Culture

I keep hearing from my founder friends about many aspects of startups. Sometimes the conversation boils down to culture.

The definition of culture differs from founder to founder. For some, it reflects in every action of theirs: sales, hiring, product. Running a startup is like watching the game of thrones, surviving in chaos.

Marty Cagen in his book talks about PPP rule, People, process and product. Hire a bunch of smart people, build a solid organizational process and it will result in an amazing product.

How will you hire smart folks when you don’t have the right culture?
I know paying 10X the market salary will get you a pedigree, but how many of those will stay with you and be part of your journey? Will, they not jump to your competitor who just raised 2X more than yours and is a Unicorn?

To me, culture starts with trust, transparency and having a common organizational goal. If you have these things sorted, the organization runs on its own.

Unfortunately, survivorship bias is huge in entrepreneurship that everyone shoots for becoming next Uber, WeWork Et All. The dopamine hit we get bagging startup award of year supersedes over profitability.

Sometimes I wonder if founders have taken “Eric Cartman’s 4 brotastic steps to startup success” seriously.

Chaos

Going by media: newspaper, television and internet streams it seems we are all in some chaos. Everything looks messy, screwed up and worrisome.

The movies, TV series portrays how bad corruption is and how lawmakers are sucking our blood.

We humans react more to negativity. So media, Bollywood and the internet sell it. The attention merchants make a profit by showing filth, misery, poverty, violence.

Your older ones will tell you about the past, how difficult it was to afford basic healthcare. How many mothers would die giving birth, how many kids would die of black fever, smallpox et all. The caste system, women’s rights, and many other things.

We are living in a fantasy world. We have everything which was available to people in the west for ages. We are on a level playing field with everyone, innovation, capital, and advancement. We have it all.

Scar

We were not born perfectionist. We are slaves to our desire and ego. As we progress in life journey, we learn, adapt and get better.

Some of us improve our self, become a better version of self. Some continue living like an animal, on ego and desires.

Charlie Munger says learn from others mistake and try not to repeat it. I wish it was so easy.

Some of us improve our self, become a better version of self. Some continue living like an animal, on ego and desires. r eternity most gets trashed.

Living a life with the scar is not only dangerous but hurtful.

Teacher

What credentials or degree one requires to become a teacher?
An Ivy league degree, exit from a successful startup or having millions of followers worshiping like a god on social media?

I don’t know. What I do know is that a teacher can be anyone, without any pedigree or affiliations.

The barista who taught you making pour over, your maid who taught you making paneer or the gardener who shared his wisdom on happiness. Are they not the teachers? Look around, open up and you will find a teacher everywhere.

Our nature, birds, animals are teachers as well.

Life lie

We are constantly fed with milestones and goals. At times they can be seductive and make us go out of our comfortability zone, make us think, build and believe. This is all good.

What about us living a life constantly on the edge: worried about future and carrying past biases. The constant urge to seeking a better version of self make us forget living in the present.

Why are we not taught in any books or by society to live in the present moment, give best at it? Why are we all incentivized so much of our better future? Why does the reality of now take a back seat in front of a glorified future?

criticize

It is easy to criticize someone, some architecture or art. It is extremely difficult to understand creators rational behind it.

We, humans, are loaded with our own biases, past experience, and expectations. We like to be always correct and get our opinions to stand corrected.

We live in an imperfect world and not everyone gives constructive criticism.

Mentor

The term mentor has become a modern day marketing jargon. Social media platform or business cards are embedded with it.

Why do we have to shout and make claims about being a mentor? Early days, a mentor would counsel his/her mentee, see him/her mature, excel in life. Our current construct has made mentorship a consumerized product. Anyone can become a mentor and everyone can buy it.

Until and unless you are connected with the person, respect him/her and open for taking criticism. How can you be mentored?

I have reached this far in my life because I got lucky and had many of them who helped me in shaping where I am right now. I am not saying am perfect, but I admit am better than before. I am getting better every day.

This journey called life has many twist and turns. Having mentors who can shape us, accept our imperfection, guide us to success makes this journey meaningful.

Cure

Where can we find a cure for our stupidity and anxiety? Will watching Netflix or listening to music be of any help?

There is a market for everything. Music which makes you fall asleep to video course for feeding positivity.

Nothing helps with eradicating the source but quick fixing it.

Will you need those apps which helps you in sleeping if you stop gulping coffee? Will, you need modern day preachers to fuel positivity in your life when you are self-aware?

A cure is within us, we don’t pay or buy it from the market.