“…do you remember how students reacted when someone in the exam always asked for supplements first?”

“…do you remember how students reacted when someone in the exam always asked for supplements first?” he said.

This was during one of my role transitions. A new role is always exciting, ain't it? Especially for someone like me - a fixer. I’ve always loved spotting leaks, and the thrill of fixing them gives me a dopamine rush. So, when you step into a new job or role, your eyes light up at the fountain of leaks your predecessor may have missed - often due to blind spots or other reasons.

So I got to work - identifying leaks, calling out system & process inefficiencies, and tackling productivity hogs that needed fixing. But what followed was what usually happens when someone new steps in with a grand plan to turn things around: questions, objections, skepticism, and roadblocks from all directions. It was frustrating, but I stayed the course. Still, there came a point when I began to feel that things weren’t heading in the right direction.

Around that time, I had my year-end discussion with my boss - we talked about what went well and what could have been better. But the very next day, a calendar invite landed in my inbox titled “Year-End Catch-Up.” It was from my boss’s boss. It took him just five minutes to succinctly sum up what he thought my past year had been like - and then he said what I quoted above. He had sensed the unrest within me.

“Every individual is really good at a few things, decent at some, and needs to work on others,” he said, pausing to let the thought sink in. “Speed is your forte. But if you keep asking for supplement after supplement, some people may get uncomfortable or defensive. In school exams, it’s all about individual performance. But in the corporate world, most projects are team efforts, with dependencies across stakeholders. You won’t get very far if you’re fast but others can’t keep up. So slow down a little. Eventually, they’ll speed up a bit too and somewhere in the middle, you’ll find the pace to get where you want.” he added.

The thought stayed with me - long and deep. It reminded me of Herbie from The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt. Herbie was the bottleneck that determined the pace of the entire group. But he wasn’t the problem - he was part of the team. His characteristics simply made him the natural limiter. I realized I’d encounter many Herbies in my work. Heck, I might even be a Herbie for someone else.

From then on, I decided to slow down my fixing crusade. Not stop - just slow down a little. I began trying to understand the Herbies and, where possible, nudge them to pace up a bit.

Is slowing down frustrating at times? Absolutely. But it’s still better than running around with your shirt on fire - spreading the fire.

“…you drive like Schumacher!"

“…you drive like Schumacher! I used to drive like you when I was younger,” he said, flashing a well-chiseled smile beneath his salt & pepper look.

In 2018, not long after I’d joined Marsh India, I found out one evening that the CFO hadn’t brought his car. Since his home was on my way, I offered him a lift.

I’d already shifted through three gears before we even got out of the building - hence his Schumacher quip. Ironically, Schumi probably hadn’t driven stick in ages, but I got the point.

“Don’t you listen to K-pop? My kids love it,” he asked as I turned the volume down. I love loud music, so it can be jarring for anyone riding with me. I replied in the negative as we approached a signal.

“Don’t you take the Sea Link?” he asked, surprised. “Nope. That route’s longer. Costs more in tolls & fuel,” I replied. I was surprised he even asked. I never saw the point in choosing a longer, costlier route.

“You’re right,” he said, gently cutting through my inner judgment, “but I always take it. The roads are wider, the drive far more peaceful than the cramped city lanes.” I nodded but didn’t quite relate.

The discussion drifted to credit cards. “I use five different ones to squeeze out savings- one each for movies, dining, fuel, travel, and a fifth in case a great deal came up.” I was beaming like an expert as I rattled off my strategy. But the light on my face dimmed when I saw him smile. “I can’t track all that - takes too much mind space. I just use one,” he said calmly. That shut me up. I dropped him off soon after and drove away.

7 years later:

- I now take the longer route to either of my Mumbai offices - Powai or Prabhadevi. There are shorter, fuel-efficient routes through the city, but I choose the wider, longer ones - for the peace of mind.

- Though I still own 7 cards, I now use just one for 90% of my transactions (it gives great returns).

- I still don’t listen to K-pop - but I’ve gotten hooked on Korean shows. Got good mystery, thriller, or sci-fi recos? I’m all ears.

- I’m still a bit of a nightmare for my car’s gearbox, clutch, and brakes - but every now and then, I try the feather-touch approach.

When we meet someone older or more experienced, it’s not always easy to understand why they do things a certain way - until we reach that phase ourselves.

Be it the shift from exciting stock-picking to the “boring” index investing, hunting street bargains to enjoying quieter in-store shopping, from devouring that lip-smacking roadside triple schezwan with andaa topi to (presumably) hygienic restaurant food, or from the thrill of binge-drinking to the calm of slow sipping - it all starts to make sense with time.

“NG, I finally found a card that gives amazing returns on every spend - 33% cashback on a bunch of them!” I poked my head into his cabin and announced one fine day in 2019.

He just shook his head, smiled faintly, and walked out, headed toward the washroom nearby…Some lessons don’t need to be taught - they just wait to be lived.