Predictability in business

I encountered this question quite often from managers all across industries - specifically in Indian context those who struggle to define the performance predictability.

This is a serious issue. Its known as " Satisfactory Under Performance" syndrome, the tendency runs too deep into the veins of an Indian manager - and in many parts of the the growing global markets.

I am not a pundit to preach - I clarify this before hand so that you don't bombard me with your loaded questions. I am more of a logical man from the perspective of handling the business alignment towards productivity in performance.

I hail from a back ground which is humble and filled with simplicity. As a child I have seen most mothers ( of my peers at that age) struggled to keep track of their lads - to ensure they don't soil their clothes, eat things which will adversely impact their health and many other things only an Indian mother ( who is not living in a high raise building in metro)who lives in semi urban and rural India.

I read varying reports that in another decade or so Indian population will be represented by under 25 to a sizable chunk ( is it more than 60% - I cant say) and we will represent 1/3rd of the global working population. Imagine these lads are growing somewhere in the country side and are going to define the quality standards of the future economy.

Our upbringing itself - is designed on chances. Those who can afford ( which is abysmally low percentage) chosen to tutor themselves in education to qualify for toughest entrance exams of country both in Engineering and Management studies. The one's who cannot chose - chases what I call - left over options and struggle to design a life around being a generalist.

Go around the countryside and check with the Indian states ( I had the good fortune of getting exposed to every culture possible in India and Europe as well) toddlers even before they learn to talk properly are packed and sent to a upbringing camps across the country ( I refuse to call them prep schools since it has nothing to offer as a preparation - indeed what are they getting prepared is a million dollar question) which makes the parents far more stressed than the child.

In essence what is it all about? Creating stress led competitive comparisons? Ask one of the parent - what she or he is achieving out of this. The answer always (except some exceptions like me who will say I have nothing better to do) will be " as a parent we want to give the best to our child. Its our responsibility to ensure they get the best from us". Sound familiar. Don't worry - we are trained to think that way due to the peer pressure ( neighbours, sisters, brothers and many more who keeps getting added to the list every day - Including SRK's son Aryan and Sunil Shett's children - I heard/somewhere a particular school in Mumbai refused admission to the children of these celebrities because they didn't fare well in some entrance exams - what a pity not for the parents or child - its for the ones who made this as a news and the school who thrives in spreading such rumour and the parents of those children who got their lads admitted in that school proudly repeat these stories in party/temple/bajan/clinic circles) and as a parent we got nothing else to do.

Coming back to the topic of discussion - predictability - our children today are trained in a weak environment. The children those who have come to the mainstream in the past decade or so are not sure of themselves and whenever a challenge is thrown at them ( exceptions don't make a deviation in this column) they want to quit. They simply want to quit. Innumerable shrinks across the country are finding themselves pushed into a growing business because most of these children land up in their counselling centers.

Our adaptability towards realistic predictability in business is marred by conventional pride and ego. We are worthless if we don't make a tall claims. We are not great if we don't commit impossible. We are aliens among people those who believe in such false security.

Unfortunately many times I fell victim of such peer pressure. Nice presentations. Lovely stitched suits. Excellent articulation ability ( I still cant define what is the difference between impossible and not possible - which is altogether a different issue. Once my line manager - who happened to be a Brit asked me " are you saying impossible or not possible" not sure what it is I replied by saying " it means it wont happen")

Later I realised in business we fail - because we don't measure the performance scientifically. We fail because - we convert our wish list as our desire to achieve as result and draw endless activities around it. We fail because - we do not break down each activity supported into actions, time lines, supporting facts, leveraging knowledge, leveraging experience, leveraging environment and above all leveraging the pulse of reality.

Our up bringing, our generalist attitude, our race to be better than the next door guy gives us the sense of false feeling " Satisfactory Under performance". Incremental thought process. Victory achieved over ordinary results - without finding a fact to support it.

In order to be predictable in business I have learnt to deal in my own way which is not read from any business school:-

People are people and expect them to be not brilliant and intelligent as you expect them to be.

Process are after all driven by people and hence requires - more than commitment, consistency and capability - both never gets built over night. It take its own time.

Do not carry a false pride of achievement or sense of faltered ego - they are disastrous and stressful - because you will refuse to come down from a level which you think is appropriate and you will be the laughing stock when you turn your back to others.

In each of us there is an element of self esteem - if beaten once is dead for ever - all you do after that is keep frying them more and more and make it useless. So keep a close check on it.

Be prepared to understand words which are never spoken - but define words which are spoken close to your understanding and refuse to take your eyes of the facts and performance.

I am not saying its the best way to ensure predictability works - but only saying it worked for me and is working.

More in next....................................