Farewell, Michele. You will be missed.

I usually don't write about what upsets me. It doesn't actually benefit anyone and we could do without more negativity in cyberspace. This time, it is different. What I am about to share is extremely upsetting and personal but I share this in honour of a beautiful human being who entered my life for a short amount of time and made a huge impact. 


Michele Vivona entered my life two years ago, when I joined the LexisNexis Marketing team. She was the Senior Vice President for Global Web Strategy then, had 20+ years of experience working in various parts of the organisation and was a friendly face and brilliant marketer. Six months ago, we started working together on a project - she would dial in from Seattle, USA and I would do the same from Kuala Lumpur. We exchanged ideas, challenged each other, joked, laughed and exchanged pictures of our pets. We bonded. 


She was someone extremely senior, a brilliant individual and an extremely busy person. She made time for me. We met again in Japan earlier this year and we bonded even more. I had many questions about my career. She had wise answers to guide me. She believed in me more than I did and she demonstrated that. I was someone on the other side of the world - naive, impressionable, hungry for knowledge. She was experienced, seasoned and probably chuckled inwardly at some of my petty concerns. 


Michele cared about me. She showed me time and again that she cared. She was present when we hung out in person and she was present when we were apart. I felt her support, her encouragement and she always made it clear that I made her proud. 


She was a beautiful human being. Her life was cut short and her passing is still a shock to all of us who knew her. I selfishly cannot fathom why my time with her was cut short but I cannot change that. I can celebrate her and tell as many as I can about her. I can take lessons from who Michele was. I want to grow up to become her. She was awesome. 


Rest In Peace, Michele [1964-2012]. 


  
    

A Week in San Francisco: Intimidating, Inspiring, Exhilarating!

I am back from one of the most memorable trips in my life. I say life because I genuinely feel that the lessons I learned from this trip are life lessons and I find it impossible to place them into a “work bin” just because my company paid for it and I was supposedly on a business trip.

It all started when I received an email from New York, informing me that I had been nominated to attend the LexisNexis Global Leadership Summit in San Francisco in March 2012. It is an event typically attended by LexisNexis business leaders across the globe, so attendees would consist of CEOs and MDs who report into our Global CEO, Mike Walsh who would host the meeting.  It is an annual gathering of the greatest minds in the organization – the big leagues.

How then, did I fit in? This year, they decided to include employees they called “high performers”. The aim was to reward people like me and also provide us with an opportunity to meet with the leaders in the organization, teach us a thing or two and motivate us to do better.

One month before the summit, I received an email, asking me to moderate a 90-minute customer panel session on Day 3. I panicked (I kid you not!) and then tried to calm down, and panicked again! I was going to do this for an audience of 138 big big bosses across LexisNexis worldwide. I shot an email (still in a state of panic) to my boss, MD of Asia, Shawn Clark asking, “whaaat? why?” and he calmly and confidently assured me that I was the best person for the job. If you ever wonder what kind of boss you want, here’s my enlightened answer: Look for a boss who knows you better than you do, sees you for the potential you have and pushes you to achieve your fullest potential, even if it takes you out of your comfort zone. Shawn gave me a pep talk via email, then asked me to snap out of my panicked state and gave me sound advice. ”Just prepare“, he said. So I did.

The summit was an eye-opener for me. It was run like clockwork, timed perfectly and designed to push the boundaries of innovation and creativity, make us think and plan really hard, help us meet new colleagues and really get to know them. We were encouraged to bring our smart phones and tablets as there was a specially designed app which we accessed throughout the summit. It contained personalized agendas for each of us, a welcome video by our CEO, a Who’s Who list of attendees, a blog page on which we could post comments and updates, daily photo montages and more!

We were taken on site visits to the various companies within the Silicon Valley. It blew me away and gave me an immense amount of inspiration. Our businesses shared success stories on various aspects of the business, encouraging us to share and learn from each other and showcased our latest technology and innovation. I learned about LexisNexis – the company, our goals and our vision. I learned that we had relatively young leaders within the organization – most of them are in their 40s. I discovered that a huge portion of them are women (woohoo!) and that our leaders are brilliant, down-to-earth individuals who are also passionate about their work and the company and determined to succeed. I was intimidated and inspired.

Day 3 arrived very quickly. It was time for my panel session. We had the top people in the largest law firms in Asia, US and Australia and a highly respected General Counsel on the panel. I opened by explaining that we hoped to learn from our customers, then innovate to create new products and solutions for them and proceeded to introduce the first panel member. The 90 minutes whizzed past and then it was over. The audience applauded, my fellow presenters on stage reached out to shake my hand and others started joining us on stage to have deeper conversations with the four panel members. It was over. Shawn was the first one to come over to me, whispering “Good job” and I thought “phew!”.

Throughout the rest of that day, people kept congratulating me on a job well done, telling me how it impacted them and made them think. I was flustered. I thought the session went well. I did not realize it went that well. It was one of the scariest things I had ever attempted. I am so glad I was pushed to do it.  I learned a bit about myself, gained an immense amount of confidence and earned the respect of my colleagues and bosses! It was overwhelming. That night, I received an award for “Excellence in Creating Customer Value”. The summit officially closed. It was such an awesome day.

                   Receiving the award from my boss, Shawn Clark, MD of Asia 

I spent the next few days on holiday with my friends. I attended a kids’ softball practice, went to the Golden Gate Bridge, tasted sourdough bagels and Ghirardelli chocolates, enjoyed fresh Dungeness crab, went shopping, made new friends and reflected on my week. I am an extremely fortunate individual – I work hard, feel passion for a job I love and I am recognized for my contributions. As a result of this, I want to do better, want to make my leaders proud and so I continue to grow and learn and hopefully do better.

I can’t wait for my next intimidating, inspiring and exhilarating adventure.

A Little Taste of Japan

Mention Japan and people start talking about sushi. That was what happened when I found out that the LexisNexis Asia 2012 Kick Off would be held in Fukuoka, Japan. My friends who love Japanese food (ie: sushi) started getting excited on my behalf while I was busy preparing for the meeting. I gave sushi little thought. It didn’t help matters that I did not like sushi (yup, I do now!).

After a week in mundane, quiet Fukuoka, I thought it was time for me to dispel the sushi myth — that a visit to any part of Japan is a totally new journey to a totally new existence. It is a delightful attack on your senses, not merely taste and smell and sight but the heartfelt connection with every individual you meet, the attention to detail in every aspect of daily life, the invisible but powerful sense of pride and honour in all undertaking. It is enviable, this existence. I wish we could import that to our existence.

I hope I brought a little bit of it back home and I sincerely hope I spread the word — that Japan is not all about sushi.

                                          Hakata Station at night

The People

I’ll start with the people. There is an ingrained sense of pride in everything they undertake. They are proud of their work and they do their utmost to bring honour to what they do. Translate that to the clerk at the checkout counter in the supermarket, the waiter at a restaurant, the bus driver, the officer at the information counter, the cute guy at the front desk of your hotel (you get my point). It did not feel contrived, the perfect customer service experience that was accorded to every person they met. It did not feel like they did so because their supervisor was hovering over their shoulders.

It felt like they treated you with the highest honour because it was what would give them a sense of pride. It was utterly surreal and humbling to the discerning. One particular moment will be etched in my memory for a long time.

On the first night, we were treated to a glorious traditional drum performance during dinner. I was blown away by the pure energy, spirit and passion which exuded from the three drummers. These drummers were traditionally asked to perform during new year celebrations and formed an ancient part of Fukuoka culture. The lead drummer commanded the scene, flanked by two others to his right and left, teasing the audience with slow and fast beats, building up to a crescendo of beautifully orchestrated drumbeats that got all our hearts beating fast and furious, gloriously awake and tuned into the pure energy of their performance.

I could see the passion that they had for their craft. The two drummers fed off the energy of the lead drummer, giving him their full attention and respect. It was amazing to watch! Even when they were not performing, they were focused on the music they were producing, visibly enjoying it and feeding off it. They were at one with their craft. It was an honour for them to share it with us. It was an honour for us to be a part of their existence. It almost felt like we were intruding. It was unbelievable.

The Food

Fukuoka is famous for its hand-made ramen noodles and I wanted to experience it. It was definitely an experience!

We went to a restaurant called Ichiran and as soon as we entered, we were directed to a vending machine (yes!). I pushed the appropriate button to select my ramen dish. I didn’t know what I was doing, so I just punched the button with the most appetizing picture on it and it worked for me. The machine then printed a cute little coupon which I took to the dining room.

The room featured individual booths and I sat in my own little booth, equipped with soy sauce, my own hot water tap, another little menu from which I would further customize my order. I stipulated how soft I wanted my noodle, how much of the “secret sauce” I wanted to add into my soup and a host of other additions to my dish! I scratched my head a little, snapped out of my confused state and went with the flow. It was wonderful!

My dish arrived and I referred to the detailed set of instructions on how to enjoy my ramen in my booth. I followed these religiously and delighted in the experience. You first take a sip of the soup, without stirring the contents. You then stir it thoroughly and then take another sip. I immediately tasted the difference. The secret ingredient was at the bottom of the bowl and stirring it brought out the flavour in the soup.

I then proceeded to slurp my noodles and my soup as instructed. It was heavenly. I now understood why I had to be alone with my ramen. I had to pay it the respect it was due, focus on my bowl of ramen and enjoy it. Boy, did I enjoy it.

Again, I experienced the utmost respect accorded to a craft. The making and serving of a bowl of noodles and the attention to detail, from the ingredients sourced to the way in which it would be consumed. It was all an experience and it was all designed to pay homage to a craft. It was amazing and for me, rare.

I was overwhelmed, not by the taste of the dish I just consumed. I was overwhelmed by the passion with which it was created. If only this could be the case for all who create. If only this could be exhibited by all who contributed to a cause. There was a sense of achieving the ultimate objective in everything the Japanese embarked on. It wasn’t exaggerated. It was matter-of-fact.

I tasted more wonderful meals, more exotic (to me, they were!) dishes and yes, the sushi was wonderful. I enjoyed the tea they served, the sashimi and hot pot unique to Hakata City, tasted blowfish sake (it was a bit weird) and met many wonderful people along the way.

It was my first experience of Japan, and it will not be my last.

            Vending machines where I ordered the ramen - seriously cool.

                       With Margaret & Nick at Ichiran with our ramen

Note: First posted on www.loyarburok.com on 30th Jan 2012. 

Full Circle After Ten Years

I met with someone recently. She is a senior member of the judiciary in Malaysia and I was first introduced to her ten years ago when I first started work as a trainer in LexisNexis. She was an officer in the Attorney General's Chambers and I was a fresh graduate with a brand new LL.B who thought Lexis.com was one of the coolest things on earth.

At a time when online legal research was considered new technology and unfamiliar to many, this person was determined to master the art of online research. We both embarked on a tentative journey; me - the fresh faced young teacher who was in awe of her student and her - the wise student who knew she would reap the benefits of her lessons. She would call me when she was baffled by something and I would agree with excitement when she invited me to lunch after our lessons.

The years passed and I undertook other roles within the company. We kept in touch as she moved to other posts within the civil service. After many years, we met again. It was a wonderful reunion and we began to catch up on what we had done since our last encounter. After I had updated her on my life, she quietly listed every move and every post she had been assigned, leading up to her current post. She took pains to explain how she incorporated research, both international and cross-jurisdictional into her work and how she in turn successfully pushed for change and improvement in the way legal research was conducted in the various institutions she was working in.

I listened intently, perfectly happy learning how her life had turned out and was simply glad she was willing to share it with me. At the end of her story, she paused, looked me right in the eyes and said "Gaythri, do you see what difference you have made in my life? I would not have been inspired to do all this if it had not been for you, patiently guiding me along when I needed it."

It was the most wonderfully shocking statement anyone has ever made to me. Perhaps because it was so unexpected or maybe because it was coming from someone whom I respect and admire immensely. It choked me up (still does) and all I could say was a sincere "Thank You". I touched her life in the tiniest manner ten years ago and what I thought was a day at work turned out to have a life-changing effect on someone.

It renewed my determination to have passion for my work and in all that I do. It is never routine and it is never fleeting, the imprint you leave on others - so long as you care and give your best to it.

Little Did I Know

This post, coming after a long hiatus from blogging comes in the wake of a minor awakening that I experienced this year. It has been a year of changes and adjusting to change is not always pleasant. However, with change comes new discoveries and I have had a few of those this year.

This was the year I discovered Twitter. I must admit that I was a reluctant participant in the whole social media playground, being the bordering-on-paranoia sort of introverted old-school type of personality that I am. Putting myself out there in this vacuum called "twitter" just didn't seem like the best idea.

Of course, I work for LexisNexis - heading the Marketing Department, of all things! We are encouraged to innovate and my boss constantly tells us to "get creative". My counterparts in other countries were raving about it and my curiosity got the better of me. I started exploring and tentatively joined the kids in the playground, not knowing what I was doing but determined to figure things out by the end of the journey. If I wanted to figure this out, I couldn't send other kids to play on my behalf - I had to kick off my shoes and play in the sand - so I did.

I embarked on twitter with the intent of getting better at my job but little did I know how it would both humble and inspire me on a personal level. With 140 characters, mere individuals - the man (and woman, of course!) on the street articulates his opinion and other men on the street amplify this opinion. The utter lack of inhibition displayed in this exercise is both terrifying and liberating at the same time. I absolutely love it.

It has heightened my awareness of all things present. I realize how singularly oblivious I was to what was not immediately in my line of sight. If I was not in the picture, I didn't care to know about it. It was a selfish, limiting and inward-looking existence and I was perfectly happy stressing over the smallest things.

I began following people who interested me and I started caring about issues which affected more people - not just me. I formed opinions about the issues that mattered to me and I voiced them. I gained entirely new perspectives on many issues, met people who motivate and inspire me and received validation from people who liked what I had to say.

I am still on this awesome journey and I still appreciate the lessons I learn from it - one of which is the fact that my opinions matter and that I should translate my thoughts to the written word. Who knows, someone may just be inspired by them.