HOW DO YOU KNOW, WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW !!

As we travel through life and keep our minds free to grow and excel, our energies become very dominating and help us to think new things and evolve further. I realised that when we start performing at workplace, our energies further get reiterated at a particular level, and we keep purging more to create our journey, our story, our life.

But everything changes. You cannot keep doing things the same way, even if they have been hugely successful earlier. Evolution of new thought process, new ideas, new people, thinking differently give rise to situations, where your own tried and tested way of success and which has succeeded in the past, needs a relook, as that is not how the new paradigm or society is responding now. Let’s take the example of Cricket. When we were growing up, 5-day Test series were the order of the day. People used to play, so that they ‘don’t lose.’ So, slow batting, late declarations etc. were all tuned towards ‘not losing.’

Then came 50-overs ODI. One team will win and the game ends in a day. So, the drudgery of 5 days gone, and you need to play fast and enterprising cricket to beat the opponent, otherwise you will lose. That was kind of interesting. It responded to one set of people. Then came T-20,and everything changed again. Game was decisive. It ended in 3 hours. Old school said, this is not cricket. But it grew in popularity. So, there was a further change in the offing and many people thronged to watch it, one does need to have a closer look at it. You simply can’t ridicule it. Finally (perhaps!) all the 3 formats have come to stay. They have created their own space, own market. Those who watch all the 3 formats are happy. But as the energies in the society evolved, we had to adopt and accept these fundamental changes in the way the game will be played. The same thing is happening in all our business ventures and day to day life too.

Hence, the energies which create a process also change. We cannot stick to the same process of decision making. Blackberry phone is a very good example. Blackberry Founder was an innovator par excellence. Mike Lazaridis conceptualised Blackberry as a wireless communication device to receive and send emails. Blackberry, his innovation, worked very well and there was a time when Blackberry had more than 50% of the USA market in 2009, but in 2014, it plummeted to 1%. Why? Apple came with iPhone and disrupted the whole thing completely. As Mike himself  said, they have put a computer in the phone and it will not work. He did not change. iPhone, WhatsApp, came and took away a market Mike had created because he was not willing to change or accept.

So, we must continuously adapt to our changing environment. Human beings are always looking for unknown to adopt and change and we cannot stick our grounds and say, my way works and I know it. It is almost like saying, innovation is becoming a way of life. To survive, to grow, to develop.

I recently read a book THINK AGAIN by ADAM GRANT. Very powerful book. It gives you a lot of insights for this changing, innovating world. His core line in this book is “The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know.”

Think again !!

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