HAVE WE MISUNDERSTOOD THE MAXIM “LIFE IS TOO SHORT”?

These days everything is quick-paced and short-lived. Our attention spans are decreasing at the same rate as the quantum of information keeps increasing. IBM estimates that we are generating 2.5 quintillion bytes of data each day, more than 90% of which was created in the last 2 years. The human brain can store just 3 terabytes of information and yet that is only 1/millionth of the information that IBM says is now produced in the world each day. More importantly the processing capacity of the human brain is 120 bits per second. In order to understand one person speaking to us, we need to process 60 bits of information per second which means we can barely understand two people talking to us at the same time and the third is impossible. We are so hard pressed for time, that we miss out on key inputs, important information and end up accumulating mostly irrelevance. As a result of this new world, our listening skills are disappearing.

Try this simple exercise – walk into any retail store or have a conversation with a customer service executive on telephone. Note down the number of times you are interrupted while saying something or the rapidity with which you get the answer – mostly an incorrect one. This exercise can be done by a simple question and answer test once you have finished your basic conversation. The results will startle you. Hopefully you are also paying attention to what you are saying. You will find that the person supposedly listening to you has not picked up more than 10% of what you have tried to convey. Some of it could be due to your accent, the grasp of the language but the key reason is that the listener is just not paying attention to what you are saying. I am guilty of committing this crime quite often as pointed out by my wife especially when I am listening to her. Most husbands would fall into this category won’t they? We have a reason don’t we, but the customer service executive doesn’t have one. Jokes apart, however I have started to make that extra effort, a conscious effort to pay attention to what people are saying. I consciously try to slow down on every occasion there is information to be processed – while reading a book, reading an email, listening to someone speak and so on. And it has helped me immensely.

Too much of data from multiple sources is perhaps one of the key reasons for our attention spans dwindling. However it is not just the quantum of data but also the quality. We face danger whenever information growth outpaces our understanding of how to process it. The many mishaps courtesy WhatsApp are a classic case in point. In other words, “noise is increasing faster than the signal”. Everyone is in a massive hurry, rushing while driving, rushing during meetings, during phone conversations. Most WhatsApp messages are nowadays only a line of abbreviations. Grammar and dictionary are passé, a sheer waste of time. As a result, we mostly end up generating mediocrity and trash.

In the old days it took a while to make money, as one built up a culture, an organization. Now the speed at which fortunes are assembled can outstrip the development of the culture required to dispose of them elegantly. Very few of the new generation organizations have a long term vision for their existence. When I refer to long term, I am talking about a multi-generational period. Most are in the valuation game. Build a set-up from scratch, expand rapidly and sell out. Amongst the organizations started in the last 20 years, there will be a handful apart from Apple, Google, and Amazon who will be around by the turn of this century. I have had the privilege of working for a European luxury organization – Villeroy & Boch that’s been in business for more than 260 years across 8 family generations with the 8th generation actively involved in the business though reporting to a professional. The value and importance they attach to their heritage, their centuries old culture and ethos is something to enjoy. Yet they have adapted to the new world where their factories are mostly run by robots using cutting edge technology but with the human touch of their artisans still intact. They have also moved to an Omni channel presence as far as distribution is concerned. Of course they like many organizations are facing difficult times with increased competition from within their industry but also from outside as the new generation hardly use tableware – since cooking at home is also a fast reducing activity. Yet they strive to meet this new generation’s requirement by innovating within the tableware space. Another brand that is doing the same is Montblanc with whom again I have had a long association. While writing instruments is still the largest category for the brand, they have expanded successfully over the last 20 years into leather products, accessories and watches. For most of the Millennials and Gen Z, writing instrument may be an unheard of term, so let me explain. A writing instrument is a device with which one writes. In Montblanc’s case it essentially means a fountain pen but also includes a roller ball and a ball point pen. Yes – people write!!!

This haste which is percolating all aspects of life has already started taking its toll especially in the new rising economies of India, China, Indonesia, Russia, Brazil and their ilk. This is reflected in the traffic congestion, pollution, increase in the natural calamities courtesy us and a general deterioration in our daily quality of life. I would love to see a longer term, patient approach to all facets of life. I am reasonably confident that it will offer all of us a better quality of life. Let’s start with a patient hearing!!!!