Ravi Pratap Singh

Kerr's Folly & Indian Hockey

On 28th February, the Indian Hockey Team started it's "FIH World Cup 2010" campaign in spectacular fashion by decimating arch-rivals Pakistan 4-1. As is the wont when these two nations take on each other in any sporting event, the hundreds of millions of fans on either side of the simmering border consider a victory over the neighbour to be bigger than winning the tournament itself, be it a World Cup or a school-level competition. This time was no different - infact, the win was sweeter than what the Indians have tasted in a long, long time because it was not only our first win in a World Cup match over Pakistan in 35 years, but the margin of victory was also our biggest over Pakistan in World Cup competition!

A billion people erupted in celebration and accolades poured in from all quarters for the "champion" team. This was followed by announcements of cash incentives for the team by Hockey India and various state governments and corporate houses. The money showered on the players was more than welcome considering that these guys who represent India in its "national game" are grossly underpaid. However, there was one thing about the incentives which was jarring - apart from a fixed amount for the entire team, most government and corporate bodies also offered additional cash bonuses for individual goal scorers!

Now this, i thought, was a classic case of "Kerr's Folly" where "...the types of behavior rewarded are those which the rewarder is trying to discourage". In this case, individual efforts were being rewarded in a team sport! The incentive scheme encouraged players to be selfish and retain the ball with themselves and attempt to score goals individually rather than pass it on to team mates and further the team's cause. So was this not a flawed and counter-productive reward system? 

Well, after the win against Pakistan, India lost their third straight game of the tournament last evening... and slipped out of contention for a semi-final berth. Is this the effect of the "Kerr's Folly" committed by our sport/political/corporate leaders or is it just that the team was beaten by better opponents? I guess, we will never know...

P.S.: Here is an earlier post of mine on "Reward Systems - Is Kerr's Foly Alive?"

Never Give Up

"Never Give Up" is one motto that I live my life by.

It’s also the title of a beautiful poem by Charlie Remiggio which I’d like to share with you all…

Never give up
Never lose hope.
Always have faith,
It allows you to cope.

Trying times will pass,
As they always do.
Just have patience,
Your dreams will come true.

So put on a smile,
You’ll live through your pain,
Know it will pass,
And strength you will gain.

Anticipating Customer Needs

Last week i was one of the millions of victims of the dreaded New Delhi fog. When my early morning flight to Jabalpur got cancelled (not surprised), i hurriedly booked myself on the afternoon train. As luck would have it, the train too got cancelled (surprised and shocked!). Refusing to get cowed down by Mother Nature, i decided to make the 900+ kilometer journey in a cab (everybody except me was surprised and shocked!!!).

Considering the fact that i had to be on the road for 15-18 hours, the first thing i asked the cabbie was if he had a mobile charger in his car. As expected, he didn't. Actually, i've asked this question to dozens of cabbies in India and am yet to get an answer in the affirmative from any of them. Fortunately, i was carrying my mobile charger via USB port so i could plug it to my laptop and charge my phone along the journey, which by the way, took 29 hours!!!

As a customer, i believe that a mobile charger in a cab would add tremendous value to me irrespective of the fact whether i travel in it for 29 minutes or 29 hours. Moreover, the investment the cabbie would have to make in a universal charger would be quite insignificant in comparison to the satisfaction it would offer me, the customer. So how is it that the cabbie is missing out on such an obvious opportunity of delighting a customer?

Well, let me assure you, the cabbie is not alone in this situation. Most of us are sailing in the same boat (or should i say, driving in the same car). Recognising what our customers want NOW is important, but anticipating what they will need NEXT and offering that to them in advance is what will ultimately keep us ahead of the pack!

Simple Ideas from Big Thinkers for 2010

Best selling author, entrepreneur, and agent of change, Seth Godin, recently launched his eBook What Matters Now.

"Now, more than ever, we need to shake things up. Now, more than ever, we need a different way of thinking, a useful way to focus and the energy to turn the game around.", writes Seth Godin in his blog. So in What Matters Now, he has got over 70 big thinkers to share an idea each for all of us to think about (and do) in the new year.

Featuring names like Tom Peters, Elizabeth Gilbert, Guy Kawasaki, and Kevin Kelly, the eBook is embellished with pearls of wisdom. Some of my favourites are:

"Forget about working on your weaknesses - Focus on supporting your strengths. The beautiful thing about being on a team is that, believe or not, lots of people love doing the things you hate. And hate doing the things you love. So quit diligently developing your weaknesses. Instead, partner with someone very UNlike you, share the work and share the wealth and everyone's happy." - Marti Barletta on STRENGTHS.

"Stop waiting around for bosses and companies to get better and complaining about how you are treated. Build the skills - and use them - that will permit you to create the environment in which you want to live." - Jeffrey Pfeffer on POWER.

"Never tell a lie. Credibility is everything for an evangelist. Tell the truth - even if it hurts. Actually, especially if it hurts." - Guy Kawasaki on EVANGELISM.

"A winning business understands that to gain a customer it must first be willing to lose a customer. Costco wins customers by losing customers. Its membership model shuns consumers not willing to pay the yearly membership fee. Its broad but shallow merchandise mix turns off consumers wanting more choices. Costco makes deliberate sacrifices because its customers will also make the deliberate sacrifices in exchange for lower prices." - John Moore on SACRIFICE.

"The 21st Century challenge for education is to integrate learning into the growing richness of digital life where students are active and engaged every day. The Internet is where they already enjoy autonomy, where they see themselves as doers. As students realize that the tools for living are the same for learning, they will naturally expand the range of things they can do." - Dale Dougherty on .eDO

"Don't worry too much about getting things done. Make things happen." - Gina Trapani on PRODUCTIVITY.

"Get hungry - hyena hungry. Get fired up. Find your backbone, and your wings. Flap 'em. It's the only way you'll be able to fly." - J.C. Hutchins on GUMPTION.

Thought-provoking, motivating, and inspiring, this eBook could be an invaluable guide for your year ahead. Download the free copy here and have a wonderful 2010!

Social Media Guidelines for Employees

 
Since assuming office in May 2009, Shashi Tharoor has been more in the news for his tweets rather than his work as the Indian Minister of State for External Affairs. Is Tharoor right in criticizing his own Government’s policies on a public forum like Twitter? Or are his colleagues in Parliament devoid of a sense of humour? Well, let’s leave that debate for another day. For now, let’s take lessons from Tharoor’s “tweet-in-mouth” troubles and draw out some basic guidelines for employees who use social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogs, etc. to publish content related to their work.

Look before you leap: Before putting up any content on the internet, please remember that you are on a public forum. So do not publish anything that you wouldn’t want to be viewed by your family, friends, colleagues, clients, business associates or the general public.

 

Identify yourself: If you are writing on topics related to your work, then identify yourself, your company and if necessary, your role in the company. Do not work anonymously or use pseudonyms.

 

Use a disclaimer: Make it very clear that the views and opinions expressed are your own and not those of your company.

 

Follow the law: Be aware of and comply with laws governing copyright, fair use and financial disclosure.

 

Protect confidential/proprietary information: Do not disclose confidential/proprietary information of your company or similar information shared by third parties with your company. Also, avoid posting pictures or details of a private conversation without seeking permission from the concerned person(s).

 

Exercise discretion: Never identify colleagues, clients or business associates without their approval. Similarly, avoid discussing internal policies or commenting upon sensitive and confidential details of client engagements.

 

Be safe rather than sorry: Be respectful of your company, colleagues, clients, business associates, competitors and the general public. Remember that content on a public domain will be accessible to the entire world for a long period of time. So do not publish something that will come back to haunt you later.

 

Follow the above guidelines and you could save yourself from some embarrassment!

Sharing Success – Secret of a Winning Team!

On Christmas eve, the Indian cricket team scripted one of the most fascinating victories in One Day International (ODI) history to take an unassailable 3-1 lead in its series against Sri Lanka.

The cool manner in which two young turks of the Indian team went about the run chase was both clinical as well as entertaining. But the standout moment for me was what happened after the game… at the post match presentation ceremony! Declared “Man of the Match” for his heroic 150 not out, Gautam Gambhir magnanimously handed over the award to his young partner, Virat Kohli, who cracked his maiden ODI century and shared in a record 224-run stand with him. Truly inspirational stuff!

Have you ever noticed that members of a winning team, be it in sport or corporate, always share and celebrate each others’ success? This means, the members:

• Demonstrate no sense of insecurity, jealousy or one-upmanship towards each other.
• Give precedence to team goals over individual goals.
• Are willing to “do or die” for the team’s cause.
• Remain positive and united!

No wonder the Indian cricket team is currently ranked # 1 in Tests and # 2 in ODIs.

Seasons Greetings!!!

Welcome Aboard !!!

 

A couple of days back we celebrated my son’s birthday. It seemed not too long ago when my wife and I were picking up a pram to welcome our newborn home… and here we were now buying a 6-gear bicycle for his sixth birthday! Amazing how time had flown by in a jiffy!

 

As my wife was checking off items on the to-do list for his birthday party, my thoughts went back to the day we were making the shopping list for the soon-to-be-born baby. We had meticulously broken down the items into various categories – stuff required for the baby’s clothing, feeding, bath, nursery, transportation, etc. We wanted to be completely prepared to receive the new member in the family and ensure that the baby was comfortable right from the moment it stepped into our lives.

 

Is this situation not uncannily similar to a new employee joining our organization? So are we always as well prepared to receive a new employee and ensure that the new entrant feels comfortable right from day one?

 

Here are five simple things that an organization of any size could do to help make its new employee feel welcome on his/her first day at work:

 

1. Ensure existing staff are aware of the new employee coming onboard so that the new person doesn't feel like a stranger on arrival.

 

2. Have the new employee's workspace ready - including furniture, computer hardware/software, phone, email, business cards, office supplies, login id, access key/card to office, etc.

 

3. Assign a person to introduce the new employee to co-workers and give a brief tour of the department/office (washroom, pantry/kitchen, vending machine, meeting room, etc).

 

4. Identify a coach/mentor to help the new employee with work-related processes and procedures.

 

5. Arrange a welcome lunch for the new employee.

 

A new employee is like a new member of our family. And as leaders, it is our duty to go the extra mile to make the person feel that s/he belongs!

Eid Mubarak!!!

Eid Mubarak and best wishes to all Muslim friends!!!

Corporate Taglines - Targetting Hearts!

I used to take the public transport bus to school from Classes 3 to 5. As I stood waiting for my bus number 11D every morning, my eyes would frequently be drawn to the slogan/tagline of the quaint little shop beside the bus stop. It was a dyeing and darning shop and the tagline was “We dye for you!”

More than three decades later, it still remains my favourite corporate tagline. Well, you could accuse me of having a soft corner for it because it was the first tagline that I fell in love with (what’s that they say about first love?) and was therefore an integral part of my growing up years. Though valid, these are not the only reasons for these four innocuous words to have stayed closest to my heart. “We dye for you” has all the elements that make for an effective corporate tagline:

a. It is short, catchy and easy to remember.
b. It gives an insight into the company’s values, attitude and service offerings.
c. It reflects the brand position and brand personality.
d. It is specific, not generic.
e. It connects.

Though every successful tagline may not necessarily satisfy the first four criteria listed above, one can safely say that all iconic taglines certainly manage to “connect” with their audiences… big time!

How many times has the “Think Different” phrase on our Apple computers inspired us to think out-of-the-box when faced with a unique problem? How many times have we pumped our fists and recited Nike’s “Just Do It” mantra in our minds before venturing into uncharted territory? Well, that’s the kind of “connect” good taglines have with our hearts and psyches. Over time, they attain legendary status and become part of the society lexicon.

Here are some of my other all time favourites:

De Beers – A Diamond Is Forever
Nokia – Connecting People
GE – Imagination at Work
Adidas – Impossible is Nothing
Budweiser – This Bud’s For You
AOL – Where The World Meets Online

Now go ahead and recall the taglines that tug at your heart. Believe me, it’s fun!