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The 5 Ps to start and perfect a hobby, pastime or a skill

Be it a Marathon or Yoga or learning new skills for your profession, here are the five Ps:
– Participate – meaning enroll first and start going and learning, ensure your momentum is there and you are not procastinating
– Prepare – start getting involved and getting to know the nuances of whatever you want to acquire or learn, be interested and stay in the game.
– Push – try hard, push yourself and continuously improve day by day
– Persist – there would be times you would think to quit but do not – be there, and continue to excel and get better,
and
– Perfect – with usage and experience (time in job, they say), you get to perfect what you do.

And at last , be Proud (the 6th P !)

My poetry on Kanchi Bala Periyavaa (Oct 2024)

அன்னை காமாட்சி அனுக்கிரகம் அருளான குருவே

இந்த காஞ்சி தெய்வீக நகரை ஆளும் மன்னனே

எங்கள் மஹா பெரிய அவ்வாவை தீர்க்கும் அரசனே

எங்கள் ஜெயத்துக்கு துணையாக இருக்கும் இயந்திரமே

நாலா திக்கும் பள்ளிகள் உருவாக்கும் தயாளனே

நாட்டில் சனாதன தர்மத்தை ஓங்குவிக்கும் விஜயனே

எங்கள் வாழ்க்கை விஜயத்துக்கு வழிகாட்டும் விளக்கே

இன்றைய மண்ணுலகில் சிறந்தோங்கும் வேத வியாசரே

பல தர்ம காரியங்களை பூர்த்தி செய்யும் சன்னிதியே

மக்கள் துன்பங்களை துரத்தி அடிக்கும் தூயவனே

வியாதிகளை தீர்க்க மருந்தும் மனையும் அளிக்கும் தெய்வமே

எங்கள் பாரத்தை பாலமாக தாங்கும் பால பெரியவாவே

நான் கேட்க, நீர் குடுக்க

நான் சொல்ல, நீர் கேட்க

நான் இருக்க, நீர் சொல்ல

நான் வந்த, நீர் இருக்க

நான் அமர்ந்த, நீர் வந்த

நான் வேண்ட, நீர் அமர்ந்த

நான் குதுகலக்க, நீர் வேண்ட        என்னை உன் பக்கம் ஈர்க்க உன் கண்ணும் புன்னகையும் போதும் ஐயனே

Work, results and adversity, as per Gita

An interpretation from Bhagwad Gita:

A man who works for himself or for others or for God. In these three cases, he does things for himself, he does things for others and he does things for God. IN the first two, some metric is defined for success but when he works for God, that success metric is NOT defined or unknown or will not be realized in a quantitative sense. Working for himself makes one selfish but working for others or for God, it makes himself unselfish.

One goes from attachment to semi detachment to total detachment in these three scenarios.

Gita also talks about motiveless result that goes against any business objective of the today’s corporate world – simple put, grow your expertise, your skills (like a soldier has to be fit and should practice his skills daily for an eventuality) and pretty much results would follow. Your skills and expertise applied properly will eventually lead to a guaranteed result.

Same way, three kinds of adversity: Adhyatmika, arising from disorder of the body, Adhibhautika, arising from external objects such as tigers, snakes, road accidents etc, and Adhidaivika, arising from the action of great cosmic forces, such as those that cause natural disasters. A man who is not perturbed by any adversity and who is free from attachments is the wisest of them all.

Coincidence between 2nd and 3rd USA Presidents

It is unbelievable to note that the 2nd and the 3rd President of USA – both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, both died on the same day – July 4, 1826. Both were the sort of the founding fathers of USA and co-authored the Declaration of Independence for USA which was adopted on July 4th, 1776 – the same day they both died exactly 50 years later.

Snippets about travelling to Malaysia (based on our travel in April 2024)

If you have decided on a Malaysian holiday, you need about 10 days to two weeks to cover all interesting places, and there are very many.  Because all Air connections in and out are mostly through Kuala Lumpur, you may end up the entire day in the airport shuttling between the cities. Malaysia is a big country East to West separated by a sea. Also, from what I observed, Malaysia does not seem to push tourism hard – there is little effort to sell Malaysia as a tourist destination to the outside world, but I may be wrong. So, in many attractions, there are much more local crowd than foreigners. My point become validated when you see the

The country itself seems safe and clean overall. We did not observe any garbage on the roads or roadsides. Even in China town and Little India in any cities we visited, we did see the area to be generally clean and hygienic. It was a pleasure to drive between cities and it was green throughout. With this greenery, surprised that it does not rain every day, but when it does, it pours.

Majority population are Malays who are Muslims, other races being Chinese and Indian, and they seem more of the moderate kind, like Indonesia, at least for a visitor’s eye. Almost all shops are manned by Malay women in scarfs and everywhere English seems to be understood well.

When it comes to vegetarianism, it is a disappointment though. Eggs are part of a vegetarian dies. Even Vegan is not understood well in many places – we got a Vegan pizza in a star hotel in Kuala Lumpur, and what we got was a cheese loaded Margarita pizza with handful of veggie pieces on it. We also ate in a Vegan place in Langkawi, but I would not fully certify the place as vegan. Also, nowhere I found they put a GREEN dot for a dish that is vegetarian – so you need to ask. Although you would get pastas and other dishes that sound vegetarian, their base is made of either chicken or fish broth and they are very transparent about it up-front, which I liked.   Other than Subway, even McDonalds or Burger king does not carry anything vegetarian. And in Airports, there is nothing vegetarian (only one we found in KL). But if you are a meat- eater, Malaysia may be a great fit.

Since we are talking about the food in Malaysia, for Italian lovers, sorry, the only pasta that you would get is Spaghetti – no other pasta varieties like Penne or Fettucine are available. It is also hard to find natural or fruit Yogurts – they have some yogurt drink but not much for yogurt eaters. Airport’s food, coffee and desserts though are reasonable throughout all Malaysian airports which is a good thing – they do not try to rip you off like in other airports– the prices are the same as what you would find elsewhere. And surprisingly for a Muslim country, alcohol is available everywhere and prices are reasonable.

For their population, they have lots of restaurants which do not seem to be busy at all anytime. Street food during peak hours seems to be the happening place. Even in Langkawi, I was surprised to see lots of restaurants not having enough patrons – surprised to see how they survive. One cannot get good coffee anywhere – I mean either bean based strong coffee or Indian filter coffee. They use something that is Nescafe based called White Coffee which is the combination of coffee powder, whitener and sugar. Their diluted Kopi seems to be OK, but you get them only with sweet, condensed milk. Malaysia does have a lot of 7-11s and mini-marts that are open through the day and some in night too.

And now about shopping in Malaysia. They do not mind showing you anything and everything, but they (mama and papa stores) would not go out of their way to make a sale happen and satisfy a customer. The economy, we observed, works on cash transactions mostly as many international debit and credit cards are not acceptable in many places. I also saw something very strict – if their store timings say it closes at 6 pm, they would close at 6 pm sharp – this is for both big stores and small outlets. Even small private shops in downtown areas which I guess would love to make money selling once the evening sets it, the timings are 11 am to 6 pm and only handful of shops may be open after 8 pm as well.

Now the traffic and driving in Malaysia -it is smooth, and everyone respects the lane rules and goes by the local law. Because of this, I guess, I never observed any road patrol cars anywhere except may be near tolls. Penang is definitely a challenge to drive in – more congested than Kuala Lumpur as I think they have too many cars for the space they have. Kuala Lumpur was a pleasurable experience driving in cabs and taking the trains and metros.

GRAB as a taxi app is everywhere and is quite efficient – in our 40 odd rides, never did we have any cancellation, no talking on the phone by the drivers, cars were clean and spacious, lots of female drivers and they exactly come to the pickup place. They bought out UBER earlier and seem to be quite OK on pricing as well, except their surge pricing during peak hours is insanely high – 3x more than normal many a times.

Now more points on tourism. There are lots of places for Hindu & Buddhist tourism – especially in Penang, we saw a lot of temples that are good and well maintained. Their two Murugan temples in Batu Caves and Penang which are famous worldwide are extremely enriching in experience, but both these places have lot of monkeys on the way, so one needs to be careful climbing the hills. They keep observing your hands and what you carry and so you snooze, you lose. We even saw a small Ganesh temple in Sandakan. As for Buddhism, some fabulous temples are all around the place in all cities which is very soothing to watch – they must be a tolerant society, and it appears so.

Hotels are generally affordable and well maintained. They have a wide selection at various price points, and even five-star hotels are not too expensive compared to global rates. But in smaller hotels, expect a basic breakfast only but a fulfilling one.

Couple of things did put us off – first their dinner or river cruises are too expensive for what they show you. And secondly, the foreigner fees in tourist attractions are quite expensive as they vary from 2 x to 5 x even that of a domestic local guest. We felt the pinch in Sandakan area where the sanctuaries are – the government one for Orangutan was 2.5x and the private one for the Sun bear was about 5x. This was hard on our wallet, and in many cases, seems to be a rip-off. Although I personally do not like this entrance fee differences, if they want to add more for a foreigner, it is better they just add RM 5 over the local entrance fees. But this differentiation makes me validate my earlier comment that Malaysia is not necessarily sold as a destination for foreigners. Before I sign-off, one thing that folks should not miss in Kuala Lumpur is the Pewter Factory in Selangor, one of its kinds where they even allow you to make a pewter dish and take it home. Overall, a fascinating experience.

Four things critical for any professional life

Four things are important to life for any professional, however big or busy they are:

  • You need to belong – everyone belongs to a community, and one needs to contribute back to the community in terms of time (more than money). For every food wasted, think about a deprived child who does not have any good for days together. Get a sense of responsibility and let your actions speak a lot about yourself, without expecting anything in return.   It is not only about you and yours but others as well, care about them.  Volunteer at a local school, or a community centre or a specific interest group.
  • You need to be available – always have time for your family and closest friends who would be with you through your life. Never say no or delay meeting up with them.  Drop that ego and always have an ear and eye for them. It is said that people who socialize more have a healthier life.   Go on vacations, short or long with these folks regularly – at least twice a year.
  • Stay healthy – how much ever money one has, it cannot bring back your youth nor can it guarantee your life. Dedicate ten hours each week for one sport you love to play and one passion or hobby you love to pursue (can be even music). Once in a while, do an activity that is hard, provided your health agrees, like hiking or rafting, so that you satisfy your adrenaline rush properly.
  • Reward yourself – if a dog deserves a treat for doing something nice for you, then you need to reward yourself to having achieved something – small or big. Do it often, even at a small scale like indulging in an ice cream or a Cheesecake, upon achieving something credible that you set out for. If you manage a team, yes, have some small kudos functions often to highlight the achievements of the team – I call it an energy booster. AT the end of the day, we all work for getting something, money or otherwise.

Chief Operating Office (COO) – Responsibilities

     A COO is a Master tactician of a diverse organization managing complex operations on a day-to-day basis, with multiple stakeholders (and potentially Unions), that supports and oversees all organizational functions, but still not directly responsible for any product or solutions development, or sales and marketing.

On a daily basis, the COO:

  • Develops, implements and monitors key operational and performance metrics (and KPIs) of the organization to achieve desired and optimal outcomes and results, and also prepares key forecasting reports.
  • Manages projects, resources and risks.
  • Manages all the support functions like program office, HR, Legal, recruitment, and procurement managers.
  • If it is an NGO, startup or a government organization, leads the fundraising efforts by securing funding rounds and carefully manages capital.

   Ideally, he always reports into the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or President and is an integral part of Executive Leadership Team (ELT).  He collaborates with the President/CEO in setting and driving organizational vision, operations strategy, and achieving organizational results.  Some organizations (mostly Government and a few education institutions) use Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) as an equivalent role, with very similar responsibilities.

List of Responsibilities – a Cumulative collection of many Cs:

  • Compliance:  Maintains full compliance to local and state laws, regulatory bodies and industry standards by establishing robust policies, procedures and controls, and by staying updated on any regulatory changes.  Risk management and mitigation is an integral part of this exercise for the entire organization.  One must be aware of all political, social, economic, environmental and technological risks and effectively manage them.   In some organizations, this role is exclusive to a Chief Compliance officer who may or may not report into the COO.
  • Commercials:  Manages all end-to-end commercial engagements, with all customers and stakeholders
  • Capital Management: Oversees and manages all local and global facilities and fleets (if any), plans and manage all capital projects, and leads all procurement and logistics support.
  • Commitment to Operations Excellence:  Upholds commitment to OpEx by adhering to financial targets, driving operational strategy, enhancing brand reputation and ensuring prudent resource allocation and cost control.  Aggressively manages the investment and expenses to ensure company achieves intended budgeted revenue targets and margin– this includes ensuring revenue and cash flow by negotiating contracts and meeting all settlement and collection targets (Business Development activities).  Develops budget forecasts and operations plans, assesses, and analyses operation capabilities, variances and ensures adherence to budget.
  • Change management – Develops and implements appropriate systems, identifies areas of process optimization and implements necessary changes to maximise efficiency (and productivity) and minimize costs.
  • Communications: Oversees all Corporate Communications through professional presentation, facilitations and interpersonal skills, thus delivering a consistent and clear messaging for the organization, both for internal and external audience.
  • Customer: Creates and executes the customer experience framework and is also responsible for the customer relationships and customer service delivery. A key metric (s)he drives is the CSS – Customer Satisfaction Survey.
  • Culture: Fosters a culture of employee engagements, continuous improvement, transparency and teamwork, thus building a corporate lifestyle of high performance and core values, accountability   and employee growth
  • Community:  Fosters community relationships by establishing grievance redress mechanisms and social safeguards for the organization’s work with local communities, if any.
  • Care and Confidence: Facilitates and respects the employees and cares about the infrastructure of the organization.  Inspires confidence to the internal and external stakeholders, including partner relationships and vendor management.  
  • (Working) Conditions: Accountable for the Occupational, health and safety (OHS) of the organization by assuring safe working conditions for all teams globally, including emergency/disaster planning and response, first-aid and emergency-response training and employee safe-behaviour training.

So, what is role is NOT?

  • Not a Chief Financial officer who analyses and reports everything financial, but a COO supports financial monitoring, planning, forecasting and budgeting, by receiving key inputs from CFO on a regular basis.
  • Not a Chief Marketing officer, but a COO does monitor all the key customer metrics including the Satisfaction scores.  IN some organizations, CMO reports into the COO.

Not a Chief Product (development) officer and not responsible for actual delivery of product or solutions to customers, but a COO does monitor all the programs that run within the organizations and ensures compliance to resource and cost budgets.

Select your leaders well

Many in their career have an ambition to get someplace high , that too quickly. No issues with that. They want to be somebody big at any price, which does become an issue. The guys who talk better and present well usually are more heard and hence fall in the radar for any promotions- if (s)he is backed by their credibility, great, but if not, this becomes a situation for the company. The cost encountered by the organization though may be disenchanted employees, attrition of the good ones, and definitely a lack of loyalty to the organization. I always say ” Coaches do not play, they need not have been great players either, but they need to bring the best amongst their players in the team – they must though know how to play “. Careful selection of the deserving does make this better. 

Tips on Time Management

Here are some tips on Time Management :
– Manage by planning priorities well, and reduce or eliminate non-priorities
– Ensure you know the value of time and respect it. Be on time for appointments (call ahead if delayed). Don’t waste your time or others time. Times flies (but you can still be the pilot) and once lost, cannot be got back like Money. Time is limited (just 24 hours a day) unlike money, and hence utilize it and take care of it for good returns and happiness
– Invest more in Planning it right before executing anything – do a good risk plan (what-if scenarios) so that you are better prepared. As a Chinese proverb goes : ” It takes more hours to sharpen the axe than to cut the tree “. Think ahead for contingencies. Planning, they say, is to document the future into the details of the present.
– There is always time for everything important to you but you need to ‘find and allot’ . “No time” is never an excuse. Distribute the limited time to be more meaningful to you and to serve your purpose. Enjoy the present moment. Make your time, and take your time in things that give you happiness.
– Tomorrow never comes or comes late after many hours, hence do it NOW. Do not regret waiting for another day if you can achieve things today. Achieve more or something else tomorrow.

TREAT TIME with VALUE – it is PRECIOUS. MASTER your TIME through Discipline and Control