Enjoy making mistakes!

I love teaching at Business Schools because it gives me an opportunity to interact directly with the bright young minds that are going to be involved in managing India Inc., in the future. I get to see them here, as it were, “in-process”; in a formative stage. They are fluid; somewhat confused; yet rigid in their confidence in their own inte

lligence.

I tried to make this current group of MBA students at GITAM appreciate the need to be flexible in their approach to resolving managerial issues.

Most engineers as well as finance professionals have passed through an educational system that consistently rewards being right and punishes being wrong. While this approach is perfectly justifiable with respect to exact sciences and like Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Arts like Accountancy, it is dangerous in an MBA program where abstract ideas are being shared and compared.

To demand a right or wrong answer for a case study would be inappropriate. Approaches can be discussed and their pros and cons analyzed or even debated. Reasons can be attributed for success for success or failure of a company. Generic learning should be derived there from.

When a participant in an MBA program sticks to his view as the “only” correct one, he is regressing back to his “Right vs. Wrong” learning patterns that exclude by definition all information that contradicts this view. This could even lead to totalitarian attitude that could be dangerous to the organization if present at the middle or senior levels of management.

During the session, I made an impassioned plea to the students to “enjoy making mistakes i.e. being wrong!” One of the students a smart and vociferous communicator, Indrajit Bannerjee stood up and politely made this point:“Sir, we do things to be right. We don’t do things to be wrong! So you are wrong to say that we should enjoy being wrong!”

This was followed by heavy applause from the class.

I was impressed by his words. I decided to take my own advice and enjoy being wrong! Yes! He is right! You don’t set out to make mistakes and get things wrong. You plan to get things right!

The point is what you do when you are clearly shown as being wrong. Are you willing to listen and see other perspectives to understand where you went wrong or are you busy defending your concept of “Right”? This is the essence of the art of learning from mistakes with joy. How we deal with failure determines our ability to succeed. What you do when you’re wrong influences your ability to be right!

Vaizag Landing 2

You can see clearly the coastline and the city hugging it in this shot.

Vaizag Landing - 1

On my way to Vaizag this time, I begged the air hostess and got Seat 2 B, a window seat and managed some good aerial shotswhile landing at Vaizag.

Senora--Vaizag

26.08.2010

in the evening I went out for dinner with Vinay Bhandari a student at GITAM. We braved the rains on his Pulsar bike and drove at break neck speed on the beach road to

the Senora hotel. The hotel, which is part of the Laila group, is an upcoming property on the beach road in Sagarnagar. It is perched about one-fourth of the distance up a small hill overlooking the highway and the sea. This

means almost every room will have a magnificent view of the beach and bay.

I found the restaurant to be reasonably good. My companion being of the vegetarian persuasion did not join me in tasting the Tomato Egg Drop soup which was pretty good. Later we had a bread basket and some sabzee.

Vinayrecommended that I have a look at the Palace Suite on the top floor. This is a massive suite with a separate

terrace attached! The room was quite

impressive and INR5000 per day, a steal. The terrace has views on threesides so we can see the hills around and the beach across the road.

A good hotel, worth a look in next time you are at Vaizag.

Raining in Vaizag

26.08.2010

There was heavy rain in Vaizag. When I woke up in the morning, it was raining cats and dogs. As I peeped out of my window in the guest house room at GITAM campus, the rain was pouring down on the green lawn outside. The rain abated later during the day. It brought a bit of blessed cooling from the otherwise sultry weather at Vaizag. It is surprising that though both the cities are on the east coast, Chennai becomes cooler in the evenings. The cool breeze sets in around 4:30 and the heat reduces. Whereas, here at Vaizag the evenings bring no such pleasant relief. The air is still and even a casual stroll in the evening makes one sweat due to the humidity. This oppresive weather condition and the intermittent rain were possibly reasons why I never made it to the Rushikonda beach during this visit.

Scenic Landing at Vaizag

I am here at Gitam Institute of International Business, Vaizag handling the second installment of the course I offer here on Business Strategies and Management Control Systems. I landed up here on 23rd August at around 12:30 PM. On the way to the GITAM University I requested my driver to stop on the beach road a little distance beyond Kailash Giri where the road curves right. I got some classic shots of one of the best the stretches of Vaizag Beach. The terrain of Visakhapatnam is very interesting. The azure blue sea, the sands of the beach, the low hill ranges lining the bcity on the east and west. All this when taken together makes for a panorama of scenic beauty, especially on the beach road which twists left and right throwing up vistas of sea, sand and hills with every turn.

The sunrise is pretty early here possibly because of being further east when compared to Chennai.

Landing at Vaizag airport during daytime is always worth a window seat. During my landing I got a classic aerial view of Vaizag from the craft. First the blue green sea, so calm and still like water in a tub with small toy-like ships floating on it. From up above these huge vessels piled with containers looked no bigger than the miniature ships that children play with. Then the unbroken golden yellow line of the sandy beach followed by a belt of greenery. As the plane prepares to land, the docks come into sight. The sea extends into the land through a natural inlet navigable by lagrge vessels. Huge vessels lie safely docked in this inland harbor. As the plane turns again, the beach road, a winding black line between sea and city is seen. Then the city and the highrises, the railway track and finally greenery again as the plane swoops down to land at the runway of the Vaizag airport. From my window I see a line of emerald green hills just opposite the airport on the otherside of the Highway.

Images from Vaizag

Tenneti Park

The evening was spent in visiting Tenneti Park which is on the beach road opposite to Kailas Giri. The park is well maintained by the Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (VUDA). It is situated on a ledge jutting out over the sea. There is a small hillock which can be climbed to obtain a good view of the sea down below. Steps run down a steep incline from the park to the beach about 200 feet below. Behind the park and across the highway Kailas Giri rears up majestically.

Ruminations on Rushikonda Beach

SUNDAY

25.07.2010

For want of anything better to do in the evening, I decided to take a stroll up to Rushikonda Beach. The GITAM campus is bang opposite the Beach which is, arguably, the best beach in and around Vaizag. The sea has created a small semi-circular indentation into the shoreline forming a sheltered beach well away from the deeper and more dangerous waters. Here, at Rushikonda, the waves splash gently on the shore of the large cove where families romp amidst the benign sea. Sitting on that beach and looking out at the Bay of Bengal, I missed my family. But, thanks to mobile telephony, I could call tham the next instant and share my thoughts. I suppose the feeling of nearness must be even more intense with 3G Mobiles.

The peculiar geology of this rocky coastline has left a small spit of land uneroded which extends like a pier into the sea. As this formation runs due southwest to northeast, it gives a strange feel of walking between two beaches with waves on either side.

I love the sea with its soothing wave-rhythm and its willingness to absorb all my petty worries and fears in its immense all-encompassing maternal bosom.

As I walked back to the campus my mind slipped into peculiar reveries steeped in nostalgia and regret for things which could not be or should not be. As my mind kept wandering around thus, the ganta natha (sound of a Bell) from a nearby Shiva Temple rang loud and clear breaking into my somber thoughts and silencing them once and for all. I went into this private shiva temple set in the middle of a verdant grove.

I sought my solace at the feet of the Father who destroys all sense of self and the Mother who is Grace personified.

Matha cha Parvathi Devi, Pitha devo Maheshwaraha;

Bhandhava Shiva Bhaktha cha, Swadesho Bhuvathryam!

Parvathi is my Mother, My Father the Lord of Lords—Shiva;

My relatives are His Devotees, My realm the Three worlds!

Why worry when I have such great parents to protect and counsel me and promote my welfare!

Visakhapatnam again

I am here at Vaizag to handle Business Strategy and Management Control for the second year MBA students of the GITAM Institute of International Business.

The temperature in Vaizag is pleasant at 26 degrees with occasional showers. My ride from the airport to the campus on Rushikonda beach was a pleasant one especially the winding beach road running along the ranges of small hills. The view of the beach on the right and the hills on the left is spell binding especially after the turing beyond Tennetti Park.

Vaizag is surrounded by hills on all sides witth the Bay of Begal on the East.

Look Back! You are the Ocean!

A new wave was born in the ocean. It rolled about and splashed here and there, generally communicating its happiness to the other waves. The waves rolled on and approached the distant shore. Suddenly, our Wave sees a rock looming large in the horizon.

It looks on petrified and starts screaming. Another wave nearby asks what the problem is. Our wave says, 'Hey! See that Rock? We're going to crash and die!!!' 

The other wave says, 'So what? Look back you are the Ocean!" 

Beaching and Teaching at Visakhapatnam

I was back at the GITAM University campus, Visakhapatnam between 13th and 17th December. It was pleasant to visit their splendid campus again. This is a sprawling 100 Acre facility, which houses nearly fifteen educational institutions including an Engineering college, a Dental College, two Institutes of Management, a Pharmacy college Undergraduate classes, polytechnics…you name it!

GITAM Institute of International Business where I was conducting lectures is one of these institutions. The campus has access from both the Eastern or seaward side as well as the western side. The road that connects these two gates is the main arterial road or backbone. The various colleges are situated along the ribs that extend from this medulla oblongata! Near the eastern gate is a massive playground. A majestic hill overlooks this green meadow. Every conceivable sport or game is played here by the students. The UG and PG hostels are around this playground. I was put up at Santi Sadan the PG hostel.
My typical day at GITAM was spent like this:
Mornings were at six. A brisk walk to the beach with Mr. Giridhar a second year student. I became friends with Giri through Dr. Dumblekhar, another visiting faculty. During my last visit, Dr. Dumblekar had suggested that we go for a walk on the beach. So almost every morning was spent “Beaching and Teaching” as Dr. Dumblekhar calls it! Dr. Dumblekhar is an expert in designing and delivering Management Games. He has an elaborate software that he uses to run these games at B School Management Meets.

After a quick bath, shave etc., I lectured from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM and then from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. During the intervening free time I used to sit in the committee room handling my office through the net and my mobile. My office is wherever I am! Physical space is slowly becoming meaningless for running your business. Please not that I said “running” not delivering your product. In service industry physical meetings with clients is how we deliver our product. I think we should all concentrate on Customer and Client interaction more than on intra office interaction. Most issues (say 75%) can be resolved over mobile or E Mail.

Evenings were spent working on my research papers, book etc. with a brief stroll round the campus after a visit to the Narthans Ganapathy shrine.

On Sunday I visited Kailash Giri a reasonably high mount overlooking the Bay of Bengal! Giri was kind enough to take me there on his Pulsar! The ride on the winding Beach Road was invigorating. There is a ropeway that takes you to the hill top which is a flat plateau. The main attraction are huge statues of Siva and Parvathi. Beyond that is a park and a small shrine with a Siva Lingam.

The entire gamut of tourist attractions of Visakhapatnam is on the Beach Road. Beginning with Beemili Beach, and Rushikonda Beach we pass through the zoological park, Kenneti Park, and Kailashgiri.

A short distance away is VUDA park with Selveeland a water theme park adjacent to it. Beach Road then widens at RK Beach with a nice Promenade and beach with the customary Gandhi statue depicting the Father of Over Nation walking swiftly with a stick in hand. The crow on his head is also a standard feature not to mention the bird droppings which are complimentary!

I also had the opportunity to visit the 150 year old Waltair Club (Waltair is the anglicized name for Visakhapatnam). The bar at the club is called 1883 to commemorate the year of its inauguration!

As Giri had some urgent work at college we rushed back. The ride back was exquisitely exhilarating as we speeded along the smooth road winding its way along the beach front. On our right the slapping of the waves on the pale white shore; on our left the series of small hillocks that line the seashore. Above us the dark canopy of heavens with the stars shining down and the golden disc of the almost full moon shining in the far eastern horizon.