Reposting from DreamWeaverDiaries
The one man you cannot miss to follow in Indian Startup circle is Alok Rodinhood Kejriwal, CEO and Co-founder of Games2Win. He is an Entrepreneur, Founder, Mentor, Meditator and a nice Human Being. I have been following him on Facebook, Twitter, Quora and his own blog/community for entrepreneurs The Rodinhoods for the last few months. What i liked about him is the way he thinks, the way he talks and the ability to see the details. He might not be a role model but he is certainly one of the persons to follow if you want to do something in your life. I am not saying that we should copy him, but learn from him and apply it to your life in your own way. Be yourself and get the most out of you.
Happened to see a question on Quora “How can one learn the skills like Mr Alok Kejriwal?” and the answer by Alok himself. I thought this makes sense and that’s why i am reposting it here. I think the product managers can take lessons from this post of Alok. How? Lets focus on the ideologies by Alok and map to the product managers work and skills.
Below is the Answer by Alok Kejriwal:
Meditate on WHY
By this, I mean finding meaning in anything and everything. If you order coffee from a Cafe Coffee day, observe how the menu is designed. Which food items are is laid out in the dispenser at eye level and ask yours WHY?
Why do all the Indigo air hostesses have the same hair style (they don’t – they wear wigs!!)
Why do you spend more money on your mobile bills than on your mobile phone? WHY?
One of the most needed skill set for a product manager is crafting requirements and understanding the customer needs. For successfully developing a product you need to envision the road map and profound comprehension of the details and ask questions to reach the ultimate pain point and the customer need. If you can address the actual need, your customers are delighted and the result “A successful product” !! A tool which can be used here is the 5 why analysis.
Learn from everything
If you listen to ACDC or Pandit Jasraj, learn something from their music. It could be how to last out for 6 hours in a concert or how to become one with music. Then use that knowledge for your own work.
Learn from your mistakes, learn from your competitors, and build something unique. As a customer i don’t want the same product. I will use your product if it’s unique, gives me some add on values and make me addicted.
Connect the unconnected
I studied the Safety Instructions Card in an Airplane recently for 30 minutes and then used the content to write an article for Economic Times on Manmohan Singh. I just connected the dots.
FLING your mind sideways. Jump into a swimming pool trying to understand is the floor painted blue or is it white and why? then connect the dots.
Understand your market, connect with your customer, analyze, conceptualize and build it to make it unique.
Respect the lowest of the low.
Talk to a sweeper and find out how he downloads music on his phone. Why does he spend 4 months of his money on a phone? Learn from that humbling experience.
Talk to taxi drivers, servants, watchmen and ask them about their lives, their philosophies and motivations.
MAKE COMMON MEN your professors of life.
This is important for Business understanding for any product. A good understanding of the fundamentals of business, identify market opportunities, importance of competitive differentiation, creating winning product strategy, pricing and promotion can be derived if you talk to the right people at the right time.
Challenge GOD
There is no God greater than yourself. Start with that idea. Then, use that to challenge EVERYTHING that comes your way.
Why not call the chef in a 7 star restaurant and criticize his food? why not explain to him that green zucchini does not blend with white creamy penne because they are not ‘compatible’. (I did that with the senior Italian Chef of The Oberoi Delhi & he couldn’t thank me enough)
Once you can challenge anyone and everyone, you become fearless.
Challenge yourself and create a realistic vision of what success of their product means and they ensure that this vision becomes reality – whatever it takes.
Be Thankful
Keep thanking whoever you look up to for what you have – and don’t complain for what you DON’T have.
Thank the team and encourage the team. Rome was not built in a day. It takes time and resource to build a great product. But you need a great team to support you and make it happen!
Be OBSESSIVE
There is no ‘weekend’ for the ‘paagal’. Go to any madhouse. They are ALWAYS MAD.
Be ALWAYS MAD – OBSESSED by what you LOVE to do. Then you will succeed. This means eat, sleep, drink, shit, fart, bathe and have sex with what drives you.
(read the story of Cellini)
Know the product, talk to people about the product about possible investments or strategies and be passionate about what you are building.
Meditate.
Meditate. It really helps. It works wonders if you want to create anything significant in life.
Check – The 10 reasons you should meditate if you want to succeed as an entrepreneur.
Never lose your focus and strive hard to reach your goal.
SHARE – HELP- SHARE – HELP
The only way you will get the energy, stamina, motivation and strength to get better at your job and keep doing what you want and like is by drawing on the positive energy you receive when you help others.
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Try these ideas as starters!!
Tell me what you think of these ideas and have you followed this yet? If yes, share your experience and if no, try this and share whether this has worked for you!
(Image Courtesy @afilagroup)