… Recap
The best engineers do not have the best careers. They do not get the best opportunities, promotions or assignments
In the previous blogs, we have discussed the phenomenon, understood the cause and seen the different impacts.
Now we discuss some remedies to the problem.
Following is more a guideline and less a map. I share what I can, with an open hand for help, to whoever asks …
Garbage In Garbage Out
Heard these before ?
It is inside what matters
Managers are just suites and ties
Before we discuss what to do – let’s understand why we do, what we do.
All of us have beliefs that shape our world around us. These perceptions are painted by our culture, upbringing, education, experiences and more. Beliefs like …
We might hold these perceptions despite facts like:
We look at the people and form first opinions based on looks.
Explaining visually …
Some folks have red colored experiences in life. They see the world like the image on the left.
Some folks have blue colored experiences in life. They see the world like the image on the right.
Third image is what the world is like !
Your personal experiences make up maybe 0.00000001% of what’s happened in the world but maybe 80% of how you think the world works.
People believe what they’ve seen happen exponentially more than what they read about has happened to other people, if they read about other people at all.
We’re all biased to our own personal history. Everyone.
(FarnamStreet) ideas-that-changed-my-life
Our beliefs shape our world view. They influence our actions. The actions in turn bring results. As an example:
My money will stay in the bank, and will depreciate based on inflation rate.
The investment might grow fast. But it might have a risk of total failure.
He might make calculated risk investments. This might result in a slow but steady growth.
Same reality has 3 different perceptions. Each perception brings a different course of action. Each action has its own outcome.
In the IT industry – beliefs might look like:
Meaning – the only value a manager adds is that of presentation. Since the value of presentation is less than the value of doing work. Therefore, the manager is less than an engineer.
An engineer with such a belief will sabotage his chances of getting a promotion.
Translating to – what is outside doesn’t matter. Looking sharp is not the most important thing. Doing good work is.
Someone with such a belief will NOT put in effort towards looking good.
Only students from Tier-1 colleges can go high up in the corporate hierarchy.
Techies with such beliefs will NOT attempt to push beyond their usual boundaries.
Translating to not taking risks or not putting in back breaking work. Since these will spoil the fun.
Such an engineer will not work hard.
As we see … our beliefs sometimes limit us from achieving more.
I write this blog on a Macbook pro. This machine is a good example for our discussion
My laptop has less memory, less CPU cores and less RAM, than many machines in the marketplace. If only “what is inside” mattered, then Macbooks should’ve been a substandard product. But, the experience of working on a mac is so much better than using other laptops.
Since the outside experience is better … what is inside, doesn’t matter to me.
With the above mentioned, allow me to put forth some realities from the tech industry.
A sharp looking person evokes confidence. A shabby looking one – doesn’t. Subconsciously people think – “His good looks are a signal that he attends to small things. If he attends to small things, he is more suited to attend to big ones”
Technology is international. English provides the bridge between nations and cultures.
An engineer with poor English will struggle to communicate well. Poor communication will eclipse many skills.
More people know Steve Jobs and less know Steve Wozniak. This despite the fact that – Wozniak might’ve contributed more to technology within Apple, than Jobs.
The term ‘Face value’ is exactly that. People remember faces more than an out-of-sight genius.
We are all into “Non-sales Selling” now. Here is what a big part of a techie’s day looks like.
All of the above require selling skills. Someone poor at these will take big blows to his work life.
Faulty perceptions create bad results.
Poor looks, bad communication etc are ways by which … Techies themselves create situations they say they don’t want.
So, the next time we techies feel judgemental about someone. Let’s pause our judgement and play our curiosity. Maybe we’ll figure that it is less of the other person, and more of us.
Be a good copier
I have found that an easy way of avoiding blindspots is by copying the right people. Keyword – Right people.
Try looking at successful people in the fields of business, education, news, government, armed forces etc. From an Indian perspective … try looking at Harsha Bogle, Ravi Shastri, Narendra Modi, Mukesh Ambani, Tatas, General Narvane etc.
Here are the common characteristics I see …
Might be sometimes in casuals but not at the compromise of looks
You might’ve heard Ravi Shastri’s or Harsha Bhogle’s commentary. An Army General might not have the same flair for dramatics, but his communication will get the job done nevertheless.
During PM Modi’s first term he went on many foreign trips. Upon landing … many journalists were tired of the long trip, but Modi seemed energetic.
(without political affiliations) Point is – successful people are high energy individuals.
Successful people know that ‘success’ comes from being good with people.
They educate themselves through mentors, books, experiences and more.
Once they say something will be done. It usually gets done.
They are willing to experiment and be wrong sometimes. At the same time they do not take outrageous risks.
If we were to improve our dressing, communication, accountability etc. – would we become a better version of ourselves ? Ofcourse !
This is the reason the idea of copying the right people works.
But, as we say in Hindi – Nakal ke lie akal please !
The phrase roughly translates to : Common sense is required even for copying.
The idea of copying, is to learn from them and not become them. When I recommend dressing-up … I do not recommend shopping Armani or Gucci (plz don’t go on a shopping spree only to file bankruptcy). Instead I intend to promote looking sharp. It can be done within your budget.
Same way, learn English with common sense. Please don’t start saying Dad/ Mom instead of Papa/ Mummy, Appa/ Ammi etc. ( you might get slapped into making corrections )
Also, if Kareena Kapoor ( famous Indian actress ) is a level 10 on dressing, you might not need to be at her level. Heck, I wouldn’t want to be at level 8, it’s too bloody boring.
At the same time, I simply do not want to be a level 0 on my presentations. Remember:
Zero dressing * All my personality = Zero results !
So, the next time you want to get better. Look at the best and learn from them.
Before the change
I am poor at taking on huge tasks. My motivation doesn’t carry me through. But, when I break a big task into small ones – I am able to generate results. I have also observed that most people are like me. Some aren’t too. Some people love taking on big tasks.
Before you start making the changes – make an attempt to understand which category you fit in. Then, start making the change.
Also, I would not make too many changes at once. Humans have limited energy. We need to learn to focus, until one skill gets cooked. Only then move on to cooking the next one.
So skill-up, one skill at a time.
But again, this is just me. Are you a full thrust propeller ? or are you a step by step guy like me ? Maybe you’re a hybrid !
Square pegs for square holes and round ones for round holes. Choose the method that suits your personality.
The change
Reading is faster than listening. Doing is faster than watching.
Naval Ravikant
Active participation enhances learning. Meaning …
I mentioned that small changes work well for me. As an example, here is my path to getting healthier:
I did not have running shoes, did not have a track suit, had no clue about warm ups.
My shorts, my chappals … Me and … Pawri ho rahi thi ! ( a vlog reference )
My body suddenly hurt too much and I realized that I was missing warm-ups. 5 Youtube videos later … I was ready with my warm up plan.
This is when I asked a marathoner about what is needed to run. Bought a pair of Nikes.
I run 5 Km daily. But I haven’t researched any training technique till date !
Taking action took me farther as compared to researching. So, start speaking English today ! and research learning methods tomorrow. Attend to your looks today, and worry about fashion trends tomorrow.
“A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week”
George Patton.
While I advise you to be mindful of your change preferences, do not take an eternity to get started.
As Nike says … JUST DO IT.
After the change
Gold mining has a concept called “vein”. In hard rock deposits, gold occurs in narrow lines. These lines are referred to as veins or a vein of gold. Veins can be separated from each other by several feet.
Napoleon Hill’s book – Think and Grow Rich, talks about a young man. The man was mining gold and had lost a vein. He gave up digging any further, sold his equipment and walked away. The scrap dealer, who bought the equipment, was aware of vein formations and started digging again. The next vein was just 3 feet away.
The young man gave up “3 feet from gold”; hence the expression.
Skills don’t cook like 5 min noodles or instant upma. They are more like the delicious kheer that needs to be simmered for hours.
While we make changes, let’s be patient for results to show up. Let’s not quit 3 feet from gold !
Followup …
The Internet has opened the world to us. Knowledge on almost every subject is available around us. Apps to track our habits, books to coach on subjects, blogs, vlogs, university courses that are either free or priced minimally. Let’s leverage this availability.
Also, tracking progress is important for growth. But certain skills CANNOT be measured e.g. mindfulness, listening abilities etc.
I have found that these skills are more difficult to learn, and more valuable. Mindfulness is not taught in college because it cannot be graded. But not having a grading system does not mean we should not learn these skills. We still own that responsibility. So, measure or no measure, we ought to march on.
Environment
Environment is the invisible hand that shapes human behavior. We tend to believe our habits are a product of our motivation, talent, and effort. Certainly, these qualities matter. But the surprising thing is, especially over a long time period, your personal characteristics tend to get overpowered by your environment.
James Clear
As an Indian when I travelled abroad, I observed some immediate environment change effects.
Folks who shied from drinking in India, showed off Beer stocks refrigerators in the USA.
Alcohol is seen as a social vice in India.
Drinking is done in a socially hidden manner; away from parents, neighbours and others that might judge us. Facebook posts about Whiskey, or tweets about Beer – are socially disliked.
The USA has more social acceptance to drinking.
Indians litter streets everyday. In the United States, the same people suddenly became mindful of not littering.
Same people -> in different environments -> immediate behavioural changes.
If our environment influences our behaviours, then we can choose our environments to help us develop a desired behaviour too.
Remember our Mom’s saying – hang around the good kids. Environment matters and Mom knows !
Conclusion
T Harv Eker says something on the lines of – if someone has a leaky bucket, then no matter how much water might be put in the bucket, with the best possible efficiency. The water will finally drain away.
Missing skills are like holes in a Techie’s bucket. Technology might fill the bucket with lots of water, but holes like will drain all the water away.
This blog series was to help techies understand how they contribute to their own failures. To help make the invisible hand visible.
In the beginning of the series, I mentioned that I would consider my information successful, when – A layman techie is able to understand the material easily.
Coming to the end, I hope I have measured to my own standards.
Write back, in case you have an opinion. Like what you read – do like, comment and share.