Who wants to come with me?

Sunday, September 21, 2003

Sachin Ramchandra Raverkar

The eternal exploration…

Quite a few times people spend lot of their time looking out for another solution and very little time following up the one they have learnt recently.

Quick fix required…

That is so true. And people do the same thing. Again and again. They are always looking for the next quick fix rather than using what they have already have learned.

They go from one diet program to another, one exercise plan to another without following the last plan. Then they wonder why they don’t lose weight or build up their heart.

Help! Help!It reminds me of a story of a man

who slipped and fell off a cliff while hiking on a mountaintop. Luckily he was able to grab a branch on his way down.

Holding on for dear life, he looked down to see a rock valley some fifteen hundred feet below. When he looked up, it was twenty feet to the cliff where from he had fallen.

Courtesy: This story of the man hanging from cliff is taken from the book Putting One Minute Manager To Work

Help! Help!

Panicked, he yelled, “Help! Help! Is there anybody up there? Help!”

A booming voice spoke up, “I am here and I will save you if believe in me.”

“I believe! I believe!”, yelled back the man.

“If you believe in me”, said the voice, “let go off the branch and then I will save you.”

Is there anybody else up there? Help!The young man hearing what the

voice said, looked down again. Since the rock valley bellow, he quickly looked back up and shouted, “Is there anybody else up there? Help!”

That is exactly we should not do – hold on to the branch and keep looking for another system.

No. Let’s try something else…In software development, too, we

come across such incidents. Some of us go after processes, methodologies, patterns. But we do not implement any of them to their full potential.

And then we think perhaps that is not cut out for the situation at hand. This is always-on-the-move.

Only dead things don’t change…

On the other hand, some of us are very defiant to embrace better ways. They have the classic excuse: We have been doing this way for ages. And almost everyone around is doing the same way. So why should we go the better way? That will complicate the things.

They do their best to ridicule the better way to the extent that the person who proposes the better way, gives up.

Giving up is the grave mistake

committed by those who propose better ways.

History is witness! All the reformers and their better ways were ridiculed.

With us, the scene is not that gloomy. There are few who appreciate our ways. However, that is not the aim. Don’t be complacent. We want our better ways be accepted and implemented.

Never give up…

War is fought to win. And we need to survive too, to enjoy the victory.It is a war. Not against the people.

But against the rotten mindset. To subdue them, we need to prepare ourselves.

Just showing the better way will not suffice. Notice that they opponents are holding to the branch of ‘old ways’ and you are asking them first to let go off the hold of that branch.

Show me the advantages, they yell at you.

And you expect them to agree. Know your opponents. Just don’t give up because somebody doesn’t want the better way. Ask them why should we not go the better way.

Be ready with case studies, success stories and sample data to fortify your claims.

Also point out the disadvantages of the old way to open their eyes.

Take whole responsibility of your proposed ways

The very main objection to new ways is that we are going to trade unknowns. Though it appears to be great way, why take risk? We will fail.

And it is the moment for you. Simply take the whole responsibility to walk your talk.

Nothing succeeds like success.Since succeeding is the only

important thing, no matter which way we go – the old way or the new one.

Recognize this basic requirement and we know that the new way will lead us to success – more effectively than the old ways. You need to convince them. And it is all matter of convincing the others. Once convinced, they will follow the suit.

No preaching.No complaining.Just do it.Here I relate to the great idols we have

– Shri Ram in Ramayan, Shri Krushn in Mahabharat

They never preached. Never complained. They eliminated the Evil. They took actions to establish the Truth and Dharma.

So is the case of reformers. They do the needful to establish the Good Practices. They eliminate the Bad Practices.

Who wants to come with me?

So let’s pull up our sleeves. Sharpen our weapons. And be ready for the onslaught.

Onslaught on the rotten mindset.

All the best!

Prepared By

Sachin Ramchandra Raverkar

http://www.linkedin.com/in/sachinraverkar

Let’s work in the mutual interest…