Today I wanted to reflect on something the assignment in India has reminded of. I’ve written about this about twice before but with a different perspective. When I had my first child in 1999 my personality changed. I changed immediately from being a spontaneous and risk taking personality to a protective and much more serious person. Over the years, this change helped me professionally but most definitely hurt my social life as I’ve been a bit of an introvert. It was interesting to read Mike Mckennon’s blog post about how many people would be upset when I left India "due to all the relationships I had built". This observation seemed reminiscent of a younger me rather than the current father and manager.
Over my last weekend in India I understood how accurate Mike’s observations were.
My work
Our Indian associates and friends threw a going away party that really touched me. They pitched in and gave me a hand crafted sandalwood elephant that sits on my mantle above our 55 inch LCD TV in my living room. It means a lot to me and is now in a central location in my living room and sparks a lot of conversation.
The Locals
The little boys at the Charminar whom Mike and I saw almost every Saturday cried as I said goodbye this last weekend. They’re not my boys but their lives and their ability to stay positive in the struggle of poverty really touched me. They’re the kind of kids you want to adopt to give them a better chance for success in their lives. While I didn’t show it, I was very sad to say goodbye.
My Friends
Our friends Sheila and Jimbo “who sing at the bar in the Taj Deccan”, both cried Friday and Saturday night. They said I am the best friend they’ve had in 4 years singing in India. Jim sent me a text message thanking me for my friendship and for taking an interest in their lives. I had given them a fair amount of money over a 3 month period to help them charge cell phones and keep in touch with family back in the Philippines. I know how important this is and with the small amount of money they’re paid by the hotel, it really made a difference. Sheila and her dad even reconciled some differences and started talking after 2 years. I felt great about that. They went out of their way and bought me a shirt from the local mall. It was a really nice gesture. I hope I see them when I visit again buty at the same time, I hope they find some way to increase their quality of life and find prosperity.
The Hotel
Most surprising to me were my friends at the Hotel. Since the day I met the management crew at Taj Deccan, I had a special bond with them. I negotiated some excellent rates for our company and Mike and I were treated like royalty for the duration of my stay. My friends at the hotel really went out of their way on many occasions to keep us happy. On Thursday morning (My last day in India) one of the managers “Shilpa” asked me if I would come down at 3:00pm and meet with her. She had been at my going away party from work the night before and brought her husband. It was a fun night and I thought she might be thanking me for helping her network or maybe asking me to complete a survey on the hotel since every restaurant in India asked for this before you leave. Mike went down with me to say hello to Shilpa but to my surprise, I was directed into their in house restaurant where the entire staff gathered and presented me with a cake that said “We will miss you”. I was really surprised and very touched. I can honestly say I will miss my friends at the hotel. I’ve seen them several times a day for 3 months and it feels like good friends have left my life or moved away. They also gave me a wonderful brass turtle clock. Its very heavy and elegant and must have cost a fortune. It now sits in my home office on my desk and is set to Indian Standard Time.
Blues Brothers!
What can I say, I already miss Mike. In my entire life I never met someone I’ve had more in common with. it would seem that in every way our personalities are the same. From our interest in women (our wives have so many similarities) to sports and entertainment interests we are the same. Mike and I quote the same movies and authors and laugh at the same goofy jokes. It’s no surprise to me that the two of us were the first round of volunteers for the India assignment as the similarities also led us to find the same value in the experience.
It was a pleasure and an honor doing time in India with Mike. We were like bothers or at least partners in crime : ) I’ll miss Mike most of all and am thankful we have our company in common.
At this point, you’re probably wondering about the title of this blog entry “Closer to Fine ”. As each of us grow up, we search for ourselves and our place in life. In my opinion, those of us whom are lucky live long lives and never end that journey. My life took me down the road to parenthood which has taught me a great deal about responsability and commitment but at the same time, led me to lose a perspective on who I am/was before that. I got a bit sentimental before leaving and was listening to some songs I used to love. I came across one of my favorites and the lyrics struck me in a way they never had before. In the first chorus, there are a few lines I’m referencing.
Here they are
1. "The best thing you've ever done for me Is to help me take my life less seriously, it's only life after all"
2. "There's more than one answer to these questions pointing me in crooked line"
3. "The less I seek my source for some definitive. The closer I am to fine. "
Here’s the song with music video on YouTube if you care to check it out.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY1Bl4nfpdA
The thing about all of this is that India has rekindled my desire to live life. Not on a day to day basis but to cherish every day and every relationship. To find value in what we take for granted here and go with the flow more than I have tended to in recent past. I tend to need control and because I’m a left brain type, I’m always looking for the answer or the reason behind things. The wife says I over analyze everything. Well, maybe she’s right. It’s funny, because so many people go to India and make pilgrimages to find higher meaning or interpersonal relationships or even to make spiritual connections. I simply went for work but found myself agin. The answer I found is that maybe I just need to stop looking for answers as everything I need has always been all around me.
"The less I seek my source for some definitive. The closer I am to fine".
I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my blog and how the journey to India has touched me. I still intend to post a few more times as I complete my acclimation back into the US way of life. I’ll be back to work tomorrow and I’m sure I’ll have more to say.
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( 2.8 / 9 )Have you ever noticed that a flower “Follows the Sun” to get the most out of what it needs? It’s energy source moves across the sky throughout the day and a flower will change shape and become flexible to achieve it’s optimum efficiency.
Time Lapsed Orchid Example
Twelve months ago the word “Globalization” was a dark word in my vocabulary. It was a word that caused a certain amount of intimidation, discomfort and one that no one in the US wanted to talk about. While every major company in the US began to develop globalization strategies, everyone around me avoided the topic due to the implication of lost jobs.
Six months ago, I came to realize something I knew right out of school but had long forgotten due to my own complacency. This realization is that each of us is a resource to our employer. Each resource is like a commodity and has a value that can go up or down based on demand. With our skills and through our actions, we drive revenue, avoid cost or, we innovate change to these ends. If we’re not doing something to this effect, we might as well be dead weight as far as our company‘s well being is concerned. Rumors began to float around that my organization might be globalizing and my fifteen years with the company felt threatened. It was shortly after this that I received an email invitation to a required class. Something snapped in me the day I attended a bank sponsored class called “Catalyst” and realized what reaction this “Catalyst” was designed to accelerate. Our company has always asked us to be “A Champion of Change”. Some associates take this seriously, some shrug it off as another cheerleader approach to promote spirit & policy acceptance. I’ve always been someone to embrace change and find value in it. When I attended the Catalyst class I had no idea where it would lead me and the reaction it would cause in the chemical equation of my life and career. Change can be good or bad, it’s all perspective and to be honest, each of us to some degree, have the ability to influence it. If you know the sun will be out, you can stay in, you can wear protection and go out, or you can blow off your options and get burned. The choices are often clouded by complacency and a sense of entitlement or ego but the fact is, these choices still exist and we need only to recognize and embrace them to have a positive influence.
Five months ago, I flew to Dallas Texas for a managers meeting to assist in planning a reorganization and start working on small scale strategy for globalization in my team as well as my peers teams. I found myself taking the lead in the operational model between the US and India and helping define policy for how the two would work together. It was exciting and while it still felt a bit taboo, the inclusion in something of this nature broke down the layer of complacency and entitlement and began to fuel a fire. This is a fire I still feel burning today and is one of passion for change and leadership. I’ve devoted my professional career to our company and making it successful, is something I want to be associated with.
Four months ago, I “Followed the Sun”. I boarded a plane for Hyderabad India. Four months… That’s a long time isn’t it. Four months is a large chunk of time to commit every hour of your life to for anything. I chose to take a big leap of faith in my life and step outside my comfort zone into a completely foreign country and culture. I left behind my family, my wife and my kids because I am a champion. It sounds a bit silly when I say it but the fact is, a global company means more jobs and more growth. More growth means more security and better returns. Better ROI means higher stock. Higher stock means collectively, we’ve done our jobs and are being recognized by our economic critics. Globalization needs champions. It’s not an easy topic to embrace but one that, like a rising sun, is inevitable. The champions in our company will stand up, drive productivity and lead us to success.
Fourteen days from today, I will board a plane and end my assignment here in India. I will now “Lead the Sun” back to the US and bring with it a new energy and commitment to my company.
I have Followed the Sun, now let it follow me.
As we lead our company into new horizons of growth and productivity, we embark on new adventures and have the challenge to build new relationships and teams. Our business model is now global and our standards for productivity and excellence now higher. Only time and our critics in the economy will measure our success and only together can we achieve it.
I have Followed the Sun, will you?
One year with out a vacation, four months without my family and two weeks left to contemplate the work I’ve yet to accomplish and how I will transition it. I know I’ve made a difference and I know you can as well. I challenge you to be a champion.
Best Regards,
Jason
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( 2.5 / 4 )- A business class ticket to India; $6,000 US Dollars
- Monthly Bill in a 4 star Indian hotel: $8,000 US Dollars
- Spending Diwali with your US friend & his family in India: Priceless!
One of the engineers that works for me in the states “Suresh Lankalapalli” is in India this month on vacation. Today is Diwali which is equivalent to Christmas in India and there are fireworks going off everywhere.
Hyderabad Fireworks
Suresh invited Mike and I to the family home where he grew up. We met his lovely wife “Antara” and a good portion of his large family.
Here is Suresh & Antara in Traditional Indian clothes
We shared about an hour of conversation on many topics and learned that Antara is a trained traditional dancer & model. We also found out that Suresh’s nephew “Pandu” and his niece “Keerthi” like to dance too. It wasn’t long before we moved out of the living room and into the family room to watch everyone take turns dancing to local music and cheering.
This was one of the best experiences Mike and I have had in India and really refreshed us on this long assignment.
Here are some fun pics & videos from today
Mike, Jason & Mr. Lankalapalli
Here is little “Pandu” Suresh’s Nephew
You may have to hit refresh on the page once these videos load.
Here is "Pandu" Dancing
Pandu Dancing
This is “Keerthi” Suresh’s Niece
Keerthi Dancing
This is “Antara” Suresh’s wife
Antara Dancing
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( 0 / 0 )Every 2-3 weeks is a new experience for Mike and I. As new associates arrive in Hyderabad, we enjoy playing host and ensuring safe travels around the city. Today Mike and I took our local friends Jim and Shiela as well as our co-workers Pratik & Troy to Qutub Shahi Tombs (7 Tombs).
Here is a picture of today's group.
;)
The day was filled with typical site seeing and pictures of everyone next to everything. The one exception was a first for me in India. As we entered one of the tomb areas, 2 very cute little girls wondered over giggling. One of them looked at me with big eyes and said “Hello, May I Have A Kiss ”. I’m sure I had an ear to ear grin with embarrassment. This isn't typical behavior for Indian girls. My only response was to ask if they would like their picture taken. They giggled some more, posed for the shot then asked my name. They flirted a bit more then ran away giggling.
Here are my momentary fans
We saw these girls running around the tombs a few more times today as they asked Mike and the others for their names and got a kick out of the hat he was wearing.
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( 3.8 / 5 )I can literally feel the final 5 weeks of my assignment slipping away. The extreme hours have been difficult and last week was no exception. I flew to Delhi and stayed in a subdivision called Gurgoan. Delhi certainly has a different look and feel from Hyderabad. Delhi being the capital city has a lot more money being injected by west and the Indian government. Commercial buildings are prevalent with multiple western corporation names labeled across the fascia of every building. Delhi feels more like a westernized city than I imagined would exist in India. Unfortunately the demands on my time while on this assignment made no exception during the Delhi trip and regrettably, I didn’t have an opportunity to explore the capital city at all.
I, along with my two partners in crime here (Mike and Gulshan) had to create organizational level presentations in 2 days (Saturday & Sunday), fly to Delhi on Monday, deliver 5 presentations between Tuesday & Wednesday, fly back to Hyderabad, then deliver an additional and final presentation. On Friday, when it was all over we closed out the week with a video interview for the US on our International Delivery Lead roles and the part we individually play. I had pulled another 60 hour week when the accounting was done and this doesn‘t bring to light the lack of sleep these schedules leave us with.
As my time in India grows shorter, I’m reminded of the many things I stand to lose when I leave. Among the most important to me are friendships. Mike and I have been like brothers on this trip and have only ventured out of the hotel separately on only a hand full of occasions. I keep thinking that going back to the states marks a return to familiarity and a winding down of my stress level but the $100 question is, “Does it really”. Mike made a joke yesterday that when I leave, 1000 people will be at the airport to wish me well. I don’t think that’s true but I have built a fair number of relationships in India and to potentially walk away forever saddens me.
I have a significant feeling that what was familiar prior to August 2007, will be new again and what used to be comfortable will require a significant adjustment period. I think these two aspects of a short to long term international assignment are what have caught me most by surprise. I contemplated many challenges before my journey, cultural as well as professional and these never made it on my list.
Of great excitement to me is that my relationship with my wife will be new again. I truly look forward to this and have already planned some fun & spicy experiences like Ballroom dancing lessons. As I’ve mentioned before, my daughter cries every day without fail. Regaining her trust and strengthening the bond between her, my son and I will be a primary objective in the first weeks back.
I also plan to continue writing in this blog for the first month after my return to allow those interested to understand the challenges and excitement of re-entry into the US.
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