What Constructs Your Operating Model?

Yes, you read that right! I’m reflecting on what makes you operate the way you operate and let me share why I think of that as your own, individual operating model. 

I’m sure you have worked in an organization that operates in a certain way, has its brand, marketing & communication department etc. Now think about those elements at individual level. You operate in a certain way that makes your personal brand. Every interaction you have, every imprint in social media, is equivalent to your own self-run marketing campaign. You are your own vendor & customer, prioritizing and planning for certain outcomes, setting expectations because you know as you sow, so shall you reap. Your actions are driving your future. In business terms, that could be very well treated as client-vendor relationship and you are playing all those roles for yourself.

Without getting too much hung up on my ROI, I’ve been thinking about what makes us all operate in a certain way? What makes me who I am? I’m sure you are thinking there is nothing philosophical about it. It’s simply how you operate. Aha! If you thought in those terms, we should talk. We have something in common; Understanding of our operating model. But what designs that operating model??

I think the process starts early on with what you see around you. Your family values define your core operating model. What are family values, you ask? I could very easily Google it but that won't be authentic and being authentic is certainly one of my core values. So, inherently, I can’t go against it. :)

My perspective on that is; it is innate learning. It’s a set of standards and discipline you are brought up with. It’s something you see your grandparents, parents, practicing every day and you don't even realize that you are soaking it in day and night at every micro, mini and macro level and there is no saturation point for it. Because at one point in your life you are absorbing it for yourself while in later stage, you are instilling the same in others including your younger siblings, your children, your students etc. These values penetrate to the core of your heart and brain so well that both parts of the body, despite one being emotional and other completely logical, start functioning in harmony to signal you if something doesn’t sit well as per your core values. I am sure everyone has had that feeling. I think I’ve labeled it as gut feeling or my antenna going up. Sometimes, I’ve tried to dismiss it by giving more authority to my brain and mostly, when I create that forceful imbalance, it turns out to be a regretful experience. 

More seasoned (in age, not sure about the experience) I get, more I believe that my family values gave me foundational core values and over the years with experience, that Core has strengthen. Think of family values as base metal and your experiences, your perspective as the gold-plating on top of that metal. I think I will be able to articulate it better, with some solid points.

1.      Respect Individual opinion, recognize different perspectives: I think I was 9 when I remember us making plans for a family outing, especially this one time for a movie. Parents heard about a movie that everyone in the social circle was raving about. But our parents had screening criteria and when it didn’t meet their expectations and they didn’t find it apt for us, we all (4 siblings) were asked what we could do as an alternative for entertainment. And would you be surprised if I said everyone had something different in mind. I am sure, not! :) As typical as it felt at that time, it was remarkable when I reflect on it now. Everyone’s suggestion was acknowledged and a discussion was started by parents. They shared some constraints in terms of budget, distance, younger siblings dietary needs etc. and asked us to recommend a best solution. We all decided a magic show was best choice for us. One who had suggested that option bragged for a few hours but we were all happy at the end. What elements got ingrained in my operation model from that kind of experience?

a.      Recognize individual perspective

b.     Keeping constraints in mind, think of a best fit for the whole family

c.      And think in a factual manner because it will make your heart and brain aligned

Almost feels like a vendor selection process, doesn’t it? As a result, I naturally ask my kids, my stakeholders of their interest.

2.      You have to earn it! :  A digital wrist watch with red band, monetary value not much but sense of pride that it brought along when I achieved a certain grade in 8th grade was PRICELESS. Keep in mind this was roughly 30 years ago. There were performance standards designed, thresholds were set and you were provided certain resources as enabling system but then there was no excuse. No crazy targets, just standard principle that you work diligently; work hard by giving it genuine best shot to meet the baseline. +ve variance brought some hefty results like ice cream night, leniency in curfew hours for a weekend but you had to earn it. You couldn’t! Absolutely not, take it for granted. Now what kind of link that was building in my DNA?

a.      Hard work pays off

b.     Baselines and targets are good things because achieving them gives you rewards

c.      Always give it your best shot

I guess because of those reason, performance goals don’t scare me but the condition is they have to be realistic and I should know what my resources and constraints are. 

3.      You need to always stay in a learning mode: Every summer, along with 12 -15 cousins (depending upon our overlapping time), we would gather at grandparents’ house for few days. One evening would be special evening when we would all perform something with extended family as our audience. And then most awaited part of the visit… We would all sit in a circle. Grandparents would ask every one of their achievements that year. Everyone meant everyone! My parents, uncles, aunts and of course, army of kids. Everyone was recognized for their achievements in some monetary or non-monetary fashion. This one year, I remember my aunt getting recognition for her Ph.D. while I got mine for my middle school graduation. One time my mother got hers for Master of Arts while my sister got hers for high school. My mom was given extra round of applause because she had done it with 5 kids, her job and managing the household. Because not only the results, efforts counted as well. It was above and beyond award in true sense. And whole family was so proud of her. I remember discussing Hindi literature with my aunt when she was going for her Ph.D. She would give me some books to read and ask me to be ready with my reflection and discussion on that book. I still remember her feeding her son with one hand and reviewing her thesis with another. And me, I felt I was on cloud 9 because I was reading literature of her level at the age of 15 and helping her with her Ph.D. What did that ingrained in me?

a.      You never stop learning

b.     If you set your mind to something, you can do it.

c.      You can learn from EVERYONE, if you have a mindset for it. 

d.     When you give opportunity to learn, you help them grow but you grow as well.

4.      Stay Humble: People who know me enough know that I get pumped up talking about being 4th generation of working women in the family. Tell me you don’t find that impressive. Great grandmother- principal, grandmother- principal, mother- high school teacher and then my generation. Didn’t realize how impactful that was until one day when grandma was visiting us.  If she could, she would teach us something all day. Teaching us mathematics through proportions while cooking, weather and wind patterns during evening walks, bed-time stories with ‘moral of the story’ that you to guess and repeat next day because she wanted that etched on our innocent minds because she knew what it takes to build a strong foundation. So this one time, we had to go to local market for some errands. In the middle of thick hustle bustle of the town, I see this gentleman walking towards us and suddenly he bends down and touches her feet. In Indian culture, you pay respect and seek blessings that way from people you admire and respect. She absolutely had no idea who he was and me, at age 12, totally gazed with this experience was thinking what should be my course of action. He read those expressions and introduced himself saying he was one of her students. She would teach him in the evenings because during the day he had to help his family at the farm. I still remember his expressions, his eyes, with immense respect for grandma. He went on to share that she would take the time to teach and help many kids in different ways by providing them books, teaching them after school and sometimes even finding them some internship kind of opportunities. Realized that day, being human trumps everything and helping others makes you big, makes you grow, and keeps you humble. That was the day, when I realized that being a girl in my family had its perks but it also brought huge responsibility of keeping that brand.   

I could go on for hours about being resourceful, honest, authentic, and genuine and above all being human but there was another learning that is stopping me from doing that. And that was, being a good listener is critical and for that reason, I need to stop talking. So here I am, almost done talking but want to leave you with a thought. What is your operating model? You should know it because that is making your brand and since in some shape or form, you are infusing those elements in people around you, you are contributing in making someone’s brand. It could be your kids, siblings, colleagues, mentee anyone who comes in contact because if they have open mindset, they will learn something from you and reflect on their operating model. As for me, process refinement continues with new learnings everyday but I try to make sure my core values is the fuel that runs my operating model. 

*This should be seen purely as a self-reflection exercise. I attempt to draw co-relation between professional and personal life. I tend to think you can’t separate them completely. One seeps into another, despite well designed attempts of keeping them separate. Professional life is like a coat that you can take off when you enter the personal space/home but you still feel the warmth or sometimes the weight on your shoulders. More and more people will feel the warmth if we were all aware of our operating model.