2020 - A Relentless Journey

At the risk of gross understatement: What a year 2020 has been? Inspite of turbulence, turmoil and uncertainty that we continue to go through, the fact that I was able to write and you are choosing to read demonstrates that we cannot, and therefore must not, stop counting our blessings – naming them one by one (Johnson Oatman Jr.).

Following the non-conformist tradition, I decided to find hope in the midst of despair, order in the chaos and light at the end of proverbial tunnel even when resurgence of mutated virus in Europe scares that it might turns out to be of incoming train. My focus and efforts here would be limited to silver lining and positivity that 2020 brought and leaving us with for further nurturing, least because these are good and therefore should be and most because this is the least we owe to the next generations.

First, admittance: We are dealing with a medical emergency that has caused economic crisis and exposed geo-political divide – at global levels. 2020 is not a black swan, grey rhino – perhaps. We were not caught unaware, unprepared – for sure. We have been vigorously constructing road to perdition – disguised as prosperity, progress and power. Once again, Mother Nature proved that she is fair – even if ruthless, and does not hesitate in reminding us of our limitations. Self-proclaimed mightiest of the species has been crippled and terrified by the tiniest one – across the caste, class, creed, community, culture, cuisine or even choices. For me, this is one of the very effective, even if brutal, lesson in humility, humanity and humbleness – learnt hard and hopefully learnt well. To paraphrase Satya Nadella and Lenin, in 2020, weeks equaled decades and digital advanced by five years at least challenging the soul of Gordon Moore to keep the pace.

So, with this, what I am pleased, hopeful and confident of:

Purpose:

For one, 2020 has reinforced the purpose of having a purpose in everything we do, irrespective of motivation or outcome. We learnt, hopefully, the imperative of understanding and elevating the very purpose of our being – and that too for very selfish reasons. We learned that purpose provides us clarity, alignment and meaning to whatever we pursue – qualities so critical in current times that are filled with confusion and fear. It calms in the midst of turbulence and increases our stability when everything is dynamically unstable and entropy is the order and pattern of the day.

I am pleasantly conscious of the fact most of us, through out the year, have worked harder than ever to live our purpose everyday and made most sincere attempts to positively impact the lives of less privileged. These intents, and efforts, have helped and guided us navigate challenging times and contributed in unlocking of the potential of those who advance the progress. I recommit to pursue this path beyond 2020 and hope, rather believe, that most of us do so more vigorously, and selflessly. May the force be with all of us in our pursuit of alleviating little pain from the lives of those who matter, and of those who do not.

Creativity:

If creativity could be reflected on an index, it has outperformed all stock markets, political polls and commodities numbers – combined. The lockdowns led the emergence of chefs, musicians, artists, writers among most of us. Suddenly, we became fitness freak and started appreciating spirituality. We have devised innovative means to overcome the seemingly unsurmountable challenges despite, rather because, of the unexpectedly harsh limitations, suddenly imposed, that we were hardly prepared for. We had Presidential Elections in United States, IPL in UAE, social unrest in India, war in Armenia Azerbaijan and – lo and behold – even Brexit.

We “restructured” more than five million jobs – and counting, while augmenting the productivity. The office was made redundant while extending the working hours – WFH, WFAA and corresponding emojis are new additions in our parlances. Our homes converted overnight into 24X7 office, school, restaurant, playground, theatre and hospitals without space constraint.

Connectivity:

Dichotomy personified! We were better than ever, even since, connected when the movement was halted. We chose masks when the air was clean and we stayed indoors when the roads were empty. While being physically apart, we were emotionally & intellectually closer than ever. Through Zoom / Teams / WebEx, we walked into the homes of colleagues, interacted with families and learnt about the life beyond work. We were (are) better integrated globally while in isolation, aware and concerned about others more while being away and have had better feel and appreciation when touch was prohibited. May the concept live far beyond and wider than virus.

For a change, Technology acted as equalizer and not differentiator putting multiple pieces of puzzle simultaneously and quickly in place. We utilized the power, influence and reach of technology and innovation to break down barriers to equity as everything flipped online – from education to office to movie to healthcare to home essentials. Future quickly became present, caught us napping, punished us deservingly and pushed our limits.

Collaboration:

While the globalization was (and still is) retreating – from America First to Brexit to RCEP to Atmanirbhar Bharat – a common – almost existential threat from an unknown and lethal microbe reignited the spirit of collaboration at a speed and scale that was pleasantly surprising. The governments collaborated in extending relief, medical fraternity in providing healthcare and scientists in developing the treatment and vaccine. Corporates collaborated with NGOs in offering the livelihood support and economic stimulus were pumped in with a sense of urgency hitherto unexpected from bureaucrats. The journey to beat the virus – and its cousins that continue guerrilla wars – is arduous, ride bumpy and not for faint hearted but the manner in which the stakeholders coordinated, cooperated and consulted brings smile and hope for the humanity. Having doubts, treading cautiously, moving confidently and carefully – reaffirms Bertrand Russell “The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.”

Climate:

Enough of conferences and enough of denial, the lockdowns have conclusively demonstrated that nature is capable of returning to its glory and economic prosperity, if achieved at her cost, will be countered by biological correction. It’s a pity that it took a pandemic to redefine ESG and reinforce the power of integrating the integrated thinking on climate challenges. Abandoned abundance from Mother Nature has been wastefully, expeditiously and criminally exhausted by us and there is no room for later – actually later is NOW. Virus is a stern warning on minding our limits, practice live and let live the other species and our last chance to take the off-ramp to the finish line. We can, that we are quite capable of, waste it at our own peril and curse of future generations.

The silver lining is adoption of Epinomic Approach balancing epidemiological and socioeconomical risks. We have reinforced faith in Science & Technology and are reimagining the role of technology – with tech lead & NOT tech supported strategies, reinventing tech delivery and future proofing the foundations based on the principles of sustainability. Technology moved from project management to excellence valuing innovation and resilience over cost.

Leadership:

As a student of leadership, I am pleased, and more confident than ever, of the positivity and progress in the field. Quickly numbers and returns were replaced with purpose and principles in assessment metrics. The paradigm shifted from What you did to How you did, and from Whom you lead to How you lead. Stay safe, take care, all the best suddenly started sounding more genuine and profound. We learnt expeditiously and became agile, our interests – and concerns – diversified, and actions directed and driven by a sincere desire to help someone, anyone in any and every manner.

Facing storm, even if from harbors safer than many, I realized that crises don’t build the character, crises reveal the character. The pandemic exposed the fault lines in the society and brought much needed attention to widening inequities and inequalities. It amplified the fact that while the world as a whole is more prosperous and differences among the countries are declining, within countries the gaps are widening between have nots and have lots – virtually eradicating the middle class that was responsible for much of the global progress in last century – with expected and unpleasant consequences. We have stagnating or declining real wages, a growing gap between rich and poor, overproduction of young graduates with advanced degrees, and exploding public debt and this cannot continue. The “K-shaped recovery” we are experiencing, in which the rich get richer and the poor poorer, makes these dangers worse.

Risk decisions have never been more crucial, particularly in a world where political turmoil, economic insecurity, technological transformation, and climate change have exposed us to unprecedented levels of vulnerability. Something concrete and drastic must be, and is being, quickly done at global scale to reverse the trend and ameliorate the masses.

We realized the meaning of GBS on “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place". We understood that in a crisis, you don’t run a company or lead the business, you serve a family; and crisis management is the task for leadership, not management. We understood the meaning of empathy when we lost someone whom we loved or knew. We differentiated between needs and splurge. As humanity started buying only the things it needed, the economy crimpled. And my pick – It’s easier to aspire to become a charismatic larger than life leader but it’s truly humbling to see selfless leadership in action, and in 2020 I was privileged to observe some.  

Looking Ahead: I believe we need to become relentless seekers rather than blind believers, continuously reinforcing human values and reposing faith in science. Digitization and innovation are existential now, irrespective of type, state, scale or geography of the business we are in. Be prepared for more governmental interventions and while the performance on ease of doing business may be debatable, cost of doing business has definitely and sharply increased. With economic stimulus, debt to GDP ratios have long, far and widely surpassed subprime levels intensifying economic, financial and social fragilities and its time we seriously, objectively and critically review the roles of state, market and community, meaningfully propagated by Raghuram Rajan.

Conclusion: My take aways and message: It’s Okay to be not Okay. This is not the time to crib for what we miss but appreciate what we have. We would be judged by asking right questions and not by providing answers – right or wrong. In the end, paraphrasing Santanu Mitra – Life is like love affair – If you do not take it seriously, it’s no fun – but if you do take it seriously, it will break your heart. So, in times of such uncertainty, bordering despair, remember Nelson Mandela “May our choices reflect our hopes and not fears”.