Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Yoga in the real world

Training for running a marathon is a six months process that gradually infuses the potential pain of a marathon and tests a person’s commitment and endurance. Unfortunately, there is no such training process to start an Oracle ERP implementation. The preparation and planning phases are typically targeted for the core team and not for the entire team. Even worse, many organizations underestimate the magnitude and don’t even prepare/plan enough before embarking on an Oracle ERP implementation. These are projects undertaken once in 2 decades in Organizations and the in-house team seldom has prior implementation experience.




The initial euphoria, thanks to the blissful ignorance of what lies ahead, fades soon to uncertainty, fear and, ultimately, unbearable stress.


The conventional team building exercises does help to destress but it is ineffective in the long run. It is impossible to change the personalities of the team overnight but there is an incredibly effective tool to have a sustainable positive impact on the team: Yoga




The human body is designed in a way that the brain understands only one language, the breath. If the rate of breath is normal (not panting), the brain, through neurotransmitters, interprets that the body is not stressed and, as a result, releases a chemical called endorphin which makes us feel good and say, ‘oh, wow! I feel so happy!’. If there is shortness of breath, the brain shutdowns the generation of endorphin which is why we feel terrible and frustrated when we are under stress.




Now, when you have learnt to calm down using the breathing techniques, you will have the mental strength/peace/calmness to apply human reason (your mind) as a filter upon the “partial and often” deception data from the prejudiced 5 senses of our body. We fail to reason our prejudiced perceptions that are based on how angry a team member might appear or sound from across the table in a meeting. At these real life moments (meetings), there are simple breathing techniques that will help the team members to calm down, be empathetic, be compassionate but still aggressive to get the job done.


It is a simple concept that is difficult to practice but there are some simple meditating and breathing techniques that can be taught to any team. It does wonders individually and helps enrich group dynamics.


I have been practicing Yoga for the past 5 years and was fortunate to undergo teacher-training courses under Guru Prema Nagesh (http://yogatherapy4all.blogspot.com). Life has never been stressful irrespective of what life throws at you, even in the course of an Oracle ERP Implementation. Especially, in leadership roles, it gives enormous internal strength and energy to not only endure the  personal challenges but also to help and motivate the team by spreading the positive energy which is exactly what is needed in an environment that is filled with uncertainty, fear, anxiety and hopelessness.


For instance, conducting “flash mob” style meditation for just 10 minutes in the War room has proven to be very effective. Also, constantly reminding and training the team to consciously focus on normal breath throughout the day has demonstrated dramatic positive outcomes.


Yoga instills in us the “inconvenient truth” that we humans cannot control everything. However, it is imperative to work smart, plan well, develop disaster recovery plans, cutover plans, blackout plans but with a calm mind (without anxiety) to be more productive.


Yoga is not just an hourly daily routine to get away from the craziness of the world. Yoga is a lifestyle to practice and apply the Yogic principles in the real world to rejoice every precious moment of life gifted to us, irrespective of how volatile and stressful our environments are. That unshakeable, robust mental strength and balance is the foundation of true inner peace, calmness and happiness.


In Oracle ERP Implementations, life gets so stressful that it reveals the fragile mental state beneath the tough demeanor during the initial phases of euphoria. Yoga can be a very potent tool to help the team cope with the stress and increase productivity dramatically.


I have completed three large Oracle ERP Implementations (the latest in Sep 2016) and two small Oracle ERP Implementations. I am human and I get stressed too but the Yogic lifestyle gives enormous inner peace, calmness and mental strength so much that no matter how crazy the situation is at home or work or commute, I am fortunate to have a smile on my face to celebrate life. And, I haven’t even scratched the surface with my Yoga wisdom.


With all the craziness during the project, I have always taken the time to conduct Yoga/Meditation sessions for the team members and I have got nothing but positive feedback. Imagine the positive impact on the team, with such a potent tool, to be successful at the cost of no personal lives.


Live well. Laugh often. Love much.