I'm kicked to present the 25th conversation of the Story Rules Podcast, with Nitin Seth.
“Storytelling is not about glibness. Storytelling is not about verbosity. Storytelling is not just about your confidence or doing it though it is an important aspect of it. Storytelling is fundamentally about the clarity of what you are saying." I often say that ‘data is the new oil, storytelling is the new refinery’. Well, this book opened my eyes to the multiple layers of refining that data has to go through before it is ready for the storytelling step. In the book, Nitin explains why managing the data explosion is so challenging and what large firms should do to win in the data-first world we live in. He proposes a ‘Unified Solutions Framework’ – a 13-point plan for success. The comprehensive framework covers several diverse aspects including customer problem definition, managing multi-source data, building your data stack, data security and quality, data culture and managing data talent. Nitin knows what he’s talking about. After leading the Mckinsey Knowledge Centre and Fidelity International’s operations in India, he was the COO at Flipkart. Currently, as the co-founder and CEO of Incedo Inc., a Data and AI consulting firm, Nitin works with leaders of several Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies to help them navigate the data-first world. In this conversation, we dive into three broad themes. One, Nitin’s own journey as a storyteller. He starts with an evocative IIT-Delhi story when he roused a bunch of lazy hostelites into cheering for their badminton team (just like the movie Chichhore!). He speaks about his work convincing sceptical audiences - from union workers to board members – at large companies like Tata Steel. Nitin also shares a ‘failure story’ of when his pitch to a senior internal audience at McKinsey did not work, and what he learnt from that experience. Two, we move on to the contents of the book itself. Data is a paradox – most organisations want more of it, but don’t know what to do with the amount they have. They are spending hundreds of millions of dollars, if not more on data transformation projects, but the impact of the spend is questionable. Nitin cuts through all the noise and brings some clarity to this messy world of data. Some of his key insights are Finally, we speak about the implications of the book for data professionals. Nitin speaks about the need for data professionals to develop 'T-Shaped' capabilities. Depth in one or two specific areas of data (for instance an industry like insurance or a function like CRM) and breadth in horizontal skills like problem-solving and storytelling. Personally, I was also mighty impressed by how Nitin worked outside his main office hours from 10 pm to 1 am for 3 years to find the time to write this book. I’m sure you’ll walk away with several rich insights and ideas after listening to this fascinating conversation. Let’s dive in. You can enjoy my conversation with Nitin at your favourite podcast location: Browser Podcast apps: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Podcast Addict | Pocket Casts Happy listening! Further links: If you find the content valuable, please rate and review this podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen to it (links above). It’ll help others like you discover these insights! This podcast was hosted by me, Ravishankar Iyer. Audio editing by Kartik Rajan, transcript editing by Aniruddha Nerli and all-round support by Sanket Aalegaonkar. Thanks, Ravi PS: Got this email as a forward? Get your own copy here. Access this email on a browser or share this email on Whatsapp, LinkedIn or Twitter Hello! You are getting this email as a part of the 'Story Rules on Saturday' Newsletter. To get your own copy, sign up here. |
A Storytelling Coach More details here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravishankar-iyer/
A very Happy, healthy and prosperous Diwali to you! So, I'm on a week-long holiday in sunny Kerala and especially loved the backwaters of Kumarakom and the fascinating multicultural ethos of Fort Kochi. An area called Kuttanad is one of the many interesting places I learnt about during the vacation. It's located just south of the Vembanad lake (India's longest lake). It is among just two sites globally where farming happens below sea level (around about 4 to 10 feet below). More on the...
As I hoped last week, I did get in some book-writing time this week. The chapter I'm writing? Humour in storytelling! That's right - I'm writing about fun (yet safe) ways to use humour in workplace communication. Can't wait to share all of it, along with the other chapters, by sometime late next year. (I know - it's such a long way away!). Meanwhile, here's a great quote I'm keeping in mind even as I write the chapter: "Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. They both die in the process."...
Phew - it's been a busy week with 4 training days out of five and I'm a bit exhausted! (In a rare state of affairs, I'm writing this newsletter at 8.30 pm on Friday night!) Having said that, I did manage to catch a movie during the week (Thalaiva's Vettaiyan; would NOT recommend for Jailer fans). Hopefully, next week will be easier and I can get in some book-writing time. And now, on to the newsletter. Welcome to the eighty-sixth edition of '3-2-1 by Story Rules'. A newsletter recommending...