Manoj Vasudevan’s Post

My "smart" watch is showing body battery at 5%. Not a good sign. Few hours to go before my keynote session in front of 400 ppl, and I am having a serious bout of "Montezuma's Revenge". I blame it on the spicy "veg teppanyaki" I ate during dinner. I am not sure whether I can pull through my much-hyped 50-minute "opening keynote". Backing out is not an option... I am looking for a sign... and the signs keep coming in... Sign (1) A thought arose that said: "You get energized by the audience. You can handle anything." But the next one was unbelievable... Sign (2) A visually impaired man was ushered into the room. He had asked to be seated next to me. I instantly recognized him. A few years ago, I had seen him speak and enthrall a crowd. He doesn't see himself as a "disabled person", lives a more productive life than most others, and is a famous professor. He said, "Manoj, I heard you are here, so I wanted to come and listen to you. I always learn something from you.". I shared with him my predicament and my hidden agenda. "I am going to tell them, I can't laugh on stage, I might rock the boat. The contingency plan is to get them into some activity and take a break." He said "Haha, That's fine. Just tell you don't want to rock the boat" Even though I didn't say that on stage, the conversation made me realize, there are so many ways to handle this if you are at ease. The session concluded without passing any special motion and with a totally unexpected spontaneous standing ovation. Thanks to the inspiring leadership of Rohit Koka and his dedicated team for the special invite and for making me feel at home with so much royal hospitality, stellar care, and kind note. It was so good I extended my stay for another day to rest and recoup. Later, on the way to the airport, I realized the Bengaluru logo says "Be U". That's all you need in any situation - Be U - Look for signs ("omens"). They are everywhere. - Learn to let go and trust your intuition. Be U. NB: On the way back I had "Manoj's Revenge" by eating all the food I wanted to eat including Hatti Kappi which kept me awake for the entire 8 hours for the next segment of my journey. #leadership #mindset #team