Brilliance vs. Reliability: Which is More Important in the Contemporary World?

Dear Friends,

 

Recently, the famous Hindi actor Sunil Shetty shared a post reflecting on the value of reliability over raw talent or brilliance, drawing from his experiences in the film industry and the business world.

 

Shetty provided personal examples of long-standing relationships with team members who have been with him for over 30 years: Parshu, who manages his personal affairs; Kiran Dada, his makeup artist; Ashok, who handles his accounts and taxes; Kanta, who runs operations in his offices; and Muchhad, his former driver who now looks after his farmhouse.

 

In today’s world, brilliance is often rewarded, but the quiet power of consistently showing up and delivering is underrated. This is reflected in many areas. Forbes published an article on “What kind of characteristics, what kind of personal qualities, in the aggregate, are most valuable?” The answer is reliability over brilliance. Brilliant, difficult employees often consume a lot of management time. In a twist on the old "80-20 rule" (where 80% of your business is said to come from 20% of your customers), the author found that they spent 80% of their time on 20% of their employees—and they weren’t the calm, collaborative, easy-going, reliable ones.

 

However, today, this notion is slowly fading. Of course, brilliance is needed to some extent in every organization. However, it should be utilized according to need. Thanks to technology, brilliance can be acquired as a service. Organizations can buy that service, but they need a reliable team to sustain it. Hence, reliability becomes more important.

This issue extends beyond organizations—it has also crept into family systems. Parents appreciate their children’s brilliance while they pursue degrees, but it often loses value afterward. Today, in the context of marriage, if a boy or girl is reliable, this quality is often overlooked. Brilliance takes precedence in selecting a bride or groom, yet this model has proven to fail over time.

 

Rahul Dravid is known as “Mr. Dependable” in Indian cricket. In the 2004 India vs. Pakistan Test Match, Rahul Dravid played a 270-ball inning over almost 12 hours. Can you imagine playing for 12 hours straight? In the history of Test matches, no Indian batsman had ever played an inning that long. He is known as the "Wall" of cricket. For most of his career, Dravid was considered to be in Sachin’s shadow. However, he proved himself as a true gentleman and a complete test cricketer. This is the power of reliability.

 

Consider these scenarios:

 

• Would you buy a car that can reach 150 km per hour but whose engine fails frequently, or one that goes 50 km per hour but never fails?

 

• Would you invest in an asset that offers a 40% return but might plunge into negative territory, or one that offers a consistent 6% return over the long term?

 

• Would you take a job with the highest package, but with the risk of being laid off anytime, or one with a lower package but long-term stability?

 

• Would you board a train that is always on time, or a flight with unpredictable arrival times?

 

Today’s society is divided by these questions. One generation prioritizes risk over reward.

 

"Facts from paper are not the same as facts from people. The reliability of the people giving you the facts is as important as the facts themselves." – Harold Geneen.

 

What is your priority? Brilliance or reliability?

 

Ravi Saripalle

Decoding Stress! The struggle between Ambition and Anxiety! Embracing Ubuntu!

Dear Friends,

One of my acquaintances is preparing for a postgraduate medical seat, and it's clear that the journey is becoming more stressful. While getting an MBBS seat today is relatively easier than 20 years ago, pursuing a postgraduate degree and sustaining a career as a doctor is increasingly stressful. According to the National Task Force on Mental Health and Well-being of Medical Students 2024, released by the NMC, an alarming 27.8% of undergraduate and 15.3% of postgraduate medical students have voluntarily reported being diagnosed with a mental health disorder. Additionally, 84% of PG medical students experience moderate to very high-stress levels, and 64% say that the workload negatively impacts their mental health (The Hindu, August 16, 2024).

There are various reasons for this stress. Financial strain is a significant factor, and many students also fear failure. These findings highlight the immense academic pressure medical students face.

By the time most students complete their MBBS, they are around 22-23 years old, and many spend an additional 2-3 years preparing for a PG seat. The success rate is low, with only 5 out of every 100 MBBS doctors securing a PG seat. By the time they complete their postgraduate studies, they are often 27-28 years old, followed by years of searching for job opportunities, getting married, and settling down, which can take another 3-4 years. This entire process places immense pressure on them.

Unless a child is truly passionate about becoming a doctor, parents should avoid pressuring them into taking up BiPC. One parent mentioned that their son joined BiPC simply because he feared math. However, parents should realize that every career path has its challenges. There is no perfect path unless career planning is done using the Heads-Smart, Heart-Smart, Hands-Smart, or Heels-Smart framework (http://www.linkedin.com/.../ravisaripalle_career.../).

As we approach World Mental Health Day on October 10, it's important to note that WHO estimates 15% of working-age adults suffer from a mental disorder at any given time. Depression and anxiety cost the global economy an estimated $1 trillion per year, largely due to lost productivity.

If someone claims they have never experienced depression or anxiety, they are likely fooling themselves. We all go through difficult times—some during education, others during marriage, while raising children, managing jobs, dealing with finances, or facing health challenges. Prolonged exposure to these stresses can lead to mental health disorders.

Recently, a famous cricketer took an extreme step after battling severe depression and anxiety for two years. He was in his early fifties. Growth isn’t always possible at every moment in life, and though we all understand this, we often act differently. It’s crucial to leverage our skills and talents, but going against our natural abilities can lead to significant stress.

I recently came across this thought-provoking message on LinkedIn: “An anthropologist proposed a game to children in an African tribe. He placed a fruit basket near a tree and told them that whoever reached it first would win the sweet fruits. When he gave the signal to run, the children held hands and ran together. They sat down and shared the treats. When asked why they did this when one could have won all the fruits, they replied, 'Ubuntu. How can one of us be happy if all the others are sad?' In their culture, Ubuntu means: 'I am because we are.' This tribe has preserved the secret of happiness that many so-called 'civilized' societies have lost."

Let us practice Ubuntu.

Ravi Saripalle

Mindset = Mindset + Skillset! What is this Equation? How does it Impact the Future Job Market in the Era of AI?

Dear Friends

Imagine you're at a grocery store and want to count how much you've spent as you add items to your cart.

Start with zero: You haven’t picked anything up at the beginning yet, so your total is zero rupees. Now, each time you pick an item and put it in your cart, you look at its price and add it to your total. Repeat until you're done shopping

In computer programming terms, this is exactly what happens in a loop:
• Start with sum = 0; → Begin with a total of zero, like starting with an empty cart.
• While there are more items (or a condition is met), → You keep adding prices as long as there are more items or conditions to meet.
• Sum = sum + item price; → Just like you add the price of each item to your total spending, the program keeps adding a value to a running total.

Ultimately, you have the total amount you’ve spent, just like the sum of numbers in a computer program.

To date, this programming concept is aptly fit to the following equation. 

• Step 1: Mindset=0  Begin your mindset with total unlearn
• Step 2: While more skills are needed (or a condition is met), → You keep adding skills to your resume.
• Step 3: Mindset = Mindset + Skillset.

Ultimately, it gives the total skills you’ve learned, just like the sum of numbers in a computer program.

But this equation is trembling! 

Before typewriters were invented, we used to have document writers at property registration offices. They used to have 2 skills in hand. They were good at handwriting. They had a property domain knowledge. After typewriters, this skill is divided between two people—property domain specialist and typewriter. Typewriter skill is measured based on number of words per minute. Handwriting skill is replaced. Once computers came to market, typewriters became computer operators. Otherwise, jobs would remain at two- property expert and computer operator.

Recently, Arvind Sanjeev, an award-winning designer and artist, Creative Technologist Co-founder & CTO - http://Lumen.world, Trained as an electronics engineer from Kerala and, Master's degree in interaction Design from Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design, developed Ghostwriter! He took a vintage typewriter and converted it to an AI-powered typewriter. He powered a vintage typewriter with a GPT-3 language model from Open AI. He repaired the typewriter - 2 hardware units were installed –Raspberry Pi (minicomputer), which talks to the ChatGPT, and Arduino (microcontroller), which simulates the key presses. Now, ChatGPT or any other micromodel has taken over the job of a property expert. The computer operator job is done using Arduino. 

What happened to the original equation Mindset = Mindset + Skillset? It translated to Mindset = Mindset + AI. 

Let us draw a few more equations in the context of AI progression. 

The following are still in the early stages, but eventually, they might shape out in this direction. 
• Oncologist = Oncologist + C2i Genomics' Cancer Detection Platform

• Ophthalmologist= Ophthalmologist + AI detection of Glaucoma, Cataracts

• Police = Police + AI Algorithm to regenerate the images of lost children 

• Programmer= Programmer + OpenAI o1 model (Ranks 89th percentile on competitive programming questions (Codeforces); Places among the top 500 students in the US in a qualifier for the USA Math Olympiad; exceeds human PhD-level accuracy on a benchmark of physics, biology, and chemistry problems (GPQA))

• English Teacher= English Teacher + Skill2030.com (AI Powered English Avatar)

• Accountant= Accountant+ Silverfin Assistant (AI-Enhanced Accounting)

 • Data scientist = Data scientist+ Pyramid Analytics (Gen BI Model)

Slowly, skill is getting replaced with AI. Mindset is like Mahout’s skill (one who tames the elephant). AI is an elephant! 

The message: Develop a Growth mindset and drop our Fixed mindset. You cannot beat AI in skill, but you can tame AI for your own purposes! Learn that art

Ravi Saripalle

Tubeless Plug Kits were Invented for Tubeless Punctures! What’s the Solution for Blood Vessel Punctures?

Dear Friends,

A few months ago, I experienced a flat tire three times in one month! It was unusual, but it happened. Since I live in the city, I managed it easily with the help of a tire technician. However, it’s not a simple issue.

A tire puncture occurs every seven seconds in the United States, resulting in roughly 220 million flat tires yearly (bankrate.com). Remember, this is the number despite sophisticated roads! Unfortunately, I couldn’t find data from an Indian or global perspective.

However, I recall reading an article on November 18, 2023, titled "How Two Punctured Tires Brought Bengaluru's Busiest Area to a Halt" (ET). Mahadevapura Outer Ring Road (ORR) came to a grinding halt for almost four hours. Now you can imagine how each puncture can cause havoc in our lives!

Thankfully, tubeless plug kits have come to the rescue many times. They offer a quick and easy method for fixing tubeless punctures. A tubeless plug kit is a piece of rubberized cord that you insert into the tire cut. The plug fills the hole, allowing the latex sealant to do its job and seal the puncture.

So, if we have tubeless plug kits for tire puncture, what is the solution for a cut blood vessel? How do we manage traumatic wounds, severe injuries, gunshot wounds, and stab wounds? How do we stop and control severe blood loss?

It’s estimated that around 15 lakh people worldwide die from hemorrhage (bleeding from a damaged blood vessel) every year (forbes.com). Is there a kit like the "tubeless plug kit" for this? Not yet, but something is coming soon!

Introducing Traumagel! The first gel-based therapy designed to prevent life-threatening bleeding. Traumagel is an algae-derived gel that comes in pre-filled syringes and is applied to traumatic wounds and severe injuries. Its effects are almost instantaneous. Once inserted, it helps the patient form their own blood clots to stop the bleeding. The best part? It doesn’t require direct contact with the wound!

We must appreciate Joe Landolina (CEO and Co-Founder of Cresilon, Inc. | Forbes 30 Under 30) and Isaac Miller for this extraordinary invention, along with the necessary FDA approvals. Joe earned his BS and MS in Biomolecular and Chemical Engineering from NYU Tandon School of Engineering. Kudos to Joe, Isaac, and the entire Cresilon team!

Can we imagine a similar invention, like Bone Plug Kits, used for bone fractures? This is both a challenge and an opportunity for Joe and the biomedical fraternity.

Note: Views are personal

Best,
Ravi Saripalle

Career Switching: A Blend of Art, Science, and Engineering

Dear Friends,

Recently, I read an article that Archana Kamath, an Indian table tennis player, is stepping away from elite sports to pursue a Master's in Public Policy at the University of Michigan (TOI, Aug 22, 2024). She won the gold medal in women's singles at the 2023 National Games of India and was part of the Indian table tennis at the 2024 Summer Olympics. Hailing from a family of doctors (olympics.com), she began playing at the age of 9.

It’s easy to read, relish, and comment on this switch, but from an individual’s perspective, it’s not so simple. At 9, providing such an opportunity to a child is not an easy choice for an academically focused family. Her parents deserve recognition. Many parents today would rather have their children prepare for IIT or NEET at that age. Taking someone from that point to the Olympic level requires tremendous effort from both the parents and the individual, who would undergo significant social, psychological, and societal pressure. When an individual reaches the highest level, quitting and taking up an academic pursuit is another major challenge for both the individual and the family. Archana is a great example of this.

Career switching can be viewed as a combination of art, science, and engineering:

• Art involves creativity, intuition, and personal branding. Switching careers often requires reimagining one’s identity and presenting transferable skills in new ways.
• Science involves analyzing data such as market trends, job growth, and aligning personal strengths with opportunities.
• Engineering requires methodical planning, reskilling, networking, and creating a roadmap for transition.

There are similar examples. VVS Laxman’s parents are physicians, and he is related to India’s second President, Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (Wikipedia). Laxman was brilliant in academics, scoring 98% in the science stream on the Andhra Pradesh board exams. Though offered a medical seat, he chose cricket as a career. Similarly, Aavishkar Salvi, who balanced a successful cricket career, and PhD in Astrophysics, demonstrating how transitions can be successful across domains.

Career switching is neither easily accepted in India nor easy to execute. I’ve experienced this firsthand. I started my career in IT (13+ years), transitioned into the Academic Ecosystem and Enablement (13+ years), and now am involved in formal Academics and Ecosystem roles. Formally, systems are not designed in the Indian context. However, things have improved in recent times.

Every career demands specific skills and comes with certain expectations. Adapting to a new job is like wearing shoes with intentional pebbles inside—it comes with inherent risk. The chances of failure are high, and the family may face financial risks. Apart from your personal strength, faith in God is often required.

However, as we enter the age of AI, I believe everyone should experience a career switch at least once in their lifetime. Why should you try switching?

Read the paragraph below: Our jobs are being encroached upon!

On Sep 12, 2024, OpenAI launched new models called o1 and o1-mini, significantly outperforming previous versions in reasoning and problem-solving, particularly in math and science. These models reportedly scored 83% on math Olympiad problems and performed at a PhD level in physics, biology, and chemistry. Today, o1 can build a video game using just a single prompt.

Are you planning to switch careers? Remember to apply art, science, and engineering to your process and create a safety net.

Ravi Saripalle

The True Finish Line: Reflections on Honesty and Life's Goals

Dear Friends,

I read an article titled “The Honesty of the Long-Distance Runner,” published in El País, a well-known Spanish newspaper (Feb 24, 2013).

In a 2012 cross-country race, Spanish runner Iván Fernández Anaya showed great sportsmanship when Kenyan athlete Abel Mutai, who was leading, stopped 10 meters before the finish line, thinking he had already won. Instead of taking advantage of Mutai's mistake, Fernández Anaya helped him cross the line first. Even though his coach said he missed a chance to win, Fernández Anaya believed that honesty was more important than winning, especially in today's world, where people often take shortcuts in sports and life.

This incident can teach multiple lessons to all of us. Who is the real winner? The current society is divided! I believe Anaya is the winner, though he does not own the medal. Contemporary society emphasizes medals but does not credit the process or the people in the background who helped. Anaya’s coach, Fiz, says his students' actions give him credit in human terms if not athletic. The gesture has made him a better person but not a better athlete. He has wasted an occasion. Maybe he is partly right. But Anaya's dilemma on the ground, which is in a fraction of a second, must be different. The deep ethic in his nature did not allow him to take that medal as he is not a technical winner.

As it is a sport, the finish line syndrome (hook or crook reaching it) is still reasonably accepted. However, do you think it is applicable in real life? The finish line concept has been worrying. Getting 1st or 2nd rank in the class is the ultimate goal. Whether it is a genuine effort or a beg/borrow/steal process, less is discussed. The same is reflected in getting jobs, marriage, job growth, and legacy continued with children. Selfishness is important; otherwise, we would not grow. Having said that, the percentage matters. 10, 20, 30 is acceptable. Beyond that, it does not make sense.

However, many of us are running today without knowing the finish line. In the first ten years of life (1 to 10), the finish line is whether we can talk, walk, and chalk. In the next ten years of life (11 to 20), the college, acknowledge, and pledge is the finish line. In the next ten years (21 to 30), the finish line is career, dear (marriage), and sincere (solo to teamwork starts from here). In the next ten years (31 to 40), family, stability, and responsibility. In the next ten years (41 to 50), fitness, growth, and children’s flow and glow (we should start defocusing our glow).

In the next ten years (51 to 60), well-being, stability, and children’s settlement. In the next ten years (61 to 70), wisdom, peace, and contentment. At this point in age, health/wealth is God’s discretion. It is sanctioned by God regardless of our sincere efforts as the body’s movement is in deceleration mode. Every day is a bonus! The rest is for grace, serenity, and cherished legacy. Deviating from these God-defined finish lines results in misery, discontentment, and guilt during the last breath.

A couple of days ago, one of my childhood classmates abruptly left his body. It pained me a bit but also reminded me of my finish lines. I crossed my 5th finish line (5/7) and checked my score. I might have passed the line, but I was never perfect at every finish line. I used to have a specific aspiration at every age and stage, but I ended up differently. I believed in destiny and accepted failure or success every time it came. I'm looking forward to checking how much percentage I will succeed in the last but one finish line (6/7)!

Will honesty pay the long-distance life runner? The last breath answers!

Note: These are my personal views.

Ravi Saripalle

Source: El País

Scientists/Researchers Need More “Thinking Time”! Is Instant Communication Tech a Boon or Bane? Will AI-Powered Research Tools Help Researchers?

Dear Friends,

On July 25th, 2024, Nature published an interesting article titled "Scientists Need More Time to Think." While emails and instant messaging tools are essential to research, they also serve as major distractions. The article references a book by computer scientist Cal Newport, Slow Productivity, which discusses how science is becoming less disruptive despite an increase in the number of papers and grants. The paper suggests that knowledge workers need to slow down and spend more time thinking! It poses an important question: “What is the impact of lost concentration time on science—not just on the structure and process of science, but also on the content and quality of research?”

Ideally, a progressive academic institution should wisely identify and categorize faculty into four roles: Impactful Teachers (for insightful teaching), Deep Researchers (for disruptive ideas), Able Administrators (for effective management of limited resources), and Smart Mentors (for personalized advice and support based on students' socio-physical and psychological needs). There is no hierarchy among these categories; all are equally important in the age of AI-powered education.

We have access to excellent YouTube content that can replace a mediocre teacher. Tools like Scite_, a powerful research tool designed to assist scholars and researchers with enhanced literature reviews, are becoming essential. Writing assistants like Jenny.ai, Grammarly, and Jasper are increasing the scientific productivity of researchers.

Breakthrough unicorn startup Sakana AI from Japan has created the first AI Scientist. This AI can generate an idea and develop it into a full paper at a cost of approximately $15 per paper. The AI Scientist can perform idea generation, literature search, experiment planning, experiment iterations, figure generation, manuscript writing, and reviewing to produce insightful papers. Can you imagine how Sakana AI Scientist intelligently wrote a paper? https://sakana.ai/.../adaptive_dual_scale_denoising.pdf. This 11-page scientific manuscript, written entirely by AI, is formatted like a standard machine learning conference submission, complete with visualizations and all standard sections. The AI's performance is on par with that of an early-stage ML researcher. Thus, a mediocre researcher is also replaceable. A year's work for a researcher can now be done in minutes, allowing the generation of hundreds of medium-quality papers in a week.

AI mentoring tools already offer precise matching, data-driven insights, 24/7 availability, and cost-effectiveness. Hence, a mediocre mentor is also replaceable.

In such a scenario, unless an individual self-assesses where they fit among these four roles (Teacher, Researcher, Administrator, and Mentor), masters that area, and performs beyond mediocrity, their survival in the AI-matured phase is questionable.

That being said, the whole world is in flux right now. Universities, researchers, funding agencies, students, teachers, and parents are all navigating a complex and ever-changing environment. It's hard to determine what will work and what won't for some time.

Whether being a "Jack of All Trades and Master of None" or a "Master of One" is better is currently tough to judge.

If the AI Scientist continues to mature and surpass human performance levels, these old sayings may change once again! Let's wait and see, but this domain is poised for significant change!

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-02381-x.pdf

Note: All are my personal views

Ravi Saripalle