Notes on Management 190122

By Deep Kalra

Finding someone willing to bet on you is tricky. When you talk to the investor, understand if they are decision-makers who will also sit on your board. Earn their goodwill with honesty and over time, their friendship and support.

Making the interview process multilayered by getting the aspirant to meet as many people as possible allows for a wide-ranging opinion on finding the right fit. Try to meet them more than once but in different settings to assess their true character.
There are several cues to understand if a candidate is a team player: reference checks outside the list given by the aspirant, and checking the language on the resume to see if it is dominated by "I" and not "we" are just some of them.

Entrepreneurs should never count on promised outcomes and investments. Know when to pull the plug. Assess by metrics such as the health of the business, ability to sustain, and how valuable is your offering to customers.


By Rajan Anandan

Consumer-focused innovation for India is different because a majority of Indians have low incomes. To innovate for India, companies need to reimagine business models, products, and services, while designing products to meet the needs of a very distinct market.

Artificial Intelligence will dominate and shape the future of the workplace. Man and machine will collaborate and supplement. Prepare for a tomorrow where learning to be relevant, irrespective of industry or role, will be the norm.

An entrepreneur and a manager have similar mindsets yet are different. One focuses on creating and the other has maintenance and growth on their minds. Every start-up of worth faces at least five near-death moments, it is a rite of passage. Not enough managers take up tough assignments where one is likely to fail but learn exponentially too.

Having audacious goals for your business and team forces you to reimagine the approach you are going to take. Google calls it moonshot thinking which is 10X as opposed to 10 percent. Think of new approaches to get things done. Learn how to come up with these ideas and have the courage to execute them.

Big skills required for success today: curiosity, creativity, adaptability, and agility. Since what you are doing today will not be relevant in five years, invest more in training in the next generation of technologies. Companies and employees need to make a concerted effort to learn new skills to be relevant.

Internet is democratizing and enabling people to access resources that used to be the purview of a privileged few. Learn what technology can do for you and your company.

Understand how to keep millennials engaged at the workplace by providing: Inspiring mission, empowerment, and flexibility while creating internal mobility.