Wealth as a Life Scorecard

How do you measure your progress in life? How do you measure the extent of what you have achieved and what still remains to be done? What are your dreams? How far are you away from reaching them? What do you do if and when you reach them? What after that?

These are very tough questions to answer. Since many of us operate on auto-pilot for the most part of our life, we never get to sit down quietly and think about these fundamentals of life. But without doing that, we face the serious risk of choosing the wrong goal and remaining unsatisfied throughout our life.

Most people consciously or subconsciously use various scorecards to measure their progress. One of the most common metrics used is wealth - how much money, possessions or income one has. Other commonly used criteria are career growth, knowledge acquisition, popularity, power, influence, godliness, etc.

In my opinion, if happiness and satisfaction are the fundamental goals, there is nothing inherently wrong in choosing any of the above criteria as scorecards. The problems happen when they are chosen for the wrong reasons and used improperly. Let us consider the wealth scorecard because it is widely used and it is simple to relate to.

In general, it is very essential to have good financial goals. A person who does not manage money well will find it more difficult to manage other aspects of life, including health, family needs, education, etc. Having money is no guarantee of happiness, but lack of enough money for various needs is sure to cause distress and worries.

Companies provide greater financial benefits to those employees who have better education, skills and/or experience. The market (generally) rewards those who show greater business acumen and work harder to build good products and services. The more achievements a person has, the easier it is to reap financial benefits by leveraging them. The money scorecard provide a simple way to track all such accomplishments.

So far, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with this picture. Unfortunately, there are many ways people can misuse the money scorecard.

One mistake is to use wealth as a relative measure instead of an absolute measure. By that, I mean that people start comparing their wealth with others they perceive to be peers in various respects. If their wealth is not on par with their peers, people become terribly depressed.

This sort of comparison is very self-defeating for many reasons. First of all, one's peers are not equal in all respects and do not have the same factors for success. The peers who have the right success factors working for them will always get ahead. And always some people will go behind - it is not their fault, that is the way it works when someone succeeds.

Secondly, wealth comparisons can be very tricky. Let's assume that A and B are co-workers with the same income. However, B falsely informs A that he earns 30% more than her and proceeds with the consumption of high profile items like cars, real estate, etc. all the while running up huge debts (invisible to everyone). A feels totally left behind by the false knowledge given by B and his behavior, without knowing that she is actually much better placed financially than B.

If there is one thing that most people, even good people, are not very truthful about, it is their wealth. Some people lie to other people's faces. Others do it indirectly by exhibiting behavior that conveys an impression of being rich. Most people are more insecure about than thankful for the wealth they have earned.

There is another interesting phenomenon. Even if two people earn the same money, their tastes may be totally different. For example, one person's idea of spending is buying good clothes while another person's idea is to buy the latest gadgets. Unfortunately, each person sees the other's consumption as a threat and tries to imitate them, even if they have no need for that product.

If you notice a group of people, you will observe this trend happening quite often. Someone buys something - the others want to get the same or better thing. Someone goes on a trip - others quickly follow. Someone starts a hobby - soon the hobby shop is busy.

Try this experiment: Ask people to write down their expected hot ticket purchases for the next 6 months and then observe what they actually do. Usually, their list will be carefully thought out and will address their needs. Their actual purchases will be rash and will address their emotions.

Lastly, people are not really satisfied even if their peers are on the same wealth level. They want to get ahead. But when they get ahead, they find they have a new set of peers with whom they have to compete. The cycle never ends. If you are in this game, don't worry - there is always someone ahead of you.

The second mistake that people do with wealth as a scorecard is to use wrong targets - either too low or too high. If you set low financial objectives, you will not challenge yourself to learn, improve and find greater opportunities. This causes problems during economic downturns or technological advances when the person finds himself left behind and unable even to meet his originally low wealth targets.

Secondly, factors like inflation, stock/real estates crashes or stagnation, etc. can destroy or constrain growth of wealth again resulting in financial difficulties. Many blue-collar workers are victims of trying to settle for a simple life when current economic trends have no sympathy for such a lifestyle. Simple rule: Ignore market realities at your own peril.

Other people are guilty of trying to achieve too much without a realistic plan to get there. Yes, it is possible to earn $x million dollars, but will everything fall into place? What about external factors like the economy, technology, political/legal situation or sheer luck? Do you have the skills and capability to reach that level?

Another question is: are you willing to do what it takes to get there? The more difficult the financial target, the more sacrifices you have to make. For example, a startup company fighting with fierce competitors may require the founders to work like crazy for several months or even years. Forget enough sleep, timely food, family time, meaningful relationships, etc. And maybe there is only failure at the end of all that. Are you willing to live with that? If you cannot accept the process or a different possible outcome, change your expected targets and live accordingly.

Conclusion: It is important to understand that wealth and monetary considerations play a significant role in our daily lives. They can be used as one measure of progress and also as a means to avoid unnecessary hardship that prevents one from achieving other goals. However, using wealth metrics incorrectly by wrongful comparisons and inappropriate targets can also be the cause of much frustration and tension. Recognize the pitfalls, avoid them and you will be happier.

Technorati tags: scorecard, wealth, evaluation, assessment

Employees as Capital

This idea comes from Peter Drucker's book, "Managing in the Next Society". He says that in the Industrial Age, employees were treated as an expense, but in today's Information Age, employees are knowledge workers and should be treated as capital investment.

Many companies today do talk about employees as "assets". However, several factors still continue to promote the old thinking. Primary among them are accounting and budgeting. The company's financial statements always reflect the salaries and benefits of employees as expenses. The tax code, which treats expenses and asset investments differently, also reinforces this way of thinking.

One sees the same behavior in customer service. Short-term thinking makes some businesses only count the direct dollars that a customer pays for the product or service. They do not count the additional benefits that a satisfied customer brings in free marketing or the costs of losing that customer. Like the previous example, the financial statements do not force one to think with a long-term vision.

Going back to the original premise, what is involved in treating employees as capital investment? Let us compare an employee you hire to a capital expenditure (like machines or enterprise software) you make: (Don't extend the metaphor too far, such as treating employees like machines!)

1. You would only buy the best machine you can afford. Similarly, you should hire the best employees you can afford.
2. You would maintain the machines properly so that they can continue to work properly. Similarly, you should support the employees so that they can willingly do the best work they can.
3. You would upgrade the machines with new parts and tools when available. Similarly, you should keep training your employees in new skills and technologies.
4. You would use the right machine for the right task. Similarly, you would hire and use employees for the jobs that they are best suited for.
5. Your expenses for the machine, like power, maintenance, etc. are primarily for your benefit - translated into increased or longer-term revenues. Similarly, any expenses for the employees should be not written off, but considered as an investment.

This concept is particularly important in the new economy powered by information and software. In the past, work (involving physical labor) was inherently limited by the limits of the human body. Maybe one worker was 2-3 times stronger or faster than another. Maybe.

But when we talk of "knowledge work", there is a tremendous difference in the outputs of different persons in the order of many magnitudes. For example, in the creation of a software product, that means months of additional development effort, hundreds of more bugs and increased customer frustration (to the point of quitting) if you don't pay attention to getting and retaining the right employees.

Companies that understand this concept are incredibly empowered. They don't have to rely on expensive metrics collection and evaluation to drive the company forward, as each employee also has the same goal. If you look at many successful companies, you would find that they have achieved this.

Technorati tags: business leadership, business management, investment, employees, motivation

It is a Different Time

We are constantly reminded by technology that the world has fundamentally changed since the time of our childhood. Everywhere you go, you see it - developments in medical science, incredible new gadgets and electronic equipment.

Yet, while we embrace most of the new things that help make our life better, most of us are very slow to understand the potential challenges in the business world caused by these changes. Like the following:

1. The previous generation never had to cope with their technical knowledge becoming outdated every few months. You became an expert in .NET 2.0? Too bad, here comes 3.0!
   
2. They never worried about competition from every single part of the globe - people in China, India, eastern Europe, etc. - highly skilled and hungry for success, after years of lagging behind the Western world.
   
3. They never had a 24 x 7 world with cell phones, email, text messages, etc. that continuously interrupt and must be attended to. There is no real 9-to-5 job anymore.
   
4. There was no information overload as the Internet is today with video on demand, podcasts and blog feeds, with anyone and their grandmother being able to post content regardless of its quality.
   
5. The tools keep getting obsolete. The new ones keep getting more intelligent. Every job quickly becomes a McJob even as other currently non-existing professions open up.
   

These changes are pretty much irreversible unless Earth gets hit by a comet and the survivors go back to the Stone Age. We cannot live without many technological changes, especially those related to medicine. Who wants to die of small pox? Who wants to ride a horse from Boston to New York?

So, if you cannot beat the changes, you have to accept them and build up the skills necessary to survive in such a world.

Technorati tags: business challenges, technological advancement

Looking Forward

I was having a talk with a friend of mine recently and the discussion came around to different personalities in terms of how they view events. Basically, there are 2 types of persons:

1. Forward-looking: This individual is always about the next task that has to be done. Their mentality is oriented towards action. Their behavior is more influenced by opportunities in the future than events in the past.
   
2. Backward-looking: This person's actions are determined by past experience and events. Their behavior is influenced by risk management. They are more conservative in predictions for the future and hence less passionate.

Every person has different elements of each behavior. People take risks in some cases. They also resist change for others. However, there is usually one pre-dominant tendency in a person which boils down to answering the question, "Am I willing to try?"

The forward-looking person is a pleasure to work with because they don't get bogged down in a task. If something doesn't work, they try some other approach. If someone doesn't co-operate, they find another person. If they face failure, they dust it off and find something else to do.

Such persons always find something to keep them happy. They don't sit around unhappy or worried. For them, life is full of promise, regardless of how old they are. They are true to the concept of "making lemonade when life gives them lemons".

Should one adopt such an attitude? I think yes, because for one, you cannot change the past - not one decision, not one second. The past is also not a good indicator of the future, especially in our fast changing times. Every day brings new opportunities for happiness. Looking forward is a great way to enjoy life to the fullest.

Risk management has its place. One should benefit from experience and not repeat the mistakes of the past. There is also a need for conservative behavior in certain financial, legal and corporate situations. However, being always afraid and regretting brings no reward - only mental suffering and loss of valuable time.

Be happy. Dream of what you can do in the future. And run to embrace it.

Technorati tags: life, attitude, optimism

Web Site Creation

How do you go about creating a personal website? Here are 5 quick considerations if you have plans to do so:

1. Layout: How will the site look like? Fortunately, there are many examples of great looking websites that you can learn from. Take a look at http://www.csszengarden.com/. You don't really need to know a lot of graphics design. 1-2 good images and good combination of colors can create a simple, but attractive web design.
   
2. Navigation: Place the most important links so that visitors to the site can easily see it and navigate to it. Make it easy for users to access different parts of your system and also come back to the home page. Provide search capability. Google Custom Search is very easy to setup - just a matter of minutes.
   
3. Content: Having substantial amount of content on your website can take a lot of time - months or even years. Start small and maintain a regular schedule to add content. Over time, you will see your website grow.
   
4. Interactivity: Provide visitors a way to leave you feedback or contact you. Most hosting sites provide guestbook and contact form functionality. You could also build your own.
   
5. Technology: You can easily create websites using graphics editors and not knowing much about the technology. In the long-term, it pays to learn about the various technologies (HTML, web programming, etc.) so that you can maintain and extend your website further.

Nowadays, there is an increasing trend by many people to start blogs as their personal website. This is a great idea because it is much easier to get started and publish content. You can also reach a much bigger audience.

Technorati tags: website creation

Using Free Resources

The rise and success of the open source movement has provided a tremendous number of public resources. Wikipedia is an example of how open source has provided significant benefits to the general user audience. Today, open source is no longer limited to computer programs, but covers many other forms of media such as text, audio, video, etc. (See my previous article on Creative Commons.)

How does one take advantage of using such free resources?

1. Locate the sources of open source content: There are many central repositories for obtaining such content, like the Free Software Directory, Creative Commons Search, Gutenberg Books, Librivox Audio, etc. Wikipedia has many sister projects like Wikiquote, Wiktionary, etc.
   
   
2. Use search to locate content: Click Google Advanced Search - note the "Usage Rights" field where you can choose the right content. Yahoo has "Creative Commons Search" under its advanced search. Developers can use Krugle or Google Code Search. The idea behind using open source is to avoid re-inventing the wheel. Learn to search better to accomplish this objective.
   
   
3. Understand licensing: Different open source licenses provide different rights and enforce certain restrictions. Based on your needs, you may need to choose the right license. For example, the GNU General Public License (GPL) forces you to publish your work as open source again, if you use GPL content. Most licenses operate under the copyright law of the country where the author is based.
   
   
4. Include necessary attribution: Most licenses request that the user explain clearly who the original authors are and what license the work uses. Many people stumble at this step, because they fail to add the necessary copyright notices when they re-distribute a work.
   
   
5. Use proprietary work as appropriate: "Free" doesn't necessarily mean "better". Sometimes proprietary software or content has benefits that existing open source cannot provide - including usability, customer support, total cost of ownership, etc. Or vice versa. You have to spend time evaluating all the pros and cons with respect to your situation and make a careful decision.

The last point is particularly important in business decisions. Many technical people are either adamantly for or against open source, mostly out of ignorance.

For example, someone hates Microsoft and always selects the competing open source product, without worrying about how the rest of the IT team may have to spend significant time learning a new technology/environment or how there may be integration problems. On the other hand, some manager always selects a proprietary solution without researching if an open source solution with good support is available. Keeping an open mind is very crucial in avoiding costly decisions.

Technorati tags: open source, creative commons, licenses, technology, content

The Browser Wars

Over the past few months, many of my contacts, including several non-technical users, have been switching over to Microsoft Internet Explorer 7.0 from version 6. I have been pleasantly surprised to note that many of them have adapted to the new interface easily even though there have been significant changes from the previous version.

Most of the non-technical users I deal with use Internet Explorer as IE is the default browser in the default operating system (Windows) they use. Based on my experience so far, although Firefox has much going for it, I don't see significant number of non-technical users switching over. Fundamentally, this has to do with the common browsers reaching a certain level of maturity in terms of features, stability and performance.

The other fact is that most popular websites are much better designed now and cater to different browsers well. This means that users can do most common tasks on websites competently. For the general non-technical user, they would only be inclined to switch to a different browser if they cannot access a particular website on one browser. Most commercial sites cannot afford to behave that way in today's competitive environment.

It is illuminating to observe the differences between how a technical person (like programmer or web designer) uses a browser and how a non-technical user does it. The non-technical person typically use very few features in a browser - mostly the address bar, the Back button, clicking links, filling forms and printing screens. The technical person, in contrast, configures browser options, installs toolbars and ad blockers, etc. - things that I have never (yes, never) seen a casual user doing by themselves.

The larger point in this discussion is that interesting technological arguments (like which browser is better) are becoming more irrelevant each day. Technology is really there to help people do what they want. The best technology is invisible - people use it and move on. As various technologies - operating systems, browsers, etc. - become more mature and do most of what people want, users rarely waste time on the technical specifications.

Computers (desktops and laptops) are a good example. Most new computers (including PCs and Mac's) have features and performance that overshoot the needs of most users other than developers and gamers. Therefore, non-technical considerations (price, brand name, etc.) are increasingly becoming more of a factor.

Going back to the original topic, it is probably time to bury the debate on the browser wars. The end users already have.

Technorati tags: browser wars, Internet Explorer 7.0, Firefox

Creative Commons

This is something I have been meaning to do for a long time. I just added a Creative Commons license for the content of this blog - "Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License". The link leads to a simple description of the license - there is another link on the same page that leads to the full legal verbiage of the license.

Basically, if you write or publish anything in the United States, you are automatically entitled to the copyright of your work. Others may not copy or use your work, except under "fair use" doctrines, which provides limited use of copyright material without explicit permission.

The idea behind Creative Commons is that it provides an easy, accessible way for the general public to create a license for their creative works without the help of a lawyer. The license can be tailored to various considerations, such as if you are comfortable with someone copying and selling your work. You can choose your license through this simple interface here.

From the perspective of users of creative works (like articles, photos, etc.), Creative Commons makes it very convenient to consume and share good content. It removes the worry about violating someone's copyright by over-extending fair use. Many sites, including Flickr, allow you to search for such content.

The best way to use Creative Commons content is to extend it further. For example, you could combine text and photos to create your own work and share it with friends or publish it for others.

There are also other documentation licenses, notably the GNU Free Documentation License used by Wikipedia. Here is a list of such licenses.

Technorati tags: creative commons, free documentation, licenses

Avoiding Email Embarrassments

Sending email is easy. Perhaps too easy. I cannot begin to count the number of times I have hit the Send button and then wished there was some way of taking it back.

Since I have survived to talk about it, here are a few pointers based on personal experience on how to avoid some embarrassing situations:

1. Take a breather, walk away and think about what you have just written from the receiver's point of view. Was it the right tone? How will the person react? Will you achieve what you want to?
   
   
2. Run a Spelling-and-Grammar check. Of course, all grammar mistakes do not get caught with the check, so go on the next point.
   
   
3. Read the email from top to bottom. Carefully. Look at punctuation. Look at the meaning of the sentences.
   
   
4. Check the email addresses - To, CC and BCC, if applicable. Sometimes you can be fooled by the right name, wrong email address.
   
   
5. Did you attach the right file? The latest copy of that file from the right folder? Open it again and validate.

Pressing the "Publish" button on this post is equivalent to hitting "Send" on an email. So, as per Murphy's Law, there must be something written above that is going to be wrong. :-) Nevertheless, here I go.

Technorati tags: email communication, careful

Links to ASP.NET, Usability, and Open Source

There was a time when you had to spend painful hours reading technical material. Microsoft has made that tremendously easy by putting up some great training videos for ASP.NET, Ajax and SQL Server 2005. These are available at http://www.asp.net/learn/videos/default.aspx?tabid=63.

Get a cup of coffee, sit back, click the links and enjoy the videos.

Also, here's Jeff Atwood's synopsis of Jakob Nielsen's new book "Prioritizing Web Usability" at http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000836.html. I highly recommend reading this book as it contains details about each usability issue and how the researchers arrived at their conclusions.

Here is a good older article on some open source dogmas: http://www.neilgunton.com/doc/open_source_myths. I also recommend reading the book "The Success of Open Source" by Steven Weber. It analyzes the economics of open source and some of the legal and cultural issues.

Technorati tags: asp.net, usability, open source, books, jakob nielsen, steven weber

Internal Motivation

Many companies use a reward-and-punishment system to manage employees and work done. There are elaborate process manuals and schemes for calculating work metrics and related compensation. Good performance is rewarded. Poor performance is discouraged through various means - sometimes in tangible ways like money and promotions and sometimes otherwise, like being given unwanted assignments.

However, there are many problems with using carrots and sticks to manage a business.

1. First of all, people only work on those tasks that have incentives. Which leads to more incentives elsewhere. Soon you run out of carrots to do all the necessary tasks.
2. Incentives also become a fact of life and removing them is the same as lowering someone's salary - not a wise thing to do.
3. Using punishment may sometimes lead to unexpected side effects including unethical behavior. For example, if customer complaints are used as a measure, staff may decide to fix them without putting them into the reporting system.
4. Even seemingly fair punishment systems have their flaws. Very few people like doling out and receiving punishments and this reduces morale within the organization.

Basically, any reward or any punishment is only a short-term tactic for getting things done. In the long-term, they fail to raise the overall performance of the organization and sometimes may even lead to dysfunctional behavior.

The right long-term strategy for a business is to hire people with passion for their work. This internal motivation drives them to do things that no reward can do. It makes them avoid problems that no punishment can prevent.

We would all like to have energized and energizing people working for us. But there are challenges:

1. Internal motivation can be different from one person to the other. A challenging project can be thrilling for someone while striking fear and dismay into another person's heart.
2. The enthusiasm of a person is very dependent on external factors, primarily related to support from managers, team members, other departments, etc.
3. Passion can decrease with time. Changes in a person's life and added responsibilities can drive it down. For example, compare children and adults.
4. Lack of results can drive down passion. When sales or revenue isn't growing even though people are working very hard, it naturally dampens their mood.
5. Sometimes, passion isn't enough. Experience may be more important to the project. But experience means less passion - once you have done it, you don't feel so excited anymore. Passionate people want new challenges.

There is a saying, "In June, the graduate goes out to set the world on fire. In July, he wonders if his matches are wet."

Internal motivation is hard to come by and even harder to sustain. If you are a manager, recognize it when you see it. Encourage it and help that person keep the innocence and fire.

Technorati tags: internal motivation, incentives, rewards, punishment, carrots and sticks

Tragic Massacre at Virginia Tech

The killing of more than 30 people at Virginia Tech has shocked the country.

The list of victims has been released. Among the faculty, there is a Holocaust survivor. 4 other teachers and more than 20 students died, including a few foreign students.

We cannot imagine the suffering and pain that the families of the murdered people are going through.

The massacre was senseless - we may never know what thoughts went through the killer's head as he went about his rampage.

There are no answers as to why those innocent people met this fate.

Some of my emotions are the same I felt on 9/11. Why? How could people do such horrible things against others for no fault of theirs?

Unfortunately, the world contains evil, crazy and misguided people. We just cannot understand their motivations or way of thinking. And it is scary to know that there is not a whole lot we can do to stop them.

We can just hope and pray for the future.

Technorati tags: virginia tech

If Everyone were the Same

If you go to the theatre and see a movie, it costs around $x per person for one viewing. If you wait for a few months and see it on DVD, it costs half for the whole family for viewing several times in a week. But suppose everyone does the latter. Theatres would go out of business. Movie makers would garner smaller revenues and that affects the type of movies that they make.

What makes sense for one person creates problems when everyone does it.

• If everyone started saving more, many businesses would close down because of poor sales.
• If everyone lived a healthy life (exercise, no alcohol, smoking or drugs), many medical professionals would lose their jobs.
• If everyone were happy with their current wealth and earnings, there would be no entrepreneurs.
• If every student only worried about their studies, there would be no sports or arts.
• If everyone were on good behavior, there would be no judges, policemen, lawyers and armies (perhaps that is a good thing!)
• If everyone liked the same sports team, ...

Of course, that is not going to happen.

In the past, many jobs existed because of people's needs - occupations such as farming, teaching, carpentry, etc. Today, many jobs exist because people want more than their needs. Also many businesses are there because of people's vices.

Why does this matter?

Even though people know everything, they will not behave the same way. More to the point, many of them will not act rationally to help themselves. The ones who realize this see opportunities for growth and benefits and can take advantage of them. They can do that without that advantage being destroyed by many people rushing in to do the same.

For many things, we can be thankful that people are not the same.

Technorati tags: similar thinking

Stop the Email Thread

Sometimes, we can see several emails flying between various people on a particular subject. You can see that there is a problem when the argument gets heated and none of the parties seem to be working towards a consensus or final agreement on the issue.

Why does this happen?

1. Email is not simultaneous communication: Emails are half-duplex, which means that communication takes place in both directions, but not simultaneously. When one person is composing an email, he/she is simply sending a reply and then waiting for the other person to respond. This doesn't allow for interruptions or feedback while the information is being transmitted.
2. Emails are easy, but only if they are short: It is easy to send out an email, but to compose a thoughtful, long email takes time and energy, which most people don't have the patience for. Speaking is much easier for communicating and responding to more information.
3. Emails don't convey tone: People cannot understand the tone of the person sending the email. So there is a great chance of misunderstanding a sender's intentions unless they have written an introduction about what they intend from the email.

How does one stop this?

1. Call for a meeting or conference call: Get people talking to each other and it is incredible how quickly misunderstandings vanish and agreements are arrived at. Real-time communication also allows more information to be shared between people, allowing for effective future co-operation. 
2. Have a referee or umpire: At least one person in the discussion should act as a neutral. If someone seems to be misunderstanding or taking the discussion on a different track, this person should step in and set the subject and the tone straight.
3. Encourage longer emails: This is challenging, especially if some people are used to short replies and also are under time pressure. However, they can be trained to do so by providing them opportunities for documentation efforts. Once people get used to writing long documents, they start writing longer emails.

Here are some best practices to avoid starting a long discussion thread or getting flamed:

1. Explain your intentions clearly - what you are trying to, what your problem is, and why you propose a particular solution.
2. Provide as much detail in your original email and break down it into bulleted points so that the other person can reply to each point.
3. Anticipate answers and ask questions based on those anticipated answers. For example: "Can we do this in .NET? If not, ..."
4. Avoid use of words that denote certainty like "must", "will", etc. Instead use words like "may", "can", etc.
5. Focusing on getting the task done instead of projecting yourself or your thoughts.

Technorati tags: emails, meetings, conference call, effective communication

Some Quick Linking

Sorry for the lack of blog posts recently, but I have been really busy for the past few days. To get back on track, here are some quick links and thoughts

• I recently discovered the blog Worse Than Failure which is a collection of incredible (and funny) mistakes made by software developers at the code and user interface levels. Sometimes, the easiest way to learn is to look at other's mistakes before making them ourselves.
  
• Recently, we have been using WordPress at the office for our product blog. As I discover the functionality of WordPress, I seriously regret my decision to use Blogger for hosting this site. If you are planning to start a blog, my advice is to use WordPress, unless Google makes some amazing improvements in Blogger in the next few months. Some key WordPress benefits are: separate non-blog web pages, blog/feed statistics, better control over layout, paid subscriptions, comment spam, etc.
  
• I may yet move my blog to WordPress, but still keep this site intact so that I don't break bookmarks. If you are reading this in a feed reader like Google Reader, Bloglines or Thunderbird, please verify if your feed address is http://feeds.feedburner.com/thoughtclusters so that you continue getting the updates after I make the transition.
  
• Krugle is a good search engine for finding code samples. Please pay close attention to the source code license. Here is a good link on learning about software licenses: http://www.gnu.org/licenses/license-list.html.
  
• I recently moved my online documents from Google Docs & Spreadsheets to Zoho Writer. Nothing against the former, but the interface at Zoho is more appealing to me. They have a collection of other tools like an online spreadsheet (Zoho Sheet), online presentation software (Zoho Show), etc. For now, I am only using the Zoho Writer and the Zoho Wiki - both of which are really good.
  
• Here is a quick way to create a Google search URL. An example: http://www.google.com/search?q=windows-vista. As you can see, just combine your search terms using "-" (hyphen) and add them at the end of http://www.google.com/search?q=.

Crossing the Finish Line

In my previous post, I talked about three different places - the start, the middle and the end - where tasks can be abandoned. Most people are conscious of problems with starting tasks and maintaining the momentum. Few are worried about the problems of not closing out a task in a timely manner, which are:

1. Bloating the overall time taken for the task, which can affect future estimates for the task.
2. Reducing the available time for other tasks dependent on the current task.
3. Creating artificial delays and unnecessary frustration for people waiting for the task.

People have different reasons for delaying the completion of a task when it is apparent that it could be easily be finished. Some of the common ones are:

1. Not wanting to look idle: Many work environments unknowingly create negative incentives for completing work ahead of time. The person who finishes his work faster gets rewarded with more work. The manager starts questioning the "bloated" estimates given earlier. Management questions whether over-hiring has been done and slowly plan layoffs. Usually the more busy a person seems, the better off he is - regardless of what he is actually getting done.
   
   
2. Striving for perfection: When it comes to reports or documents, some people waste tremendous amount of time nit-picking every part of the document for trivial mistakes. Some others do it designing and programming for extreme scenarios which rarely occur in real life. Sometimes, this behavior results from being afraid to deliver something that can invite negative feedback.
   
   
3. Addiction: Sometimes, a person may have taken a particular liking to something in the current task that they don't want to move to something else. For example, a salesperson may like the process of selling (meetings, lunches, etc.) more than the tough task of asking a customer to sign off on a deal. I know a developer who was very fond of minor programming hacks (like C pointer coding) that he totally neglected analysis and design to his detriment.

While it is important to do things, it is also essential to know when it is enough, finish and move on.

Technorati tags: prioritization, finishing tasks, perfection, addiction, looking idle

Getting Things Done

We all know there are things we must do, but somehow we cannot seem to get them done. From my personal experience, here is what happens to some (not all or most) things I want to do:

1. Starting Trouble: Although the task keeps preying on my mind, I just keep postponing the task until the very last moment. This mostly applies to unpleasant or time-consuming tasks. Example: preparing tax returns.
2. Not Maintaining Momentum: If it is a repetitive task, I fail to continue it effectively. This is for tasks that are usually fun, but require a constant time allocation which can be difficult to do with pressure from other tasks at work, home or school. Example: going to the gym.
3. Not Knowing When to End: Sometimes I keep putting finishing touches on a task for too long. Usually, these are tasks that I like, but doing this wastes a lot of time that I could spend on other things. Also the particular task never gets completed. Example: hobby programming projects.

Here are some tactics I try to use to overcome these.

1. Maintain the items on a To-Do list with reminder alerts: This keeps me aware of upcoming deadlines. It also helps me prioritize the items so that I don't start on something silly when a serious item is pending.
2. Block free time on my calendar: This period will not be allocated for any task or meeting for anyone else. I use this time to catch up on pending items. I find that clearing time in the evenings is much better because there are less phone or email interruptions.
3. Multi-task during unproductive times: Previously, watching TV and driving used to be very unproductive times. Nowadays, I manage to use driving time to make calls and listen to books, freeing up other time. I use the TV time to pay bills, throw out junk mail and browse the Internet - yes, I still manage to follow the plot :-)
4. Just do something to start the task: I "inaugurate" an unpleasant task by doing something related to the task. This can be jotting down notes or getting the necessary papers together. For me, this makes the clock start ticking and drives me to complete the task.
5. Use scorecards: Before December, I found it difficult to blog regularly and totally fell off blogging for long periods. When I restarted earnestly in December, I decided to use Google Analytics and FeedBurner statistics to encourage me. It really worked and I want to thank everyone who is reading this for helping me stay on. I have found that using scorecards (metrics) in other situations (like software projects) also encourages one to meet the necessary goals.
6. Plan for the next task: This is an easy way to close out one task because the looming start of the next task or project will force an early end to the current task. In fact, the more tasks one has, the faster each one ends because one is looking to make things work, not make them perfect (which can be an illusion sometimes).

Technorati tags: task management, prioritization, personal learning

Factors for Success

Many successful people in their field point to hard work as the key factor in their success. Some do it out of humility because they don't think they are special. Others do it out of arrogance because they believe that other unsuccessful people were lazy and could have done better if they had worked harder. Of course, hard work is only one of the several factors for success. Here are some I can think of:

• Parents - rich/poor, educated or not, profession
• Support of family members, relatives, friends, professional acquaintances
• Place (country, region) where the person was born
• The country's political, economic, social and judicial systems
• The state of the economy at critical times during the person's career
• The physical and mental health of the person
• Personal qualities - confidence, communication, attractiveness, etc.
• The basic intelligence of the person
• Level of education (high school, graduate) that the person was able to complete
• Place (school, college) where the person studied
• Choice of career
• Sheer luck, coincidence or timing

Each of these factors can play a part in a person's success. Some may be very significant like existing family wealth and income. Others may be less significant or dependable like luck. Others may be relevant in some situations - like communication may be very important for someone in marketing, but less for a researcher.

Fundamentally though, it boils down to this: The more factors you have in your favor, the more likely you are to succeed in what you are trying to do. And if you are weak in some areas, you need a bigger dose of the other factors to help you out.

For example, if a person is born poor to under-educated parents, they have to overcome a lot of challenges before they can be on a level playing field with someone born to a middle-class household to professional workers. Same thing with physically handicapped persons. Success is possible, but much more difficult.

Some of these qualities are within our control, most aren't. Whatever success we may have achieved through our personal efforts is small compared to the influence of external factors. Realizing that keeps a lot in perspective.

Technorati tags: success, hard work

A Byte of Fun

Here are some words before they changed their meaning:

gate	window	bit	chip	mouse
button	apple	web	net	folder
bold	paste	save	log	hit
menu	server	excel	access	mail
page	label	feed	star	home

If you don't know the original meaning of the word, either you are too young or spending too much time with technology. Of course, you can always find the meaning by trying a "define: word" search using Google.

It is interesting how many words go out of common circulation because of scientific and technological advances. And how much our lifestyles have changed because of the Internet, cell phone and other gadgets.

The good thing about all this is that each of us has a wonderful set of bed-time stories for our grandchildren. They will probably have no idea about what we are talking about and the stories we tell will sound like amazing fairy tales.

Technorati tags: technology, meaning of words

Costs and Choices

There was an interesting comment to my previous post ("Motivations and Reasons") and I thought it deserved a blog post as reply. There are many things I really liked in the comment, especially about McDonald's market research, introduction of new products and other facts that I was not aware of. Here is my reply.

My take on the McDonald's and obesity issue is that it makes no sense. People have countless choices when it comes to buying and eating food. They decide what and how they want to eat and nobody is forcing them to do otherwise. Now, because of the fact that the food industry is huge and dispersed, it is very difficult to sue multiple companies and so McDonald's is usually targeted.

I am not sure how it will turn out in the court system, but the anti-obesity advocates are pretty motivated and organized. A few recent movies like "Fast Food Nation" and "Super Size Me" has also received national prominence (while their rebuttals not so much) and certain local government bodies have also got into the issue. When politicians get involved, issues are resolved on emotion instead of common sense.

The point I was trying to get across in my previous article was that one prominent reason drowns out or masks other reasons. When a person wishes that there was a vegetarian choice at McDonald's, he or she may have several other reasons to think so - not related to the health issue that seems to grab all the headlines. I would like to hope McDonald's does take all such reasons into consideration and consciously decides not to do anything about it. That would be good business thinking.

The commenter did explain how such demand is actually pretty low for a big company to handle and that there are other options for people. But there are other factors - again McDonald's may have thought about this and decided it was not worth it, but still, here you go:

1. McDonald's and its competitors are "fast" food restaurants. If I have time, I can shop for groceries and cook with the type of ingredients I want. But if I am on the road or late for a meeting, I want to grab something quickly and eat it within the shortest period, preferably on the drive-thru. As a Catholic/Muslim/Jew/Hindu/Buddhist/Jain in this situation, I just want something to eat that will not violate my religion and do it fast.
2. I don't want a lot of choices - just something I can eat to fill my stomach. A competitor of McDonald's (purposely not named) does have exactly one such item and I go to them instead. It is not the best meal in the world, but that is all I have time for. If McDonald's had even one offering like that, I would visit it instead. For example, the McDonald's near Lexington on I-95 highway is very convenient, but I am forced to take another exit.
3. When a non-vegetarian is with a vegetarian and they want to have some fast food, they invariably visit the place where the vegetarian person has at least one choice. This happens a lot during short business trips or when friends get together.
4. Many of the other communities are immigrants and have more children than long-time American citizens. In the long run, that is a valuable set of customers who will not see McDonald's as often.
5. Common visitors to McDonald's would try out the new item just for the sake of variety.

I really don't know how much income this would translate to. Perhaps it is really small. Is it a growing market? Could McDonald's make something out of it? As I said, the competitor's vegetarian offering is not high quality, but they definitely attract some business because I have found that item in almost every outlet I have been to. So is this money simply left on the table?

In a general sense, a market leader has to cater to the most common demands in its market. Doing otherwise may result in high operational inefficiencies and violate the principle of maximum profitability. That is how niches open up - they take advantage of the market segments that are not served by existing producers.

If the niche market segment remains small, the market leader continues to maintain pre-dominance in the market. If it increases, then the leader may find its market share slowly diminishing. It can try to provide a competitive offering at that point - chances are that the niche producer has already established mindshare and it is difficult to wean those customers away. It is not impossible, but it has become a tougher task.

In conclusion, I would say that most customers (like me) do not care about political agendas or ideologies. They are primarily wrapped in their own lives and make decisions that are purely driven by personal motives - call it selfishness, if you will. When a business can meet those selfish needs, it becomes successful with those customers.

Technorati tags: business management, cost analysis, McDonald's

Motivations and Reasons

Although two persons may say or do the same thing, they may have different motivations for that - An action or a speech by someone may not be because of the reason you expect.

Faced with the same situation and same facts, people's decisions are based on many different factors like past experience, their knowledge, their cultural/religious thinking, etc. Even if their actions are the same, the thinking process may be different.

For example, let us consider McDonald's (at least the ones I am familiar with in New Hampshire and Massachusetts). Their menu is predominantly meat-based. The management thinks that their fight is with the anti-obesity crowd, but here are the people they are turning away:

1. People who will not eat meat because they are against animal slaughter.
2. People who don't eat meat because they don't like the taste or they like fish or vegetables better.
3. People who already have health problems (not necessarily obesity) and want to stay away from fatty food.
4. Muslims who cannot eat food that is not "halal".
5. Jews who cannot eat food that is not "kosher".
6. Some Hindu/Buddhist communities who are vegetarians.
7. People who belong to religions where meat eating is not allowed during certain days or months. The Lent period is an example.
8. People who want something vegetarian, but which can satisfy their hunger (unlike a salad).
9. People who are just not in the mood for meat.

How does this apply to business?

1. When you introduce a new product, don't just think about why you may want it, but why other people would want it. Also think about why other people may prefer something different from you.
2. Same with introducing a new policy. In many situations, people accept a new policy for various reasons, including not sticking their neck out and getting fired. Figure out why they are agreeing with you and if, in fact, the agreement is full and unconditionally given.
3. Play the devil's advocate against your thinking so that you can come up with reasons why your ideas may not work as you imagine they would be.
4. Surround yourself with trusted people who can sincerely and fearlessly provide negative reasons against your actions.
5. Don't dismiss something quickly just because you don't think the same way. Test the concept with different people.

Technorati tags: business management, motivation, reason, incentive

Managing Costs the Right Way

Many companies do not pay enough attention to finances when they are growing rapidly and then do all the wrong things about controlling costs when the growth slows down. Usually many such cost cutting measures are counter-productive as they lower the morale of the organization. Often, the most talented employees quit first to leave for better pastures, thus sinking the company even further.

Here are a few suggestions to manage costs before and during slow times that may avoid such situations:

1. Don't go overboard during the good times: While it is good to enjoy when the money is rolling in, use moderation in creating benefits that cannot be sustained. People always feel entitled to existing incentives and plan their expenses around them. If you cannot sustain benefits, don't create them in the first place.
2. Keep your best people happy: When you lose any employee, the costs for finding a replacement and then training them to match the output of the previous employee is enormously high, even discounting opportunity losses. The cost is several times higher for the loss of the top people in your company, because if they leave, you lose not only money, but a piece of the accumulated knowledge and wisdom of the company.
3. Spend significant time training people: Training should be focused on helping people do their job as effectively as possible with high levels of quality. The fewer mistakes made, the lesser the cost to the company.
4. Pump more funds into proven productivity tools: This will ensure greater output (and revenue) per employee leading to greater profit margin. In an Information Technology environment, that means faster hardware, better software tools and comfortable working environment - aesthetics and ergonomics both.
5. Reduce work interruptions: Avoid unnecessary meetings. Use project management tools that queue work items instead of creating interruptions. Enforce good documentation that reduces the need for personal help support. Hire people who can think for themselves. 
6. Provide telecommuting options: Is it better for employees to waste hours in traffic and spend tired hours in office? Or perhaps have them spend the same hours at home with greater motivation and energy, allowing them at the same time to maintain better work-life balance?
7. Let the employees figure it out: When finance or human resources is given free reign to cut costs, usually they end up alienating employees throughout the organization. The problem is that they have no clue how development/production/support staff work and the cost cutting is in the wrong places and creates more problems. Let each project/department/branch come up with various options - they can differentiate between fat and muscle.

The whole point is: if you manage a business, don't let the business get to a situation where you have to start using unpopular cost-cutting measures. Develop good business strategies - in fact, the business should try to make more money than it ever dreamed of making. Innovate and stay ahead of the market. Save the business for the people who helped build it in the first place.

Technorati tags: business management, cost control, training, productivity

Human Beings in the Workplace

One of the major sources of conflicts in the workplace between managers and employees is because each side does not see the other side as human beings who have failings and can make mistakes. Although there are bad managers and employees, the majority of people in most companies are just trying to do their best for the organization. But unfortunately, people just don't give others the benefit of the doubt.

Here are some common mistakes that managers make:

• Employees are not robots: They are not machines who can work with full efficiency throughout the day. They suffer fatigue. Sometimes, they come to work even while ill so that they don't suffer loss of pay or holiday time.
• People don't leave their personal life at the office door: People cannot just turn off their minds about the happenings in their personal life when they enter the building.
• There are other important things in life too: While your product may be the greatest thing ever invented, your employees may be more concerned about things that matter to them, especially their family.

Managers frequently assume that when an employee is not bursting with passion, they don't have the necessary commitment. Sometimes they think that it is a compensation or HR problem. That may not be the case.

What about employees? Here are some of their mistakes:

• Managers are not robots: Was that surprising? Yes, managers are not machines without any feelings. They are happy if they receive cooperation and empathy. They feel bad when they are forced to do everything themselves.
• Managers are also trying to do their jobs: Managers have their responsibilities, deadlines and deliverables. Every manager is always a little jumpy, worried if they can meet their targets and satisfy their bosses.
• Managers are under pressure: Many employees attribute any fault of the manager to wickedness or stupidity. The fact is that most managers miss certain duties or take the wrong path because of pressure and stress.

A lot of these problems can go away if each side opens up to the other and builds up trust. Then each can explain what their needs and limitations are and with that knowledge, work towards common goals.

But it doesn't necessarily have to be a joint effort. Sometimes, there is a circle of mistrust that can be broken if even one side (a manager or an employee) decides to put their ego aside and extend their hand of understanding and co-operation.

Technorati tags: business management, assumptions, managers, employees, communication

The 3 Stages of Knowledge

With regard to any subject from playing basketball to deep sea diving, there are 3 stages of learning, as follows:

1. Ignorance: The person has superficial or no knowledge in the subject. They may have some or many misconceptions of or prejudices against it. If they have to be involved in some activity in that subject, they are likely to make many beginner mistakes. This situation continues until the person gains adequate knowledge of the topic.
2. Arrogance: The person is very comfortable with the subject. This manifests into love and admiration for it. It also results in arrogance and hostility towards persons who do not share the same passion or knowledge of the subject. There is a deep suspicion of any competing tool.
3. Enlightenment: The person recognizes the limitations of their knowledge. They learn to tolerate other viewpoints and interests. They understand the original rationale behind the subject. Principles become more important than rituals. Arrogance is replaced by humility and concern.

Let us take a few examples from different subjects:

1. Sports: The first few games for the new player are unmitigated disasters. She has no technique and sometimes even doesn't know the rules of the game. After a few months of training, she starts beating casual players. She doesn't even show mercy to rookies, beating them black and blue. But then she runs into veterans and realizes the limitations of her game that are beyond technique - things like patience, observation, continuous hard work, improvement and goodwill with others. She then turns into a world beater.
2. Management: The novice manager feels like a fish out of water. He finds it difficult to manage people, schedules and priorities. But soon enough, he starts reading books and attending courses. At some point, he gains enough knowledge to do his job competently in most situations and believes that what he is doing is the "absolute right way". He stops learning and listening. Then he lands into a few crisis situations and realizes that there is more to the game. Now, he recognizes that he has to continuously keep adapting and increase his array of skills.
3. Programming: The starting programmer doesn't care about coding standards or code optimization - he just wants to get the output! But over time, he learns about the language details, the gotcha's, the libraries, etc. and slowly becomes a C++ (or whatever programming language) fanatic. He has various reasons why his language is better than others and will get into hot arguments with anyone who is interested in a fight. Then he learns about "software development" as opposed to programming and realizes that the whole point is to help the user solve problems, not about the tool used to solve them.

Every one of us is at one of the 3 stages in different fields. In most areas, we are at Stage 1, because we don't or cannot know much about them. For example, if one is working in Information Technology, one probably doesn't know much about medicine, law, journalism, etc. It is a natural situation because we just don't have the time to learn about all of these subjects. It is just not practical.

However, we will be in Stage 2 or 3 in the subjects that we are interested or working. I know "arrogance" is a pretty strong word, but the fact is that once we human beings become somewhat above average in any field, most of the time, we display excessive pride and look down on others not so fortunate. The subject doesn't have to be anything complex. For example, white-collar workers are mocked for their lack of "real world skills" like making household repairs, fixing a puncture, etc.

To get from Stage 2 to 3, we have to realize the following:

1. Although we have above-average knowledge of the subject, it is usually only partial and it would take enormous amounts of time to become an expert.
2. Our existing knowledge is inadequate for different situations and we have to keep learning.
3. We are novices in the majority of the activities that we do in our life.
4. We depend on experts in other fields in which we are novices.
5. Even in our own field, we depend on people with less knowledge and we only lose by being arrogant towards them. For example, sportspersons need training partners. Every project team will have highly skilled and less skilled persons.
6. We are only experts in tools or techniques. The basic principles of success are mostly behavioral and they are common to all fields.

Once we reach the final stage, our expertise and knowledge becomes useful to other people in the most significant way possible because we can relate it to different situations. I do not presume to say that you cannot learn from an arrogant person, but the best teacher is not the one who thinks he has all the answers, but the one who makes you interested in exploring the questions he cannot answer. That is progress.

Technorati tags: knowledge, ignorance, arrogance, enlightenment, learning