Opportunity in Adversity: 2.0

As we traverse the challenging trail of a Covid impacted world, this quote by Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the Unites states has been echoing in my mind. There are enough and more instances in our lives to reminisce and take away not merely learning but opportunities which were created. The prerequisite is that we need to find the glass half full. I take you through one of my personal challenges which was a life threatening event.

I was on a quest to rediscover my mojo in Malaysia in November 2018 by winning the Coveted Title of Ironman. This was my second shot at the title. The last one being in exotic France, where i meandered away my medal in the Lake by swimming 800 m more than the stipulated 3.8 km swim and missing the timing cutoff for the swim section.(https://medium.com/@mohitchobey/10-minutes-too-long-9ead785c2bb3) .

I had expected many takeaways besides glory and self gratification in the successful completion of the current quest; never in my wild dreams did i expect corporate strategy and planning as takeaways for me.

For the uninitiated, an Ironman , is an Ultra Triathlon event which requires a participant to complete 3.8 km open water swim( Lake, river or sea), followed by an 180 km bike ride, and concludes with a full marathon (42.2 km of running. ) . The time allocated for completion is 17 hours .

The planning and training had been immaculate. The event location was scouted, especially the swim part.Once bitten twice shy. Extensive swimming undertaken in Andaman Sea in Phuket and in Langkawi ( venue of the event). The venue was decided basis my weakest link; viz. swimming.No more deciding locations on the beauty quotient, static or otherwise.

The arena seemed placid; The swimming area was covered by two smallish islands potentially reducing the impact of waves. Swimmers may appreciate the difference in swimming in a pool, vis-a-vis the churning waters of the sea. Often the case between testing in a sand box vs a market release.

Came d day, and I confidently strode into the serene waters of the Andaman Sea, prepared for the depths and hustle bustle of fellow swimmers , including kicking, shoving and pushing them. Much like the corporate world, not only do you need to move forward but ensure a clear and optimal course while pushing back your competition.

I reached the 3 km turnaround and headed for the coast hardly a km away. At the precise moment, the weather gods listened to my prayers( prematurely; i had hoped for it during the bike section) for a cool weather and unleashed the fury of the clouds mixed with strong winds. It unleashed waves in a serene sea which started resembling the waters of hell.

The waves were diagonally cutting across me and besides unsettling the route, were unsettling my mind even more. I wasn't alone in this. Fellow swimmers switched their stroke to breast stroke to get a better sighting of the destination (Some of them bailed out, and headed for the nearest raft; putting a premature end to their journey) I also followed suit and changed my stroke; hoping to make myself feel less unsettled only to be lashed by the waves now that my full face was available to be targeted. While trying to leash my mind, a eureka moment happened and i realised that since i breathed from my left side, i would end up giving the back of my head to the waves to savor and hence avoid their fury. My limitation of only breathing through one side had become my competitive advantage.

The discovery was not mere serendipity. It required a control of the mind; balancing of the senses and seeking opportunity with a clear focus on the objective. I walked out triumphantly from the raging waters and on to completing my remaining journey of 222.2 kms. https://corporatemarathoner.wordpress.com/2019/05/23/taming-the-dragon/

For me, it was a life lesson. Search for opportunities in the most difficult of times and if you keep a balanced mind and persevere, more often than not the way will be shown.

The Current impact of Covid besides on the health & well being of people has had tremendous impact on the economy and Businesses. some have seen this as an interim speed breaker waiting for the Hand of God to be back in it's place. Others have seen not just pivoting of Business but potentially entered domains which will define the Business & Industry.

The top ones which come to mind are Education( Tech & Otherwise) Healthtech & Payments. Some have started alternate delivery modules but primarily have not seen the evolving situation in a holistic manner. Mere short term user on-boarding with a mid term monetisation planning will not cut it anymore. The travails of providing promised milestones to the Investor will end up being an impediment to the evolution of the organisation.

Schools in particular are lagging behind. Zoom is not the answer. It's merely patchwork and a substitution of the platform with a more robust one is not the panacea to all the problems. Schools in particular need to take the lead in embracing new ways to impart education & knowledge, and with so much down time available; a five year plan is not much to ask. Edtech companies also don't seem to have responded to becoming partners in holistic education and continue to pitch themselves as supplementary education.

Situations like these warrant out of the box thinking but more often than not the rigmarole of habit prohibits imagination to soar.

To quote the Gita.

Even if we can’t see adversity as opportunity, we can still see opportunity in adversity. Gita 18.58.