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I flew back by Southwest Airlines on my way back from Kansas City yesterday. I have always had good experience with Southwest Airlines just because the crew there are a happy bunch and it’s sort of infectious. I asked for Tomato Juice and some water. I got Campbell’s Tomato Juice and Deja Blue water. Here is what was on those cans:

1. Campbell’s Tomato Juice:
Research studies show that diets rich in tomatoes and tomato products are associated with long-term health benefits. Many nutrition experts advise regularly including tomatoes and tomato products as part of a healthy diet. Tomatoes contain Lycopene - a powerful natural antioxidant found in very few other foods. Scientists are investigating the role Lycopene may play in long-term health benefits.

My $.02:
It seems like researchers are still figuring out what benefits MAY be there by using tomato or tomato based products in the diet. Why make a big deal about it when you don’t have solid data?

2. Deja Blue water
Using state of the art purification systems including reverse osmosis, carbon filtration and ozonation, we deliver a consistent taste and purity.

My $.02:
Too many buzzword for just a glass of water…

3. Lastly, the paper napkins had a pitch for Southwest airlines rapid rewards program. It said:

We’ll celebrate coast to coast

Rapid Rewards 20th Anniversary

Not a member? Join the Fun
southwest.com/rrenroll/20th

My $.02
You are celebrating. That’s great. I am a normal human being and I want to know what is in it for me. Why don’t you make it meaningful to me?

In this short article, Stuart deals with the concept of focus - especially the kind of laser sharp focus that will almost make you sacrifice other important things (like friends and family) to get what you are focusing on. A must read for Silicon Valley types (that are now everywhere)

Here is the link:

What does it mean to be focused? - by Stuart Scott

Have a great week ahead!

Thank you for all the emails and feedback for my ChangeThis Manifesto

Making the Most of Your Time (pdf, free)

I am replying to EVERY email individually before this weekend.

For those who are interested in a shorter version of this eBook is here:

1. Making the Most of Your Time: 500 word manifesto (Inspired by Hugh MacLeod)

For those who prefer audio, my audio interview on the same topic is available in three parts. Here are the links:

1. Making the Most of Your Time - Audio Part 1

2. Making the Most of Your Time - Audio Part 2

3. Making the Most of Your Time - Audio Part 3

PS: Here is the link to my first manifesto published at ChangeThis. Thanks to all of your support, this is one of the top ten downloaded and emailed manifestos on the site.

 25 Ways to Distinguish Yourself (pdf, free)

Think about an ATM machine. Did you remember an ATM machine today? Unless you wanted cash, you probably did not think of an ATM machine. That’s not a problem. In fact, it would be scary if you were thinking about an ATM machine when you didn’t NEED cash. This is also fine because you don’t expect the ATM machine to be thinking about you anytime - day or night <smile>

Well, friends are different. They are not like ATM machines who are there to just serve you whenever you NEED them. Unfortunately, in real life, many people think about their friends like ATM machines.

Let’s think about two scenarios - both involving contact from “friends” from whom you have not heard for a long time.

Scenario 1:

Think about someone from whom you have not heard from for a long time. Out of the blue the person calls you and talks to you as if you are his childhood pal and then somewhere in the middle - he introduces a request. He also behaves as if the “request” was not what triggered the call. You know what is happening there. You help him with his request anyway. What happens next? The person disappears for a long time again. He re-appears once again when he has a new request, of course.

Scenario 2:

Think about the same scenario but this time with a different person. This person has not called you for a long time but when he called you - he called you with an opportunity that might be interesting for you. Yes, the person was involved in that opportunity but he CHOSE you amongst many of his other friends to present this opportunity. Whether you take up that opportunity or not, the person may disappear again but when he calls again, he has another opportunity to present to you.

Who would you rather be friends with?

If you don’t want to be treated by your friends like an ATM machine, you should not expect your friends to be treated like one too.

In other words, you don’t want to feel “used”. Your friends don’t either.

I am not advocating that you should not ask for help. In fact, You need help and your friends need help. There is no other way but to give and get help. The problem comes when you remember your “friends” only when you “need” them.

Why don’t you take the first step this weekend - remember a few friends with whom you have lost contact for a long period. Pick up the phone and call them or send them an email. Bonus: Think about presenting them with an opportunity during this contact. It can be as simple as sharing with them a great book that you read recently or an idea that might do something good for their business or life or both.

Have a great weekend.

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Note: For the other 180 entries in the “Distinguish yourself” series, please visit my Squidoo lens on the same topic
Squidoo Lens: Distinguish yourself

Note: This is the 900th post on this blog. A BIG thank you to all of you - long term supporters and new readers. You can access the older posts in the archives page.

Being flexible is an asset. Being quick to change is an asset. You might have heard from someone - “Don’t be rigid, be flexible”. Even when you know that it’s good advice you may not get around to be flexible.

One reasons for not being flexible today will be your actions in the past. Let us take some scenarios:

* You stretched beyond your limits and bought a cool home a few years ago and are paying a big mortgage. Someone presents you with a dream opportunity in a startup. Less salary, more stock but great work and huge potential. You REALLY want to take it up. But your hands are tied.

* You joined an MBA program about 12 months ago. This is a three-year program and the company is paying part of the tuition. You get presented with a great opportunity with another company. You want to take that up but you don’t. You want to complete the MBA program as you are getting this education at a 50% discount.

* Your passion is art. You always wanted to be an artist. Of course you studied engineering and you are an engineer now. You want to be an artist but the money is good as an engineer. You postpone your decision to switch and continue as an engineer

Current flexibility is shaped by your past actions. Similarly today’s actions will shape your future flexibility. Past is over but the future is yet to come. Think about some of your actions today at work and at home. Have you given enough thought about the implications of these actions on your future flexibility.

We urge that organizations have to be agile and nimble. This advice applies more aptly to individuals than the organizations. If your current actions may make you rigid in the future, you may be digging a hole for yourself (very slowly). Time to think again!

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Note: For the other 179 entries in the “Distinguish yourself” series, please visit my Squidoo lens on the same topic
Squidoo Lens: Distinguish yourself

Disclaimer: I am sure there are more than 10. You are welcome to add to the list.

1. You feel small asking for help.

2. You think you can do it better than anyone else.

3. You don’t know who to ask for help.

4. You don’t know how to ask for help.

5. You don’t know how to use the help that someone offers.

6. Your ego comes in the middle.

(almost same as #1. In this case, the problem is chronic)

7. You think help is expensive

8. You are almost there. You think you just have to try harder and you will get there all by yourself

9. You don’t want to ask for because you don’t want to have to reciprocate later.

10. You may not know that you need help

Whatever be your case, if your dream is BIG enough, you need help. Don’t worry. Others are no different. Life is about giving and getting good help!

I am fortunate to get to meet a lot of bright young people who have bold dreams. Their eyes lit up when they explain how they are going to change the world. They have wonderful ideas. Sadly, many of them do not take any action on them TODAY because they are waiting for something to happen first. Typically, they are “getting ready” to do something big.

* Some of them want to finish their MBA before they are ready
* Some of them want to make LOTS of money before they are ready
* Some of them want to be a BIT MORE famous before they are ready
* Some of them want to be financially independent before they do anything significant

In summary, these people are waiting for a few more resources (eg: money, connections, fame, status..) before they are “fully ready” go after their dreams.

You can distinguish yourself if you choose to - by deciding to invent new possibilities daily. Don’t take this literally. When I say daily, I mean with whatever resources you currently have access to TODAY. Let’s think about that for a minute. What could be those resources that you have right now. Here are a few:

* Your experience so far
* Yoour connections - the people that you have lasting relationships with
* The projects you have executed
* The money you have
* The place you live in - Your city, state and country can be a possibility
* Your family, friends and colleagues
* The company that you are part of
* The associations and groups that you are a member of
* The books you have read

I can go on and on. The question is with all these resources that you have today, what new possibilities can you invent and act on TODAY?

The problem with knowledge and resources is that the more you have them, more you realize how much more of them you need. If you are looking to accumulate more resources before you an ACT on your dream, you may be WAITING for a long time. Why not change the game and start inventing possibilities with ALL the resources that you ALREADY HAVE?

In other words, while you are accumulating resources and knowledge to chase your big dream, what new dreams can you paint in parallel with ALL the resources you have today?

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Note: For the other 178 entries in the “Distinguish yourself” series, please visit my Squidoo lens on the same topic
Squidoo Lens: Distinguish yourself

Actually, it is a trick question. If your immediate response was to come up with a number (be it months or years) however close you are to an answer, it would only be partially correct.

Times have changed. The answer is simple - it really depends on the nature of your startup. Being involved in the startups in the web world, I can say that it is rare to have plans that are valid for more than one year.

However, the real point is - what can we do in the same one year (in parallel) while we are executing our plans?

The answer for that one is to build a structure within the organization that is agile and adaptable for the future years.

So, the real question should be:

“How quickly should you get your organization to be agile and nimble?”

and, the answer should be

ASAP

I read that presidential candidate Hillary Clinton warned about Outsourcing in a message to the audience at Pan-IIT conference

“If the United States continues to outsource jobs to India in increasingly large numbers, people will begin to feel insecure and may very well seek more protection against what they view as unfair competition. America is not just a a marketplace to get a foothold in.”

The above quote made me think about Outsourcing again. For me, it was and it is always a given that marketplace determines what is right and what is wrong.

Let me explain my dilemma through a scenario:

Let us run a scenario. You are a $100M company and all your competitors are outsourcing and gaining some sort of advantage. Would you stop your Outsourcing initiative because it may not be good for the greater good of the country. That would mean taking a hit and having a competitive disadvantage against others who ARE outsourcing today.

Extend the scenario. You are competitor to the company that is discussed above. You are already well into full-scale outsourcing. Would you want to go back on your Outsourcing strategy because it is good for the country or would you rather press on the initial advantage you have got over your competition?

Whatever way you think, I get a feeling that it is ultimately the marketplace that defines what’s next for Outsourcing.

My $.02 of course.

When you were just learning to write the alphabets, all you had to do to get an applause from people around you was to write the alphabets correctly. Those were the rules of the game. When you moved to school, the rules changed almost without notice. You could not get an applause just by reciting or writing the alphabets.

At that time, I don’t think you complained. One reason - nobody in your school (your friends) complained about these new rules.

When you started your work, the rules changed again. There were no “exams” at work at scheduled intervals but every project that you undertook was almost like an exam.

When you moved up in your career, the rules changed again. If you continued to do what you did to get that promotion, it was no longer sufficient to move up to the next level. The rules had changed again. However, unlike a classroom, you didn’t have company of friends that were comfortable and welcoming the new rules. You were left alone to deal with the new rules.

I guess one of the enemies on our path to new success is the set of rules that made us successful in the past. I think the financial people have got it. They say “past performance is not an indicator of future results” along with every report. I guess this is equally applicable in a career setting too.

If you are a knowledge worker and want to progress in your career, it is guaranteed that every “step up” in your career will require you to play the game using the new rules. This looks like change management 101 where you try to “adapt” to change. What I am referring to is slightly different from change management. Rather than “adapt” to change, you need to “welcome” change. You need to welcome the new rules and eagerly wait for them. When you have to “adapt”, it feels like you are doing some “work” or “going the extra mile” to deal with things. When you “welcome the new rules” you are just dealing with what you were expecting to deal with. There is a subtle difference but that small difference is important.

Questions for you to think: