Business Strategy e-Magazine October 2021 Issue 16

The beginning month of Autumn 2021 - September brought a bit of relief from long spell of Covid 19 wave. World starts to open its arms slowly into fearless streets and offices.

While SpaceX took off 4 tourists to the space, the topic of Aliens and UFOs stirred around the power corridors. What if they actually make a first contact? How would the business and economy be affected? This is the content of the first featured article of the issue.

John Spence, one of the top 50 thought leaders & executive coaches writes about the best possible strategy to be opted by corporate leaders to revive from Covid crisis. Paolo Gallo gives us another inspirational article on dare to learn new normal. Leonard Kanime elaborates investments into sports as a business option in Namibia.

Dr. Neeta Pant explains the strat-

egy to unlock an abundant mind that enables the release of maximum power as a person and as a professional. I have penned an article on women empowerment through different models.

Hoping that you will like the content and choice of topics in this issue.

Please write your feedback and enquiry to

contact@business-strategy.in

Thank You

Dr. Vaneeta Aggarwal

www.Lstrategyq.com

www.business-strategy.in

Disclaimer - The Magazine producers and editors are not responsible for any views, opinions and information provided by the writers. The content produced here is copyright of Business strategy e-magazine and cannot be reproduced in part or full form without official approval. Any graphics depicted within the magazine are solely for symbolic representation and are taken from stock free options.

Before we delve into the world of UFOs and aliens, which were previously confined to scifi fiction and the odd conspiracy theory, let’s acquaint ourselves with some updated facts:

figure out what that is.”- Barrack Obama said on “The Late Show with James Corden” on CBS.

He, needlessly perhaps, prepended the statement with,

“ Well, when it when it comes to al -

In this age of intrigue, perhaps young people are the only ones who genuinely depict the world around them. It would have been easy to tag President Trump’s tweets as a subversive mind’s work unless the more mainstream President Obama decided to join the party.

“What is true, and I’m actually serious here, is that there are, there’s footage and records of objects in the skies, that we don’t know exactly what they are. We can’t explain how they moved, their trajectory. They did not have an easily explainable pattern. And so, you know, I think that people still take seriously trying to investigate and

iens, there’s some things I just can’t tell you on air.”

And for the last part of our fact-checking, here’s a former Israeli Space Chief speaking in an interview to Yediot Aharonot, Eshed – who served as the head of Israel’s space program for nearly 30 years and is a threetime recipient of the Israel Security Award – “Israel and the US have both been dealing with aliens for years”.

And this by no means refers to immigrants, with Eshed clarifying the existence of a ‘Galactic Federation.’

The 87-year-old former head of the Defence Ministry’s Space Di -

Source: The Exponent, a student-run newspaper located at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville.

vision gave further descriptions about exactly what sort of agreements have been made between the aliens and the US, which ostensibly have been made because they wish to research and understand “the fabric of the universe.” This cooperation includes a secret underground base on Mars, where there are American and alien representatives.” SourceNewsweek

The world’s really gone mad, hasn’t it, or is it the gradual disclosure of a closely guarded secret by some of the most influ -

ential people on Earth. Either way, the vastness of the universe almost inevitably means a strong possibility of intelligent extra-terrestrial life. So sooner or later, we will contact it. And if the above indications are anything to go by, it’s going to be on the sooner side.

As business leaders very well know, information is crucial to success. If we are nearing the first contact, it helps to be aware of the potential changes it might bring to the world and eventually business.

We now know about the topic and that it might not be fake news or a piece of fiction. Please, by all means, go ahead and verify the linked sources). Once we are done with that, let’s get down to business; what do aliens mean for businesses.

A Changed Market People and their beliefs and

take this literally; it is meant to illustrate how markets might develop or contract from mimicking ETs. Intelligent adopters are an exception to the rule of blind hysteria. Another possible consequence of coming in contact with ETs is the expansion of potential markets. While it is more probable that they are technologically more advanced. Still,

value systems will undergo a massive change due to coming in contact with alien life. This means the market and consumer behaviour will change with it. It is difficult to predict the exact changes. Still, herbivore aliens with advanced technology might encourage vegans and result in a more widespread following among humans. Please don’t

our books, paintings, thoughts might find many takers among different species with different values. They might not like particular works or thought schools. However, the fantastic diversity of the corpus of human achievement will most certainly appeal to some of them. Storytelling is perhaps the leading contender as a human trait admired by al -

ien life forms. It is the medium through which human beings conceive them, which might not be a simple coincidence.

A Differently Skilled Workforce

Different species will perhaps mean different abilities. So, businesses might consider hiring this psychic alien who can predict the success of marketing campaigns with significant accuracy. But, then, another species might work 22 hours seven days a week with more productivity rates than the average human counterpart. Instead of treating such abilities as a threat, it would be wiser to utilize them to our advantage. At the same time, human employees continue their jobs in which they are experts. In a sense, the inclu -

sive workforce movement going on at the present moment might be a precursor to an inter-planetary talent pool for businesses to choose from. Admittedly, the basis of alien society need not necessarily be work, output, earnings, and profit. Still, we are sure to have something that they need. Otherwise, they would not be here. And that need opens up the opportunity for trade.

Opportunity For Technical Enhancement

If UFO footage is anything to go by, aliens are definitely more advanced in technological terms, at least in aviation and possibly in other fields as well. That can spur the development of the next generation of tech-enabled products and services. Their advanced space flight capabilities

also mean that humanity will finally be able to move out into space. The human population is growing too rapidly for the world to sustain it in the long term. Advanced space flight tech might let the human population migrate to other liveable worlds scientifically called exoplanets.

The Very Basis Of Human Life Might Change

Let’s see the world from the point of view of an ordinary human being. Why does he go to school, basically? So that he can find or create employment. Why does he need that? Because he needs food and other material comforts. Now, theoretically, quantum mechanics might let us develop food synthesizing machines that create food from nowhere. AI and Machine Learning can take care of almost all tasks that do not require imagination. Ais’ are these days even inventing stuff, though they don’t get the legal credit for their inventions. In short, the very structure of the human way of life can potentially change. It is almost impossible to predict what will happen accurately. Still, businesses need to be aware that

such an enormous change might be round the corner. They need to make their organizations flexible to be best prepared to meet the challenges of such a world. The present state of disruptive tech development might simply be an appetizer!

It Will Change The Political Status Quo

Many Indians wrongly assume that UFOs sightings are a Western phenomenon. That is far from the truth, as this article from The Times of India shows. Further, in most cases, Indians simply don’t know what UFOs are primarily in our ru -

ral regions. Finally, the impact of the First Contact on the political sphere is another critical change that is likely to take place. Will aliens interact with us as nations, or will there be a one-world government that will take over and guide humanity to its space-faring fate? Perhaps it is this political conundrum that keeps serious discussions of a multi-species galaxy out of public discourse. Regardless, it appears the moment is at hand.

These are the primary ways in which first contact and its ensuing intermingling with other species might affect businesses. But, of course, there are plenty of others, including many that we cannot possibly foresee. I am for the ark and not the flood, and I hope you are too!

INTERNATIONAL COLUMN

Covid has caused a tremendous amount of turmoil for every organization. Many of the companies I work with have had to make dramatic changes to how they do business. As one CEO I work with said, “One day I had 168 employees, and the next day I had 168 field offices.” As a result of the pandemic, companies have been forced to re-imagine how they sell their products and services. As we transition back into a hybrid form of working, several of my clients are revisiting their strategies to adjust them to the new realities of the marketplace. If you face a similar challenge, here are a few ideas that might help you.

Differentiate

The first and most important idea about strategy sounds quite simple, but it is exceedingly hard to implement.

All effective strategy is just valued differentiation multiplied by disciplined execution

In other words, a winning strategy focuses on delivering products and services that meet these four criteria.

• Unique and compelling.

• Highly valued by your target customer.

• Difficult if not impossible to copy.

• You can consistently deliver it with excellence.

Go back and read that a few times, then I challenge you to sit down and figure out exactly how your business meets these criteria. It is not easy.

By the way, this does not mean that your products/services have to have all sorts of fancy new features or special pricing. On the contrary, you can own a market segment by understanding what the customer wants and delivering it better than your competition. It may not be sexy, but consistently nailing the fundamentals is a great way to win and keep customers.

Top Talent

Even the best strategy is useless if your people cannot execute it effectively. No matter what kind of business you run, the success of your organization is directly dependent on the quality of the people that you can get, grow, and keep on your team. Based on my research and working with hun-

dreds of companies worldwide, here is a list of what it takes to attract and retain top talent.

1. Fair pay - This is defined as 10% above or below what they would make to do the same job elsewhere. If you have parity on pay, it goes away as a major motivator.

2. Challenging and meaningful work - People would get out of bed in the morning and go to work for a pay-check, they will jump up out of bed and go do their best work for purpose. Your employees need to feel that what they do is important and they are making a difference to your customers and the world.

3. Cool colleagues - Highly talented people want to work on a team with other high performers. If you put on a team with mediocre people, one of two things will happen. Either their performance will drop to mediocre, or they will get frustrated and leave.

4. Winning culture - Great employees want to work in an organization with a culture that is values-based, where they enjoy the work they do and the peo-

ple they work with and get adequate recognition and praise.

5. Personal growth - To keep great people you need to invest in their development. Your team members need to feel that they are smarter at the end of the month than they were at the beginning. They expect you to send them to seminars, training classes, and mentor them.

6. Professional growth - To keep the top level employee they have to feel that there is a place for them in the company five years down the road. If they do not see a clear career path, it will go someplace where they are offered one.

7. Leader I trust, respect, and admire - This is the single most important element in attracting and keeping top talent. People don’t quit jobs, they quit their immediate boss/manager.

Allocating Limited Resources

All strategy is based on the allocation of scarce resources (even Google does not have unlimited resources). Therefore, it is critical that you figure out how to deploy these resources equally as important, where you will not allocate

resources. In other words, a huge part of strategy is deciding when to say “no.”

An Educated Guess

Although I have conducted many strategic planning sessions, I always have to remember this important fact: we’re just guessing. Even with the best data, tons of market research, and a robust planning methodology, it is still just a very educated guess at the end of the day.

Consistency

I often see organizations changing their strategy any time the wind blows in a different direc-

tion. A competitor brings out a new product, one customer complains about something, the CEO reads an article and everything changes. It is critical to stay focused on your strategy unless the market absolutely demands that you change it.

Execute

Lastly, perhaps the most important, is that the world’s best plan is utterly useless if you don’t execute it. I teach an executive-level seminar on strategic thinking and strategic planning at the Wharton School of Business for the last 21 years. Every year I ask my class, “What percentage of companies

that have a good strategic plan effectively execute their plan?” The answer every year has been 10 to 15%. There is no lack of brilliant people who can develop uber-impressive strategies. However, there is a huge lack of people who can take those strategies and turn them into reality in the marketplace. So to me, it is important to spend just as much time talking about how to execute the plan as you put into creating the plan.

There are other things I can add to this list. Still, if you do these things exceedingly well, you will set your organization up for success in even the most challenging times.

AUTHOR: John Spence

John Spence is an author, international executive coach, professional development educator, virtual trainer, strategic planning facilitator, keynote speaker and developer of online learning programs. John is recognized as one of the top business thought leaders and leadership development experts in the world and was named by the American Management Association as one of America’s Top 50 Leaders to Watch along with Sergey Brin and Larry Page of Google and Jeff Bezos of Amazon.

The recent captivating moments at Tokyo 2020 Olympics by the two young Namibian female athletes- Christine Mboma and Beatrice Masilingi cannot be left without being further authored. Despite the challenges faced by the two youthful athletes prior to the game, the charismatic youthful sports persons and their coach went out with the zeal and bravery to surprise the world and put Namibia in the world view. Certainly, so many people have been searching the country- Namibia, even other athletes, who were in the running squad with the two Namibian athletes should have been searching the country after the race.

Sport continues to be one of the major tools for many countries’ publicity and Namibia is no exception, but do we (Namibia) and Africa, as a whole, invest in this sector to uplift the livelihoods of many youths through various local and regional sporting events? Namibia has many Frankie Fredricks, Harry Simons, Masilingis and Mbomas, but the lack of

sport infrastructural development makes majority of aspiring athletes’ dreams go down the valleys, unrecognised and un mentored. Sport is a great way for youths to get active, it teaches teamwork, healthy habits, self-discipline and so many other social skills, all of which are important factors in the youth development. Majority of youths

T he Tokyo 2020 Namibia’s Olympians, a tale of success has many fathers...

with innate capacities in Namibia have no access to sport infrastructures countrywide. The inequalities in the Namibia school system mean that children often have fewer opportunities to participate and showcase their skills in sport from early ages. There are so many organisations in the country that can contribute to the sport development, but they never pay attention to investing in this sector, not to mention the government with the mandate to enable the environment to accommodate more sport facilities.

Surprisingly, so many of these or -

ganisations have been trotting in media with congratulations and well wishes towards the two To -

kyo 2020 Namibia’s Olympians, and at the same time indirectly marketing their presences to attract new clients and customers without endorsements. Not to mention the price of the congratulatory adverts, which would be equivalent to buying a sport gear. And during that time, another aspiring youth from Ohangwena region was pleading for sponsorship to participate in the regional competition, I wonder if any of these organisations came to rescue after seeing Namibia’s Tokyo 2020 Olympians making

waves in the sport scene. It’s a good deed for organisations to show solidarity and patriotism, but at the same time, it should be awakening moment towards sport development in the country, to address the lack of sport facilities that inhibit so many talents, Namibia would have.

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics representation by Namibia, should give us a good picture on why Namibia was not represented in various sport codes. And with no sport classes in many schools or with one class per week dedicated to sport, discovering and grooming talents is a far-fetched dream and we expect the country to be represented by many sportsmen and women in sport events like Olympics. We should as corporate organisations invest in sport facilities, nurturing and

sponsoring the talents to take part in local and regional sport events, not only to come in at the end with adverts, banners, slogans and enchantments. Let us be the part of the process not only the results. I am sure, Coach Henk Botha and other coaches have so many aspiring athletes around, but the lack of resources to groom all of them should be an inhibitor.

How Will A Potential First Contact Impact Businesses?

AUTHOR:

LEONARD KANIME

Leonard Kanime, (Namibia), Holds an MBA from Assam Don Bosco University, India and Master of Mass Communication, Tezpur University, India. he writes in his personal capacity.

These are the first words spoken by the monster that has just been brought to life by Dr. Frankenstein in one of the many movie versions of Mary Shelley’s 1818 masterpiece.

Since the first industrial revolution, humankind has been split into two opposing factions: the optimists, who believe that technological progress leads to a general improvement in people’s lives thanks mainly to job creation; and the pessimists, who hold the exact opposite.

Both perspectives are supported by valid arguments. But today we live in a society marked by exponential, disruptive technological changes, the effects of which drive a speed of implementation never seen before. So the questions you should be asking are: In a context of continual transformation,

• How should I behave?

• What skills should I leverage and

• Which ones should I learn?

With markets, demand, competitors, products and produc -

tion technologies are changing at lightning-fast speed, how do I plan business activities?

For people with management role, what’s the key to making sure that the company stays competitive and employees and colleagues stay relevant?

To answer the last question, to stay competitive and relevant successful companies invest in ongoing skills training for their work force, both to keep up with incessant technological innovations (or hard skills), and to reinforce and enhance personal abilities (or soft skills). Because

To stand out in world that’s constantly changing, there’s an ever-greater need for group skills.

All of us, both personally and professionally, have to learn to navigate by two fundamental coordinates: keep listening/learning and stay connected, with people. Not listening means cutting yourself off from the context; if you don’t know where you are, you’ll have a hard time figuring out where to go. Disconnecting from people means giving up on listening to them, but the paths that others travel can lead you to opportunities that you nev-

“It is man who created me, but it is I who shall be master.”

er would have thought possible travelling on your own path.

Everyone, from students to professors, from top managers to retirees, from introverts to fervent networkers – we all need to commit to a requirement we can no longer put off: to reinforce and refresh the personal skills we’ll need to face the changes of the future.

Here are just a few, taken from the lists compiled by the World Economic Forum and the OECD:

• leadership

• empathy

• team building

• autonomy

• flexibility

• adaptability

• planning and organizing

• problem solving

• communication.

Possessing these skills is important to be sure, but they take on value only if there’s a common thread connecting them all. And for the soft skills of daily life, the fil rouge is the ability to create, manage and maintain interpersonal relationships over time. Some are naturally good at this, others not so much, but it’s a skill that we can (and must) acquire, with effort and constant training, applying practices that come in relational moments called ‘networking. After forty-some years since the introduction of the first computers, we’ve finally learned a lesson: ‘they’ win the race in speed and precision, while ‘we’

can still win the ‘race’ of relationships, by growing empathy, creativity, the ability to create people/ discipline connections in various contexts.

To contend with machine learning we have to become learning machines. To sum up the skills that we need to develop, we can use the 4C’s: Creativity, Critical Thinking, Contextual Intelligence (the Ability to link different disciplines) and Collaboration.

Why collaboration? Because problems have gone from complicated to complex, calling for the capacity to build collaborative relationships with other units in the same system. But first we need to know how to create this system and maintain it over time. We can respond to Frankenstein’s monster by saying that human beings will stay at the center of this umpteenth revolution, with our knowledge, connections and relationships, based on trust and mutual respect. As long as we focus on continuing technical training, and we take special care to build up our soft skills, which are indispensable in a world that’s changing day by day.

Paolo Gallo, Speaker, Executive Coach and Author of “The Compass and the Radar”

Former CHRO, World Bank, USA & Former CLO, WEF, (Switzerland)

Gianfranco Minutolo, Founder of Corporate Consulting, Italy is speaker and author of many management & leadership books. (Italy)

BY DR. NEETA PANT

Many a times we have all heard and read – “The mind is everything, what you think, you become.” How true that is! A research from Stanford says that children who have a mindset in which they believe intelligence can be developed rather than is predetermined, are better able to overcome academic challenges and succeed. Basically, our mindset can bring success to us.

In life, our mindset determines which road we take and there are always two roads. One road is paved in Scarcity, whilst the other is of Abundance.

Henry Ford once stated –“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.” This profound statement suggests how our attitude and beliefs determine our success or failure. We may not realise it, but our self-limiting thoughts have a lasting impact on our lives. Positive reinforcements can help us make better choices, leading us to success. To get a better understanding of this, let’s explore what Abundance and Scarcity Mindset is.

What is a mindset? A mindset is nothing but the lens through

which we view the world, the way we understand and perceive things around us. A mindset can either support us or pull us down. We perceive situations either through lack and limitation, or through unlimited belief and possibility. And whatever lens we wear, that’s the kind of experience we end up creating.

SCARCITY MINDSET operates from the belief that there is not enough. Imagine life as a pie. If someone gets a bigger slice of the pie, then there is less available for others. Here, the pie represents limited possibilities, possibly even infinite. It characterises –

1. Belief that there will never be enough

2. Feeling of insecurity and anxiety

3. Inadequacy or jealousy

4. Clinginess for what we possess, out of fear

5. Settlement for less

6. Everything becomes a competition (Me vs. Others)

ABUNDANCE MINDSET

Operates from the belief that there is enough for everyone. Imagine yourself in a crowd, around lot of people who are breathing. Do we tell the other person – don’t breathe, because if you breathe then we will not get air to breathe? No, because we know that air is available in abundance. That’s what it’s about. It is with respect to three areas –

1. SELF : An Abundance Mindset operates from one’s core belief,

hence begins with the self. A person who has an Abundant Mindset believes that they are capable and adequate. There is a huge amount of belief and trust in ourselves and a feeling of being good enough, which leads to a lot of confidence. Additionally, there is the self-belief, ‘I will be able to deal with things.’

2. OTHERS: It’s not just about ourselves, but also the people around us. The belief is, ‘there are people in my world who will support me when I need them’, leading to a sense of emotional safety. A sense of collaboration and co-creation helps up not operate from mistrust, but from a sense of possibility with people around, which makes life beautiful.

3. WORLD: Abundance Mindset believes that the world is a safe space, and that we can explore the world and all the opportunities with a confidence, freedom, and fearlessness. When one is operating from that space, it creates a huge number of possibilities.

lessness, anger and sometimes frustration. If we feel any of these emotions related to relationships, health, work, people – chances are, we are operating from lack and limitation. The mental energy of a Scarcity Mindset is narrow thinking, tunnel vision, focus on negatives, ‘not enough’, ‘impossible’.

The orientation of a Scarcity Mindset is of a victim, whereas the orientation for an Abundance Mindset is of a creator. As victims, we are at the receiving end whereas creators have the power to create their own life experiences.

When we tend to have a Scarcity Mindset, the emotions we experience are anxiety, impatience, feelings of overwhelm, power -

Abundance Mindset, on the other hand, is the opposite of these emotions. It’s all about being hopeful, empowered, positive and excited about opportunities. The mental energy of an Abundance Mindset is flexibility, adaptability, creative thinking because then, we are always looking at what can be created. There is a sense of being non-judgemental

not only towards others, but also ourselves, and the thought process tends to be different. There is a non-judgemental and creative attitude toward life with a belief that the choice is with us and there’s always be another way to look at life.

Time to ponder upon our own mental chatter, as this will suggest which Mindset we operate from – Scarcity or Abundance? Are we born with an Abundance Mindset, or can we create it? The answer is – it can be consciously created.

STRATEGIES

TO BUILD AN ABUNDANCE MINDSET

1. Focus On What You Have

– If one is going for an interview, instead of thinking ‘There is so much competition in the market, how will I be able to beat them?’ or ‘Do I have enough skill sets?’ or ‘Am I good enough to be selected?’. These are all thoughts based on Scarcity that sees limitations instead of opportunities. Turn these thoughts to ‘I have an experience of 10 years in sales, have great communication skills, have good IT skills, there is no reason why I would not get through’. Those with an Abundant Mindset tend to only compare themselves for the vision and standards they set for themselves.

2. Choose Your Company

Wisely – Attitudes rub off, and if you are surrounded with people who have Scarcity Mindset, eventually it will impact your thinking too. As per Tony Robins, “The quality of a person’s life is most often a direct reflection of

the expectations of their peer group”. You need to look for people living the life you aspire for, who appreciate what they have.

3. Build Win-Win Situations

– We must try to create a winwin attitude in our lives to combat the Scarcity Mindset belief, that says if one person wins, another loses. Instead, we must look forward to ways where both sides can have a sense of accomplishment and a better feeling about the relationship. This would mean non-judgemental listening, empathy for others and finding solutions that satisfy both parties.

4. Express Gratitude – Oprah Winfrey says, “If you look at what you have in life, you will always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough.” When we express gratitude, it’s difficult to feel fear or sadness or any negative emotions. Gratitude improves one’s mental well-being as it impacts overall happiness – which is long-lasting. The best way is to maintain a gratitude journal

where we write even the simplest thing that we are grateful for, e.g., rain, flowers, sun rays.

5. Recognize Possibilities – We must start training our minds to move away from focusing on beliefs like ‘I can’t do it’ or ‘This is impossible’. Our brain absorbs these thoughts and hence, even if there are possibilities right in front of us, they can go completely unnoticed. An Abundance Mindset allows us to see more in our lives – more options, more choices, more resources and more possibilities. Remember – what we believe in is what we receive; create an expanded awareness that fosters the Abundance mentality.

6. Understand the Power of Words and Thoughts – What we think and say shapes our reality. Be mindful of what we are telling ourselves – stories of Scarcity or stories of Abundance. The Law of Manifestation asserts that our inner world reflects our outer reality, and that our thoughts and emotions determine what we manifest into the physical world around us.

7. Build Beyond a Growth Mindset – Move away from the belief that abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work. Be curious about other people and their experiences. Practice listening to others in -

stead of talking about yourself and offering advice. Reflection on our own beliefs in the light of other’s experiences and abilities would allow us to change and grow.

8. Think Like a Beginner – A beginner’s mindset is all about having the ability to maintain an attitude of openness, enthusiasm, willingness to override preconceptions, whilst encouraging us to learn and grow, defying an attitude of ‘I know it all’. Abundance Mindset craves learning and growth even when we have mastered the subject.

Keeping a Scarcity Mindset is difficult to begin with, but it has

the power to transform your life experience. People with an Abundant Mindset see the limitless possibilities in the world. Their focus in their daily life is on ‘What is working?’. The path we have travelled thus far is not set in stone, which is the beauty of life. We can change. Deciding to change paths is the first step.

AUTHOR:

Dr. Neeta Pant

Failure and success are but two ends of the same stick.”

“Thoughts of lack manifest as limitation. Thoughts of abundance manifest as success and happiness.

~

Ernest Holmes

Dr Neeta Pant is a Senior HR Professional, Clinical Psychologist, Executive Life Coach, Soft Skills Trainer, Graphologist, NLP Practitioner and Hypnotherapist (India)

Games are more than just fun, trust me. You can also choose not to and rely on data instead, and if you choose the latter, good for you. Just consider that in 2021 alone, the gaming industry was worth a large 178 billion USD. By 2025 market experts predict the industry will be worth 268.8 billion USD.

Statistics

Here are the projected figures as per Statista:

As might be expected, the US is one of the biggest markets, especially as it can be safely claimed that modern gaming began in the US. It would be, in fact, wrong to say just that the US is one of the biggest markets as it is THE most significant revenuewise. 2020 was a watershed year for the US gaming market as the market size surged to an all-time high of 66.88 billion USD. The projected figures came down a bit in 2021 to stand at 65.49 billion USD.

The Passion of Gamers

Gamers are well known for their passion for this interactive and immersive medium of storytelling and creative expression. Spending hour after hour trying to defeat a level boss or finding a way to progress further are part of the everyday life of an ardent gamer. However, in this context, one should also mention that some gamers take things a bit too far. They become addicted to something that is meant to be a leisurely pastime. There are instances where people died due to lack of nutrition as they were too engrossed with playing a game to eat. But most people are pretty much in control of their gaming habits and are passionate about the medium. And that is not at all a bad thing.

Getting Behind The Scenes

As with almost every aspect of modern life, tech has transformed the voodoo magic behind making games into something far more accessible and democratic. Today thanks to the public availability of powerful gaming engines for free or for an affordable cost, indie game developers had never had things this good. Un-

fortunately, any discussion about modern gaming engines remains incomplete without referring to the Unity and the Unreal gaming engines. Both come with advantages and disadvantages. The purpose or nature of the game should determine the choice of the game engine platform. However, don’t assume that making games are all about coding, as that couldn’t be further from the truth. In reality, five specialized professional fields together combine at sync to make a game a success. These fields are as follows:

2. Game designer

3. Game writer

4. Game artist

5. Game sound designer

Let’s explore the responsibilities or what you will be doing, the pay, and the career prospects of each role individually:

• Game Developer

Game developers are an integral part of the team, making the magic of story and play come to life. However, don’t assume that the contribution of a game developer is limited to coding solely.

1. Game developer

Au contraire they often have a significant role in the:

• Creating the story

• Outlining the game design

• Building prototypes

However, their core responsibility is to create or develop a game for use in one or more tech devices like consoles, PC or Mac, and mobile apps. Though generally, indie developers use existing game engines, the big players often custom code one according to the needs of the particular game. Game developers are responsible for game programming both while developing an engine from scratch or using existing ones. Besides game testing, game developers sometimes also play an essential part in the various ani-

mations that come with a game. They sometimes, though rarely, have to play their party in character design.

Like we mentioned earlier, the core responsibility of a game developer is to create scripts for your game. They are the people who take game storyboard ideas along with design specifications and fashion them into functional, playable games. Post-programming, troubleshooting, and fixing bugs is also an integral part of their job. The technical qualification of a game developer usually is a graduate degree in computer science or software engineering. They need to be exceptionally proficient in programming languages like Java, C++C#, and C. In addition, they must display ex-

(Image Source: Glassdoor)

traordinary technical and artistic skills.

Game developers earn about $70K per year.

• Game Designer

The essential task of a game designer is to create new games and help produce the required code in the appropriate programming language. In addition, game designers are entrusted with managing the project or software development team through the course of its entire life cycle. For this role, your passion for the whole video game concept needs to be exceptionally high. It is necessary as you will usually be the person who will pitch game ideas during meetings with the decision-making team. So, your

presentation, artistic and creative skills need to shine through.

Companies typically prefer candidates who have already proved themselves in a professional capacity and have boundless enthusiasm and passion for all things gaming. Therefore, it will be an advantage to have a game design degree. Otherwise, there are plenty of game designers who have come from a computer engineering background. Irrespective, the fact is that a game designer needs to be a skilled programmer. The last thing to mention about a game designer role is that you will need to create games for a wide variety of target audiences- from kids to adults.

Though on average figures there’s

not much difference between the pay of a game developer and designer, the latter earns significantly more in the early part of their career.

•Game Writer

Game writers are responsible for fleshing out the story that drives a game. This task includes subtasks like writing scripts that bear out the story. The way game writers present the story through their narrative style, and choice of words makes a game stand out in terms of its overall feel and flavor. You must have come across dialog between different game characters or perhaps a textual background of a level or game. Well, that was, in all probability, penned by a game writer. Their writing tasks are inclusive of menu text, game tutorials, and a

backend information database. Additionally, game writers need to create many creative works that an average player might never even get to see. Such writing includes game location details, character history, and dialog lines that don’t make the final cut. Of course, the players themselves are often oblivious of all such information. They nevertheless are a great aid to game designers and ensure that the game world remains coherent and free from contradictions. Further, they also document the story, which guides the work of the game development team. It is such coherence created by game writers, making up for an authentic, realistic, and immersive playing experience. A game writer earns about $5000 less per annum than the average

Source: Payscale

game developer.

• Game Artist

Gaming is a very, very visual and interactive medium. Often, the visual elements of a game give it that extra amount of oomph in the eyes of players almost literally! Game artists are responsible for creating such necessary art. Examples of such game art include characters, the surface texture of different game objects, vehicles, and character clothing. The art created by a game artist needs to be compelling and connect with the players at an emotional level. In addition, it reflects the game’s theme and style and even its branding. Game artists usually function as part of a larger team and are sometimes tasked with creating marketing visuals.

The animation, environment or levels, characters, and the game UI are created by game artists using specialized image and modeling software. A game artist is typically well aware of the precepts of classical art combined with mastery over graphic design tools. They use this art and software design tool skills to come up with:.’

• Backgrounds

• Characters

• Animation

• Texture

• Modeling

The last task of a game artist is to render the art assets correctly in the game world.

The average pay of a game artist

is significantly less than the other roles we mentioned above. The graphic on the top from Glassdoor should bring more clarity.

• Sound Designer

You must be acquainted with movie soundtracks and must have noticed that your favorite game has some immersive and impressive soundtrack. Soundtracks not only include the game music but Foley also. Now, Foley is a term through which we refer to game SFX or sound effects like rainfall, weapon firing sounds, footsteps, cheering sounds, and even crashes. A good sound design helps

make a game even more exciting by adding things like tempo and mood. In addition, it helps to set the perfect emotional setting in audio.

There is no fixed rule about when game sound designers step into the game development picture. Sometimes that starts right with the game development team or right from the brief. But, on the other hand, sometimes, the role of a sound designer comes into play when there is already a playable prototype. Then they add audio that complements the different game animations.

Typically, the first task of a sound designer is to create an SFX library. Then, they collaborate with composers and voice talents and sometimes even do outdoor audio shoots. Their goal is to create the finished game soundtrack, and to accomplish this need to mix, edit and master the same. Sound designers also test audio to make sure everything works in an intended way.

Audio designers, on average, earn

the least of all game industry professionals. However, it is still good enough to have a comfortable life. The following Glassdoor graphic should give you a basic idea.

So, now that you are suitably armed with all the required information regarding a career in the game industry, go ahead, work hard and enjoy the ride. Game industry work is, as one Michigan State University professor put it“hard fun.”

By STAFF WRITER

It would not be wrong to equate women’s empowerment with democracy. Interestingly enough, some of the moments of triumph for both have overlapped each other. And it has happened often during the last couple of centuries. It is all too easy to equate the two as two complementary positive development shaping human history.

But what is democracy to the layman? Of course, the vote. And often, that comes in exchange for a liquor bottle or a decent small payment. These kinds of practices might be more widespread than you might be tempted to think in the developing world.

But isn’t democracy something

greater? Is it not an awareness that lets the people sagaciously rule themselves?

The same is the case for women’s empowerment. For most people, it is a catchy buzzword that lends a golden halo to them or their organizations. The point is that it is something more significant than the surface of $100k salaries and hedonism. The end of women’s empowerment, like all higher order processes, is enlightenment. But the fact might be that women’s empowerment in education and employment leads to liberation and that they are merely steppingstones to women’s enlightenment or what netizens call woke. I would be going back to women’s

liberation in a bit.

I remember seeing a recent job post where the candidate needed to deride men to qualify for the position. Is it not then replacing one bias with another? There is, in fact, the term for it in the feminist glossary- misandry.

Another important thing that women need to be particularly beware of the poser feminist or Woke misogynist. There are many such people, and you don’t need to research quotes that Jeffrey Epstein or Bill Clinton made before scandals brought their downfall. Lastly, SWERF’s or “sex worker exclusionary radical feminists” are not foul feminists.

Feminist Schools

Women’s empowerment is inextricably linked to feminism, so a brief overview of the various feminist schools will help us understand it better.

• Inter sectional feminism

The inter sectional school of feminism not only seeks equal rights for women. Instead, it examines the overlapping women’s identities on various parameters and how they are related to the discrimination and oppression

women experience.

• Transfeminism

It refers to how people of this thought school view the liberation of transwomen to be equal to all other women and even other oppressed communities. They consider all members who identify themselves as feminine to be part of the larger female commu-

nity. A fundamental point of this thought school is that all people have the freedom to choose their identity and who they are.

• Women of colour feminism

The “colour” school strives to clarify a coloured woman’s unique struggles and combat the same. However, it also examines the forms of oppression that intersect for such women of colour in many ways.

• Womanism

The terms refer to a particular ecological and social viewpoint inspired by the culture of Africana women besides all women of colour spread all over the world

• Empowerment feminism

Empowerment feminism focuses on feeling liberated. However, other feminist schools criticize how unreliable it is as a measure of social support for self-expression and helping you prosper and flourish. Needless to say, that believers of this school undervalue how erratic, present sentiments can be and how easy it is to manipulate them. Isn’t it this “prevalent public sentiment” that kept them oppressed all this while?

• Commodity feminism

This school of feminism makes no bones about its commercial nature. The official line is that the movement seeks feminist goals and thinks making a profit is no unacceptable practice. Perhaps the most prominent example of such beliefs put into action is Ivanka Trump selling her lifestyle brand items through the #WomenWhoWork campaign.

• Equity Feminism or Conservative Feminism

The school can indeed be called the most male (read responsible) feminist school. They demand legal equality and don’t feel the necessity of believing that some

patriarchal conspiracy kept them suppressed through the eras. However, the latter is indeed one legitimate way to look at things.

Kellyanne Conway, an advisor of former President Donald Trump, puts it- “I look at myself as a product of my choices, not a victim of my circumstances, and that’s really to me what conservative feminism if you will, is all about.”

Waves of Feminism

Feminism as a thought school has the West as its base. But, of course, it’s been a west-led world for some time now. Like in other societal and economic matters, the West and its thought direct actions of influential people and organizations.

If you keep an eye on the calendars while charting out watershed moments in the women’s movements, it would be evident that there are three distinct push periods or waves. However, it is interesting to note that some feminist scholars challenge this “waves” notion. They give the inaccurate impression that women have not been fighting for their due rights in the intermediate periods. As for the “wave” observation, here they are:

First Wave Feminism- The first wave of feminism can be dated back to 1848 with the Seneca Falls Convention. The convention aimed to discuss the condition of women from civil, social, and religious points of view. The movement remained strong till the inception of the 20th century and its early days. The movement reached a landmark moment in 1920 when lawmakers enacted the 19th amendment. The amendment gave women the right to vote. However, some discrimination

in voting rights remained till the 60s of the previous century until when women of colour faced discriminatory laws that prevented the right of suffrage.

Second Wave Feminism- During the sixties of the previous century, the second feminism wave picked up steam. The seventies were a crucial period for women when the efforts put in by noted feminists like Dorothy Pitman Hughes, Gloria Steinem, and Betty Friedan bore fruit. Huge strides in structural and legal equality were achieved for women during this period.

Third Wave Feminism- The nineties saw a revival of feminism, or rather the push for equality became more intense. In this period, feminism transformed into something far more inclusive and inter sectional. It was during this period where feminism became free from rulebooks, and a personal interpretation became acceptable. The third wave experienced a significant boost from the rise of social media and the #MeToo movement. Perhaps, now is the time in history when women are best placed in western societies more than over. But that is no rea-

son to let off the guards, and feminists need to carry forward the charge.

Dangers Faced By Feminism

Remember Leonard Cohen, the martyr? And a charming and stylish martyr at that. Remember his words- “The rivalry was vicious/ The women were in charge.” From a third-world perspective, it is not rare to find that the real tormentor of a woman is well another woman. Infighting, amorality, and rivalries are exactly what might make baser elements of patriarchy have the last laugh. Feminists need to keep in mind that their achievements were facilitated by the actions of enlightened men too. So, witch-hunts and playing the victim for personal egoistic vendetta might turn friends into foes. And in a constantly changing world where values are experiencing an upheaval, turning friends into enemies might do you an end.

The end of our species is not merely equality but enlightenment, being one with that larger cosmos. And that is to be gained only through a tireless search for truth.

Dr. VANEETA AGGARWAL CEO, Founder L’strategyq Advisors and Business Strategy

HOW TO BE SHMALTZY

Bizemag interviewd Tony Schmaltz on September 09, 2021.

Listen to interesting concept on our podcast channel Episode 38:

WHAT IS BE SHMALTZY MOVEMENT?

Speaking Topics

• What the “Be Schmaltzy” movement is all about

• What it means to “Be Schmaltzy”

• How Being Schmaltzy can help you succeed

In Tony’s coaching programs he breaks down how to Be Schmaltzy in order to find to your success. These methods include:

• Personal Responsibility and Choice

• Shifting Away from People Pleaser-ism

• Self-Motivation For every day

• Positive Habits, Disciplines and persistence

The clients walk away finding their real selves and with a treasure map to the success they desire.

I began coaching people to success nearly 20 years ago and in that time I learned from many leaders, mentors and coaches. I have helped many people find their successful careers, businesses and lives through my time as a leader. However, most of these success stories come from a place of a "Comfort Zone".

The "Be Schmaltzy" movement was developed as a way to help people get out of their comfort zones to be more authentic. The German translation of "Schmaltzy" literally means "Overly Sappy" and for those in Germany it also means "Cheesy" like a joke is cheesy. To "Be Schmaltzy" or "Be Cheesy/Sappy" for most people means having to get out of their comfort zones and THAT is where real growth occurs. Most people are shocked by my "Schmaltzy Tasks" that I assign, which literally force people to be uncomfortable (In a positive way).

I couple the "Be Schmaltzy" principle with my framework for success, which is a compilation of best practices learned from many top earning influencers around the world. Each piece of this easy-to-use framework has produced amazing results for many people, and FAST, IF they learn to "Be Schmaltzy".

LEADING WITH LOVE AND LAUGHTER

By ZINA SUTCH & PATRICK MALONE

Want to Develop Your Leaders? Change the End Goal

Leadership development has a long, biased, and somewhat misogynistic history. There, we said it. From the “Great Man” theory forward, philosophies of what makes great leaders have often focused on variables such as the role of social context, traits and attributes of great leaders, and whether or not great leaders are born or made.

Meanwhile, companies invest millions each year in leadership development. A recent report notes that spending on training programs may be as high as $50 billion each year. The variation is extreme. Some companies spend more than $10,000 per person per year on leadership development while others budget for under $4,000 annually. The vast majority of organizations (94%) will keep the same spending levels or increase them in the future.

Leadership development matters, however well-meaning organizations across the country often struggle with the undertaking. When there is money to burn, the intention is often to simply spend

away without serious thought as to who, how, and why a firm would want to build its leadership cadre.

Chief Learning Officers and training specialists create selection processes involving interviews and applications in hopes of selecting the right people in which to invest, but the selection process is often fraught with bias from the beginning.

Some organizations pick the most senior people to send to pricey programs with nary an eye toward the young innovative talent sitting one or two levels below. Other organizations make the common error of simply promoting the best tactician into a leadership role. This sets off an array of nightmares wherein a technically skilled individual attempts to influence and inspire other human beings with no leadership knowledge upon which to draw.

This presents another problem. Companies sometimes think of leadership as only for senior/executive tiers. But leadership exist at all levels of the organization, which means that everyone from the service worker level all the way up through middle-management and top executives must be grown as leaders over the course

of their career. The hierarchical model is long gone and is replaced by flexible and networked teams. Yet, leadership development continues to be offered through the hierarchical mode, a framework that is woefully outdated. Finally, we often mistake leadership development with technical skills. A lot of attention has been given in recent years to upskilling, proficiencies, problem-solving, and competencies and, yes, these make a difference in an organization and are crucial to its profitability and survival. But these are unrelated to leadership. Leadership begins and ends with heart, soul, love, and caring. It’s about inspiration. Leadership is connection, not direction.

In fairness, the reason the above problems exist isn’t because of a lack of noble intent on the part of leadership development professionals. It’s because we seem to be committed to viewing leadership through an antiquated lens. Gone are the days when the leader was the overlord walking the floors of the factory demanding performance and threatening those who fall short. Gone as well is the all-knowing, powerful, title bearing, corner office holding, author-

itarian that dangles rewards and coerces employees to get things done and get them done now. The idea that 110 percent commitment to work is a requirement is also antiquated. Today’s educated, innovative, diverse workforce demands more. Employees require life balance and efficacy in their work. They want connection and trust.

This changes the end goal. No longer is leadership about technical prowess or a focus on the C-Suite. The mission of building leadership revolves around creating inclusive, loving environments from the ground up, not grooming a technical professional to fill a vacant personnel description.

Examine your leader development program and ask yourself the following three questions:

Question #1 - Do we see leadership as a one-off event or a journey that begins at the most junior levels in the organization and never ends?

Question #2 - Is our leadership program building inspirational influencers who visibly value diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility?

Question #3 - Does our focus in-

clude hefty doses of trust, vulnerability, humility, kindness, and humour?

While it may not be fair to judge a previous leadership era through the lens of today, it’s reasonable to make the argument that we must learn from our past, including our mistakes, in order to prepare leaders to face current and future challenges. Frankly, technical skills are easy as long as one possesses the cognitive capacity to master the skill. Soft skills are

much more difficult and variable. Yet their impact on organizations is significant.

It’s time to evolve our focus on leader development to preparing our leaders to grow their thinking capacity, welcome the lessons of failure, model love, mindfulness, and presence. And additionally, it’s time to build leaders who can hold their teams accountable in a compassionate way. In other words, it’s time to let go and get real at work.

Zina Sutch has been leading development and diversity programs for the Federal government for 20 years, and currently serves in the Senior Executive Service. Patrick Malone spent 23 years in the Navy and served as an officer in the Medical Service Corps. Zina is a faculty member and Patrick is director of the Key Executive Leadership Program at American University. Their new book is Leading with Love and Laughter: Letting Go and Getting Real at Work (BK Publishers, Inc., May 25, 2021). Learn more at sutchmalone.com.

MONTH’S HOROSCOPE

Aries (Ram): March 21–April 19

Do not rush into your choices it’s the best thing you can do, make all your decisions with a calm head, accept the disappointments. Applying the advice you are given is a first victory.

Taurus (Bull): April 20–May 20

You may think that in this month of October nothing very pleasant happens, think again, look around you might be surprised by the amazing attitude of some people. Open your eyes wide.

Gemini (Twins): May 21–June 21

To procrastinate without stopping only wastes time, and time is money. Do not miss out on opportunities because your doubts outweigh everything else. Caution is required but do not make a fuss.

Cancer (Crab): June 22–July 22

Despitesome imbalances the stars give you the opportunity to carry out your projects. If you encounter some disappointments it is for a good cause, take the time to think about it taking into account the advice of your loved ones.

Leo (Lion): July 23–August 22

You have chosen to engage with the person who shares your life, the time has come to make concessions, you just have to give up two or three little things to move more serenely.

Virgo (Virgin): August 23–September 22

If you are a bit confused at times, get some comfort from those around you. From the moment you feel confident, nothing can make you doubt. It’s a carefree month.

Libra (Balance): September 23–October 23

Do not be grumpy for everything and for nothing, do not get stuck on unimportant details. Be gentle, show your diplomacy, make arrangements, put away your bad mood. Your kindness is a major asset in your relationships with others.

Scorpius (Scorpion): October 24–

November 21

Autumn seems to be the best time to make a love story come true. If you have some doubts, learn to trust yourself, stop looking for the slightest detail. Dare to go towards others, show yourself natural, expose your state of mind.

Sagittarius (Archer): November 22–

December 21

The first frost begins, you need human warmth, it’s your fiery temperament that will warm the atmosphere. Get closer to the people you love, show them your motives, there’s no reason you’ll be disappointed.

Capricornus (Goat): December 22–

January 19

October offers some nice surprises. You imagine an easy life, without constraint, the period looks restful. Enjoy the moment. Stay receptive to opportunities. Enjoy the sweet atmosphere around you.

Aquarius (Water Bearer): January 20–

February 18

You get what you want because you give yourself the means to get there. You do not let go, you are determined. Your efforts are paying off. For you it is finally deliverance. Do not hesitate, make yourself heard.

Pisces (Fish): February 19–March 20

The decisions you make take you to new situations. Do not lose sight of the goals you have set yourself, move at your own pace. Spoiling the people you love is good, do not forget about it.