https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNZHQLZW/
What inspired you to write 'Adapt: Your First Step Towards Success That Lasts'
and choose Ram as your central character?
Growing up, I loved writing and to tell stories. During
my Executive MBA program, I got to read The Goal by Eli.Goldratt and I was
instantly in love with its format where a business concept is intertwined in the
backdrop of a story. As I became a manager, I was very particular about
presenting a vision with clear objectives and then documenting the progress
towards those goals and measuring their overall impacts to the team’s
performance. The combination of all the 3 factors, led me towards the idea of
Adapt sometime during the 2013-14 timeframe. I came to act on it when Covid
stuck when I had more time at home due to travel restrictions.
In 'Adapt', Ram's journey as a senior manager is pivotal.
How much of this is drawn from your own experiences in the tech industry?
All of it is actually drawn from my personal experience in the tech industry. The tech industry is very dynamic and I have been lucky to be at the forefront of many important technological upheavals. Right from the Mainframe to Client-Server architecture to the advent of Smartphones, associated Flash, Lithium-ion battery technology to Cloud Computing and now to Accelerated Computing, I have been at the forefront, having a ring side view as these changes unfold and their profound implications in our day to day lives. It is critical to have the right mindset and management philosophy to handle both the volume and velocity of these changes to successfully achieve our objectives.
The book focuses on the concept of adaptability in
leadership. Why do you think this is particularly important in the context of
technology companies?
Like I mentioned earlier, as far as the technology world
goes, change is the only constant. While this is true in life as well, the
speed and the force at which this truth emphasizes itself in the tech world is
quite amazing and very humbling. What I have found helpful, is to understand
the reason for the changes and embrace the attributes that allows one to be
part of that change rather than to resist. This when practiced propels the
business to grow exponentially while keeping both the customers and the employees
in a happy space.
Can you elaborate on the 'Know Thy Self' principle in
your book and its significance for emerging leaders?
I believe whole heartedly, both personal or professional
progress, is rooted in knowing oneself. If we breakdown to the very basics,
knowing oneself is understanding your motivation for an action and having
clarity on those actions that drive a deep sense of purpose within you. Then
the 2nd level of understanding is while performing those actions,
knowing your core strengths and weaknesses and how best to control the
environment tailored to your strengths. Finally, the 3rd level of understanding
is to having a map of what is within your control and those that are beyond
your control but could clearly tip the outcome.
'Adapt' is the first book in a three-part series. How
does it set the stage for the subsequent books?
Adapt is the journey of Ram as he steps into the world of
management. At the beginning of Adapt, Ram is still raw and new to
understanding the nuances required in the several facets of management. In the
next book Evolve, Ram continues in his journey to take on his next challenge as
a more mature leader in a more complex and semi-abstract environment still
leading towards positive outcomes. In the third book Become, Ram is morphed
into a seasoned leader and takes on a challenge like no other and will be dealing
with an environment that has no structure and he has to construct and define
the meaning from total abstractness. While the environments are all different
and the challenges increase in complexity through the series, the management
philosophy Ram applies remains the same across the series.
You've included various leadership lessons in 'Adapt'.
Which one do you think is the most challenging for new managers to grasp?
As new managers maneuver through the challenges in their
work environment, the framework that has helped me is to go through the 6
phases of Knowing what I refer to as the 6K path (Know your Self, Know your
Team, Know your Environment, Know your Objective, Know your Challenges, Know
your Destination). While each one has their challenges, the toughest one is to
clearly set what your destination needs to be. Without that clarity, one tends
to overstay or overdo and that leads to waste. Likewise, within each of these
Know states, there are 4 stages of development – 1. I don’t know, 2. I think I
know, 3. I know what I don’t know, 4. I Know. The hardest of these is the first
state to commit that you don’t know. It requires courage to accept that you
don’t know something but if accepted, then that leads to the next levels of
development.
How do the evolving technologies like smartphones and
flash storage play a role in shaping the leadership challenges that Ram faces?
Ram is working in the server industry which while
different from the Smartphone industry is still related as the technologies in
the two spaces overlap. However, the mercurial growth of Smartphones allowed
for the standardization of some of the underlying technologies like Flash
storage and Lithium-ion battery packs to be adopted in the server industry. Ram
was quick to see the interconnected play between the two industries and
utilized the new technologies as the fuel to drive innovation and address some
of the challenges of his team not wanting to change.
In your book, you talk about 'Knowing Thy Team'. How does
Ram navigate different personalities and what can readers learn from this?
Before being a change agent, it is important to
understand the strength of the team as a whole and the individuals who are part
of the team. This then needs to be the baseline as you push the team towards
newer horizons. Ram, being a first-time manager understands this the hard way.
He first expects everyone to just follow his vision but then realizes that he
needs to understand the individual strengths and he as the leader needs to help
each of the members achieve their aspirations finding their voice within and
becoming their champion in each of their journey.
'Know Thy Objective' and 'Know Thy Destination' are key
themes in your book. How does Ram's understanding of these evolve throughout
the story?
Both are very important steps as you embark on a journey
of transformation. Having clarity of the objective that is aligned with the
organization and the company’s overall vision and objective is key before
beginning the transformation. Like I mentioned earlier, setting a clear goal
post that signifies the destination is also essential as this lets you and the
management know that the mission is accomplished and you are ready for the next
challenge. Without that clarity, you might start to meander aimlessly at the
final step and overextend that will lead to wastage of resources.
Finally, what do you hope readers, especially those
aspiring to be leaders in the tech industry, take away from Ram’s journey in
'Adapt'?
First and foremost, I want readers to not let failures
pull them back. Failures are just opportunities to learn and to Adapt and
eventually to succeed. I also want them to believe in themselves as each one of
us are our own best champions. So investing in our personal growth helps us
take control of our destiny and is the best and easiest way to being
successful. Another key takeaway for the readers is to step back and look at
the big picture. While being detailed is important, it is equally important to
understand the whole machine and how it works as a whole and how the different
sub-systems are interconnected and where you fit in, with respect to that whole
set up. The final takeaway is the most important one which is the purpose for
your action and it is always about service. It is either service to yourself or
your team or your organization or to a customer that defines your value and
importance. This basically is the management philosophy summed up as iGUS – integrated Growth on the path to Unite with the purpose to
Serve. This is the
underlying philosophy of this series.