Friday Reflections

Son, you went there. But you still have not been there.

Point to Ponder:

We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and know the place for the first time. - T.S. Eliot.

Story Line:

This morning I ran into an old colleague. Over a cup of coffee, he told me a recent incidence with his teenage son who is going to France for an extended period of studies and cultural experience. When they first talked about going to France, his son told him, “Dad, I have already been there (he meant a few days of prior vacation)” His dad told him, “Son, you went there. But you still have not been there.”

This deep meaning wisdom of the ages that my colleague shared made me think about incidences from my career and life. Here are a few:

1. Our US based company sent a few of us for an expatriate assignment to Manila. One of our colleagues ate hamburgers or steak & fries for his meals every day of the year for the entire three years (except on rare occasions when we had customer visit and had to go to local cuisines). He hung around only with other expatriates and did not show much interest in the local culture.

2. Having seen a very impressive resume of a “Process Engineer” we called him for an interview. When inquiring deeper in the interview, we found that he had not “Processed” anything himself even once. Operators were processing the material, technicians were doing measurements and this fellow was doing analysis (excellent one to his credit) of the data that was coming out of the printer. He had no clue how the equipment operated or even once experienced processing himself. As my boss Joe Z told us “He has a lot of years of experience as a Data Analyst. And he is very good at that part. But he is not a process engineer. I need someone who likes to be on the production floor.”

3. During the bus tour of Europe, one tourist constantly kept criticizing local people, their habits and even the historic places we visited. He also kept comparing things in different countries with things back home and had many arguments with the tour manager. Instead of enjoying NOW, he wasted his precious time and great opportunity to understand and appreciate the richness of the local cultures. Yes, he was in Europe. But he has not really been to Europe.

Reflections:

A few years ago, just after checking in the hotel in Japan with my family, I suggested that we go to Maharaja (an Indian restaurant) for dinner. A very strong and unanimous protest from the rest forced me to go to a Japanese restaurant. It had the best Sushi and local Japanese varieties I have ever eaten.

The very first time I visited a supplier and wrote a trip report, my boss Jim Boyd asked, “How much of this information did you collect in conference rooms vs. from direct observation from manufacturing floor and other work areas?” And that was a major turning point in my career. The year was 1981.

Don't Assume - look before you leap!

Reflection: You can't take anything for granted, so don't make assumptions - look before you leap.

What kind of people do you work with?

Point to Ponder: Wherever there is a town, there is treasure and there is trash. It all depends on what you see (or what you are looking for).

 

 

Story Line (an old Sufi story customized for work environment): A tale to remember when looking for a new job, or even a new organization, culture/country/city to move to. 

 

A guy was in his final job interview with the hiring manager. The guy said, "I am deciding whether I should move here or not- and I wonder what people here are like?"

The hiring manager said, "Tell me what kind of people work in your current company?"

The guy said, "Nothing but politicians, idiots, and self-centered people." The hiring manager said, "You know, that is exactly the kind of people you will find here, too." So the guy left and never came back.

 

Another person came for an interview at the same place and asked the same question of the hiring manager. "I am thinking of moving here- can you tell me what kind of people work in your company?"

Again, the hiring manager asked, "Tell me what kind of people work in your current company?"

The new person said, "Oh, they are kindest, brightest, most teamwork-oriented, compassionate people. I really love them. I shall miss them terribly." The hiring manager said, "Those are exactly the kinds of people you will find here, too."

 

Reflection: What are the fondest memories of places you have lived, worked and traveled? What are the greatest things about your current environment?

 

 

Pulling in the same direction

Reflection: "People have been known to achieve more as a result of working with others than against them" - Dr. Allan Fromme

Hint: you can view the cartoon in a larger size by clicking on it

“Challenging” and understanding the context (mentor tips)

Points to Ponder:

"In this age of rapid technology growth, mentoring within and across departments is a LEAN way to develop individual skills with a company focus." - George Samuel.

“Do not speak unless you can improve the silence” - Mentor Advice

 

Story Line: “Challenging” and understanding the context.

“The company you are going to has a very aggressive culture. People will start challenging you even before you put your foil on the projector.” So said my colleague KK Roy as I departed Raytheon to work for another company. The year was 1984.

Now I did wonder, how someone would know what am I going to present even before I put down the first foil and turn on the projector? But in this rapidly growing technology world, anything is possible - so I decided to be patient. It took only a few days to notice that KK was right on, challenging was a way of life in that culture.

Some meeting and encounters reminded me of the scenes from Kung Fu movies, where "challenge"  meant to fight the opponent (opposing views) until destroyed; some other reminded me of the scenes from some Western movies where “You are with us or you are against us."

It almost seemed that some people believed that they were measured by how many times they challenged somebody in the meetings. At least in some circles, there seemed to be no regard for human feelings, or the understanding that each person is different ... that confrontation and challenging for the sake of challenging were not the only means to drive peak performance.

I was puzzled. But then I was also fortunate that the company had a good buddy system. My buddy was a veteran senior manager who later on became my mentor for life. I told him what I had observed and asked his advice. He explained that the intent of the system was to challenge a person’s thought process, stimulate intellect and thus bring out the best for the project and individual’s personal growth.  The presenter was supposed to advocate ideas and the audience was supposed to look for the proof of worthiness by posing questions and also suggest different options for better solutions.

After he explained the context, he invited me to join some meetings and observe how the process worked as intended. Those meetings were intense too, but the difference was in how people were challenged. Some pros did ask many questions, but in a way that helped presenter clarify his own thought process and elevate himself to the new level. For the presenter, it felt like a better (improved) person came out of the door than the one who went in.

Reflection:

This is one of the examples of benefits of having a good mentor.  A mentor that has been through the path you are about to travel and can explain the context and intent of different things. A mentor can teach the tricks of the trade that are not taught in schools or corporate training classes, and this learning can save mistakes and also help in getting things done much faster (LEAN). That frees up time to acquire new skills and take on more responsibilities. WOW - that improves return on assets both for an individual and the company.

Waiting for my ship to come in

Reflection: The idiom "I'm waiting for my ship to come in" is often used to describe a situation where one is wistfully hoping for good fortune or inspiration to strike and solve all their problems.  However, good fortune rarely arrives unless you put yourself in the right position to receive it.

Hint: you can click on the cartoon to see a larger version

Reputation Is A Fragile Thing

Reflection: It takes a lot of effort to build a reputation ... and one wrong move, distraction or bad piece can destroy it. But you can always rebuild it.

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