Book Review - Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.

My team sat for a meeting with our boss. Pressing issues had to be discussed. As soon as the 1^st issue was pulled up, one team member started voicing her opinions loudly – what SHE FELT had gone wrong, what SHE FELT could’ve been done, what SHE FELT should be done... When anyone else stated their opinions, she either interjected or continued on that point. It was as if those had been her points all along. No one was spared! Not the boss, not any of us; everyone was interrupted; everyone kept listening to her ranting. I lost interest within a few minutes and started making mental notes of tasks to be completed that day. So a frustrating 90 minute meeting ended with precious little to take away.

I have a bad reputation of shooting down people who interrupt me (figuratively, not literally). It has landed me in trouble, so I now refrain. But what about the others, some of whom had good ideas? Why did they keep listening to hollow words? Have you experienced something similar?

Some prefer speaking after thinking. On the other hand, many choose to think WHILE speaking. That’s SUICIDE! However, notice that the latter get their way often, even if they have a proven track record of leading things straight off a cliff. Susan Cain looks to address this aspect of humans through her book ‘Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a WorldThat Can’t Stop Talking’.

Susan, an outright introvert, states that 1/3^rd of the world’s population are introverts, concentrated mainly in Asian countries. USA, on the other hand, has the largest number of extroverts. Today, the world prefers ‘men of action’ to ‘men of contemplation’. So extroverts rule the roost. Does she hint at this being the reason why USA dominates world politics?

Quiet: The Power of Introverts

Introverts, according to Susan, are those who take time to react to social stimuli. No! They’re not intellectually challenged; quite the contrary. They gauge pros and cons before taking action, hate small talk, prefer to be on the sidelines… they’re most likely to curl up reading a book instead of socializing regularly. But they’re not shy or antisocial. Susan gives an example of former Harvard Professor Brian Little who is exuberant when he speaks to an audience, but prefers solitude when it’s time to recharge his batteries. Shyness may be one aspect, but it’s not necessary. Strengths of introverts are analysis, observation, simplification & clear thinking, listening, smarter spending, valuing friendship and believe it – leadership! Research proves that most leaders of successful organizations lack ‘charisma’ and are genuine introverts.

Most bloggers are introverts, selective in expressing their emotions. We (yes, I am one too) feel the world can’t understand us; maybe it really can’t. Our friends, colleagues, family members can’t see things from our perspective. That frustrates us, even miserable. We sometimes feel reproached for the way we are. But we’re not alone!

The author says that introverts and extroverts are forever in conflict. The latter find it hard to comprehend why the former won’t hang out with friends every evening. Their reactions sometimes make introverts question their own behavior. This is evident at Harvard Business School, where gregariousness is chosen over brilliance. Reserved students find it hard to adjust to the exuberant environment, and often endure peers’ and professors’ disappointment. All this because they’re not FORCEFUL enough in group discussions and activities.

Susan says this concept of group work (she calls it Groupthink) is a sham. Brainstorming & teamwork have been a hit with the majority lately, but the bulk of these sessions are unproductive. Creativity blossoms in solitude. Van Gogh, Moses, Albert Einstein, Sir Isaac Newton, Michelangelo, Stephen Hawking and more recently Steve Wozniak, Guy Kawasaki, Pete Cashmore (CEO – Mashable.com) – they’re all introverts. They preferred solitude and came up with their brightest inventions when they were alone. Introversion led them to achieve astounding results.

Unlike Dan Goleman’s ‘Emotional Intelligence’, Quiet doesn’t dwell on how introverts’ and extroverts’ brains are wired… it isn’t filled with jargon. Instead, it is filled with soothing and mellow diction. Each chapter features interesting stories of introverts who have achieved because of this trait (and not despite it). We’re also educated on ways to handle relationships which involve both types and make them coexist.

Quiet isn’t a country specific book; it addresses the world. It proves that the 2 main personality types are introversion & extraversion. All traits can be classified under these. I wonder if animals display these 2 core traits too. Quiet is based on a subject very few have delved into, but heavily impacts all our lives. It’s revealing – it aids people to see introverts in a different light, while it helps the latter connect. It gives us introverts the ‘AHA’! feeling and leaves us nodding feverishly in agreement. The only thing Susan may be guilty of is not patronizing extroverts. But I tend to agree with every example she gives, having experienced a lot of what she talks about.

Susan Cain passionately exhorts us to realize and tap into our inner strengths. Most introverts simply live without understanding what they’re capable of as introverts. Quiet has further increased my confidence and made me comfortable in my own skin. I used to think something was fundamentally wrong with me; I now realize I’m just a strong introvert. This book makes me feel equipped to develop my capabilities and encourages me to stay true to myself. I got a chance to thank the author, and she graciously responded.

 

Getting nominated for awards is probably a very long and elaborate process. It's likely that introverts like Susan will lose out to market savvy authors. But this book deserves a lot more accolades than it gets. It’ll change the way people look the world. Anyone nominate this for the Nobel Prize?

Those who want to know more, check out Susan Cain’s TED Talk on Quiet here.

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KK Provides Mumbai With A Memorable Evening.

Perfect! That’s one word to sum up KK’s performance on 16^th June, 2012 at Shanmukhananda Hall, Mumbai. Well, almost perfect. The only thing not perfect about the evening was when the audience would song ;)

My company was organizing an event at the venue the next day. So I was fortunate to go backstage before this Fever 104.8 FM organized event began. There I got a 1^st glimpse of him; a figure of calm energy who spoke quietly to an organizer before quickly retreated to his dressing room. As expected, I was delighted, but didn’t know the evening would only get better.

KK  the Legend - Need I say more?

KK took centre stage to a standing ovation by around 7:30. Dressed in well fitting black trousers, shirt and blazer, he looked at ease right from the word GO. He explained to us what an Unplugged Concert is – no electronics. The instruments to compliment him were an acoustic guitar, an acoustic bass, drums, percussions, grand piano and harmonium. He immediately broke into a sensational unplugged version of Tu Aashiqui Hai from the movie Jhankar Beats. WOW! It evoked a thunderous applause and gave us Goosebumps. He said he didn’t have good PR, and that was evident from the fact that we didn’t know how many good songs were sing by him. Many times, we’d ask each other “Oh! He’s sung this too?” Songs he sang included Oh Meri Jaan (Life In A Metro), Aashayein (Iqbal), Zara Si Dil Mein (Jannat), Oh Mehki Hawa (from his debut album Aap Ki Dua), Yaaron (Aap Ki Dua), Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai (Gangster), Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe (Dil Chahta Hai), Awarapan Banjarapan (Jism), Khuda Jaane (Bachna Aye Haseeno), Ek Nazar Mein Bhi (Taxi No. 9211), Zindagi Do Pal Ki (Kites) and more. The ones that drove us nuts the most were Tadap Tadap (HDDCS), Alvida (Life In A Metro) and Pal (he ended the show with this one).

KK’s full name is Krishnakumar Kunnath. He is India’s best singer and unfortunately, also the most under rated. The strength in his voice and his ability to sustain high notes seem out of this world. He effortlessly reaches crazy octaves which mere mortals like us can’t reach even if we scream! Born in Delhi, the secret to his magical voice is merely self practice; he hasn’t learnt music/singing formally from anyone. I’m sure this can be attributed to the 10,000 hour concept – he must have practiced solo for above 10,000 hours to reach this legendary level. He rightly stated (although humorously) “I’ve made a pact with God. He’ll give me good songs to sing, but I must be quiet about it.” He doesn’t blow his trumpet, believes in letting his songs to the talking. Although he’s a very reserved person, he gets into his element very quickly on stage, cheering and jogging from one side to another, breaking into impromptu jigs and getting the audience to clap. Each of the musicians enjoyed themselves as much as he did.

My office friend had told me KK is very punctual and leaves every venue within minutes of the show getting over. He also had shown me where KK would exit from. I went there and waited alone, quietly. As predicted, KK stepped out to leave in his Audi Q7 within 20 minutes. He vigorously shook my hand when requested and almost bear hugged me. As I walked away from his car, I kept trying to digest the fact that my idol had hugged me. Hell, I still can’t come to terms with it! A person with easily the best voice in the country, some of the best songs sung and no airs. Barely any PR, barely hogging any limelight... I’m just ranting. I don’t know what to say. I’m still mesmerized by yesterday.

I’ll leave you with a cameo of that evening’s performance. If you like it, do share. KK deserves much more credit than he gets.

An Interaction with Vodafone Customer Service Raises Other Questions...

My first customer service interaction with Vodafone got me thinking - "Where does India stand when it comes to Customer Service? Further, where do we stand while solving problems for those not personally related to us?"

Vodafone Service?

I bought a voucher from Vodafone (the one of bonus SMSes), which had a distorted code when I scratched it. I called Customer Service who told me to visit the vendor. When I did, the vendor said the process had changed. I had to visit a Vodafone Store. That was delay no. 1. I visited a Vodafone Store, where the rep, Laxman, asked me 100 details before telling me it would take 48 hours for Vodafone to put the SMS pack onto my account. No amount of discussion with him helped, so I walked out and thought I’d try elsewhere. This was delay no. 2. I was en route to meeting a friend in Dombivli, where I sawa another Vodafone service centre. I decided to try my luck there. They took my details and told me the same thing – 48 hours. I tried to reason with them, saying I didn’t make them wait 48 hours for payment when I bought a voucher from them; that I would lose money (1 buck per SMS) for those 2 days. I expected some empathy; instead I got apathy. The manager at Dombivli, Haridas, even went to the extent of saying it was my fault the voucher was screwed. He made it sound like he was doing me a favour by going through the process; a process which was more harmful to me than useful. In the end, exasperated, I gave in and walked away. Living up to their reputation, Vodafone recharged my account in – DRUMROLLS PLEASE – 72 HOURS! This drove the final nail in the coffin.

What if the customer involved was someone who couldn’t afford the amount lost over the next 3 days? I’ve worked for an international telecom organization, where we had the option of adding some credit, SMSes, etc. to make life easier for customers when such system generated issues occurred. Can’t the same thing be done in India? When it comes to providing Customer Service here, we often take a beating.

The Expected circle includes what an organization is expected to offer, while the augmented circle includes features/aspects which go beyond expected offers. When an organization blends aspects from the augmented circle into the expected one, it will achieve success and leapfrog competition.

Whole Product Circles

The same applies to Customer Service (CS). When CS goes beyond what a customer expects Brand Equity and credibility improve exponentially. That’s one reason we’re losing the BPO business to Philippines. They focus more on customer satisfaction and finding alternate methods to help, which enhances the customer experience with the brand. We, on the other hand, are still stuck with the concept of... you guessed it... PROCESS!

The PROCESS said I must wait 2 days (actually 3) for a recharge I had paid for; PROCESS says a car cannot be repaired urgently in a workshop though the reason may be genuine; PROCESS is what hurts most of us even in the corporate world. Being accommodating seems to disappear when we have to give; it appears when we want. Giving me 10 free SMSes would’ve cost Vodafone barely anything (10 SMSes x 10 p/SMS = Re. 1). In trying to save that 1 rupee, they’ve lost out on lots of good publicity they could’ve received through customers like us, which is priceless.

My professor told us about a rule in Wal-Mart where anything can be replaced/refunded in 8 days! No questions asked. However, most people who take undue advantage of this rule in USA are Indians. They use something purchased from Wal-Mart and return it in less than 8 days saying they don’t need it. My professor wanted to have a razor blade exchanged he had purchased in Manhattan when he went there again. He had no bill or service number, etc. The rep simply told him it was a defunct piece, no longer in production and replaced it with the latest model. No questions asked, no answers given! On the other hand, when he tried to use the warranty option at CROMA for an article he purchased, he was made to run around so much that he let it go.

 

VODAFONE and other Indian brands, are you listening?

Interview with Zedde Frontman 2Blue — The Original Madman

It’s not often that the frontman of a leading Rock N’ Roll band from India spares an hour to chat with you. The band we’re talking about here is Zedde, which was formed in around 2009 but is already creating typhoons (f**k ripples or waves) in the Indian music scene. The band comprises of seasoned musicians; all of them – 2Blue on vocals, Deepu on bass, Claver on guitars and Trevor on drums.

Zedde (L-R Trevor, 2Blue, Claver, and Akashdeep)

I’ve known 2Blue since he was the frontman of his previous band, Vayu (another kick ass rock band). The sheer talent and stage presence of the band would enthrall spectators. Zedde (with 5000+ fans on Facebook) has taken things a couple of notches higher. I got to speak to 2Blue about a lot of stuff, which is quite interesting. I have to share them with you! So here goes:

Q: What is music according to you?

2Blue (lead vocalist) the Trooper

2Blue: Music, according to me, is a religion. It’s the one thing that makes waking up every morning so exciting… the one thing that makes life worth living.

Q: So what do you think of the current music scenario?

2Blue: The scene is a lot better than what it used to be, say 5 years back. Audiences are a lot more receptive to original music now than ever before. There are many more venues to play and doors to knock… but yet, making a career out of rock music alone could still be a hardship. As a bass player who’s been in the local rock circuit, I’m sure you would agree. But living off music alone isn’t impossible. You could write about it, give lessons, and record advertising jingles amongst other things that interest you. There are also a number of platforms that have begun to extend support for independent artists. Just that you’ll need to be careful enough to read everything they ask you to put your signature on. *Winks*

Q: What does Zedde (the band) stand for? How does Zedde stand out?

Claver (with the guitar and DRILLER) & 2Blue

2Blue: We are very passionate about our live performances. Every gig is played like it’s our last. As you have seen at our gigs, we always try and give the audience something to write home about. There’s the electric drill machine guitar solo in ‘Blame It On Her Youth’, the megaphone, the whole skull mask act during ‘Mr. Horny’… there’s something that will warrant a reaction. Love us, hate us, but you can’t ignore us. So I guess Zedde stands for the unbridled rock n’ roll energy that the young-hearted would love to embrace.

Q: What are you future ventures and plans? Fill us in on what we should be excited about.

2Blue: A full length album, a music video… and what else? You tell me. *Smiles*

Q: Any advice for youngsters starting up?

2Blue: We all need to get out of our comfort zones if we really want to chase our dreams seriously. No great band was formed by people working 5 days a week as white collared slaves or by people whose parents had all the money in the world. We need to go against the grain to do what we truly believe in. We need to have the courage to follow the heart.

Zedde (in their 140 charactered avatar) continues to push the envelope with their brand of hard hitting rock music. With multiple awards under their belt, and countless headlining performances at college festivals and Hard Rock Cafés across India, the band has become quite the force to be reckoned with. What makes them even more praiseworthy is the way they’re still grounded. 2Blue and I have been friends for more than 7 years. While our hectic schedules don't let us talk very often, when we do, it always feels like the good old times when our bands shared more than just stage space, bottles of booze, and a dozen dirty jokes.

Don't just go by what I'm saying. Listen to their music here (http://www.facebook.com/ZeddeLIVE/app_2405167945) to know for yourself. Also check out their official site www.ZeddeLIVE.in. You can always thank me later.

Zedde frontman 2Blue performing at Rider Mania, Goa

Inflation, India & Politics (IIP)

There’s one thing common between inflation and the Indian government. God damn them both!

Very quickly, inflation is the increase in price of an item sold versus its previous price. The inflation could be measured on a month – on – month basis or a year – on – year basis (the price during the same month in the previous year). Inflation has 2 indices viz. WPI (Wholesale Price Index) – price of goods sold in the wholesale market and CPI (Consumer Price Index) – price customers pay for buying goods. The Indian government conveniently uses WPI to measure inflation in order to show numbers far less alarming than the actual ones. CPI (the price we citizens pay) is inclusive of chains of retailers, service taxes, excise duties and more. It’s probably 2 – 2 ½ times the WPI.

Inflation & the Economy (c) colourfultimes.com

While we're busy debating over IPL match fixing allegations, SRK's ban from a cricket ground and stupid actions of Siddharth Mallya, fuel inflation has increased 7%+ as compared to the previous month, while vegetable prices increased a mammoth 61%. IIP (Index of Industrial Production) is gloomy, export figures are being fudged, and the current government is mired in scams. And just a couple of weeks ago, corporate India was begging for rate cuts due to the slowdown in growth. Right! This would give people more money to buy, reduce operational cost of corporate houses and make them profit while we foolishly spend on stuff we don’t need.

The present predicament is also called stagflation, where growth slows but inflation stays high and it’s very 

bad news for a country’s economy.

Yes, fuel inflation is justified because it depends upon the global price of crude. But food prices?

Arresting inflation (c) economicnoise.com

I’ve discussed some reasons for inflation here. The price of primary food items has shot up more than 80% in the last 2 – 3 years. These are essential for survival of a country’s citizens; rich or poor, urban or rural. But precious little has been done to address this. India, in 2011, sat on a 75 – million tonne supply of food, about half of which will get wasted while about 50% of our population will stay malnourished. Sub standard warehousing and storage facilities, infrastructure, transportation & logistics and more contribute to this inflation conundrum we’re facing. Then there’s the huge chain of middlemen and wholesalers. The increase in lifestyle cost has prompted them to hoard food supplies which lead to price rises. And yet, we vehemently oppose FDI in retail – something that could improve these circumstances – easily fooled by the political rhetoric of kiraana stores losing their livelihood. Political parties propose this reform when in power and oppose it when in the opposition. Why? Simply to show how pro – reform they are when in power. Supporting the same when in the opposition will mean potential loss of bragging rights in campaigns running up to the elections.

The government has already stated there will be no major reforms until 2014 (read elections for the Union Government). And what will they offer? Fuel cost cuts, subsidies in food and other incentives which will squander tax payers’ money. All this while, the ‘India Shining’ story is gradually fading away. A 1% drop in GDP leads to loss of 15 lakh jobs in India. And we’ve fallen 2 ½ % in the last 2 years. Should we really vote this government into power again? The Congress needs a jolt! One that makes them realize not to take their seats for granted. Agreed we will lose out for the next few years again due to an even more inept party coming into power, but it things will get better in the long run. Remember how we grew when the Congress came back into power after the BJP lost their incumbency? Politicians are not incapable; they simply don’t want to support growth for fear of loss of voters who depend on their meagre handouts. Maybe they should take lessons from the late YSR Reddy, Naveen Patnaik, Narendra Modi, Nitish Kumar and others.