now become choked points.

Do you pivot or do you double down and loose more. Does pivot even give a meaningful way ahead. These are key questions which ultimately decide is there a path ahead or does this lead to the dead end.

And thus the cycle keeps repeating or it is an end of the road. 

What one needs to understand is that strategy is values, strategy defines competency, strategy defines identity and most importantly strategy is the core. Operations is where the mixture of values and competency happen. Strategy keeps the identity intact and the core running. 

Any successful organisation will have a strategy for every peak and operations defined to handle every growth and dip. They will have the right separation and mix of these 2 key aspects and that is where the path lies to success.

If it ain't you it will be no one else also...

Hi All,

So here I am back again doing something I like very much but am not able to do much i.e. write & share with you all my views. So why not let's get started rather than wait... :-)

Hmm so today what I am going to share with you all is something derived from life events. Every one's life has many moments, many events, ups & downs that one goes through. But the most important thing amidst all this is that we carry on living. Each night how bad it might be we brave through it for an exciting & energizing morning sun. We have belief that how bad times might be there will be good days just around the corner. But then hey, tell me my dear reader when all this happens what is the most important thing that keeps the hope of good to come alive. Is it GOD who comes down from his heavenly abode for rescue? Is it family or friends who come and clear out? Or is it that "someone special" that a few have in their lives who lend a hand?

The answer is No it is not these but We ourselves.

It is we that are there braving through all. Standing up when we fall and brushing clear the dust off our souls. There might be a kind hand extended for help, which we must not forget in our good times. There will be the guiding light of faith but then religion is not our identity. Family will always be there for us but then they can only have kind words of strength is it not. In the end it is we who have to suffer, we who have to go through all the pain the hurt and still put up a smile and walk. At the end of the day when it feels tired and the heart says let go there is an inner voice which pushes the envelope for one more bout.

I am not suggesting that we do not need people in life. But then do we need so many people? Is it not true that at the end of the day when all fails and falls apart we have to fend for ourselves on our own. It is always one person's own fight and those who tend to depend on others for fighting their battles tend to loose. Stand up for yourself. We need to understand that it is all within us the answers that we seek, the guidance that we need. The stronger that we are from inside the more peace we will find in life. Let me tell you all a small story...

"There was this random guy. He was a cheerful chap. He loved to spread happiness his only aim in life was make all happy around him. He never showed people his inner pain, his wounds for he believed in sharing only happiness. For him satisfied parents and happiness of his friends mattered a lot. Then one day while he was walking on a road he slipped and fell and hurt himself. There were scratches and a little blood.  His friends came running helped him up, dusted him. They had him treated, helped him recover and asked him to rest. His parents comforted him with words of kindness & guided him that these are stepping stones when one learns to walk the talk.
 
He felt nice about this soon recovered and got back to his normal happy go lucky life.
 
Then one day calamity struck. He got into a rough time in life. Things started to fall apart in life. It was just like any other bad phase in life that we all face. He could not share things with his parents as they would not understand things from his perspective. After all they had a different view point on things and it was understood also as they had seen things differently in their lives. After all it was no wound of the road. He wished his friends around him will understand him and stand by him in this tough time. But then guess what he got to hear. Why do you have expectations? His friends called him a fool, stupid & asked not to behave childish. He was cursed for not being patient. All those very people who he stood for and with in all times started to behave strangely with him. The very foundation of his life shook and he found himself all alone in a crowd around him.
 
He was not a big believer in faith but he even started saying prayers. But then God being God even he was not to be seen coming for help. There was dark everywhere in life, things all crowded up with no exit in sight. As they say 'when calamity strikes you can die even if have done no wrong' such was his situation. But then life could not be like this for long. There are only 2 ways in such cases either you take the shortcut to death or be brave enough to fight the battle to victory.
 
As the realization started to sink in and with help on the way, he understood that he could let matters get worse. He realized that it's high time he took the control back. There is nothing stronger in this world than the determination to fight in a person. If you have the will there will always be a way. He believed in it and took the bull by the horn. Slowly but surely things started to get back to normalcy. And then one day things came back on track.

But what he did learn from all this was that when times are bad you first need to stand up for yourself. Family will have only as much as kind words. Friends & acquaintances will only stand with you when you are strong not when week. He understood that faith is only as much guiding as much as the belief we have in ourselves to be right and true."

The intent of the above story was to illustrate the point I have made an attempt at to make in this conversation. We need to understand that we need to be strong in bad times and help ourselves as much as we can. Others will be only as much as they can that also if they want to.

In the end just want to say believe in yourself and be as much as you can for yourself. If you are not there for yourself and waiting and dependent on others you will fall.

Signing Off With My Views For now. Will love to hear back from you all Will be back with something new soon. Take Care All.

Yours Faithfully - Ripu Ranjan  :-)
 

Mr Nobody

Who is Mr. Nobody? What is Mr. Nobody? Is it a person, an object, or what??? I believe all of you who would read this would think for a second. What exactly am I trying to point at?
So then why dont you people yourselves answer it. We all know the answer. Or do we really.

Ok lets play a small game here. We all use public transport everyday. There are many like us who do. We all come across various kinds of people. Though these people have nothing to do with our lives but isnt it sometimes that these very people do things which for that small time touches our lives. Say you are feeling sick and returning from office. You want some water and alas your bottle is empty. Just out of your very need you ask the person next to you for water. He/she offer take their bottle out and give you water. You thank them share a smile and thats it. But heyy who was that person. What was their name. Isnt that person a Mr. Nobody.

Ok next game. You are very sad someday. Just wandering around or going somewhere or coming back from somewhere. You cross a face in the crowd which just sees your face and smiles. That person is a perfect stranger. But does it so not happen that small smile for a second just makes you also smile. You also just for that forget your worries and feel good. But then who was that person. Why was that smile. Another Mr. Nobody??

Ok another point. You have met with an accident. Someone from the bypassers helps you. Takes you to hospital gets you medication. You thank them. But then 10-15 days when you are narrating the same incident to someone you know what do we say. Ohh that person was nice helped me may God do good to him. But who was that person before and after that incident to you.

These very small cases that I have put up before you all. Just think for once. I am not saying that we should go and make every such person somebody in our lives but should we not learn something from this.
Today's world has runs at a hectic pace. We all want to reach somewhere. But then somewhere on the way dont we do things to people who we know that they become Mr. Nobody. Do we not carry this assumption of oh what he/she did was just another thing. Any of my known people would have done that. And then gradually even known people start to act as strangers and one day become strangers.

Just a request guys please think and then do things. I know its easier said than done. But then do we surely do not know who is Mr. Nobody or act in that way..

Signing off
Ripu Ranjan

The smarter race or the smart devices

In today's fast moving world one thing we all find as a must have is a smart device. A smart device which will fulfill all our requirements. A one stop quick fix arrangement. But do we realise one thing that we have lost much more than gain any at all.
Be it office school home or any place. What seems to be a must is a smart device. Smart phones for work. Smart devices in the kitchen. Smart cars smart watches and what not. We are rapidlly moving towards a time when machines will be doing all our work for us.
But heyy do we even realise that all this smart devices have we as human beings become more smart or become overtly dependent creatures. How many of us remember birthdays, our appointments or for that even the contact numbers of our parents and near and dear ones. The argumemt here will be do we need to when we have these smart phones. Set reminders and it will tell us. Save the details and access them whenever needed. But heyy what if you get stuck in the middle of nowhere with a dead smart phone. Yes there is a phone booth near by or a society nearby where you can ask for someone's help. But then whoa do we remember the contact details . No we dont then whom will we call. No gps works on a dead  cell phone to guide you to safety.
When it comes to healthy lives the first thing we will say is hit the gym. We wont want to get up early in the morning and go for a jog. People I will tell you from personal experince its much much better to go for a morning jog than hitting the gym. It keeps you fresh due to the fresh air of the morning whole day. Its a hell lot better than working in an air conditioned gym.(no offences meant here to people who wish for that cuttish body. For that gym is needed)
Today we are moving towards smart homes. Place where everything is automated. From switching the fan on to cooking to everything. What we want is everything's under the control of our fingers. We do not want to move even an inch.
Ask any student today a complex question or ask a software engineer to build a comolex code. Even if they are on the move you will get the work done. How is that possible Smart Devices. But ask these very people after taking their fancy laptops and caluculators away. Answer guys????
Before writing this blog I tried this with myself also. I decided to put my smartphone away for sometime. I took my old nokia out to see how am I able to manage. And guess what the result was. I was back to my smart phone in almost 2 weeks. Life had become terrible. I would be late for meetings as my I did not have my smart phone to give me a reminder 15 mins before. I missed wishing people on their birthdays. For there was no facebook to remind of it. Even at my place my room mates complained. What the hell is this yaar you are not on watsapp and we have to call for everything. Suddenly things seemed ti have come to a halt. Lesson learnt I was back to square one.
But in all this above do we ever realise the bigger picture. The bigger point that instead of us getting more smart its our devices that are getting better only. We can't remember contact details. We dont want to do even the smallest of physical activities. Have we not kind of become slaves of technology rather than we ourselves becoming more smart. All the time we put forth this argument that we are better that the past generation. But is it we who are better or is it that we have been blesses with better technology and we have started to become less smart ourselves. Just think guys.....

Signing offf
Ripu Ranjan

Why, who, when, what, where

The most part of our lives we keep searching for things. We keep trying to know more, see more, learn more maybe even do more. But the most fundamental thing that we fail to see is that it is not so many things we feel. There are just 5 basic questions that we keep trying to answer. It is these 5 questions that we try to answer.
"Who"
The first most basic question that we try to answer is who. Be it who we really are, who we want to be, who want around us. There are many such questions which arise from who which we try to use to define ourselves. Take for example a teenager. He/she has just begun the most important part of our lives. A teenager just starts to feel their way in this world. And the first thing that they try to do is build a personality for themselves. They try to define how they want the world to see them
They try to build a world for themselves around themselves. It is here that they keep asking the question Who. Who they want to  be. Like their parents, like their peers, like their idols, like maybe anyone they would have seen just at a party/on the road. It could be anyone, anything, anywhere, anytime. But all this comes from the question Who. Who they love, who they want them to love, who they think would define them the best.
"Why"
The second question that we try to answer is Why. Why is the question that defines our basic existence. It is the question that tells us guides us motivates us to the destiny we want we have percieved. Take for example an average salaried person's life. He keeps asking this question to himself day in and day out. Why this why that. Why should I opt for a car if even a bike serves the purpose. Why invest in a 5 bhk house when even a 2 bhk will be enough.
"When"
The 3rd basic question that we try to answer is when. When should i do this that it would be the best. We always seek the best time for anything in life. When would it be most suited to have a baby is a question every newly wed seeks to answer. Take for example the average businessman. He will always try to see when is it best to invest to grow his business. When will it be most apt to buy that new machinery that would give a boost to his business. When would the best time be to launch his new product that could lead him to the big league.
"What"
What is the next fundamental question that we keep repeating. What would have happened if i would have this and not that. What if i would have said it then i would not be facing this situation now. 'What to do what not to do' is the oft repeated line we use in our lives. What is a question which many people may even associate their current pains in life. What if I would have proposed then, what if I would have studied at the right time. What if I would have and have not. We keep repeating these questions to ourselves. Take the example of an artist. A painter will keep asking himsef what if this color and not that color. What if people do not like my painting. A singer what if I loose that touch in my voice. What if my next song/album is not a hit. A musician what if my music is no more liked. What if this tune of mine people would feel is stolen from someone else's work. What if I do not get a good singer to put voice to my tunes.
"Where"
This is the last of the basic questions that we keep running after in our lives. Running after because everyone wants peace in life and everyone looks for that one place which will give it to him. Where is a question which be it the poor one or the one who was born with a golden spoon all ask. It is only that the magnitude the motive might be different. Our likes and dislikes can be attributed to this question. This is not where i wanted to come or this is the place these are the people this is the job that I have been waiting for all my life. Here I will not take any examples for each and every being associates this with them all their life.

In the end all i would say is "who defines us, why gives us choice, when gives us perspective and time, what gives us a motive and where leads us in life"