Have you outgrown college yet?
Have you figured out the future?
It's surprising how few of us do. And education is only partly to blame.
There's this whole nostalgia around school and college.
It was the time when we made friends and had our first experiences of things outside the house.
It's also the time we learned not to take risks.
Got it drilled into our heads that life was about getting a 'good' job and doing your best for your boss.
In college, you have a curriculum.
You're taught, tested, and told how accomplished you are. There's no self-examination or any deep understanding of how the world works.
The only skill you need is to mouth platitudes at interviews, look at a limited horizon and await promotions.
So, the moment your identity is erased by a job loss, it's as if the world has closed in.
People think they are defined by designations. And that's where the race begins and ends.
You can't take big risks if you're still in 'college' mode, waiting to be told what to do.
No one will promote your ideas unless you believe in them and make it happen.
There's always the possibility that you will fail but that's what taking risks is about, isn't it?
Which mode are you living life in?
Are you a learner? Or a doer?
Who's your idol? Steve Jobs or Tim Cook?
The world runs because there are doers. It progresses because there are learners.
There are those of us who don't like to spend time figuring things out. We want to implement things and wonder why people waste time talking.
There are those of us who want to know 'why'. We aren't satisfied with the way things are.
We belong to one of these camps. And these are parallel lines. Learners understand what needs to be done. Doers get things done. They see the world in black and white.
Learners see a nuanced world. The greys are obvious to them.
The world needs both in equal measure. But not in the same proportion. And to solve different problems at different points of time
Learners point the way. Doers make things happen.
Is there any reason learners can't be doers and vice-versa?
Yes, there is. Both require different temperaments. If 'why' has not been defined, it won't get done.
Learners have to navigate in a fog. Doers have mountains to climb.
One is not better than the other. We're two sides of a coin. So it's hard to see the other one's point of view.
Which side are you on?
Branding in a Pandemic
With markets and moods in freefall, we aren't inclined to dwell on why.
When you jump from a plane, you're only focused on deploying the parachute, not seeing the amazing view unfolding below you.
This is a peculiarly human trait. We complain that the news is always negative to hold our attention.
But the moment there's good news being broadcast, we switch channels.
Have you noticed that even with the coronavirus, the one thing never mentioned in the headlines is the number of people who have recovered?
Maximum rises in cases so far. The increase in the number of deaths. That is what the headlines scream about.
Some brands that have grown dramatically in Covid rampant conditions. You can say that they were lucky to catch a wave of interest precisely when it mattered. And I'm guessing that this is your moment to exit.
Can you imagine a product growing 3 x in these times? And does not anything to do with healthcare or law and order. It's a UPS. And it's not for the house or the PC or the air-conditioner. It hits a blind spot. The Wi-fi router.
Resonate created a UPS meant for the Wi-fi to keep working when the lights went out.
Yes, generators do kick in a few minutes later. But our obsession with being online by all means possible fits perfectly into the FOMO, even during a power cut.
All that it does is bridge the gap between the time the power goes out and when it comes back. But thousands of people and companies are grabbing it as if it was the last slice of cake on a plate.
And no matter how much we complain about taking Zoom and Skype calls all day, we don't want to miss out on the conversations that happen.
So, did the product tap into an unknown need? Or did the brand suddenly become relevant? What do you think?