A COO shows how good conversations can impart important lessons on management and lifestyle

Back to school lessons

Earlier this week, during my regular video call with family members in Kerala, I noticed that my usually-chirpy niece seemed all sullen.

“Your niece here has gotten too comfortable with online classes and is sulking about having to go back to school starting November 1,” said my sister laughing.

“Aaha, let me talk to her,” I said. We had an interesting conversation which went on like this.

Niece: Hello uncle, have an interesting story for me this time too?

Ajay: Haha, no dear, no story this time. But I have a question for you.

Niece: What’s that?

Ajay: What do you wish to become when you grow up?

Niece: A successful entrepreneur.

Ajay: That’s flattering! You know, I picked up many of my skills that helped me as an entrepreneur from my classrooms.

Niece: What does the classroom offer that online class doesn’t?

Ajay: Tell me this, when was the last time you helped a friend do an assignment or sought help from a friend to complete your group project or had to overcome your fears to present a seminar in front of your entire class?

Niece: Umm.. I think when I was in school. But isn’t it good that I can present a seminar sitting in my comfort zone instead of doing it in front of the whole class?

Ajay: Is it? Because to be an entrepreneur is to get out of your comfort zone. Physical classroom shapes your communication skills, interpersonal skills, leadership capabilities, ability to tackle challenges and social skills like no virtual classroom can. In front of the screen, you are just you. In the classroom you are a team player and a social being. I don’t think I need to tell you how important all of those are to growing as an entrepreneur.

Niece: Yeah, I get it.

Ajay: You need to be careful and cautious of course in the current situation. At the policy level too it should be ensured that all precautions are in place. If those can be assured, then it’s high time you get back to school.

Niece: You are right. I guess I grew too comfortable and didn’t realise how much I have been missing my school and friends. I can’t wait to meet them now!

What does a haircut and Microsoft have in common

Ajay: Hey, is that a new haircut?

Colleague: Yeah. My daughter said my old looks were getting a bit too boring and got me to get a makeover.

Ajay: She isn’t wrong, you know? Be it an individual or an organisation, constant innovation and re-innovation are important.

Colleague: What has a snip here and a snip there got to do with innovation? Don’t we talk about innovation in much more serious and larger contexts?

Ajay: Innovation is a mentality, my friend. It’s an attitude that reflects in your personality and in everything you do, including how you run your organisation.

Colleague: Care to elaborate?

Ajay: Think about it this way. You may be a handsome chap, but would you be appreciated if you walk around flaunting a hairstyle or an attire that’s a decade old? Your poor choice will undermine even your greatest features. So you need to upgrade yourself according to the changing times else you will be written off as obsolete. In other words, you need to constantly innovate yourself to become a man of the 21st century. Now replace “you” with an organisation, say Microsoft. It has the most used and most appreciated operating system across the world. But it didn’t come this far with just Windows 98 or Windows XP or even Windows 10 for that matter. Of course, all these operating systems garnered a lot of goodwill, but Microsoft kept innovating, built on that goodwill, and has recently released Windows11 version, for which the world had been eagerly waiting.

Colleague: That was a real eye-opener!

Ajay: And that’s a really good haircut you have there!

Why social media discretion is important

Ajay: Hey! You okay? Sounds like some angry typing.

Friend: Just doing some venting on social media, Ajay.

Ajay: I don’t mean to intrude, but I have been seeing you posting some really angry stuff recently.

Friend: Just speaking my mind.

Ajay: But do you think it’s a great idea to put it all out there?

Friend: What’s wrong in expressing myself ? My profile is my personal space.

Ajay: Your personal space, yes. But visible to the public. Did you hear about the Kanye West-Trevor Noah incident? Instagram suspended West’s account for a day for using racial slurs against Noah.

Friend: Oh!

Ajay: Your profile is not your diary. Now that social media has given us all a platform to publish ourselves, we have, in some sense, become the social media age equivalent of traditional publishers. Now think about this, would a publisher or a newspaper editor put everything he/she feels in the publication?

Friend: No.

Ajay: The content we get comes after many levels of filtering, screening, and scrutiny. They apply discretion and good sense to it. The same is applicable when we post on social media too.

Friend: I hadn’t thought of it that way.

Ajay: That’s just not it. Your angry tweet could spread faster than you think leading to dire consequences in your personal and professional life. People have lost jobs, and been arrested. So you can’t just go about saying it’s your personal space. It’s not as simple as that.

Friend: I’m going to take down everything right away.

Ajay: Apply some discretion. That’s all. Social media is designed to fuel anger. So always think before posting something. Abusive language is neither criticism nor expressing your opinion, it’s harassment. Always ask yourself if you would say the same thing you are about to post to a person’s face. Be more respectful, and more kind. Today’s world needs it more than ever.

An excerpt from Business Gita: 50 Conversations, 50 Lessons, Ajayya Kumar, Ivory Books.