Connect the Dots!
Krishnakumar Ramanathan
Managing Director and Group CEO S & S Power | Acrastyle | Hamilton Research and Technology | At the intersection of Engineering and Management lie infinite possibilities!
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Connect the Dots! / 051, 03 Sep 2022
Knowledge can be defined as the awareness of facts, situations, or skills. We start our careers based on the knowledge gained through books and experiments, through our education. (Refer: random dots in the first picture above, we ‘know’ some facts)
Experience is additional knowledge gained through application of the facts or skills, or being in situations, during our work. ?This leads to additional insights, and we can connect the dots of our knowledge better (Refer: random dots connected like a grid in the second picture above)
Creativity is when we develop the ability to look beyond our experience and connect the dots in such a way that we can create a story-line or an image based on our knowledge and experience – seeing beyond, and way better – that people will remember (Refer: random dots connected to represent a cat in the third picture above)
Our success in professional life depends to a large extent on how we can connect the dots in the best way possible and draw new meanings and insights out of our knowledge and experiences. It helps us understand why we are doing what we are doing, and how we can do it better by leveraging information from diverse or unconnected fields. ?It is an ability to associate one idea with another, or to find out the relevant information from a mass of data.
As a young engineer, I understood our products very well. But I did not understand the external ecosystems well. So, when I attended external meetings and heard about trends in research and government policies from veterans, I tried to relate those to my products and the market. It was difficult in the beginning, but over time, patterns and linkages started becoming visible. With more effort, I was able to derive better insights and create a story-line for presenting my ideas by connecting these dots imaginatively. In other words, since then, I have realised the power and importance of being able to connect those dots!
As we cannot leave it to chance, it is therefore important to create an ecosystem that fosters connection of the dots for ourselves on a regular basis. But how do we create circumstances that will help us learn to connect the dots? From my experience, the following work well:
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I hope you enjoyed reading this one, and as always, do leave your own stories and anecdotes in the comments section. Let us get a good conversation started!
Warm regards, Krishnakumar.
Image courtesy:
Source unknown, received over social media.
References:
Regional Sales Head - Middle East & Egypt at Nidec Conversion , UAE
2 年Wow.. well illustrated ..
Senior Consultant
2 年Very well articulated Krish. Often feel missing point 3 and 4. We dont get exposed to areas beyond our profession. We just pass through the experience and wont reflect enough.
Country Finance Head Solutions Division including Global Engineering Center and India Digitalization Hub
2 年Visualisation is important for connecting the dots. We need to understand micro aspects and then have to convert it from macroscopic angle. It is not easy task. We need to keep active our creativity and nurture it. But once we achieve.....it gives immense satisfaction within oneself.
Retired on 30th Sept 2020 from the position of VP- HR Health Management at Siemens Ltd
2 年Wow!! Wonderful KK!!
Manager-Service Business Support
2 年Innovative and informative !!