Skill a Robot cannot master

As algorithms start creating news stories ,movie story lines and other seemingly creative pursuits, it is important to look at specific skills that a robot cannot master , at least anytime soon.

Here is a skill/attribute that transcends age, geography and other traditional barriers. It’s a skill that comes to humans at a very very early age and unfortunately we tend to lose it over time.

Since there is no formula to execute this skill, it must be difficult for a robot to master this.

Enough of prelude. We are talking about curiosity. The innate trait to question the current, explore ,try alternates , find new answers and blaze a new path.

Child is never afraid to discover, explore and satiate the curiosity. As a child grows society conditions it to routines, expectations, boundaries,traditions and the set ways of doing things.

Over time the individual loses the energy , ability and interest to be curious. This makes the individual actions routine, predictable and automatable. That’s a downward spiral.

Never stop being curious. It helps you enjoy Disney movies, discover new ideas and things ,helps you find answers and the truth!

When was the last time you got curious???

Frustration Tolerance

What do Innovators , Rocket launchers and Sales people have in common ?

Number of setbacks.

While Politics of sale, market actions, client dynamics give nasty surprises to sales people, complex technologies/ideas, market timing, money challenges frustrate the innovators. Best scientific brains work for years on a rocket launch only to see it fall into the waters /explode for reasons not known/factored in.

Do you need a bigger case for frustration tolerance? Is it a skill or an attribute? How does one develop/acquire it?

While nobody wants a setback, they are a given. They happen more often than people expect and can derail the passion in an instant. While the first one might be tough, one must plan/expect/ be ready for the subsequent set backs. Just look at the numbers.

Whats the ratio of a sales call to a signed deal ?

Ratio of Startups to survival to Unicorns?

Ratio of rocket launches to success?

These are not odds. They are the reality one needs to be prepared for.

Every setback provides you learning opportunities but still is a setback that you need to recover from. And that needs the disposition called Frustration Tolerance. The attribute almost calls for dispassionate analysis and pivoting that is so critical not just for you but for everyone else involved.

When you plan a project or an idea next time, plan for few setbacks at the minimum. Otherwise you are daydreaming!

What do Innovators , Rocket launchers and Sales people have in common ?

Number of setbacks.

While Politics of sale, market actions, client dynamics give nasty surprises to sales people, complex technologies/ideas, market timing, money challenges frustrate the innovators. Best scientific brains work for years on a rocket launch only to see it fall into the waters /explode for reasons not known/factored in.

Do you need a bigger case for frustration tolerance? Is it a skill or an attribute? How does one develop/acquire it?

While nobody wants a setback, they are a given. They happen more often than people expect and can derail the passion in an instant. While the first one might be tough, one must plan/expect/ be ready for the subsequent set backs. Just look at the numbers.

Whats the ratio of a sales call to a signed deal ?

Ratio of Startups to survival to Unicorns?

Ratio of rocket launches to success?

These are not odds. They are the reality one needs to be prepared for.

Every setback provides you learning opportunities but still is a setback that you need to recover from. And that needs the disposition called Frustration Tolerance. The attribute almost calls for dispassionate analysis and pivoting that is so critical not just for you but for everyone else involved.

When you plan a project or an idea next time, plan for few setbacks at the minimum. Otherwise you are daydreaming!

Easy vs Urgent vs Right - Part II

This is a continuation of my earlier article on the same topic. Lets dig deep into the rationale for obsession with the Easy / Urgent answers.

1. All tenures have become short : Thanks to Gig economy, Millennials and the instant gratification trend, tenures have become short from CEO down to the lowest level. Everyone is out to an easy answer quickly.
2. Curiosity : The innate desire of curiosity to explore/experiment the unknown, questioning have become a rare commodity.
3. Abstractism: Abstractism as a skill is not being cultivated . Reusable modules/libraries/models/ideas, pre-cooked youtube videos for every topic, wikipedia and social media generated content means many neurons are not being activated.
4. Business of ‘Busy’ness : The need to be busy/’seen to be busy’ has overtaken what is really important.
5. Lack of imagination : And thats simply in short supply.

Unless one is able to overcome the above, one tends to always settle for the easy or the urgent answer and not necessarily the right one!This is a continuation of my earlier article on the same topic. Lets dig deep into the rationale for obsession with the Easy / Urgent answers.

1. All tenures have become short : Thanks to Gig economy, Millennials and the instant gratification trend, tenures have become short from CEO down to the lowest level. Everyone is out to an easy answer quickly.
2. Curiosity : The innate desire of curiosity to explore/experiment the unknown, questioning have become a rare commodity.
3. Abstractism: Abstractism as a skill is not being cultivated . Reusable modules/libraries/models/ideas, pre-cooked youtube videos for every topic, wikipedia and social media generated content means many neurons are not being activated.
4. Business of ‘Busy’ness : The need to be busy/’seen to be busy’ has overtaken what is really important.
5. Lack of imagination : And thats simply in short supply.

Unless one is able to overcome the above, one tends to always settle for the easy or the urgent answer and not necessarily the right one!