Monthly Archives: December 2012
What I learnt from Nischala’s Blog-o-Rendezvous Series in 2012?
In 2012, I did a special series on my blog called Nischala’s Blog-o-Rendezvous . When I conceptualized this Series, the idea was primarily to connect, learn and be inspired from the lives of others. So for the past year (2012), I have had the good fortune to connect with some amazing individuals from across the globe, get insights into their worlds, learn a little about their journey of life and of course, gain perspectives on diverse subjects. Not to mention that every one of them taught me several important lessons of life which I will remember for a long time. And then of course, some of them have become good friends today, and we have forged a special bond which hopefully will strengthen with time.
Today (In Dec 2012), I can’t help and look back at this journey, and the key lessons from this journey. Sharing it in a blog post as I think these have helped me grow in my journey as a person, as a writer and of course LIFE!
At the outset, I’d like to say Thank You to all the stars who I featured in this series – A BIG Thank You to Jessie Paul, Abhijit Bhaduri, Meeta Gangrade, Nupur Basu, Lisa Petrilli, Aishwarya Suresh, Danny Iny, Bruce Sallan, Angela Maiers, Preeti Shenoy, Dr Renuka, Prof. D.V.R. Seshadri, Dr Smitha Radhakrishnan, Sriram Srinivasan, Dr Bindu Hari and Ratan Jalan
Next I’d like to Thank all the readers of this blog – Thank you for taking the time to read, share and comment on my writings! You are the reason I publish on this blog!
LESSON 1 : From IDEA to EXECTION – Shorter the BETTER
When I came up with the idea to do this series on my blog, I personally was excited with the concept. But I also had several apprehensions and questions in my mind – Will I be get interesting people to feature on the blog? Will I be able to give it the time it requires? (Trust me! Every single interview takes significant time and effort, and time is premium for a mother with a full time corporate job!). Will I be able to keep the momentum right through the year? Will anyone read these posts? Will people like these?, etc. etc.
Had I pondered too long to get satisfactory answers to all these questions, the series would never have come alive. So here’s what I did – I just decided to plunge into execution! And the first thing was to publish this post of my blog stating that I would do a series called Nischala’s Blog-o-Rendezvous. Then I went about identifying a list of 10 people whom I could feature on this blog (I knew them directly / indirectly). Next, I sent them a formal request asking if they’d be keen on this. Honestly, I did a math of a 30% response ratio (i.e., About 3 people will respond) and a 10% acceptance ration (i.e., 1 person out of 10 will agree to do this interview). I needed to start somewhere and hence publishing the first rendezvous was the key (Special Thanks to Jessie Paul for being my very FIRST STAR). Surprisingly, I got a response ratio of 90% (i.e, 9 people responded) and a 70% acceptance ratio (i.e., 7 people agreed to do the interview). Wow! This was awesome!
So coming back to the lesson : When an idea strikes you , it is good to think before you execute it. And the sooner you start execution the better! Worst case, you will make some mistakes. Its better to learn from the mistakes than to not execute at all. Usually, thinking too much and for too long is a recipe for procrastination or not starting at all!
LESSON 2 : If you want, ASK
Along the year, I wanted to feature several interesting high-profile successful individuals / achievers from across the globe. So I created a list of people whom I’d like to feature in this series. Some of them where people I knew personally, but many of them I really did not know (And I guess they did not know me either). So I wondered if they would even read my mails if I sent them a request; and more importantly if they would be gracious enough to accept my request.
Surpringly, all I had to do was ASK. And most of them were happy to speak with me.
So coming back to the lesson : If you want something, ASK for it! Worst case, people will say NO! Accept it and Move On! (By the law of averages, there will always be some YES and some NO for everything in life). But if they say YES, you never know what exciting stuff will come your way!
LESSON 3 : TRY something NEW every ONCE in a WHILE
Every once in a while it is so important to try and do something new. You learn, discover, comprehend, appreciate and internalize - about the world around you, about people and about yourself! So doing something which you’ve not done before (I’ve never done any interviews in my life before! The closest I’ve got is to reading them 
. Something which shows you different flavors and perspectives of life and the world (Speaking with people from other worlds makes you acknowledge appreciate and comprehend similarities and differences in people, cultures, life, society, systems, outlooks, opinions) . Something which connects you to real people (I’m guilty myself of being a “digital / virtual being” for many years of my life). Something which pushes you out of your comfort zone (I’ve never really been comfortable talking to people I don’t really know, let alone talking meaningful things)…
So coming back to the lesson : Trying something new can be a transformational life experience. There is pleasure and pain in it, there is learning and unlearning in it, there is discovery and joy in it, there is surprise and fun in it.. So it is definitely worth a try – every once in a while
LESSON 4 : The WORLD is filled with many GENUINELY NICE PEOPLE
Yes! This series makes me believe that the world is filled with very many GENUINELY NICE PEOPLE. People who care, people who are willing to share, people who love, people who inspire, people who lead by example, people who are trying to make a positive difference in the world – And personally that makes me happy, positive and hopeful about a better tomorrow, a better future, a better world in times to come (In spite of all the not so nice things I read, hear and see everyday)
So coming back to the lesson : The world is full of many GENUINELY NICE PEOPLE, who are doing their BIT and BEST in more than one way.. To make a positive difference and to leave a legacy which will make the world a better place
LESSON 5 : Every Life has many a story worth knowing, listening, telling and sharing
The last and most important lesson is that any one who is living today has a story worth knowing (Only if you’d ask the right questions), worth listening (When someone is sharing), worth telling (Only if someone asked you to speak about things dear to your heart or what you believe in or your personal stories of inspiration), and worth sharing (through blogs, books, words, etc.). And if you pay attention to observe, listen, think and understand the lives of those around you, and reflect quietly about your own life – there is a wealth of lessons you can learn every day of your life!
So coming back to the lesson : Take the time today to tell and share your own life story and to listen and know the stories of those around you! It does make a DIFFERENCE!
So those were my lessons…Did you enjoy the Nischala’s Blog-o-Rendezvous Series?
Leave a comment to let me know what you liked the best.. Would like to hear from you…
Nischala’s Blog-o-Rendezvous with RATAN JALAN
ABOUT RATAN JALAN
Driven by an urge to make a difference in healthcare, innovation in business models and patient empowerment has been at the core of what he does.
Ratan Jalan is the Founder and Principal Consultant at Medium Healthcare Consulting. Ratan Jalan is widely acknowledged as a thought leader and a rare innovator in the healthcare industry.
Earlier, Ratan was the CEO of Apollo Health and Lifestyle Limited (AHLL), part of the Apollo Hospitals Group for almost a decade. He created some of the most successful and innovative healthcare formats in the country (India) such as a nationwide network of The Apollo Clinic and The Cradle, South Asia’s first boutique birthing centers. He also led some of the strategic marketing initiatives and international projects for the group.
In 1996, as President, Ratan set up India’s first hospital architecture and consulting firm Asian Health Services, a JV with ServiceMaster, then a Fortune 500 company. In a short span of three years, the firm became the undisputed thought leader in healthcare and had served leading organizations like Wockhardt Hospitals, Escorts Hospital, Max Healthcare, Aditya Birla Foundation, IL&FS and Gleneagles Hospitals.
Ratan has over three decades of experience across diverse industries and functional responsibilities. He started his professional career in the information technology industry with HCL Technologies and then moved to advertising at Lintas (now Lowe). During his ten years there, he started and headed the integrated marketing division and worked on leading Indian and international brands.
Ratan was awarded the Marketing Impact of the Year Award by S P Jain Institute of Management, a leading business school in India. He has been nominated as one of the 50 most influential professionals in retailing by Retailers, a leading industry publication. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame at the 2008 Franchise Awards for the success of The Apollo Clinic initiative. He is also a frequent speaker at leading management institutes such as Indian School of Business, IIMs and FMS and various industry forums such as, CII, FICCI, ASSOCHAM, AIIMA and World Economic Forum. He was one of few panelists invited from India to the Harvard Business School Global Centennial Summit.
He is an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur and Harvard Business School. He is an avid reader (mostly, and somewhat regrettably, non-fiction) and an occasional writer.
THE RENDEZVOUS
I was introduced to Ratan Jalan a few months ago; Thanks to the kind and thoughtful gesture of my IIMB Professor D V R Seshadri.[I must confess that I did not know much about Ratan Jalan till this introduction]. After that introduction, I read all I could find on Ratan Jalan and was truly impressed with his vision, thoughts, achievements and the transformation he has brought about in the Indian Healthcare Industry. (Personally, if I had to place my bets on 2 industries which will change the face of India for the next decade they would be (1) Education and (2) HealthCare).
That’s how our journey started… Along the way, Ratan has been a reader of my blogs and has been encouraging about my blogging success. And one fine day, I asked Ratan if he would be willing to do a rendezvous on my blog. Luckily, he said YES!
As I did my research on Ratan Jalan, I can across two very interesting articles by Ratan Jalan which you should read:
Common Man, Uncommon Problems
Mending Marketing mistakes in HealthCare
In this Rendezvous, Ratan shares some insights from his professional journey; and some nuggets of wisdom for life.
Nischala: Firstly, Thank you so much for your time. It is indeed a pleasure to talk to you
Ratan Jalan: Thanks Nischala for talking to me. It is indeed a pleasure to connect with you
Nischala: So Ratan, if you can share your own personal journey with respect to your career and life, that would be a great start.
Ratan Jalan : I was from a middle-class family brought up in one of the over-crowded neighborhoods in old Calcutta. Though I studied in a Hindi-medium school, I guess I was good in studies and as expected, got into the science stream. Mr Ram Pravesh Singh, who was a tutor at home, proved to be the real inspiration and made me sit for the IIT entrance exam. Fortunately, I got a reasonably got rank and found myself in IIT, Kharagpur. Somewhere during my days at IIT, I also realized that I didn’t want to do the typical shop floor or the R&D kind of engineering jobs. I got into HCL Technologies in 1978. I was one of the initial few employees then. IT was just taking off, and those were the days when companies were trying to understand what IT is all about. I continued to be in IT for the next 8 – 10 years. HCL was the best training ground I could have imagined as a fresher. It literally teaches you how to do the impossible stuff!
A meeting with Alyque Padamsee led me to join Lintas (now Lowe, the largest and the most revered advertising agencies those days) to start their direct marketing division and also offer services in areas like marketing MIS and market modeling. I really enjoyed working on some of the best brands in the country and also got to appreciate the nuances of consumer behavior and communication.
I then entered the Healthcare industry as President of Asian Health Services, possibly the first hospital architecture and consulting company in India. In less than three years, we created a phenomenal brand equity and track record of successes. Then, I joined Apollo Hospitals Group as CEO of one of their Companies. It was again a phenomenal learning experience since the industry was “new” to me.
If I look back at my own personal journey, I think what has really kept me going in my career and life is the fact that I deliberately seek zones of discomfort and enjoy working in industries which are a little ahead of their times – Be it IT, direct marketing or healthcare consulting. Moreover, getting into newer industries has created periods of extreme anxiety for me, since I realize that I don’t know enough. And that’s what got me to crash learning expeditions about such different industry segments – something, which I have thoroughly enjoyed. I honestly believe that you should want to wake up every morning and go to work; because there is something new, challenging, unknown waiting for you. There should be fun and learning – Both are integral to a meaningful professional career.
Nischala: That’s interesting. Can you elaborate a bit on “seek zones of discomfort”?
Ratan Jalan: Sure. It is something I strongly believe in. Let me elaborate with an example. My wife has been making parathas for the past 35 years, and there are days she makes excellent parathas and days when the parathas are not so great. But that’s the law of averages at work. However, doing something of that kind can never create a sense of achievement or joy for her. Now if I ask her to make an Italian dish – say a pizza or a pasta, she is going to be nervous as it is out of her comfort zone. But at the end of the day, if the dish turns out great – she has learned something new, she will feel on the top of the world and enjoy that sense of achievement.
The point is there is no way you can achieve something worthwhile unless there is an element of “discomfort and fear”. So I personally advocate deliberately seeking “zones of discomfort” – and that is the only way you will exceed your own boundaries; and reach the peak of heights.
Like as a part of my own organization, I intentionally assign tasks to employees which are simply out of their comfort zone. Initially they all resist doing it simply because they’ve never done it before. And I say to them loud and clear “I Don’t Care that you have not done it before.. This is not an exam, and neither will you get a character certificate at the end of it. It is not about ‘pass or fail.’ So give it your best shot.. Put your heart and soul into it.. and then let’s see” .Whatever is the outcome, you would have learned a lot. Most of the times they do a fantastic job; and are deeply thankful for the opportunity itself. So the most important point is that you should be inherently OK with discomfort, and then put your best foot forward to achieve what you signed up for.
Nischala: Moving on, I’ve personally had several experiences in the recent past with hospitals / healthcare industry as an end-user. But never really heard of Healthcare Consulting. So I am curious to know what do you mean by Healthcare Consulting?
Ratan Jalan: By HealthCareConsulting, and specifically what we do is we provide consulting services to large hospitals, single specialty clinics and diagnostic centers or even primary care clinics on healthcare delivery. Other than business strategy, where we focus on creating new business models in healthcare, we are passionate about two other areas:
1) Marketing – And I mean this in a very broad sense. This would include Positioning (For e.g.: How would you position and differentiate yourself in the marketplace in comparison to other large hospitals or clinics), Pricing, Mass Media, CRM (Customer Relationship Management), Public Relations, Social Media, Events, etc. We take a holistic and comprehensive view towards Marketing. The fact is that a lot of hospitals and healthcare clinics don’t do marketing. They mostly do only sales. And they don’t see a need or scope for marketing.
We approach marketing in a scientific manner, and also based on the wealth of experience I myself have in this space, we are able to make practical recommendations to different organizations.
2) Patient Experience – “Patient Experience” is one of the most important dimensions of the HealthCare industry, and sadly the most overlooked. The point I am making here is that the “clinical quality and outcome of your medical ailment” is very different from “patient experience”. So you can come back from after a successful surgery for one of your close relatives and still believe that it was a lousy hospital. On the contrary, at times, someone does lose a friend or a relative in a hospital, yet think that it was a good hospital.
So “patient experience” is really about softer, but hugely important aspects like trust, empathy, empowerment, fairness, honesty, caring, sensitivity, transparency, etc.
The truth is that if a hospital really focus on “patient experience” and are good at it, they can actually charge a higher premium for the same services. However, the sad fact is that most of the hospitals are “commoditized” and hence this is a HUGE “VANCANT OPPORTUNITY” which is crying for immediate attention and action – and we step in to help several institutions focus on “patient experience”. Unfortunately, most of the players tend to (and can afford to) ignore this and continue to do well despite this gap. And that’s purely because of the demand supply gap and the fact that you (as the patient) don’t even have options.
Nischala: That’s interesting. To be honest, it’s the first time I am hearing the word “patient experience”. I don’t know if too many hospitals focus on this. So any specific hospital / example which actually focuses on “patient experience”?
Ratan Jalan: Yes, There is this hospital, one of the best in the world called Cleaveland Clinic. They have even appointed a “Chief Experience Officer”, who champions the philosophy of ‘Patient First’ in everything they do. They consistently measure patient experience beyond clinical outcomes. In addition to the medical care, they focus on addressing some of the more softer aspects which most patients go through in a hospital-environment like anxiety, stress, poor decision making abilities during times of stress, etc, It is one of the best examples I can give for this.
Nischala: Thanks for sharing this. So moving on, how can hospitals and health institutes truly make a difference in healthcare?
Ratan Jalan: The fact of the matter is that the healthcare industry is far too “inward-looking”. And there is no competition really. But like I said before what can make a huge difference is focus on “patient experience”
We are at a very “crucial and vulnerable” phase in the healthcare industry. Historically, the fact is that the doctors has always held the status of a Demi-God, and are mentally and emotionally conditioned to having a “Godly” status simply because the information asymmetry was supreme. (For e.g.: In earlier times, you could never know much about diseases, causes, treatments, etc. – unless the doctor mentioned it.) Today, with technology and increasing awareness, information is freely available to masses, so “information asymmetry” has reduced. Of course, the doctors still know the best; and their advice and recommendations are valued and held in high regard, but the situation is different from how things were in the past. So I think it is also important for doctors and people in the HealthCare industry to recognize this fact, and re-align their own approaches to dealing with a “more informed customer”. The doctors and institutions which adapt to these changes will definitely be winners in the long run.
The other key point is that we are living in an era where lies, manipulation, negativity are commonplace. And these are also integral and systemic in the healthcare industry. Personally, I think a lot of how any organization functions depend on the mind-set / core values of the promoters / leaders at the top. So I think it is key to have the RIGHT leaders run healthcare organizations so that they propagate a strong culture of values, ethics and character. You can’t possibly start with an excel sheet, which computes ROI for different set of values and character and then select the one, which offers hightest ROI. It has to be something very intrinsic to the individuals or leaders at the helm of affairs.
Nischala: OK. Another point lingering in my mind is about the scope of Marketing in HealthCare. What in your opinion is the role of marketing here? Because honestly, if I am in a hospital, I don’t really want to be prey to marketing. And outside of a hospital, I hardly see too much marketing – In fact, I may not even be interested in knowing about things.
Ratan Jalan: Very valid point, and that is the real challenge for marketers in HealthCare. See let’s understand that nobody wants people to fall sick. But let’s say you fall sick, the aim of “marketing in healthcare” is to let you decide on what is the preferred place to go. That would be the primary aim.
Nischala: So coming to innovation which you briefly touched upon at the start on this Rendezvous. What kind of innovation in business models can happen in the HealthCare Industry? Can you give a few examples?
Ratan Jalan: Today, a typically large multispecialty hospital has presidential suites on one hand and general wards on the other. They tend to do ‘everything for everyone’. And in the process, not many end-customers (or patients) are happy. The rich complain that it is the most crowded railway platform and the poor think they are being exploited because the place is for the rich. I strongly recommend that people should think in terms of ‘focused factories’. Focus on doing something- be it a particular discipline or a procedure and focus on a particular segment. That’s what I call doing ‘something for someone’. The two best examples we have in the country are Aaravind Eye Institute and Narayana Hrudalaya. Both have become global icons of healthcare innovation.
Nischala: OK. So looking back at your own journey, can you share a proud moment or initiative as a part of your professional career?
Ratan Jalan: A long time back when I was in the US and visiting hospital beds, I saw a woman going into labor. And I realized that a girl going to deliver a child is not a typical clinical / medical activity. It is a memorable event for the whole family to welcome a new life; and this happens in a hospital. There is no way to celebrate this moment because a hospital, which is designed and run to treat ‘life-and-death’ problems is governed by central policies and procedures which place restrictions on celebrations – like visiting hours, white color everywhere, smell of medicines and disinfectants, infections, stretchers, etc. – Which is not pleasant for a women to fully enjoy her first moments of motherhood
And that’s when I came with the concept of “Boutique Birthing Centers” – Which is really a place of 10 – 15 rooms well equipped to handle the safe delivery of babies. Designed and planned to welcome a new life into the world, for joy and celebrations. Also, you can eat what you want. You can have your family and friends around for as long as you want.
And thus was born my dream project – “The Cradle” from Apollo hospitals. We have 3 centers in India – Delhi, Bangalore and Kerala. They have been designed as the first Labour, Delivery and Recovery (LDR) room concept in India. I’ve seen enough mothers deliver at The Cradle, and the joy they experience here is a moment of great pride and satisfaction. Again looking back, it took me 3 years to make this a reality, but definitely has been one of the PROUDEST moments in my professional career. We are now working on a more evolved model of the same concept branded as The Birthplace. The first such facility is scheduled to come up in Hyderabad.
Nischala: OK.. Now for the benefit of all my blog readers, one important question – What can anyone do w.r.t securing a safe and secure medical future? I am asking this purely because of your extensive association in the HealthCare industry, and also your real-life experiences in this space.
Ratan Jalan: Each one of us individually takes charge of our own health. “Knowing is not DOING, DOING is DOING” – We all know what is good for our health and well-being, but we just don’t do it. And the fact is as far as your health is concerned, what you know makes little difference. What you DO makes all the difference.
The MOST IMPORTANT things for a good health and good life are ironically free – Sleep, Water, Air, Walking, Stress Free Life. So start DOING what you have to DO today. And usually it is very simple and something which everyone knows – Eat Right & Healthy and Get some Regular Exercise. Sleep well, Laugh and Do things you Love.
Nischala: OK Thanks for these nuggets of wisdom. Your dream for HealthCare in India?
Ratan Jalan: Very simple – Everyone in the healthcare industry should look at life from the patient’s point of view. That single-minded focus will be enough to transform the way we deliver healthcare.
Nischala: As we end, any specific thoughts you’d like to share as a part of this Rendezvous?
Ratan Jalan: Sure. I’ll share what I usually share in all my speeches and key-note sessions, which I think is very important message.
In life, there are two broad choices for anyone to make.
Choice 1 is to MAINTAIN – And by and large, most of us spend most of our lives in the “Maintenance” mode – Maintenance is safe, secure and comfortable. For example: We prefer to work with really large institutions, for example, where nothing much can go wrong!
Choice 2 is to CREATE – To create requires a very different “mind-set” – one in which you need a lot of self-confidence; and more importantly you should be able to work in an environment in which there is no security, no guarantee and no predictability.
So when I address young people in colleges, B-schools, Medical schools, etc. I strongly urge them to answer one question
Do you want to join a large company; and be one in 1 lakh employees – and really “Continue to MAINTAIN” what was already created OR
Do you want to join a new company; and be one in 10 employees – and really “CREATE” something for a larger cause OR
Do you want to start a new venture of your own – and again really “CREATE” something that you are passionate about and believe in
Interestingly, a lot of youngsters today don’t want to join large companies. They dream and aspire to “CREATE”.. To “CHANGE the WORLD” and “TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE”
So there is HOPE, there is SCOPE to CHANGE and there are DREAMS to make a BETTER TOMORROW!
Nischala: Wow! That’s a very unique and thought-provoking perspective. Something for me to think about! Thank you so much for your time. Truly appreciate it
Ratan Jalan: Thank you for your Rendezvous. And Best Wishes for your blogging endeavors.
How did you like this Rendezvous? Leave a comment to let me know
What is your ROTI?
Wondering what ROTI is? It is a term we coined during our MBA days, and one that I find increasingly useful and relevant to ask myself – especially to get answers from myself and to make decisions…
ROTI simply means Return on Time Invested
Time is the most precious asset which anyone has today. And time is “limited” in the physical sense (of course not in the metaphysical sense). And yet most of us are guilty of not making the best of the time that we’ve got..
However, it is important to use your time wisely and invest it wisely – at least for the things which matter to you.
And returns can be really anything which makes a difference in your life – happiness, peace of mind, health, wealth, relationships, balance, power, success, prosperity…
Given that it is almost the end of the year, it is especially useful to ask yourself the following questions:
What is your ROTI at work? Are you happy with this? Do you need to make any changes?
What is your ROTI at school? Are you happy with this? Do you need to make any changes?
What is your ROTI with exercise? Are you happy with this? Do you need to make any changes?
What is your ROTI in relationships? Are you happy with this? Do you need to make any changes?
What is your ROTI in how your spend your free time? Are you happy with this? Do you need to make any changes?
What is your ROTI in watching endless hours of TV? Are you happy with this? Do you need to make any changes?
What is your ROTI in spending time on FaceBook? Are you happy with this? Do you need to make any changes?
What is your ROTI in spending time on Twitter? Are you happy with this? Do you need to make any changes?
What is your ROTI in spending time in reading? Are you happy with this? Do you need to make any changes?
What is your ROTI in spending hours on the phone? Are you happy with this? Do you need to make any changes?
What is your ROTI in spending time on a hobby? Are you happy with this? Do you need to make any changes?
What is your ROTI in giving free advice to everyone? Are you happy with this? Do you need to make any changes?
What is your ROTI in all the communication you do? Are you happy with this? Do you need to make any changes?
What is your ROTI in all the judgments your make? Are you happy with this? Do you need to make any changes?
What is your ROTI on the many plans you make so frequently? Are you happy with this? Do you need to make any changes?
What is your ROTI in truly being “AWARE in the NOW”? Are you happy with this? Do you need to make any changes?
The 10,000 Hour Rule
A few weeks back, I read the book “Outliers : The Story of Success” BY Malcolm Gladwell – One of the most interesting and thought provoking books I’ve read in the recent past. One of the key points in the book is that it takes 10,000 hours of dedicated practice to achieve excellence in anything – Be it programming, music or art.
I guess we’ve all heard that “Practice Makes a Man Perfect”, but no one really put a number to the practice efforts..
Somehow the thought continued to linger on.. I pondered about my own life and about the lives of people I know who achieved excellence in their sphere of work / art or any skill… Did it really take 10,000 hours to achieve excellence..
Well… I guess YES and NO.. Simply because I think it all depends on how broadly your define the “skill” and how specifically you define “excellence” – Both of which are not so easy to do! Of course there are several other factors specific to an individual, the environment, etc – which influence the final outcome of your efforts…
But everything constant, does it really take 10,000 hours of dedicated practice?
Let me take a few examples:
I don’t think you need 10,000 hours to make the perfect cup of tea (And again perfection is fairly subjective); But I can vouch for the fact that it can probably take 10,000 hours to master cooking
Again, I don’t think you need 10,000 hours to figure out how to put your baby to sleep; But I can vouch for the fact that it can probably take much more than 10,000 hours to achieve some level of mastery on parenting
Again, I don’t think you need 10,000 hours to write a perfect blog post; But I can vouch for the fact that it can probably take as much as 10,000 hours to publish a good book – You need to reach a different level of self-awareness, comprehension of writing process, literary literacy and “understanding your audience”.
Now let’s do a quick Math
10,000 hours translate really to
2 hours per day for 13.69 years
4 hours per day for 6.84 years
6 hours per day for 4.56 years
8 hours per day for 3.42 years
10 hours per day for 2.7 years
Hmm.. I think these number explains a lot of things.. Like
Why does it take most writers at least 3 years to get their first book published? (From idea to shelf)
Why does it take any parent at least 3 years to feel comfortable about parenting?
Why does it take anyone at least 5 years to get their PhD?
Why does it take most bloggers a few years to find their niche in the blog-o-sphere?
Why does it take several years for organizations to figure the right Social Media strategy?
Why does it take very long for most of us to get it “right” on Twitter? (Twitter started in July 2006)
Why does it take any singer / musician several years to achieve complete control on their voice?
Why does it take any gymnast several years to even be considered for the Olympics?
Why does it take any actor several years to find their “niche” in acting?
Why does it take any chef several years to get a Michelin Star rating?
Why does it take any pilot several years to fly the Air Force One?
Why does it take any photographer several years to click that one magical perfect picture?
Why does it take politicians several years to be elected as critical representative of the state?
Why does it take anyone several years to be the CEO of a large organization?
Why does it take anyone several years to be the Dean on an educational institute?
Why does it take couples several years to find the “perfect equilibrium”?
Why does it take several years for people who embark on their spiritual journey?
Why does it take anyone several years to get perfect in oral communication?
Why does it take several years for you to find your soul-mate? (Because you are working on being perfect and so is your soul-mate I guess!)
SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU NEED TO HIT THAT 10,000 HOUR MARK TO ACHIEVE EXCELLENCE in your SKILL..
And yes! One you get there – Then the sky is the limit to what you can achieve..
NOTE: Above are based on my observations, and there could be deviations / exceptions as with everything else in life
As I did my research on this, I came across
1) An interesting and divergent point of view on this titled as ““Paradox of Skill – Why greater skills lead to more luck”
2) An excellent inforgrahic which captures essence of the 10,000 Hour Rule brilliantly. Sharing the same below.
