What Ivy wants, Ivy gets

If a giant panda can become a mighty kung-fu warrior - so could you. Not kung-fu, but whatever. Ballet dancer, arctic explorer or investment banker.

I can already hear you say,"Hey, that happens only in the movies."

Well, yes and no. Here are some definite takeaways from Kung fu Panda, for all those of you struggling with questions of what, where and how to steer your career.

Lesson # 1: If you want something badly enough, you get it somehow.

Po the panda wanted to be a kung-fu warrior really really badly. He followed every kung fu teacher, every battle, every hero there ever was. The chap was a walking Kung Fu Encyclopedia!

And of course, he dreamt about kung fu too.

Ask yourself - do you care something in your life that strongly? If you do - it will be yours one day.

Lesson # 2: It could take a while but you'll get there.

So if you believe Lesson # 1 the question is 'how'? Now sometimes you may get there the straight and easy way. The way to be a kung fu warrior is to train under a great Master, right?

Well, Po got the job another way. He bumbled and tumbled up the mountain and finally literally 'dropped in from the sky'. Master Oogway then pronounced:"He is the one, the great Dragon Warrior". To everybody's surprise!

In real life there aren't enough Oogways who can see a diamond in the coal; a kung fu champion in a blubbering mass of fat.

But how many of you have struggled like the panda to even get to that mountain top where there may be a Master waiting for you?

Lesson # 3: 'A peach tree will blossom into a peach tree. It can't become an apple tree...' - Master Oogway

Why many of us come to grief is we don't know 'who we are'. Are we a peach tree, or a jasmine tree or a cactus? Every one of those is beautiful and useful in its own way. No one is 'superior' to the other.

Yet in life many of us believe that we must all be peach trees. ie MBAs and engineers. The aroma of the jasmine is lost to the world and all we have is peach, peach and more peach (fruity burp!).

Lesson # 4: 'There are no accidents in life...' - Master Shifu

Yup, the fact that you did not make it to IIT or IIM or with that cute chick on the second floor. This was the way it was meant to be.

Think about Steve Jobs being forced to exit his own company in 1985. He went through hell but was forced to think of new ideas, new directions. It led to the creation of Pixar and a whole new kind of animation.

And ultimately, he went back to Apple with iTunes and iPod.

Could he have done all this had he never left Apple? I don't know. But I think greatness is born more out of adversity than in nice hot bathtubs.

Woh Archimedes wala funda bhi theek hai but you can't run naked in the streets anymore. By the time you dress up and get out into the world, you find josh chala gaya.

Lesson # 5: There is no secret ingredient in the secret ingredient soup.

And this is especially relevant at a time when we are all on the quest for the Holy Grail. We believe that joining the right college, the right course or the right company is the secret ingredient which will spice up our soup - our careers, our lives.

The truth is, it's all about what you believe. The moment you join an IIT or an IIM you start believing,"Hey I am really really good". You get the confidence to take on the world, the chutzpah to say,"The world is my oyster".

Clearing these super tough exams is like running a lawnmower through your own mental garden. It crushes the weeds of self doubt and self pity which we've allowed to grow.

Exam or no exam, you can choose to yank out those weeds. Then look the guys who think they know better in the eye and declare,"My soup is as kick-ass as yours."

Lastly, words of wisdom from Master Oogway which apply not just to careers, but any and every walk of life: 'Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery... today is a gift'.

Have you at least undone the wrapping paper of this brand new, beautiful moment? Right here, right now, today??

In case you are not as familiar with the Rocky movies as I am, here is a little recap of what happens at the end of Rocky. Rocky goes 15 rounds with Apollo Creed. Rocky's right eye is badly damaged and the peripheral vision in that eye is all but gone. At the end of the fight both Rocky and Apollo say there will not be a rematch.

Now on to Rocky II where we learn some important lessons about checking our egos at the door and never saying never.

Ego

Since Apollo was supposed to finish off Rocky in 3 rounds in their first fight, Apollo was getting abused in the media and receiving a ton of hate mail. Basically calling him a joke, washed up, etc. Apollo then started calling for a rematch with Rocky. Even though his trainers, managers, and family all thought it was a bad idea he kept pressing for a rematch. He wanted this rematch because of his ego not because it was the right thing to do.

Sometimes we need to leave our egos at the "door" when working on projects. The project is not about us. Our goal is to do what is right for the project. If your mindset is focused on the project needs, the project will be a success and you will get recognition. Remember, it is not what the project can do for you, but what you can do for the project!

"There ain't no Can'ts"

A great line from the great manager Mickey Goldmill. Apollo pushed and pushed until Rocky and Mick finally agreed to the rematch. The problem was that Rocky's eye was so bad that he could not fight as Southpaw. Since his peripheral vision was so poor he would never see punches coming from Apollo until they were right on his face. So Mick was pushing Rocky to become a right-handed fighter. After a number of times with Rocky saying "I can't do it Mick", Mick yells back "there ain't no can'ts."

Every situation we encounter in life is slightly different. The project characteristics are different, the people we work with are different. We can not use the same techniques on every project we are on. Always try to learn new techniques and skills and never say "I can't do it Mick."

Things We Can Learn from the Italian Stallion - Part I

OK, I'm coming clean. My all time favorite movie is Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky II, Rocky IV, Rocky V, and Rocky Balboa. Every now and then I watch one of the movies and never get tired of the scenes of Rocky training or battling the next opponent in the ring. But, there is more to the Rocky movies than just boxing. There are lessons we can all learn from Rocky Balboa. I decided to dedicate the next set of blog posts to the greatest boxer to ever live!

Go ahead and launch the Rocky Theme Song while you read!

Mentorship

As part of our personal and career development we should all find mentors and be a mentor for someone else. There are many benfits to being a mentor including working on your listening and leadership skills. Being a mentee will allow you to learn valuable lessons from someone who has priceless experience and has been where you have at this point in your career.

Throughout the Rocky movie the concept of mentorship kept popping out to me. There is a scene where Little Marie is hanging out with some older boys on the street corner and Rocky pulls her away and walks her home. During the walk home he is trying to give her advice about life and how the people she associates herself with will influence who she is as she grows up. As Little Marie is walking into her house she turns and says to Rocky. "Screw you creepo!" As Rocky walks away he mumbles, "Yeah, who am I to give advice." Don't think you can't be a mentor. You have expereinces that can help others. Little marie ends up thanking him later.

Later in the movie after Rocky decides to fight Apollo Creed he does not accept help from anyone to help train and prepare for the fight. Finally he comes around and gets Mickey to be his trainer and even gets Paulie involved. In the end he is prepared for battle. We all need mentors, we can all learn from others that have experienced things we have not. Do not be ashamed to use a mentor. You do not have to do this alone.

Also, check out this site for mentoring tips. http://www.mentoringgroup.com/

"apki naukri mein na izzat hai, na mazaa hai aur na matlab" (Your job has neither respect nor fun nor meaning)," declares the new tall, angry young man. (Dialogue from BUNTY AUR BABLI)

Whatever its storytelling flaws, this is one sentiment the scriptwriter has identified perfectly.

Izzat (Respectability) x Mazaa (Fun) x Matlab (Meaning) = Career Satisfaction. Apply it to just about any industry or profession. And it works!

All mazaa, no izzat:

Take BPOs, which are worried about employee attrition. These companies provide young graduates with the best of everything -- money, work environment, career growth. Even fun, in the form of special allowances, movies and parties.

The mazaa angle is, thus, well taken care of. But what about izzat?

'I work at a call centre., that statement will not really impress your girlfriend's father.

At the end of the day, the job essentially lacks matlab. You work for one company but answer calls for another. There is no shared vision or mission beyond answering the next call. What you do never really seems to make a 'difference'. In the Izzat x Mazaa x Matlab equation, there is only one variable the young person can control. And hence s/he hops from job to job in search of more mazaa (money).

Izzat and mazaa, but no matlab?:

On the other hand, IT, which mainly employs young engineers, has a better chance of retaining its employees. Not only do they provide decent starting salaries/ fabulous campuses, there is the additional mazaa angle of being sent abroad to work within a couple of years of joining.

Plus, saying you work for Infosys, Wipro or Cognizant Technologies receives a respectful nod from peers and parents.

The reason many still quit IT is the matlab angle. Those who equate coding work with being a cybercoolie often choose to go abroad for further studies or try an MBA.

Not that life after the MBA may offer any more in terms of matlab, but having the IIM or Bajaj tag adds to izzat value. And if you are lucky enough to be placed on Day 0 or Day 1, the mazaa factor is multiplied as well.

The quest for matlab:

The relative importance of these three factors -- izzat, mazaa and matlab -- varies from person to person.

Matlab, in fact, is the most personal variable. Some of us can happily buy into the mission statements of the companies we work for. We can find personal meaning by reaching our goals and targets as well as be a tough but fair boss/ employee/ coworker and a loyal and loving spouse/ parent/ friend.

But to others, 'meaning' comes from doing what you are passionate about, something you really care for. This definition of matlab is often swept under the carpet at an early age when we follow the herd towards the engineering/ medicine/ MBA degrees we never really wanted (but were assured was the only way to go).

If you are a young doctor, often, it is only the matlab factor that keeps you going. Given the salaries and working conditions at public hospitals, the mazaa factor is extremely low. And given the commercialism that has crept into the profession, izzat -- although still high -- is on the decline.

On the other hand, professions like modeling and acting which, a couple of decades ago, commanded no izzat, are now seen with awe. The only problem is, there is an additional variable in the equation: risk.

This risk varies from 0 (absolute flop) to 1 (making it big).

Izzat x Matlab x Mazaa divided by Risk could mean you become a Priyanka Chopra or one of the millions of aspirants who never makes it beyond the casting couch.

The same applies to other creative and thode glamorous professions, like copywriting, filmmaking, dance, music and art. But if you really have the talent and belief in yourself, the risk is worth taking.

The trick, really, is figuring out your own personal equation; instead of living by what you saw scrawled on the Blackboard of Life by people before you.

Because two equations could be completely different, yet add up to that mythical '42'.

The answer to life, the universe and everything that makes you truly happy.