Feedback Series - Swethan

 Swethan was a young cricketer who would come to MLJ Academy for coaching. I would drop by there for a bowl once in a while and well, would chat with the boys as always. Its been a couple of decades since and he suddenly came up and while discussing this and that sent me some wonderful feedback. Sometimes, it makes all that time we spent coaching and mentoring seem worthwhile when we read stuff like this. Thanks Swethan.

...

"Sir, you always been a role model for me when I was playing! You gave me inputs and guided me which even today were good inputs. You allowed me to act in the movie and what not they all were so close to my heart. I was just a new guy but still you didn’t show any partiality but supported me. You inspired me to write blogs and that is one reason which helped me write good narratives even today in LinkedIn or even at office."

And a Thought for Mom and Mother Nature

It never ceases to amaze me how every year, this one mango tree and the two coconut trees my mother planted 50 years ago still keep giving bountifully despite the minimum lack of care from my side. Mom, when this house was being built, planted several trees - two mango trees, two coconut trees, a guava tree, a pomegranate tree, couple of Asoka trees and such stuff. 

Now the mango tree, coconut trees and the Asoka trees survive. Every year the mango tree gives off anywhere between 300-500 mangoes which are in great demand in our neighborhood so by the time we decide to get a few, half the crop has disappeared. Anyway it's fun to play the farmer, get the mangoes plucked, ripened, if someone has the drive, get avakai made. The ripened rasalu are very sweet and massive and I normally give it away feeling every bit a small rajah or something to people who I really really like. This year the crop has only yielded 150 which is a cause for concern.

The coconut trees have benefited by my watering for many years when my mom would give me the job and i would do it dutifully. Now i have no idea what to do with the crop except worry that the coconuts might fall on someone's head. There is one drunken fellow who comes every year promising to get them off but i worry that he will fall off and have banned him from the premises.

This year however the coconuts seem to have ripened and every other day I hear a coconut fall so i hired a more reliable climber who plucked off some 150 coconuts. Now we have no idea what to do with them but at least they will stop falling and endangering people etc. 

Overall, an interesting last couple of days. I cannot but feel the love of mother nature and her giving nature, her non judgemental attitude and the way she blooms so beautifully. And of course, every year when these trees bloom I cannot but remember my mother who built this house with love and planted these trees so we could (and many more anonymous colony people) enjoy their fruits. Thanks Mum and thanks Mother Nature.

The Paradoxes of Our Lives - To Find Those Who Have Helped you the Most, See Who You Complain Most Against

 I do find this most interesting - that our biggest complaints are against those who have helped us the most - or at helped us in some way. Clearly we cannot have a complaint against those who do not help us - there's nothing to complain you see.

But those who help us we have problems with - the way they gave, how much, the manner, how they stopped giving, how they could have done more and so on and on.

I'm going to make a list of all the people I have complaints against and make it a practice to thank them everyday - simply because they are the ones who have helped me.

Life is a paradox.

Thought for the Day - Free Flow and Ego

Free flow is removing ego from the equation. The ego is what obstructs free flow, queers the pitch so to say. It comes in as a wisp of a thought, and what was brilliant flow, queers up. 

Normally it shows up as a desire to control - a discomfort with what is - a desire to fight the present and bring in our narrative. If we are aware, we can flow with what is, which brings in great flow again. 

In sports (or in life, because what's sport if not a microcosm of life as someone said or might have said), the formula for peak performance is this - Peak performance = Potential - Interference. Our ego is the interference. It is what brings in fear, insecurity and because of that we try to control instead of letting it evolve.

Let go. Stop trying to control.

Daksha School - Talk with Teachers on Goal Setting and Importance of Feedback

 While discussing the importance of learning the art of giving and receiving feedback as a tool for constant improvement with Anita, we decided to do a short intervention of both goal setting and the importance of feedback for the teachers. There were about 40 of them, many of whom had taught Anjali when she was a student of the school - Sarita, Rohini, Sirisha, Sangeeta, Kamakshi and so on. It was good to meet them. While introducing me Anita reminded me of the time when we sat on the terrace of their house and thought up names for the school - 20 years ago - just before she launched the school. We started with Dakshata and then shortened it to Daksha. And then Anjali studied in the same school as well. Time flies!

Talking to the teachers at Daksha

Anyway I gave the teachers an introduction to the golden circle - the Why, How and What - and said we would be doing some small segments of the entire workshop that I do. We decided to work on everybody's Why - their purpose which would give them greater commitment and motivation when they work. To do the best for students, bring the best out of them to build great leaders, build a wonderful society and world were some of the options thrown up as a purpose to their work which is otherwise very fulfilling. I wish I could have dwelt longer but I had little time so we moved on.

Feedback exercise

The next topic was goal setting and I told them about the importance of writing goals - that it gives clarity, something for our subconscious to aim for, something for us to prepare proactively for. I explained the concept of SMART goals and took a few examples while they all wrote down a 20 year list of goals on career, finance, relationships, material wealth and spiritual growth. the idea was to write down 10 year goals, 5 year goals, 1 year goals so they have a complete map ahead. I urged them to dream big and work for it and not go for small goals. The examples gave some clarity on how one must see a picture, a name, have a number or a visual. I told them to diligently do the work on the other time frames later.

We then moved on to discussing the importance of giving and taking feedback and how it helps the student and teacher to grow. Even teachers should have a system of feedback from students, peers and other stakeholders so they can be ranked and rated too. I told them to keep feedback focused on its purpose which is to make the person aware of the issue and work on improvement. I explained that it cannot be dumped as a one off but couched in the entire context of the effort that the person is putting in and then delivered so they receive it well - they know you are not criticising them but are coming from a place of understanding their journey and will work on it. I also suggested that they end their feedback by setting a high expectation which the student will try to achieve.

About when to praise and when to give negative feedback I suggested that they look at the person and their stage - if the person is not confident and doe snot know the process its best to give only positive reinforcement. Praise only progress and leave out the negatives. That way the person will try to repeat the positive behaviors and will improve. Once a person reaches a stage where they are confident and know the process, then, if they are erring or not giving their best, they can be given feedback to improve.

A lovely gift - Daksha elephant with a green message

I made them do a feedback exercise where everyone gave one person good feedback in terms of three nice things. The room was up and buzzing with a lot of energy. Good stuff.

Anita gave me chai and a lovely gift, a Daksha elephant (their logo) with a plant, and a box of brownies. We discussed topics such as Mindset which would help and thought we could plan them sometime later. Very satisfying. I asked for some feedback and will post the same when I get it.          

Feedback from some of the participants - thank you all:

1) The Why-What-How flow was so clear.The long-term goals part with the SMART sheet was super practical.Breaking big goals into specific, measurable steps was exactly needed.

 My takeaway from today’s workshop :-I’m starting this week by rewriting my term goals and work consistently towards achieving them.

Thank you ma’am for an insightful session.

It was really motivating and a clear concept of how to reach your goal. Feedback session was much needed for all.

2) It was really motivating and a clear concept of how to reach your goal. Feedback session was much needed for all.

Thank you Anita maam and Mr.Hari for this sessiob

3) The session on Goal Setting, SMART Techniques, and the Art of Giving and Receiving Feedback was highly educational and thought-provoking. 

The session also highlighted how meaningful feedback, when given constructively and received positively, can become a powerful tool for professional growth.

4) Good morning Mam, The session on goal setting and giving feedback was highly informative and engaging. It provided clear strategies for stating realistic and achievable goals. I felt the practical tips on delivering constructive and effective feedback were very useful. The interactive activity made the concepts easy to understand and apply.

Thank you Mam and Hari Mohan Sir for the session.

5) The session  was thoughtful for self. 

My take away is writing up the goals using SMART tools. Liked Specific among SMART TOOLS 

Thank you Anita Ma'am

6) The session was engaging and well-structured, with practical frameworks and interactive activities. My take away from the session is writing down our goals which increases commitment and keeps you accountable and  helps turn intentions into results. 

Thank you ma'am

7) Today’s session on SMART goal setting was very useful for me. It helped me to  learn how to set clear and achievable goals. Taking and giving feedback should be accepted as it is a chance to grow, improve, and do better next time—for ourselves and for the children too.

8) Today's session was thoughtful. It helped me introspect and motivated me to set specific goals and work towards them seriously. Thank you for such an impactful session. Thank you Hari sir & Anita ma'am!

9) Feedback for Hari sir: Hari Mohan Sir is considerate and jovial. His patience in helping  us understand the process of setting goals is appreciable.😊

10) Thank you, Hari Sir and Anitha Ma’am. I really enjoyed the session on goal setting. We all have goals, but yesterday’s workshop helped us understand how to set them effectively using the SMART method. It made me realize how important it is, especially for us as teachers, to seek feedback from others and continuously improve ourselves. I also learned that giving constructive feedback to children is equally important for their growth. This session was truly valuable and insightful.

11) Today's workshop for me was engaging and  Goal setting concept was something new and practical. Taking and giving feedback with a positive mindset is equally important for our growth and equally applicable when dealing with children.Thankyou so much.

Short Workshop With Young Cricketers - Imperial Cricket Club

Imperial Cricket Club has had an impressive run in the last three years getting promotions from C division to B division and again from B division to A division. Ravi's teams are made of young, promising cricketers, mostly from modest backgrounds. From what I have heard it's a rare team culture where team comes first and players play as one and manufacture results consistently without the pressure of winning at all costs. Perfect team culture.

I offered to do a small workshop on preparation and mindset for cricketers when he said he was planning to felicitate his players for their good show. He asked if he could get players from other teams as well and we had about 40 cricketers attending. The more the merrier.

I have often heard from young cricketers and students only two words when asked how they plan to play higher grade cricket - hard work. Beyond those two words they have no clarity on what to prepare in, how to prepare etc. Most do not know the parameters for physical fitness, have no idea of their strengths and weakness and how to correct them, no clue on how to train their mind. So sharing a few ideas could help them a bit. After all we have all been there at one time.

To begin with we discussed the values that built their champion team - honesty (playing the best XI with no preference to any player, team goals above individual goals (team spirit or playing as a team),  and certainly, hard work (resilience and hanging in there). We discussed why values are important - as principles we value, they guide our actions and choices. I also told them that though all of them may want to play for India, most may not make it. These values will at least help us become successful human beings. 

Everyone wants success and is seeking the success formula. Success comes to the best prepared. There is no luck as far as I am concerned. Your preparation reflects your preparation so if you are not delivering the results you want (500 runs or 50 wickets in the season) you have not prepared well. The successful formula then becomes Disciplined Effort. To get form point A to B and to show improvement every day, one must put in an organised and disciplined effort. I broke it down in the famous golden circle format - Why, How and What - so they could easily remember how to prepare. 

The Why is the purpose why we are playing - which is to help the team win (which is what gives us most joy and also helps promote our individual careers too). Next we looked at the HOW - Values and Processes. Processes include ways to gain expertise (deliberate practice), what to prepare on (physical (NCA parameters), skill (batting, bowling, fielding, strengths and weaknesses), mental (goal clarity, process orientation, resilience, learning mindset, effort, beliefs, owning their lives with no blame and excuse), what to work for (SMART goals for medium and short term). 

A cute memento 

We discussed how champions train the hardest. One has to work hard. If one is not getting the results one wants, one should look at one's process and figure where there is a shortfall. I also told them that as a selector I look for cricketers who have a good work ethic, who are match winners, team players, possess high skill in their category and bring good values to the team.

 

There were good questions from the cricketers. How to handle pressure, how to handle back to back failures, how to build mental strength and so on. After the session, there was a memento awarding session followed by lunch. Day well spent. 

 

Hyderabad by Walk - Naya Qila

Deccan Archives announced a Conflict and Coexistence walk at Naya Qila. I like the area near Golconda and decided to go even though it was at 4 pm a rather hot part of the day. From what i gathered the walk would cover the general history of happenings that ended rather badly with Muslims and Hindus conflicting with one another in the Hyderabad state before Independence.

Mulla Khayali Masjid

The conflict began sometime in the 1920s in the state of Hyderabad which was 84% Hindu and 14% Muslim when the Arya Samaj or Andhra Maha Sabha protested against conversions of Hindus into Islam.

The Nizam sent out signals that it was a secular state and well more players got added. The Andhra Maha Sabha to protect the interests of the Telugus, the Communists, the Arya Samaj, the Majlis, the state. Bahadur Yar Jung was the founder of the Majlis, Madapati Hanumantha Rao with the Andhra Maha Sabha. Later on Qasim Razvi from Latur came and took over the Majlis, formed his band of Razakars and things went from bad to worse. General idea. 

Baobab tree or Hathiyon ka Jhaad

As a walk we met near the Naya Qila Bagh. Couple of curious chaps came and took our pictures because their officer wanted to know. Some golfers played in the heat and looked at us curiously. Met Anirudh, Mukhthyar and a few others.

Heading back

We walked to the Baobab tree at the far end and got into the Masjid e Khayali, built by Mulla Khayali, a well known poet and calligrapher.

Naya Qila,  Golf Course, Qutb Shahi tombs in the background

Then we stepped down, checked out the Baobab tree which is supposed to have hid 40 fellows. Also called the Hathiyon ke jhaad. Apparently the tree was planted by people from Madagascar who popped these seeds here and there so we can hide in them in times of need. 

Laila Cannon

We walked back to the place where the Laila cannon lay, a massive cannon that Aurangzeb left behind. There is a Majnu cannon as well on the other side as well. The two remain separated eternally. 

Mustafa Khan Masjid or the Mosque of Djinns

And from there to the Mustafa Khan masjid, built by Mustafa Khan, the conqueror of Carnatic as they say. His grave is there but he is not buried here. Sibgat said it was also called the Masjid of Djinns as spirits were expected to come and take over the place after sunset and hang around till sunrise. 

It was good to catch up with young Anirudh who is a huge cricket fan with an amazing amount of information of cricket, current and past. Mukhtiyar was around too, pen and pad in hand, making copious notes. It was a biggish crowd. We headed out around 645.