Signal Vs. Noise!
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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Signal Vs. Noise! / 046, 09 July 2022
In engineering, Signal-to-Noise ratio is a common concept. Every measurement (signal) is affected by unrelated processes (noise). The magnitude of the noise in relation to that of the signal directly affects our ability to make accurate measurements of the Signal.
Similarly in leadership and management, we face this dilemma on a regular basis, and with increasing frequency at that. We seek actionable data (signal) in our lives, but that is increasingly hard to come by in this digital age, where, we are flooded with information (noise) of a magnitude never seen before. A few examples to illustrate the extent of information flooding into our minds:
-?????????Sizes of documents we read have increased from a few KB to hundreds of MB
-?????????E-mails and messages from SM platforms engage us for 4-5 hours a day
-?????????Our free time also involves devices, which pump in even more information to us
But the reality is, we still have only 24 hours a day.. and still we need to come to decisions faster than ever before by separating the ‘signal’ from the ‘noise’. In fact, the ‘noise’ levels are so high that we have formats like ‘cut the clutter’ or ‘highlights in 30 seconds’ to help us come to grips with the basics by removing the unwanted details. But overall, our ‘signals’ are still drowning amidst the unrelenting ‘noise’ all around us.
So how do we tune in to the ‘signal’ we seek by tuning out the ‘noise’ surrounding it. I have listed a few tips that have helped me, as below:?
-?????????Laser-sharp focus is essential
(reduce number of distractions, say check phones only once an hour)
-?????????Contextual awareness is important
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(which data is essential for this context)
-?????????Managing emotional states so that decisions are made rationally
(avoid making decisions when you are stressed or not your normal self)
-?????????Seeking diverse and critical feedback at all times
(this is a lifesaver and the best insurance policy for management decision making)
I hope you enjoyed reading this one, and as always, do leave your own stories and anecdotes in the comments section, as we build a conversation. Let’s get a good conversation started on tuning in to the ‘signal’ from all the ‘noise’ in our lives!
Warm regards, Krishnakumar.
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References:
Plant Manager | Manufacturing Operations | Coach, Mentor and Leader | Building Great and Effective Teams
2 年What a relevant subject, Krishnakumar! May I add the following to the list: -Activate notifications only for important apps -Be as less part of groups on WhatsApp as possible. If you have to be, put notifications on mute -Keep your connections on social media to a minimum and most relevant. Look out for relevance rather than quantity -Exercise self retraint on urges to immediately reply to messages. -Isolate and throw away negative thoughts. They are a drain on your "Signals". In one of our training programmes, I had learnt to say, "Negative thoughts cancel cancel"
Siemens AG Real Estate Regional Manager | Ex Head of Maintenance and Technology & Ex Head of Real Estate Operations | IIM Bangalore | Indian School of Business | Wharton University | London Business School
2 年Intresting read KK. Thks for sharing
Control System Consultant @ General Mills | Industrial Automation/OT Expert | Siemens | Rockwell | Aveva | OT Cybersecurity Enthusiast | Toastmasters International
2 年Very nice article on reducing noise in our life! One hack I use is to declutter my work desk, keep my phone aside when I require working with focus.If possible I try to isolate myself when working on tasks requiring high focus
Chief Manager at Siemens Ltd
2 年Good one KK,
Business Leader- Team development and Empowerment, Customer first approach, Believes in diverse points of view, Leadership by building Trust, Enriching experience in start up and growth businesses
2 年Very aptly articulated and summarised. A good read indeed. In the current times of information overload, we must LEARN to SKIM when we try to find the signal from the noise. As pointed out under no 2 of your summary, contextualising is very important to skim the right signals. Thanks for posting. We love your posts.