Here’s the very interesting thing about life beyond 2010. Technology is making humankind more human. That’s because information is so freely available – that there is no point being anybody but you to the external world any more (warts and all). And this has very fundamental implications for our work life. The implications are two-fold :

1.       If our digital identity will not allow us to pretend to be somebody else – how we live our personal lives will have significant impact on how we live our professional lives.

2.       As technology automates more and  more transactions in the work-place, what we do will have to go beyond the comfort of daily transaction and evolve intellectually. This also means – what we do and how we do it will keep changing continuously .

How are we going to handle this complexity ? We need to be both better human beings in the workplace – as well as adjust to the fact that every day the way we measure our output is going to change. The answer is simple…

It lies in values – not numbers, being used by us to both guide and measure our work-lives. I have 10 values to offer today – these have been useful for me in navigating this change. You need to think about the ones which are suitable for you. Here’s my list….,

10 / 2010

1.       Impact Not Transaction : A teller sits at a bank window and transacts the day away. He will do this for all his life and retire to a pension. Even if you are satisfied with such a future – automation will take it away. Technology will also take away the power of “being in office till late”. You actually don’t need to be in office at all these days to work. So  - how do you grow and succeed in the workplace ? Have you ever thought of a pebble dropped in water ? Ripples carry the impact far and wide. Every pebble you find will your impact across your organization – and sometimes across the world. 

2.       A piece of You. Not You as a piece : Remember the famous cover of Time last year ? It was just one part of the truth. Yes – the digital You has become the most powerful individual in the world. What responsibility does this bring to the professional You ? Your power only exists if others choose to participate in your sphere of influence. Hierarchy will no more drive reporting structures – instead this will be driven  through value and originality. I remember hearing Gary Hamel once narrate the story of W.L. Gore. “When I visited W.L. Gore”, said Gary, “I found no-one had any designations printed on their visiting card. I asked them, how do I spot a leader ?”.  They scratched their heads, thought for a while – and finally an employee said “If someone calls a meeting and people turn up – you know you have a leader”. Originality and Value. Think about it. 

3.       Run the race against yourself : Many of my team members speak about their dissatisfaction that someone else got a promotion, pay hike or some form of recognition they did not get. Interestingly, the only people who get hurt by these comparisons is the individuals who make them. We progress only when we play by rules that make achievement difficult – but deeply satisfying. People who play by the rules of the pussycat will continue to see the achievement of the lion in others – and their comparisons will become exercises in declining self-esteem. If you really see the lion in the mirror – the only rules you should play by are that of your lion. You will know your own performance and achievement – and this is far more satisfying than any form of external / relative recognition. There may be the occasional year in your career where only YOU recognize the Lion within – but I promise, in the new world these will be rare instances. 

4.       Knowledge and Skills are irrelevant without Insight :Two stories have always fascinated me from the Indian market. One was the story of S.M. Dutta (then Chairman of Hindusthan Lever) who during a visit to a remote village was told by the women there that they could not buy shampoo bottles as there usage was infrequent – and it would be more convenient for them if they could buy shampoo for each consumption. The shampoo sachet blew the category open. The second is the story of MM Kothari who was a simple cycle salesman in Lucknow. He observed customers queueing for Paan in shops and thought there could be a more convenient way. Thus was born Pan Parag – and Mr. Kothari built a large company as a consequence. The interesting thing was – in the first instance a man as knowledgeable and skilled as Mr. Dutta was able to generate breakthrough only by being in a small village. In the second instance, a gentleman with no formal knowledge or training was able to create business breakthrough because he was in the market. The truth is simple – breakthrough cannot be created sitting in ivory towers. Breakthrough is a function of insight – and this can only happen by being closest to wherever the action is in your business. And in the new world – the demand for breakthrough from each of us is not anymore once in a lifetime. We need it everyday.  

5.       Earn a Seat at the Table : As work life gets more challenging a lot of people simplify their own existence by doing lower value activities – like co-ordinating stuff. This is especially true for people in support functions like HR , Communications, Admin etc. Such people then discover they are not really respected by more business aligned people – and therefore do not really command much influence. The lack of influence then starts bothering them – and they do not achieve fulfillment in work life. When I speak to people like this , I ask a basic question. Would you rather have a seat at the dinner table of business , or are you satisfied being a waiter ? The responses I get are largely around – “Because of my job , you don’t really expect me to understand the business ? “ Whenever I hear this I think of Stephen Hawking. No disability could be worse. There is no table in the world he cannot sit at. If you use your mind well – influence will follow.

6.       Think Outside In : Most of us think inside out “I do all these things – therefore I must be doing a good job. Things change when we start thinking outside in “If I could not see all these things being done – would I still think I do a good job ?”. Big Difference. As producers we are exposed to all we do. As consumers we are exposed to only things that cut through the noise. Here lies the mystery of perception – “I think I’m damn good – why doesn’t she?”. You must realize – what you do is not good enough to cut through the clutter. And remember – in today’s world there is truly a huge amount of information clutter. As a marketer – I always think about something called affirmative action. Any marketing task has an audience. Affirmative action is when that audience begins to realize that you are marketing to them. There is no fun in action till it turns affirmative – yet many of us think that action is good enough. Think Affirmative – think outside in.

7.       Leadership is the art of self-redundancy : Knowledge is power - right ?
Wrong.
A colleague asked me this question once (in different words). "Krishnan - I have spent years picking up these skills. What happens to the time I spent if others learn it easily ?". My answer was simple. “If others do not learn this skill – how will the organisation allow you to grow?”. The simple truth is – you will only grow if you teach. Remember, to reach the next step; you have to vacate the one you are currently on. And you can only vacate it if you can pull someone else up. For those who master this art – growth will be rapid and effortless in the new world.

8.       You HAVE to push the envelope : Michael Phelps, Sergei Bubka, Sachin Tendulkar and even Aamir Khan. These are people we celebrate for pushing the envelope even after it has been pushed beyond limits. They set impossible records – and defy them to break them again. They do not sit on laurels of the past and that’s why the world loves them. For everything you want in a career – recognition, fame , fortune et al; you have to remember this. To be a superstar in any circle – however small you need to break through the walls of past achievement. The new world unfortunately has a short memory span. The past will not guarantee the future.

9.       Detail, Detail and Detail : Remember the ripple analogy for impact ? There is a flip side. Everything you do today has the potential to ripple. And things can potentially go very well – or very wrong in the blink of an eye. Witness Tiger Woods. That’s why it is wise to look at every project we do in as detailed a fashion as possible – use  mind maps, think through scenarios, anticipate every possible outcome and plan to maximize the benefit out of all of these, while minimizing risks. In the new world – the old story of spending 90% of the time sharpening the axe allowing the tree to be brought down in only 10% of the time is very true. However, it ‘s  more like 10 trees can be brought down in the 10% time.

10.   There is no trust without being yourself : In work life usually the real you is left outside the office like a coat hung on a stand. Somebody else sits in your chair and does stuff – wears the coat again and goes home. This aint gonna work in the new world. The only reason I can attribute this Jekyll and Hyde problem to is fear. Fear of hierarchy – fear of organization – fear of peers – fear of subordinates – fear – fear …… There was this very interesting sequence in the movie 3 idiots where Sharman Joshi does a job interview with unbelievable honesty and finally lands the job. That scene is actually a new world truth – you will succeed at work because of who you are, not who you think you should be. That’s because trust is a very precious commodity in the new world.

Every morning in my car I hear the RJ on some FM channel referring to listeners dragging themselves to office wearily – especially on Monday mornings. That really sounds silly to me – we spend most of our lives engaged in our work. Why do it if its so terrible ?

So here’s my 2010 resolution. A simple solution to a very complex problem.

Lets carry Joy into work. Its my life after all.