ALTERNATIVE MARKETING LESSONS
THE MEDITATING MONK
Krav Maga learning interpretation 5
THE MEDITATING MONK
This is the fifth in the series of alternative learning from Krav Maga.
Why was he even there?
Everyone seemed to look at him for answers. It wasn’t like he was the CEO.
How did he command this respect? He never raised his voice or threw attitude. Isn’t that the normal misguided mode for seeking attention?
Was he a magician?
I was new to the management team. I had years of experience in another field and came in to rustle things up for positive change. In the first few meetings I attended as an observer, it was surprising to note the deference.
Sridhar must be a tad older than me but looked a lot more weary and worldly-wise. A grey-white stubble, disheveled hair, and a big untamed mustache. A peculiar style of dressing that was his! A slow-moving gait as if everything needs to be measured.
Sridhar, he was also mostly silent, speaking through nods, raised eyebrows, and gentle movements!
How was he the cynosure, before, during, and after the meeting?
It must be his mild demeanour and his smile, I surmised.
IRRITATION BUILDING UP:
There was another thing that irked me no end. Sridhar went into silence and meditation, every time any problem required in-depth answers and suggestions.
Sridhar had this quirk, his shoulders hunched up, his fingers came together. Both his forefingers were on the bridge of his nose, and he closed his eyes. The only movement was his head bobbing up and down, and a Tch Tch sound that escaped from his mouth.
The one key problem statement deposited with Sridhar, the team meet proceeded to discuss other issues at hand. Was he the only one capable of solving? Why were the other team members not providing significant suggestions? This irritated me.
Well, the team was adding value, but a bias had already set in my mind. I had formed an opinion about Sridhar, and my irritation was further fanned by myself!
My department came across an issue that needed resolution. My team members, who had been in the system long enough, encouraged me to talk to Sridhar. I decided not to ask him. I will find out the answer myself. Me and my ego, as you with yours, it’s a complicated relationship, isn’t it!
I continued to struggle. Screw up. Delay things — lost time and money.
And then…….
REACHING OUT:
I did it. I waited after a meeting and walked up to him. I asked for his time and explained my problem. Standing in the hallway, he went into his meditation pose.
He was like that for another five minutes, leaving me fidgeting and jumping from foot to foot. It took a lot of self-control for me to remain silent and not disturb him.
How could a man focus like that?
Sridhar looked up, opened his eyes, and signalled me to follow him. He walked over to the open area in front of our office and sat on a bench. He proceeded to give me three potential steps that I could choose from. Each of them seemed very practical and capable of resolving my issue.
All it took him was five minutes.
I went back and implemented one of the suggestions. I could see the positive results in a week.
A changed man, internally, I went to his office to thank him for the advice. I took the liberty of asking him about his methods and what he does during his meditation, half expecting him to shoo me off! He sat me down and explained the process.
Once the solution is revealed, the riddle looks silly ! Like you knew the answer all along.
Sridhar’s MODUS OPERANDI:
He looked at me and said two words.
“LOOK BEHIND.”
He started with a practical example:
Problem statement: During the Chennai floods of 2015, we all know that almost all systems were down. Power was down; mobile phones were out of batteries; communication was getting quite challenging. Most people grew up with technology and therefore were only looking at newer technology as a solution.
“Looking back” solution: Sridhar narrated how his group used “looking back” to find a solution. They looked back into history and decided to use a messaging technique implemented by a Parent-Teacher Association (PTA). At the beginning of each school year, remember these were landline days; each parent was allocated two telephone numbers. The role was simple. One parent would receive a message from school. This parent would then call the two parents assigned to him/her at the beginning of the year, always the same two. The message was transmitted. The recipients, in turn, had to inform two parents. The announcement was short and to the point, not allowing for any Chinese whispers.
The implementation: The same PTA strategy was used during the Chennai floods to solve the issue of communication. Those with landlines became the area or street representatives. A central office kept track of all communication: incoming and outgoing. Outgoing messages provided the latest news and status of floods. Incoming information from the streets provided details about the residents’ requirements for food and supplies.
Sridhar continued with his “looking back” technique:
- Looking behind the mask of novelty and shiny objects: every problem isn’t a new problem. Some facets would have been handled or experienced before. What happened, and what was done? How did we screw up earlier? What were the lessons?
- Looking behind to see the OPPORTUNITIES and DANGERS: What are the opportunities that can be used now? Look behind to see how this was solved previously, and what failures were faced. Identifying known blind spots that were documented and of course, resolved with the power of hindsight.
- Looking behind the veil of chasing new shadows: Everyone wants to put their stamp on the work — every single time. Perhaps, the old way could still be the right way. After all, isn’t that what big data claims to do today!
Sridhar said that all he did was introspect, meditate, and look at connecting the dots. This was done with his experience and work done within the company. He then showed me the physical and digital notes from the last two decades that he had maintained.
“Look behind; the dots are already there. You go ahead and connect and experiment.”: those were his words for me that day.
***
Krav Maga Sreeram’s lesson:
Looking behind is a crucial lesson in Krav Maga.
Look in front, to the sides but especially look behind.
Danger lurks, as does an escape route.
Remember, you need to get out of the dangerous situation as quickly as possible.
So, be on your feet with roving eyes to get to safety/solution.
I read this somewhere, and it is pertinent for this note:
Let’s say you dip your feet in a running stream and return after a month to dip it again. Neither the stream nor you remain the same. What stays, though, is the experience, the emotions, and associated feelings. You returned to recreate some of that, hoping to get the same high!
When we go behind new services to new clients, we can also look behind and cross-sell a new service to an old/existing client.
In this quest to remain top of mind, the outlier marketer wants to stay well seeded, in the back of the mind :)
LOOK BEHIND TO SEE THE FRONT BETTER.
This is the fifth in the series of learning from Krav Maga.
Pravin Shekar is an outlier marketer, parallel entrepreneur and a raconteur.
mic @ PravinShekar.com .
For creative collusions, join: http://bit.ly/JoinMyOutlierTribe
Pravin is the author of seven books: Devil Does Care, Marketing lessons from Mythology, Getting paid to speak, a Virtual Summit Playbook, Climb your way out of hell & a collection of travel pics/romantic poems, and stories from the heart!
http://tiny.cc/PravinShekarBooks
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