http://www.ndtv.com/news/diaspora/kerala_facing_reverse_migration.php
50,000 people have come back jobless from overseas and an additional 2 lakh people are expected in the next 2 months. Where will these people find productive employment? In Kerala? No way!
The article rightly points out that NRI Remittances contribute to 30% of SGDP. A sizable contraction in remittances is expected due to the global recession, and it shall be interesting to see how the state's budget will be affected by this, and how property prices are going to be affected by this. I was told that gulf money was responsible for a lot of property price appreciation in the recent past.
Anyway end result is that we have 2 lakh more people who are employed on top of the 40 lakh currently in Kerala. If these people don't find employment soon, in addition to being a burden on society, they may start causing harm by resorting to terrorist or goonda activities. Yeah, the cochin mafias are a serious problem now.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Shashi Tharoor in Trivandrum
I have mixed opinions about Shashi Tharoor contesting from Trivandrum. On the one hand, I admire his credentials. On the other hand, I don't think he has much in common with the Kerala populace and is being an opportunist.
However, I do agree that should he win, that would be a landmark event in Kerala politics, and a potential game-changer, encouraging many other prominent NRKs to return to Kerala and contest for polls there.
However, I do agree that should he win, that would be a landmark event in Kerala politics, and a potential game-changer, encouraging many other prominent NRKs to return to Kerala and contest for polls there.
Friday, March 20, 2009
An article from Rediff reveals the sad state of affairs in Kerala!
180 Kerala youth ready to wage LeT's war
At least 180 persons trained by the Lashkar-e-Tayiba [Images] in Kerala [Images] are waiting to take up the cause of jihad.
Probes into serial blasts, which have a Kerala link, have found that since the past three years over 180 youth trained were extensively at Ernakulam in Kerala and readied for jihad.
Investigating officials told rediff.com that two Kashmiri terrorists, Sajjad and Fayaz Ahmed, revealed during their interrogation that most of the Kerala youth were selected and trained by the LeT.
They further revealed that while some of the members were asked to stay back in Kashmir and fight the war against India, the other members were sent back to Kerala.
The members, who were sent back, were directed to carry out subversive activities in India. Investigations have also revealed that apart from the 180 persons, who are jihad-ready at the moment, there are an equal number of youth being indoctrinated into LeT's camps.
These persons will be imparted training in two phases. The initial part of the training or the conditioning camp takes place in Kerala while the rest of the training is imparted in Kashmir.
In the conditioning camp these youth are taught about the war against India. More importantly, they are taught Urdu so that they can communicate at ease with their counterparts and bosses in Pakistan.
The second phase of the training includes arms training, which is imparted in Kashmir. Intelligence Bureau sources say that the Lashkar was able to break into parts of Kerala such as Ernakulam, as they were communally sensitive.
Abdul Sattar a resident of Malappuram in Kerala who was arrested by the Hyderabad police for alleged links with the Indian Mujahideen [Images], too had revealed that over a period of time, the Lashkar had made Kerala a recruitment hub and was readying several youth for jihad.
Apart from this, the Lashkar also set up the primary base of the Indian Mujahideen in Kerala in order to carry out terror activities in India. However, off late the Lashkar was giving more emphasis to Kashmir and since it was unable to transport its men into Kashmir easily, it was relying upon the Kerala module. The reason: LeT found the youth in this part of the country more dedicated.
180 Kerala youth ready to wage LeT's war
At least 180 persons trained by the Lashkar-e-Tayiba [Images] in Kerala [Images] are waiting to take up the cause of jihad.
Probes into serial blasts, which have a Kerala link, have found that since the past three years over 180 youth trained were extensively at Ernakulam in Kerala and readied for jihad.
Investigating officials told rediff.com that two Kashmiri terrorists, Sajjad and Fayaz Ahmed, revealed during their interrogation that most of the Kerala youth were selected and trained by the LeT.
They further revealed that while some of the members were asked to stay back in Kashmir and fight the war against India, the other members were sent back to Kerala.
The members, who were sent back, were directed to carry out subversive activities in India. Investigations have also revealed that apart from the 180 persons, who are jihad-ready at the moment, there are an equal number of youth being indoctrinated into LeT's camps.
These persons will be imparted training in two phases. The initial part of the training or the conditioning camp takes place in Kerala while the rest of the training is imparted in Kashmir.
In the conditioning camp these youth are taught about the war against India. More importantly, they are taught Urdu so that they can communicate at ease with their counterparts and bosses in Pakistan.
The second phase of the training includes arms training, which is imparted in Kashmir. Intelligence Bureau sources say that the Lashkar was able to break into parts of Kerala such as Ernakulam, as they were communally sensitive.
Abdul Sattar a resident of Malappuram in Kerala who was arrested by the Hyderabad police for alleged links with the Indian Mujahideen [Images], too had revealed that over a period of time, the Lashkar had made Kerala a recruitment hub and was readying several youth for jihad.
Apart from this, the Lashkar also set up the primary base of the Indian Mujahideen in Kerala in order to carry out terror activities in India. However, off late the Lashkar was giving more emphasis to Kashmir and since it was unable to transport its men into Kashmir easily, it was relying upon the Kerala module. The reason: LeT found the youth in this part of the country more dedicated.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Two French Companies right after the other ...
My leg is injured. I can't walk properly. Maybe I should go to the doctor and get it checked. Anyway, because of that gym has been put on hold for the next few days! and fortunately because of that, I decided to attend two CEO presentations on campus today and took some important lessons from both.
First one was a Louis Vuitton presentation. The presentation was by the North American team led by the CEO Daniel Lalonde, a Canadian who moved to LVMH from Nestle. I was impressed by the company and what it had achieved but left with a feeling that many (explicitly not saying all or even most) people there were superficial. The company is a very different animal than what I thought it was. It is not a marketing machine like some of the consumer goods companies such as P&G and Unilever are. It is a fully-integrated luxury goods company - it is 100% vertically integrated designing and manufacturing all its products and owning its retail stores and it treats its supply chain as a competitive advantage. It also does a great job balancing its traditional and new fashion values in its communication message. If you have seen the new series of LVMH ads, you would understand this. The usual LVMH ads are all about fashion. However, the new ads featuring Sean Connery, Steffi Graff and a few others who have very seldom posed for ads recently call out traditional class. The organization is very decentralized and each brand is run independently and the entrepreneurial spirit is maintained. I couldn't sense the culture of the organization from the presentation, and here is where a little bias may come in. I thought many representatives from the company were superficial and the opposite of modest. Want to elaborate on this but unfortunately have to leave soon.
The next presentation was by the CEO of EADS/Airbus - Louis Gallois. He is considered by many to be one of the best CEOs in Europe having led the difficult turnaround of Aerospatiale (1992-1996) and SNCF (French Railway). He joined EADS in 2006 stepping down to CEO position from the board, and has led it successfully since. He was one of the most down-to-earth persons I have seen. He talked in length about the Aeronautics business, but his passion really came out when he talked about how he turned around the French Railway company. He spoke about how the workers of that company collectively can be difficult, but individually are one of the dearest. And the critical part was to understand that they were not asking for more money or bonuses but to help them make their company a leader, which is what they cared about. Louis Gallois seemed to be a person who can be very easily liked - down-to-earth, funny, smart, capable! He has worked with real businesses, and turned around real companies!
It is unfair comparing Daniel Lalonde and Louis Gallois because they operate in different industries which require different skillsets and attitudes. But seeing these people and understanding the environment in which they operate lets you decide what kind of a company you want to work for, as well who you want to be.
Written in a hurry!
Ciao!
First one was a Louis Vuitton presentation. The presentation was by the North American team led by the CEO Daniel Lalonde, a Canadian who moved to LVMH from Nestle. I was impressed by the company and what it had achieved but left with a feeling that many (explicitly not saying all or even most) people there were superficial. The company is a very different animal than what I thought it was. It is not a marketing machine like some of the consumer goods companies such as P&G and Unilever are. It is a fully-integrated luxury goods company - it is 100% vertically integrated designing and manufacturing all its products and owning its retail stores and it treats its supply chain as a competitive advantage. It also does a great job balancing its traditional and new fashion values in its communication message. If you have seen the new series of LVMH ads, you would understand this. The usual LVMH ads are all about fashion. However, the new ads featuring Sean Connery, Steffi Graff and a few others who have very seldom posed for ads recently call out traditional class. The organization is very decentralized and each brand is run independently and the entrepreneurial spirit is maintained. I couldn't sense the culture of the organization from the presentation, and here is where a little bias may come in. I thought many representatives from the company were superficial and the opposite of modest. Want to elaborate on this but unfortunately have to leave soon.
The next presentation was by the CEO of EADS/Airbus - Louis Gallois. He is considered by many to be one of the best CEOs in Europe having led the difficult turnaround of Aerospatiale (1992-1996) and SNCF (French Railway). He joined EADS in 2006 stepping down to CEO position from the board, and has led it successfully since. He was one of the most down-to-earth persons I have seen. He talked in length about the Aeronautics business, but his passion really came out when he talked about how he turned around the French Railway company. He spoke about how the workers of that company collectively can be difficult, but individually are one of the dearest. And the critical part was to understand that they were not asking for more money or bonuses but to help them make their company a leader, which is what they cared about. Louis Gallois seemed to be a person who can be very easily liked - down-to-earth, funny, smart, capable! He has worked with real businesses, and turned around real companies!
It is unfair comparing Daniel Lalonde and Louis Gallois because they operate in different industries which require different skillsets and attitudes. But seeing these people and understanding the environment in which they operate lets you decide what kind of a company you want to work for, as well who you want to be.
Written in a hurry!
Ciao!
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Who do you derive your energy from?
There are broadly four types of people at HBS, and I think even the people at large can be classified into four types, though the mix may differ significantly between HBS and the world at large.
There are the Extroverts. Extroverts purely because they derive all their energy from others surrounding them. They like to be in the midst of it all, and socialize and meet people all the time.
On the other side of the spectrum, there are the introverts who derive all their energy from within themselves. They find it stressful and unnerving to be with others all the time. They are comfortable with themselves and don't feel the urge to socialize and be with others.
In between the Extroverts and the Introverts are the Midtroverts. Yeah that just something I coined on the fly, I don't think it means anything. The Midtroverts are people who fall in between. I think they derive most of their energy from within themselves but are comfortable being with others as long as the contact with others does not occupy all their time. In the sense, they value the "alone time" a lot and would at least have as much as alone time as much as time with others. Sort of a 50-50 balanced approach to personality.
I don't think one can choose to be any of these. I think they are born into it, and maybe over several years may swing from one side to the other. The challenge however is when due to several reasons, including social pressure, a person in one bucket tries to be someone else he/she probably is not. And I think this happens much less with Extroverts and Introverts because they are the extremes. It is the ones in the middle who are likely to swing between periods of being extroverted followed by being introverted due to external pressure. This is different from being a Midtrovert who I think is constantly in balance.
I am definitely not an Extrovert though some people think of me that way. I think I am an Introvert though that may be a difficult to sell to some people who know me. Reason I thought about the people in between is because I think I am one of them. And I have learnt over time to have a balanced view to socializing and networking and not be someone I am not.
************************
Watched Wall Street today! The movie that was shot in 1985 and is about greedy investors such as Gekko who aims to make big bucks from buying and selling assets. I like Martin Sheen's comment in the movie .... "Get Real Son. Stop trying to make a quick buck out of buying and selling other people's hardwork. Create something!". I should tell that to myself! I haven't made up my mind on whose side I am - Gekko or the other side.
There are the Extroverts. Extroverts purely because they derive all their energy from others surrounding them. They like to be in the midst of it all, and socialize and meet people all the time.
On the other side of the spectrum, there are the introverts who derive all their energy from within themselves. They find it stressful and unnerving to be with others all the time. They are comfortable with themselves and don't feel the urge to socialize and be with others.
In between the Extroverts and the Introverts are the Midtroverts. Yeah that just something I coined on the fly, I don't think it means anything. The Midtroverts are people who fall in between. I think they derive most of their energy from within themselves but are comfortable being with others as long as the contact with others does not occupy all their time. In the sense, they value the "alone time" a lot and would at least have as much as alone time as much as time with others. Sort of a 50-50 balanced approach to personality.
I don't think one can choose to be any of these. I think they are born into it, and maybe over several years may swing from one side to the other. The challenge however is when due to several reasons, including social pressure, a person in one bucket tries to be someone else he/she probably is not. And I think this happens much less with Extroverts and Introverts because they are the extremes. It is the ones in the middle who are likely to swing between periods of being extroverted followed by being introverted due to external pressure. This is different from being a Midtrovert who I think is constantly in balance.
I am definitely not an Extrovert though some people think of me that way. I think I am an Introvert though that may be a difficult to sell to some people who know me. Reason I thought about the people in between is because I think I am one of them. And I have learnt over time to have a balanced view to socializing and networking and not be someone I am not.
************************
Watched Wall Street today! The movie that was shot in 1985 and is about greedy investors such as Gekko who aims to make big bucks from buying and selling assets. I like Martin Sheen's comment in the movie .... "Get Real Son. Stop trying to make a quick buck out of buying and selling other people's hardwork. Create something!". I should tell that to myself! I haven't made up my mind on whose side I am - Gekko or the other side.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Children of Heaven ...
Just saw an Iranian Movie called Children of Heaven .
Short at 1 hour and 25 minutes. The movie is about a brother and sister and their story revolving around a lost pair of shoes. It was shot in 1997 Tehran and has been shot in a very simple and realistic way.
Many of the scenes reminded me of my childhood days in Cochin - sitting on benches, standing in line during assemblies, playing cricket barefoot during lunch breaks, throwing stones at mango trees to fell mangoes, and then mixing it with salt and red chilli! That was 1990s Cochin. Though its only been a little over 10 years, when I go back and see the urbanization and development around the place I used to and still live, it just feels like 30/40 years ago.
On a separate note, did a case on Slovakian Flat Tax today in my IMAGE (Macroeconomics and Political Institutions) class. The main point in contention was whether the flat tax of 19% on Income Tax, Corporate Tax, and VAT instituted in Slovakia in 2004 was good overall for the country, and whether it was the flatness or the lowness of the tax structure that was good. Like many other cases, I didn't get out of the class with a clear answer. I guess one could argue both sides and there really isn't a correct answer.
Studied the Borders clicks and mortar strategy in Supply Chain class. There were many things interesting. But one of the things I learnt about Amazon which makes it impossible for a bricks and mortar player to compete against Amazon is how Amazon locates its distribution centers in rural states where it sells very little books because it can avoid a 12% sales tax that is prevalent in many other states. Amazon, by allocating its online sales to such states, automatically gets a 12% tax break! Anyway, kind of a random point. But felt it was interesting nevertheless....
Yesterday, went and got my Colombian Visa. Excited about trip to Colombia next-to-next weekend - both because it will be a cool vacation and also because Parvathi is flying down. Excited to see her!
Went skiing last weekend. Was relieved to have not forgotten how to ski since last year! In fact felt like I improved and I have graduated to the blue slopes now. Wondering whether to go skiing with Le and Sandra this weekend. Most likely won't because a bunch of things to get done before spring break next weekend. For example, beginning work on my field study which I have been postponing so far may be a good option!
Markets were up 5+% today. Don't know what to think of it.
Short at 1 hour and 25 minutes. The movie is about a brother and sister and their story revolving around a lost pair of shoes. It was shot in 1997 Tehran and has been shot in a very simple and realistic way.
Many of the scenes reminded me of my childhood days in Cochin - sitting on benches, standing in line during assemblies, playing cricket barefoot during lunch breaks, throwing stones at mango trees to fell mangoes, and then mixing it with salt and red chilli! That was 1990s Cochin. Though its only been a little over 10 years, when I go back and see the urbanization and development around the place I used to and still live, it just feels like 30/40 years ago.
On a separate note, did a case on Slovakian Flat Tax today in my IMAGE (Macroeconomics and Political Institutions) class. The main point in contention was whether the flat tax of 19% on Income Tax, Corporate Tax, and VAT instituted in Slovakia in 2004 was good overall for the country, and whether it was the flatness or the lowness of the tax structure that was good. Like many other cases, I didn't get out of the class with a clear answer. I guess one could argue both sides and there really isn't a correct answer.
Studied the Borders clicks and mortar strategy in Supply Chain class. There were many things interesting. But one of the things I learnt about Amazon which makes it impossible for a bricks and mortar player to compete against Amazon is how Amazon locates its distribution centers in rural states where it sells very little books because it can avoid a 12% sales tax that is prevalent in many other states. Amazon, by allocating its online sales to such states, automatically gets a 12% tax break! Anyway, kind of a random point. But felt it was interesting nevertheless....
Yesterday, went and got my Colombian Visa. Excited about trip to Colombia next-to-next weekend - both because it will be a cool vacation and also because Parvathi is flying down. Excited to see her!
Went skiing last weekend. Was relieved to have not forgotten how to ski since last year! In fact felt like I improved and I have graduated to the blue slopes now. Wondering whether to go skiing with Le and Sandra this weekend. Most likely won't because a bunch of things to get done before spring break next weekend. For example, beginning work on my field study which I have been postponing so far may be a good option!
Markets were up 5+% today. Don't know what to think of it.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Traveling ....
Its 2:26 AM. I am half drunk, completely case unprepared, and my first case is at 8:30AM.
Just finished a bottle of nice Red Cabernet (Envero, Colchagua Valley, 2005) with Boney. I am not drunk, but in a state that feels like perfect bliss. It was great talking about life experiences and stuff like that. Must definitely do this again.
Liked my day today. Did classes till 1. Slept for an hour. Did a bunch of phone calls till 3. Went to the gym till 7. Had dinner and coffee till 9 or so. Got some reading done, and then wine and chatting.
I have always loved traveling. I always struggle in terms of what I want to focus on in life. Sometimes, I think life should be about traveling and work should be a means to the end, in the sense, get enough money to travel around the world. But obviously that means signficantly slowing down your professional advancement. On the other hand, there is always the pressure from all sides to do well professionally and otherwise. I think I am more leaning towards the first. And the best thing is I have someone to do that with! You know who you are! The challenge will be getting you to take leave!!!
Check out this website: http://www.wherethehellismatt.com. This guy is awesome. There are a lot of videos of him on youtube. For all travelophiles, its a must watch!
Random Ramblings. Apologies!
Just finished a bottle of nice Red Cabernet (Envero, Colchagua Valley, 2005) with Boney. I am not drunk, but in a state that feels like perfect bliss. It was great talking about life experiences and stuff like that. Must definitely do this again.
Liked my day today. Did classes till 1. Slept for an hour. Did a bunch of phone calls till 3. Went to the gym till 7. Had dinner and coffee till 9 or so. Got some reading done, and then wine and chatting.
I have always loved traveling. I always struggle in terms of what I want to focus on in life. Sometimes, I think life should be about traveling and work should be a means to the end, in the sense, get enough money to travel around the world. But obviously that means signficantly slowing down your professional advancement. On the other hand, there is always the pressure from all sides to do well professionally and otherwise. I think I am more leaning towards the first. And the best thing is I have someone to do that with! You know who you are! The challenge will be getting you to take leave!!!
Check out this website: http://www.wherethehellismatt.com. This guy is awesome. There are a lot of videos of him on youtube. For all travelophiles, its a must watch!
Random Ramblings. Apologies!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
War Dance
Watched a documentary called "War Dance" yesterday.
War Dance is the story of how a group of war-affected Acholi-tribe children from Patongo in Northern Uganda beat all odds and compete in a national-level music and dance competition in Kamapala and end up winning many awards. It was first shown at Sundance 2008 and was nominated for best documentary at the Academy Awards in 2008. The movie does a great job of portraying true emotions of the children and couple that with some amazing traditional ugandan background music.
A lot of exposure to Uganda in the last few days. My brother spent a week or two in Uganda last winter break (Dec 08) helping out some local farmers as part of his field study at Wharton. At HBS, I had a case on "Uganda and the Washington Consensus", and we had to analyze the economic development of Uganda after the country has been devastated by a series of wars and dictators. Remember "Last King of Scotland" and the character Amin .... Yup that was about Uganda too.
Movies like this just open a completely new perspective to life. One of the children, after all that has happened in his life (lost his parents, abducted by rebels, forced to kill 3 farmers, treated like shit by his foster parents etc) goes to compete with other better-equipped and more fortunate children and instead of feeling inferior and scared, tells to himself:
"You have to fearless ... Like a warrior"
War Dance is the story of how a group of war-affected Acholi-tribe children from Patongo in Northern Uganda beat all odds and compete in a national-level music and dance competition in Kamapala and end up winning many awards. It was first shown at Sundance 2008 and was nominated for best documentary at the Academy Awards in 2008. The movie does a great job of portraying true emotions of the children and couple that with some amazing traditional ugandan background music.
A lot of exposure to Uganda in the last few days. My brother spent a week or two in Uganda last winter break (Dec 08) helping out some local farmers as part of his field study at Wharton. At HBS, I had a case on "Uganda and the Washington Consensus", and we had to analyze the economic development of Uganda after the country has been devastated by a series of wars and dictators. Remember "Last King of Scotland" and the character Amin .... Yup that was about Uganda too.
Movies like this just open a completely new perspective to life. One of the children, after all that has happened in his life (lost his parents, abducted by rebels, forced to kill 3 farmers, treated like shit by his foster parents etc) goes to compete with other better-equipped and more fortunate children and instead of feeling inferior and scared, tells to himself:
"You have to fearless ... Like a warrior"
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Detaching oneself to see the big picture
A very good article by an HBS professor on fortune.com ...
January 15, 2009, 12:29 pm
Guest Post: How to survive the storm
by Nancy Koehn, Professor, Harvard Business School
nfk-publicity-shot-3-06Are you in the center of the storm?
I teach business history and leadership at Harvard Business School and have been fascinated lately by the notion of powerful people getting a grip by stepping back and letting go.
The idea is counter-intuitive. But it works, particularly in today’s environment of great turmoil and uncertainty. Seeing the forest for the trees is critical. Consider these lessons in leadership present and past:
For many years, while Bill Gates was running Microsoft (MSFT), he took biannual “reading weeks.” He spent these periods alone in a cabin, reading, thinking and considering the larger landscape of technological and economic change. Gates believed that he and his company benefited from the boss’s time away. Now that he’s pulled away from Microsoft for good and is focusing on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, he has time for reading and thinking baked into his new job.
Procter & Gamble’s (PG) A. G. Lafley, a CEO who is weathering the storm better than most, has talked about the value of meditation. In a 2006 Fortune interview, he told Pattie Sellers: “I’ve tried to teach myself to meditate. When I travel, which is 60 percent of the time, I find that meditating for five, ten, or 15 minutes in a hotel room at night can be as good as a workout. Generally, I think I know myself so much better than I used to. And that has helped me stay calm and cool under fire.”
Do you know how 82-year-old Joe Paterno coached Penn State to an 11-1 record and all the way to the Rose Bowl this past season? By leading the Nittany Lions from the press box high above the playing field. “I am not sure that’s not the best place for a head coach,” Paterno told the press, noting that the elevation gave him a superior view. More than that, leaders like Paterno who step away give their teams space to do their jobs. Micromanaging is practically impossible from a distance, and that can pay off.
And then there’s Abraham Lincoln. During the chaos of the Civil War, he sought space by reading history and turning to Shakespeare. He preferred tragedies like Macbeth and Hamlet. Lincoln devoted many evening and early morning hours to reading the Bard’s plays, often memorizing long passages. Reading and going to theater helped sustain his emotional balance. Said one of Lincoln’s assistants, William Stoddard, “The drama of drawing his mind into other channels of thought afforded him the most entire relief.”
The common thread: a conscious effort to detach oneself in order to see the big picture. Leaders need that perspective to see the larger context in order to chart a course for their people—and to give themselves a sense of purpose. Lincoln, for one, used his reading of U.S. history and Shakespeare’s tragedies to help him discern the war’s significance and his role on the larger stage. This, in turn, fed his courage and will to see the crisis through.
Stepping out of the chaos is difficult. Especially now as companies are imploding, entire sectors of the economy are dying, and demands for time and energy are intense. Blizzards of emails on our BlackBerries blind us even more. But it is precisely at these moments that seeing the larger landscape is key. Barack Obama, who is taking office with an enormous weight of issues and expectations on his shoulders, understands this. He’s been reading Lincoln. “There is a wisdom there and a humility about his approach to government, even before he was president, that I just find very helpful,” he said in an interview on CBS’s 60 Minutes.
Obama is also hooked on his exercise regime. “He does it every day like clockwork,” Marty Nesbitt, one of his close friends from Chicago, told the press. Those 90 minutes in the gym each morning put the outside world on hold. If you don’t understand the essence of effective leadership, you might wonder how America’s new President can keep it up. I hope he does. Stepping away for an hour and a half each day could be his survival formula.
Nancy F. Koehn, an authority on business history, is the James E. Robison Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. She is currently working on a book about the most important leadership lessons from Abraham Lincoln and another on social entrepreneurs.
January 15, 2009, 12:29 pm
Guest Post: How to survive the storm
by Nancy Koehn, Professor, Harvard Business School
nfk-publicity-shot-3-06Are you in the center of the storm?
I teach business history and leadership at Harvard Business School and have been fascinated lately by the notion of powerful people getting a grip by stepping back and letting go.
The idea is counter-intuitive. But it works, particularly in today’s environment of great turmoil and uncertainty. Seeing the forest for the trees is critical. Consider these lessons in leadership present and past:
For many years, while Bill Gates was running Microsoft (MSFT), he took biannual “reading weeks.” He spent these periods alone in a cabin, reading, thinking and considering the larger landscape of technological and economic change. Gates believed that he and his company benefited from the boss’s time away. Now that he’s pulled away from Microsoft for good and is focusing on the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, he has time for reading and thinking baked into his new job.
Procter & Gamble’s (PG) A. G. Lafley, a CEO who is weathering the storm better than most, has talked about the value of meditation. In a 2006 Fortune interview, he told Pattie Sellers: “I’ve tried to teach myself to meditate. When I travel, which is 60 percent of the time, I find that meditating for five, ten, or 15 minutes in a hotel room at night can be as good as a workout. Generally, I think I know myself so much better than I used to. And that has helped me stay calm and cool under fire.”
Do you know how 82-year-old Joe Paterno coached Penn State to an 11-1 record and all the way to the Rose Bowl this past season? By leading the Nittany Lions from the press box high above the playing field. “I am not sure that’s not the best place for a head coach,” Paterno told the press, noting that the elevation gave him a superior view. More than that, leaders like Paterno who step away give their teams space to do their jobs. Micromanaging is practically impossible from a distance, and that can pay off.
And then there’s Abraham Lincoln. During the chaos of the Civil War, he sought space by reading history and turning to Shakespeare. He preferred tragedies like Macbeth and Hamlet. Lincoln devoted many evening and early morning hours to reading the Bard’s plays, often memorizing long passages. Reading and going to theater helped sustain his emotional balance. Said one of Lincoln’s assistants, William Stoddard, “The drama of drawing his mind into other channels of thought afforded him the most entire relief.”
The common thread: a conscious effort to detach oneself in order to see the big picture. Leaders need that perspective to see the larger context in order to chart a course for their people—and to give themselves a sense of purpose. Lincoln, for one, used his reading of U.S. history and Shakespeare’s tragedies to help him discern the war’s significance and his role on the larger stage. This, in turn, fed his courage and will to see the crisis through.
Stepping out of the chaos is difficult. Especially now as companies are imploding, entire sectors of the economy are dying, and demands for time and energy are intense. Blizzards of emails on our BlackBerries blind us even more. But it is precisely at these moments that seeing the larger landscape is key. Barack Obama, who is taking office with an enormous weight of issues and expectations on his shoulders, understands this. He’s been reading Lincoln. “There is a wisdom there and a humility about his approach to government, even before he was president, that I just find very helpful,” he said in an interview on CBS’s 60 Minutes.
Obama is also hooked on his exercise regime. “He does it every day like clockwork,” Marty Nesbitt, one of his close friends from Chicago, told the press. Those 90 minutes in the gym each morning put the outside world on hold. If you don’t understand the essence of effective leadership, you might wonder how America’s new President can keep it up. I hope he does. Stepping away for an hour and a half each day could be his survival formula.
Nancy F. Koehn, an authority on business history, is the James E. Robison Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. She is currently working on a book about the most important leadership lessons from Abraham Lincoln and another on social entrepreneurs.
Friday, January 16, 2009
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