Month: March 2011

  • Monkeys, Rules and Insurgents

    There was this forward that did the rounds about 8 years back, about how businesses are run. It involved 8 monkeys, bananas and a ladder. I’m going to repeat it here for the benefit of those not familiar with it. Those who know it already, skip and read the rest please.

    Put eight monkeys in a room. In the middle of the room is a ladder, leading to a bunch of bananas hanging from a hook on the ceiling. Each time a monkey tries to climb the ladder, all the monkeys are sprayed with ice water, which makes them miserable. Sooner enough, whenever a monkey attempts to climb the ladder, all of the other monkeys, not wanting to be sprayed, set upon him and beat him up. Soon, none of the eight monkeys ever attempts to climb the ladder.

    One of the original monkeys is then removed, and a new monkey is put in the room. Seeing the bananas and the ladder, he wonders why none of the other monkeys are doing the obvious, but, undaunted, he immediately begins to climb the ladder. All the other monkeys fall upon him and beat him silly. He has no idea why. However, he no longer attempts to climb the ladder.

    A second original monkey is removed and replaced. The newcomer again attempts to climb the ladder, but all the other monkeys hammer the crap out of him. This includes the previous new monkey, who, grateful that he’s not on the receiving end this time, participates in the beating because all the other monkeys are doing it. However, he has no idea why he’s attacking the new monkey.

    One by one, all the original monkeys are replaced. Eight new monkeys are now in the room. None of them have ever been sprayed by ice water. None of them attempt to climb the ladder. All of them will enthusiastically beat up any new monkey who tries, without having any idea why. And that’s how any company’s policies get established.

    What reminded me of this? Tom Fishburne’s recent post on ‘low interest’ categories, in which he talks about how “marketers often limit ourselves by the conventional rules of a particular category”. The induction and experiences thereafter changes us from, to use Seth Godin’s words, insurgents to incumbents.

    In these times of “hit the ground running”, is it too much to ask of companies to allow new hires to just give their perspectives on the brand and organisational processes in the first month? I too believe that for the brand team, these perspectives are a great representation of the end consumer. With all the money spent on data mining and consumer research, this ‘free’ sample is given a pass, perhaps because, just like the industries itself, even businesses internally fear disruption.

    Over a period of time, the brand’s custodians tend to lose their objectivity and processes unfortunately have a way of becoming the ends rather than the means. And that’s where ‘culture’ can make a difference. Know any companies who foster this?

    until next time, this is the way things are undone 🙂

  • Egonomy

    One of the reasons why I liked Gary more than the other two judges in Masterchef was that he played a perfect balance – maintaining that certain amount of gravitas that his role demanded while regularly showing that he really didn’t seem to take himself that seriously.

    The best example of that was the show before the finals when there was a role reversal and the judges cooked while the contestants judged. Not only did he take part in some delightful banter, but his reaction when the ‘judges’ found a bone in his dish (strict no-no) was completely priceless.

    Mind you, as the accomplishments and the episodes of MasterClass would show you, Gary is damn good at what he does. And yet, its as though he has not allowed any of that to touch him. Which leads me to the thought I’m pondering over – is the lack of ego a function of having complete faith in oneself? If, for a moment, we leave aside the argument that a ‘certain amount of ego’ is necessary for living out this life, is the thought plausible? If the faith in self is absolute, will the ego have no reason to exist or will it completely take over since it has all the reason to exist?

    until next time, egologic

  • Origiin

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  • Nando’s

    The review was first published in Bangalore Mirror, this one isn’t peri peri different, just a few changes.

    30 countries spread over 5 continents, but now, we’re just one Big 10 away from our chance to sample what they call the Nando’s “experi-perience”. An international chain of casual dining restaurants that originated in South Africa, Nando’s has a Portuguese – Mozambique theme, and is famous for the Peri Peri sauces.

    Since it’s Church Street, I am not competent enough to offer any suggestions on parking. We reached there early – around 7.30, my strategically selected Nandosts and I, and found ourselves among the first lot of customers for the evening. The snag therefore was a constantly hovering service staff, whom we finally had to politely but firmly fend off.

    The decor and furniture are quite a few notches above casual dining. Bright colors and music that goes with the restaurant’s theme ensure that there’s a buzz to the place. The unique tablemats and the famous bottles of sauce only add to the setting. My friends noted that this setting was quite different from their Nando’s experience abroad.

    The menu screams chicken. Loads of it – liver, wings, chicken meals, Espetada and so on. But vegetarians need not be completely put off since they have quite a few options including salads, hummus, burgers and several side dishes. Zomato has the menu and a few photos. Like all the other chains that pay homage to the uniqueness that’s India, Nando’s does too, in the form of a Peri Peri Paneer. There are also a few interesting beverages and dessert options. Note the conversational tone of the menu and the occasional witticisms and wordplay.

    We decided to start with the Indianised offering – Peri Peri Paneer, with the Extra hot sauce. It wasn’t as spicy as we expected, but still managed to deliver. The Petisco platter would’ve worked if not for the chicken wings, which were not only undercooked – a problem that was repeated later with the Quarter Chicken Meal, but suffered from an uneven distribution of spiciness. Its other flaw was the pita bread, though the hummus was quite good.

    The Chicken Espetada Rustica, in the main course, was quite a visual treat, in addition to being a reasonably tasty dish, despite the deceptively bland butter. The Chicken Strips & Rice also proved a good choice though the rice could have done with more flavour. The potato wedges were surprisingly good. The Chicken Wrap was a complete disaster, with the wrap taking its role too seriously. The sauces, famed for their spice were more tangy than hot.

    Except for the Natas, the desserts failed to make any impact. Ditto the beverages, though we expected much from the Crimson Cola and the Poncha Zurra Tinto. So that should give you an idea of Nando’s and dont’s. Meanwhile, the portion sizes are not that great for the Quarter Meal and Chicken Strips, so a full stomach is not guaranteed.

    The service is a bit patchy, especially when the crowd grows. Though there were no delays in taking orders or serving the dishes, refilling water promptly is a skill that needs to be learned when dealing with spicy stuff.

    Go there you must, to know what makes the African Bird’s Eye chilli so famous, but though it’s definitely different from the regular chicken stereotype, you’ll wonder whether it’s really worth the hype. Nando’s does need to polish its act for sustained prosperi-perity.

    Nando’s, 1A Church Street, Bangalore – 1. Tel: 65681480

  • Weekly Top 5

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