Giving Your Best Shot

Stress, anxiety, frustration, void are commonly used terms among the workforce, be it corporate employees or professionals. Stephen R. Covey, author of The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness(2004) writes, “Despite all our gains in technology, product innovation and world markets, most people are not thriving in the organisations they work for. They are neither fulfilled nor excited. They are frustrated. Most of all they don’t feel they can change much.” With these lines Covey introduces the need of the 8th Habit, after his bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People’ (1989).

Chandramouli Venkatesan’s book Get Better At Getting Better is an attempt to help readers stuck in the same rut. The book is written with the clear analysis of why some people succeed and others do not despite each putting in the same amount of hard work. The language of the book is easy to follow. The book is not based on mathematical models, intense data base collections nor does the author talk from a pedestal.

As you read through, it is hard to miss the perception one gets – that of having a conversation with a guide who, at so many points, is seeking the same answers as many readers today. The author’s humility is appreciable as he discusses his own failures and the lessons learnt from them. This makes the book relatable to an ordinary individuals’ struggle.

Venkatesan’s book presents his model for success as the ‘get better model’ (GBM). The sequencing of the chapters is systematic and interlinks features as the book progresses.  Examples of sports person and kids in the second chapter helps in easy understanding of the concept of determination. It is a fact that kids are much faster at picking up a sport or any activity and subsequently getting better at it. The author puts a strong emphasis on the concept of ‘Don’t stop at knowing the answers, get to the method of finding the answer’. If we do not master the method of finding the answers, we will struggle when faced with more complex situations, writes the author. This a very important trait to develop in products of the Indian education system, where the primary emphasis has been on rote learning and giving the correct answers.

The author defines four key components of which the GBM model is made of. He discusses these sequentially in the next four sections of the book. Each of these sections has simple analogies, situations from corporate life and assessments. The summaries at the end of the chapter help in absorbing the methods and examples detailed in the text.

The emphasis on reviews, reflections and having the pilot’s view are essential components of GBM, which are presented in Section 1. The importance of self-review for juniors and seniors in the corporate hierarchy is also stressed upon with questions like  “What could I have done to get a better outcome?”. The two techniques of “specific reflection” and “outside-in reflection” help in finding areas of improvement. “The pilot’s view” provides an essential capability to be developed if one wishes to progress through the hierarchy.

Section 2 of the book highlights the value of external resources in the GBM. How to learn from bosses, seniors and juniors is well explained. Learning interventions such as books and training programmes are duly emphasised in the ‘Getting better’ process. The author explains that ‘most people are unable to leverage from learning interventions as they confuse knowing the content with embedding it in their lives’.

While Section 1 and Section 2 lay the foundation of making the individual better, Section 3 explains the effects of making others better on ones own GBM. The impact of better hiring, developing team capability, imparting formal training and using processes like appraisals to make the team better are discussed. Improvements in external relationships typical of a corporate environment such as vendors, advertising teams, legal teams are highlighted as force multipliers.

The fourth section of the book applies the ‘get better’ methodology to career stagnation, MBA versus non-MBA, career life cycles, improving productivity of meetings and challenges of the startup environment. These are basic issues faced in current business environs. The chapter Getting Better at Meetings is an interesting read to those who spend most of  their worklife attending meetings.

Throughout the book, the author gives examples from the corporate world. At some point, the reader wonders whether these GBM would be applicable to other fields as well. The chapter of ‘Start-Ups, Professionals and Education’ shows that the principles of the GBM can be applied to one and all – even to a parent teaching a child.

The last section of the book helps the reader make efforts to implement the book by self-evaluation, planning and ways of implementing the plan.

Truly, this book has the potential to leave a deep impact on any reader wishing to get better and get ahead.