Investment in knowledge pays the best interest

This is my 100th post on this blog.

What started as a humble attempt to share ideas, insights and tools on money and investments with my fellow readers, has now turned into a journey of knowledge and discovery.

This blog has its purpose in sharing knowledge that is informative, useful and actionable.

And for this 100th piece, I would continue with this purpose.

Usually we talk about money, personal finance and investments here but as you would agree that is not the boundary of knowledge. It extends far and beyond. In fact, it would be incorrect to limit knowledge.

My personal belief is that true knowledge is a mix of several subject areas, learnings from the brightest minds from various fields, which then is applied in real life and thus, sharpened by experiences.

People like Charlie Munger too recommend that one must rely on a latticework of mental models – the big ideas from various disciplines in a routine manner, to sharpen thinking and to make effective decisions.

It was aptly said by Benjamin Franklin –

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.

With this post, I make an attempt to take you further on this path of knowledge and discovery.

I have been blessed to have several hands (visible and invisible) illuminating my life path.

Today, I would like to share and reveal to you one extraordinary human being who has been constantly guiding me (visibly and invisibly).

His generosity, like his knowledge, knows no bounds. In his true spirit, he shares his knowledge and experiences with anyone and everyone willing.

I too had the privilege of directly learning from him.

The person I refer to here is Mr Suresh Lulla. You can find all about him though Linkedin and his personal website.

What I am interested in sharing today is his knowledge, his distilled experiences acquired through work that he has done across industries and borders.

Some of the most memorable lessons I have learnt from him include:

• You cannot change anyone’s attitude. What you can do is to get the commitment of the person; once commitment is in place, a change in behaviour is likely to follow and that’s what matters.
• To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Simply put, if you have limited tools in your bag, your ability to solve problems is limited too.
• When you listen intently, you give dignity to the speaker.
• If you want to sell an idea to the top management, speak their language – the language of MONEY.
• People listen to what you say, they believe what you do.

The one that had the lasting impact is about commitment. If you can get people to commit to the purpose or the goal, you need not worry about other things. A change in behaviour to achieve the purpose is most likely followed through.

Think of any great movement worldwide and the driving force behind it has been a PURPOSE. The most successful businesses too have been driven by purpose.

SL has used the best medium available to communicate this huge experience – STORIES – in his book – Quality Fables. 

You need not get confused by the name. It is a set of 25 fables or stories –  high density nuggets on vision, change, innovation and problem solving – culled out from his experience since 1987.

These include stories on:

• The Mystery of Commitment
• Peels and Meals
• Lesson from Kargil
• The Drunk and the Ugly
• Daughter with Child
• European Generals

While each one will resonate with you in some way, a few will have a truly long lasting impact. That’s a guarantee I can give.

Here’s a quote used in the book – relevant to leaders, managers and investors alike:

Our plans miscarry because they have no aim. When a man does not know what harbour he is making for, no wind is the right wind. – Seneca

It is the thing that you definitely missed out in your graduate course – arts, sciences or humanities – and then your MBA or your professional qualification. Time to make up.

It will engage your right brain and left brain – both are needed to effectively solve problems.

As SL (as we fondly address Suresh Lulla) says, with effective problem solving “you can double your profit without making a single rupee of capital investment.”

If you are willing to make a small investment in knowledge today, and 10x your future worth, I would recommend reading Quality Fables.

 

Finally, let me thank you for being a part of this journey, helping me learn and share. I hope to see you at the 1000th post too.

As always, feel free to criticise, comment, give feedback and ideas. You are my tribe. I am blessed to be a part of it.