Contrary to popular perception, challenging jobs are less risky than easy ones. By challenging I mean:

• tough competition
• hostile market environment
• new and untested products

You see, when you take on an easy job where success was historically proven, even a small dip in performance would make you look bad. In contrast, when you take a challenging job or perhaps a job that no one else has done, even small and incremental success is celebrated. Nothing excites people more than covering new ground and opening new horizons.

To prove my point further, we should acknowledge that success in business is a moving target. That is, the elements that made success possible yesterday, may no longer be valid today or tomorrow. This amplifies the downside of taking a historically easy job, as there is a diminished benefit from basing your plans and actions on what has previously been successful.

To balance the equation, if you fail in a challenging job, the downside is not as rough. Taking on something challenging inherently has risks that are popularly acknowledged. This conditions people not to be surprised or disappointed, if you are are not able to implement what was idealized. It makes them more forgiving and more insightful. It makes people ask "what went wrong?" instead of "who messed-up?". With this kind of primed mentality, lasting and useful lessons are learned. Lessons that would serve as a good foundation for future success.

In closing, if you find my thoughts on this unreasonable, I take solace in the words of George Bernard Shaw:

The reasonable man adapts himself to the conditions that surround him... The unreasonable man adapts surrounding conditions to himself... All progress depends on the unreasonable man.

For most professionals, looking dumb is career suicide. In fact, many highly qualified professionals forego opportunities to ask questions, experiment or challenge the status quo... simply because, it might make them look dumb. This is especially true for people new at the job or perhaps someone pursuing a trailblazing project.

It's just like driving in a big city for the first time - without a map. There would come a time when you would need to swallow your pride and ask for directions - instincts, and your gas tank, could only get you so far.

I think success is a function of one's ability to overcome the fear of looking dumb. Going further, sustained success is a matter of finding new opportunities to look or even play dumb. History is replete with people who've made tremendous progress because they've dared to look dumb.

Looking smart is highly overrated.

In closing, here's a nice paradox to ponder on:

Looking dumb (and sometimes playing dumb) enables us to do smart things.

Seth Godin never fails to inspire and humble me with his insightfulness and blunt practicality. He does it again with this blog entry:

How to read a business book

I am a big fan of business books and it's just now that I realized that a lot of people, including myself, do not always read business books properly.

How I understand Seth's post:

• What really matters is the resulting motivation and tailor-fitted focused action from what the reader distills as the key ideas of a business book.
• Business books should never be treated as a "how-to guide" - the innately dynamic nature of business as well as the uniqueness of each and every business situation (and the people in that situation) makes this impractical.
  
• As with most things, reading a business book should be a PERSONAL experience. Its real power lies on the differentiated action that it solicits from its readers as well as the people whom its reader's influence.
  
• And my key personal insight: Behind every great businessman is a set of business books that influenced his differentiated actions towards success.
  
• How about businessmen who don't like reading business books? They read people and experiences... and they come-up with the same differentiated actions as if they got it from a good business book.
  

With this, I think I'm going to have to re-read my business books.

My new banner shows me stupidly downing a pitcher of beer using an innovative tool called the beer bong . It also shows my friends (who are IT professionals - perhaps the best in the country) cheering me on.

I believe a person should try to use a beer bong at least once in his life. The experience is both inspiring and humbling.

It is inspiring because you hear your friends egging you on for what seems to be a super-human (not to mention jackass) task. It is also humbling because, as you finish it all up, you realize that you are only human. You feel like throwing-up and collapsing. Again, your friends are there to cheer you on and to support you.

This cycle continues until every "self-respecting" person has his turn - camaraderie at its best. You wake-up the following afternoon oblivious to what happened the night before. It's clean-up time. It sure is a big hassle, but a week later, you want to do it again. This is passion in its purest form.

Now, does this scandalous banner lessen my credibility? Perhaps... to superficial people. My point is, I don't want to take myself too seriously. What's important is that I take my work seriously and passionately. I believe that the right way to command respect and credibility is through results and genuine concern for your team, NOT an over-sized ego.

"It's nothing personal. It's just business."

A ubiquitous statement made famous by The Apprentice. As we all know, this is intended to soften the blow for someone who has just been reprimanded or even fired! For countless times in my career, I have been at the receiving end - and it did help me get through. For countless times also, I have mentioned it - and it made me feel more human.

I have always appreciated it when colleagues, clients and partners say this to me. And I have never doubted their sincerity.

However, now that I am thinking about it, this all too familiar statement is starting to seem inaccurate and even insincere to me. So much so, that I think I should never use it again.

I have come to realize that as far as I am concerned everything, including business, is PERSONAL!

Some thoughts that led me to this conclusion:

• After I reprimand someone at work, it's convenient to say that it's nothing personal - just so I drive to the point but do not hurt feelings... at least not too much. Or perhaps to rid myself of the emotional burden of hurting someone - sort of a quick fix. BUT if we praise someone at work, is it nothing personal too? Just business?
• Some may contend that it's personal when you praise but its just business when you reprimand. Sounds conveniently nice, but I don't quite buy it - it's very inconsistent. All the people I have worked with, I have sincerely considered as friends. When a friend makes mistakes, I talk to him or her about it. And I am not one to hide behind pleasantries, I show them how I really feel - but I am tactful about it. BUT at the end of it all, I forgive. I think this is better than hide all the emotions and wait until it all bursts out. If they are really friends, and if your reprimand is justified, they should understand and work towards correcting their mistake.
• If they cannot correct it, perhaps they are in the wrong job or maybe you're not compatible in business together - but you can, of course still be buddies. True, unselfish and honest friendship enables this - though in some cases it would take time. Some would mistake that this is exactly what "It's nothing personal. It's just business." is all about. This does not work for me. When I part ways with someone, and I consider him my friend, my concern for him and his career will not disappear. At times, I have gone out of my way to help former colleagues, simply because, they are my friends. If its nothing personal, then I could have not cared less where they ended-up. I would not even care to see them.
• To simplify, suppose you are having dinner with your friend and you see prominent piece of food, say spinach, stuck between her teeth. Wouldn't it just be right if you whisper it softly to her? Sure, it would embarrass her a bit, but the embarrassment would even be more if you do not mention it and other people start noticing. It takes a true friend to do this.
  
• This leads me to a tangent but nonetheless important point - reprimand in private but praise in public. However, it is very important to me to keep everything personal and sincere. I am not doing this because it is merely my job. I am doing this because I truly care for my friend.
  
• When I am the one at fault, I expect the same candidness and personal concern. And I think I am strong enough to handle it.
  
• Emotions are a very strong driving force in people and in business - negative or positive. Things done without emotion and personal attachment tend to end-up mediocre.
  
• A lot of companies espouse or at least promote values like OWNERSHIP and PRIDE. These have very strong emotional and personal implications - how can it not be personal?
  
• If a competitor wins a strategic account or gains significant market share, at my expense, it will affect my livelihood - how can it not be personal?
  
• One of the salient provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act mandates that the senior executives of the company, particularly the CEO and CFO, take personal accountability for their company's financial reports. So, if something goes wrong and the senior executives get in trouble, how can it not be personal?
  

In closing, it is all about being honest and being personally accountable for your emotions - negative or positive. I hope not to say, "nothing personal..." again in my career. The moment I do so, is the moment I stop caring.

I was asked yesterday on what I would prioritize: Revenues or Costs? These type of question will always be answered by, "it depends" - the context is the clincher. In a summary, my answer was this:

You want to be effective when you want to capitalize on emerging or new opportunities. This happens when you need to get a foothold of the market before your competitors do. In this case, resources must be poured into capitalizing on the opportunity and revenues should be the primary metric. Obviously, there should be a healthy amount of internally or externally generated funds to finance this. If there are none, then management is dreaming.

On the other hand, you want to be efficient when you are already established in a mature industry and there is already healthy revenue growth. In this case, costs needs to be controlled and margins need to be protected or even optimized. COST here, should be the primary metric.

A business unit should be defined as either concentrating on EFFECTIVENESS or EFFICIENCY. It cannot do both at the same time. FOCUS is imperative to success.

The strategy and operating plan should be based on this fundamental choice.

Again, this is an exercise in stating the obvious... which is a MUST in management.

Managers are masters in stating the obvious! This Dilbertesque thought is a mainstay in the hearts and minds of subordinates. It often solicits sarcastic grins at best.

HOWEVER, stating the obvious serves a very crucial purpose. Sometimes, or even a lot of times, people get lost in the nitty-gritty of their work they lose sight of the big picture... and perhaps, the OBVIOUS.

Saying and hearing the obvious is tolerable. BUT not realizing, or worse, denying the obvious is NOT.

If your manager is not in the habit of stating, a more importantly IMPLEMENTING the obvious, he is not doing his job!