A comfort zone is a psychological space where a person feels secure, in control, and free from stress. It encompasses habits, routines, and environments that offer familiarity and predictability. While comfort zones provide stability and a sense of safety, they can also hinder growth and limit opportunities if one becomes overly reliant on them.
Management experts of all hues, sizes and shapes keep exhorting us to get out of our bubbles of comfort. Ultimately, growth begins where the comfort zone ends. By stepping into the unknown, individuals not only expand their skill sets but also develop resilience and adaptability. Recognising when to challenge oneself and when to retreat into familiar territory is key to a balanced and fulfilling life. Embracing discomfort as a catalyst for growth can transform how individuals approach challenges, unlocking new possibilities in the process.
Dilip Mohapatra proposes that we keep getting out of comfort zones all through our lives. Most of the times, we may be blissfully unaware of our doing so in an unconscious manner. This is what he has to say:
You cross your first ever comfort zone when you are emerging from the womb your body covered with amniotic fluid and your umbilical cord is severed from your mother’s placenta and the midwife picks you up by your legs and slaps your back for you to cry out loudly…
Then you are cleaned up and wrapped up in white linen into a bundle and you snuggle upto your mother’s warmth and a new comfort zone appears that soon gets embedded to your mother’s embrace assuring you of your security as you grow up and finally fly out of your nest to savour the world outside.
As you taste the uncharted waters of the boarding schools and colleges you experience a new comfort zone through bonding with your friends taking care of one another and creating the safety nets under you and a protective circle around and your membership guarantees you comfort and safety till you venture out to your hunting ground for your survival and success.
On your way you meet your mate and soon you are entrapped in a new comfort zone that is built around you by your partner its boundaries delineated by a fence with love as its posts and possessiveness born out of insecurities as its barbed wire… and you are happy to stay within its limits and dare not to move out to face the consequences and anxieties outside.
Then in your twilight years when all fences dissolve away one after another you create your own self made comfort zone with bricks of experience and plaster of accumulated wisdom and find your recliner to slowly rock to the rhythm of the waves of memory lulling yourself to soothing slumber.
Then as you venture into your spiritual realm in search of the infinity the comfort zone loses its meaning and you move into the divine comfort zone having no boundaries no limits and you levitate into a state of perpetual bliss that is both ethereal and eternal.
About the author
A decorated Navy veteran, he wears many hats. Has dabbled in the corporate world. Author. Poet.
Whenever you pass by the desk of a colleague in office and see him staring with blank eyes at nothing in particular, you may be wrong in assuming that he is either worried about his upcoming annual appraisal or concerned about the academic performance of his kids. For all you know, like Rodin’s ‘The Thinker’, he could simply be withdrawn into himself, in a rather introspective mood, and trying to unravel life’s managerial mysteries which appear unfathomable at normal times.
One of the profound mysteries is that of facilitating innovation. History of major breakthroughs tells us of at least one factor which prompted the coveted ‘Aha!’ moment – a spot of idleness. Not the kind of idleness which is a trademark of laziness, but the dynamic type where the mind, firing at all six cylinders, suddenly decides to take a break, looks at its own self in a detached manner…
No one needs a word processor if he has an efficient secretary. Robertson Davies.
Let me declare at the very outset I had no idea who Robertson Davies (1913-95) was, when I came across that quote, and like any diligent writer I looked him up. Evidently one of the foremost novelists, playwrights, journalists and poets to come out of Canada; if I had not heard of him, that is down to my ignorance and no reflection on the man’s reputation. His relevance to this piece is his quote on the office secretary which I came across quite by accident, and the subject on which I was spurred to expound. Now the curious thing about that particular pearl of wisdom by Mr. Davies is that in the context of the present day automated, mechanized world in which we live, it could so easily be flipped, with much relevance, the other way…
Exploring the concept of Consciousness further, one may say that whereas a normal organization cares for Results alone, an organization steeped in Consciousnesswould provide an equal weight to all of its three ‘R’s – Results, Relationshipsand Righteousness – in its strategic and tactical thinking.
Results could be either of the financial kind, the market share kind, or a combination of the two.
Relationships would imply a positive working atmosphere where, besides harmonious relations, dissent is not suppressed; rather, it is encouraged. Following human values is an essential part of this attribute. So is respect and dignity towards people in general.
Righteousness would encompass such features as concern for sustainability, giving back to the society and running operations not only within the ambit of law but beyond it, wherever possible. Being pro-active, when it comes to corporate governance; taking care of the rights of the minority shareholders; ensuring that principles of…
A culture which is rooted in Consciousness does not throw up hapless leaders who keep burning the proverbial midnight oil in their relentless pursuit of commercial goals only, while shoving concerns such as the environment, the society and human resources under the corporate carpet. It does not merely mean that our marketing honchos are doing their best in servicing our customers effectively and efficiently; instead, it implies that they do so while ensuring that the product/service as well as its packaging is environment-friendly.
It means that those toiling on the operations side design the processes in such a way that the carbon footprints are at least neutral, if not positive; that our financial wizards keep nudging the organization towards maximizing returns to all its stakeholders; and the human resource executives keep burning the midnight oil to ensure that people and processes respect human values and dignity, while keeping the costs…
It is said that Mr. R. M. Lala, an editor, writer and publisher of repute, once commented to Mr. J. R. D. Tata that the latter believed in excellence. The great man is said to have retorted thus: “Not excellence. Perfection. You aim for perfection; you will attain excellence. If you aim for excellence, you will go lower.”
But even achieving excellence is not a cake walk. Many leaders are not clear how to go about doing it. The mirage of excellence is elusive, and most often, it is not a surrogate for achieving outstanding business performance alone by measuring and surpassing business results. There is more to it than what meets the eye.
Satyendra Kumar’s book endeavors to answer this question.
The author shares distilled insights from his four decades of accumulated learning from various organisations to portray the fundamentals — that are often elusive —in building organisational excellence.
This book is a valuable treasure trove of insights. It has the potential to enable as well as enrich the thinking process of business leaders when it comes to achieving excellence in a sustainable manner.
Elusive Secrets in Seven Chapters
The book etches out seven steps to facilitate the process of achieving excellence, each step being covered in a separate chapter.
The Foundation is obviously laid by a leader’s spark of genius beyond intelligence, evoking intuitive facets to nurture essentials that fuel a never-ending appetite for learning.
This leads to the concept of Learning Forever, which, in turn, instills a norm of Measurement and Predictability.
A climate of learning and measurement provides an impetus for Productive Working that leads to a build-up of confidence across teams and groups entrusted with the task of achieving business goals.
This brings out the criticality of The People Factor which is an important ingredient in creating a Culture of Improvement and Transformation.
Last, but not the least, is the Invisible Backdrop of a deep purpose guided by values and ethics that the author presents as it loops back to the very essence in the acts towards building the Foundation.
Each chapter progressively enhances the value of the conversation with an elevated level of awareness, thereby igniting the intuitive mind to grasp what is relevant and necessary.
Every company eager to protect its soul and spirit for worthy outcomes could benefit from reading this book.
Author’s Profile
Satyendra Kumar has enhanced the quality systems for world-class global organisations with his contributions for over 40 years. He has served on several industry bodies and has received numerous awards in shaping the conversation for progress with his deep understanding of the systems view of an organisation that is a precondition for nurturing a culture of excellence.
Kumar today continues his passion by helping organisations strengthen their systems maturity by providing his rich experience as an Independent Advisor and Consultant to several large and medium-scale institutions and enterprises since 2013. Kumar was the Global Head and Senior Vice President – Productivity & Quality, Technology Tools & Software Reuse at Infosys Limited (2000 – 2013). He has worked as Vice President at IMR Global, the USA, between 1998 and 2000. As Deputy Chief Executive for Tata Quality Management Services – Tata Group between 1996 and 1998, he provided an intellectual impetus in laying the foundation for instituting the Tata business excellence initiative. Kumar’s rich experience spans his consulting expertise to over 50 national and multi-national clients in areas of Business Excellence, Operational Efficiency, Customer Satisfaction Management, Business Continuity Management, Project and Programme Management, and Quality Management.
He has served on many Boards and Panels such as Board member (QuEST USA), On the Panel of Judges – Wisconsin State Award (USA), Administrative Reforms Committee of Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, and Chief Technical Advisor to the Confederation of Indian Industry – Institute of Quality. Has been a recipient of the IEEE-Software Engineering Institute (Carnegie Mellon University) International award (2011) and honoured with the “Lifetime Achievement Award for Quality and Business Excellence” by an IT industry association.
Some Accolades
Satyendra Kumar’s relentless and unfettered focus on excellence played an important role in the high percentage of repeat business Infosys obtained from customers. This book is a distilled wisdom of his impactful journey at Infosys during 2000 – 2013 and many other companies during his professional career. I recommend this book to leaders, managers, and development professionals in any company to read it, learn from it, and deploy the lessons.
— N.R. NARAYANA MURTHY Co-founder Infosys Ltd
Satyendra and I worked together at Infosys till 2009 … I believe his relentless pursuit of excellence played a seminal role in the evolution of Infosys. As you read through this book, you will get a glimpse of what I believe are the fundamentals that need to be put into place to aspire for excellence. The best part is that you will hear them from Satyendra first-hand! I hope that the next generation of leaders invests time and patience to learn from this work and find ways to incorporate it into their leadership, culture, and the basic fabric of their organisations.
— NANDAN NILEKANI
Chairman and co-founder Infosys Ltd, Chairman and co-founder EkStep Foundation
Achieving excellence in business is an arduous journey. One has to design for quality and innovation, and plan for longevity, a truer measure of business success. Satyendra Kumar, with his experience in steering quality movement in the IT industry, provides a practical guide for future leaders in building organisational excellence.
— KRIS GOPALAKRISHNAN, Former CEO and Co-Founder Infosys Ltd, Chairman Axilor Ventures
Satyendra Kumar’s book bestows upon the reader his wisdom, expertise, and countless years of professional and personal experience. We are fortunate that Kumar has taken the time to document his life’s work. One will learn from his many incredible successes and will also learn how to avoid or overcome difficulties he encountered over time. I enthusiastically recommend and endorse this book.
— STEVEN HOISINGTON,
Retired senior executive, leadership coach.
I have seen Satyendra Kumar in action for three decades. His unwavering focus on building a culture of learning and improvement with long term focus is amazing. This book elegantly reflects his experiences and should be leveraged by start-ups or established companies to instill these great practices for long term success.
— ARUN NARAYANAN,
President and the Mentor, US Technologies Global Ltd
Despite the enormous body of literature from the academic and consulting worlds, Organizational Excellence is still elusive to most people. This book precisely addresses this issue through interesting anecdotes, case studies, and experiential stories. It reflects — how organisational learning, people caring, and ethical governance can lead to long-term organisational excellence and sustenance. Satyendra Kumar has nicely brought out many hidden facets that business owners and leaders born or made, and passionate entrepreneurs should read and take advantage of.
— MITALI CHATTERJEE, Former Director General, STQC, Ministry of IT, Govt of India
A powerful and elegantly written book with deeper insights.
— MADAN MOHAN, EVP Coforge Ltd
Satyendra Kumar has written an interesting book backed by years of experience. His narrative is experiential, giving guidance and insights into systems, implementation, and achieving organisational excellence. I recommend this book to everyone in the corporate world who wish to focus on organisational excellence.
— S.D. SHIBULAL,
Former CEO and Co-Founder Infosys Ltd
Satyendra Kumar as a practitioner and leader brings three decades of his rich experience relevant to businesses and business leaders of various types. Quality is not just a buzz word but is about its leaders, their values or ethos and purpose imbibed through a long journey is well brought out. It was a pleasure for me to have been part of leading this journey with him in Infosys as well as relive that journey on reading it.
— K. DINESH, Chairman AHT Foundation and Co-founder Infosys Ltd.
Satyendra Kumar has distilled into this book, decades of his experience in creating a culture of excellence in some of the world’s most successful corporations. His incisive and yet simple principles are relevant equally for large corporations and young start-ups. I have seen him passionately inculcate excellence in every aspect of business at Infosys and I am confident that the book will be a key guide for leaders navigating an increasingly competitive world. Each chapter of the book provides a vivid road map for creating excellence through pragmatic steps. A must read for leaders who aspire to create world-class organizations!
— M.D. RANGANATH, Chairman, Catamaran Ventures, Independent Director, HDFC Bank
Interpersonal relationships happen to be a key factor in achieving success in a managerial career. Even otherwise, positive relationships boost our Happiness Quotient in life.
Here are few insights on relationships based on some well-known scientific principles.
FB and the Roentgen Effect
Never take a person at face value. Be ruthless in acting like a X-ray machine, ascertaining the inner motives of the party of the other part.
Create your own Facebook – a filtered version of the bosses, peers and subordinates you come across. Categorize them into, say, Close Friends, Friends, Acquaintances, Foes and those Vehemently Opposed to whatever you say or do. Deal with them at their respective wavelengths. You would vibe well.
Be sceptical of sudden unwarranted praise. A very tough project could be coming your way. The lynching mob could be sharpening its arsenal by the time you gleefully accept to drive a car all the…
Are you an architect, an interior designing expert, or an MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing) services professional? If so, here is a book which could assist you in building a sustainable business with a strong brand equity and help you earn long-term customer loyalty.
Practicing Ethics
This book does not merely preach the importance of ethics in your profession. It goes a step ahead and tells us which healthy practices can be adopted and shows us precisely how to imbibe the same.
The book provides new perspectives for Architects, Interior Designers, and MEP Designers to enhance their skills, enrich the roles they play and minimize the chances of their businesses end up facing an ethically awkward or complex situation.
The word “ethics” refers to the moral principles or values that enable us to do the right things. In a broader sense, ethics include integrity, objectivity, professional competence, confidentiality, and professional behaviour. In the context of “business ethics”, the author makes an honest attempt in this handbook to examine business activities in “project design and engineering functions” in any construction organisation at the micro-level and identify potential activities that can adversely affect business performance.
The book lists activities that have the potential of leading a business down an unethical path, thereby adversely impacting design quality, project quality, project costs, or sales revenue; or compromising customer satisfaction levels or statutory compliance levels. It then goes on to offer suggestions which, if followed scrupulously, would avoid the businesses facing any such challenges.
The basic approach is that of enabling professionals to digitalize their design activities and integrate the same with ERP environments or software solutions already deployed in the business.
Structure of the Book
The book is divided into eighteen chapters and runs into 688 pages, of which 377 pages comprise the main text, the rest being 53 annexures which carry illustrations designed to enhance the reader’s understanding of the subject at hand.
It covers as many as 91 business processes and lists 916 business activities which, if performed correctly, can enable significant improvements in the quality of design and construction, project cost optimisation, and customer-focused delivery. In addition, there are 44 annexures, included on the website of the author, each capturing narration of business activities as a reference guide for readers. The details can be viewed at the website of the author: https://www.ethicalprocesses.com.
The book classifies activities into three categories based on their likely adverse effect on business performance: (a) Those which relate to either the quality of design or the quality of construction, could lead to an escalation in project costs or lower customer satisfaction levels, (b) Statutory /regulatory compliances, and (c) The ones which relate to either the efficiency or the effectiveness of the designing process.
What Designers Can Achieve
The book can assist designers to accomplish the following objectives:
Enhancing the quality of designs
Supporting improved quality of construction
Reducing Project costs
Increasing sales revenue
Improving end-customer satisfaction index
Complying with statutory conformances
Enhancing design efficiency and design effectiveness
It is a ready reckoner for architects, interior designers, MEP designers, project teams, risk managers, auditors, students pursuing design as a career, and COO/ CEOs of design-oriented outfits to take cognizance of design function-related activities that can or have the potential of adversely impacting business.
About the author
The author, Arvind Dang, is a mechanical engineer from the Delhi College of Engineering and an MBA from the University Business School, Chandigarh, Punjab, India. He has also obtained ISO 9001 certification for Quality systems from Cranfield University, U.K.; CISA-Certification from ISACA, U.S.A and BS7799 certification for Information Security from BSL, U.K.
Arvind has served as a President of The Institute of Internal Auditors, Delhi Chapter. He has been a governing board member of ISACA, Delhi. With a rich professional experience of 41 years in the Engineering and Real Estate Industry, he retired as the President – Of procurement and Corporate Services of a prominent real estate company in India.
Naval aviator and NASA astronaut Edgar Mitchell believed that there is a spectrum of consciousness available to all human beings. At one end of the spectrum is what one may refer to as material consciousness. At another end one may experience what could be referred to as ‘field’ consciousness, where a person becomes one with the universe, perceiving the universe. When he was out in space and looked at our beautiful planet, Mitchell said that he felt having attained a state of field consciousness.
Different Hues of Consciousness
Identifying different hues of consciousness is akin to the case of seven blind men trying to describe an elephant. People have different perspectives.Many of us use our brains to explain what we understand it to be. Many others use our hearts to do so. But the concept of consciousness is rather profound. It is beyond the sensory limitations of the human mind, which has an uncanny ability to divide and analyze things. So, when Mitchell spoke of field consciousness, he was possibly referring to the part of the consciousness spectrum which is beyond human imagination.
Spiritual masters tell us that consciousness is the breeding ground of all things, the source of creation. Thus, whatever we see on the material plane – all species and each one of us – possesses consciousness. Our individual consciousness is embedded in this universal consciousness. In the interim stages, we have collective/group consciousness. All of these could be different but lead eventually to the universal/field consciousness.
On the mortal plane, for those who are aware of their inner reality, a shift from one to another kind of consciousness becomes possible. As per the Shamanic tradition, this would be like shifting the Assembly Point.
How Travel Becomes an Uplifting Experience
Many decades back, as a kid, I had the privilege of seeing – from a distance, of course – Yuri Gagarin, a former military pilot and the first human being to have travelled to outer space. When he looked at Planet Earth from inside his Vostok 1 capsule in 1961, he expressed his feelings thus:
“Orbiting Earth in the spaceship, I saw how beautiful our planet is. People, let us preserve and increase this beauty, not destroy it”.
When one looks at our planet from outer space, geographical and man-made boundaries disappear. Fault lines arising out of religious beliefs, caste, creed and nationality vanish. Conflicts look petty manifestations of the inflated egos of our leaders. Wars sound meaningless and a waste of precious resources. One ends up seeing the bigger picture. A composite whole becomes the reality.
Not many of us get to travel to outer space. However, even at the mundane level of our lives, our experience is not different. Once we shift our Assembly Point, so to say, or change our frame of reference of viewing things, people, objects and incidents, we experience the exhilaration of a fresh perspective on the situation at hand. By distancing ourselves from our immediate surroundings, we allow the windows of our minds to open up to newer possibilities and ideas. Our problem solving abilities improve.
Take the case of what happens when we travel. The worries of prior preparations melt away. The concerns at the point of destination take some time to pop up. In this brief interval of time, we often gain a fresh perspective. We get charged up. Likely solutions emerge to intricate problems which sounded insurmountable till yesterday. Hope dawns. We walk into the sunset with our heads held high and our vision clearer.
Three Catalysts of Universal Consciousness
Switching over from one kind of consciousness to another one is not easy. Nor is the inner journey from material consciousness to universal consciousness. Three catalysts, which can help us to achieve this universal consciousness, are: Awareness, Care and Intent.
If simple awareness is the starting point on the spiritual path, attaining a deeper level of awareness brings us face to face with our true selves. The more we care for our environment and our society, the better human beings we become. If our intentions are as pure as fresh snow, driven by a compass of benign values, the actions we take and the resultant results we get are more likely to enrich the cosmos at large.
Enlightened leaders who strive for a higher purpose in life are indeed the conscious ones whom we could all look up to.
(Inputs from Dominique Conterno and Esther Robles, co-founders of Consciousness Enterprises Network (https://www.consciousenterprises.net) are gratefully acknowledged).
ashokbhatia 