Choice, not chance, determines the destiny

Choice a very common word probably one of the first words which we learn when we learn language. But my first understanding of the word choice came just two years back. I had started reading Harry potter series, in the last chapter of the first book when professor Dumbledore explains the reasons of events happening around he emphasizes the importance of choice between good and evil. This last chapter acted as tipping point and by the time I finished reading sixth book “Harry Potter and half Blood Prince” the idea of choice was engraved in my heart.

Choice is the miracle world. Within this easy six letter word, world’s mystery resides. We make choice at every step of life. Be it simple choice of eating what and when or the complex choice of marrying someone. We keep choosing one thing or the other. This everyday choice makes up the path of our life and on the death bed when we will look back at our life we will see the cloth of life is woven by the fabric of choice.

The idea of choice is very well explained by Richard Back in his book “One” , though I did not understood the book when I read for the first time and chose to quit in middle !

Many a times I have heard people talking about destiny. One set of people say God or almighty has predefined everything and human being has no say in it and other set of people say we human being make our life. But as Richard Back explains in his book “One”, we human being are given millions of alternate paths, we can say this millions of options are given by God and then its we human being who chooses one of the alternatives and determine our destiny. Hence essentially it’s we and our choices that make our life. So what is my next choice?

By the way I am anxiously waiting for last potter book to know where does his choice takes him now!

Skit - a day in life of Onshore s/w engg.

Background: The skit is presents a normal (crazy) day in life of s/w engg at onsite.

Roles:

Onsite Coordinator 1 - SHRUTI

Onsite Coordinator 1 - GITA

Client - Tom Cruise

Cab Company Operator -- CO

Offshore Team member - SALMAN

Commentator

Time 2:00 AM

Commentary – When does your day begins 7 am, 8 am may be even 6 am. Lets see what happens with the person representing GLT at client side.

(Behind the scene time 2 am and Phone Ringing – tring tring)

SHRUTI – (picking up in sleep) Hello

SALMAN – Hello, Can I talk to GITA

SHRUTI – hello that is calling

SALMAN – I am SALMAN from GLT, Can I talk to GITA

SHRUTI – Oh Hi how are you, one min I will wake up GITA

SHRUTI – (Calling GITA) – GITA wake up your call

GITA– hummm

SHRUTI – Wake up, your call

GITA– what I don’t have call at this time it’s in morning

SHRUTI – tere liye phone hai offshore se

Gita– o achcha phone hai …..uthati hoon….

GITA– (Picking up the call) Hello

SALMAN – Hi GITA, We called you up for understanding the defect 007 requirements you sent in mail today.

GITA– (in sleepiest voice) which defect? Did I send mail?

SALMAN – yes, the defect number 007.

GITA– (woken up by now) oh ok ok. Give me 5 min let me connect to office network.

Commentary - The call continues for an hour and finally gita goes off to sleep at 3 am.

Time 6:00 AM

Commentary – Morning 6 am, the alarm rings and the day begins again for the ONCs

(Alarm goes off (pip pip pip))

Shruti – (Wakes up and awakens Gita) Gita get up its 6 O’ Clock

GITA– Why is it 6 O ‘Clock!!!!!

Shruti – hummm now get up and when do you have call today?

GITA– at 8

Shruti – and I have call at 8:30, hummm so to reach office before 8 let me book the call for 7.

Gita– OK

Commentary –You think everything in US goes smoothly just try booking a cab, Lets see what happens

CO – (Picking up call) Yellow Cab, the number you are calling from please!!

Shruti – Hi this is Shruti Calling from 813 651 3624

CO – Hang on sweetie; go slow, the number again

Shruti – Its 813 651 3624

CO – OK and who is this for?

Shruti – Shruti

CO- shu…. what?

Shruti – Its S for Santa cruise, H for HSBC…hey rather can you book it for Gita

CO- ya that’s an easy one, when do you need the cab?

Shruti – 7 am

CO – OK (Sound CO hanging up the call.)

Commentary - Shruti’s cab is booked and lets see how does gita’s call with offshore go.

GITA– (Calling Offshore) hello can I talk to SALMAN

Offshore another person - SALMAN is not around, he has gone for meeting

Gita– Do you know which meeting?

Offshore another person- I think its for defect 007

GITA– OK, no problem, I will call back after half an hour.

Commentary – (Behind the scene its 7:30) its 7:30, Gita and Shruti are still waiting for the cab. Shruti is again calling cab to check status.

CO – (Picking up call) Yellow Cab, the number you are calling from please!!

Shruti – Hi this is Shruti Calling from 813 651 3624

CO – OK and who is this for?

Shruti – I had already booked the cab at 6 for Gita.

CO- OK let me check the system.

Shruti – ok

CO- OK cab 178 is on the way.

Shruti – ok thanks a lot.

Commentary – Cab finally arrived and both the ladies have reached office safely after their hilarious journey. (Behind the scene phone ringing) Looks like Gita has to rush to her desk, her phone is ringing

(Behind the scene time 8:30)

GITA - (Picking up phone) Hi good morning Gita here

Tom Cruise – Hey Gita Good morning, how are you?

GITA- I am fine, how about you?

Tom Cruise – Oh Don’t ask me, I am so tired was working late yesterday, BTW how come you are late today?

GITA– Yeah the cab arrived late.

Tom Cruise – Oh that’s the problem, you know you should buy a car in US its really difficult managing without car.

GITA– yeah I am looking for that option.

Tom Cruise – well its past 8:30 you were supposed to give me deliverable.

GITA– Ya offshore is done with the fix but they are stuck because they are facing some network issue. They will check in the code as soon as this network issue gets resolved.

Tom Cruise – hummm ask them to hurry

GITA– ya ok

Tom Cruise – Ok then, Call me once you get the deliverable and I will be in office a little late today so send me release note in mail.

Gita– OK.

(Call ends)

Time 9:30

Commentary – its 9:30, network problem has got resolved just now and offshore is working to send the code. In the mean while client has called Gita again.

Tom Cruise – (Calls GITA) hello Gita

GITA– Hi Tom

Tom Cruise – what happened I have not got the mail yet?

GITA– give us 15 min, the network issue has got resolved just now, offshore is sending the mail in next 15 min.

Tom Cruise – Ok, It was an hours job offshore should have fixed the defect and checked in code in their day time only, anyways ask them to hurry.

GITA– ya ok

Commentary - finally the delivery was done and its noon now, Shruti and Gita are ready to go for lunch but the moment they get up lunch Tom Walks in

Tom – Hey Gita, how is it going?

Gita– its going fine!!

Tom – hey I was going through release note and I am seeing some pop ups are missing

Gita– ok but they are not part of this defect

Tom – oh is that so…. I have already committed to business that we are providing pop ups too. Can you quickly add that too?

Gita– ok I will do it. I will provide you pop-ups by 4 pm.

Tom- that works. Thanks!! I appreciate it.

Commentary – Gita is busy with her task again, Shruti has gone for lunch alone. Lets see what does she get to eat

Shruti – Reading aloud the food stuffs

(Behind the scene its 4 pm)

Commentary – Its 4 pm now, Gita has just given the fix to Tom, and Tom is leaving for the day now and Gita has gone to him to check if he has got everything he wanted.

Gita–(walking to Tom’s seat) Hi

Tom – Hi, I was reading your updates only.

Gita– OK, so it has everything that you need

Tom – Yeah its looking good, I am calling off the day, will check it further at home.

Gita– ok

Tom – ok then see you tomorrow, and do not over work!!!

Commentary – Gita and Shruti finished called off for the day at 5 but again with the exiting cab booking affair they have managed to reach home at 7. Now lets see what do they have for dinner

Shruti – Oh we have nothing in vegetable today… what should we cook?

Gita– ah I am tired aaj khana banana ka mood nahin hai

Shruti – same here …chal khichadi hi bana lete hein

Gita– thee hai.

(Behind the scene the cooker whistles)

Commentary – After dinner they are ready to sleep at 10 but has their day ended yet?

And phone rings again.

Built To Last – Review

The book written by James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras. Authors have done six years of research in most successful companies of North America. These information in preface fuelled enthusiasm to read the book. The book starts with a very promising note that this is the work of substantial research and in the first chapter authors have clarified which companies they researched and why.

I liked it when they said they compared best company with Second Best Company because comparing best with worst will not give any new information, it is this line, which raised my hopes, and I started looking forward to reading next chapters.

In next two – three chapters authors clearly gives the reasons why best companies are best. They have even corroborated their reasons with appropriate examples. This all looks great at surface and seems informative but the book fails to answer very basic question, why have authors chosen the examples that they have chosen to prove their reason. Authors have chosen mathematical approach of giving hypothesis first and then proving that with reasons based on examples from research. The approach is appealing but it fails when it does not give reason why are the examples chosen when they are chosen. It appears, since authors have chosen best companies as best and its second best companies as second, they are trying to justify themselves for making this decision.

Secondly they are trying to prove existing notions about successful companies wrong, they have done commendable job by raising questions about existing philosophies but they fail in proving their own philosophy.

In all I found it good for having raised questions about existing theories and philosophies but I did not like the fact that authors are trying to impose their judgment or opinion on readers. It would have been much better had authors presented facts and reasons but let reader decide why.