Friday Reflections

Small things can make the big difference (Positive or negative)

Point to Ponder:

When a butterfly flaps its’ wing in Brazil, why does it create a tornado in Texas; or for that matter creates sunshine in San Francisco?

Story Line:

A few years ago, a brilliant, passionate and intense technologist was leaving his organization. The manager of one of the subgroups in that organization (not his direct boss) stopped by his office. She chatted with him about his great contributions in technology development, supplier development and then thanked him. Till today, every time I talk to or meet this fellow, he recounts that incidence and tells me how good he felt (and still feels) about that experience.

Last night, I was at a dinner table with a supplier executive of a company based in Asia. It so happens that both of us had worked for one same person in our careers; at different times in different US based multi nationals. While we were talking about how persistent and demanding that boss was, Mr. Supplier Executive shared the following experience about that boss.

In the late 90s, he got a job offer and turned in his resignation. Mr. Boss asked him to fly down to headquarters in US and convinced him to stay. Six years later, he again got a job offer; this time to be the chief executive of a company. His boss, who was vacationing in another country in Asia called him and told him, “I am coming to your country. Pick me up from the airport.” When the boss arrived, this fellow was surprised that the boss did not want to go to the office. The boss took him out to lunch, patiently listened about the new job opportunity and told him, “This time it is the right career move for you. I am not going to hold you back.” That night, the boss invited him and his wife for dinner, talked about the great contributions of his employee and thanked both of them. After dinner, the boss left the country and returned to his vacation spot.

As this fellow was finishing the story, I noticed the flush of emotion on his face. I could also feel that he would do anything for that man, even climb Mt.Everest.

One well known example of how a seemingly small thing can make a big negative difference is that of the O-rings on space shuttle challenger. In 1986, the slightly defective rings, combined with cold weather, caused the explosion of Challenger’s fuel tanks after launch.

One may say, “We are in technology field. What are all these soft things that you are talking about? Talk something about technical theory instead of all these philosophy.” 

In technical terms above stories are examples of the theory of chaos (or some call it “universal order”), also known as “The Butterfly Effect.” My favorite author Roger von Oech explains this effect in his book “EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED OR YOU WON’T FIND IT.”  Here it is:

In 1960, meteorologist Edward Lorenz was attempting to model weather patterns through computer simulation. He plugged data on wind speed, air pressure, and temperature into three equations that were linked, such that the calculations from the first were fed into second which then fed results back to the third which fed results back to the first, thus creating a mathematical feedback loop. Lorenz was able to predict weather with some accuracy.

One day, Lorenz needed to recheck results of a long calculation. He decided to take a shortcut, and entered the same data he had used previously but rounded it to the nearest one thousandth than to the nearest one millionth (for example: .506 instead of .506127). He thought this would have little impact on the overall results- perhaps no more than one tenth of one percent. When he looked at the printout patterns, however, he was amazed to discover that they were significantly different from the first run. He soon realized that an infinitesimal change in the numbers reflecting wind, temperature, or pressure conditions would be magnified by the feedback process, and the results would be greatly altered. This discovery ultimately led Lorenz to wonder with poetic insight, “Does the flap of a butterfly’s wing in Brazil cause tornado in Texas?”

Since then, the Butterfly Effect has become a rich metaphor, used in many fields outside physics to describe how a very small change in variable in a dynamic system can have a huge impact on how system behaves. Indeed, there are countless “butterflies” of subtle varieties and colors exerting their power throughout everyday life.

The butterfly effect should make us more conscious of the consequences of our actions. If the snap of our fingers or a pinecone can change the weather halfway around the world, imagine the impact you can have with single rude remark. Conversely, think about what a word of encouragement or a pat on the back can do for someone working on a difficult problem. (and morale and output)

As science writer Philip Goldberg puts it, “like the Hindu concept of Karma, the Butterfly Effect suggests that cause and effect are applicable in the universe even if the pattern is indecipherable and the precise cause of our predicaments, rooted far away in time and space, are ultimately unfathomable.” Computer scientist Douglas Hofstadter puts it in a slightly different way: “ It turns out that eerie type of chaos can lurk just behind a façade of order-yet, deep inside the chaos lurks an eerie type of order.” Perhaps this is one of the deeper truths behind “expecting the unexpected:”

Reflection:

What small changes in your situations might have very large unexpected consequences? What ‘butterflies” are at work in your personal and professional life? 

What great results can be achieved with small changes in input (idea, appreciation, proactive reaction to abnormal situations) in dynamic systems: family, organizations, technology development, manufacturing……???

Persistence Pays Part 1

Point to Ponder:

But there is suffering in life, and there are defeats. No one can avoid them. But it’s better to lose some of the battles in the struggles for your dreams than to be defeated without ever knowing what you are fighting for.     -Paulo Coelho

Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.      -Churchill

Story Line: Persistence Pays Part 1.

He was born in 1895 in a small town in Illinois. He dropped out of University of Illinois and later joined Army. There he learnt the importance of a well disciplined organization. After completion of his army duty, in 1921, he followed his lifelong dream of starting a business. He founded a storage battery manufacturing company in Marshfield, Wisconsin. Two years later, his business folded because of the disadvantages related to the choice of location.

He returned to Illinois and took a job. But three years later, with his old partner from the first venture, he again started battery manufacturing company in a much better location in Chicago. Just when the business started taking off, a defect was discovered in his product. The problem could not be solved quickly and the customers went to his competitors. The creditors took over the company. Once again, his dreams of building a business were shattered.

But he did not give up. The creditors had arranged to auction off battery eliminator portion of his bankrupt business to recover their losses. He knew the potential of battery eliminator, a device that allowed the radio to draw electricity from the electrical outlet. He borrowed money from friends and went to the auction; his bid was the highest. Once again he became the owner of a business.

In September of 1928, Galvin Manufacturing Corporation was born. By middle of 1929, his business was booming. One would say, “Finally! What a wonderful story?”  Well, it would have been if it had not been for Black Friday, September 29, 1929, the day of huge crash in the stock market. The demand for his product dropped significantly and the winds of bankruptcy started blowing.

But as Paulo Coelho says in The Alchemist, “When you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true.” One of Galvin’s suppliers directed him to an opportunity in car radio business. (Suppliers are excellent source of benchmarking and market intelligence information. And if one is willing to listen, one can learn a lot from suppliers without incurring much expense). With that lead, in 1930, he introduced the car radio which received a good reception in the market. He named his product MOTOROLA. (implying motion and radio)

Reflection: Of course, Paul Galvin’s story and struggles did not end there. But through passion and persistence, he conquered many more challenges and built Motorola into a giant corporation before his death in 1959.

The lessons from Paul Galvin’s life applies to any one pursuing their dream/vision; whether it be product/technology development or quality improvement or whatever subject you are passionate about.

Success, indeed, is built upon a series of failures. Believe in the strength of your dream/vision, stay on course and keep marching in the direction of your vision. You will ultimately enjoy the fruits of your passion and persistence.

Next Week: Persistence Pays Part 2.  The story of SUN.   Week After: Part 3: Sports Stories.

The secrets of young entrepreneurs

Point to Ponder:

“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it does not matter.” -Mark Twain

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” -Goethe

Story Line: The secret of young entrepreneurs.

When asked, “What is holding you up from achieving your goals or following your dreams?” the answers that frequently come up are, “I don’t have enough experience” and “The timing is not right.” Read the following real life stories that will make people think diffrent.

Ephren Taylor developed a computer program for a client when he was in high school and got paid $3000. When Ephren found out that the client made $800,000 by using his program, he decided to start his own software company. He was 12 years old then. His first company designed 3-D computer games. At the age of 16, he founded his second company, a job search portal for teens and college students called GoFerretGo which grew to a street value of $3.4M. Today at he age of 24, he serves as CEO of  City Capital Corporation. City Capital recently signed a $50,000,000 equity line agreement with Rochester-based Lucian Group, allowing the company to accelerate its acquisitions in growth industries.

“Success can be achieved at any age, whether very young or very old,” says Taylor, “and I’m not talking about financial success alone. It’s not enough to just aim your life towards making the most bucks. Many people realize that to be truly successful involves the whole person: spirit, soul and body. Dreaming dreams that are bigger than what you can fully accomplish in your own life, and looking beyond your own needs and wants and limitations, is the beginning of the journey to true success. And that journey can begin at any age.”

Farrah Gray had to start working at the age of six to help his poor family. Before he was ten, he started a business selling cookies and greeting cards. At the age of 12, Farrah ended up in Las Vegas when his brother moved there for a job. His entrepreneurial nature, talent in dealing with people, and articulation and motivational skills were noticed by a local talk show, “Backstage Live”; and after his first appearance as a guest, he was offered a job to co-host the show. Soon after, he was invited to speak at many events for a sizable sum of money. By the time he was 14, he had earned his first million dollars. Currently at the age of 21, he is involved in a foundation to teach business skills to young people and has written a book called , “Reallionaire.”

"I believe the two most important times in a person's life is when we were born and when we find out why we were born," says Gray. "And when we're able to find out why we were born, then we have found our area of excellence. "

Ask yourself three questions. First, what comes easy to me but harder to others? The second question is, what would you do for work for years and years and never have to get paid for it? And the third question is, how can you be of service and how can you give back?

Because I always say, 'If you're here on Earth and you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room.'"

Source for Ephren Taylor Quotes in Paragraph 2, City Capital Corporation press release
Source for Farrah Gray Article: ABC news 20/20 interview

Where are they now? Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of the computer industry

Points to Ponder:

“There is at least one point in the history of any company (or an individual) when you have to change dramatically to rise to the next level of performance. Miss that moment - and you start to decline."
   - Andy Grove, the man whose microchips changed the world and its economy.

“Change before you have to”
   - Jack Welch, the chief architect of GE’s transformation (1980-99)

Story Line: Where are they now? Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs of the computer industry.

In 1960s there were 8 large computer companies. The largest of them, IBM, was called Snow White and the others were called the Seven Dwarfs. These seven dwarfs were: Burroughs, NCR, Control Data Corporation, Univac, RCA, Honeywell and General Electric.

Only three of the eight; IBM, GE and Honeywell; are still around. Of these three, the former dwarf, General Electric has gone on to become the world’s second largest market capitalization company (Behind Exxon); and fetches revenue of $163 billion. Founded in 1878, GE has survived and thrived in three different centuries, in a world, where average half life of companies is 40 years.

So what is the secret of longevity? In a few words: Constantly reinventing itself and transforming company culture with the times. A lot has been written about GE’s transformation under the leadership of Jack Welch’s from 1980-1999.

Reflections: from Jack Welch’s teachings

An organization’s ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage.

Willingness to change is strength, even if it means plunging part of the company into total confusion for a while.

The world will not belong to 'managers' or those who can make the numbers dance. The world will belong to passionate, driven leaders – people who not only have enormous amounts of energy but who can energize those whom they lead.

The essence of competitiveness is liberated when we make people believe that what they think and do is important – and then get out of their way while they do it.

My main job was developing talent. I was a gardener providing water and other nourishment to our top 750 people. Of course, I had to pull out some weeds, too.

Globalization has changed us into a company that searches the world, not just to sell or to source, but to find intellectual capital – the world's best talents and greatest ideas.

Control your own destiny or someone else will.