Disqus - Friends of da_master

Re: India's Rural Innovations: Can They Scale?

Semil Shah — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:28:17 -0000

Hi,

Nice post. Have you ever come across Prof. Anil Gupta from the IIM-A and his Honey Bee Network for rural innovations? www.honeybee.org

-Semil

Re: The Challenge of Scaling Indian Innovation

Semil Shah — Mon, 11 May 2009 19:16:21 -0000

I am thrilled to see Prof. Anil Gupta's blog here and would personally encourage anyone interested in innovation to learn more about him and this Honey Bee Network. Their web site is inspiring and the videos they have collected from rural India are extremely thought-provoking. Thank you for posting this great stuff!

Semil Shah

Principal, India Strategy Consultingb

Re: India's Informal Economy and the Global Recession

Semil Shah — Fri, 22 May 2009 15:27:52 -0000

In response to Miguel's comments about Brazil:

1. I do not think that both types of economies can exist together in a country in a "formal" way. It would take away from the definition and also create perverse incentives for economic activity to become less transparent.

2. India will likely pull out of the recession in better shape than Brazil, yes, but once Brazil sorts out its own internal struggles, it is has a very strong, sustainable position and will likely compete with India in some sectors; it is also closer to the USA and in the same time zone, which helps. Language, however, is another issue.

Re: Empathy: Not Such a Soft Skill

Semil Shah — Thu, 28 May 2009 20:29:00 -0000

Katherine,

This post is a valuable contribution to the current debate swirling around the politics of the word "empathy." Perhaps one reason this skill is (incorrectly) considered "soft" is because it's hard to measure -- we only know it when we see it, or when we feel it.

-Semil

Re: Why We Created the MBA Oath

Semil Shah — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:50:33 -0000

Hello readers,

I’ve been thinking about the creation of and the influential press surrounding the MBA Oath, which was born a few weeks ago at Harvard Business School. I must admit that upon first glance, I was very skeptical of the idea. Over the past week, I’ve read over the oath and tried to reconcile its core conceptual principles with the injustices I’ve seen and read about over the past decade. And, in that time, I’ve come to welcome this initiative by Max Anderson and his fellow classmates, if for nothing it will contribute to a conversation and might just change attitudes and behavior, if ever so slightly.

I should also state, in the interest of disclosure, that I am friends with Mr. Anderson and, as an individual, find him to be a smart, bright, positive, and honest person—and devoted husband and father. I also know him from the Kennedy School of Government, where he also received a master’s degree, and where Professor Marshall Ganz’s course on organizing is so popular that the Obama campaign has successfully used and continues to use the techniques developed by Mr. Ganz.

With that out of the way, I return to the tenets of The MBA Oath (listed at www.mbaoath.org). While the ideals listed in the Oath are commendable, I believe that they do not directly nor adequately address many of the corporate excesses that have given MBAs—whether from Harvard or any other school—a bad name.

In the interest of being constructive, here are some areas that strike me as important enough to put more “teeth” behind such a public oath and declaration:

Governance: What will Oath takers promise with respect to their interactions with federal and state regulators, the use of corporate tax loopholes and offshore tax havens, and their involvement in boards of directors, both in corporations and nonprofits?

Human Resources: What will Oath takers promise to do in terms of hiring decisions, practices, and metrics for evaluation? Will Oath takers become managers who encourage their employees to volunteer and engage in civic activities in local communities on company time?

Pay: What will MBA Oath takers pledge to do when it comes to executive pay relative to what shareholders receive? What will be their positions on golden parachutes and prearranged severance packages? Will they promote philanthropy, both on a corporate and individual level? And, will they share equity in their ventures with employees at every level of the business?

I believe in Max as an individual and the principles he has learned, both at Harvard Business School and the Kennedy School of Government, as well as in his ability to smart draw from his diverse professional, personal, and community experiences and turn them into a new call for action. I also know that Max would answer each of the questions posed above with a firm commitment to be as fair as he can be and honor those principles.

The real question is: Will others?

Re: Going Beyond MBA Oaths

Semil Shah — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 14:45:19 -0000

While the ideals listed in the Oath are commendable, I believe that they do not directly nor adequately address many of the corporate excesses that have given MBAs—whether from Harvard or any other school—a bad name.

In the interest of being constructive, here are some areas that strike me as important enough to put more “teeth” behind such a public oath and declaration:

Governance: What will Oath takers promise with respect to their interactions with federal and state regulators, the use of corporate tax loopholes and offshore tax havens, and their involvement in boards of directors, both in corporations and nonprofits?

Human Resources: What will Oath takers promise to do in terms of hiring decisions, practices, and metrics for evaluation? Will Oath takers become managers who encourage their employees to volunteer and engage in civic activities in local communities on company time?

Pay: What will MBA Oath takers pledge to do when it comes to executive pay relative to what shareholders receive? What will be their positions on golden parachutes and prearranged severance packages? Will they promote philanthropy, both on a corporate and individual level? And, will they share equity in their ventures with employees at every level of the business?

Re: The Best Cover Letter I Ever Received

Semil Shah — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:40:33 -0000

Hi David,

Generally, I agree with you that cover letters need to be short, sweet, and to the point. Of course, it helps if someone sends the letter after trying to network into the job-giver. And, by human nature, most reviewers look at the resume first, and then the cover letter, even though conventions have job seekers put the cover letter first. However, the letter could also signal a writer's ability to craft language, persuade, and get noticed. Therefore, I wouldn't go so far as to call this letter the best you've received, but maybe for that particular job at that particular time. (Sidenote: Maybe a column on cover e-mails?) In general, though, the point should be made that cover letters, let alone resumes, rarely get looked at unless someone on the inside points the decisionmaker to the actual item. Sad but true.

Re: The Key to Innovation in India: Co-Location

Semil Shah — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:27:25 -0000

To VV and VJ:

Thank you for your comments.

I agree, too, that it is dangerous for one to generalize about quality and scale of the India's engineering talent. I, too, have read these studies and concur with the findings. On the other hand, though I don't make any statement about scale, it's worth noting that, considering India's growth rate and its development arc, it may never be the case that the country has enough talent to fill all these needs. In some of my work with the world's top engineering schools who conduct research in India, many of the funders claim they need MORE engineering talent.

However, in terms of the small argument I want to advance here -- namely that global firms that are trying to crack difficult problems should look to India, where they can find talent, perhaps not in the scale you discuss -- the scale piece is left out and done so purposefully.

Your comments are well-taken, however, and I have added this topic to my writing list and hope to address it on its own in another column.

-Semil

Re: Win a London weekend worth over £1,000 - Travel tips and inspiration - British Airways High Life

Semil Shah — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:19:17 -0000

My dream has been to take my wife to London to just eat the wonderful Indian food around the city.

Re: Climbing the wrong hill

Semil Shah — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:06:36 -0000

Hi Chris,

As always, an elegant idea. I had a thought motivated by this idea of "climbing up the wrong hill," as I've been involved in some startups (and a big one right now), one of my advisers said something that struck me: He said, "Hey, make sure you're seen as the glue, not a lego." He was implying that b/c I'm around a lot of scientists, and technologists, etc. that people with more general skills and backgrounds need to make sure they are seen as vital to the connective tissue of the enterprise--and not as an interchangeable part.

Re: What’s strategic for Google?

Semil Shah — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 15:59:34 -0000

This is my favorite Cdixon.org post to date. Very applicable to many other sectors and instructive. Another good take on Google's announcement today about cloud Docs is by @Furrier, located here: http://siliconangle.com/blo...

Re: Thoughts on stealth mode

Semil Shah — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:30:36 -0000

Rafael, there are some instances, in my opinion, where acting "stealthy" is useful. In my experiences, this works only when you and your team actually have something big, and have lined up the right personnel & board, and that you've had enough discussions w/ experts to validate the idea. Then, before having more serious conversations w/ partners, being a little stealthy actually creates a bit of desirable mystery. Or, so goes my experience. A time and place for everything, I guess. But, what I think you're writing about, and what Vivek is writing about, is that folks who have copyable tech or consumer ideas should just freely talk about them. I agree. We do the same; yet, when we are around someone whom we know could do this, too, we act differently. We don't really think about it -- it's just instinct.

Re: Too much foursquare

Semil Shah — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 16:59:22 -0000

But, the data ultimately isn't for the user, it's for 4sq to sell to marketers and retailers; therefore, they have an incentive to use default settings that help them maximize this. Or, maybe I heard your argument incorrectly.

Re: Response to Dear MBAs who want to work at startups

Semil Shah — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 15:32:09 -0000

I think this is a good first response. You should follow it up with something titled along the lines of: "The case for MBAs adding value to start-ups." In this piece, don't counter-punch on some guy's post. Don't worry about it. Rather, make an anecdotal case on what you see yourself at HBS this year and how a savvy startup won't let any biases rooted in jealousy, prejudice, etc. overcome their desire to find talent that can execute and deliver. Of course, what traditional start up looks for in a potential hire is evidence of having built something or executed against something, and that typically hasn't been what blue chip MBA admissions boards have been looking for. Anyway, I digress...but, I think you can write this article, and it's worthwhile to add to the debate.

Re: AVC to go every other day

Semil Shah — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 07:21:32 -0000

Hi Fred, I like your columns and use them for a different field (life sciences) some times. However, I didn't realize you posted everyday. Why not just post when you feel like you've got something to say, rather than a daily digest? Less may more and your writing style is of course excellent. Looking forward to more "irregular" posts ;)

Re: Pharma's Future Depends on These Three Trends

Semil Shah — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 16:39:44 -0000

Sunil, are you considering regenerative medicine and stem cells within personalized medicine?

Re: India's Elephantine Legal System: Tips for Start-Ups

Semil Shah — Tue, 04 May 2010 01:05:42 -0000

Hello all:

Thank you for the comments on this short article. I'd like to quickly address some of the comments made and hopefully clarify other items:

1. I agree w/ Mr. Kotla that a good Chartered Accountant is a must, and that these papers can be filed within a month. That was our experience, too. Setting up the entity can be done easily; it's finding the right legal structures that can get fuzzy at times.

2. Mohan, I did not present India unfairly. I am simply documenting my experience and trying to extrapolate where necessary in order to draw some lessons.

3. Nirmalya, I would love to supply more data points and begin a conversation with you about this. Please feel free to email me and I look forward to hearing from you.

4. Mr. Patwardhan, I didn't mean to imply that the Indian legal system is bad. I don't think I ever said that. It's just very complex, and very difficult to navigate. The point you are trying to make assumes that I have a negative view of the Indian legal environment, which isn't true.

5. Jason, I'm sorry but I don't understand your comment/story.

Thanks to all again,

Semil

Re: The Only Real Solution to Apple's Antenna Problem

Semil Shah — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:11:39 -0000

Informative, logical, and well-written. Nice article. Especially liked the analysis related to the financial hit being spread across two-quarters.

Re: Thinking out loud about an idea: Ride Sharing

Semil Shah — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:21:19 -0000

Bijan, check out guys at www.zimride.com

Re: Turning "No" into "Yes" in India

Semil Shah — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:15:37 -0000

Hi Pankaj, thanks. Yes, I also believe in this trend you articulate.

Re: Turning "No" into "Yes" in India

Semil Shah — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:16:19 -0000

Hi Manu, exactly. One-third the battles is anticipating the "no" and having a response!

Re: Turning "No" into "Yes" in India

Semil Shah — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:17:02 -0000

Hi Dilip, perhaps this is why JVs are so often used?

Re: Turning "No" into "Yes" in India

Semil Shah — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:17:43 -0000

Hi Chaul, you make an interesting distinction. Thank you.

Re: Turning "No" into "Yes" in India

Semil Shah — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:25:36 -0000

Thanks, Sundeep. In our case, above, we are discussing medical engineering technologies. Typically, yes, GoI is suspicious but also follows the international science and recognizes that certain technologies will have to be imported eventually.

Re: What A CEO Does (continued)

Semil Shah — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 12:55:37 -0000

Fred, Matt: One thing that this post reminded me of with respect to "cash in the bank" are the financial metrics that Matt points out. I had an old boss who called these "Critical Numbers", which were often ratios, and he spent countless hours talking about these to staff and getting his staff to recognize these ratios and talk about them themselves. Most everyone likes games and scores, so this fits into most cultures.