The Pacificatory Touch

Ejected

The Winter of 2004 saw an unanticipated inaugural trip to India during my final year at King’s College London, taking me out of the mental momentum of years of intense academic study. After decades, being sucked out of this academic pressure cooker in London, where the name of the game was “competition”, whether you wanted it or not, where the big questions were, will you do justice to the educational investment made in you since your primal years? Where will you rank? How quickly will you “make it”? How bright can your achievements shine? The sudden family trip to India was not only unintended, but it was highly unwelcome for me. About to sit final year exams with the highest weighting in the degree, and being a creature of habit, with an affinity to surroundings that exude authority and stability, the prospect of the trip to India for three weeks filled me with anxiety. I had heard of run down living conditions, animals on the streets, and uncertainty on day-to-day basics like hot water supply. This was the last thing I needed as I went into my final semesters. The chaos at Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji airport, finding where the driver would be, was not something I was familiar with since my much earlier childhood trips to Africa. Seeing cows on the street side, and indeed on the main road too, wasn’t welcome in my mind, as I wanted stability and predictability at a time I had a lot on my mind. As the days went by, I became attuned to the expectation of food, the possibility that my stomach may get very upset, and the fact the place simply cannot meet my needs. Adopting a practical survival based mindset, I quickly began to count down the days. Without expounding on exactly what happened, subconsciously, there were things I appreciated within the chaos; the level of surrender to circumstance, destiny, whatever one likes to call it, was very evident in the people that lived there. The level of faith people had, which tied simplicity to devotion, found a special place in my subtle consciousness. I didn’t want to be like that, like them, but I valued it, I respected it, and I saw great potential in it.

Sides of London

Returning to the lecture theatres of London, a sense of “this isn’t the only reality” permeated my mind having experienced India for the first time. Quickly getting back into the exam routine, having found a deeper bond with the music I’d listen to, my contemplations were becoming broader on a sub-conscious level. Hurrying to a job offer as a natural progression after completing a masters degree, I found myself on day one in London Bridge after the graduate training programme. Standing outside the office on a brisk, sunny, summer morning in August, I could feel the energy of the City of London in a different form to the “academic London” I had grown so familiar with. Academic London was historic, it comprised vintage old buildings next to  beautiful old churches and towers. The final exams were in the Royal Horticulture Halls in Westminster. Academia had a more benevolent quest for knowledge, and excellence in this quest, it involved study for not necessarily a selfish purpose. The corporate London was different, a profit-driven quest attracted people of a different stature.  My broader contemplations and questions of conscience, weren’t so much at peace in corporate London. Always liking to be punctual, waiting outside the office, catching the atmosphere as the rush hour was about to begin, I felt more and more unease, which made me quite emotional and dejected about joining “corporate London.” We had some fantastic teammates, who really questioned the ethics behind certain things the firm did from a completely blue-sky perspective. “What do you have to say about X?” and as soon as the teammate would get an answer, he would immediately challenge again “Yes, but that doesn’t justify Y, does it?” It was clear that the ethics of business sometimes didn’t add up, especially back then. It reinforced my intuitive feelings, and made me less and less comfortable.

Evolution

I needed to find something in the firm which would bring a “pacificatory” touch to the sharp-edged razor corporate culture that permeated the district. At the LSE, we had begun doing food distributions to the homeless that slept in Lincoln’s Inn Fields just next door to the Supreme Court of Justice. If I could engage in, and even lead collaborations in this space, it would be a concessionary fulfilment of the more contemplative, broader part of my conscience. After meeting some senior folks who saw my enthusiasm as a graduate for making it happen, over the years much was mobilised. Driving it all was truly the need for this pacificatory touch that stemmed from being popped out of the academic pressure cooker, to India in 2004. The mental need to be regularly pulled out of a corporate-serving, impersonal  work environment will vary from individual to individual; their thresholds will be different based on their mental make-up, priorities, what period of life, or phase one is going through, peoples’ understandings of benevolence and balance, and so on. People are willing to engage at different levels, in different ways. Some are only mentally committed but rarely make it happen, whilst some will almost literally discover themselves in such causes beyond the call of domestic corporate duty.  As I spend longer in the corporate environment, more wonderful it is to see when people sincerely commit as seriously to causes beyond themselves, as they do to their work. Great is the feeling of freedom when we help others. Great is the feeling of expression when we put ourselves aside for others who need it. And great is our self-discovery of truly reality when we engage our minds in not putting ourselves in the centre.

Domesticity 

Almost two decades on since the trip to India, and the embezzlement and confusion over whether to even engage with corporate London, having used years of experience in CSR initiatives to try to continually renew commitments to causes that are needed on the part of beneficiaries, but more importantly for the layers of the coming generations since they will be the ones whose consciousness shall shape the world. Towards the end of the Mahabharata, there is a dialogue over the relative merits of renunciation (or giving things up) through higher realisation, or to lead a life of domesticity (continuing the hard grind of daily work life). The conclusion the dialogue leads to is that the merits of domesticity outweigh those of renunciation, whilst not admonishing the role of renunciation. The rationale of this conclusion is that lives of domesticity, provide the lifeblood of society, they provide structure to the lives of people through which they can develop and learn in multiple vocational and spiritual paths. So to continue to stay engaged on all fronts, to excel in what we do, and to keep in mind benevolence in the bigger picture, becomes a prime governing factor in what we do and what we prioritise.

“Leading lives of domesticity and thoroughly devoted to their own duties, they behaved equally towards all creatures and were endued with perfect sincerity. Contentment was theirs.” 

Kapila Muni, Section CCLXX, Shanti Parva, Mahabharata

Simplicity

Keep It Simple, Stupid

Keep it Simple, Stupid. My A Level Computer Science teacher would say this repeatedly when we were learning how to write program code. Writing code in small chunks, writing up explanation of what the code did as each chunk was written, and ensuring that each independent component was functional before combining multiple functions was the bread and butter of this coding. From writing small routines, to a couple of connected ones, to more, which would interface to modules written by others, would lead to functionality we wouldn’t have imagined was possible on our own. But what happened when things went wrong? It was almost as though there was an exponential relationship between not ‘keeping it simple,’ and bug resolution time. You realize that not keeping it simple, really was stupid when you’re up all night trying to fix something that could have easily been avoided. The more senior people I meet, the more I hear things along the lines of “I’m a simple kinda guy.” They avoid getting too complicated in discussions, and usually try to follow logic in their thinking. Sometimes I feel that the more senior you look, the simpler the people’s mindsets need to be. Henry Ford was once taken to court for an issue with his company. The judges asked him about various aspects of his business. Each time they'd ask a question regarding a particular field, he would simply refer them to the head of that area. They asked him about their marketing, he would say, speak to my marketing director, etc. Henry Ford believed in not necessarily knowing everything himself, it is simply not possible. But he believed in being methodical, simple, and recruiting people he trusted. He was a simple kinda guy. What does simplicity mean in our corporate context? How do we be simple people?
 

100k…kilometers, not $’s

A senior Partner recently ran 100 kilometers in a challenge in Hong Kong. As you can imagine, he is extremely athletic, and regularly keeping fit. Another Partner did the Iron Man challenge in Australia, China and various other APAC locations, which is an extremely demanding task in terms of endurance and personal resilience he was explaining. We once went on a social outing with these Partners and others on a boat. There was something distinct about them that made them in a sense very simple. They were just peacefully watching the scenery, and just looking at them one perhaps wouldn’t associate their corporate lifestyle with them. They seemed to be aligned; their minds and bodies were harmoniously aligned. They had clarity of thought. They had confidence and they were comfortable being where they were; the outdoors was something they loved. There were also other senior people on the boat, who perhaps weren’t as much into fitness routines etc, and they looked like they were escaping. Their psychology seemed different. If we break it down, there are two lives we live; one at work, and one outside work. When we are overwhelmed in a variety of ways by work, naturally we want to escape. There is a phenomenon of ‘over-ordering’ food. I’ve often done this. You feel so hungry that you begin to order many things. Once about half way through, you begin to wonder whether you can complete it all. As you approach the three-quarter mark, you think you don’t want to have this again for a long time, and barely able to finish it. So when we don’t have enough of the outdoors, we are so hungry for it. When we get it, we are almost bewildered, we can’t get enough of it. And naturally, when it comes to returning to our work lives, we don’t want to return. If you a small does, then return to the work place, then take another small dose, and then return again, in good balance, there will not be this great degree of sentiment involved in returning back. Indeed, the mindset will become more balanced, unified, centered. These Partners whose minds and bodies are in tune, typically benefit from a greater degree of objectivity, unaffectedness from the turbulences of the work place and life, and are ultimately also less stressed individuals also.

Working to Live, or Living to Work?

The ancient Indian scriptures explain some very relevant topics in this regard. According to these scriptures, people have different natural, or inherent tendencies. Indeed tendencies can be changes, refined, or forsaken through lack of cultivation, but there is a natural sense of preference towards certain mindsets and activities that is inherent. This is also the driver of ‘personalities’ to a large extent. Certain people are outspoken, others quieter. Certain people prefer interacting with many others, some people prefer less. Certain people are very attached to ‘things’ and certain people are perhaps less so.  In a recent mixed martial arts documentary, one trainer was explaining that certain commercial fighters have a lot of luxuries now, and he mentioned, sometimes they do not feel like leaving these luxuries in order to get up to train very hard, who would want to do that? he asked. In the scriptures it explains how there was one class of people called the Ksatriyas, or the warrior class, who would be administrators and enforcers of law and order in the kingdom. It explains how such individuals would be under the guidance of the wise and knowledgeable people who did not have any vested interests, or involvement with politics. Under their guidance, the Ksatriyas would live a noble life enforcing order. In order to do this, the Kings and Ksatriyas had quite extensive facilities such as very vast ‘thinking chambers.’ They would be served with the finest foods, and have lavish facilities. We may be beginning to picture what this was like for such a Warrior. However, their mentality, was one centered around duty, and doing what was right. The facilities they had, were all their to facilitate them to feel satisfied, and to perform their duty; and wasn’t supposed to be for more than that. At the end of the Mahabharata, the ancient Indian epic, Vidura requests Dhristrastra to leave the Palace as his reign is finished and the heirs were ready. However he was reluctant to. He wanted to continue to use the facilities, even though they weren’t needed to serve him to do his duty. Today, the mentality is the other way around, people tend to do what they believe is their duty in working, so that they can enjoy lavish facilities. When one has a focus on working in order to enjoy, of course the mind will be filled with anxiety if this self-gain is not achieved. Physical exercise, the outdoors, such a regular routine involving these things, can help one remove themselves from a mentality of work for self-enjoyment, and instill a deeper sense of duty, discipline, and ultimately sacrifice for others. Once these mindsets kick in, our ‘awareness’ will increase of the dynamics at play all around us because we will become far-less subjected or victimized by these dynamics through this increased awareness of them. Many of the universal ingredients to success including confidence in doing the right thing, clarity of thought, and a positive outlook will then become possible for us.

Value Maximised Interaction: Red pill or Blue pill?

Our lives are certainly busy, with many competing demands and different aspects of our livelihood that we have to ensure are being taken care of. Work life balance as many refer to it, is emphasised increasingly in the competitive environments we work in, and as this competition increases in the contracting financial markets we are seeing, this area is one that we should perhaps view from a few different perspectives as there are measures we can all take to ensure we have a better balance. If we address the right areas, with the right amount of attention, we will find the challenge of balance will significantly ease.

Art of 8 Limbs

Muay Thai is referred to as the “Art of 8 Limbs” as it uses the fists, elbows, knees, and feet to strike. The Thais created the art as Thailand was under heavy pressure from foreign armies, and needed a domestic method of defence as well as military forms. Using these 8 limbs were the most effective way according to the Thai’s of replacing the use of weapons. One piece of research concluded that the knee of a expert Muay Thai fighter has the same force as a 30 mph car hitting you. The elbows can move far quicker than the knees, and can strike the face, having the potential to cause great damage. Muay Thai has taken great influence from the Ramayana, and there are at least half a dozen advanced, and highly impactful moves named after Hanuman, the empowered monkey servant of Lord Rama. The moves are based on particular stories of Hanumanji and representations of the story. It’s hardly a surprise that Hanuman in many illustrations has a knee high up. Hanuman was extremely composed and mentally grounded. In Muay Thai, the training involves being extremely loose, preserving all one’s energies, and using them only at the critical points of contact. If in using the elbow for example, one uses all their “force” in the swing, the impact will be much reduced. The more exertion, the less effective. It would seem a contradiction. To exert surely means more impact. But here we’re saying the less exertion the more impact. The logic is very clear. If you imagine you have a finite amount of energy, and use it up in the swing, then you have less left for the impact, whereas if you minimise the energy loss in the swing, and concentrate it just on the point of contact, it will hit with more impact, and more likely with more precision as one can be agile as to where it lands when there is less exertion in the swing also. If one doesn’t know this, they will end up very tired, and ineffective. This is the condition of most people in the corporate world; they are fatigued, and actually ineffective; hence only a small number of people occupy leadership positions and most fail to enter that tier.

Focussing our Time & Energies

We must be able to evaluate our interactions. What does that mean? Evaluate contains the word value. What value are we getting from our interactions? In one day last week, I met the CEO of the bank, CFO, and CRO, and within a few hours left a positive impression on them through a few presentations and updates I’d prepared for. This was a high value interaction. On another day, I spent a very long day trying to make up for some miscommunications in delegation in the neighbouring regions due to cultural and language differences etc. The only outcome this achieved, was simply to not be told off for getting it very wrong! Whilst a critical outcome, it wasn’t as progressive as the first interaction. How “value yielding” are the interactions you are having? How much of your energy are your interactions consuming? These two simple questions will give you the answer to how successful you are and will be, and also how much of a work-life balance you have. Interactions are linked to people. Certain people will be like the swing, and certain people will be like the point of contact; if we use all our energy focussing on people who will not give value, and therefore have less energy left when it comes to the point of contact; this will lead to a gap between what you do achieve, and what you could have achieved. So choosing to focus our energy on sources that may drain us is akin to choosing the wrong pill. Of course, we should be respectful to all people and never forget that they are emotional beings as this in one sense is far more important than all our possible success, it is a core value which should not be compromised, but at a different level we should ensure we are gaining value from our interactions and being focussed in them, in the right way. If we simply do not evaluate where we’re spending our time, focussing our energies, there is little chance that we will be efficient with our time in working towards our end goals. However, if we get this right, we may be very surprised how quickly success comes.