Tech Directions: Through the Apple and Google Lens

What’s the direction?

With Apple Market Cap at 570 BUSD and Google at 385 BUSD, they have become the vanguard of tech industry.

Apple WWDC and Google IO developer events are a good indicator of tech industry directions.

Both the companies conduct the developer event in June at the same location Moscone Center, San Francisco, USA. The commonality does not stop here.

So, what’s the tech direction? Here!

Motivation 3.0

21st century motivation is based on intrinsic (within) and not extrinsic. This is the view of Daniel Pink in the book Drive! Daniel Pink is in the World Thinkers 50 - 2013 list.

Daniel says we are now in the world which needs Motivation 3.0.

What is Motivation 1.0 and 2.0?

• Motivation 1.0 was animal centric "Survival & Biological needs"
• Motivation 2.0 was driven by extrinsic "Carrot & Stick"

Pink argues that the current knowledge economy needs Motivation 3.0 which is more self directed unlike the previous method of command and control.

What is Motivation 3.0?
Motivation 3.0 is centred around 3 broad areas of intrinsic motivation:

1. Autonomy
2. Mastery
3. Purpose

Autonomy is the freedom and flexibility to do things. It can be on the Task, Time, Technique and Team.  The task is what we do? The time is when and where we do?  The technique is how we do? The team is with whom we do?
Mastery is the desire of self improvement and excellence. Daniel says - Mastery is a mindset, Mastery is a pain, Mastery is an asymptote.

• Mastery is Mindset - "If you think you can do a thing or think you cannot do a thing. You are right!" 
• Mastery is Pain - "No pain no gain!" 
• Mastery is Asymptote as in Algebra - a straight line that a curve approaches but never quite reaches. Similarly Mastery is a journey without an end reach!

Purpose is Performance with a purpose - to contribute and make an impact larger than the self!  Profit is the catalyst and not the objective.

What Drives you? Think about it!

Can Leaders learn from Teabags!

A real tea quality comes only when the teabag is dipped in hot water! Similarly a true quality of a leader can be seen in a challenging situation like hot water.

Whether the tea bag is in the top, middle or bottom, quality does not differ. True leaders perform well no matter where they are in the organisation layer.

Tea quality degrades if the Tea bag stays in the cup beyond the needs. Great leaders do not hold on and know when to leave a legacy for the next generation to perform.

This is from a book “The secret of leadership” by Prakash Iyer. Prakash comes from the corporate world and this his second book after the successful first book "Habit of winning ". 
Prakash has the ability to connect stories from cricket to olympics, giraffe to tea bag and make it interesting to change mindset, attitude, habits.

Some of the memorable insights from the book are:

• Good is the enemy of Great.
• Bronze medalist are happier than Silver medalist in their achievement!
• FEAR is False Expectations Appearing Real!

if you want to connect with yourself and team through inspiring stories then this book can help you.

Coaching for Performance

I was researching on How Sports Excellence can be applied to Corporate Excellence? In the process, found two experts in the field Timothy Gallwey and John Whitmore.

Seven takeaways from reading their works:

1. Performance = Potential - Interference (How to minimize the interference to realize the potential?)
2. Focus on future possibilities and not past mistakes
3. Awareness leads to Responsibility (Can Control: What we are aware? and Controlled by: What we are unaware)
4. Learning - Enjoyment - Performance are Integral (Performance does not  happen without learning and enjoyment)
5. Knowledge - Experience - Attitude of mind are the key ingredients for performance
6. Performance Goal(fully under control), End Goal and Dream goal. Three levels of goal can make the performance experience a realistic journey.
7. GROW model for execution - Goal, Reality, Options/Obstacles,Way forward/Will

Innovation - Ten Thinkers

My new interest is to coach "Innovation as a Practice!"

Based on my understanding of this space, following are the ten Thinkers on Innovation:

1. Peter Drucker (Innovation as a Discipline)
2. Clayton Christensen (Disruptive Innovation)
3. Chan Kim & Renee Mauborgne (Value Innovation/Blue Ocean Strategy)
4. Hal Gregersen & Jeffrey Dyer (Innovation Skills)
5. Henry Chesbrough (Open Innovation)
6. Scott Anthony (Innovation Methodology)
7. Mark Johnson (Business Model Innovation)
8. Vijay Govindarajan & Chris Trimble (Reverse Innovation)
9. Michael Hammer (Operational Innovation)
10. Rita McGrath (Innovation Risk Management)

Book Review: Great by Choice

I am a fan of Jim Collins, with his books like “Built to Last”, “Good to Great”. 
I read his new book,“Great by Choice”. “Great by Choice” is an apt book in the current Uncertain times with Chaos. 
Collins - beliefs this kind of turbulent times are going to be the new normal in this world. 
“Great by Choice” is not only applicable to corporates it could be applied to individual life too. 
Collins calls “Great by Choice” companies as 10Xers. 10Xers produce ten times better results than the average.
IT industry is known for jargons. But, it can not compete with Jim Collins! 
So, what are the attributes of 10Xers?

• 20 Mile March – called as fanatic discipline. As the saying goes - "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit" Human/Corporate tendency is to over do in good times and under do in bad times. 20 Mile March stresses consistency for great performance. Not zero miles one day and 50 miles another day!
• Fire Bullets, Then Cannonballs – called as empirical creativity. Try few things (fire bullets) and one which works scale it to big (then cannonballs). Untested Big Bang can backfire and also, not taking advantage of what worked leads to mediocrity. 
• Leading above the death line – called as Productive Paranoia. As the saying goes – “when the whole world sinks our ship will be the last to sink” It is the awareness of the calamity at an early stage and better prepared. If fear of failure is productively channelized then it can lead to better preparation. 

In a nutshell, smartest does not make it great! It is smart enough with consistency is “Great by Choice” 
And there are more jargons – SMaC recipe, Zoom Out Then Zoom In, Return on Luck etc. Read “Great by Choice”

Top Ten Global Tech Companies