Before I turn old and grey and forget this experience, thought would set it out into the space mission of the www.
Before my TNS days, I was working as GM Marketing - India and S.E. Asia for Oberoi Camarco, an International Trading firm, a JV between the Oberoi Group, India and the Camarco Group, Malta.
This particular time, we had a deal with a firm in Kyrgyzstan to supply them with men and women's shoes. We sourced them from Agra, Kanpur as well as Thailand and collected them all at a bonded warehouse in New Delhi.
The shipment was ready and now we had to find a way to get them across to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. As land was not an option, the buyers agreed to air supply and we were left to find the right cargo plane to take the goods.
After a lot of searching among options, we found an Ethiopian Airlines option that would fly in from Dubai, take the shoes at New Delhi International Airport and deliver them to the buyer.
The aircraft arrived at New Delhi with an Ethiopian crew who we met for briefing. And lo and behold, obviously while they did speak English, they did not speak or understand Russian. And then they asked us to get them the flight maps for charting out the route to Bishkek. We scrambled through various sources only to find that USSR never had English flight maps (obviously) and even though it was CIS now, no one had thought of making new maps in English. Predicament eh!
So again through our sources, we found a Turkmenistan flight navigator who was in New Delhi while his passenger aircraft was stationed here for 2 days. As our round trip would only take about 10 - 12 hours, we hired this guy to come on board to read the Russian maps. happy days or so we thought, but our man was very very poor in English. Recipe for disaster.
It was Christmas Eve, my boss the MD, had flight tickets for Malta and stayed on till the last minute helping out but then had to leave. We decided that it would be best if I went on the cargo flight to ensure that delivery happened at the other end and that at least there was one guy familiar with the goods and the protocols.
It was 6 p.m. by the time we loaded up the aircraft with the 60,000 odd pairs of shoes and we took off, 5 Ethiopian crew members, one Turk navigator and one me.
I sat for most of the time at the cockpit, looking at the dials and the whiteness outside till we started to come close to our destination. Then in the night sky, I could see mountains around us. Snow capped peaks and the night sky was actually white.
Bishkek, is nestled in a valley among these mountains and soon we began our descent.
This is when the navigator took over and started reading out some numbers from the maps for the pilot to punch into the machine. it was tense, as I could see the pilot drop sweat off his brow and fly with a tense grip on the stick. The navigator then said 300, the pilot punched in something when the navigator said trembling in a Russian accent, no not 3 hundred not 3 hundred, three thousand. The pilot freaked, we must have had a close call. His sweat tripled and he yelled at his engineer to take me into the back room. Guess they did not want a civilian get freaked watching this melodrama.
I was quickly taken to the back room, a small 6 by 6 cubicle, where the engineer sat with me.
We felt the aircraft dip, and fly down and then suddenly the thrust was given and we could feel it rising up again. Then once again, the craft dipped down, down and then again began to rise. What the %$#K I thought after the third attempt, what is going on?
The engineer said, they are trying to land but seems that there may be some problem and knowing the protocol, they will try once more and if not successful, will abort and fly back. Fly back? fly back, hell what will I do with 60,000 pairs sitting at New Delhi airport, if they do go back and leave me there. Oh God, please land.....
And it did, we felt touchdown, the speed slowed down and we were in one piece. Hurray.
After everyone gained composure, the crew opened the aircraft door and I looked out, we were about 30 feet up in the air, and all I could see around us was a thick blanket of snow. Far in the horizon, we could see some lights but we stood there helpless, up 30 feet in the air.
After about 20 minutes, we saw some lights approaching and soon three army jeeps drove up with a aircraft ladder vehicle.
The ladder was clipped on the door and army personnel came up, I understood some broken Russian those days and we were asked for our passports. They collected everyone's passports and took the pilot and the Turk navigator with them and got back into the jeeps and disappeared.
The ladder was still connected but they left two soldiers with machine guns standing at the bottom of the steps.
The rest of the crew looked at me as if I had the answers. What could I say? But then, good sense had prevailed when I was leaving Delhi airport and I had picked up a bottle of Johnny Walker and a carton of Marlboro. Taking them out of my bag, I went down the steps with my peace offerings. And sure it worked, they were friendly, once having pocketed the goodies. In our animated dialogue, I made out what they said.
"Your aircraft has illegally landed in our airport, our CIA will come and get all of you and put you in prison and then investigate the case and decide what will be done".
CIA, and not US CIA but ex Russian, boy! that would be a rough cut version of the KGB, first kill and then ask questions. Is that how they operate? Imagine what was going through my mind, what a Christmas present. Will I ever see civilization again? Will they make me an example of the capitalist and hang me in the square or will they convert me to one of them having to live the rest of my life in exile tending goats on these mountains.
I climbed back to the safety of the cockpit wondering what will happen next.
And then the night transformed itself, we heard a slow humming sound, that soon grew louder and then we all saw it, a convoy of lights weaving its way in the white snow. Is this the end? What could it be ? as we all stared out the cockpit door.
Half a dozen black Russian limousines drew up with one dozen huge Russian trucks behind them. They halted under the aircraft, the guards were spirited away and several men came up the steps. Among them was a young red headed girl who spoke English. She told me, that these were my buyers, they had got delayed because they were negotiating entry with the authorities at the main building. They took us down and made us comfortable in different limousines, each one warmly heated, music playing and hot coffee. The pilot and Turk navigator were also in one of the limo's.
They moved the ladder to the cargo hold, tens of laborers jumped out of the trucks and began unloading the plane. After having calmed down, I went out and met my buyers and watched the unloading take place. They were fast and the trucks were huge and in one hour, the aircraft was as empty as my belly.
Time to go, and then the authorities went to the pilot and asked him to pay up the $5000 landing fees and then we could leave. News to me, what was this landing fees? no one had mentioned it before. The pilot asked me for it, I looked at my empty pockets and said Duh! what a twist!
Idea! I called Tatiana, the interpreter and asked her to request my buyer to handle the payment and that we would sort it out subsequently. They were agreeable but said they would have to go into town which was about one hour away. The morning dawn was slowly breaking and I did not want to be stuck for another 2 + hours so asked Tatiana if she could have them let us go with an understanding that they will clear the fees. Happened yippee! and we were given our passports and got back in after the customary hugs of farewell.
Flight took off and we reached New Delhi with no issues and landed safely around noon. Opened the cockpit door, still 30 feet in the air with no ground support to get us off. Then I saw an Air India ladder driving by and yelled out, 'Oh baisaab' and were soon off the craft and on our way home.
Shoes delivered, job done, skin in one place, was happy to call up Andrew in Malta and report.
Andrew called me up the next day, there was an article which appeared in the Bishkek newspaper that our buyer faxed to him...'Last night an unidentified aircraft was found flying over Kyrgyzstan military airspace and our anti aircraft guns almost shot it down'.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
DO YOU KNOW YOURSELF?
A Quiz from Gautam Nath
Psychologists agree that each person is born with individuality as unique as his / her fingerprint.
They stress the importance of self-awareness in order to achieve self-contentment and happiness. Happiness will follow because you learn to live within the limits, yet to the fullest extent of your capabilities. This test will help you assess what character type you are.
In each of the following situations, select the one answer nearest to your own. There are no right or wrong answers.
1. If you had three free hours which you could spend in any way you like, you would:
(a) Go for a walk or to an amusement park
(b) Visit a friend
(c) Read a book
(d) Catch up with odd jobs around the house
2. If you were to find some old letters or diaries in your drawer, you would:
(a) Throw them out
(b) Keep them with the idea of reading them later
(c) Consider them to be worth your careful study
(d) Sit down and read each word carefully
3. Would you say that:
(a) You make friends easily
(b) You keep friends on an “easy come easy go” basis
(c) You do not care about having friends very much
(d) Your friends visit you at home
4. Weather conditions affect your mood:
(a) Not at all
(b) Not that you have noticed
(c) Nearly always
(d) Intensely
5. When you are invited to a party, you usually:
(a) Try to meet everyone who is there
(b) Find a certain group whom you like
(c) Often feel uncertain of yourself
(d) Compare the environment with that of your own home
6. When you hear about outer space probes, you:
(a) Want to be part of the venture
(b) Enjoy the television news about it
(c) Think about the adventure in climbing hills on earth
(d) Think that space probes are a waste of money
7. If you were to buy a new record album, you would probably choose:
(a) Marches
(b) Folk rock
(c) Symphony
(d) Waltzes
8. You think love is:
(a) Enjoyable and important but only one facet of life
(b) Less important than friendship
(c) Tricky and should be viewed with caution
(d) All important to life
9. If you were to plan a vacation according to your own desires, you would choose to:
(a) Visit several foreign countries
(b) Go to an elite vacation spot
(c) Be alone in the mountains, on the desert or at the sea shore
(d) Relax at home
**********
FOR ANALYSIS GO TO BELOW
DO YOU KNOW YOURSELF (ANALYSIS)
There are no Right or Wrong answers. Based on a count of the number of times you have selected (a) as an answer or (b) etc., it will point to your character type. Five or more answers of a particular alphabet will place you quite definitely in that category.
If your responses are scattered, you have a little bit of each character type as many people find they have.
“A” Personality: In all likelihood, you are energetic, capable and outgoing. It could be that you tend to be bossy but you are also considered a leader. You know a strong feeling of responsibility towards those around you and are an ideal traveler. Setbacks in life do not break your spirit and you enjoy challenges.
“B” Personality: You are usually gregarious and good company. You like fun and are usually eager to help others. You probably dislike being alone; perhaps you are a bit conceited and can be prone to exaggerate. Probably you are fond of the opposite sex and your affections tend to vacillate so that some people may think you are fickle.
“C” Personality: These characteristics mark the “Lone Wolf” the individualist who is also often a rebel. There is probably a tendency to hide your real feelings behind a mask and you dislike change if imposed by others, although you enjoy it when you make changes yourself. Many C Personalities are creative and find inner peace more in solitude than with crowds.
“D” Personality: You are very likely to be happy, self – contained and home loving. You appear cautious and can often be over anxious. In all probability, you are fair, loyal and greatly influenced by the opinion of others.
Often you find yourself imposed upon because you are sympathetic and willing. Travel is not one of your life’s objectives. You may talk about travel and take a trip but you are happy to be back on home ground again.
********
A Quiz from Gautam Nath
Psychologists agree that each person is born with individuality as unique as his / her fingerprint.
They stress the importance of self-awareness in order to achieve self-contentment and happiness. Happiness will follow because you learn to live within the limits, yet to the fullest extent of your capabilities. This test will help you assess what character type you are.
In each of the following situations, select the one answer nearest to your own. There are no right or wrong answers.
1. If you had three free hours which you could spend in any way you like, you would:
(a) Go for a walk or to an amusement park
(b) Visit a friend
(c) Read a book
(d) Catch up with odd jobs around the house
2. If you were to find some old letters or diaries in your drawer, you would:
(a) Throw them out
(b) Keep them with the idea of reading them later
(c) Consider them to be worth your careful study
(d) Sit down and read each word carefully
3. Would you say that:
(a) You make friends easily
(b) You keep friends on an “easy come easy go” basis
(c) You do not care about having friends very much
(d) Your friends visit you at home
4. Weather conditions affect your mood:
(a) Not at all
(b) Not that you have noticed
(c) Nearly always
(d) Intensely
5. When you are invited to a party, you usually:
(a) Try to meet everyone who is there
(b) Find a certain group whom you like
(c) Often feel uncertain of yourself
(d) Compare the environment with that of your own home
6. When you hear about outer space probes, you:
(a) Want to be part of the venture
(b) Enjoy the television news about it
(c) Think about the adventure in climbing hills on earth
(d) Think that space probes are a waste of money
7. If you were to buy a new record album, you would probably choose:
(a) Marches
(b) Folk rock
(c) Symphony
(d) Waltzes
8. You think love is:
(a) Enjoyable and important but only one facet of life
(b) Less important than friendship
(c) Tricky and should be viewed with caution
(d) All important to life
9. If you were to plan a vacation according to your own desires, you would choose to:
(a) Visit several foreign countries
(b) Go to an elite vacation spot
(c) Be alone in the mountains, on the desert or at the sea shore
(d) Relax at home
**********
FOR ANALYSIS GO TO BELOW
DO YOU KNOW YOURSELF (ANALYSIS)
There are no Right or Wrong answers. Based on a count of the number of times you have selected (a) as an answer or (b) etc., it will point to your character type. Five or more answers of a particular alphabet will place you quite definitely in that category.
If your responses are scattered, you have a little bit of each character type as many people find they have.
“A” Personality: In all likelihood, you are energetic, capable and outgoing. It could be that you tend to be bossy but you are also considered a leader. You know a strong feeling of responsibility towards those around you and are an ideal traveler. Setbacks in life do not break your spirit and you enjoy challenges.
“B” Personality: You are usually gregarious and good company. You like fun and are usually eager to help others. You probably dislike being alone; perhaps you are a bit conceited and can be prone to exaggerate. Probably you are fond of the opposite sex and your affections tend to vacillate so that some people may think you are fickle.
“C” Personality: These characteristics mark the “Lone Wolf” the individualist who is also often a rebel. There is probably a tendency to hide your real feelings behind a mask and you dislike change if imposed by others, although you enjoy it when you make changes yourself. Many C Personalities are creative and find inner peace more in solitude than with crowds.
“D” Personality: You are very likely to be happy, self – contained and home loving. You appear cautious and can often be over anxious. In all probability, you are fair, loyal and greatly influenced by the opinion of others.
Often you find yourself imposed upon because you are sympathetic and willing. Travel is not one of your life’s objectives. You may talk about travel and take a trip but you are happy to be back on home ground again.
********
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Climbing your way to the Top?
Think you know the way, look again.
It was our management school professors who told us all about corporate life and that is why we studied hard each year as we worked to score good marks and join the corporate rat race.
While we were youngsters we all dreamed about rope ladders and tree houses and during the rainy days stayed indoors and played snakes and ladders.
Did we grow out of that?
No, not really, it’s just that our ladders got redefined. From snakes and ladders, we now played on the corporate ladder.
Those were the easy days, the corporate ladder would stare you in the face and you would strive hard each year to go up the next rung.
The Corporate ladder was steep, you would run into the occasional snake and falter but it was clear. The way forward was up.
Then life changed, the ladder disappeared and your corporate race changed its rules.
The way forward is no longer up, the way forward is no longer using the ladder, but the way forward is now dictated by, what I coin, the “Corporate Trellis”.
Yes, you heard me right, the corporate race today is not on the ladder but has been replaced by the Trellis. The way forward is sideways.
Corporates hire and value cross department exposure and this is fast becoming the HR department’s new toy to play with. How you move using the Corporate Trellis dictates when you will reach the top. This cross-functional movement brings fresh energy and innovativeness hitherto much sought after into the Boardroom.
“If you’ve not been there, how can you understand it yet alone lead it”, said one management guru.
So throw away the notion of the corporate ladder and bring in the concept of the Corporate Trellis. This relieves boredom, ensures sustained retention, gives many executives a way forward and creates managers who are more aware and with far greater perspective.
The Author is Director for Cultural Markets with Environics Research Group.
It was our management school professors who told us all about corporate life and that is why we studied hard each year as we worked to score good marks and join the corporate rat race.
While we were youngsters we all dreamed about rope ladders and tree houses and during the rainy days stayed indoors and played snakes and ladders.
Did we grow out of that?
No, not really, it’s just that our ladders got redefined. From snakes and ladders, we now played on the corporate ladder.
Those were the easy days, the corporate ladder would stare you in the face and you would strive hard each year to go up the next rung.
The Corporate ladder was steep, you would run into the occasional snake and falter but it was clear. The way forward was up.
Then life changed, the ladder disappeared and your corporate race changed its rules.
The way forward is no longer up, the way forward is no longer using the ladder, but the way forward is now dictated by, what I coin, the “Corporate Trellis”.
Yes, you heard me right, the corporate race today is not on the ladder but has been replaced by the Trellis. The way forward is sideways.
Corporates hire and value cross department exposure and this is fast becoming the HR department’s new toy to play with. How you move using the Corporate Trellis dictates when you will reach the top. This cross-functional movement brings fresh energy and innovativeness hitherto much sought after into the Boardroom.
“If you’ve not been there, how can you understand it yet alone lead it”, said one management guru.
So throw away the notion of the corporate ladder and bring in the concept of the Corporate Trellis. This relieves boredom, ensures sustained retention, gives many executives a way forward and creates managers who are more aware and with far greater perspective.
The Author is Director for Cultural Markets with Environics Research Group.
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Life in Canada Series 22 - Holiday Party Lessons
Holiday party lessons
While we're well into 2010 now and most people have taken down their holiday decorations and Christmas trees have been put out on the curb, there's one thing I'd like to talk about in today's blog — the office holiday party.
Yes, it's over, and everyone is back to business, but there are a few things worth discussing — and learning from — before you attend your next office function or party.
We're still in a recession, yet many companies do still try to put together a Christmas party to retain the tradition — and you may face future parties throughout the year, too.
Yes, frills and extras have been shaved to the minimum, and many companies have stopped inviting spouses, but parties do still happen — even if the wine isn’t of the $30-a-bottle variety.
Catering, too, has long seen its heyday, with home-service caterers now being the far more popular choice, or, even more common, simply having co-workers bring in dishes for a potluck.
Entertainment is restricted to several high-spirited team members putting together a dance, a song or a play — hired bands are a thing of the past.
However, as we all understand, times are a tough and things have to be shaped by that. It truly is the thought that counts at office parties — it's collective cheer, comradeship and networking in a social setting that takes precedence.
The office party is a great opportunity to meet and chat with colleagues who you haven't had the chance to properly catch up with throughout the rest of the year. You laugh, share stores and have some fun, which is indeed very needed in these challenging economic times.
It's also an opportunity to meet other employees who you've never met before, and to know the company's people a little better.
For example, at my company's holiday party this year, the president spent 15 minutes telling me about his last trip to Egypt and the boat cruise on the Nile he took when he heard I was born in Cairo.
So, when you find yourself at the next office function or party, just remember that it's OK to enjoy yourself, have a bit of fun (but do drink very lightly, knowing your limit — you don’t want to get tongues wagging the next day) and get to know your colleagues better.
While we're well into 2010 now and most people have taken down their holiday decorations and Christmas trees have been put out on the curb, there's one thing I'd like to talk about in today's blog — the office holiday party.
Yes, it's over, and everyone is back to business, but there are a few things worth discussing — and learning from — before you attend your next office function or party.
We're still in a recession, yet many companies do still try to put together a Christmas party to retain the tradition — and you may face future parties throughout the year, too.
Yes, frills and extras have been shaved to the minimum, and many companies have stopped inviting spouses, but parties do still happen — even if the wine isn’t of the $30-a-bottle variety.
Catering, too, has long seen its heyday, with home-service caterers now being the far more popular choice, or, even more common, simply having co-workers bring in dishes for a potluck.
Entertainment is restricted to several high-spirited team members putting together a dance, a song or a play — hired bands are a thing of the past.
However, as we all understand, times are a tough and things have to be shaped by that. It truly is the thought that counts at office parties — it's collective cheer, comradeship and networking in a social setting that takes precedence.
The office party is a great opportunity to meet and chat with colleagues who you haven't had the chance to properly catch up with throughout the rest of the year. You laugh, share stores and have some fun, which is indeed very needed in these challenging economic times.
It's also an opportunity to meet other employees who you've never met before, and to know the company's people a little better.
For example, at my company's holiday party this year, the president spent 15 minutes telling me about his last trip to Egypt and the boat cruise on the Nile he took when he heard I was born in Cairo.
So, when you find yourself at the next office function or party, just remember that it's OK to enjoy yourself, have a bit of fun (but do drink very lightly, knowing your limit — you don’t want to get tongues wagging the next day) and get to know your colleagues better.
Life in Canada Series 23 - The New Employment options
The new employment
In today’s labour market, employment no longer means a full-time job
Employment? This used to mean having a full-time secure job where you knew the pay cheque was coming home every two weeks, and your biggest challenge was how to maintain your lifestyle within that boundary.
Times have a changed. All over the world and specifically as we experience in Canada, this is no longer the rule of the land.
Employment has taken on shades of various colours and while it has been difficult to adjust to it, people have now started accepting this as a fact.
Here are some of the options for employment that exist and more and more employers are making use of these options:
Working from home
Large organizations like IBM have saved thousands of dollars by redeploying much of their work force to work from home. No more posh offices, no more people hours wasted in commuting on the Go Train and the TTC. Even moving the office to Markham was not enough. Its human resources department had a game plan wherein it helped employees transition from a “going to office to work” scenario to a “staying at home and work” scenario.
It takes discipline and dedication to ensure that your productivity does not suffer. No toddling to your laptop at 10 a.m. in your pyjamas. No answering the doorbell for a passing salesman. The discipline is clear: get dressed and go to work in your own home office. Imagine you have left for the office; no one will answer the door for that pesky salesman.
Contractual agreement
Many companies now once bitten twice shy are not hiring employees, but rather taking people on contract. No need to pay employee benefits and carry the expense once the project is done. If required, the contract is renewed for a new term; if not, cocktails in the evening and a fond farewell.
I know many friends who have actually preferred to go contractual as it does not bind them to one employer and they usually have signed contracts with several thus working at their own hours and being their own boss. This requires a high degree of confidence which the youth of Canada has. And also gives you time to pursue other hobbies. A girl I know wanted to take up skydiving but never had time till she went on contract. Now she works four days a week and takes skydiving classes every Wednesday. And contractual work has additional tax benefits that people make use of.
Part-time employment
While never ideal, many people are accepting this as a part of life in today’s recession. At least a part-time job is better than no job. They have learned to cut down on expenses and strive to make ends meet on their part-time salary. Some people have decided to use the spare time to take up a second education and get that degree they never bothered about when younger. Some with family commitments have decided to take up more than one part-time job and hurriedly commute between the two. I do not advocate this as it will only result in burnout and poor productivity for both employers. But then at times like this, what can you say.
Survival jobs
This is where you hear about doctors driving cabs or engineers working in call centres. Usually a last option, but a reality situation with new immigrants and those who do not qualify for employment insurance. Call centres, security guards, loaders, factory workers, cleaners and such jobs are known as “survival jobs” when being performed by those overqualified.
These are all today’s reality in the job market. They will stay for some time to come and therefore, whether you have one kind or the other, remember it comes with the times and we must work with it rather than against it.
In today’s labour market, employment no longer means a full-time job
Employment? This used to mean having a full-time secure job where you knew the pay cheque was coming home every two weeks, and your biggest challenge was how to maintain your lifestyle within that boundary.
Times have a changed. All over the world and specifically as we experience in Canada, this is no longer the rule of the land.
Employment has taken on shades of various colours and while it has been difficult to adjust to it, people have now started accepting this as a fact.
Here are some of the options for employment that exist and more and more employers are making use of these options:
Working from home
Large organizations like IBM have saved thousands of dollars by redeploying much of their work force to work from home. No more posh offices, no more people hours wasted in commuting on the Go Train and the TTC. Even moving the office to Markham was not enough. Its human resources department had a game plan wherein it helped employees transition from a “going to office to work” scenario to a “staying at home and work” scenario.
It takes discipline and dedication to ensure that your productivity does not suffer. No toddling to your laptop at 10 a.m. in your pyjamas. No answering the doorbell for a passing salesman. The discipline is clear: get dressed and go to work in your own home office. Imagine you have left for the office; no one will answer the door for that pesky salesman.
Contractual agreement
Many companies now once bitten twice shy are not hiring employees, but rather taking people on contract. No need to pay employee benefits and carry the expense once the project is done. If required, the contract is renewed for a new term; if not, cocktails in the evening and a fond farewell.
I know many friends who have actually preferred to go contractual as it does not bind them to one employer and they usually have signed contracts with several thus working at their own hours and being their own boss. This requires a high degree of confidence which the youth of Canada has. And also gives you time to pursue other hobbies. A girl I know wanted to take up skydiving but never had time till she went on contract. Now she works four days a week and takes skydiving classes every Wednesday. And contractual work has additional tax benefits that people make use of.
Part-time employment
While never ideal, many people are accepting this as a part of life in today’s recession. At least a part-time job is better than no job. They have learned to cut down on expenses and strive to make ends meet on their part-time salary. Some people have decided to use the spare time to take up a second education and get that degree they never bothered about when younger. Some with family commitments have decided to take up more than one part-time job and hurriedly commute between the two. I do not advocate this as it will only result in burnout and poor productivity for both employers. But then at times like this, what can you say.
Survival jobs
This is where you hear about doctors driving cabs or engineers working in call centres. Usually a last option, but a reality situation with new immigrants and those who do not qualify for employment insurance. Call centres, security guards, loaders, factory workers, cleaners and such jobs are known as “survival jobs” when being performed by those overqualified.
These are all today’s reality in the job market. They will stay for some time to come and therefore, whether you have one kind or the other, remember it comes with the times and we must work with it rather than against it.
Life in Canada series 24 - 3 Corporate Secrets
Corporate secrets
Mentoring, coaching and buddying are three secrets to corporate success
Gautam Nath
In corporate life, there comes often a time when you feel you’re at a crossroads and need someone to talk to. Often, your line manager may not be the one you want to chat with as he/she does your appraisal at the end of the year.
Yet, if this feeling festers, your morale and level of enthusiasm falls.
So there are several HR tools that are applied in the corporate world that I have come across and would like to share.
Mentoring: At some point in my career, I started off as a mentee and was appointed a mentor. She was the vice-president of finance and did not even sit on the same floor as I did. But she was my mentor and I would set up a one-hour face-to-face meeting with her every month and we would chat. I prepared for those meetings because my mentor was far senior to me and her time was precious.
She would give me such insights and logic and show me the bigger picture that I would remember her words years later when it became my turn to be a mentor. One key takeaway that rings in my head even now is “Ask not what the company can do for you, but what you can do for the company.” This Kennedy-inspired mantra has held me in good stead over my various roads in life. It reflects an attitude and gets noticed very fast.
Coaching: A coach, on the other hand, is a person who may be senior to you in your own department and teaches you the ropes. My coach was four years senior to me in the marketing department and he would spend time twice a month going over various business decisions and processes of our department. He would teach me things that he had learned along the way and which would help me better achieve my objectives. My coach was like an elder brother who guided, supported and helped me grow. In my life, I have had three coaches who I remember very well and continue to keep in touch with them even though many years have gone by. They have been at my wedding and I to theirs.
Buddies: And the best bit, the buddy. The buddy is someone appointed to be just that, your corporate buddy. When I joined a new company here in Canada, my buddy was at my level but had been in the company for at least four years so knew what happens where and how. My buddy was someone who I could ask any question even the ones that I felt may be stupid. Nothing stands between me and my buddy at work. He tells me the formal way and the informal way. He tells me who to avoid and when my shoelace is untied.
My buddy in Canada helped me out so much as being a newcomer, I often wondered how things could be said or done here. These nuances were very quickly passed on and helped put me at ease on the job. He extended the buddying beyond the workplace and introduced me to many good places to eat as well as pubs in downtown Toronto. He taught me about the Raptors and the NHL games that Canada is so proud of.
Corporate Canada has her share of mentors, coaches and buddies. And they all come together to help build a great country and our great future.
Mentoring, coaching and buddying are three secrets to corporate success
Gautam Nath
In corporate life, there comes often a time when you feel you’re at a crossroads and need someone to talk to. Often, your line manager may not be the one you want to chat with as he/she does your appraisal at the end of the year.
Yet, if this feeling festers, your morale and level of enthusiasm falls.
So there are several HR tools that are applied in the corporate world that I have come across and would like to share.
Mentoring: At some point in my career, I started off as a mentee and was appointed a mentor. She was the vice-president of finance and did not even sit on the same floor as I did. But she was my mentor and I would set up a one-hour face-to-face meeting with her every month and we would chat. I prepared for those meetings because my mentor was far senior to me and her time was precious.
She would give me such insights and logic and show me the bigger picture that I would remember her words years later when it became my turn to be a mentor. One key takeaway that rings in my head even now is “Ask not what the company can do for you, but what you can do for the company.” This Kennedy-inspired mantra has held me in good stead over my various roads in life. It reflects an attitude and gets noticed very fast.
Coaching: A coach, on the other hand, is a person who may be senior to you in your own department and teaches you the ropes. My coach was four years senior to me in the marketing department and he would spend time twice a month going over various business decisions and processes of our department. He would teach me things that he had learned along the way and which would help me better achieve my objectives. My coach was like an elder brother who guided, supported and helped me grow. In my life, I have had three coaches who I remember very well and continue to keep in touch with them even though many years have gone by. They have been at my wedding and I to theirs.
Buddies: And the best bit, the buddy. The buddy is someone appointed to be just that, your corporate buddy. When I joined a new company here in Canada, my buddy was at my level but had been in the company for at least four years so knew what happens where and how. My buddy was someone who I could ask any question even the ones that I felt may be stupid. Nothing stands between me and my buddy at work. He tells me the formal way and the informal way. He tells me who to avoid and when my shoelace is untied.
My buddy in Canada helped me out so much as being a newcomer, I often wondered how things could be said or done here. These nuances were very quickly passed on and helped put me at ease on the job. He extended the buddying beyond the workplace and introduced me to many good places to eat as well as pubs in downtown Toronto. He taught me about the Raptors and the NHL games that Canada is so proud of.
Corporate Canada has her share of mentors, coaches and buddies. And they all come together to help build a great country and our great future.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Future of Market Research in India
(Compiled and presented by Jenny Abraham, Managing Director and Gautam Nath, Executive Vice President, TNS India).
The birth of an idea (or a brand) is often said to be mid-wifed by market research (MR). Why is then MR conveniently forgotten when the product becomes a household name? We often see the advertisements doing the rounds of the news circuit; the production house raving about how they created the advertisement and the marketing/brands team basking in the glory of success but no one wishes to know who recommended the strategy to make it a success.
Is it just the advertising idea and production quality, which decides the success of a particular brand?
It is perceived that MR will never provide all the answers but simply continue to supplement the knowledge base for an organisation. The traditional paradigm defining socio-economic classes amongst Indian consumers is also undergoing a change. Here is an instance of a rise in rural consumption of a ‘supposedly’ SEC A+ category shampoo brand. This surely is a glaring example of the redefining of the Indian consumer, thereby challenging the norms. This is where MR works! –
The new-age market researcher is more like a social scientist who probes the minds of the consumers rather than their actual needs, since people do not talk of their deepest desires in focus group discussion anymore, rather they prefer talking to the scenario planner or the social scientist who can understand their minds better. MR now identifies new ways and means of understanding the consumers better.
Discussions centred around the recent MRSI annual seminar, which focused on making market research work better by going beyond the obvious. MR is striving to become the equal partner or stakeholder in the branding / marketing process rather than just being third-party suppliers.
The future of Market Research raises questions like –
• What will be the workings of the industry in India?
Consolidation of businesses, Mergers and Acquisitions, Re-branding processes are in play. Is MR still the underdog in the branding process? Or is it coming of age? An increase in use of information technology can be attributed to its growth?
• What will the companies look like?
International exposure has led to the market being concentrated on a few players, global accounts, globally tested research models, standardised data collection.
• Where will MR be on the corporate food-chain?
MR is increasingly gaining the status of a stakeholder in branding processes or just a third-party supplier.
• Will MR be there at all?
Is there a threat to the industry if at all, from the likes of management consultancies, in-house MR at organisations and academic institutions given their growing interest in market research and to save costs.
Talking about the business, Asian MR market is growing by 10 to 11% a year and is ‘the hottest market worldwide for the market research industry’, according to Tony Cowling, Chairman of TNS. Cowling explained that, while the business is growing 5% a year on average worldwide, growth in Asia is about 11%. Australia has the largest MR sector in the region, but this is growing only 4 to 5% a year, compared with 20% growth in China and 15% growth in India. He predicts that the ‘market research industry regionally will grow twice as fast as the overall economy,' driven both by the establishment of US and European companies in Asia - particularly in China - and by local companies’ increased use of MR. TNS total billings reached £950m last year, of which 12% was from Asia. 'You have to be in Asia, be outsourcing, and using the Internet if you want to be in the future of MR' according to TNS Tony Cowling, speaking at the BMRA's annual conference recently.
Snippets to aid the article:
• http://www.mrweb.com/drno/frmemail/article4612.htm (27 Sept’05)
• (Business World – 30 Aug’04, case study analysis by Raghavan Srinivasan, DMD, TNS India)
MR works when sourced from companies with national infrastructure for data collection with a transparent and audited quality assurance programme; best research practices and methodologies/models that are proven in India and abroad; and finally, time commitment of senior research experts to help go beyond raw data and blend information.
• http://oldwww.roymorgan.com/papers/2000/2000JL1.html
Today, suppliers are critical. Tomorrow, they will be more so! And just to make things really interesting, they may be our competitors, our partners, or our competitors’ partners, or our owners.
What about alternatives and substitutes? As an industry we have typically focussed on competitors and customers, and paid little attention to alternatives and substitutes.
The obvious substitutes are BS (Bureau of Statistics), universities, and management consultants.
Even more importantly, technology ® information systems, and information is real big business.
We foreshadowed that data would be in abundance. The Internet would create the expectation of free information, and an ability to aggregate, analyse, and make sense of data, would be critical.
We foreshadowed that more sophisticated data management systems would mean that increasingly, our clients would be able to glean what they need to know about their customers from their own systems.
We were right about everything except the timing. Relative to other industries, the changes to our own industry have been gentle. We are very lucky we have been able to watch other industries, often our clients, as they have been transformed.
Of particular relevance here is the insight of Andrew Grove, President and CEO of Intel, in his recently published book "Only the Paranoid Survive". He says "There are moments in any business when massive change occurs, when all the rules of business shift fast, furiously and forever". He calls such moments "strategic inflection points".
A strategic inflection point can be set off by almost anything:
• Mega competition;
• A change in regulations;
• Even a seemingly modest change in technology.
We believe today this industry - the market research industry - is at a strategic inflection point.
The world of market research is on the cusp of a new era. This new era is one, which will be defined by globalisation, technology and communication, reduction in traditional boundaries, and a strategic focus on the use of information.
Globalisation means that efficient supply is increasingly taking precedence over geographic proximity. Global alignments are increasingly impacting on all industries including our own, and that of our clients. The virtual organisation has become a reality in technology and information based industries.
Technology has increased the precision and speed with which we do almost everything - from the precision with which data can be captured, analysed, reported and disseminated, and the speed with which a highway or a car must be built, to the speed with which new technology itself can be created. Technology has also increased both the speed and complexity with which information can be transferred and processed with dramatic impacts on the speed of communication.
If globalisation has removed or weakened traditional geographic boundaries, the combined impact of globalisation and communications/technology has weakened the boundaries, which separated industries. E.g., a credit card is now in many ways doing what a bank does; a utility company which installs a direct line to its customers is potentially in the business of telephony; a manufacturer plus internet can be a retailer; any company with a website can be a researcher; any company with a customer base can be a researcher. There are opportunities and threats in abundance.
We believe today this industry - the market research industry - is at a strategic inflection point. Today more so than ever before the industry must develop its own way. Grove points out that, managed wrongly, a strategic inflection point can mean the end of the game. Managed right, it can turn into a powerful force.
Clearly, we all want to manage it right. So how do we go forward? The value of a market research company, and therefore its survival, has always been dependent on many factors, such as:
• Cost of capturing data, analysing data, reporting data;
• Availability of smart people with the unique combination of logic and creativity;
• Demand and supply, and thus, pricing.
• Ability to interweave various data sources not all collected through MR means
Ever-improving technology and communication is increasing the efficiency of data capture, analysis and reporting. We are seeing new methods of surveying including CAPI, internet, soon WAP, ever increasing sophistication in computer modelling, data, data mining, etc, larger more cost effective database systems. This kind of change, continuous improvement, has itself become almost a constant. And most of us are going with the flow.
But as we’ve already said, the changes so far have been gentle. The dotcoms haven’t quite made it into our business yet. As they have focussed dollars and energy as chasing clicks, they have not yet turned to the data analysis – the value of the data that happens to sit behind the visitation and transactions remains potential. What about when they move?
Our clients – banks, insurance companies, telecom, retailers, are only just on the brink of where they can truly get valuable information from their customer databases. They will be dealing with a census of their customers – so many of our valued sampling, weighting and projecting skills will be redundant.
We as researchers will need to be very aware – of where our traditional skills are no longer relevant, and where they are relevant.
A lot of what we have traditionally undertaken, as projects will be tested in real life. For instance, with Internet advertising/Internet offers – you literally watch it happen.
We will need to change what we see as our business. For instance, we used to articulate our business as:
Our core activity is asking questions, counting, sorting and analysing the answers and reporting our findings.
Clearly, if that’s our business – we won’t be around for long.
We as researchers cannot be "precious". The boundaries will blur. And they will blur in areas that we as researchers hold "sacred", e.g., direct marketing and interviewing. Telemarketing companies will do a great job of conducting surveys – and they have scale.
We must be willing to embrace uncertainty, lead the industry (or at least go with the flow) and continually learn.
And remember that it’s times like these when there are threats around every corner – that there are also opportunities in abundance.
- end of document -
The birth of an idea (or a brand) is often said to be mid-wifed by market research (MR). Why is then MR conveniently forgotten when the product becomes a household name? We often see the advertisements doing the rounds of the news circuit; the production house raving about how they created the advertisement and the marketing/brands team basking in the glory of success but no one wishes to know who recommended the strategy to make it a success.
Is it just the advertising idea and production quality, which decides the success of a particular brand?
It is perceived that MR will never provide all the answers but simply continue to supplement the knowledge base for an organisation. The traditional paradigm defining socio-economic classes amongst Indian consumers is also undergoing a change. Here is an instance of a rise in rural consumption of a ‘supposedly’ SEC A+ category shampoo brand. This surely is a glaring example of the redefining of the Indian consumer, thereby challenging the norms. This is where MR works! –
The new-age market researcher is more like a social scientist who probes the minds of the consumers rather than their actual needs, since people do not talk of their deepest desires in focus group discussion anymore, rather they prefer talking to the scenario planner or the social scientist who can understand their minds better. MR now identifies new ways and means of understanding the consumers better.
Discussions centred around the recent MRSI annual seminar, which focused on making market research work better by going beyond the obvious. MR is striving to become the equal partner or stakeholder in the branding / marketing process rather than just being third-party suppliers.
The future of Market Research raises questions like –
• What will be the workings of the industry in India?
Consolidation of businesses, Mergers and Acquisitions, Re-branding processes are in play. Is MR still the underdog in the branding process? Or is it coming of age? An increase in use of information technology can be attributed to its growth?
• What will the companies look like?
International exposure has led to the market being concentrated on a few players, global accounts, globally tested research models, standardised data collection.
• Where will MR be on the corporate food-chain?
MR is increasingly gaining the status of a stakeholder in branding processes or just a third-party supplier.
• Will MR be there at all?
Is there a threat to the industry if at all, from the likes of management consultancies, in-house MR at organisations and academic institutions given their growing interest in market research and to save costs.
Talking about the business, Asian MR market is growing by 10 to 11% a year and is ‘the hottest market worldwide for the market research industry’, according to Tony Cowling, Chairman of TNS. Cowling explained that, while the business is growing 5% a year on average worldwide, growth in Asia is about 11%. Australia has the largest MR sector in the region, but this is growing only 4 to 5% a year, compared with 20% growth in China and 15% growth in India. He predicts that the ‘market research industry regionally will grow twice as fast as the overall economy,' driven both by the establishment of US and European companies in Asia - particularly in China - and by local companies’ increased use of MR. TNS total billings reached £950m last year, of which 12% was from Asia. 'You have to be in Asia, be outsourcing, and using the Internet if you want to be in the future of MR' according to TNS Tony Cowling, speaking at the BMRA's annual conference recently.
Snippets to aid the article:
• http://www.mrweb.com/drno/frmemail/article4612.htm (27 Sept’05)
• (Business World – 30 Aug’04, case study analysis by Raghavan Srinivasan, DMD, TNS India)
MR works when sourced from companies with national infrastructure for data collection with a transparent and audited quality assurance programme; best research practices and methodologies/models that are proven in India and abroad; and finally, time commitment of senior research experts to help go beyond raw data and blend information.
• http://oldwww.roymorgan.com/papers/2000/2000JL1.html
Today, suppliers are critical. Tomorrow, they will be more so! And just to make things really interesting, they may be our competitors, our partners, or our competitors’ partners, or our owners.
What about alternatives and substitutes? As an industry we have typically focussed on competitors and customers, and paid little attention to alternatives and substitutes.
The obvious substitutes are BS (Bureau of Statistics), universities, and management consultants.
Even more importantly, technology ® information systems, and information is real big business.
We foreshadowed that data would be in abundance. The Internet would create the expectation of free information, and an ability to aggregate, analyse, and make sense of data, would be critical.
We foreshadowed that more sophisticated data management systems would mean that increasingly, our clients would be able to glean what they need to know about their customers from their own systems.
We were right about everything except the timing. Relative to other industries, the changes to our own industry have been gentle. We are very lucky we have been able to watch other industries, often our clients, as they have been transformed.
Of particular relevance here is the insight of Andrew Grove, President and CEO of Intel, in his recently published book "Only the Paranoid Survive". He says "There are moments in any business when massive change occurs, when all the rules of business shift fast, furiously and forever". He calls such moments "strategic inflection points".
A strategic inflection point can be set off by almost anything:
• Mega competition;
• A change in regulations;
• Even a seemingly modest change in technology.
We believe today this industry - the market research industry - is at a strategic inflection point.
The world of market research is on the cusp of a new era. This new era is one, which will be defined by globalisation, technology and communication, reduction in traditional boundaries, and a strategic focus on the use of information.
Globalisation means that efficient supply is increasingly taking precedence over geographic proximity. Global alignments are increasingly impacting on all industries including our own, and that of our clients. The virtual organisation has become a reality in technology and information based industries.
Technology has increased the precision and speed with which we do almost everything - from the precision with which data can be captured, analysed, reported and disseminated, and the speed with which a highway or a car must be built, to the speed with which new technology itself can be created. Technology has also increased both the speed and complexity with which information can be transferred and processed with dramatic impacts on the speed of communication.
If globalisation has removed or weakened traditional geographic boundaries, the combined impact of globalisation and communications/technology has weakened the boundaries, which separated industries. E.g., a credit card is now in many ways doing what a bank does; a utility company which installs a direct line to its customers is potentially in the business of telephony; a manufacturer plus internet can be a retailer; any company with a website can be a researcher; any company with a customer base can be a researcher. There are opportunities and threats in abundance.
We believe today this industry - the market research industry - is at a strategic inflection point. Today more so than ever before the industry must develop its own way. Grove points out that, managed wrongly, a strategic inflection point can mean the end of the game. Managed right, it can turn into a powerful force.
Clearly, we all want to manage it right. So how do we go forward? The value of a market research company, and therefore its survival, has always been dependent on many factors, such as:
• Cost of capturing data, analysing data, reporting data;
• Availability of smart people with the unique combination of logic and creativity;
• Demand and supply, and thus, pricing.
• Ability to interweave various data sources not all collected through MR means
Ever-improving technology and communication is increasing the efficiency of data capture, analysis and reporting. We are seeing new methods of surveying including CAPI, internet, soon WAP, ever increasing sophistication in computer modelling, data, data mining, etc, larger more cost effective database systems. This kind of change, continuous improvement, has itself become almost a constant. And most of us are going with the flow.
But as we’ve already said, the changes so far have been gentle. The dotcoms haven’t quite made it into our business yet. As they have focussed dollars and energy as chasing clicks, they have not yet turned to the data analysis – the value of the data that happens to sit behind the visitation and transactions remains potential. What about when they move?
Our clients – banks, insurance companies, telecom, retailers, are only just on the brink of where they can truly get valuable information from their customer databases. They will be dealing with a census of their customers – so many of our valued sampling, weighting and projecting skills will be redundant.
We as researchers will need to be very aware – of where our traditional skills are no longer relevant, and where they are relevant.
A lot of what we have traditionally undertaken, as projects will be tested in real life. For instance, with Internet advertising/Internet offers – you literally watch it happen.
We will need to change what we see as our business. For instance, we used to articulate our business as:
Our core activity is asking questions, counting, sorting and analysing the answers and reporting our findings.
Clearly, if that’s our business – we won’t be around for long.
We as researchers cannot be "precious". The boundaries will blur. And they will blur in areas that we as researchers hold "sacred", e.g., direct marketing and interviewing. Telemarketing companies will do a great job of conducting surveys – and they have scale.
We must be willing to embrace uncertainty, lead the industry (or at least go with the flow) and continually learn.
And remember that it’s times like these when there are threats around every corner – that there are also opportunities in abundance.
- end of document -
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