So the book continues and fair play to Arnold… it’s a decent read!
A relatively short chapter but nevertheless, a very important one. As you can guess, it was all about selling. Not selling yourself as such – but there is an element of that, but selling what you represent, what you stand for and included in that, your vision.
So the story Arnold tells is about body building. Again, you’ll have to read the book to learn about his story.
For me… what I took away was the element that people may or may not fully understand your vision. Understand what you stand for. Understand clearly where you want to get to.
This is where the sell, sell, sell part comes in.
Depending on what you’re doing. How you’re doing it. And the amount of success you’re having, you have to sell yourself, your trade, your work… whatever it is that you do. And sell it in a way that people want more!
I remember when I was at Kodak, and I wanted to become a chartered engineer. So I had to fill in forms, do lots of work etc… but I wasn’t selling myself. And I remember clearly my mentor at the time saying… ‘Bal, you have to write I did… not we’. That’s stuck with me since. I’m very clear and intentional that if I do something.. then I did it. Not just to get the applauds but if it goes wrong, then the buck stops with me… and my team is not to blame. Yes there’s times where it’s a team effort so it’s a ‘we’.
Have a look at your vision… work through the chapters and now, tell me honestly, are you able to sell it?
If you want to make it in life – you’ve got to work hard.
What comes easy…. goes easy. But when you work super hard for something, you know it’s going to stay with you.
Before I joined the graduate programme for Kodak – I received some really good advice. It was…’make as many mistakes as you can when you’re young because a) people will forgive you and b) you’ll learn. When you’re older… people aren’t as forgiving’.
Awesome advice.
And I made a fair few mistakes – but most importantly, learnt from them. But you’ll only make those mistakes if you’re working. In the book, Arnold talks about working your ass off.
How many of us can seriously say we work super hard on particular topics and subjects?
I remember… when I was at Coca-Cola, I did a Kaizen activity (if you don’t know what that is – I’ll let you google it). It was a week long event, we had people fly in from all over Europe, USA, etc… The preperation was intense, the Kaizen week was even more intense… and then post event, there were so many actions. I remember leaving home super early to get to the office that week and then coming home really late every day. Everyone used to work from home on Friday – but there I was, with one or two others, and the cleaners late Friday typing up notes and sorting out the flipcharts and post-it notes. I worked my ass off for that Kaizen event… and it paid dividends. The senior leadership noticed, It was in the newsletter… but more importantly, we saved something like 80 hours of processing time, halved the number of process errors, etc… It was a huge win!
It really is about working your ass off to be the best. To be really good at what you enjoy. What you do and more importantly, when you are working your ass off on something you enjoy – it’s fun! That late Friday in the office, I was enjoying it! Myself along with the other two folk (and the cleaners) had some music going in the office, and we were enjoying it!
In the book… Arnold talks about 24 hours. I use this alot also when people ask me, how do you find the time to do everything.
You have 24 hours in a day
Let’s say you work for 8. And then, you may sleep for 8. That leaves you with 8 hours.
Now, for example… you’ve got to commute to work, you may spend time with family, eating etc… (Arnold breaks this alot better in the book than what I have in this blog)… so let’s say, all that takes about 4 hours.
You’re left with 4 hours free a day. Let’s put 2 hours aside for catching up on things, traffic perhaps, and other stuff which you may not account for.
In a day – you can easily have, around 2 hours free. What are you doing with those 2 hours?
Most are mindlessly scrolling through social media. Facebook. Instagram. Twitter. Check your screen time on your phone. How much time in a day or week do you spend doing that.
Be more productive.
So today’s thought is… work your ass off. Seriously, work hard and achieve something special. Those 2 hours a day, you could easily start going to the gym and improve your health. You could even just walk for an hour a day – imagine the health benefits of that. You could start a new hobby… Anything. Just pick something, for which you have passion for and work your ass off.
So I’m going to continue through the chapters of the book I’m reading that’s been written by Arnold.
Today’s thought centres around…
Chapter 2 was great!
Recently, I was on a call with my mentor. We were having a chat and he stopped and said, Bal… you need to think bigger.
I was like – what do you mean bigger… He said, you’re thinking too small! It was like he’d read this chapter before we’d had our conversation! (He hadn’t by the way!)
We think next steps. Baby steps sometimes – which can be ok. But what is the bigger picture?
In the vision board – how big did you go? Some people say they want to write a book. That’s great. But do you want it to be a ‘best seller’? Or just another book? You got to think big. Bigger than what you’re thinking. If you’re aspiring to be an actor, do you want to act in a few films or act and win awards? Oscars?
This chapter in Arnold’s book really made me think – that you have to think big. Think big and bold. Not just want you’re going to achieve in a few years (whilst short term planning is important) you have to think bigger… 10 years. 15 years. 20 years. What is it that you want to achieve? What kind of legacy do you want to build?
I recently finished the book, ‘psychology of money’. Great read! I’ll talk about that another day. But one thing that it talks about is, compund interest. How over long period of times, your money will grow – and grow and grow. Don’t look short term. Think long term. I’ve done something similar, where about 15 years ago – I opened a savings account. And I put in £100 per month. It’s one of these that is a shares savings account (for those in the UK – Stocks and Shares ISA). Now, it’s grown. Every 4 or 5 years, I check it and see how it’s doing, do I need to change anything but in all honesty – I’ve just let it grow! Now when I opened it, I jokingly called it my ‘Lamborghini Fund’. I thought one day, I might have enough to put a deposit on a Lamborghini. Priorities have changed since then – but you know what give it some more time… and I won’t be far off! That was me thinking big then!! Then I was driving a 8 year old VW Golf diesel – but I was thinking big about a Lamborghini.
So to wrap up today’s Friday Thought… don’t think small. Think big… think huge! And dare to dream because you need to chase those dreams… as they will become reality one day.
Recently, you might have noticed, a few of our nations favourite retailers have had ‘tech’ problems and had to shut!
McDonalds, Tesco and Sainsburys all had card payment outages…and then this week gone, on Tuesday, Greggs had to shut!
We have moved to a cashless society… and to be honest, that’s ok. However, we need the systems that support this to ensure they’re reliable, secure and most importantly… available for us to purchase our steak bakes from Greggs!
In 2022, card payments made up 90% of retail spending and racked up £1.3 billion in vendor processing fees, according to the British Retail Consortium.
Adam Pilton, a cyber security consultant at CyberSmart, said the IT outages “should act as a reminder to us in our personal lives and within our business lives of the dependence we place upon technology”.
There is no evidence the technical problems in recent days were caused by cyber attacks – McDonald’s said its global outage was caused by a “third-party provider”.
“One of the key takeaways will be to review the robust back-up systems these retailers have got in place,” said Jenni Matthews, head of marketing and insights at MRI Software.
She added that many people no longer use cash and rely on contactless payments for day-to-day shopping.
“We’re in a day and age where we rely on technology so heavily,” she said.
Whilst all this was going on – I was on my way to the dentist the morning that Greggs was shut… and I thought this needs a tweet…
It’s reminder, how much we use technology… that we should always ensure that a) we’re using it correctly and securely, b) checking that sites and payment methods are secure and finally c) that you do some due diligence on what you’re using and where – for example, do you have old credit cards stored with some retailers, or have you checked your passwords recently and updated them? (Google passwords offer a service where they advice you that a particular password of yours might have been involved in a leak, or used too many times across different platforms, etc…).
So whilst we can all get our sausage rolls again… yes, for the vegans out there, they too are again available…. stay secure.
Yes.. it’s back! My Friday Thought is back!! And I’m taking some inspiration from a book I’m currently reading…
I got the book at Christmas – and wasn’t sure how good it’d be. But honestly, reading the first chapter – love it.
There’s a sense of honesty (Arnold uses words he would normally say.. like bullsh*t etc..), transparency and openness. I think, these elements make the book a great read.
And so to my Friday Thought… it’s on the first chapter of the book…
I won’t share my full story here about my vision – but in the book, Arnold talks about having a vision. I’m not going to relay everything Arnold says – you have to buy the book and read it – but in all honesty, it’s very true with some great examples from him.
You have to have a vision of what you want to be, where you are going and where you want to be.
For me, when growing up – I loved cars. Had a poster of a Ferrari F40 on my wall. Loved them. When I went to university, in my first year, I studied Automotive Engineering. But a chance encounter with a Professor, said there’s more opportunities for me if I did something like Mechanical or Manufacturing Engineering… and so I switched and I think that was the right thing to do because then I got my first job at Kodak.
I’ve never had a vision board as such, always looked at cars (which is one of my passions) and thought, would love to drive that one day. Not necessarily own… but definitely drive.
Even from a career perspective… I’ve always wanted to be in a particular position and have a particular title (I’ll share more about what this is/was in another blog post!)
So how do you have a clear vision… well, a vision board might help! And rather than me explain it, I thought… why not have Lily Singh explain it to you…
So my Friday Thought is…. inspired from Arnold…. Have a Clear Vision.
I had a great time – met the team, the wider Tech team, some of our vendors and partners and other staff. All in all, it was time well spent.
I went with particular items I wanted to discuss with the team and wanted to listen to them – about their concerns, issues and anything on top of their mind.
I did all of that. And whilst doing it – learnt alot. I wanted to share some of those learnings,
Culture – Being a Brit, I work with many cultures. The Indian culture, is somewhat unique. Whilst there’s a huge respect for heirachy, there’s so many other things that happen (as part of the local culture) which you just have to adapt to…. like giving sweets as a thank you or when you meet someone (one could get used to that!)
Habits – There’s particular habits which I don’t think I could get used to, for example I saw some people spitting (openly), urinating (wherever you need to) and driving where and how you want! Now this didn’t happen all the time, neither everywhere – but enough for me to think… it’s not nice. I suppose there’s an element of Britishness where you’re taught to queue and line up. Didn’t see much of that.
Opportunities – I was in a shopping mall, and noticed a sign saying the restroom/toilets were ‘out of order’. Then I saw a chap sat there – asked him what he was doing, he said, ‘telling people it’s out of order’. Why do you need to say it – there’s a sign?… Sir, people do what they want. Now this got me thinking and asking…. locals told me, there’s so many people that nearly everyone can have a job… and on top of that, there’s opportunities for everyone. Either be it to tell folk that toilets are out of order or to take the opportunity to test and see if toilets are really out of order!
I’d like to share, in my next blog post – things I learnt as a Leader. Which I think are applicable irrespective of where your team is based.
Most important element was that I learnt so much – which helps productivity and moreso, the team to ask questions. Remember, be curious…. not judgemental.
I know… it’s been a while! I appreciate your understanding! But more importantly… where is 2024 going?! March already!!!!
I am trying to blog more – sharing more of my thoughts on technology, people and processes… all are important in today’s world. And for today’s friday thought, it’s very much around vibes.
I do often look and feel for vibes… good or bad. And when you get good vibes… Enjoy!
You should too… look out for vibes. Feel the vibes.
Vibes are important because it’s a form of communication that can be so powerful, it leaves you with thoughts, memories and/or experiences.
What is a Vibe? (the below is taken from the Cambridge Dictionary)
The mood of a place, situation, person, etc. and the way that they make you feel:
laid-back vibeThe city is famous for its laid-back vibe.
vibe ofI loved the overall vibe of the place but the food wasn’t that great.
The music has a soothing vibe.
I didn’t like the place—it had bad vibes.
I was getting some weird vibes from him—I don’t think he liked me.
When in any organisation, it’s important to know to know when your time has come or when to step aside/down from a position or power.
I shared with you previously about the Cornell University course I recently completed, which was titled, ‘Leadership lessons from Ancient Rome’. It was a great course – and there was a module focused on Julius… and what led to his demise.
Now, whilst I won’t go into all of that – there’s key elements that everyone should know. Simple things such as, has the organisation stagnated? Is it still continuing to make progress? Are you meeting targets, KPI’s and metrics that have been set? Is every motivated – even in charitable organisations, are those who volunteer still engaged and attending or have you seen a decrease?
It doesn’t always land on the leader, but most of it has to.
They are the ones in charge – they are the ones who can change the leadership or hierarchy. They are the ones with the ability to grow the organisation and move it from where it is to good, or from good to great.
Some of you may remember, I joined the committee of the local Gurdwara (Sikh Temple). I’d like to think, I helped where I could. Items such as…
Designed, wrote and distributed a newsletter to the local community on news, events and activities
Held ‘spring clean’ days, where the community came together to help clean and paint. We also jet washed the car park!
Engaged local youth groups to hold meetings at the Gurdwara
Started Gatka (Sikh martial art) classes at the Gurdwara
Designed posters for the older folks in the community – where they’d organised seaside trips
Filled out the Gift Aid forms for all the donations received
… and much more
But after my two years on the committee, I decided not to continue.
Bal, why did you leave?
Well… comes to the point of who are you surrounded by?
Similar to Julius, there’s a few folks who have all the power. Make all the decisions. And whilst that’s fine, in parts (because they’re older, more knowledge, etc…) there’s a whole lack of cohesiveness.
There are leaders within that group, who think they can do better – which is fine, if you can – but when it’s evident you can’t… you got to think, are you right for that position?
So I decided to leave. Many were upset, and suggested that I don’t.. but I can’t be surrounded by people who don’t have a forward vision or, simply… not good at their job! I did share my views on many occasions and what action steps to take… but, well, you can guess.
Whilst Julius did some great work, led battles… reforms, and much more for Rome. Ultimately, his power got to him… which led him to his assassination on March 15, 44BC. And that’s why it’s important, whilst you may have achieved some great work and led some fantastic activities that have resulted in huge gains… remember to know, when to step aside.
Et tu, Brute? [ (et tooh brooh-tay) ] A Latin sentence meaning “Even you, Brutus?” from the play Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare. Caesar utters these words as he is being stabbed to death, having recognized his friend Brutus among the assassins.
Recently, I just completed a certificate program at the Cornell University. The course itself, was called – ‘Lessons from Ancient Rome’. And I’ll be honest, it as fantastic!
There were so many takeaways… my top one, which I’d like to share today was about, knowing when to step down.
Julius Ceasar. Legend. Not only was a salad named after him but a month too! Crazy!
(The salad was a joke – I’ll explain in Part 2 why I made that joke).
So, this guy, in essence ruled for a long time. The problem was, he was great to start with but then… he became so embroiled in his own deamour that he lost the confidence in the people around him. And that ultimately led to his downfall.
Now.. why was this my favourite part? Because over this module, it was explained to me… to know when is the right time to take a step back. When to stop and when to know that it’s time for someone else to take over.
I see it everyday. I see it at my local Gurdwara (Sikh Temple) where some of the older folk are holding onto particular positions on the committee for dear life! (though they don’t have long to live themselves!!)
I see it in politics. I see it at work. I see it everywhere. So I thought to myself, why don’t people let go?
Because of Power.
Power is such a strong element – that when you have it, you don’t want to let go.
Remember the time, you were having your favourite meal – and towards the end, you’d enjoyed it so much but you thought, I could do that all over again, or I could eat more of the same. And if it was offered to you, you probably would continue to eat though it’s bad for your health and you’re just going to get fatter and be so indulgent that you’ll ignore signs from your body to stop.
It’s the same when you’re in a position of power.
Now, not everyone is like this. There are many people who will step away. Many people who know the time is up.
I know most of the folk who read this in the US may not be that overly familiar with the game Snooker.
There’s a chap, Ronnie O’Sullivan, he’s been world champ for a long time.. and for fun, he continues to play in all competitions. He made a very funny remark the other day which made me laugh… but also got me thinking…
This for me – sums it all up. Ronnie is the best. In the World. And he’s open for someone to come and win against him. He’s shared his ailments. Yet he continues, because no one can do better.
This is the same principle, for those in positions of power. Let others have a go and see if they’re better than you. If they can perform as good as you. If their ideas are better than yours. In sports – it can be slightly different to politics – but the principle of knowing when to give up is the same. In snooker, there were many great players who started to get beat and knew time was up.
But in positions of power – when you have it, you fear of getting beat. It’s the fear you need to let go off.
Awesome module this was… about leadership, and knowing when the right time is to leave, quit or move on. So many great examples of people who haven’t… and those who did. Sharing this so that you make the right decisions knowing when to step aside or move on for the betterment of the organisation.
Or if you’re like Ronnie… just carry on until someone can beat you!
Following on from the lasat blog post aboutt the Post Office. There’s two parts I wanted to look at… one being, is it really what we need moving forward and secondly, the human cost element.
Today, I’ll focus on the tech side of things.
Bal, what do you mean the tech side of things? – we know it was Horizons.
Yes… we know that the system was at fault. I won’t necessarily go into what could’ve happened and what could’ve been done. But let’s look to the future in the sense, do we still need the Post Office?
The Post Office has seen a downward trend for a while. People not posting letters (rather more folks are emailing), other parcel companies doing a slightly better job and most of all… what is it that we really need from the post office?
Yes, some of the older folks will post christmas & birthday cards to loved ones.
Yes, some folks need the post office to send off letters such as passport renewals etc.. under ‘recorded delivery’.
Yes, some folk need the post office to pick up some stationary, envelopes, etc…
But… looking at the next generation and some of the younger folk – do they send cards or is it all e-cards these days? – but moreso, meeting up. They’d rather go to the person, spend some time with them then return – plenty of statistics show since covid, people want to spend time with loved ones.
To be fair, the gov.uk site is good and clear. Easy to renew your passport online – along with other official documents.
Let’s be honest… when was the last time you bought an envelope or some stationary from a shop? (If I was to guess, it’s probably Amazon!)
So then the question remains… do we actually need the post office?
The Royal Mail will come to your house to pick up any letters (or parcels) you need posting.
Then let’s look at the post office employees… there’s been a downward trend since 2014
Let’s combine everything together…
Decrease (significantly) in the number of employees – some of which were most probably due to the Horizons scandal
Increase in services that the post office offer which are now available directly to your home
Technology has highlighted the fact that most processes (passport renewals etc..) can be easily done on-line
So the question is, do we really need the post office?
