Written on Wednesday, December 31, 2008 by Siddharth PV
Wish list for 2009 :
- 'Open heart for a different view'
- New experiences, Many more adventures
- Be better friends with the people i currently know...
- Be good at problem solving
Perfect the art of identifying the REAL problems.
Train myself to be good at solving them...
- Learn to play the guitar really well
- Improve at implementation
- Learn to manage my time well
- Buy a car - preferably an open jeep
- Get myself some really cool shades
2008 was good- as far as i can remember... no real regrets...
I am sure I'll be able to say that at the end of 2009 too...
PS : And of course - more moolah wont hurt ;)
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Written on Tuesday, December 16, 2008 by Siddharth PV
This one's from Suyog-
I try and read atleast 1 book per month
What a great idea! a real sure shot way to ensure that you constantly
tease your brain with new ideas!
FYI- Seth Godin reads 5 books per week!
Whoa!
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Written on Tuesday, December 16, 2008 by Siddharth PV
... might seem like a continuation of the ownership post
... and we are talking about really talented STUD seniors who you look up to
well the answer to this could be summarised in 1 line...
think like your senior and then go a further 10%...
another gem from SK-
understanding PEOPLE around you is as important than doing a good job...
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Written on Wednesday, December 10, 2008 by Siddharth PV
Taking Ownership of Something...
Typical statement from the manager-
Why dont you take ownership of this and get this done?
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Talking of ownership…..
I remember taking 'ownership' of something once.
That was during the Kerala trip - back in college.
Back then - the Kerala trip was all that I used to think about.
It was almost like I had a Parallel processor running all the time - thinking only about the trip.
God - what all questions we had come up with.
Almost gave Jeetubhai the nightmares.
Now - having done that once I know exactly what 'Taking ownership' means...
The Kerala trip was a great success - mainly because the committee had taken 'ownership' of the trip.
Though there was a trip manager who was supposed to be responsible – the committee was taking no chances. We guys had everything planned out – right from room allotments to arranging the junta into various train compartments…..
Committee ke ‘vat’ ka sawaal tha.
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Now drawing a parallel for professional life –
My guess is - for any project at work to be successful –
The guys who are doing it have to take ownership - They have to hold themselves responsible for what happens to it.
They have to live the project - day in and day out.
They have to be paranoid about its success.
The only questions running through their head at all times should be -
What are the potential problems we could face?
What else can I do to ensure that we dont screw up?
Just not screwing up is not enough - we need to go that EXTRA mile to ensure that the end client is "WOW"ed.. What do we do to achieve that"?????
The muted point here is -
Why would somebody take ownership of something?
Just because your boss told you so?
As far as I am concerned – I personally felt responsible for the trip because I saw personal growth coming out of it. Maybe you can say – I had a personal motive.
Let’s accept it - nobody is going to put his heart and soul into the project unless there is something in it for him.
Maybe it is the manager's job to make sure that the guy finds that 'something' – to ensure that the guy puts in as much heart as he expects.
Maybe it is the guy's job to find that 'something' for himself.
Having a bad manager is no excuse for not doing a stellar job.
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Written on Tuesday, December 09, 2008 by Siddharth PV
What to include in a brochure and what not to?
When highlighting the cool things about ur product -
you must still mention those features that are present in other products
a little like a patent....
the components A,B,C can still be same...
but the extra D that you will add will make the whole thing really unique...
plus, on the other hand ---
if you dont mention the obvious features which everyone offers -
people might start doubting your product saying ----
dude, this one lacks the basic features!.!.! :P
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Written on Friday, December 05, 2008 by Siddharth PV
A well-wisher said-
there might be many things that you might be confused about. You might
not have clarity of thought on many issues. But this cant be true for
that thing which you DO FOR A LIVING.
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Written on Wednesday, December 03, 2008 by Siddharth PV
First day @ work with SK-
We are working on making a new deck for our services. And SK's
approach is completely diff.
He helpd us decide the entire flow of the ppt.
One gem of advice-
1. While working on any ppt, focus on one thing at a time- either the
matter or the aesthetics.
Try both together & you might end up screwing both
2. Before looking thru material, decide the story behind your ppt. It
will help u identify those nuggets from ur data
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Written on Tuesday, December 02, 2008 by Siddharth PV
A new BD manager joined the team today.
He seems to know his job and so will be able to guide us all much better.
One thing I have been promised is- there will be more mentoring- more
knowledge sharing-
am really looking forward to it
reminds me of a saying-
if you are in a room full of people where everybody is smarter than
you, then you are at a most enviable position indeed!
good to see talented people being hired.
more smarter ppl arnd me
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Written on Saturday, November 29, 2008 by Siddharth PV
1. In any discussion, make sure the problem statement is well defined
2. Do not deviate from the topic
3. When you have some experience in a domain, you tend to become very
aggressive because at the back of your mind you think- you CANT BE
WRONG about it.
Wrong attitude.
4. Learn not to get PERSONAL
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Written on Friday, November 28, 2008 by Siddharth PV
Lets get one thing straight at the very outset -
No matter what document you make and send to the client - you are always selling.
That document might be the last thing you ever send / say to the client - albeit in the written form.
So, it better be the best thing that you could have possibly said.
And to come up with that 'BEST' thing that will appeal to the client / final reader - you need to be very sure of the context.
1. Why are u sending what you are sending?
i.e. What's the purpose? What's the objective?
What is that one thing that you want to achieve?
2. What message do you want to convey through that doc?
Come to think of it - at the end of the whole thing - if you say -
'I wish I had done this better' - it is totally not worth it.
You wasted an opportunity. You wasted your time.
Now - how will you be able to answer all the above questions?
Only if you know the context really well.
So, whenever you start any work - ask for the context / brief
And context would include (and not be limited to) -
- Info about the client
- Client's Background - Is he a technocrat? Does he understand your product? That tells you to what extent do you need to explain to him your product
- Company Background
- What conversation have we had so far?
- Were any pain points mentioned?
.
.
.
PS : This applies to life in general. Come to think of it. You are always selling.
Posted in
context,
selling
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Written on Friday, November 28, 2008 by Siddharth PV
Only yesterday over lunch, we were discussing the security policies in office-
There were many nay-sayers who said its not worth it
It was then that I commented-
Having security policies is like having a police force- u'll never
appreciate its importance till a screw up. Peace times make you forget
their very existence
But fact is, they make it possible to live peacefully
Yest evening Mumbai was attackd & 15 policemen have been martyred so far
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Written on Tuesday, November 25, 2008 by Siddharth PV
Are you maintaining your contacts well enough?
Are you in regular touch with the people you like?
Make sure you keep a pulse on what's happening with the people you like
Lots of activity sometimes means that you get carried away in the moment...
Think abt it- some weekends there's no time to breath and some
weekends there no one to share stuff with.
Why?
Work it out...
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Written on Tuesday, November 25, 2008 by Siddharth PV
The last weekend was a really hectic one-
Football
Meeting neighbours
Going out with office colleagues (initially SOUL and then Barista)
Night out at Y's place
Guitar class
...
Lots of (sometimes mindless) activity... very little time spent thinking...
its great to live in the moment- but it is advisable to spend some
time everyday strategising about the future-
thinking does throw up some uncomfortable questions- but they are
worth answering.
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Written on Tuesday, November 25, 2008 by Siddharth PV
No matter what you sell- toothpaste or patent services, sales is never
really easy
If you think toothpaste is easier- cos the end customer is easily
reachable, think again- the customer is as easily reachable to u as ur
competition- killing all the supposed advantage
on the other hand- sellin patent services needs contacts, BIG
contacts- such calls are mostly taken by senior mgmt. U need a good
intro which almost always comes with a good reco.
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Written on Sunday, November 16, 2008 by Siddharth PV
1. Things to do everyday - a live list... something which i should
refer and update regularly
2. make it a point to re-read some of your old posts... they will
surely add value to you... its just like the lesson you learnt from
your JEE prep... its important to learn/think new things everyday...
but its IMPORTANT to revise... or you might realise you have forgotten
some of your OLD fundas
3. Yeh kaisi bheed hai bas yahan tanhaaiyan mile...
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Written on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 by Siddharth PV
Traditional job requirements: show up, sober. Listen to the boss, lift heavy objects.
Here's what I'd want if I were hiring a marketer:
You're relentlessly positive. You can visualize complex projects and imagine alternative possible outcomes. It's one thing to talk about thinking outside the box, it's quite another to have a long history of doing it successfully. You can ride a unicycle, or can read ancient Greek.
Show me that you've taken on and completed audacious projects, and run them as the lead, not as a hanger on. I'm interested in whether you've become the best in the world at something, and completely unimpressed that you are good at following instructions (playing Little League baseball is worth far less than organizing a non-profit organization).
You have charisma in that you easily engage with strangers and actually enjoy selling ideas to others. You are comfortable with ambiguity, and rarely ask for detail or permission. Test, measure, repeat and go work just fine for you.
You like to tell stories and you're good at it. You're good at listening to stories, and using them to change your mind.
I'd prefer to hire someone who is largely self-motivated, who finds satisfaction in reaching self-imposed goals, and is willing to regularly raise the bar on those goals.
You're intellectually restless. You care enough about new ideas to read plenty of blogs and books, and you're curious enough about your own ideas that you blog or publish your thoughts for others to react to. You're an engaging writer and speaker and you can demonstrate how the right visuals can change your story.
And you understand that the system is intertwined, that your actions have side effects and you not only care about them but work to make those side effects good ones.
The cool thing about this list is that it's not dependent on what you were born with or who you know. Or how much you can lift.
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Written on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 by Siddharth PV
November 10-
1. I was spending quite some time trying to figure out new clients.
When i realised, that maybe spending even more time trying to get just
that ONE big client would be worth it! This insight made my day..
2. Dhiren bhai's bday. Had called London. Spoke to Bhabhi and Dhrumi.
Felt great.
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Written on Sunday, November 09, 2008 by Siddharth PV
Some actionable items-
1. In every action, when in doubt, ask yourself a question?
What do i gain or lose by doing this?
2. What is my final objective in doing this?
3. Stop yourself before you utter any NEGATIVE comment. See if the
negative comment is required- and if it can be framed in a better way
4. You are always selling. Learn to be DIPLOMATIC
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Written on Thursday, November 06, 2008 by Siddharth PV
Set some time aside everyday...
Think about the day that was...
1. What special thing did you do today? Work-wise and personal life wise
2. What was the best thing about today?
Plan for the next day-
1. Kal Kya special karna hai?
2. Plan for the work next day
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Written on Thursday, November 06, 2008 by Siddharth PV
Human tendency is that you normally dont blogg when you are feeling good...
You tend to blog only when you are down...
It is important to blog everyday so that you capture your thoughts
everyday. Someday you will look back and it might help you analyse...
Think about it...
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Written on Thursday, November 06, 2008 by Siddharth PV
1. Switching off and switching on - got this thought for the first
time in the gym...
While doing the exercise, focus on it. Once the set is done, focus on
the people around.
This is true in general-
Develop the capacity to consciously focus on thing 'A' and then
shifting it to thing 'B'
Cultivate this trait...
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Written on Monday, November 03, 2008 by Siddharth PV
From Seth Godin's blog -
I try hard not to keep a running tally of big-time failures in my head. It gets in the way of creating the next thing. On the other hand, when you see failure as a learning event, not a destination, it makes you smarter, faster.
Some big ones from my past:
The Boston Bar Exam. My two partners and I spent a lot of time and money building this our last year of college. It was a coupon book filled with free drinks from various bars in Cambridge and Boston. The booklet would be sold at the bars, encouraging, I dunno, drunk driving. Lessons: Don't spend a lot on startup costs, don't sell to bar owners and don't have three equal partners, since once person always feels outvoted.
The Internet White Pages. This was a 700 page book filled with nearly a million email addresses. It took months to create and IDG, the publisher, printed 80,000 copies. They shredded 79,000 of them. Lesson: If the Internet Yellow Pages is a huge hit (it was), that doesn't mean the obvious counterpart will be. A directory that's incomplete is almost always worthless.
MaxFax. This was the first fax board for the Mac. It would allow any Mac user to hit 'print' and send what was on the screen to any fax machine. We raised seed money from a wealthy dentist, built a working prototype and worked to license it to a big computer hardware company. Lessons: Don't raise money from amateurs, watch out for flaky engineering if you're selling a prototype, think twice before you enter a market with one huge player (Apple knocked off the idea) and don't build a business hoping to sell out unless you have a clear path to do that.
I have a dozen more. The first wireless Sonos-like device. A nationwide game show using 900 numbers. A fundraising company that offered lightbulbs for sale to high school bands (lighter than fruit!). Not to mention classic book ideas like, "How to hypnotize your friends and get them to act like chickens." I'm not using hyperbole when I say that in 25 years, I had at least 20 serious career-ending failures.
I guess the biggest lessons are:
- Prepare for the dip. Starting a business is far easier than making it successful. You need to see a path and have the resources to get through it.
- Cliff businesses are glamorous but dangerous.
- Projects exist in an eco-system. Who are the other players? How do you fit in?
- Being the dumbest partner in a room of smart people is exactly where you want to be.
- And the biggest of all: persist. Do the next one.
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Written on Monday, November 03, 2008 by Siddharth PV
From Seth Godin’s blog:
"He can't be a man because he doesn't smoke [syncopated pause] the same cigarette as me."
When your product becomes the badge for a tribe, you sell a lot of products. The Stones don't mean "a man" in the sense of a homo sapien. They mean "a man" in sense of "someone worthy of my respect." Not in my tribe, not worth it...
Brooks Brothers was the badge for a generation of grey-suited men. Che t-shirts are the badge for a cadre of activists. The Allen & Co. retreat is the badge for a tiny cabal of media titans.
It's not easy to become the badge, but it's a worthy destination.
Key truth: you can't be the badge for everyone. In order for the tribe to exist, it must have insiders. And you can't have insiders without outsiders.
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Written on Monday, November 03, 2008 by Siddharth PV
1. If you want something really bad, never give up on it. And of
course, take the boost when you are offered one.
2. Do not ask one word questions..
- Be more specific. It helps you to organise your thoughts better.
- Evokes better answers
- As Bagchi explains, a leader is usually a good writer
- All you have to do is ASK
- Everyday, make a note of the best part of your day. A new blog about
it perhaps? :-)
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Written on Monday, November 03, 2008 by Siddharth PV
Two distinct (???) thoughts...
1. be great at whatever you do
2. do only what you like
This place is almost as good as any other place to achieve your
dreams. for eg- Swati
Zaeem's concept- Do not give up on a place until you have squeezed out
everything that you could have learned from that place
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Written on Saturday, November 01, 2008 by Siddharth PV
When in a discussion- decide what you want
1. Do you just want opinions from people?
2. Do you want to convey an Opinion?
When you are conveying ur opinion, it is as good as SELLING it to someone.
You need to influence ppl for that.
Always be aware of
1. What are you SELLING? Whatever you sell, do it with drama
(remember- diff things drive diff ppl)
2. What's ur OBJECTIVE?
+ regularly bolster ur message or time & distance will take their toll
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Written on Saturday, November 01, 2008 by Siddharth PV
Every time you communicate something, you might be SELLING something.
So you always have to follow the basic rules of selling..
From an article in CD
1. Your ppt was logical and systematic. But it didn't connect
EMOTIONALLY- so it was a waste
Your ppt lacked drama. Your words did not inspire. People did not feel
the need to change from the old ways
2. Why all the drama in the ppt? Cos the drama conveys the PASSION. It
directly touches d heart
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Written on Friday, October 31, 2008 by Siddharth PV
From Randy Pausch's 'Last Lecture'
U are smart, but that's not enough. EVERYONE out here is smart. Smart
is not enough. The kind of people i want on my research team are those
who will help everyone feel happy here
Complaining doesn't work as a strategy. We all have finite time and
energy. Make the most of it
Treat the disease and not the symptom
Dont obsess over what others are thinking.
If u wait long enough people will surprise & amaze U
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Written on Thursday, October 30, 2008 by Siddharth PV
1. Read up on the financial markets so that I make sound financial
choices when i invest.
2. Build a network so that i am not left high and dry when i am
starting out on my own
as seth would say - create and lead a tribe
i wanna try that
3. play the guitar really well
i want to perform for sir
4. learn managing people
5. read a lot
next step :
HOW?
What are the steps?
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Written on Tuesday, October 28, 2008 by Siddharth PV
what happens in my case is-
i want to get my personal issues sorted out ASAP
-now internal issues includes everything
-even the smallest thing
the reason i dont see myself leading others (leading = giving gyaan to
other when they dont need it?) is cos i am not fully satisfied with my
own stuff right now
how did this thought process start?
- how some people just like photo of theirs / put it up on their orkut profiles
- some people like me
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Written on Friday, October 24, 2008 by Siddharth PV
Brick walls are there for a reason...
They give us a chance to show HOW BADLY we want something...
If you want something really bad, you will find a way to crash through
/ go past the brick wall...
From 'The Last Lecture' by Randy Pausch
Posted in
brick walks. randy Pausch,
determination,
the last lecture,
want something really badly
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Written on Thursday, October 23, 2008 by Siddharth PV
Joining a start up by definition entails learning to be an all rounder.
U dont have the choice of just doing away with responsibility.
u will have to-
-design, print as well as modify sales material
-u will also have to think of how to build the brand? how do we market
ourselves?
-also do market research
-also do due diligence on the client
.
.
.
best part is, u wont have a chance to say NO
u GROW or u r forgotten
u wont let that happen
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Written on Wednesday, October 22, 2008 by Siddharth PV
There are quite a lot of thoughts clouding my mind right now...
I need to have clarity on lots of these aspects.. but dont have the time right now..
So, just making a note of all those thoughts thta i need to write / think about...
Will get cracking on them ASAP...
1. In any situation have your objectives very clear
2. DO NOT underestimate yourself...
It is the bane of every guy, who is taught that he should be modest.
But sometimes, the outcome of extreme efforts to be modest could be, that the guy ends up DOUBTING himself.. Because this guy never tells himself that he IS GOOD...
Just for the fear of becoming overconfident..
Now, this is a very fine line that he has to tread...
Telling yourself all the time that you are good could lead you to be overconfident...
So, you have to be a little careful...
A guy can never really rest till this concept of 'Be Modest but DO NOT Doubt yourself' has been ingrained into his psyche...
3. Develop the confidence of thinking on your feet
A good question to ask is, how?
Just another random thought :
When you enter any discussion, ask yourself, what is it that you want to achieve out of this?
What is your objective?
I believe - as long as you are clear about your objective, and make it a point to act in accordance wiht your final goals, you WILL BE FINE.
So the actionable item out of this note is :
At the start of EVERY action, know your objective very well.
Posted in
do not underestimate yourself,
random thoughts
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Written on Wednesday, October 22, 2008 by Siddharth PV
My roomie Sachin is a truly remarkable guy...
-always humming some happy tune
-mostly in high spirits
so, what makes him so happy?
I have noticed one really cool thing about him...
The smallest things give him joy... for eg- today it was the ringtone
from Saudagar...
so i hav come to realise that, the true magic lies in recognising your
smaller moments of joy..
every day, remind yourself of 1 good thing about yourself
and then thank GOD for it
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Written on Saturday, October 18, 2008 by Siddharth PV
so i am posting to the blog after a really long time...
whatever...
a thought just crossed my mind...
maybe a man should read multiple books at the same time...
he should have a book to suit each mood...
especially a light book to lift his spirits when he's feeling too
contemplative/serious for his own good...
(of course the book should satisfy all basic criteria)
i think i just found mine...
THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY :-)
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Written on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 by Siddharth PV
Sunday was a really sobering day…
It all started when a friend asked.. so, what's new in life?
That really set me thinking..
Well, how does one really answer that question?
I mean so much stuff happens daily.. everyday its a new scene in office..
Somebody screws up.. someone or the other ends up making a fool out of himself..
Har roz kuch na kuch kaand hota rehta hai…
But what really kicked me up was the realization that … life is indeed changing really fast…
And that too very subtly… before you know it… yet another 'given' from your erstwhile schedule gets knocked off.. and the worst part is.. it happens so surreptiously.. that you will never realize that things changed so much.. and so dramatically!
Ek zamaana tha.. we all used to go for lunch together…
There would be a multi-cast… and a group of 20 would go for lunch together..
But nowadays.. that hardly happens… we all go separately.. reason being
'KAAM HAI….
When was the last time jab Friday ko sab log saath me bahar gaye the…???
I cant remember! In fact nowadays, I am in office till 9 30.. especially on Fridays!
Its almost as if I cant think of anything better to do!
Now you can look at this in two ways –
The optimist in me says – Dude… you love your work!
The realist however wishes to point out – Dude… you have lost control of your social life… btw, do you have a social life left?
At this juncture I am reminded of chachi's words –
'Jab hum log tumhari tarah naye naye aaye the.. toh hum log bhi bahut baar bahar gaye the… but ab who sab band ho gaya hai…'
And damn! I hate to say it.. but her words are almost coming true.. :(
But I am hopeful… things will get better…. Especially because now I have spotted the problem… and as they say, the first step towards solving a problem is to identify it!
So, insha allah, things will be better in the time to come… and we wont lose our enthusiasm and will continue to have fun…. :)
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