A day with Rishad

It is always refreshing to spend time with Risad Tobaccowala. Last week I spent a day with Rishad in Delhi and learnt a couple of new things. He talked about ‘ignorance arbitrage’ and how that is likely to vanish from this world as information becomes easily (and timely) accessible. His point of view on ‘working media’ and ‘non-working media’ was quite refreshing and it caught attention of all the clients that he met in Delhi.

We got around talking about Talent and he said: “there is always a new wave behind us” – that made me think about the way we manage people in our industry. In most cases we put people with skills-of-the-past in-charge of managing people who are actually bringing in skills-of-the-future. Talented people don’t want to be managed and actually know how to manage themselves. So rather than thinking about managing talent we need to think about enabling talent and setting them free so that they can win. I think there is never a better than today to rethink how advertising industry manages talent.

Desperate for Security Check

I spent the weekend at home in Baroda and my nephew Neel kept me on my toes all through the weekend. He is just under 3 years and full of intelligent questions that are very difficult to answer. On Saturday night we went out for dinner to the Taj in Baroda. Almost all leading hotels in India are under tight security checks and we were greeted by two security with metal detectors right at the entrance. As they checked all of us the metalic objects in our pockets (keys, pens, belts etc) made beeps. We all cleared the security checks and started walking but found Neel was refusing to move. He waved at the security guards and demanded a security check. They were totally shocked and I regreted not having a camera in my pocket to capture their expressions. They smiled at him and said it is not required for you but Neel refused to accept this discrimination. He made them check him with the metal detector till it finally beeped (thanx to the rivet on his jeans) and he walked inside with a big smile on his face.

I guess he was the first desparate security check seeker at the Taj Baroda.

Value of Human Life

Yesterday we met a few of our friends over dinner and needless to say the current health crisis due to Swine Flu was discussed. As always people had contrary opinions on how the government should handle the crisis etc but comments from one particular friend shocked me. He said: “We should not make it a big deal and close down things in Hong Kong as it will curb our entertainment. At the most a few hundred poor people will die from Swine Flu and for that I should not be punished.”

I was shocked because first of all Swine Flu is not only affecting poor and secondly we have lost respect for human life. Today entertainment has become more important than saving human life. It is very easy to say it over a drink but very difficult for families of people who unfortunately get affected by such health tragedies.

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