V-formation

Experts have determined that the V-shaped formation that geese use when migrating serves two important functions: 

First, it conserves their energy. Each bird flies slightly above the bird in front, resulting in a reduction of wind resistance. They take turns being in the front, falling back when they get tired. In this way, the geese can fly for a long time before they must stop for rest. 

 

The second benefit is that it is easy to keep track of every bird in the group. Flying in formation assists with communication and coordination within the group. Fighter pilots use this formation for the same reason.

 

The natural unity that exists among geese illustrates the benefits of teamworking. Working together, individuals perform better due to the support system that comes along. The combined synergy is always greater than the sum of its parts.

 

Secondly, team must focus on communication and coordination within the team members. They must be able to see, listen and speak to each other. Connectivity adds to the power of the collective. After all, the V-formation empowers ‘we’.

 

Together we can, together we shall
V-formation takes to a greater call!

 

- Pravin K. Sabnis

 

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ASK

Three monks practised meditation together, sitting by the side of a lake. One day, one monk said, ‘I forgot my mat.’ Instead of walking around the lake to their hut, he stepped onto the water and serenely walked across the lake!  

Upon his return, the second monk declared, ‘I forgot to put my clothes to dry.’ He too walked across the water and returned the same way.

 

The third monk rose to declare, ‘your learning cannot be greater than mine… I too can match any feat that you two can perform!’ he rushed to the water's edge to walk across it. He promptly fell into the deep water. 

 

He climbed out and tried again, only to repeatedly sink. The other two monks watched as this went on. After a while, the second monk said to the first, ‘Do you think we should tell him where the stones are?’

 

Just because something appears easy for others; it may not be so for us. Overconfidence arises from presuming that we can easily do what others do. We belittle the method and attach undue importance to our capabilities.

 

Tasks can be emulated, only by humble learners! That’s how we learnt to do many things in childhood. Let’s shun childish arrogance and embrace childlike humility and eagerness to ask and learn.

 

To learn, be humble to ask
To emulate the tough task!

 

- Pravin K. Sabnis

 

Peace Table

 Abraham Maslow developed a theory of a hierarchy of human needs, of which the highest were the need for ‘self-actualization’ through creative and productive living. He considered promoting peace, happiness and building a psychology for the peace table as his task. 

 He had a vision of a peace table, with people sitting around it, talking about human nature and hatred, war and peace, and brotherhood. He wanted to prove that humans are capable of something grander than war, prejudice and hatred.

 

The peace table is an opportunity to work out our problems by talking about them, sharing our feelings and understanding one another more deeply. It helps us to cope with conflicts and helps resolve issues. It requires one person to invite another to have a peace talk. 

 

The initiator begins to share feelings by using an “I” message. (I didn’t like the way…; I felt sad when…; I was not happy when…) The other person listens and responds. If the problem is not solved they may invite a third person (peacekeeper) to the peace table to listen to both sides fairly and then suggest a way to solve the problem

 
The problem may not be solved completely or the solution may not make them feel better. When they leave the peace table what they need to take away it the most important part of this whole process, to understand each other better in the situation.

 

Ease the conflict bubble

Choose the peace table!

 

- Pravin K. Sabnis

 

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Diversity

DOn occasion of the festival of colours – Holi, social media will have uploads of selfies of coloured faces. However, the preferred pictures will be where various colours are distinctly distinguishable and not ones where the colours have merged to make a mixed shade that appears like a shady smear.

 

The colours look attractive together, but only as long as they do not lose their individual attractiveness. Coming together is good but it is better to maintain diversity. So often, when we move to unite, we insist on uniformity. But by stifling diversity, we cripple the impact of unity. 

 

Various instruments in an orchestra play together, but melodious music is created because of diverse sounds. Languages are empowered by varied vocabularies of different dialects. The rainbow looks beautiful as the colours in its spectrum retain their colours. The same holds true for teams.

 

We mistake uniformity for alignment. Diversity involves acceptance and respect. It means understanding that each individual is unique and recognizing different dimensions of ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, ideas, beliefs and ideologies. 

 

The exploration of this diversity in a positive and nurturing environment helps us understand each other such that we can move beyond simple tolerance to embracing and celebrating the rich dimensions of assorted capacities of each individual in the team. 

 

Colours of the rainbow look good in unity…

As they align without losing their diversity!

 

- Pravin K. Sabnis

 

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Falter

If something, say a table, is not steady, we say that the table wobbles. If a child sways while moving, we refer to it as wobbling. While it may seem a problem, the learning is in the wobbles!

 

As children, we learnt to walk and ride a cycle through a long process of trial and error, of falls and repeated efforts. Our enthusiasm and encouragement by others made us stay at the task until it was accomplished.

 

The child keeps stepping ahead despite the falters. However, as adults we are swayed by failure. So often, so many of us resist the time to learn something new because we don’t like wobbling.

 

We must give ourself the permission to falter. Failure is an important part of the journey to success. We must choose to accept the faltering, learn from it and do what is required to correct the wobbles. 

 

The wobbling table can be set right by putting something under the legs. The wobbling child can learn balance by trying other ways. For the result to alter to a positive result, we must address the falter!

 

Move beyond the falter

The outcome will alter!

 

- Pravin K. Sabnis

 

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Perseverance

Ernest Hemingway was in Switzerland, on assignment as a correspondent. Journalist Lincoln Steffens was impressed with Hemingway’s writing and asked to see more. His wife carried all his writings in a suitcase from their home in Paris. She lost it in the train.

 

At that point, nothing of Hemingway’s fiction had been published. Now, there was nothing left as his wife had packed both the originals and their carbons. Only two short stories survived the disaster. 

 

But when he lamented the loss to poet Ezra Pound, Pound called it a stroke of luck. Pound assured him that when he rewrote the stories, he would forget the weak parts and only the best would reappear. Hemingway rewrote the stories and became a major figure in literature.

 

Indeed, with the loss of the manuscripts, and with time pressing to replace those vanished words in his bid to become a respected writer, Hemingway may have adopted and adapted the lean prose style for which he became famous.

 

Perseverance and failure cannot coexist. Failure happens when you quit. We can instead learn from it. We can unlearn the unnecessary and rewrite our efforts afresh. Perseverance can turn failure into an opportunity.  

Don’t get stuck at failure’s gate

Perseverance scripts your fate!

 

- Pravin K. Sabnis

 

Null Set

In algebra, a Null set refers to an empty set. A teacher mentioned the Indian woman astronaut as an example for a null set as until then no Indian woman had become an astronaut. One girl exclaimed, 'one day this null set will not exist!' The girl, Kalpana Chawla went on to fill the set!

 

In college, she was the only girl to opt for the aeronautical engineering course. During admission when asked to state her second option, she replied that she had none! 

 

During counseling, teachers tried to dissuade her as aeronautic engineering had limited job opportunities in the country. Most girls had opted for electrical engineering. Kalpana stuck to her passion. This was the first step to much greater achievements of India’s first woman astronaut. 

 

Imagination is important, but it is not enough. To be better, it needs to be transformed into a clear vision and backed by a motivated mission to achieve it. 

 

Null sets get filled when dreams are empowered by steadfast belief and committed actions. Indeed, it took courage of conviction for a small town girl to become the first Indian woman to straddle outer space. 

be better at achieving every desirable vision

null set gets filled with committed mission!

 

- Pravin K. Sabnis

 

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