Dear Self,
Howdy from your favourite alien!
Sometimes time flies faster than time. This week was deeply reflective for you. With extensive waiting time at airports and in planes before they took off, you had plenty of time on your side to do absolutely nothing. There is a risk of having time to do nothing because it can get filled with thoughts. Thoughts have no pre-defined colours. Some can be a shade darker. You started to question everything which I think is a good idea. Forced timeouts are one thing. I suggest you consciously take a timeout to reflect on all your choices and see where life is headed. See if you want to make changes. See if you can make those changes.
The word potluck in the 16th century meant “food provided for an unexpected or uninvited guest”. During your Christmas potluck in ThinkSpace this week, you had all the expected guests but lots and lots of delicious unexpected food from each one. It's amazing how food can bring joy to everyone. A Christmas-decorated office, games at play, and carols in the background all added to the jest on a relaxed Friday afternoon.
A day before you traveled by train to what is known as the Science City, as it is one of the largest producers of scientific and surgical instruments in the country and home to a large number of scientific instrument manufacturers. It is only apt that you met the promoter family of one of the leading such companies in the region known for their high-quality exports of labware around the world. Amazingly, we form pre-conceived views about smaller cities and towns around us thinking there wouldn't be much to do there when it comes to business. On the train, your co-passenger, a highly accomplished senior advisor in policy was surprised that you could go to consult a company in this city, 200km north of Delhi which is best known for being a Railway Junction as a major hub for passengers traveling across North India.
Tuesday evening, you rushed to catch a flight that ended up getting delayed by an hour to another incredible city, this time in Central India. A commercial and cultural hotspot, this city has the distinction of being the cleanest large city in India for several consecutive years, setting benchmarks in waste management and urban cleanliness. When you asked your host over chai at a local chic cafe at 11 in the night, how is it possible that one city could do it, but the others couldn't, he was quick to point out that the people took pride in it and united for this cause under committed leadership. You had a late evening round table with business leaders who were kind enough to show up, all thanks to your friend and batchmate who himself runs one of the fastest-growing edtech companies from this vibrant urban oasis. The session was on your favourite topic, positioning strategy that piqued the interest of many in the room as it led to some high-quality discussions about their businesses.
The next day, you started early for a visit to the factory of a leading steel products manufacturer in the region, a world-class industrial hub also known for its cultural, historical, and spiritual significance. You were left deeply impressed with the simplicity with which the promoters, now in their second generation had nurtured a world-class manufacturing setup serving the needs of top OEMs in India and internationally. They felt the need to rebrand and during the day-long deliberations over delicious home-cooked meals and cups of black coffee, you concluded that they needed to first transform their business further to build new competitive advantage, and then the brand refresh would create even more value. You left satisfied with the promise of doing something worthwhile for such leaders who were open to change and had the growth mindset to carry it out successfully.
The week started with meeting two very interesting organizations providing business support services at scale. One of them is based in Western India, a client you helped transform into a modern diversified group serving the needs of organizations looking to grow and scale up in the country. You first worked with them about 8 years ago. They are looking to bring you on board to launch their new service line. The second one is a fast-growing business service provider that wants to reposition itself as a digital transformation service provider to global enterprises and list itself on the stock exchange.
When you look back and reflect, life is just the same as when you started 16 years ago on this journey. You met and worked with amazing entrepreneurs and leaders then just as you do now. Yet everything has changed. For the better. Let's reflect on what has changed sometime soon.
Cheers,
Your friend for life
Howdy from your favourite alien!
Sometimes time flies faster than time. This week was deeply reflective for you. With extensive waiting time at airports and in planes before they took off, you had plenty of time on your side to do absolutely nothing. There is a risk of having time to do nothing because it can get filled with thoughts. Thoughts have no pre-defined colours. Some can be a shade darker. You started to question everything which I think is a good idea. Forced timeouts are one thing. I suggest you consciously take a timeout to reflect on all your choices and see where life is headed. See if you want to make changes. See if you can make those changes.
The word potluck in the 16th century meant “food provided for an unexpected or uninvited guest”. During your Christmas potluck in ThinkSpace this week, you had all the expected guests but lots and lots of delicious unexpected food from each one. It's amazing how food can bring joy to everyone. A Christmas-decorated office, games at play, and carols in the background all added to the jest on a relaxed Friday afternoon.
A day before you traveled by train to what is known as the Science City, as it is one of the largest producers of scientific and surgical instruments in the country and home to a large number of scientific instrument manufacturers. It is only apt that you met the promoter family of one of the leading such companies in the region known for their high-quality exports of labware around the world. Amazingly, we form pre-conceived views about smaller cities and towns around us thinking there wouldn't be much to do there when it comes to business. On the train, your co-passenger, a highly accomplished senior advisor in policy was surprised that you could go to consult a company in this city, 200km north of Delhi which is best known for being a Railway Junction as a major hub for passengers traveling across North India.
Tuesday evening, you rushed to catch a flight that ended up getting delayed by an hour to another incredible city, this time in Central India. A commercial and cultural hotspot, this city has the distinction of being the cleanest large city in India for several consecutive years, setting benchmarks in waste management and urban cleanliness. When you asked your host over chai at a local chic cafe at 11 in the night, how is it possible that one city could do it, but the others couldn't, he was quick to point out that the people took pride in it and united for this cause under committed leadership. You had a late evening round table with business leaders who were kind enough to show up, all thanks to your friend and batchmate who himself runs one of the fastest-growing edtech companies from this vibrant urban oasis. The session was on your favourite topic, positioning strategy that piqued the interest of many in the room as it led to some high-quality discussions about their businesses.
The next day, you started early for a visit to the factory of a leading steel products manufacturer in the region, a world-class industrial hub also known for its cultural, historical, and spiritual significance. You were left deeply impressed with the simplicity with which the promoters, now in their second generation had nurtured a world-class manufacturing setup serving the needs of top OEMs in India and internationally. They felt the need to rebrand and during the day-long deliberations over delicious home-cooked meals and cups of black coffee, you concluded that they needed to first transform their business further to build new competitive advantage, and then the brand refresh would create even more value. You left satisfied with the promise of doing something worthwhile for such leaders who were open to change and had the growth mindset to carry it out successfully.
The week started with meeting two very interesting organizations providing business support services at scale. One of them is based in Western India, a client you helped transform into a modern diversified group serving the needs of organizations looking to grow and scale up in the country. You first worked with them about 8 years ago. They are looking to bring you on board to launch their new service line. The second one is a fast-growing business service provider that wants to reposition itself as a digital transformation service provider to global enterprises and list itself on the stock exchange.
When you look back and reflect, life is just the same as when you started 16 years ago on this journey. You met and worked with amazing entrepreneurs and leaders then just as you do now. Yet everything has changed. For the better. Let's reflect on what has changed sometime soon.
Cheers,
Your friend for life