Need Ideas? Dress Down Despite the Mumbai heat, I don’t miss an opportunity to wear a suit. Especially to a first-time work meeting. However, things are different if the agenda of a meeting is problem solving or ideating. Then, I don’t just prefer, but also strongly recommend a casual dress code. Why? Think about the…
The Stand-off called Life Random musings. Life, in some ways, is like a standoff with a wild animal. You are puzzled, scared and unsure of its next move. So is the animal. If you panic or succumb to your fears, it will pounce, attack, and possibly consume you. And fast. On the other hand, if…
The Non-Financial Side of Business A call with an industry colleague last week set in motion, thoughts on how we measure individual or business success. As a kid growing up in India in the 80’s, studies used to be quite a tricky part of life. Studying history, for instance. We had a ton of dates…
Why Design Thinking is Here to Stay A close friend recently shared this article titled ‘Why Design Thinking will fail’, written in 2013 by Jeffrey Tjendra. Jeffrey is a designer entrepreneur and strategist. Among some of us friends, there was were points of disagreement on the article. Jeffrey does seem to have a good understanding…
Venture Capital Elevator Pitches I left my job at a venture capital (VC) firm in 2010. After freelancing for a bit I then worked with a high-technology company in the robotics space. I then started my own strategy consulting practice, which over the years has matured into an interesting blend of design thinking, management strategy…
The Entrepreneur in a Venture Capital World Imagine a food connoisseur has a vision of opening a restaurant. Selling a carefully crafted list of delicacies, whose preparation has taken years to refine. This aficionado has thought of everything. The cutlery that would highlight the preparations, what the entrance to the restaurant would be like, the…
What’s Your Profession? Did You Bring More Soldiers? In 1970s, according to the TV series Mindhunter at least, the FBI was filled with accountants & lawyers instead of more relevant experts in areas that mattered. That is, in place of behavioral analysts. That seems to have been the case with the Indian Venture Capital industry…
Bonded Labour vs Freed Slaves There is a task to be done. One dependent variable is whether the task is an enjoyable one or not. Then there is the quality of the completed task. Then there is enthusiasm. The excitement and energy we have and channel towards the task. And finally, there is, the ability…
Sunset Marmalade Why are some brands killing the obvious in packaging design? If anything is better than the taste of orange marmalade in the morning, it is the sight of it in the jar. Like a beautiful sunset. With strands of peel as if in suspended animation. However, some leading Indian brands, and probably many…
Rate Wisely Imagine the simple process of rating a book you’ve just read. Let’s say it is a non-fiction. Perhaps a business or even a self-help kind of book. The normal tendency would be that if it has even an average amount of useful stuff, you’d give it a good rating. Especially if it contained…
The Illusion of Ratings and Feedback Life in present times has become an increasingly rapid process of experiences and feedback. Businesses are always asking us to rate the services or experiences they offer. And often, they feel inclined to “reward” us for it. While no one’s complaining about the free stuff or great discounts, are…
Pigs Rule I recently found myself around a humorous discussion around politics at a relatives’ home.A grand aunt asked another relative if they planned on getting into politics. The relative laughingly retorted that for one to be in politics, they must be prepared to hit and to be hit. As an example, he cited a…
A Pad Idea! Once upon a time, there was is a man named Arunachalam Muruganantham from Coimbatore in India, who could not bear to see the discomfort and embarrassment that his wife had to go through, just to buy/ wear a sanitary pad / napkin. Risking even his very marriage, Arunachalam’s empathy and resolve lead him…
The tripod for success… Intention, Emotion and Logic. You need logic. Even when faced with a logically impossible hurdle, one can often break it up into its elements, and explore possibilities. Emotion makes you see, and often strive for the seemingly impossible. Too much of emotion though, especially in comparison with logic, can delay failure,…
Actions With and Without a Face Even today, you can see people of some races cringe or gasp at the sight of the swastika, the symbol of Hitler’s party. Even though the swastika has much older roots. And Hitler himself, continues to be collectively and strongly hated today, over 72 years after his death. And rightly…