MADNESS IS THE NEW SOLUTION- Be a MAD let’s get obsessed to change...

It was one of the most usual days in office and post lunch suddenly I received a mail in my inbox with the subject “Be a MAD” I was about to ignore it thinking it would be another forwarded email from one of my friend(s) who redefines the meaning of insane. But then I saw where it came from? It was from a Man whose “statement” “opinion” and “words” has realigned the thinking in boardrooms forever. Yes it was from our Maverick CEO Mr. Vineet Nayar. Well before you think I am some big shot and it was only addressed to me [wow I wish someday....:)] let me clarify it was his usual address (always an eye and mind opener) to all HCLites. It wasalong mail asking us to be a MAD in our scope of work; he was actually urging us to “MAKE A DIFFERENCE” (MAD) by pushing the envelope of innovation and creativity in our sphere of influence. This was my first encounter with an Idea and concept called “MAD”.

After a couple of months one afternoon I happened to see a tweet from another maverick Leader our dynamic Lead musician in HCL band cum CMO with a hashtag #madltd. I immediately googled it and saw one of the coolest websites apt for Shakira’s generations (my game, my rule and world is my playground), not only was the look hip but it immediately caught my attention with its compelling content like “This ain’t right...’‘They are not doing their job...’‘I wish somebody would do something about this...’‘These guys are useless...’Heard it? Said it? Now do something about it. You have always wished for things to change around you. Now make the change around you happen. MAD LTD is the platform, the springboard from where you can not only Make the Difference that you desire, but also Lead The Difference”. I said WOW!! at the same time I asked myself, is it something new and unprecedented? Perhaps not, but what actually hit the nail on head was the last line “No SUBJECT is off limits, no CAUSE is too small, no IDEA less worthy. So come on, put on YOUR THINKING CAPS, sign up and start changing the world”. It isn’t about one community, issue or area; it is about you and your changing idea that was indeed new and refreshing.

The madltd and ideas selected for grand finale

The time was never more testing than it is today, the world is falling apart what with revolutions&wars, earthquakes & tsunami, competition was never fiercer; the customer is getting more demanding with each passing day. So I always think in the midst of these unprecedented scenarios what would be the differentiator between winning and defeat? According to me it will be the ability to foster Leaders and Leadership at all levels. We have all heard great speeches on this subject from podiums in the most eloquent manner from well decorated leaders but unfortunately reality is like A. Raja talking about integrity and honesty, nothing at all at the ground. I have read great articles about Infosys being meritocracy organization for the last half the decade, but the fact is no one is more capable or intelligent enough to run the show other than close net of founder members, resultant smart people don’t want to be “Das” take there “Pai” and go out. But HCL always lead from the front and sets the examples fostering leadership, the biggest testament is a SMT (Senior Management Trainee), is CEO and Chairman today.

The Grand Jury ; Diversity&Sustainability Head- Ms.Srimathi

HCL is a world of boldness with its disruptive thinking showing the path to others that haven’t dared to even think about. So when I saw “INSPIRED BY HCL” in madltd I felt proud, elated and told myself the legacy continues. What a great Idea to invite and ignite the young minds when they are uncultured and have courage and endurance to win the world. MADLTD is a canvas for these modern Picaso’s to paint the world with their change ideas. MADLTD came to fore in October-2010, since its inception, over 520 participants have submitted their unique ideas on the website. Around 15 innovative ideas were shortlisted, Like IFA-DFA "Ideas For All - Development For All" and the madster says “I am madly mad about changing things, not because I suffered it's because I saw people suffering”. Another Madster came up with an idea of Making a “wikiRadio” ,One young Madster who couldn’t join army despite clearing NDA and CDS, owing to weak eyesight has an idea of spreading the awareness and motivating youngsters to join “Indian Army”. Another young Leader came up with an Idea called “KAP” connecting Kids to Adults to Plants; it was simply mind boggling to see this flying zone and the reach of their thoughts.

I was planning my business trip from Chennai to Delhi and when I heard of the grand finale for MADltd, immediately tweak my itinerary and made it a point to be there to listen and to see these future leaders but more than anything else to derive my own learning from them. It was a spectacular evening where these 15 MADsters were grilled by an esteemed jury of distinguished leaders from Corporate, Digital media and marketing and literature world. Majority of the Ideas were about sustainability and upliftment of weaker section of society, this again testifies that this topic is closest to the heart of the young generation and that’s why companies have never felt so much pressure to be SOCIAL. The evening was opened by our dynamic and vivacious Diversity & Sustainability head Ms. Srimathi. She in her own jovial style gave the message again on how important it is to humanize everything that we do even in this cutting technology age. The biggest MADster Vineet’s address to the audience in his own inevitable style spoke about how “being mad is not about winning or losing, it is about taking the ”first step” towards your closet cherished belief. Madness is an obsession and it is good”. After 4 hours of quizzing, speech and a Q&A session by Ms.Shayali Bhatnagar and her idea KAP stoodout and she became the CEO of MADLTD. CV doesn’t make a CEO, an IDEA does. And if you are not mad about something in life you are average and mediocre and that is curse. MADLTD is just a start today to foster leadership and make a better tomorrow. Lets BE A MAD.............

The madsters Mr. Vineet Nayar and Mr. Chetan Bhagat with Winner and First Runner-up

MERI EIBADAT......AAYA TUMHARE DWAR...

Tuesday 19^th April-2011 my fellow fighter friend (we(actually she) religiously fight daily for no reasons) suddenly asked me if I would like to go to Temple with her, usually for such question I just have one answer "give me a break" that day I don't know why but I said "YES". We went to Hanuman temple in CP, Delhi and the experience was Blissful , Pure and of full contentment. While I was sitting alone in central park in CP, I felt the silence and calmness around me despite the usual noise of kids and families there and wrote below lines then and there..........

MERI EIBADAT......

Aaj aaya tumhare dwar, Tumhara shukriya aada karane

Un Tamaam sangharsho ka, tamaam kathhnayiyo ka

Jo tumane bheji meri raah , meri sheekh ke liye !

Bahot kam aaya tumhari chaukhat pe main,Par sada ahsaas rahta tha

Tumhari marazi jaroori hai ,meri har jeet ke liye !!

Log tumhari chaukhat pe , ankhein band kar mangate hai tumase

Maine ankhein khol haq se manga hardam tumase , Yakeen tha mujhe tum par

Sach aur imaandari eibadat ka tareeka hai mera , Agarbattiya nahi jalata, janta hun dhunyein se taqleef hoti hai,

Samaj ke banaye ashtha ke mantr bhi nahi janta , Par yakeen hai mujhe tum par , janta hun ashtha, mantr aur agarbattito ki mohtaaj nahi !!!

Jab bhi andhera chhaya hai , tumane rasta dikhaya hai

Jab bhi nadaniya ki maine aur thhokar khayi hai , Tumane uthaaya hai

Bhawnaye jahir karane ke huner mein thhoda peechhe rah gaya

Tumhari haziri rajister mein thoda neeche rah gaya

Bahot din baad aaya to kya, dahleej ke paar ek shukun sa paya hai

Mano tumane pure dulaar se gale lagaya hai

Aaj aaya tumhare dwar, Tumhara shukriya aada karane ... !!!!

It will remain IMPOSSIBLE, only till you actually believe it is ACHIEVABLE.......

It was January 22nd, 2007 when I joined the world of boldness and immediately discovered this is just not a “statement” ;). This was my first corporate experience and I had been given just one week time to get my act together and master the tools and process which were almost scoffing my idiotism, each time when I used to log-in and goofed up. I joined as a replacement for someone who kissed the good bye to HCL and about to leave in a week’s time. But one thing I always told myself that “I CAN DO IT” if it is meant to be done by human race :), I might take 20 days if a superior mind can do it in 7 days but I’ll do it eventually. And that’s exactly what I told myself in that situation that “Rocket Science” is one stream everything else has MORAL SCIENCE and BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE as a backdrop, provided you know how to use effectively what you hold on your shoulder :).

HCL made me learn the art of swimming by pushing me into the waters despite me being coming from deserted place where perhaps there was no water at the first place forget about swimming. So once I got control of situation and rainy day vanished, bright Sunny days started unfolding. “Life is beautiful” theme came back into scene and then one fine morning I opened my desktop to read this mail which was to change everything in jiffy. It was a notification for Review with our global head and first time post my joining each one of us were being asked to be present there. It was a Video Conference meeting since the chairperson was in Chennai but we reached the venue to realize that perhaps technology is trying to safeguards us ;). VC refused to work and then our Boss suggested if we can have a telecon. But then we got another twist in tale when Chairperson declined to have a call unless VC is there. Finally after lot of struggle VC worked and the first statement came from Chennai like cruise missile of uncle Sam to Bagdad “I wanted to do the VC just to show you guyz my sad face resultant your performance”. I was shell shocked because we were doing well in terms of numbers vis-e-vis industry benchmark but as they say great leaders come with shock therapy to wake you up sometime. He further continued “What you are doing is great and you are religiously hitting the numbers but my issue is bar is not going up, limit is not getting pushed further and I don’t know how much you believe in yourself as a TEAM but I can bet my life you have potential to achieve unthinkable”. And he concluded by bestowing a target which looked monstrous at that very moment for us. We felt exactly like Ashish Nehra he would have felt if asked to open the batting against Joel Garner :)

Pic Source-hullonline.wordpress.com

The conviction, confidence and faith with which he uttered those words infused new lease of confidence in us. We started believing that very moment that perhaps we can do it and told ourselves let’s give it a shot. And before closing the meeting he put the cherry on cake by saying if you will achieve this target, company will sponsor a team outing to location of your choice. Each of us knew that we need to dismantle our closely cherished beliefs, process and way of working with immediate effect to achieve this. We needed to wipe out our boards and all needed to be redrawn in clean slate and that’s exactly what we did. We sat together and distributed the jobs keeping the forte of each individual in account. Our job nature was such that it target demanded a travelathon across India but we had some soft powers in our team. They were equally upbeat about the job in hand we decided that they will travel less vis-e-vis masculine power of the team idea was to play on team’s strength to come-up with a sustainable planning to yeild quick results. I and one of my colleague had our bag packed for next 2.5months we travelled across India, wherever there was possibility of getting the talent including the cities like Indore, Vizag , Chandigarh , Bhubaneswar other than all major IT hubs.

We had a stipulated timeline of 60 days to achieve this. It was 7 days to deadline and we realized we were strikingly close to target but almost all the cities were being visited by then and we were in no idea zone as a team. We all knew it is litmus test ,elephant has been pass through only tail has stuck and we can’t let that spoil all our hard work, weekends which we spent travelling chasing this target for last 2 months just like that. It required one last display of our non exhaustive energy and enthusiasms and at last we put that in for exhibition again. Henceforth ecstasy followed, mail of appreciation pouring in from all quarters ,including our maverick CEO and we all know he doesn’t utter a word unless he actually mean it and he wrote back just onw word “GREAT !!!!”. “Life is beautiful” theme came back to scene straight away we went to GOA for 2 nights 3 days and it was like living a dream more so because we earned it by putting so much together. We all were imperfect and full of shortcomings as individual but when we came together we made one heck of a team which redefined the awesomeness by complementing for each other’s weakness and made this TEAM a SUPER ACHIEVER. It was close to impossible target when we heard it first time but once we started believing ourselves that we can do it and started unleashing our common passion to optimum everything started falling in place. There is nothing more powerful than “UNITED TEAM” on “COMELLING MISSION”. Start believing it now, Impossible is just an illusion if you back yourself to give it all what you have....you will make it happen everytime.