THE CATASTROPHE

The spell had been cast. The War Game was on full swing and the battle lines had been drawn. The exponents of the stealth were in vogue and the “Cat” had been pitched up against the “Mouse”. The Submarine was lurking behind the temperature layers in the great depths of the Sea and waiting to strike as the target crossed its weapon line. There were sweat beads on most foreheads as each second counted.

Finally, the orders for speed increase started flowing in on the Main Motor Telegraph. The Motor Room crew was agile and ready to meet the orders. The best Motorman sat on the big wheel which operated the 52 Ton Main Motor. This Motor in turn provided the thrust to the Submarine’s screws to move the 3000 Ton behemoth steel body to pierce through the sea layers. The swift movement of wheels and the change of contacts enabled the Motor to gain half ahead speed. The big Submarine started gaining momentum. The Control Room crew was silent and sharp with its calculations. Crisp orders were being passed as rapid calculations progressed to encounter the enemy and ensure a symbolic victory of the War Gaming.

The Engine Order Telegraph moved to Extreme Full Ahead position indicating that the Submarine needed more power to move towards firing depth and reach the torpedo launch position. The Motorman who was a thorough professional and one of the best suddenly moved the big wheel in the counter-clockwise position instead of taking it clockwise as per the telegraph order. The big motor jerked as its momentum was given an electrical impulse to spin in exactly the opposite direction. The motor started drawing a heavy current to execute the order and the main motor contacts became red hot. Things moved in seconds, as the Electrical Officer who was watching the operation swung into action and pushed the frozen Motorman out of his operating position which is on a box. He took control of the big wheel and with precision restored the wheel back to zero position to enable the currents to settle down and ease the electrical pressure on the contacts. The fire seemed inevitable as temperatures rose furiously as if their inertia had been shaken violently. The catastrophe had raised its head and would strike any moment.

The telegraph was still stuck at extreme full ahead position and the Control Room was waiting for the matching of telegraphs at the end of the wheel maneuver. The Electrical Officer zeroed the telegraph to Motor Stop Position and boom came the thundering voice of the Control Room. The maneuver had started and boat was gaining height and now the Motor showed stop position. Quick words were exchanged as the Submarine’s momentum started dropping with the Motor stopped. The Electrical Officer had a lot of work to do to get the Motor going if the Submarine had to meet its intended commitment. He had to fight hard to contain the catastrophe which had all the plans to run amok.

The Control Room opened up the adjacent Compartments for a quick in-board ventilation to share the smoke and heat of the Motor Room Compartment. The Motor Room crew quickly inspected the Motor externally and assessed the situation. The contacts were visually inspected and the Electrical Department Team decided to meet the challenge head on. Control Room was informed that the Motor would be operated and the present run of the Submarine would have to stall for 30 minutes to do a detailed inspection. Control Room now had some more work to do as the route had to be planned again to catch the dummy enemy ships which were now crossing at the top of the Submarine as she moved to safer depths to cool down the temperatures.

The building catastrophe was contained with quick and detailed checks. The Electrical Team certified the Main Motor and after 30 minutes a slow start was given by the same Motorman who had invited the catastrophe! The giant motor came to life and turned the massive screws of the Submarine. The Submarine gained momentum, turned and shaped a new course to attack the ships which had gained many a nautical miles. The search pattern was re-drawn and the chase began again. The swift Command Team of the Submarine played its tactics of the “Cat and Mouse” game and attacked the convoy to meet the training target. The torpedo firing exercise was carried out and the War Game culminated successfully.

All this while the Commanding Officer had been in a watchful mode. He did not disturb his entire Command Team as each Officer went ahead with his plan to meet the challenge. The average age of his Command Team was just about 27 years and himself was touching 40 years. His silence and calming presence enabled each movement to a perfect closure. The equipment was retrieved, made operational again and Submarine met its intended target. No Officer lost his sweat and there were no countermanding orders at any stage. Each man worked liked a ticking clock.

During the de-brief, the Electrical Officer presented his sequence along with the Executive Officer. The Motorman on duty was interviewed and no possible reason was found about his one-off action. He was put back on his regular duty watch and continued to operate the motor at best as he only could! After all, he was one of the best Motorman onboard the Submarine. His confidence levels were found to be complaint with his training and experience as no Officer or his superior sailor fumed at him for the episode.

The Commanding Officer had led his team well and with his positive attitude gained the utmost respect of his Officers and Men. He did not create a flutter when the catastrophe had started its strike. He had contained the marauding expanse of the catastrophe by meeting the challenge with his steadfast approach. He let his team carry out the assigned tasks and stood behind them firmly. His 26 years olds had been given a grand lesson on leadership merely by his calm demeanor and strong but calm presence. His orders were clear as a crystal and reflected great faith that he had in his well trained team. His presence gave utmost confidence and every man was sure of his own worth. The air was sucked out of the catastrophe and it could never reach its flash point.

The Submarine settled down quickly into its operational routine and dived deep to become yet another metal body inside the deep ocean. The Commanding Officer had two major roles- operations and training. He succeeded in both and ensured that he created a strong yet empathetic leadership under him. 

No situation is worth the panic. Situations would emerge out of nowhere and try to wreak havoc. They demand attitude which ensures containment rather than fanning the situation. Be calm, be gentle and yet be strong can easily help to scale potential catastrophes. If it cannot be avoided, then it should be embraced. Isn’t it?

How about you? Are you ready to embrace the catastrophe? Eh!   

THE ORBIT

A moving object will continue to move unless something pushes or pulls on it. This statement is called Newton's First law of Motion. Without gravity, a satellite would fly off into space. With gravity, a satellite is constantly pulled back toward Earth. This tug-of-war keeps the satellite in orbit. An orbit is a path. It's the way something goes around an object in space. This concept was taught to us a young students in the school. We have been watching this concept prove its utility in various arenas of spatial management.

The concept of an orbit can be related to the human lives as well. There are various types of human lives. If it is observed, then, in totality, each human defines his own life. The definition of human life can be compared to an orbit. After all, an orbit is a path and human life also can be drawn like a path. The dots can be plotted and the human life’s orbit emerges. 

The human variants have the ability to manage their orbits. Some exercise this ability to perfection. They stay in a defined orbit and their life keeps unfolding like a song. Some humans do not manage their orbits well. They keep changing their orbits and their lives take varying turns- sometimes for good and sometimes for bad. They have no control on their life’s outcome. 

Two childhood friends were good cricketers. Both were talented and trained under the same coach. Their potentials matched peak to peak and both went on to represent their country in cricket. Then the problem to stay in the desired orbit emerged. One maintained his orbit while the other toppled his orbit. Their paths, which were matching, suddenly took different dimensions and directions. The closely knit orbit of both the friends split apart and as one went down into a spiral, the other attained great heights in his overall life! The one who managed his orbit well is still in the limelight whilst the other is not heard of anymore! These are the strange vagaries of human lives as people fade away from memories within no time when they lose their defined orbits!!

How do humans maintain stable orbits? Well, first the humans have to attain an orbit. To attain their stable orbit, they have to generate a safe velocity. This velocity gets generated through good human values, education and behavior. A seamless integration of these aspects would lead to attainment of a safe orbit. This orbit, though would have its own grind, but it would provide adequate support mechanism to the human. Gradual stability would emerge and a long term safety blanket gets ensured. This path is not easy and is fraught with danger at every step. Humans have the ability to get derailed at the slightest pretext. This is where the ability to control lives comes into play and steers humans towards safety in their orbits. 

Humans have to learn to understand their orbits. The earlier they understand, the better it is for their own survival. It also requires a deep practice to maintain the orbits and continue to pump right kind of energies to the various aspects which propel humans into their defined orbits. Anything and everything withers with age and balances have to be created to manage changes. If the changes are managed correctly then the orbits themselves would be managed seamlessly. Modernity has provided humans with the ability to manage their environment. The environment can be controlled still the randomness continues to emerge in human arenas. Orbits get affected by the human and nature’s randomness.

Every human is different and very few will perceive their orbits. There is no harm in analyzing the past, present and future. The key to perceived success would always lie in human achievements and all these achievements would lie on a defined path-orbit. Take care of the orbit and the orbit will take care of the rest. 

Are you in your correct orbit, eh?

A GOOD GESTURE

Every picture has a story to tell. After a break at rain soaked Manipur, we boarded Indigo from Imphal to New Delhi with a change over at Guwahati. 

Our luggage consisted of a Golf Set wrapped in a white sack. At Delhi, we got all our luggage back barring the Golf Set. The hunt began as the Indigo team led by vibrant Ankur Grover pinged Guwahati, Imphal and even Hyderabad where the Imphal To Guwahati plane had proceeded! 

The set could not be traced! Then, using the Submarine experience, I set off a new search pattern and self and Ankur plotted a search for a white sack tube parcel! Lo and behold, the Set was tracked at Delhi Cargo Lost Section! 

Took 3 hours but cherubic Ankur kept his wits at its best and I was cool as always. The set is with me now and a new game beckons from tomorrow. 

Welcome home.

THE MUSIC

In 1989, one evening as the roars of protests in Germany which the world was witnessing, took a surprising turn. While once people were shot for jumping the Berlin Wall, the gates had now been opened, as a gleeful crowd from East and West Germany stood on the wall and asserted themselves and their right to be one. Dismantling it by hand and hammers, the crowd could be stopped at nothing.

The iconic moment when the wall fell was best captured by music that has since rocked our world. One of the best known music of that era was “Winds of Change” by Scorpions. While the song celebrated 'Glasnost', then-USSR's decision to improve government transparency, the German classic rock band's iconic song is best known for the footage of the Berlin wall collapsing at the end, symbolizing the moment when history was created. "Let your Balaikas sing, what my guitar want to say" roars the band's frontman Klaus Meine in his distinctive voice. "Take me to the magic of the moment/On a glory night/Where the children of tomorrow dream away/in the wind of change," the song goes, as bit by bit, the Berlin Wall comes undone.

Music has magical capabilities. They can lift the moods and express deepest of feelings with quintessential ease. Music has exciting capabilities and singing humans can cover difficult miles with great ease. Armies march on tunes, wars are fought with battle cries and motivational music. Sports utilize the power of music to boost up adrenalin. Music is virtually everywhere in the human arena. Birds sing, animals respond to songs, human children act playfully on their favorite songs and even blowing wind can create musical sounds.

More and more humans are seen with headphones as music rules the battery power of their smart devices. Plethora of radio stations, Radio Jockeys and Genres have emerged which keep humans hooked onto the music of their likes. A favorite song can help rejuvenate ideas. Many humans are able to forget their pains and begin exercising as music lift up their fledgling energies and pained bodies. What music cannot achieve today? There is probably no dimension wherein music does not have a role and this is true from times immemorial.

Who would have discovered music? How music became the backbone of life’s existence? These questions can be an interesting study. It therefore emerges that music is omnipresent and can help scale heights. Can managers of today benefit from music? After all, each one of them listens to some music or the other! If a Manager can remain excited and focused in his personal life through music, then he can try to utilize the same music to remain focused even in his professional life.

It is seen every day that people enter the work places with headphones. They have a stoic facial expression till the headphone is in their ears. They reach the attendance biometrics, take off the headphone and the human inside them emerges out. The work place heat increases and then the battles begin- the so called Corporate Battles. Every organization lays down processes. These processes are like music if followed. A good process can lead to an easy professional life and work gets finished within laid down timings. A derailed process rings in utter chaos and the music vanishes. It escalates the bickering and annoyance. Mayhem sets in and it is a known fact that in chaos the costs rise. Failures take place without any pattern and the organization suffers.

The theories of management define that organization is an organized group of people with a particular purpose, such as a business or government department. Organisation is also defined as the action of organizing something. Nothing can be organized in chaos and mayhem, right? So, why do humans who call themselves as Managers do not let music flow into their organizational activities whilst they spend so much of their time in listening to music. Every weekend majority of them unwind by listening to music and jiving on its tunes! What prevents them from following the simple tunes of music into their work places and work ethics? 

It is amply clear that the some costs have to be increased and some costs have to be decreased to gain the maximum profits. If the input costs can be tackled with musical processes then the competition of increasing the margins can be achieved easily within the organization itself. Any task completed well ahead of schedule and within laid down input costs can always give better output costs. Who can deny the profit then? Smooth and clean processes can bring prosperity and the organizations can reap greater dividends. So, why not push Managers to understand the Organizational Music? Each one of them has to be aligned right from the inception into the Organisation to understand the theme music of the Organisation. If he understand, we’ll continue and if he does not then it is better that he moves to find an organizational music of his choice.

Do you really need maximum profits? If yes, then check out the music playing around in your organization and tune it so that each manager enjoys the same tune. Let go of those who do not understand or enjoy the tune for they have to find other organizations of their own ilk and choice. 

Do you have it in you, eh? Have you identified your music? If yes, then show the jive and make your teams understand that music. Let them jive to the tune. Come on, it is just music.

DIE HARD

Who knows what lies ahead? Time does not predict its path. It keeps ticking and makes humans reach unimaginable destinations of life. The fighting spirit of humans keeps them alive and keeps them ready to savage the challenge. After all, mayhem and chaos rules the roost in human lives, isn’t it? Each stage of life is filled with paradoxes and humans have to be strong to weather the unpredictable storms.

In the 1988 thriller, Die Hard - New York City policeman John McClane is visiting his estranged wife and two daughters on Christmas Eve. He joins her at a holiday party in the headquarters of the business she works for. But the festivities are interrupted by a group of terrorists who take over the exclusive high-rise, and everyone in it. Very soon McClane realizes that there's no one to save the hostages -- but him. The character of the movie depicts every human as every now and then a situation arises where there is no one to act- but the involved human himself! There is no escape from the harsh realities, the bitter truths and many other such insensitivity which continuously envelope the human lives. All that it needs is an effort from the human to get up and rise like a Gladiator to face the situation.

Can humans escape from the challenges that they meet in their lives? Yes, they can!! Would anyone agree with this statement? The World has been configured so intricately that it is easy to recognize who will fight against the odds and who would not. So, this does mean that humans can escape from the challenges that they meet in their lives. Humans have various mechanisms at their disposal which they can effectively deploy to circumvent the odds in their lives. Many of these mechanisms involve putting other humans in the line of fire and misusing their trust and benevolence. But, who cares? The purpose is to meet the challenge and overcoming the same without any threat. Little do the humans realize that with each such step they are increasing the stakes and making the future more challenging for the next generation.

Have a careful look at our homes, societies and professional arenas. Analyze just that little about what is going on right and what is going on wrong. One will agree that not all is right and there are more wrongs than right!! If one analyzes more closely on the wrongs, it would throw a startling fact. Wrong does not become wrong till a human wants it to be wrong!!! Should the entire human arena pay the penalty of just one human desiring of doing a wrong and making others join the same chorus? The Planet is choking and who does not know about it? Still, humans continue to choose the wrong over right.

Let us take the example of a job. Each job is taught by some human to the new comer. Do we mean to prove that humans have been teaching wrongly to their successive generations? The wrongs in human lives throw out an interesting analytics and maybe the answer to the question is a broad Yes!! Competition is the bedrock of the humanity. After all the fittest will only survive, right? The fittest will never get decided in one go. The decision to remain fit needs long term investments and the correct ones. The fittest who dream to survive the onslaught of time have to be 100% fit as almost fit or partial compliance will not help otherwise. A continuous adjustment and improvement is warranted and cannot be circumvented in any case. 

The World around humans is a maze. It wears and tires humans. No one can escape from the maze and tiredness that is associated with it. It is but natural to get tired and everyone needs that proverbial rest to rejuvenate. One would realize that it a faster rejuvenation when tiredness is simple and that of pure hard work. Tiredness is long when the human mind rakes complexities which trouble many other lives. The maze of life then gets meaner and worse to navigate. Every human is defatigable and susceptible to defeat. Valor coupled with true values enables humans to remain indefatigable for a longer time. 

In the end, all humans are alone and have to meet the quest of their respective lives. It is better meet the situation on your own and effort should be to simplify the issues for a longer benefit. There is always a price for chaos and someone has to pay it. One who reaps today, pays it at a later date. The wheel of life does not pardon mistakes. Die Hard is not the right approach that is what some would say. But, don’t you think that John McClane did the right thing by volunteering to solve the complex problem? He went into the complexity alone and saved many a humans. It would be worthwhile to ease out the issues rather than leaving them out into the open. Issues would be created by erring humans to reap their own scrupulous benefits. Good must win over the bad as the fable goes. Good must win over the bad, isn’t it? Keep the life simple and straight. Many would have to become Die Hards to keep this World going. There is no choice, so better be a Die Hard. Time brings forth this truth in front of humans every time. It is a jungle out there.

Do you have it in you, eh! 

THE HUNT

Ray, Rob, John and Mike were born continents apart. They had nothing in common except for an indefatigable spirit of adventure. This spirit, berthed deep inside their hearts and minds. Ray, Rob and John were surfers who had chanced upon Bali in early 1960s and hit upon each other as they tried to catch the virgin big, white waves. Mike was a strapping Marine during Iraq War and had got his maiden chance to be the Mission Team Leader.

Both surfing and commando military mission have one thing in common- Timing. The hunt must begin in the right earnest and at the right time. The execution is important. One has to be at the right place and at the right time. Both need minimum interference from external disturbances and arrival at the action site has to be perfectly orchestrated. Ray, Rob and John were mesmerized by the long Kuta Beach of Bali, There were very few surfers around Bali and the three pioneered their art to take Bali by surfer’s storm. Any new wave did not break in Bali where Ray, Rob and John did not have their trademark presence. They were always on the hunt for a new location where they could step onto the sea and begin riding the waves. As they stepped onto a new wave front in Uluwatu, an exceptionally high wave smashed Ray as he tried to mount on it. The impact was lethal and left Ray with broken bones and ruptured ears.

 Mike was leading his mission along with friendly forces and they were raiding a compound filled with enemy terrorists. The teams were in accurate position as per the plan when a radio communication just snapped. The glitch, though momentary, led to the confusion in the plan of action. The fog of uncertainty stepped in and the hell broke loose. At the end of the mission there were unwanted casualties in Mike’s team and the mission was branded as a failure. Someone had to take the call for the failure.

Both Ray and Mike knew that it was their hunt and they were responsible for the outcome of their respective missions. Ray was rescued by Rob and John and as he lay recuperating in the hospital, he knew it was his hunt and he would go back and ride the sky high wave again. Mike was brought in for debrief by an investigating team along with his team mates. Each one was being grilled, when Mike got up and took the responsibility onto himself. He knew that it was his hunt and he had to take the pole position to give the answers on behalf of his team. Mike took the onus of the mission’s failure and watching his conviction, he was sent back to lead another mission. The failure was not construed to Mike or Ray. Ray had nothing to prove to anyone as he was an independent individual and his decisions were his own. Mike was working in a hierarchical system and had answers to give to his superiors and to the men he commanded. Each one had a hunt at hand and the methodology was same-risk which needed precision. Both were passionate about their jobs and took the onus of the damage upon themselves. The others around them, in various positions, understood the clarity displayed by Ray and Mike and supported their decisions.

Ray and Mike went back to their respective hunts and attained great professional heights. Ray surfed and Mike combed out terrorists. Both knew their tasks and planned well to meet the unknowns. The trait that stood them ground was the capability to hunt and hunt for more. Each living thing has the ability to survive, but, those who can hunt better survive more than the others. After all, it is the survival of the fittest. As the World around humans changes at a rapid pace, the capability to hunt will continue to be an important survival tool.

Hunt is omnipresent. It is a part of almost every facet of life. Sensory organs get active for smallest of the human activity. They get involved in the hunt the moment brain sends out the control signal. Humans are capturing phenomenal amount of data and some are devouring it to generate new prospects. The data scientists have taken the hunt to a new level. Trails are being left by humans in various forms and somebody is capturing the trail to generate a new hunt each day. Humans will continue to be caught in smaller spirals as questions become deeper and deeper. The arena of hunt has become larger and there will be no escape for erring humans in times to come. The ever widening hunt will also impact the laws of various games of human existence. Winners will be decided on the ability to hunt in a positive and decisive fashion. Options to escape will become limited and time consuming. So, would it not be better to join the hunt and join it positively!! Keep chin a little up, keep the eyes focused on the ball, move the shoulders and let the club face meet the ball head on- that has been the lesson each budding Golfer gets when the game is being learnt. A mere follow up of these guidelines ensures that the ball travels the right distance and in the right direction. The game finishes on a high note in spite of a few erratic ball hits here or there. In the end, what matters is a good result and a game played with a positive spirit keeps the fun quotient to its maximum.

So, what do humans wait for? Keep the hunt on in its correct perspective because no one else is going to come and hunt for us. Each one of us has to live his or her own life. Survival is our own duty and responsibility. If we can then we must help others as they gain better strength to keep following their hunts. There is no escape from hard work, efforts and efficient planning. Without these, the hunt would not materialize. So, are you ready for the hunt, eh?

MEET THE PROFESSIONALS

Addressed 1 Year MBA Program Batch at MDI, Gurgaon on "MANAGING SELF IMAGE & CORPORATE REPUTATION" Many thanks to Dr. Vidhu Gaur for creating the opportunity to meet professionals engaged in enhancing their academic skills.