Category Archives: Innovation
Session on Corporate Innovation
Yesterday (14 May 2013), I had the opportunity to conduct a session on “Corporate Innovation” to a diverse audience (3 to 10+ years experience). It was an interesting, and interactive session. The one strong view which was echoed from the participants was that there is VERY LITTLE INNOVATION happening at the ground level within most organizations!
Sharing below the key messages from my session
Overview to Corporate Innovation
- Innovation has evolved from “Nice to Do” To “Good to Do” to “Must Do”. Innovate to survive
- There is no “universal / standard definition” of Innovation
- Innovation within an organization can happen at any time, at any place and from anyone. Innovation can occur at any level within an organization – from entry level to executive management
- Innovation can be of technology, process, business, delivery methodology, product or user experience
- What the wise have to say about Innovation. To read a set of interesting Innovation Quotes, click here
- Focus of Corporate Innovation is how to “Simplify” / “Solve problems” / “Make things easier and better” / “Improve efficiencies” for internal (employees) and external (customers , partners, suppliers, vendors) stakeholders. Of course, corporate innovation initiatives focus on “Reducing costs” / “Improving Revenues”
* Innovation Life Cycle : Every innovation typically follows a life cycle as depicted below
* Importance of Corporate Innovation
- Getting employees to “Think”, “Learn”, “Reflect”, “Experience”, “Comprehend” and “Apply” : Build a culture of innovation
- Key Differentiator ; Competitive Advantage in the market
- Additional “Revenue Potential” ; Non-Linearity
- Better Customer Engagement
- Market Positioning & Thought Leadership
* Lessons from my Corporate Innovation Journey
- There are three distinct phases in the Innovation Life Cycle and each requires a different mind set
- Your idea need not be unique; How you position your innovation makes all the difference
- The Business Plan is just a baseline plan
- When you start the GTM [Go-To-Market] activities can make all the difference
- The first customer is the most crucial in your journey to success
- Corporate Innovation should be a priority from the top
- Internal communication and collaboration is critical to succeed
Extracted from paper published in the IIMB Summer Magazine (2012)
Innovation Quotes – Worth a read!
Innovation is the creation of the new or the re-arranging of the old in a new way – Michael Vance.
Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower – Steve Jobs.
Innovation is the central issue in economic prosperity – Michael Porter.
Innovation is not the product of logical thought, although the result is tied to logical structure – Albert Einstein.
Innovation by definition will not be accepted at first. It takes repeated attempts, endless demonstrations, monotonous rehearsals before innovation can be accepted and internalized by an organization. This requires “courageous patience” – Warren Bennis.
Innovation is the process of turning ideas into manufacturable and marketable form – Watts Humprey.
Just as energy is the basis of life itself, and ideas the source of innovation, so is innovation the vital spark of all human change, improvement and progress – Ted Levitt.
Innovation has nothing to do with how many R&D dollars you have. When Apple came up with the Mac, IBM was spending at least 100 times more on R&D. It’s not about money. It’s about the people you have, how you’re led, and how much you get it – Steve Jobs.
“The best way to have a good idea is to have a lot of ideas.” — Dr. Linus Pauling
Books & Authors, Marketing and More
In 2012, I revived my reading habits and read a lot of books. In 2013, I started doing Book Reviews on my blogs and as a part of the Reviews, it was important for me to have a list of books that I’d read well in advance (to do justice to the reviews). As I was exposed to the world of Books & Authors, I observed that “Marketing” plays such an important and integral role in the life of a Book and an Author.
Gone are the days when the role of an author was to simply write. In today’s era, a book is really a “product” which needs to be “packaged and marketed” well. And an “author” represents a “brand which interacts” with the world
In the US alone, there were more than 15,000,000 published in 2012. And I am sure in 2013 the number is going to only increase. One of the possible triggers could be Social Media – which is giving everyone a voice and opportunity to write and express, and many first time authors start their journey on social media platforms.
As I look at the journeys of several books and authors, I am compelled to write this post with a few observations I’ve seen:
* The Marketing Strategy for a book typically depend on the following:
(1) Whether you’re a first time author or serial-author or best-selling author (Simply because it makes a difference in the “existing reader base”)
(2) The Category of Book (Fiction, Non-Fiction, Self-Help, etc.)
(3) Language (English, Vernacular, etc)
(4) The Author (and whether he / she is already a celebrity in one / more circles and has an “existing fan base”)
(5) Whether the book is Self-Published or is published by a Publisher (& the “muscle-power” of the publisher in the publishing world)
(6) Who the target readers are and what are the best channels to get their attention?
* The Marketing for a book has 2 broad phases:
Phase 1 – Before the Book is released
Phase 2 – After the Book is released
* Some of the most common Marketing Strategies adopted before a book is released (Most of them are really in the online world)
(1) Create a web-page for the book. For e.g: Check the APE site for Guy Kawasaki’s book
(2) Publish a post on your own blog announcing that you have n upcoming book release. Check Seth Godin’s New Book Announcement on his blog
(3) Launch contests on your site / publisher’s site (in case a publisher was involved). This gets potential reader’s further engaged in your book, and also spread the work within their circles. For e.g.: Guess the name of the book, Guess the name of the characters in the book, Check the name of the places in which the book was set, etc. Check Preeti Shenoy’s blog asking reader’s to guess the name of her new book
(4) Tweet about your book (It helps if you’ve built a good Twitter base before you launch a book)
(5) Ask your friends to share your blogs, tweets, etc – in social media channels & other channels where people may be interested in your book
(6) Give interviews – In print, In the radio, In podcasts, In the TV (provided someone asks for your interviews 
(7) Share complimentary copies with a selected audience, and ask them for Reviews even before the book is formally launched
(8) Participate in live (& relevant) events and speak about your upcoming book – Of course, you should get the opportunity too. If you get an opportunity, don’t pass it! For e.g.: Book Festivals, Business events, Conferences, etc.
(9) Participate in virtual events and talk about your book. For e.g.: Online chats, Tweet chats, etc.
(10) Create a teaser marketing trailer about your book (Catchy Video with great visuals and racy music) and publish it in every possible forum which has your target audience [Trend is many publishers do it themselves based on the kind of book, but if you've self-published it is still worthwhile to create a marketing trailer for your book]
(11) Post about your book on your FaceBook Fan Page if you already have one. If not, create one and link if to your blog / other social media channels
* Some of the most common Marketing Strategies adopted after a book is released
(1) Formal Book Launch (Usually easier if you go with an established publisher) – And do something “WOW” at the book launch. In addition to the book launch itself, the “WOW” factor will be a trigger for additional media / social media attention. For e.g.: When Jessie Paul released her book “No Money Marketing”, she had both Narayana Murthy (from Infosys) and Girish Paranjpe (from Wipro) at the book launch. I know that a lot of people still talk about this even after 3 years of the actual book launch!
(2) Launch contests on your site / publisher’s site (in case a publisher was involved). For e.g.: Book Give-aways based on a Writing Prompt. Check Preeti Shenoy’s blog for an example of the Writing prompt
(3) Create a Twitter Hashtag for your book, and encourage discussions and interactions around this. For e.g.: #apethebook is the Hash tag for Guy Kawasaki’s book APE
(4) Continue to Tweet about your book regularly – At least for a few days after the book release, every single day and a few times every day
(5) Ask your friends to share your blogs, tweets, etc – in social media channels & other channels to widen audience reach
(6) Ask people of repute to write book reviews and spread the word in their circles
(7) Host a live / virtual MeetUp – so people can speak and interact about the book
(8) Participate in live events and speak about your book. For e.g.: Guy Kawasaki spoke about his book APE at the New Media Expo. The video can be viewed here.
(9) Participate in virtual events. For e.g.: Online chats, Tweet chats, etc. For e.g: On MyBookClub
(10) Give interviews – In print, In the radio, In podcasts, In the TV (provided someone asks for your interviews
* Next and most important is that as an Author , one needs to continuously engage with your readers. Some things which are really important:
(1) Be clear about the brand image you want to build (& ensure that its in line with what you really are) – You can’t portray something that you’re not for too long
(2) Be clear on how much personal information you want to share. Draw the line clearly so that there is no conflict with respect to your “personal life” and “writing life”
(2) Be honest and sincere in your interaction with your readers
(3) Establish clearly how accessible you want to be to your readers (Do you want to be accessible to everyone all the time?)
(4) A book launch is a one time activity, and most books have their own active life. But reader’s may want to connect and reach out to you any time. So do keep a channel for interaction – Twitter, FaceBook FanPage, Mail – Choose whatever suits you best. Have at least one, If you can keep up with all then great, go for it!
For a book, any marketing can make an ocean of difference. All one should aim for is to get a potential reader remember the name of your book and the essence of what it’s about. Beyond that, its your writing (& editing) which counts and makes all the difference.
The other thing about reading is that most “readers” usually get book recommendations from specific sources (friends, online reviews, etc.) – So if you can figure a way to feature here, then half your marketing job is done
And lastly, a book is really a “creative piece of art”. You do you BIT and BEST, and release it.
Beyond that it is luck, fate, destiny and your reader’s reactions which determine the success or failure of the book
Focus Focus Focus
One point which has emerged again and again and again in all recent discussions I’ve been a part of is this “The IMPORTANCE of FOCUS“
Be it at home or work, If you are FOCUSED about what you WANT, you will most LIKELY GET IT!
If I look at the world around me, I see the following impediments :
(1) Lack of clarity on what to focus on? – For many of us, we don’t know what to focus our time and energies on. We don’t have any personal goals in life, and hence every day is like the one before – & we get caught in the monotony and drudgery of the “mandatory chores”.
Take a moment to think – What are your goals and dreams in life? And focus on them
(2) Too many distractions on a daily basis - Ok. You’ve done some thinking and soul-searching and have figured out your goals and dreams for life? You also took the next step and created a “workable plan”. And you are determined to get there.. But there’s just one little problem – There are just too many distractions on a daily basis – TV, Twitter, FaceBook, News, Movies, etc etc etc – The list is endless. Just how to stay focused amidst all this.
Well there’s no easy way apart from making a few choices and letting-go of what’s not important. Just focus on what you really want. It’s OK if you don’t know / see everything there is to see. You will be just fine!
(3) Lack of focus in the long term – Most of the really good things take time to get there. And somewhere along the way, the focus gets diluted for many of us. For e.g.: Let’s say you want to author a Research Paper. You start the research work, and then something more important / exciting cries for your attention. So you de-focus from the paper, and focus efforts else-where. Before you know, a week / month / year has elapsed, and the research paper is still in “draft mode”
Be aware of your personal life patterns. When you find yourself getting off-the-road, gently push yourself to come back on track – In whatever way it works. Key to success is LONG TERM FOCUS!
Ending with a few quotes from the wise:
“One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular.” BY Tony Robbins
“That’s been one of my mantras – focus and simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.” BY Steve Jobs
What’s your “Value Quotient” (VQ)?
Its that time of the year again – The Annual Appraisal Time when an employee’s performance evaluation is done.. You are rated for your work, efforts and contributions in line with your objective for the year. While the process is a mandatory part of most organizations, it is also a good time for you to do a self-review, reflection and evaluation on your own career goals and performance – Honestly – Just for YOURSELF! And what is key would be to asses your career performance and career growth w.r.t your own professional aspirations and ambitions.
One question that I find extremely useful to ask myself is “What’s my Value Quotient (VQ)?” – Or in simple words “What is the UNIQUE VALUE that I bring to the TABLE at work“? – And value can really translate into anything that helps an individual employee deliver his / her responsibilities and perform in line / beyond expectations to help achieve an organization’s objectives – So it could be knowledge (Subject Matter expertise – Technology, Business Domain, Finance, etc.), Specific skills (communication, negotiation, Building and nurturing relationships, Expectation management, etc.), Professional networks, personal brand, etc. etc.
Food for Thought
* What is your Value Quotient (VQ) , i.e., What is the “UNIQUE VALUE” that you bring to the table at work? Can you write it in 1-3 sentences
* Has this value “INCREASED” in comparison to last year? – in your own assessment
* Has this value “INCREASED” in comparison to last year? – in your organization’s assessment
* Will these “parameters” be of VALUE to you 3 – 5 years from now?
* Will these “parameters” be of VALUE to your organization 3 – 5 years from now?
* What can you do to “enhance your VALUE” in the next 1 year?
* What can you do to enhance the perception of your VALUE in the next 1 year?
Leadership is a CHOICE
Over the past several years, I have had the opportunity to work with several leaders – Leaders at organizations, Leaders within the 4 walls, Leaders in society, Leaders in groups & communities…
As I ponder over leadership, I can’t help but wonder about What is LEADERSHIP?
I think LEADERSHIP is a CHOICE….
A Choice to LEAD
A Choice to take RESPONSIBILITY
A Choice to INSPIRE
A Choice to make a DIFFERENCE
A Choice to DECIDE
A Choice to IMPROVE
A Choice to INFLUENCE
A Choice to EMPOWER
A Choice to DEFINE
A Choice to DESIGN
A Choice to CREATE
A Choice to MAINTAIN
A Choice to TRANSFORM
A Choice to ACT
A Choice to DREAM…..
What do you think? Leave a comment to let me know
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
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.
Is there a measure to EXCELLENCE?
“Excellence is the
Result of Caring more than others think is Wise,
Risking more than others think is Safe,
Dreaming more than others think is Practical, and
Expecting more than others think is Possible.”
BY Ronnie Oldham
Everyone I know proudly recalls moments during their school years when their school work was graded as “Excellent!”. OR their parents said “Excellent!” for any of their efforts and creations or their coaches / mentors praised their efforts and outputs as “Excellent!”. Simply because that was the BEST POSSIBLE GRADING one could ever receive. And who does not like to receive the BEST?
As you grow older, you get to hear less of the “Excellent!” – Be it at home or outside.. Simply because as you grow, expectations increase and more importantly, it is probably hard to be the BEST in the eyes of everyone around you! Adding to this is the fact that many people don’t pause to appreciate and express the EXCELLENCE around them…
So, I’ve been thinking..
Is there really a measure to EXCELLENCE?
How does anyone qualify EXCELLENCE?
Is everyone qualified to judge EXCELLENCE?
And here’s what I realized…
In any sphere of work or life
Sometimes, EXCELLENCE is a FALLACY
Sometimes, EXCELLENCE is a REALITY
Sometimes, EXCELLENCE is a DREAM
EXCELLENCE is RELATIVE to your experience
EXCELLENCE is SUBJECTIVE to your ideas and views
EXCELLENCE is INFLUENCED by your emotions
EXCELLENCE is PERCEIVED in your mind
EXCELLENCE is BOUND TO CHANGE.. with time.. with life
So that’s my view..
What do you think? Is there a MEASURE to EXCELLENCE? Leave a comment to let me know
