Over the weekend I went through two types of life changing events.
Ok – too much drama. But they were experiences that would allow me to think
through on issue sthat could potential change my thinking for a long time to
come.
I took a few of my colleagues to design yatra. I am sure I would
have blogged about this crazy amazing conference in the past. This is a place
where I am a pretender in a place full of crazy designers and artists, I am a
stand out stupid guy. I have no talents in this and I hope at best to at least
appreciate the fact that there is beauty in what people do and value in art for
art sake in whatever we do.
I am in the middle of being wooed by multiple people to join
them. And I am thinking, should I leave, should I join something new, should I build
on something I already have. Money is important but only so much. After a point
its not about money but a chance to create something new and beautiful. Over
the last few years I have come to the conclusion that marketing is a wasted
field. What the world needs for now is product supremacy. It’s the product that
needs to succeed. Product necessarily flow from great design. In our finance
world where we don’t sell anything real or tangible (money is such an abstract
concept). We need a serious reason for people to love our product. This is
where design comes into place.
I have been thinking that wherever I go, as a next jump or wherever,
whenever I am able to create my own little ecosystem, it will definitely be a
place where I would want to build my team, have freedom to work, interact, get
in amazing talent; fire idiots dragging the system and build a good place to
work. If take up one more job at one more place, I would be building more of
the same shit. New place, same shit, just a little more money. I want a lot
more money but a chance to build something of real value.
Where I go they would want me to start asap, start showing
results immideiately, and get cracking. Reality – it would take me a year to
understand the product / problem and build a team that would then begin to
start delivering. Then it would take me another year before we actually start
to show results. Everyone wants an overnight sensation, not knowing how long it
took to build it. Most overnight sensations are ten years in the making. Ten years.
So the design festival helped me realize and reinforce in my
head my ideas of how great companies are actually built. By building great
products that people want in the end. Today most of the big success stories
that we see, and what most miss is that the products that were delivered were
finger licking good. When they diverge from great design, shit creeps in and
then all hell breaks loose. It’s funny that my company, group wide, has a
marketing review, business reviews etc but no real product review. No really
good well designed, lickable product customer interfaces and reviews. My super boss
understands money but I am sure, he doesn’t understand what is meant by good
looking and great interface products. The question for me is where do I build
this expertise as decide my future course of action.
Cut to Mumbai. I fly in from Goa early morning to attend an
AGM for Matunga Gymkhana. It was public lynching at its best. We haven’t learnt
from history that democracy can give rise to the worst of dictators. Hitler was
a democratically elected despot. In an
AGM the person who can shout the loudest and incite crowds can sway the
opinion. In a democracy there is the tyranny of the majority which can be used
to suppress a saner but quieter opinion. That is exactly what happened. Logic and
anything be damned. Louder voices ruled.
I was wondering what happened. I was quiet throughout,
unlike my natural self. I only spoke once and I thought I made sense and I spoke
for the greater good. People understood and the stupid conversation and
fighting stopped on that one point. But then the asst. secretary opened his
mouth, once again and then all hell broke loose. Every time he opened his mouth
the meeting would extend by another 40 minutes.
But today after good introspection, I realized that even
silence has a role. If I had opened my mouth and be drawn into these issues I wouldn’t
have been able to see this game. I wouldn’t have been able to see how the few
manipulate the large. It is a well thought of strategy relying on rhetoric and
oratory. It is mind numbing how the majority are swayed by this. I too have
been guilty of this in the past. I have been swayed without the understanding of
consequences.
Real life is difficult, complicated and not without
consequences. Most of which are unintended. The process of democracy is slow
and painful and we must protect it at all costs.
I wanted to resign, I drafted the mail and sent it to my friend.
I haven’t yet sent it to the gymkhana. But I think… should I or should I not be
the lone voice of sanity and be there and grind it out or should I get out and
focus on new things. The learnings are tremendous but I have to hold in my
natural instincts and reign in initial response. I would need to be measured
and studied. That is the right way to play the game. Let me think.
Who knew that a weekend in variety would prove to be enough
food for thought, my friend.
