Letter to my team as we start our Q3

Dear Team,

Happy New Month & Happy New Quarter. I am sure you all are planning some time off in this quarter with family and friends or enjoy the festivals being celebrated across the globe and in India. Festivals are something that a reminder of celebration, a reminder of revival, a reminder to share, a reminder of our roots & culture and a reminder of bonds & relationships. It is time to be at your best, clean up the house, celebrate with your customs, dress up well, be with family and friends and above all be thankful for the wonderful life we have been fortunate to enjoy.

This renewed energy and focus is needed every year for all of us and these festivals are great way to remember this. While we revitalize ourselves, this is also the time to “revitalize” our business. This is the time to reflect on what is working well, see where we need to make amends, wins we need to cherish and losses we need to learn from. Correct the path, learn from mistakes, be proud of the experience we gained which made us better than what we were earlier. A true growth!

 We all are today bombarded with possibilities, challenges and to some extent uncertainty of the changes happening in the world of AI. I am seeing this as an opportunity, a chance to revitalize ourselves, our careers, our roles, our skills and our capabilities. While there are structured interventions for skills development to make us do our jobs better, there are capabilities which are becoming more and more critical in our line of business. Unfortunately, these are capabilities which we must learn on our own and there is no way to get trained in a classroom. I believe, it’s a true sense of self, your drive in life, openness to experiment and a parked ego which can help us move ahead with these five CAPABILITIES -

1. Curiosity – the questioning attitude on “why” something is happening a particular way and why is there not another way. We have lived too long in the world where the phrase “Curiosity killed the cat” has been used to discourage people from being curious. What it missed is foolhardiness being the core here, not curiosity. There is a subtle difference. In some small, way my focus on Month That Was and then starting “MTW Unplugged” newsletter has been an endeavor to keep my curiosity quotient up.
2. Collaboration - By working together, we can leverage each other’s strengths, share knowledge, and achieve more than we could individually. A culture of open communication, mutual respect, and teamwork helps in breaking down silos and encourages cross-functional collaboration. In our roles this is very important and with this mindset, we can create a more innovative and efficient organization. Also, be responsive to your team, as that is what counts. I recently penned a blog on the aspect of responsiveness, sharing here as well.
3. Creativity – my belief is that we all are a “work in progress” always as there is a lot to learn and change. This approach keeps us on our toes, helping us absorb and rethink our beliefs. Creativity is an outcome of an open minded, childlike approach to finding problems to solve for us and clients. I had shared some thoughts on this in a blog few months back, you can check it out here.
4. Conceptualization – Imagination is a virtue which we left behind in our childhood days as we moved from world of art to the world of science. With AI solving problems for us, it is the imagination at our end (as humans) which can create the possibilities. This has to be followed by clear communication too, for the concept to be shared. There is fun take on office quirks, you may want to check out.
5. Contemplation – This is an aspect which we never lay focus on, but reflection and rethinking our actions can sometimes be the best way to course correct, amplify the work, and even create a totally new solution. Contemplation can help us gain clarity, reduce stress, and connect with our inner selves. We should make time for mindfulness (sharing a reflective post I had penned after my Sikkim trip ), whether it's through meditation, journaling, having a cup of our favorite drink alone or simply spending time in nature.

Here wishing you all the best in your personal and professional lives as both are connected. I am confident that we have a bright and promising future ahead of us.

I am honored to be part of this amazing team. I would also encourage you to reach out to me if you have any questions, feedback, thoughts, reflections or ideas.

 Best wishes & Cheers to a new quarter!

 Rgds, Sachin