CATEGORY:Building your track record

The Power Of Purpose

During the 1940s, Viktor E. Frankl, Austrian psychiatrist and author, was held prisoner in Nazi concentration camps. With all the agony and brutality, what kept Frankl from giving up his relentless fight for his life was purpose.

Dr. Frankl sought and found meaning in his struggle, and that gave him the power to survive unimaginable indignity and pain.

In his book, “Man’s Search for Meaning”, Dr. Frankl sums up his philosophy on how people were able to survive the camps, without losing the will to live.

“Those who have a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how’.”

Why Is Purpose Necessary?

First, purpose gives us hope. And hope gives us well-being. Hope gives us an increased ability to cope with change and disruption, enhancing our resilience and increasing our happiness.

Second, purpose enhances our self-esteem. Our self-confidence increases. We feel a sense of competence and achievement, and an enhanced ability to deal with difficulties and challenges.

Third, purpose is closely linked to ‘flow’ — the state of intense absorption in which we forget our surroundings and ourselves. A strong sense of purpose leads to more frequent experiences of flow. Flow is a powerful source of well-being. The more flow we experience, the happier we feel. (Please see Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: Flow, the secret to happiness | TED Talk)

Fourth, purpose makes us less vulnerable to ‘psychological discord.’ This is the fundamental sense of unease we often experience, manifesting itself in boredom, anxiety, and depression. By focusing our attention and giving us a channel for our mental and emotional energies, purpose aligns thought, feeling and action, leading to a sense of ‘wholeness’.

Finally, having a purpose makes us less self-centered. We feel a part of something bigger, something outside ourselves, and this makes us less focused on our own worries and anxieties. So, our sense of well-being increases.

But, most of all, purpose gives us power.

Power over ourselves, our minds, our thoughts, our actions.

The power to aim for and to achieve more.

The power to contribute and create value.

Flashback # 1

She stood in her corner office. It was huge. Her desk was larger than most beds.

She walked to the wrap-around windows and gazed out at the cityscape. What an amazing view! She could see the faint outline of the hills far into the distance.

She had arrived. CEO of a billion-dollar group! Her lips curved into an involuntary smile.

Thank God for Subra, her mentor and boss from 15 years ago.

“Discover your purpose,” he had said.

“When you are clear about what drives you, about who you are, about what you really want, you will operate at full capacity, and you will achieve your potential,” he had reiterated.

“Once you know your purpose, you can align your performance with it, and you will become unstoppable,” he had advised.

So, she had done so. She had delved deep into herself and discovered her purpose.

“Build an engaged and happy workplace and inspire the motivated team to create success.”

She had lived this purpose for 15 years.

In doing so, she had found hope, optimism, happiness, well-being and untold joy.

Success followed her wherever she went.

Boards and bosses and teams wanted her.

Now, she stood on the pinnacle of success.

She looked at the wall at the poster with Napoleon Hill’s words,

“There is one quality that one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.”

The Power Of Performance

Two grains were lying side by side on the fertile soil.

The first grain said: “I want to grow up! I want to put down roots deep into the ground and sprout. And I dream to blossom and proclaim the coming of spring. I want to feel the warm rays of sun and the dew drops on my petals!”

This grain grew up and became a beautiful flower.

The second grain said: “I’m afraid. If I put down my roots into the ground, I don’t know what they will face there. If I will grow tender stems, they can be damaged by wind. And if I have flowers, they may be eaten by animals. So, I better wait for a safer time.”

As the second grain waited, a chicken that passed by pecked at and ate it.

Successful people who have attained amazing goals are not stronger, more intelligent or more fearless than you. The only difference is their self-belief and their sustained efforts in the direction of their dreams.

Why Is Performance Critical?

Nobody succeeds without hard work. Nothing spectacular comes without it. Getting organised is hard work. Setting goals, making plans to achieve them, and staying on track is hard work.

There’s only one way to the top: Performance.

Lasting success can only be achieved if you put in the work.

Stephen King once said “Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.”

Henry Ford similarly said, “The harder you work, the luckier you get!”

Don’t wish it were easier. Work harder.

Hard work is challenging, painful and uncomfortable. But it is the only way to the top. In fact, the key to success is to learn to enjoy challenging work and to enjoy working hard at it.

Your idols and heroes worked hard and made careful choices before they reaped the rewards of success. They performed to their full capacity.

Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times while he was working on the light bulb and yet he never dreamed of giving up – this is the hard work and the determination that marks a true success.

Picasso worked ceaselessly through his long lifetime. The total number of artworks he produced has been estimated at 50,000, comprising 1,885 paintings; 1,228 sculptures; 2,880 ceramics, roughly 12,000 drawings, many thousands of prints, and numerous tapestries and rugs.

The greater your capacity for hard work, the more rewards fall within your grasp. If you have chosen a significant purpose for your life, it is going to require hard work to get there.

If getting to the top was easy, it wouldn’t be rare.

The importance of performance is a timeless truth. Rather than fight it, run with it and greatness and extraordinary success will be yours.

Flashback # 2

She walked to the 12-seater conference table on the far side of her new office. She ran her fingers against the polished mahogany.

How many tables, she thought. How many meetings and conferences and discussions.

The first few years after she discovered her purpose were a whirlwind of learning and doing and travelling and working, often starting  as the sun rose and ending much after it set.

How much joy from each successful deal, each new customer acquired, each plan completed on time.

What an amazing, fun 15 years it has been, she thought.

She looked at the other poster behind her desk, recalling when she first read Oprah Winfrey’s words, reveling in their wisdom,

“The big secret in success is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you are willing to work.”

Purpose + Performance = Power

When clear purpose combines with focused performance, you become unstoppable.

Purpose shows you who you are and what you want. Performance plays to your strengths and achieves your goals.

Together, they give you the power to live an unlimited life.

Together, they give you the power to lead an ‘intentional life’ rather than a ‘default life’.

A life that you control. A life that you wish for.

And when you lead an intentional life, you inspire and motivate. You become a natural leader, one who is heeded, heard and followed.

Your power extends beyond yourself to the world around you. You influence and mould others. You envision and drive change.

Flashback # 3

She picked up her bag and walked to the door of her office.

I shouldn’t be late today, she thought.

She was expected at the Global Diversity Forum. She was the Guest of Honor tonight.

Time to make a difference, she thought.

Time to put my power to work.

She strode confidently to her car, as her chauffeur opened the door for her.

She smiled at him and thanked him.

Time to change the world…

The Final Goodbye

Thank you for reading my articles.

Thank you for your likes, your shares, your responses, your discussions.

It has been an amazing ride.

But the time has come to say goodbye.

As Douglas Adams wrote in “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”,

“The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe and everything is 42.”

Thus, with this 42^nd article, you have the answer.

Discover your purpose.

Perform with everything you have.

Generate the power you need to live the life you want.

This is the answer to all your questions. On happiness. About success. On satisfaction. About wealth.

Purpose + Performance = Power.

****

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 30 December 2020.

“Don’t be afraid to fail. Be afraid not to try!”

Failure hurts. It demoralizes. It humbles.

Even so, failure is a critical and important part of life.

In fact, failure is necessary.

I have failed more times than I can count.

Yes. I have failed small. I have failed big. And I have failed spectacularly.

I have not enjoyed failing. If anything, I have hated it when it was happening. I cursed life, railed at God, asked the eternal question, “WHY ME?”

But, as I have progressed, I have realized that failure, through its life-altering lessons, gradually moulded me into a stronger, more capable, better person.

Failure is life’s best teacher. It teaches us humility, and change, and innovation, and resilience.

Without failure, I know I would have less compassion, empathy and kindness. Without failure, I know that I would have achieved much less than what I have today.

I Don’t Believe You!

“That’s a load of bull! I don’t think failure is necessary! Can you name any successful people who have failed?”

I can name hundreds. Here are some people who you know, like and respect –

Oprah Winfrey – abused child, teenage unwed mother, fired for being ‘unfit for television’.

Jack Ma – failed primary school twice, failed middle school three times, failed university entry exam thrice, rejected by the police force, rejected by KFC, rejected by Harvard ten times.

Walt Disney – fired from his job at a newspaper, first go at business ending in bankruptcy.

Thomas Edison – told by his teachers that “he was too stupid to learn anything”, fired from first two jobs, failed in developing the light bulb more than 2,000 times.

J K Rowling – jobless, divorced, penniless, with a dependent child, suffered through bouts of depression, living on welfare checks, Harry Potter script rejected 12 times.

Enough? Or shall I go on?

“Enough. I see what you mean. But why is failure ‘necessary’?”

Why Failure Is Necessary!

The simple answer is,

If you go through life without failing at anything, then you are not really living a life at all!

Taking risks and falling down makes us into who we are.

Take the example of a baby. When a baby is first learning to walk, she will fall down many times. If you feel bad that she is failing and over-protect her and prevent her from trying, she will never walk.

Take the example of a tennis player. He will play game after game. He will lose often, sometimes terribly. If you feel bad that he is failing and tell him not to play so much, he will never build up to be a champion.

And finally, take the example of yourself trying to cook a new dish. It is likely that you will fail the first time. And the second. Even perhaps the third. If you give up and stop, you will never make a dish that makes people go, “WOW!”

Failure is the development of mental and spiritual muscle. It strengthens us, it makes us more resilient. Failure gives us the drive and the reason to succeed.

Here are five reasons why failure is necessary for all of us –

Failure Gives Us Valuable Experience

The most important thing we gain from failure is experience.

What happens when we fail? When we go through something and can walk away with firsthand experience, it helps us to develop a deeper understanding for life.

The experience of failing alters our mindset. It makes us reflect on the real nature of things and their importance in our lives, transforming and improving our future selves.

[My wife, Radhika, wanted to be able to make tasty egg-free cakes for her many clients who could not eat regular cakes for dietary or religious reasons.

She experimented for many months. In the beginning, the cakes would not rise, or taste terrible. Each failure hurt her, but also taught her something new. She built the next cake on the learnings from the previous one. Finally, she mastered the art.

Today, her egg-free cakes are said to be, ”the best cakes we have ever tasted!”]

Failure Endows Us With Knowledge

Failure brings us important firsthand knowledge.

This knowledge forms the stepping stones for our future. By harnessing what we learn from failure, we can and will overcome that very same failure.

[When I was in school, I was terrible at my second language, Hindi. I would fail again and again – mainly because I did not put in enough effort.

As I came closer to my School Leaving Examination, I realized that if I failed, I would not be able to enter college. I began reviewing everything I had learnt from my failures. Soon, I recognised a pattern of mistakes. I went to a friend who was very good at Hindi, and asked him to show me how to correct this. He helped me understand the concepts that were necessary.

Using this knowledge, I was able to not only pass the exam, but get a first class!]

Failure Exposes Our Weaknesses

Everyone has weaknesses. Failure leads to introspection, which then leads to exposing our weaknesses. Once we know what our weaknesses are, we can turn them into strengths.

Thus, failure actually helps us evolve and become stronger, preparing ourselves for the challenges yet to come.

[When I was about 30, I attended quite a few job interviews and was rejected in all of them.

This really hurt, especially because I thought I was a good fit, and did not know why I was being rejected. I approached my mentor for help. She conducted 2 ‘mock interviews’ with me, and then shared her findings. I realized that I was making so many mistakes. I took these to heart and corrected them.

The very next interview I had, the company offered me the job immediately!]

Failure Pushes Us To Grow

When we fail, we grow and mature as human beings.

We seek deeper meaning and understanding about ourselves and about life. Failure makes us pause and reflect. Failure puts things into perspective.

Life is designed for us to grow and improve. Growth is a fundamental part of us. Failure prevents us from complacency and stagnation, and pushes us to seek new avenues, new approaches, new starts.

[My friend, Vijay, believed that he was an excellent technical manager. He stopped reading or learning, feeling that he ‘knew it all’.

One day, one of his ships had a serious engine problem. The Chief engineer contacted him and asked him for help. Vijay did everything he could, but was not able to solve the problem. The company lost thousands of dollars. Desperate, Vijay reached out to various colleagues and contemporaries. A young superintendent replied, giving him a possible approach. Vijay tried it our and it worked.

From that day onward, he stopped feeling complacent. He ensured that he subscribed to technical updates and attended technical forums, knowing that he did not, actually, ‘know it all’.]

Failure Builds Resilience

Failing helps us build resilience. The more we fail, the more resilient we become.

To succeed, we must know resilience. Without resilience, every stumble or fall will cause us to lose hope, to not try again, to give up. And by doing so, fail much harder and more painfully than ever.

Resilience helps us succeed by building the right expectations, thus setting the gameboard in our favour.

[There is no better example of resilience than US President Abraham Lincoln.

He failed in business at age 21; he was defeated in a legislative race at age 22. He failed again in business at age 24. Then, Lincoln overcame the death of his sweetheart at age 26 and had a nervous breakdown at age 27. He lost two congressional races at ages 34 and 36, and then the senatorial race at age 45.

He never gave up, never quit, learned from each failure, became stronger, and finally, became President of USA at the age of 52.]

Failure Is The Foundation Of Success

Failure forces you to tune in to what you truly want and to who you really are.

We need to embrace failure and see it as a stepping-stone on the way to success.

Sadly, society tends to celebrate successes rather than highlighting the epic journeys towards success that are filled with trials, setbacks, and failures.

Too often we buy into what society says. When we do that, we limit ourselves, and we impede our ability to make big things happen.

Failure is temporary. When something goes wrong, we need to learn to look for the greater message of the experience and expect it to, eventually, turn out for the good.

Failing means you are actually active, doing something, moving forward.

“It is impossible to live without failing, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all, in which case you have failed by default.” – J.K. Rowling

***

Can you recall a failure which taught you lessons that shaped you? Please could you share for others to learn from?

Do send your inputs to me, either as a comment or as a PM.

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 08 December 2020.

Post Script :

1. For other interesting CEO Chronicles click here.
2. Follow me so that you don’t miss the next issue of CEO Chronicles.

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I Was Never Taught How To Network.

No one taught me how to network. In fact, when I was young, I was told that networking was ‘sucking up’.

I was told that it was not for smart and capable people, but only for weak fools who needed to survive on the whims of others.

Just like much of the advice I was given when I was young, IT WAS WRONG!

But I was foolish. So I followed the advice I was given.

I was also arrogant. I believed that I did not need others.

“My work will speak for itself”, I thought.

“My outstanding performance will make me stand apart and visible”, I believed.

“Networks are for suck-ups”, I consoled myself. “I can do this on my own!”

But, even foolish and arrogant people change over time.

As I saw others progressing faster, as I noticed colleagues being chosen, as I slid back in the hierarchy of life, I realized that just talent and hard work are not enough.

I needed to do more.I needed to do something different.

So, I reached out to my mentor.

You Are Effective, But He Is Successful

“Okay, Shesh,” she said, after she had listened patiently to me. “Let me ask some questions.”

“You said that you are efficient, hardworking and always deliver. I have known you for a while and I agree. But, your management promoted Ronald. Let us try and figure out why.”

“Okay,” I said reluctantly. I was not keen on talking about Ronald. We had joined the company at the same time, and he was now two levels ahead of me.

“Is Ronald efficient, too?”

“I guess so,” I muttered.

“Does he work as hard as you?”

“No!” I burst out. “He never stays late, he goes out to lunch with our colleagues, he rarely comes in on weekends!”

“Does he deliver his results?”

“Yes,” I said, morosely.

“So, how does he do this? He is efficient, he delivers results, but he seems to work much less.”

“I don’t know,” I muttered, looking down.

“Do you think you can find out?” my mentor asked, kindly. “May be spent the next 2-3 weeks observing Ronald and seeing what he does differently?’

She saw me squirming. “I think it will be very helpful, Shesh,” she said, still kindly, but with much more authority.

I agreed.

Give, And You Shall Get

I did not enjoy the next 3 weeks.

Not only did I shadow Ronald, I also saw that he was having a wonderful time.

Ronald knew how to network. He would rarely sit at his desk. He moved around the office leaning against other’s desks, talking and laughing. At times, he would pull up a chair and sit for longer, listening and nodding.

And when he was at his desk, a stream of colleagues would come by and chat and laugh and even flirt!

One day he went to lunch with the HR team. The next, he brought in a couple of burgers which he shared with the CFO in his office. On Friday, he bought 12 donuts, kept in on his table and shouted, “First come, first served!” and stepped away from the stampede.

One Monday, he asked me out for lunch. The cheek!

“Sorry,” I said, “I am busy, I have to complete the monthly RFQ.”

“Come on, Shesh,” Ronald said, “there’s always time for work. There’s this new Indian restaurant I am dying to try out. Be a pal!”

But I was firm, and refused. Why did I feel so terrible?

In the third week, I asked some of the members of my team what they thought of Ronald.

“Oh, he’s so wonderful,” said Anna, “he lights up the room!”

“Ronald? Such a lovely guy!” said Yu Jian. “Always willing to help, even when he is really busy!”

“You know, he got my son the Pokemon set when he returned from Bangkok!” gushed Minnie.

Honestly, I was getting quite tired of Ronald. At least the three weeks were coming to an end.

Ask, And Will You Receive?

I was back at my mentor’s place. I had just recited (with the help of my notes) everything I had learned about Ronald.

She sat back and smiled. It was not a nice smile. It was the smile of an executioner before he swung the axe.

“Thank you, Shesh,” she said. “It mustn’t have been easy.”

I grunted.

“I have a question. Let us say that you and Ronald are each given a big project. A project that neither of you can complete just by using your own team. Clear so far?”

I nodded.

“Both of you are given the same timeline, and it is tight.”

“Which of you, do you think will get the support from your colleagues to help finish this project, in full, on time?”

My mouth opened to speak, and then shut. I looked at her. She was looking back at me, a tiny smile on her face. She waited.

It took me more than a minute to squeeze out the words. “Ronald will.” I said.

“What about you?”

“Well, some of them will help…” I started. “A few of them may help…”

I shut my mouth and pondered. “May be one or two of them may help me,” I said, quietly.

“What do you think makes your colleagues want to help Ronald, but not you?” she asked, gently.

He Knows How To Network.

“They like him. They consider him a friend,” I answered. “He does things for them. Listens to them. Buys stuff. Donuts and pizzas. He talks to everyone all the time.”

“Would you say he invests in them?” she asked.

“Hmmm, yes, he does.” I replied.

“Would you say he gives a lot to them,” she asked again.

“Yes, he does.” I said.

“Does he do this with an agenda, you think?” she continued, “some kind of sinister purpose?”

I smiled. “No,” I said, “Ronald is actually a nice guy. He cares about the people around him.”

“Thank you, Shesh,” my mentor said. “Even when you hate it, you are honest. That is such a refreshing quality!”

Your Network Is Your Net Worth

My mentor sat forward.

“I know your views on networks, Shesh,” she said, seriously. “I know that you think they are facile and unjust and for weaklings.”

“You are wrong. I have wanted to say this before, but the time was not right. You would have ignored me. Now, you are seeing the difference between two similar capabilities, but with one multiplied by the factor of networking, and the outcomes thereof.”

“You are at the cusp of understanding how important it is to be seen, known, liked and trusted. A network is like a stage. Without one, you are part of the dark, unknown and unseen. With one, you are in the spotlight, and you are visible to the world who will yearn to see you succeed.”

I looked at her and nodded. She was right. I had spent so many years of my career not recognizing this elemental truth.

“From next week, I will teach you the art and science of networking. There are five main approaches that you will need to understand and master. Are you ready to do so?”

I nodded again. “Yes, I am,” I said.

She got up to see me to the door.

“I will leave you with this African proverb, Shesh,” she said, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with others.”

Time To Build An Springboard.

As I drove home, I recapped what I had learnt over the past three weeks.

1. Being effective is necessary, but not sufficient.
2. Without a network, I have no leverage.
3. A network is a force multiplier. A strong network would allow me to contribute and achieve so much more.
4. I have come as far as I can, alone. To go further, I need the support and goodwill of people.

I had wasted so much time. Enough. I was ready to expand my horizons.

****

[Note : This article is part 1 of a three part series on Networking. Today we discussed WHY. The next two articles will discuss the HOW and WHEN of Networking.]

Do send your inputs to me, either as a comment or as a PM.

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 22 September 2020.

Post Script :

1. For other interesting CEO Chronicles click here.
2. Follow me so that you don’t miss the next issue of CEO Chronicles.

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To survive a crisis and win, we need to master the “Five Weapons To Deal With The Post-Pandemic World”.

Rajat and Lynn knew about the Five Weapons.

Rajat ignored them.

Lynn honed them.

Storm On The Horizon

News item in September 2019 : Oil prices dip below US$ 40 per barrel

News item in December 2019 : IEA predicts flattening of global energy demand

Viral blogpost in December 2019 : China doctor arrested for posting video on ‘runaway virus’

News item in January 2020 : Wuhan locked down; virus rampages across region

News item in February 2020 : Thousands infected in Italy; virus sweeping into Europe

Having Sight, But No Vision

Rajat Chandra was a lucky man.

He had had a comfortable career so far. In his mid-thirties, Rajat was the Operations Manager in a reputed Maritime Services group headquartered in Singapore. He had just completed 5 years in the company, and was well thought off, by his management and his team-mates.

Rajat was good at his job, and knew enough to deliver steady outcomes. He was happy – he felt secure and stable.

A few months before, in November, the Managing Director nominated middle managers in Rajat’s company to attend a two day training seminar on career management. Run by two former CEOs, who were now professional coaches, the seminar addressed various career issues and concerns. One of the sessions was on the Five Weapons professionals needed to survive a crisis and thrive in the corporate world.

The session described and discussed the Five Weapons –

1. Situational Awareness
2. Flexibility & Mobility
3. Networking
4. Strategy & Planning
5. Continuous Learning

Rajat had enjoyed the seminar. He found the ‘Five Weapons’ session stimulating and fun, and the examples, both from historical and from current times, interesting.

But he also felt that he did not really need these weapons. The combination of security and stability had given birth to new feeling – complacency.

Famous Last Words

“Why would I need weapons?” Rajat thought. He was part of a good company, where the leadership took care of and invested in the employees. And, he was doing well, and had been promoted a year ago, and was hoping for another promotion within the next couple of years. He got along with his boss, and his numbers were looking good.

“These Five Weapons are more for executives and managers who are either in companies not doing well, or who are not doing so well themselves,” Rajat thought. In fact, he had shared this opinion with one of his colleagues  (and a good friend) Lynn Cheng.

“I don’t agree,” Lynn had replied, after hearing Rajat out. “I think all of us need to master these weapons. We have no control over the external environment, but we can prepare ourselves for the worst case scenario so that we can survive a crisis.”

Rajat had laughed. “Lynn, what worst case scenario? You know I read about global economics and finance all the time – the world is doing well, in fact never better! Why would I spend time mastering things I am never going to use?”

Lynn was insistent. “No, Rajat, those two CEOs were not fools. They did not sacrifice one-fourth of the seminar to focus on things that we would not need. Did you know that this is a newly incorporated session? They evidently see something we don’t.”

“No way,” Rajat scoffed, “We are doing great, and nothing is going to change that!”

Prepare For The Unexpected

Lynn Cheng had also had a nice life so far.

She was 31 years old and was Deputy HR Manager. She had been with the company for a little longer than Rajat. Lynn had started as an HR Officer, and had been promoted thrice in six years. She was that rare HR professional – trusted and liked by her colleagues.

Lynn was different from Rajat in one critical aspect. She knew that security and stability could be unpredictable and transient.

Lynn was completely energized by the career management seminar. Every session spoke to her, resonating with her own thoughts and opinions.

When she was younger, her father once quoted the then CEO of Intel, Andy Grove, to her :

“Success breeds Complacency. Complacency breeds Failure. Only the paranoid survive.”

The day after the seminar, Lynn started her journey to mastering the Five Weapons.

The Warrior’s Path

She first tackled Situational Awareness.

Lynn broke it into three parts – her company, her market and the general environment.

She read as much as could find about her company’s history, growth and performance. What she couldn’t find, she asked of her boss and colleagues. She spent some time with the CFO and understood the financial issues and stresses that the company was facing.

Lynn subscribed to various domain newsletters on the maritime sector. As she pored through these, she realized that the maritime industry was in bad shape. Hundreds of companies had closed down in the past few years, and even the remaining ones were financially teetering.

Then, she started browsing the internet on global issues – the increasing nationalism, the trade war between US and China, the struggles of emerging economies, the failures in world trade and cooperation.

Within two weeks, Lynn fully agreed with Andy Grove – “In such an environment, one definitely needs to be paranoid,’ she said to herself, “I will need to master the Five Weapons if I want to survive a crisis.”

Within four weeks, she realized that neither her nor Rajat’s jobs could be taken for granted. One misstep here or one change there, and the company would need to cut costs drastically.

In parallel, Lynn started planning her Strategy (and upgrading her Learning).

In her reading, she also learnt about the forces that were disrupting HR. During this, Lynn had come across a McKinsey article on how 40% of HR jobs in the future would be done by computers and bots. She agreed with the article – “Much of what we do is repetitive and patterned,” she thought, “So easy to digitalize.”

She realized that some parts of HR – talent management, performance management, employee engagement – would be difficult to offshore or digitalize. “If I want to continue in HR and survive a crisis, I will need to become an expert in these areas,” she said to herself.

Lynn looked for and joined two HR professional forums so that we could keep track of the state of the art and find avenues to learn and develop herself.

She visited a career counselor. “What areas, other than HR, can my current capabilities and competencies help me excel in?” she asked.

Lynn had always been good at Networking.

Now, she bumped it into high gear. Within 6 weeks, she had got to know and interact with more than 50 managers and leaders in the HR world through the forums.

A close friend advised her to develop her social media profile. With some help, she started writing a weekly blog on HR issues and inviting her friends, colleagues and acquaintances to contribute and engage.

Lynn also started a new initiative – she started calling on and meeting with HR and non-HR managers in the various organizations in her building. There were more than a 100 companies, and she planned to build at least one relationship in each company in the next 6-7 months.

Finally, Lynn evaluated her personal situation, to see how Flexible she really was. 

She totaled up her assets, calculated her monthly outgo, spoke to her parents about their needs, consulted a wealth manager friend. Lynn quickly learnt that she had not given her own financial security enough priority in the past. Being flexible, she realized, was to a large extent, an outcome of being financially independent.

Lynn calculated that she had enough to sustain herself for about 9-12 months. But that was not sufficient. To be able to survive a crisis, she needed to be able to sustain at least 24-26 months.

She sat with her (newly appointed) wealth manager and put in place a new approach. Together, they laid out specific goals to achieve and decided on a savings and investment plan to reach this soon. She also enlisted for an online course in personal investing.

By March 2020, Lynn was well on her way to achieving most of her milestones, if not her goals. She felt much more confident that she could survive a crisis now, but did not allow herself to become complacent.

Tragedy Strikes

On 15 April 2020, both Rajat Chandra and Lynn Cheng received notices of termination with immediate effect.

“The Company is unable to sustain its current operations, and regretfully needs to seek judicial protection,” said the letters.

Rajat was shocked and flabbergasted.

Lynn was saddened. But not surprised.

You Shall Reap What You Sow

Today, four months later, Rajat is at home, applying for jobs. His savings are gradually running out. He now suffers from hypertension and is on medication.

Meanwhile, Lynn is Talent Management Specialist in one of the top e-commerce companies in the world. She earns 30% more than what she did previously.

Lynn is not resting, however. She continues to hone her Five Weapons.

1. Situational Awareness
2. Flexibility & Mobility
3. Networking
4. Strategy & Planning
5. Continuous Learning

Lynn knows that success is never final. That she has to be armed and ready for the next shock, the next upheaval.

Lynn is not just a survivor. She is a winner.

As you can be, if you master the Five Weapons…

****

If you are more Rajat than Lynn, start learning how to wield the Five Weapons NOW. If you are more Lynn than Rajat, help me share these principles with your colleagues and friends, so that they may prepare themselves before it is too late. 

Do send your inputs to me, either as a comment or as a PM.

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 11 August 2020.

Post Script :

1. For other interesting CEO Chronicles click here.
2. Follow me so that you don’t miss the next issue of CEO Chronicles.

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Resilience

This week, I was to write about the fourth weapon in the PERRfect Employee’s arsenal – Resilience.

However, we are in a dire situation where the whole world needs resilience. Countries, communities, companies, individuals across the globe are in the thrall of a pandemic. Borders are being shut down, jobs are being lost, subsistence is at risk, fever is raging and the bodies are piling. How do we cope?

So, rather than write about the components of resilience or the professional’s path to resilience, I am sharing two touching stories about people who have gone through their darkest times and found their way out into light.

These stories are extracts from www.optionb.org, a platform that helps people build resilience and find meaning in the face of adversity.

My Husband Murdered His Father!

That moment that everything changes. For me, that was July 17, 1989. Sitting in a police interrogation room, my world crashed down as I listened to two detectives tell me that my husband had coordinated and carried out the murder of his father.

At the time, I was newly married and seven months pregnant. When I learnt that the man I had loved and planned a family with could do such a horrible thing, it buried my head, my heart, and my hope for the future in darkness.

As much as I wanted to move forward and back into the light, reminders of that day were inescapable for the next several years. Newspaper headlines and evening news stories about my husband’s case were a regular occurrence. My hometown community whispered. Friends walked away. His trial and sentencing to twenty-two years to life brought even more press coverage and chatter.

But in that time of darkness, my beautiful child was born. My desire to move forward turned into a need to move forward. The need begat a will to move forward. And I began to see that I had options for my life, and my daughter’s life, other than those that were crushed. I would find another option, and it would be good.

Finding Option B

This was not easy. It required me to step out of complacency and into action. As I navigated my divorce, I had to use my voice in a new and assertive way, something that I was not used to. Being burdened by all of the financial obligations of my ex-husband’s debts tested my negotiation skills. I faced and dealt with the emotional fallout of fear, betrayal and anxiety. For the first time, I was truly choosing to happen to life, rather than letting life happen to me. I was choosing resiliency.

There were moments when I had to simply rely on a will-do attitude, rather than a can-do attitude. At times, I wanted to sink back under what felt like the weight of the world. But as I took accountability and responsibility for shaping my future, and that of my daughter, I decided that my life would be a life of victory, not of being a victim of someone else’s actions and the judgment and darkness they brought.

In the years since, I have found a healthy and loving relationship. I have raised three daughters to be strong, independent women. At the age of thirty-five, I returned to college and earned my degree on the same day that my oldest daughter earned hers. I have traveled the world.

Along the journey, life has tested my resilience time and again. Emotions, questions, anger, confusion, and hurt didn’t just disappear when I chose something different for our lives. But as issues arise, I feel, address, and work through them. I learn from them.

You see, I did not just move forward to exist. I bounced forward and am living.

Suddenly, The World Went Dark

A week after New Year’s Day, Gabby Giffords was shot. The year of 2011, which had started so inspired, had turned into a tragedy..

Gabby loved New Year’s. To her, starting afresh has significant meaning. Before she was shot, Gabby was one of those dedicated New Year’s resolution-makers – she always had a list of 10 things she wanted to achieve, whether reading more books or finally taking lessons in the French horn, the instrument she played in college. She always prompted her husband to make his own resolution, because he never would without her encouragement. But that year, and every year since, she’s had one resolution: to keep fighting through her recovery.

Gabby was shot by a zealot, who also killed and injured eighteen other people in his shooting spree. In one instant, her life and those of her family changed.

Gabby was shot point blank in the head. She was not expected to live. But she did. She survived and after two harrowing weeks in the hospital, began the long road to recovery.

Gabby suffered from severe aphasia, a result of her traumatic brain injury, which made speaking difficult. She was paralyzed in her right arm and right leg, so she had difficulty moving around. Gabby lost 50% of her vision in both eyes. These struggles remain to this day.

An Uphill Journey

On 1^st August, 2011, eight months after she was shot, Gabby made her first public appearance on the House floor to vote in favor of raising the debt limit ceiling. She was met with a standing ovation and accolades from her fellow members of Congress.

On 22^nd January, 2012, Gabby announced that she would resign from her congressional seat in order to concentrate on her recovery, but promised to return to public service in the future.

Over the past years, Gabby has gone through intensive rehabilitation treatments. Her surgeon noted that Gabby’s recovery was long, arduous and tiring, and expressed amazement at her progress.

Even through all the pain and trauma, Gabby opened her heart and home to everyone who wanted to talk to her. She refuses to give up, and stills sees the world in a positive light. Gabby runs a political action committee “Giffords: Courage to Fight Gun Violence.” She is still a vital politician and activist, active on Twitter and working passionately to give voice to millions of regular Americans who desire gun control and safety.

It’s coming on nine years now. And in that time, Gabby and her husband Mark have learned a lot.

“You may find that after times of tragedy or struggle, your cherished traditions change,” says Mark. “Some may disappear. Others may just need to wait, for now. But if you leave yourself open to them, new ones will appear – and you’ll find causes for celebration and types of resolve that you may not have otherwise imagined…”

The Power of Resilience

As we see from the above stories, resilience is the hard fought ability to bounce back from tough situations. Resilience is about NOT becoming a victim of helplessness and angst.

So often, we go through such horrible situations that it seems impossible to come out strong on the other end. But resilience allows us to just this. Once we learn to take control of our lives, prepare for the unexpected, reinforce our mental, spiritual and physical selves, we will find ourselves living happier, more purpose-filled lives. We will also learn to handle adversity with calm and deliberation.

Increasing our resilience is about willpower, about deliberate action, about being adaptable, about self esteem.

We will discuss these aspects of resilience in the next article.

Till then, let us all be healthy, safe and positive. Let us try and help those around us whose ability to cope is less than ours. To find ways to be proactive and empathetic with our families, friends, neighbours and community members. Let us be products of our actions, not of our circumstances.

This pandemic, too, will pass. We will be strong again.

****

Cheers | Shesh | Singapore | 31 March 2020.

Post Script :

1. For other interesting CEO Chronicles click here.
2. Follow me so that you don’t miss the next issue of CEO Chronicles.

Credits :

1. Article # 1 : Angie Mozilo, June 2017, optionb.org
2. Article # 2 : Gabby Giffords & Mark Kelly, November 2017, otionb.org

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WHAT DO I CHOOSE?

Hi, Shesh, the article, “Victim to CEO” was truly inspiring. I am at a career crossroad, and there are pros and cons to which ever path I take. How do I choose?

CONVICTION OR COMPROMISE

Hi, Selwyn!

You (and all of us) always have two choices.

One, you can abide by your conviction. Or, two, you can make a compromise.

Conviction is the more difficult option. Usually this means that there is immediate or short-term risk or pain. We may have to step on some toes. Also, the future is difficult to predict, so how can we be sure that taking this path will necessarily be right?

Compromise is the easier option. By compromising, we are minimising present risk in some form. We are probably making someone else happy. Here again, the future is far away, and can be put out of one’s mind.

Both choices have consequences.

Conviction, in the long run takes you where you want to go.

Compromise, in the long run, tends to lead to further compromises, till your path is as twisted as a bundle of yarn.

I know that I have always leaned towards conviction. I have always believed in myself, walked my own path. It has been rewarding and meaningful.

****

What would you choose? Conviction or Compromise? Please share your choice in the comments.

If this post resonates with you, please click 👍🏻 below and let me know!

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