Your Health...a social responsibility

Maintaining a good work-life balance is essential and all of us have heard this.  But, what does this work-life balance mean?  Is it coming home on time and then plonking oneself on to a sofa and watching TV?  Is it good compartmentalisation of office and home so that we don't carry the problems of home to office and vice-versa?  I used to think that it is easy to leave your thoughts at the doorstep of your office (when coming from home) or of your home (when returning from office). I have tried this many times and failed.  I have now stopped trying and carry my moods through.  I have found that what works for me is to be in the moment wherever you are and with whoever you are.

To me, work-life balance is where you are able to mentally focus completely and honestly at whatever you are doing at office and home...meaning, you should be capable of focussing well at work and you have a passion that consumes your attention at home.  This truly brings out the best in most of us because if we are too focussed on only one aspect - either home or office - we get stale and neglect the other aspect.

Imbalance in work and life causes stress and that in turn impacts health.  Does it worry you if your health is impacted?  Of course, it does. Does it worry others?  Of course, it does.  Your family, friends, colleagues and well wishers are all worried.  The cascading impact is huge.  So, to think that your health is a private issue and that it impacts only you is totally out of whack.  Your health is a social responsibility for you and you owe it not only to yourself to stay healthy but to others as well.  These others value your relationship with them and so, you need to respect that.

I heard a story about a press conference that the Ambani brothers and their late father did in the US.  This was when they were raising funds for one of their projects in the 1990s.  Those were apparently the days when Anil Ambani was fat.  Someone from the audience asked him as to how he could take care of the health of the company and its shareholders if he did not take care of his own health.  Anil came back to India, hired a personal trainer, worked out daily and started getting fit.  After a year, he was in much better shape. He took a photograph of himself and sent it to the person who asked him the question and thanked him for asking that question.  Even to date, he stays very fit. This clearly shows how Anil took the suggestion seriously. Obviously, he had understood that his health was a social responsibility. Millions of shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers, his family and many others need him to stay healthy.

The other thing about health is that it is wealth.  It really hits your pocket when you lose it.  I was calculating what it costs to handle a major health problem.  It is equivalent of paying for your gym for at least 15 years.  So, if we had hit the gym daily for the last 15 years, we may have prevented a major health problem.  Further, once we get hit with a major health problem, it creates a deep psychological impact in us.  This reduces the quality of our life.  That is why we hear the saying, "Health is wealth"...though, it is also true that it hits our pockets!!!

Needs, wants and rainy days...

It is election season in the US and the campaigns are at their peaks.  As I watched the news, I saw a constituency where the home loan foreclosures were touching a whopping 79% and all that the candidates were talking off was who is to blame.  No one was offering solutions to the voters.  This is the first time that I am coming across a situation where home foreclosures in a location is as high as 79%.  The pressure must be really high for these families.

These are rainy days for these families.  So, what happened to our old habit of tucking away something for the rainy day?  The Household Savings Rate in India is 24% and in China is 25%.  Germany is at 11%, Japan is 7%, UK is 5.5% and the US is touching 5-6%.  It was hovering at less than 2% in the US till 2007.  With the onset of the Global Financial Crisis, we see an increase in the Savings Rate in the US. The rainy day principle does not seem to be working in some of the developed nations.  I am still wondering why the savings rate in the US is so low.  Maybe the policies of the 1980s famously known as the Reaganomics is a contributor.  These policies resulted in what is now called "Supply creates its own demand"...with more money in the hands of corporations and individuals, consumption shot up.  In the US, consumption is 71% of GDP.  This, combined with easily available loans and increasing asset prices, saw savings rate in the US came down from 10% in the 1980s to 1.4% when the global financial crisis hit all of us.  Over the last 3 years we have seen the savings rate go up but there is a lot of room for improvement.

What does this low savings rate mean for the common man?  This means that if you earn US $100 (disposable income), the whole household saved only $1.4.  Now, picture a scenario of where interest rate goes up and you have to pay more for your mortgages.  Even a very small change in the economic circumstance such as a layoff or a temporary loss of job or an increase in interest rates, would cause tremendous stress in the family because they have to change their consumption habits completely in order to pay off their mortgage commitment.  Those who have saved will be able to manage the crisis.  However, those where the savings is just $1.4 out of $100 will struggle.  The result is default and this is what we are seeing in the US.

Closer home in India, we see inflation going past 10% and food price inflation at close to 18%.  This is because food production has not been able to keep up with increasing population and also the number of people moving above the poverty line.  Though the economy grew by 7%, agriculture grows by only 1.4%.  This has caused a supply side problem and, hence, food price inflation.  What is now needed is inclusive growth where the agriculture industry grows at a faster pace.  This needs investment and more area to be brought under cultivation.  Families have been under stress as they divert money towards food spend.  This has caused stress in families as they have lesser disposable income to manage other expenses.  However, banks have not seen as many housing loan defaults.  This is primarily because of the habit of higher savings.

My dad once told me that he managed his family expenses when his salary was Rs.100 per month in the 1950s and did the same when he earned much more in the 1980s.  He told me that happiness is not in how much more you have to spend but managing within your means.  He told me that if I can limit my needs and wants to be within my means, there would always be better long term consequences.  He must be correct because he managed to maintain his standard of living till he passed away.

When I look at all this, I am reminded of what Buddha taught us in his middle path - to remove greed. He said that most of our problems start because we struggle to contain our needs and wants and after sometime greed takes over.  If we can reduce our needs and wants, I am sure, we will learn to live within our means. This will help us stash away something for that rainy day.

Vacuum at the top

Each time a medical breakthrough is announced, we cheer loudly.  We are willing to pay any amount to save a life. We are willing to spend millions on research to find cures for all the diseases that this Universe can throw at us.  This has increased the average life expectancy significantly - from around 50 in 1900 to close to 76 now.  It is more in some countries - 78 to 80.  So, when I saw the news clipping this morning on how France has come to a standstill because of nationwide strikes to protest against the proposed increase of retirement age from 60 to 62, I was not surprised.  The people were upset that the Government is reducing retirement benefits by increasing the age of retirement.  Most countries are struggling to meet their pension commitments as populations age across the world.

Italian granite and marble was something that would adorn the houses of the really rich in the late 1980s.  The actual marble and granite came from across the world and were cut and polished in Italy.  The finished product (tiles and slabs) were sold all over the world by Italian companies at over 6 to 10 times the price of the raw granite/marble.  There were no complaints then.  So, why is there such a noise today when Fiat wants to shut down its plant in Italy?  I have always maintained economics is a great leveller!!!

Closer home, in India, the Common Wealth Games are over and a probe has been ordered in to the alleged corruption in the procurement of goods and services for the games by Government Officials.   China has stated last week that Norway has sent the wrong signals by awarding Liu Xiaobo the Nobel Peace Prize.

Wherever you turn, you will find something not going too well or disagreements leading to rhetoric and, many a time, violence.  Violence on a scale that causes destruction to life and property.

To me, all this shows that there is a lack of leadership and an absolute lack of tolerance in us.  Leadership, that is both inspiring and engaged, is essential to manage these kind of issues in every country.  Such a leadership will also bring about the much needed tolerance in our society.  Most country leaders are not leading from the front anymore.  Leading the country has become more a job than a passion.  Leadership seems to be coming through coups, by father passing on the mantle to the son or daughter (whether he/she deserves the position), through violence, through machinations...and the list goes on.  As a society, we seem to be passive to these poor leaders that we select.  When the CEO of a company misses the mark for few quarters in a row, the Stock Market and the Board of Directors/Shareholders, move quickly to replace him/her.  Should there be such a system for our political leaders too where their quarterly or half yearly results are published and debated?  Where they are replaced if they fail to manage the country well?

Just like the CEO needs to position a company well in the market so that it survives, it is the job of the Political Leader (call him/her the President or Prime Minister or King or Queen) to position the country well so that it survives in this world.  If a company does not give its CEO more than 6 months to prove himself/herself, why should we give 4 or 5 years to these Political Leaders?  Is it because countries are larger than companies and so, they will need more time...fine, let us give them a year and then after that judge them every quarter or half year.  These unrests are happening because our leaders are not thinking ahead. 

These Political leaders need to position their respective countries appropriately for their strengths and take accountability for their actions.  The topic of outsourcing has caused so much noise and rhetoric.  Beyond all this rhetoric, I am sure we all heard the American President say that the US must position itself firmly in Research & Development and use its strengths in this.  Bingo Mr.President!!!  Hope more countries look towards creating a workforce in their respective countries that is relevant to the new social order.

I am reminded of a story.  A Chinese emperor was growing old and was worried that his son was no where near having the qualities of becoming the King.  So, he called for his son (the Prince) and told him to go to the forests and seek out an old monk who would train him to be the King.  The Prince went off in to the jungles and located the old monk.  He walked up to the monk with a swagger and introduced himself and told him that the Emperor had sent him (the Prince) to be trained by the monk.  The old monk asked him to go in to the forest, listen to the sounds that he heard, and come back and report to him.  The Prince sniggered, rode off in to the forest and came back in the evening. He told the old monk of the sounds of the rivers, the rustling trees, the breaking twigs, the singing birds, etc.  The old monk shook his head in disapproval and sent off the Prince again. Months had gone by and the Prince still did not hear the sounds that the old monk expected.  The once over confident Prince was completely out of depth.  As he was lying on the grass one day thinking of the really long months he had spent in the forest, he suddenly heard the sound.  In joy, he rode back to the old monk, walked up to him (without the pomp that he had shown months ago), bowed and told the old monk of how he had heard the sound of the flower blooming...the Old Monk smiled and stopped him and said, "You are now ready to be the Emperor.  The person who sees the unseen, hears the unheard and speaks the unspoken, is the Leader that this world needs."

Storytelling

My great grandfather sat down next to me and talked of why it is worth putting your faith and trust in God.  I cannot remember how old I was then, but I remember I asked him what faith or trust meant.  He told me a story that I remember to this day.  The story was about a man who was driving and his car met with an accident. He was alone on a hill, it was pitch dark and he had been thrown out of the car and was hanging on a tree.  His mind raced back and he remembered seeing a tree at the edge of  cliff with its branches overlooking the cliff.  He realised that he must be hanging on one of those branches and if he let go, it would be over a 3000 feet drop.  He prayed to God, "Please ensure I do not sleep. Please give me the strength in my arms to hold me up till I get help.  Please, please don't let the branch break."  God replied to him, "Why don't you just trust me and let go of the branch.  You will fall on my lap safely."  The man said, "Are you crazy God? I want to live to see my family again.  I am not yet ready to come to your lap in heaven."  He spent the next few hours hanging from the tree branch. Those were the worst moments of his life.  His arms ached and he was desperate to get off the tree.  The man was thrilled to see the first signs of light.  As he looked down, he could see earth just a foot below his feet.  He had been hanging on one of the branches that was on the other side of the cliff and if he had let go the branch, he would landed safely.  As he let go, he kicked himself for not trusting God and letting go. 

Our ancestors in India realised the importance of storytelling years ago.  The Panchatantra Stories, The Jataka Tales, Chandamama Stories are few examples of how concepts and values were passed through generations.  I always loved reading these story books.  Enid Blyton's Noddy Stories were among the best on passing on values through generations.

For years, students of the top business schools have said that the best learnings have come from examples shared by professors, other students and case studies.  These are all, nothing but stories.  The best of our learnings are always from life experiences of ourselves or others.  What remains etched in our minds are these stories and the morals/values that we got out of them.

Most corporates today have started asking their leaders to develop the next generation of leaders and one of the most important methods suggested is storytelling.  Most leaders have started sharing stories of various experiences to coach and this is leading to the creation of better leaders.

Storytelling creates a lively atmosphere. It creates a bonding. It electrifies because it brings with it the emotions.  These could be happy, sad, fear, anxiety, laughter... anything...but it brings through emotions and, therefore, lets the audience experience the moments.  It helps the audience to relate to the speaker at a more personal level.  I have said this in my earlier blog, "You may forget his words but you will never forget how he made you feel."  Stories are etched because they create an emotion that you will always remember and relate to.

When I started working in a large back office, I realised that my biggest problem was conveying what I wanted across different layers in an organization and for it to be understood in the same way.  What I wanted to convey may not create an impact because it gets lost in translation as it percolates across the various levels in the organization.  So, I started using storytelling.  This created the necessary impact and I regard impact as the most important part of communication.  With that came the bonding, the excitement and the relationships.

Like most of you reading this blog, I decided not to wait to become a grandfather to communicate through stories... there are so many who would love to learn from your experiences...as they say, "Experience is one of our best teachers."

India has moved on...

While the Ayodhya Verdict was being awaited, most TV Channels were asking the question whether the new India had moved on beyond Ayodhya.  The Home Ministry had shared a lot of economic data to show how much India had moved on - Growth rate in 1992 was 2% while in 2010 it was at 9%, Per Capital Income had grown from Rs.12,000 to Rs.43,000, the number of computers had increased from 0.4 million to over 40 million and the foreign exchange reserves had moved up from $200 million to over $200 billion...yes, they said, India has moved on.

On December 7, 1992, many thought that all Indians were discussing the demolition of a structure in Ayodhya a day earlier.  All newspapers carried news on the demolition on their front page.  While many were discussing the demolition, our cricket team was in South Africa playing a one-day match which they lost by 3 wickets to South Africa.  In Mumbai, there were many sitting and discussing Cognitive Bases of Learning at the Homi Bhaba Centre for Science Education.

It was Dec 4, 1992.  A film director was tensed.  His movie had released that day.  It was important for him that this movie do well in the box office.  The reasons were not just because he was the director of this film but because this was his son's first film as the lead actor. Like him there would have been many others who were worried about other things happening in their lives (not that the Ayodhya event would not have worried them...but they also would have had other priorities).

India is a very diverse country.  For over thousands of years, huge contradictions have existed in India and they all co-exist.  The greatness of the country is the way it takes this diversity in its stride.  Just 200 years ago in many parts of the world, people were put to death or put in prisons and tortured for having contrarian thought. Gautam Buddha was invited to endless debates in India when he challenged the Hindu Religion 1500 years ago. He was not locked up or killed. 

I switched on the TV this morning to check if there was any adverse impact as a result of yesterday's court verdict.  The breaking news was on the Tamil Movie Superstar Rajini's latest film "Enthiran - The Robot".  The first show had started at 5 am in Chennai, India.  I watched news clippings of Rajini's fans (calling themselves Rajini Fanatics with an Orkut following of 96,000) celebrating the new movie release.  They were having so much fun that I wondered whether this was the same India that waited the whole of yesterday with bated breath.

In many ways, India has moved on and in many ways, India has remained as beautifully diverse in thought as she has always been for over 10,000 years...I am really not sure if India has moved on as there is actually no need for that!!! 

Which other country in this world can boast of having a Prime Minister and the President from minority communities and the Leader of the Ruling Party with foreign origins?  Only India!!!