Review: Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly

Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly by Bernadette Jiwa
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Old wine in a new bottle. The insights are not new, but they are so important that they have to be repeated over and over. Thought provoking read.

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Review: The Rollout: A Novel about Leadership and Building a Lean-Agile Enterprise with SAFe

The Rollout: A Novel about Leadership and Building a Lean-Agile Enterprise with SAFe by Alex Yakyma
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I picked up this book for professional reasons, and I am so glad that I did. I stumbled upon this boon while looking for some literature on Scaled Agile Framework for Enterprise (SAFe). Written as a novel, the author does a good job of walking you through the challenges the organization in the story was facing. The story of the transformation, told through the protagonist's point view, is pretty straightforward to follow. It was quite easy to understand how why SAFe is needed, how it could potentially be implemented and the challenges one might run into during its assimilation into the organization. All in all, good read, and I am so happy I came across this book at the right time.

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Review: Big Billion Startup: The Untold Flipkart Story

Big Billion Startup: The Untold Flipkart Story by Mihir Dalal
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have been following Flipkart since 2008, since I first became a customer. In those days, what Flipkart achieved was nothing short of magical. Over the last 12 years, Flipkart has morphed into a behemoth worth billions of dollars, and is still has the highest market share of the Indian e-retail space. Big Billion Startup is a beautifully written un-putdownable tale of that journey. It almost reads like a plot of a movie that perhaps Hollywood might make about a world changing Silicon Valley startup. The book is meticulously researched and I strongly believe that the author has tried to present a balanced perspective. The book is not just the tale of Flipkart, but of the dawn of entrepreneurship of Internet companies in India.Netflix, please turn this into an awesome TV series!

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Review: A Game of Thrones

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The book is always better than the movie (tv show). Being a huge fan of the Tv series, I picked up the book after finishing season 8. It was such a pleasure to read the book, and experience the development of the characters with time, that no movie/tv-show can afford its characters. The book also exposes many facets of the society, the institutions and the characters themselves, that would be a tad harder to spot in the show. The book is a master piece by an epic storyteller, and I am all agog to read books 2 to 5.

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Review: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Not finance. Not strategy. Not technology. It is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage, both because it is so powerful and so rare".

Thus embarks the author, Patrick Lencioni, with his narrative in the form of a parable, that beautifully demonstrates the dysfunctions a team might suffer from. The author has developed a framework, and through this framework he drives his point across about the five dysfunctions that a team might have. The book also contains a lot of practical advice on how readers can apply the lessons learned from the book. At the end of the parable, the author re-iterates everything and provides very actionable and practical advice on how to make the most of the book.

All in all, this was a very valuable resource in learning how to weed teams of their dysfunctions and on how to build strong teams. As I was reading the book, I was taking copious amounts of notes. I will definitely be revisiting the book as I implement some of these exercises in my own team.

At the end of the day, we need to remember that human beings are way to complex to adhere to any model or framework that any other human can come up with. Bearing that in mind, we must recognize that even this model has its flaws and one needs to exercise judgement while using it. In the author's own words,

"...the reality remains that team work ultimately comes down to a practicing a small set of principles over a long period of tie. Success is not a matter of mastering subtle, sophisticated theory, but rather embracing common sense with uncommon levels of discipline and persistence".

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Review: Flash Boys

Flash Boys by Michael Lewis
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Flash Boys is one of this non-fiction books, that reads like a thriller. Once I started, I could barely keep my hands off it. The tale is gripping, the writing is crisp and the subject matter quite interesting. In the high stakes world of Wall Street finance, Flash Boys is the tale a of a band of brothers, a group of rebels who unearthed a loophole in the system, and decided not to exploit it. Had they joined the bandwagon, they would have been richer by millions of dollars, and their firms, perhaps by billions of dollars, and this book would not have been born. Praise be to them, that these amazing people led by Brad Katsuyama, decided to take a corrupt and selfish system head-on. These people took an incredible amount of risk, and could have been very easily engulfed by the monster they were trying to slay. Fortunately, for them, and for everyone else who was also suffering, unknowingly, the Flash boys were able to bring the matters to light. It warms one's heart to learn that there are people who, in spite of the spoils, in spite of the odds stacked against them, would still choose to right a wrong. Incredible.

To quote the author, Michael Lewis, on this subject:

"If this story has a soul, it is in the decisions made by its principal characters to resist the temptation of easy money and to pay special attention to the spirit in which they live their working lives. I didn’t write about them because they were controversial. I wrote about them because they were admirable. That some minority on Wall Street is getting rich by exploiting a screwed-up financial system is no longer news. That is the story of the last financial crisis, and probably the next one, too. What comes as news is that there is now a minority on Wall Street trying to fix the system. Their new stock market is flourishing; their company is profitable; Goldman Sachs remains their biggest single source of orders; they still seem to be on their way to changing the world. All they need is a little help from the silent majority."


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Review: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Not finance. Not strategy. Not technology. It is teamwork that remains the ultimate competitive advantage, both because it is so powerful and so rare". Thus embarks the author, Patrick Lencioni, with his narrative in the form of a parable, that beautifully demonstrates the dysfunctions a team might suffer from. The author has developed a framework, and through this framework he drives his point across about the five dysfunctions that a team might have. The book also contains a lot of practical advice on how readers can apply the lessons learned from the book. At the end of the parable, the author re-iterates everything and provides very actionable and practical advice on how to make the most of the book. All in all, this was a very valuable resource in learning how to weed teams of their dysfunctions and on how to build strong teams.


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Review: Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul

Onward: How Starbucks Fought for Its Life without Losing Its Soul by Howard Schultz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The book's title summarizes what this book is all about very well. Starbucks had started losing its way, so much so that Howard Schultz, the founder who had stepped aside decided to come back and steer the company back. To me, the most interesting aspect of this turnaround was that only the founder, the person who imbued the company with his spirit and the person who drew the company's vision, could have managed to steer it back on course. Because he is the only person who could truly define the right course. My respect for Starbucks and its CEO, in spite of the over priced coffee and snacks, has grown since I finished the book. Everything said and done, Howard Shultz as a leader and Starbucks as a company are worth emulating.

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Review: Why I Stopped Wearing My Socks

Why I Stopped Wearing My Socks by Alok Kejriwal
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a modern day book of fables, fables that are related to entrepreneurship. I found the book very honest and inspirational. This is the kind of book that should be made a compulsory read for students in high school and colleges. I loved the structure of the book, wherein the author recounts important incidents from his life, and finally summarizes the learning towards the end. My only regret is why did the author didn't write a longer book. Kudos to you Mr. Kejriwal!

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Review: Gigged: The End of the Job and the Future of Work

Gigged: The End of the Job and the Future of Work by Sarah Kessler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Gigged: The End of the Job and the Future of Work, is written by Sarah Kessler, a reported at Quartz who writes about the future of work. Gigged sheds light on a very important change in our world today, the nature of work. Jobs, as they used to be, perhaps 20 or 30 years ago, are not the same anymore. You were hired by a company for a specific skill set, you worked 40 hours a week (or so), you were paid and you received a host of benefits. The nature of work is changing, and while this change was brought upon by the Gig economy start-ups, with AI on the scene and Robotics on the horizon, the momentum of this change will just continue to build up.

A point that has stuck with me the most is the hype and hoopla over "flexibility", "being your own boss" and being a "micro-preneur". Why do we need flexibility? Why can't I work with a boss? Flexibility is a nice to have. And it's nice to not have a horrible boss. But given the certainty, stability and security that usually accompanies a traditional job, is flexibility really that important? Is flexibility being marketed to all and sundry when the need for it is not as urgent as it seems.

While the book is about the Gig economy where employers distance themselves from employees and move to an independent contractor model, the book mentions a few companies that have taken the opposite approach. What do Starbucks, Shake Shack and Managed by Q have in common? They all reap the rewards of the good jobs strategy, espoused by Professor Zeynep Ton, an Adjunct Associate Professor of Operations Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management. In the age of the gig economy, these companies have taken the road less traveled, and took pains to create good jobs for their employees.

In Gigged, the author has raised some very important questions about the future of work given in light of of the Gig economy and a wave of "Uber for X" startups. A very logical extension of this book would one where she tackles what might lie ahead given the advancements in AI, Robotics and Bio-engineering.

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What is your favourite app and why?

I have been a smartphone user for about 7 years now and I have been a Product Manager for 5. In this time, I have used countless apps and worked on the development of a few. However, it was only a while back that this thought floated in my head - "Which app do I like the most, and why?" So I a made a list of apps that I know I use the most and draw the most value from . In no particular order, these apps are:

1. Whatsapp
2. Kindle
3. Google Calendar
4. Gmail
5. Evernote
6. Grab
7. Samsung Internet
8. Netflix
9. Google Maps
10. Waze
11. LinkedIn
12. WorkChat (by Facebook)
13. Skype
14. Zomato
15. Banking App
16. OneDrive
17. Clock
18. Spotify
19. FB Messenger Lite
20. Amazon Shopping

When I started compiling my list of apps, I realized that the statistics about app usage I have often come across did seem true. Like most people, I use about 10 apps on a daily basis, and around 20 to 30 apps on a monthly basis. Out of this list, the 20 apps listed above are the ones I think I draw the most value from. Another interesting fact is that 14 out of the 20 apps are free to use. And what about the ownership of these apps? 12 out of the 20 apps that I use the most fall under the following Tech empires:

1. Alphabet: Gmail, Google calendar, Waze, Google Maps
2. Microsoft: Skype, LinkedIn and Onedrive
3. Facebook: Whatsapp,Workchat and FB Messenger Lite. I do not have Facebook or Instagram on my phone. Interesting, they are getting all the data to develop AI for Natural language processing.
4. Amazon: Kindle and Amazon Shopping

After carefully considering how I engage with each of these apps, and the value I derive from them, Whatsapp seems to be clear winner. While I was thinking over the benefits I enjoyed, it dawned upon me that some of these benefits actually fall under Maslow's hierarchy of human needs.

 

 

Whatsapp does a few things, but it does those things so well. It is an excellent app for messaging, sharing files, for audio and video calls. It even allows conference video and audio calls now. As a busy professional, with a working wife, a young child, Whatsapp seems to be the bridge connecting the different parts of my life. I use this app to communicate with my wife, my son, his nanny, my parents, sister, family and friends back in India and other parts of the World. I have different groups on which I am able to stay in touch with these people, who are so important to me. In this fashion, Whatsapp has been able to address my need for "Love/Belonging"

Whatsapp is also helping me learn. I was able to discover a very good group of people from all walks of life and parts of the world, who are all keen learners. We call this group the "Learner's Republic", and this group has been a source of knowledge, motivation and a place to share my thoughts as well. We talk about books, articles, movies and TV shows occasionally and other random topics. It has added a lot of value to my life. As an active member of this group, I have learned a lot and contributed a good number of times, which addresses my urge to learn and share my knowledge. I would say that in this fashion, Whatsapp is addressing my psychological needs for "Love/Belonging" and "Esteem"

I am also conducting business transactions on Whatsapp. As an Indian living in Metro Manila, there aren't many choices available to get good wholesome Indian food. One of the best options I have is a Whatsapp group started by fellow Indians who post menus for lunch and dinner on the group, collect orders and have it delivered. All I have to do is to choose my meal, pay for it online and send a screenshot. And the food promptly arrives. This is noting unique because the same thing can be accomplished through any messaging app. However, in my case, and I am sure there are millions like me, Whatsapp is helping me connect to a product or service provider in a convenient fashion. To an extend, this addresses my physiological needs.

In 2017, Whatsapp launched the live location feature, in which you can share your location with your contact, for 15 minutes, 1 hour or 8 hours. Your location will be updated in real time and be available to the person you shared with for the entire duration. This is such a useful feature. My wife and I use this feature almost on a daily basis, especially when we are traveling separately. And here is the cool part. If two people share their locations with each other simultaneously, and they are both in the same area (same city), they can see each other on the same map, at the same time. So if you are coordinating to meet at a common point, this is the best way to keep track of each other's location. What an amazing feature! I would say that through the live location feature, Whatsapp is addressing my safety needs, primarily because my family and I can keep track of each other very conveniently.

In India, whatsapp has launched a feature to enable payments via Unified Payments Interface. So that's another awesome solution to a common problem a lot of us have. There are so many other features that make this product so great. Take the way the chats sync when you are logged on to Whatsapp for web or desktop. It is almost instantaneous. Take the user interface. Clean, simple and elegant, it makes me want to use the app. The options in the settings are clearly labelled and self-explanatory, for the most part. Whatsapp also has some limitations. For instance, you cannot have a group with more than 256 members. But for the most part, whatever is missing from the app is non-essential for the time being. Everything said and done, it does its job really really well. Is is a surprise then that Whatsapp is the most used messaging app in the world, with 1.5 billion users and 1 billion daily active users? That's right. ONE BILLION people use Whatsapp daily. I fervently hope and pray that Facebook Inc. doesn't abuse this awesome power they have at their disposal. 

I am not aware of the features Whatsapp will be releasing in the future. However, the one thing that I can say for sure is whatever is released will work like a charm. Whatsapp has added a lot of value to users, and I personally wouldn't even mind paying a few dollars a month for it. But, it is free. As the saying goes, the best things in the world are truly free. Or, will Zuckerberg figure out a way to monetize whatsapp without us ever finding out!

That being said, what is your favourite app and why?

Review: Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

In 2014, a young and ambitious Oxford university under-grad Jim Watson had a bold idea. Inspired by the story of the success of Deepmind, and its acquisition by Google (now Alphabet), Jim dreamed of using AI to uncover the emotional state of a person using just a sentence long enough to be a tweet. Given the recent advancements, brilliant young Jim decided that the time was ripe to jump on the AI bandwagon and develop this world-changing product. So Jim dropped out of Oxford, and started the journey towards turning this audacious idea into a real product. Jim was incredibly inspired by Andrew Ng, one of the world's foremost experts of Machine learning and deep learning. So inspired, that he started wearing only blue shirts like his hero Andrew Ng, and decided to learn Mandarin as well.

So our charismatic, visionary and glib hero assembles a team of highly qualified people and starts developing the product. But no matter how sexy you make it sound or how brilliantly you talk about it, technology that IS magical cannot be developed magically through the flourish of a wand. It takes an inordinate amount of time, effort and resources, and some luck. Language is inherently complex and dynamic. It keeps changing. Developing an AI that understands human language is the one of the most difficult problems in the world and claiming to assess the emotional state of a person from a sentence long enough to be a tweet is a really tall order. But only idiots who are rooted to the ground and don't dare to dream big will be shaken by that. Visionaries like Watson who posses the ability to project a reality-distortion field can always find a way around any problem.

Given that the product was far from complete, Watson instead hired a small army of human translators, who apparently were only assisting to refine the algorithm, but in reality were doing the actual translation. Under a cloak of secrecy, through open and veiled threats, and a philosophy of "deceive-inveigle-obfuscate", Watson managed not only to keep the truth hidden, but convinced a host of luminaries from different walks of life that the technology existed, worked and was just a few months away from release. And in this fashion, Jim Watson managed to raise hopes, raise funds, raise his status and managed to create a company that was valued at close to ten billion dollars. Until the bubble burst.

The aforementioned Jim Watson is merely a figment of my imagination. If you replace the "tweet-long-sentence" with blood, change the product from emotional-analysis to blood testing, replace Andrew Ng with the late Steve Jobs, and Watson with Holmes, you basically have the plot of Bad Blood.

While reading the book, I kept repeating "I can't believe this really happened" and "How on earth is this even possible" to myself. How can you hoodwink a group of some of the smartest, most astute people in the world, be valued at $ 9 billion dollars and yet have a joke of a product? That too, in an industry which is regulated and which affects the lives of people. We are not talking about some dopey social media application or some gaming app. This product was designed to test BLOOD. Consider the ramifications of the testing going wrong. A false positive would potentially lead to more tests and/or treatment for a condition the patient does not have, in a country notorious for its extremely high health care costs. A false negative, could lead to a misdiagnosed or undiagnosed patient, assuming the caregiver doesn't order the test from another credible source. And who is to be blamed if such a patient dies because of this erroneous diagnosis?

The one thing that struck me the most was the extent to which the esteemed backers of Holmes defended her and could see nothing wrong with her. I fail to understand why. What kind of emotions would cloud your judgement to that extent, especially when the stakes are so high? I am sure in the ancient times, having such sway over people would have been deemed sorcery, and Holmes could have been branded a witch. Good for her, that we don't live in those times. Theranos was a veritable house of cards. Its product was vaporware. The ultimate lesson is that the proof is in the pudding. Any product, big or small, has to work consistently, all the time. In the words of Abraham Lincoln, "You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time." Kudos to John Carreyrou for publishing the story. Bad Blood would be etched in my memory for a very long time.

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Review: Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was vaguely familiar with Trevor Noah, occasionally coming across his show in Netflix. I also stumbled upon the book numerous times, but besides a glance, I didn't engage with it. Until, I decided to listen to the book, which is narrated by Trevor himself. And I was hooked. Born a crime is tale of Trevor's childhood, his struggles as the son of a struggling single mother, as a colored child who didn't really fit anywhere, in the apartheid era of South Africa. What I appreciate the most about the book is that it is also a first hand account of what the apartheid was all about and how that system worked. The story, in parts is also a biographical account of Patricia Noah, who should be a celebrity of some sorts given how much she has endured without a trace of bitterness or self-pity in her personality, according to her son. I am looking forward to this artist's future works, be it books or stand-up acts.

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Review: Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds

Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

David Goggins could not have chosen a better title for his book. This is the tale of a man who turned his life around to become a Navy SEAL and a world-class endurance athlete. Considering all his feats, he comes as a superhuman. His story is inspirational as well as cautionary. The level at which he operates, the pain he subjected himself to and his drive are definitely inspirational. The way he ignored his body's warning signs at times is cautionary. The liberal use of swear words in the book also does not make the writing elegant. However, I don't think that's what the author had in mind. The book is hard hitting and honest. This is guy is no b*********r. It gave me a new perspective on pain, and its role in our life. The wisdom Goggins espouses in this book is product of his first hand experiences. At the end of the day, I would count this as one of the better books I have read.

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