As 2019 winds down and we get ready to welcome 2020, I was reflecting what a massive year this has been for us as a family. We have so much to be thankful for – we made a successful transition as a family from India to the US, our second daughter went to her dream college, my company Incedo had a fantastic growth year, just to count few of the blessings. Most of all, 2019 was a year of significant experiences and many important learnings. Sharing below my 6 key learnings from 2019:
- Change is Good
In 2019 we moved base as a family from India to the US. We did this change at a very late stage in our lives, when professionally I was very well set in India and our children were all grown up. There was much trepidation on leaving the safe harbor – our family, our social ecosystem, our country. While we miss all of that, the move to the US has gone very well – family has settled in well, we are enjoying our lovely new house and community, it has made my travel simpler and allowed me to be closer to my clients and teams in the US. I have seen it repeatedly that whenever I have challenged a key assumption of life and made a big change, for example, move from my family home in Delhi to Gurgaon, move out from my first company McKinsey, it has been for the better and enabled tremendous growth. This change of base from India to US is reinforcing that learning. - Much to learn from America
I have traveled and worked extensively in the US but staying in a country is a very different learning experience. I have been pleasantly surprised by how much we are learning from America and how positive these learnings are:- Respect for the individual across socio-economic levels. How much respect is accorded to individuals across levels, the dignity and confidence with which folks doing even basic jobs carry themselves, and that the standard of living for majority is of a decent quality.
- Doing things with your hands. It is amazing how much folks in the US do with their own hands – dish washing, yard work, repairs and lot more. I am realizing it brings a very different appreciation of the tasks involved and sense of ownership.
- Following rules. Coming from India one of the most striking differences is that everyone (well almost!!) follows the traffic rules. Initially I found it strange that cars would be waiting patiently at Stop signs on empty roads even late in the might. I soon realized that because everybody is expected to follow rules traffic can move at high speed. An important lesson and not just for traffic – following rules can bring freedom and enhance productivity!!
- Greenery. Most of the suburbs in the US are very green and there is so much natural beauty close by. And, the town I stay in, Short Hills, is especially green. I find the greenery and nature around very relaxing and rejuvenating.
- Passion for Sports & Fitness. The sports and fitness culture in this country is amazing. The neighborhood gym that I go to (Lifetime in Florham Park) is 5-10 times bigger than any gym I had seen before this, and it is always busy. Sports is off course a big deal in school, but I have been amazed by how much a passion fitness is for even the Indian community in Short Hills. Very positive!
- Massive opportunity to scale up business. US continues be the largest market in the world especially for tech services and presents amazing opportunities for building and scaling up businesses. I have been pleasantly surprised that a young company like our Incedo has been able to work with so many Fortune 100 companies and scale up so rapidly. It could have happened only in America!!
- Bet on the Young & Hungry
One of the great joys of building a business is to build a great team. We have been really blessed at Incedo that we have been able to attract so many world-class professionals to join our journey. What has impressed me is that some of the most significant contributions have come from young talent. They have come up with insights and initiatives that are truly shaping our company. While experience matters a lot, passion and hunger are even bigger drivers of success. Impact is not driven by position in the hierarchy, it can come from anywhere in the organization, and often theyoung can surprise you. So, on the Skill-Will matrix, a reminder to focus more on the Will dimension than just the Skill. - Health is King
In October I tore my right knee ACL playing Volleyball and had surgery in November. This meant not just fair amount of pain but also 3 months of severely restricted mobility. I love Sports and draw lot of my energy from physical activity, so the immobility was very tough to deal with. However, it reinforced the value of health and fitness. We often take our health for given, but when even a small part of the body is not in order it causes so much inconvenience and impact the quality of life. So, a big lesson to put health first and take care of it proactively. - Setbacks present opportunities
2019 has been a year of intense activity. We set very ambitious goals for our company Incedo and I have pushed myself very hard. While it is so heartwarming to see the tremendous growth in Incedo on so many fronts, there have been setbacks as well. Some projects did not go as well as we had hoped for, some client development pursuits did not work out, and of course I had my injury. While there is the initial disappointment with any setback, I have seen that each of them presented tremendous learnings and opportunities for improvement. Here are some lessons I learnt from the setbacks I faced in 2019:- Ambition is good because it pushes you to reach higher, but make sure there is good balance between your ambition and situation, so you can do things in a sustainable way
- Keep things simple. With complexity interdependencies increase and chances of failure increases significantly
- To do intense activity, you need deep rest. If you are not well rested, then your awareness is low, and you are not in the present moment. That is when mistakes happen (likely cause behind my knee injury!!).
- Love is Everything
The biggest realization during the period of relative calm and reflection post my surgery is that love of the few that you treasure and who treasure you is the most important thing in life. It is the most obvious reality of life, but one can forget it so easily. The incessant activity and stress of daily life can make you lose perspective, and you can end up taking your loved ones for granted. What good are all your achievements if you lose the love of the ones who matter the most. The feeling that comes to me is one of deep Gratitude that I have my family and close friends in my life who love me so much. And, my biggest resolve of 2020 is to reinforce that and prioritize time with my loved ones (and my health) above everything else. If you take care of the big rocks of life, everything else will follow!!
2019 has been an intense, remarkable year. I am so thankful for its many blessings and learnings. I feel refreshed and recharged and looking forward to a great 2020.
Wishing all of you my friends a very happy, peaceful, healthy and successful 2020!!
Upwards and Onwards!!
