What I wish I had known :: Lesson 3 :: Nurture a Network of Those You Add Value To

I became conscious of the terms “Networking” / “Create a Network” / “Leverage your Network” very late in life.  My initial take on networking was negative.  It seemed to be all about getting to know people who could help me at a later date.  To network, I was supposed to do things that I necessarily did not like.  If the targeted-person-for-my-network enjoyed doing something, then I was supposed to do the same to help me “network” with them.  This ranged from the traditional “learn to play golf / send a specific type of Diwali gift”, to the ridiculous “befriend subordinate X, as they are the blue-eyed boy / girl” of the target-person-for-my-network.

This networking was supposed to help me make the right / best career move, or help me handle difficult situations, or help me make a sale, or overcome a roadblock.  I rebelled against this as I did not want to use my friends in this way.  How can I ask my friends to do something for me, just because I ask it of them?  That was not what our friendship was based on – it was based on the fact that we enjoyed doing things together, both serious and silly. I can’t  and don't befriend people for the sole reason that they will be of use to me at a later date.

I have many friends, and of many hues.  They range from “I enjoy talking with” friends, to “I can help you with that” friends, to “I want to be silly with you” friends.  Our relationship is based on fun, respect, experience, and understanding. They are my network. They are my support group.

• Did I go out to build a network?  No. I just stayed in touch with people I studied with, or worked with, or was related to.  I wished them on occasions. I called them just to say “Hi”.  I asked them if I could help when they were going thru a bad patch. I was just there. Today, I still meet with people I went to school / college or worked with.  I am there for them when and if they need me. They are there for me when I need them.
• How did I add to this network? Part of this is easy.  I moved schools and colleges and hence met more people.  I moved companies, and in a company, worked in different teams.  I met new customers and partners. So I naturally got to work, learn, and have fun with a lot of people.  Part of adding to my friends circle was deliberate.  I eat lunch with different people at office. I drop an email, with a request for expertise.  I start a conversation at a conference.  If the initial conversation is beneficial to both of us it leads to more conversations and then friendship.
• Did every interaction add a new person to my network? No. Every interaction with a person cannot result in recognition of visible “value”.  Many times it is so subtle, that it takes time to see and recognize.  I try not to drop these people from my circle.  I just look for other occasions, or groups to meet up with them. Are there people I do not want to include in my circle of friends? Definitely!  I just drop them – make no effort to reach out to them.  But, I commit to being there for them when they want. 
• How do I keep in touch with my network? I believe that if I want to stay in touch there is always a way. Today technology helps me stay in touch.  There is LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, SMS, etc. There is also the simple phone call.  I travel 2-4 ours a day, to and from work.  I use some of this time to call a friend to say “Hi” (via bluetooth connection to my car stereo). I go out for lunch, or meet for coffee.  I drop an email.
• Should a network be full of people who are higher-up in the hierarchy than me? Definitely not! Hierarchy has nothing to do with who adds value to you and your interactions.  The best support group I have, is my peer group.  They are my friends.  Then there are the fantastic people in my team.  My team adds value to me.  They have perspectives I don’t, they challenge me, ask tough questions, and force me to think differently.
• Did I make a special effort to create a network? Yes. If I look at the bigger picture, I would say that some of this came naturally to me.  My friends are my network.  My network consists of people who are my friends. They have been there for me when I needed them as I hope I have been there for them when they needed me.

Can I stay in touch with everyone?   No, of course not.

Can I reach out to anyone when I need to?  Definitely.

 

More importantly, do I add value to them?  Must be, because the tribe is growing.

Recovering from a Project Gone Horribly Wrong ......

From overcomingpoopyelearning.com

Projects by their very nature will go wrong.  Project teams will also recover from bad projects. 

I do not think that there is a formula for recovery like a 9-step program. What I can share with you are our “Learnings” in our journey of recovering from “delivering crap.” (ref my earlier blog)

When Paul told me that we delivered crap, I promised to fix it.  I took responsibility to fix it, even tho’ the entire project team did not report to me. I promised to fix it at our expense, even tho’ I did not know how much it cost. Paul calmed down immediately.

Learning 1: Accept openly that there is an issue, and than, deal with it!

There is no use trying to defend a project that is failing in a customer’s eyes.  If it is failing, it is failing.  Accept it and move on to fixing it.  Best to keep this period as short as possible.

In this project there was an onsite team that did not report to me.  They did the analysis, design and scripting, we did the media, programming, integration and testing. So here I was, committed to fix something that I did not have control over.  

Off I went to meet the onsite project leader, OPM, to seek his buy-in.  All I got was his driving me to meet Paul.  How?  Well, I told him what Paul had said (OPM already knew, as office gossip travels at the speed of light!).  I told OPM how I was embarrassed, and how I needed him to help me interpret what Paul wanted.

Learning 2: Let all stakeholders hear problems. They then become party to the need to solve them.

OPM and I met with Paul.  As OPM thought this was a problem with the development team, he kept quiet. So did I, after asking Paul to freely tell me all the issues.  Paul spoke non-stop for 45 mins.  I wrote down each complaint, categorizing as I went.  Separating data from feelings.  When he stopped, I said, “To ensure I have understood the issues, let me recap these.  Do feel free to correct me if I am wrong.” And I went thru the categorized list with him, starting first with the feeling and then the data.  It went something like this:

“Paul you are irritated that your reading flow is interrupted when you see English grammar and edit errors.  There has not been a single topic that has not had errors.”

Paul said, “Yes”.

I went thru the full list, getting acceptance after each one, and many times, clarifications on feelings and data.

Learning 3: Data is important.  But feelings are more important, especially when a project fails

At the end of a marathon 3-hour meeting we had a long list of issues.  And of course feelings.

I also asked Paul, to help me identify the critical issues, as tackling all of them at one go, would be like boiling the ocean. So he listed what he wanted fixed immediately, and what he could live with. 

Then I told him, “The urgent and critical issues, we will fix.  If you see even one of these in the next deliverable, throw it across the seven seas, and we will get it back to you fixed.  I don’t want to waste your time on these issues.”  In the process we bought a little time.

Learning 4: When a customer prioritizes actions, they are invested in the solution.

So back I came to India, with a long list of issues.  I got the managers into a room.  Asked that they hear what Paul had to say.  Without any reactions. They heard the data on the issues faced.

Then I asked them, how they would feel if they were Paul.  And they repeated all the “feelings” that Paul had shared.  They were spot on.

We then went back to the data.  We agreed that tho' data may be different, it did not matter. For example, whether the average edit errors was 1 in every 5000 words or 1 in every 7500 words did not matter.  What mattered was that there were edit errors.

I asked that they meet with their teams and run the same session. The teams all felt the same as Paul!

Learning 5: Project teams can really put themselves in a customer’s shoes and feel the pinch.

We then wrote down what we thought would make Paul happy. And that became our team goal sheet.

Then we started solutioning, with a large part of the team in one room. We just listed all their ideas on how to solve the issues. 

Then we categorized them into short / long term solutions, on an easy to hard scale. Teams implemented the short term (immediate) easy fixes.  The managers brain stormed the long term hard fixes.  We then went out and requisitioned, commandeered, & acquired the resources we needed. We pulled in OPM for those that concerned him; after all he heard the issues from "the horse's mouth".

Learning 6: Its worth every minute spent with the team finding solutions.  They are in the thick of things and often know better than managers how to get something done.

Then we went out and implemented the solutions. 

When the next deliverable had to go to Paul, I insisted that I review it.  But before I reviewed it, I asked the team if they were submitting something that they were proud to sign their name on.  Some were ready and some wanted to do one last review.

Interestingly, when the people who wanted more time, came back with their work product, I asked if they had found errors. Most said no.  My response, “Have more faith in yourself and your team!  Also, remember, I am a part of the project team even when I am pretending to be the customer.” Most of the “want one more review” brigade never asked for more time again after that.

Learning 7: An unsuccessful project can wither away confidence, our job is to bring it back.  Self- confident people deliver better.

The next deliverable went to Paul with no critical errors.  As did the next and the next.  Also, we chipped away at the prioritized list till we had them all fixed.  What helped was the QA Independence program run by the QA team.  The recognition program was built such that anyone / any team, who delivered a zero error product to QA a certain number of times were certified to deliver to the customer without a QA round. The entire organization wanted this recognition.  The recognition that they had done it right the first time!

Learning 8: Pride in work, big or small, delivers quality.

One person does not make or break a project

One person does not create success or failure

But, one team can sure change anything!

What I wish I had known :: Lesson 8 :: Roll with the Punches to Ride like the Wind

Boxing Gloves from breathofoptimism.com

In life there will be times when the whole world seems to be falling apart. Projects will fail, you will be abandoned, politics will work against you, you will be cheated of what you want, you will be lonely, defenseless and vulnerable.

At times like this I have 2 reactions pretty much simultaneously.

Run Away, as Far and Fast as I can: The first thought is to call in sick. After all, aren't casual leave days meant for just such times? For times when I do not want to face the day.  For days I want to hide from everyone. For days when I know, just know, that nothing will be right.

Say Sorry and Fix It: The second thought is, "I'm damned if I am going to let this keep me down".  I can not accept defeat.  Defeat is when I say I am beaten and there is no way to recover.  I am always looking for a way to recover.  I find that when something goes wrong, I would rather admit that it's gone wrong, and then, spend time thinking about how to recover.

Over the years, I have learned to have a Plan B and often a Plan C.  So when something goes wrong, I can switch, to the next plan.  But there are only so many plans I can have. And not all eventualities can be "planned for".

I have found that most corporate teams appreciate it when a person accepts that something has failed.  Also, that if we truly want to fix something, there are many people willing to go out of their way to help.

"You Are The Guys Who Deliver Crap"

Within months of joining GECIS, and many presentations later, I was invited by GE's CLO, Bob, to serve on the Learning Board of Directors (LBOD). I was overwhelmed and proud. I spent over a month, getting to know the nitty-gritties of each project. Not just from Program and Project Managers, but also from members on their teams including trainees. I knew who our supporters were, where projects were performing well, where there were new projects and teams to be signed up.  I also prepared for the bad. My refrain was, "Tell me all the issues.  Tell me all the bad feedback. I don't want to be caught unawares."  I then prepared recovery plans and responses. I was ready.

I reach Crotonville, well prepared. Bob introduced me to other members of the board, saying, "This is Sangeeta, the Operations Head of the team we have in India". We go half-way around the circle of people, till we reach Paul.

Paul, shakes my hand and says, "So you are the guys who have been delivering crap to me!"  I wanted the earth to open up and swallow me.  I was embarrassed and only my natural color, prevented people from seeing the blush on my face.

My response? "Hi Paul.  Sorry you feel that way.  I will stay here in the US, till it is convenient for you to meet me. And, I will fix the crap."

I did extend my stay in the US.  I did meet Paul.  And I heard from him the issues; real issues. I told him that I would do what it took to fix the issues (they were not all errors / bugs).  Also, that all new programs would be of the highest quality.

It took us months to fix issues, and at our cost.  It did not matter who created the issues. The whole organization, not just the project team, chipped in.  We got extra resources, changed processes, redesigned the organization, increased communication, created a QA-independence program, etc. Paul slowly became an advocate and supporter of the team. I knew we had won him over when he started to take calls from home at 5:30 am EST or come into the office at 6:30 am EST.

Finally, nearly a year later, in one of my one-on-one sessions with Bob, he told me that he was happy that I had managed to win over Paul. Also, that when he heard how Paul greeted me on day one, he was worried that he would need to work hard to get our relationship on even-keel. He was happy to see how we "got our act together" without active intervention from him.

If you want to make God laugh, share your plans with him 

(attributed to Woody Allen, adapted from a Yiddish saying that translates to "We plan, God laughs")

India's Daughter : My Take on the Outrage

Image from NDTV

4th March, 2015: There is huge outrage on the airing of the documentary called India’s Daughter. We have not seen it, and without seeing it, we are ready to condemn the release of the documentary. My personal take:

1. If we truly want to address the issue of rape, abuse of women, & gender inequality in India, than we need to understand where the perpetrators of these crimes come from, what are they thinking, what is the context and drivers of their behavior.  We will then be better equipped to address these issues. Is a documentary the best way to do this?  I don’t know.  But it is better than doing nothing, changing nothing since Dec 2012.
2. I wonder why people are more disgusted with the interview of the convicts, than with the open, strident, call-to-violence-against-women of the defence lawyers. Upholders of the law, the defence lawyers themselves, have openly made statements that are in violation of our constitution (gender bias and inequality) and our laws (burning alive a daughter - murder). And there is nothing that our government or law enforcement agencies are doing to punish them.
3. The documentary shows the common views about women.  Let all those who see themselves sharing the views of the convicts and defence lawyers, know that they are themselves rapists and criminals.
4. We have to bring attitudes of people – men and women - out in the open.  If seeing the documentary, opens a few minds, disgusts someone enough to teach respect for women, scares someone enough to prevent a crime against a woman, helps people speak out against atrocity and oppression, then it is worth it. This is the reality of the country I live in.  This is the reality we face every day.
5. I love my country.  And loving my country does not mean that I cannot confront the reality of living in India.  I don’t care if other countries have more rape cases than mine.  I do not care if in other countries there is more violence against women than in mine.  If cases like this need to be brought to the forefront, then so be it. I want my country to be one where I can truly live free as a woman, because I love my country.  

   

   Image from NDTV

6. Should we not respect the wishes of Nirbhaya’s parents, themselves, who have pretty much endorsed the documentary?  Would it not be shameful if we let our anger, disgust, and hurt become bigger than that felt and lived, every minute of every day, by Nirbhaya’s parents? So should we not respect what they want, and let the documentary air?
7. So I ask

·    direct your hurt and anger towards the lack of progress on making India safer for women

·    direct your outrage at the lack of convictions and punishments of rapists

·    direct your voice towards demanding for better laws and implementation of laws

·    direct the power of your vote to demand of your MPs and MLAs that they push forward bills in parliament