'Japanese loves fresh fish!' ~ Anonymous.
It was the last day of our Corporate Finance Class in the Finance Lab. Everyone seemed to be extremely happy, as it was the time to say a final goodbye to 'Finance Lab'. No.. No.. Don't misunderstand me! We were happy not because it was the last class of Finance, but it was the last class of the 'finger-torture'!
Oh Yes! Rightly heard..
What?! You still don't believe it?! Alright, feel the pathetic experience then..
What if, you've to sit in an IT lab for an hour or two, and you strictly are not allowed to move your head right/ left to see the neighbor sitting next to you even for a while, and if you do, then "Oh No my dear! You're not concentrating at all. What are you up to?"
And hello boss, though you know it well, you better don't dare to call it an IT lab, even if by mistake.. And if you do, then "Oh No! God should save you my dear!"
Oh yes! If you anyway tries to cross check anything with any of the concerned person in the 'Finance (IT) Lab'... Then, "We all (means specifically you) are doing 'tamasha' (typical melodrama) here.. Oh No!"
I don't remember exactly how many times I heard 'Oh No!' in this entire Finance Session of my PGDM 1st year..
May be 10 times a day.. That means..
May be 40 times (4*10) a week... Which means..
May be 160 times (4*40) a month.. What!!!!
Means.....
1920..... times... in my gawd damn 1st year!!!!
Hmmmm... 1920.. Thoughtful... And I used to think.. Why 'the phrase' everytime appears soo damn thrilling to me.. Now I got it!! Do you?? LOL
So.. The class started.. And we, as usual were praying to 'not' have a finger treatment for that day!! And.. For the 1st time in our entire Finance session.. God responded to us!
And Prof. asked ~ "Japanese loves Fresh Fish.. Why?"
"Do I hear 'fff.....ish'!!!" ~ I sensed.. And almost all the heads turned to me and started laughing.
Okay.. For all those, who don't know me.. I'm a fish eater.. Big time.. In other words.. Whenever I hear 'fish'.. My mind rings a bell..!! (Remember.. Ivan Petrovich Pavlov's Experiment?!) Well.. It does happen with everyone with some or the other thing.. In my case, it is fish.. :P
And without thinking for a moment, I answered "everyone does!" in a sharp, loud and excited voice. And.. Then started repenting, as if 'why the hell did I respond..'!
Without wasting a minute.. Prof. pointed his finger to me and said, "Oh No my dear! You should come infront of the class and explain.. Why are you sitting there like a 'Brihaspati' (the omniscient)?? Come and explain quickly.."
And.. I was literally dumbstruck at that moment.. I mean, did he seriously want me to explain 'why anyone would prefer to have fresh fisshhh'??? Wicked!!!
So, I went to the podium.. Stood there for a while.. Maintained few minutes silence.. And spoke aloud, "I love fresh fish! And I have no idea why??!!"
The whole class busted out in to laughter. Except the Prof. (who was annoyingly looking at me as if I had done any religious mischief & should be sued)!
Suddenly, Prof. shouted at the class and said, "My dear.. You should do po-po to your batch mates, instead of doing pally pally with each other!"
And the class became dead silent!
Again, I added, "I mean.. I don't like raving about my favorite cuisines.."
And now everyone (including the Prof.) busted out laughing in to tears!!
"Oh No my dear.... You better go and sit at your place..!" he finally responded, anyhow managed his laughter.
If you are thinking that 'What bullshit is this piece of write-up.. And.. What's in it for you!', then let me share with you an excellent case study on this very topic ~ "Japanese loves fresh fish!" Yes! Its a very well known and highly effective case study which inculcates not only the sense of strategy planning but also sets a well established paradigm in the process of productive thinking!
Let me first start with you the case problem:
Japanese loves fresh fish. However, the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades. So, to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever. The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring in the fish. If the return trip took more than a few days, the fish were not fresh. The Japanese did not like the taste.
To solve this problem, fishing companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer.
However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen and they did not like frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a lower price.
So fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired and dull, but alive. Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the difference. Because the fish did not move for days, they lost their fresh-fish taste. The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish.
So how did Japanese fishing companies solve this problem? How do they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan? If you would have consulting the fish industry, what you could have recommended?
Now, at this point, let me highlight an important fact over here.. As you have analyzed the severity of the problem with the Japanese and the fishing companies, what thoughts you have inculcated from this problem definition?
Say, what if, you (the employee) is the fishing company here, and your Organization (the employer) is the Japanese people. Think!
Exactly same things happen inside any organization too! Let me share with you my personal experience in this context. As an Intern, when my immediate Boss used to ask me to do something, in a very particular fashion, by expecting some very specific outcome; sometimes either I fainted, or sometimes him.
It was not because,
- I was incompetent!
- Or, my Boss was unable to communicate the objectives as well as his expectations properly!
As we know, every problem comes up with multiple solutions and ample number of approaches/ opportunities. But the sole factor remains constant ~ "What clicks when!!" i.e., what can be a relatively better solution/ approach for a very specific segment in a due course of time?
3 things you need to ask yourself:
- Is the resource/ approach right?
- Is the time right?
- Is the place right?
Again, for getting some more clarity, ask another 3 questions?
- What if, the resource/ approach is right, and not the time & venue? It is a full wastage of resources then. Isn't it?
- What if, the time is right to use that resource/ approach, but it is not fulfilling the segment requirements? It may lead to Customer/ Employer dissatisfaction. Isn't it?
- What if, the resource/ approach as per the segment requirements is aptly satisfying, but the time is not right, then? It may lead to create great chaos & conflicts, due to misinterpretation, causing serious damage. Time is money. Isn't it?
If you analyze properly, resource/ approach remains constant for all the 3 cases. But it matters 'when' & 'where' you're using it. Isn't it?
Well.. How will you understand whether all of the 3 factors are perfectly feasible in one go? How will you interpret that? How will you analyze that?
- Firstly, it starts with 'Analysis'. And NOT 'Analysis Paralysis'. I hope, if you know what I mean!
- Secondly, since analysis are highly objective in nature, you will get a heap of information. Hence, you really need to be clear with the objectives, mission & vision (in broader sense).
- Thirdly, the 'Interpretation' part. Interpretations are highly subjective in nature. Hence, a clear knowledge of the problem definition & objectives will help you out the way you're expecting the outcomes to be.
Enough gyan! Let's now see how the Japanese Fishing Companies finally coped up from this situation.
To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese Fishing Companies still put the fish in the tanks. But now they add a small shark to each tank. The shark eats a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a very lively state. The fish are challenged.
This also, portrays a very fascinating side of facing the day-to-day life challenges & to develop our own strategic moves. And, learning from the mistakes, & never repeating. Also, failures are only the feedback, a real success counts from great failures!
Yes! Challenges and ability to face those challenges makes us ALIVE. It's always the survival of the fittest. No free lunch!
Now when I sit in any IT Lab. I miss my Finance (IT) sessions, where 'finger torture' beats & reshapes us so well to survive rather win any challenging finger treatment in any phase of our C-life! Funny. But we have learnt the lessons in such freaking ways!
"Man thrives, oddly enough, only in the presence of a challenging environment." ~ L. Ron Hubbard
It was the last day of our Corporate Finance Class in the Finance Lab. Everyone seemed to be extremely happy, as it was the time to say a final goodbye to 'Finance Lab'. No.. No.. Don't misunderstand me! We were happy not because it was the last class of Finance, but it was the last class of the 'finger-torture'!
Oh Yes! Rightly heard..
What?! You still don't believe it?! Alright, feel the pathetic experience then..
What if, you've to sit in an IT lab for an hour or two, and you strictly are not allowed to move your head right/ left to see the neighbor sitting next to you even for a while, and if you do, then "Oh No my dear! You're not concentrating at all. What are you up to?"
And hello boss, though you know it well, you better don't dare to call it an IT lab, even if by mistake.. And if you do, then "Oh No! God should save you my dear!"
Oh yes! If you anyway tries to cross check anything with any of the concerned person in the 'Finance (IT) Lab'... Then, "We all (means specifically you) are doing 'tamasha' (typical melodrama) here.. Oh No!"
I don't remember exactly how many times I heard 'Oh No!' in this entire Finance Session of my PGDM 1st year..
May be 10 times a day.. That means..
May be 40 times (4*10) a week... Which means..
May be 160 times (4*40) a month.. What!!!!
Means.....
1920..... times... in my gawd damn 1st year!!!!
Hmmmm... 1920.. Thoughtful... And I used to think.. Why 'the phrase' everytime appears soo damn thrilling to me.. Now I got it!! Do you?? LOL
So.. The class started.. And we, as usual were praying to 'not' have a finger treatment for that day!! And.. For the 1st time in our entire Finance session.. God responded to us!
And Prof. asked ~ "Japanese loves Fresh Fish.. Why?"
"Do I hear 'fff.....ish'!!!" ~ I sensed.. And almost all the heads turned to me and started laughing.
Okay.. For all those, who don't know me.. I'm a fish eater.. Big time.. In other words.. Whenever I hear 'fish'.. My mind rings a bell..!! (Remember.. Ivan Petrovich Pavlov's Experiment?!) Well.. It does happen with everyone with some or the other thing.. In my case, it is fish.. :P
And without thinking for a moment, I answered "everyone does!" in a sharp, loud and excited voice. And.. Then started repenting, as if 'why the hell did I respond..'!
Without wasting a minute.. Prof. pointed his finger to me and said, "Oh No my dear! You should come infront of the class and explain.. Why are you sitting there like a 'Brihaspati' (the omniscient)?? Come and explain quickly.."
And.. I was literally dumbstruck at that moment.. I mean, did he seriously want me to explain 'why anyone would prefer to have fresh fisshhh'??? Wicked!!!
So, I went to the podium.. Stood there for a while.. Maintained few minutes silence.. And spoke aloud, "I love fresh fish! And I have no idea why??!!"
The whole class busted out in to laughter. Except the Prof. (who was annoyingly looking at me as if I had done any religious mischief & should be sued)!
Suddenly, Prof. shouted at the class and said, "My dear.. You should do po-po to your batch mates, instead of doing pally pally with each other!"
And the class became dead silent!
Again, I added, "I mean.. I don't like raving about my favorite cuisines.."
And now everyone (including the Prof.) busted out laughing in to tears!!
"Oh No my dear.... You better go and sit at your place..!" he finally responded, anyhow managed his laughter.
If you are thinking that 'What bullshit is this piece of write-up.. And.. What's in it for you!', then let me share with you an excellent case study on this very topic ~ "Japanese loves fresh fish!" Yes! Its a very well known and highly effective case study which inculcates not only the sense of strategy planning but also sets a well established paradigm in the process of productive thinking!
Let me first start with you the case problem:
Japanese loves fresh fish. However, the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades. So, to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever. The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring in the fish. If the return trip took more than a few days, the fish were not fresh. The Japanese did not like the taste.
To solve this problem, fishing companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer.
However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen and they did not like frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a lower price.
So fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired and dull, but alive. Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the difference. Because the fish did not move for days, they lost their fresh-fish taste. The Japanese preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish.
So how did Japanese fishing companies solve this problem? How do they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan? If you would have consulting the fish industry, what you could have recommended?
Now, at this point, let me highlight an important fact over here.. As you have analyzed the severity of the problem with the Japanese and the fishing companies, what thoughts you have inculcated from this problem definition?
Say, what if, you (the employee) is the fishing company here, and your Organization (the employer) is the Japanese people. Think!
Exactly same things happen inside any organization too! Let me share with you my personal experience in this context. As an Intern, when my immediate Boss used to ask me to do something, in a very particular fashion, by expecting some very specific outcome; sometimes either I fainted, or sometimes him.
It was not because,
- I was incompetent!
- Or, my Boss was unable to communicate the objectives as well as his expectations properly!
As we know, every problem comes up with multiple solutions and ample number of approaches/ opportunities. But the sole factor remains constant ~ "What clicks when!!" i.e., what can be a relatively better solution/ approach for a very specific segment in a due course of time?
3 things you need to ask yourself:
- Is the resource/ approach right?
- Is the time right?
- Is the place right?
Again, for getting some more clarity, ask another 3 questions?
- What if, the resource/ approach is right, and not the time & venue? It is a full wastage of resources then. Isn't it?
- What if, the time is right to use that resource/ approach, but it is not fulfilling the segment requirements? It may lead to Customer/ Employer dissatisfaction. Isn't it?
- What if, the resource/ approach as per the segment requirements is aptly satisfying, but the time is not right, then? It may lead to create great chaos & conflicts, due to misinterpretation, causing serious damage. Time is money. Isn't it?
If you analyze properly, resource/ approach remains constant for all the 3 cases. But it matters 'when' & 'where' you're using it. Isn't it?
Well.. How will you understand whether all of the 3 factors are perfectly feasible in one go? How will you interpret that? How will you analyze that?
- Firstly, it starts with 'Analysis'. And NOT 'Analysis Paralysis'. I hope, if you know what I mean!
- Secondly, since analysis are highly objective in nature, you will get a heap of information. Hence, you really need to be clear with the objectives, mission & vision (in broader sense).
- Thirdly, the 'Interpretation' part. Interpretations are highly subjective in nature. Hence, a clear knowledge of the problem definition & objectives will help you out the way you're expecting the outcomes to be.
Enough gyan! Let's now see how the Japanese Fishing Companies finally coped up from this situation.
To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese Fishing Companies still put the fish in the tanks. But now they add a small shark to each tank. The shark eats a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a very lively state. The fish are challenged.
This also, portrays a very fascinating side of facing the day-to-day life challenges & to develop our own strategic moves. And, learning from the mistakes, & never repeating. Also, failures are only the feedback, a real success counts from great failures!
Yes! Challenges and ability to face those challenges makes us ALIVE. It's always the survival of the fittest. No free lunch!
Now when I sit in any IT Lab. I miss my Finance (IT) sessions, where 'finger torture' beats & reshapes us so well to survive rather win any challenging finger treatment in any phase of our C-life! Funny. But we have learnt the lessons in such freaking ways!
"Man thrives, oddly enough, only in the presence of a challenging environment." ~ L. Ron Hubbard
