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By:

Rashmi Kulkarni

23 March 2025 at 2:58:52 pm

Making a New Normal Feel Obvious

Normal is not what’s written. Normal is what repeats. The temple bell rings at the same time every day. Not everyone prays. Not everyone even walks in. Some people don’t care at all. And yet when that bell rings, the whole neighborhood syncs. Shops open, chores move, calls pause. The bell doesn’t convince anyone. It simply creates rhythm. That’s how “normal” is built inside a legacy MSME too. Not by speeches. By repetition. Quick recap: Week 1: You inherited an equilibrium. Week 2: People...

Making a New Normal Feel Obvious

Normal is not what’s written. Normal is what repeats. The temple bell rings at the same time every day. Not everyone prays. Not everyone even walks in. Some people don’t care at all. And yet when that bell rings, the whole neighborhood syncs. Shops open, chores move, calls pause. The bell doesn’t convince anyone. It simply creates rhythm. That’s how “normal” is built inside a legacy MSME too. Not by speeches. By repetition. Quick recap: Week 1: You inherited an equilibrium. Week 2: People resist loss, not improvement. Week 3: Status quo wins when your new way is harder. Week 4 is the next problem: even when your idea is good and even when it is easy, it can still fail because people don’t move together. One team starts. Another team waits. One person follows. Another person quietly returns to the old way. So, the old normal comes back … not because your idea was wrong, but because your new normal never became normal. Which Seat? • Inherited : people expect direction, but they only shift when they see what you consistently protect. • Hired : people wait for proof “Is this just a corporate habit you’ll drop in a month?” • Promoted : people watch whether you stay consistent under pressure. Now here’s the useful idea from Thomas Schelling: a “focal point”. Don’t worry about the term. In simple words, it means: you don’t need everyone convinced. You need one clear anchor that everyone can align around. In a legacy MSME, that anchor is rarely a policy document. It’s not a rollout email. It’s a ritual. Why Rituals? These firms run on informal rules, relationships, memory, and quick calls. That flexibility keeps work moving, but it also makes change socially risky. Even supportive people hesitate because they’re thinking: “If I follow this and others don’t, I’ll look foolish.” “If I share real numbers, will I become the target?” “If I push this new flow, will I upset a senior person?” “If I do it properly, will it slow me down?” When people feel that risk, they wait. And waiting is how the status quo survives. A focal ritual breaks the waiting. It sends one clean signal: “This is real. This is how we work now.” Focal Ritual It’s a short, fixed review that repeats with the same format. For example: a weekly scoreboard review (15 minutes) a daily dispatch huddle (10 minutes) a fixed purchase-approval window (cutoff + queue) The meeting isn’t the magic. The repetition is. When it repeats without drama, it becomes believable. When it becomes believable, people start syncing to it, even the ones who were unsure. Common Mistake New leaders enter with energy and pressure: “show impact”. So they try to fix reporting, planning, quality, procurement, digitization … everything. The result is predictable. People don’t know what is truly “must follow”. So everything becomes “optional”. They do a little of each, and nothing holds. If you want change to stick, pick one focal ritual and make it sacred. Not forever. Just long enough for the bell to become the bell. Field Test Step 1 : Pick one pain area that creates daily chaos: delayed dispatch, pending purchase approvals, rework, overdue collections. Step 2 : Set the ritual: Fixed time, fixed duration (15 minutes). One scoreboard (one page, one screen). Same three questions every time: – What moved since last time? – What is stuck and why? – What decision is needed today? One owner who closes the loop (decisions + due dates). Step 3 : Protect it for 8 weeks. Don’t cancel because you’re busy. Don’t skip because a VIP came. Don’t “postpone once” because someone complained. I’ve seen a simple weekly dispatch scoreboard die this exact way. Week one was sharp. By week three, it got pushed “just this once” because someone had a client visit. Week four, it moved again for “urgent work”. After that, nobody took it seriously. The old follow-ups returned, and the leader was back to chasing people daily. The first casual cancellation tells the system: “This was a phase”. And the old normal returns fast. One Warning Don’t turn the ritual into policing. If it becomes humiliation, people will hide information. If it becomes shouting, people will stop speaking. If it becomes a lecture, people will mentally leave. Keep it calm. Keep it consistent. Keep it useful. A bell doesn’t shout. It just rings. (The author is Co-founder at PPS Consulting and a business operations advisor. She helps businesses across sectors and geographies improve execution through global best practices. She could be reached at rashmi@ppsconsulting.biz)

Budapest: Where Christmas Lights Meet Timeless History

Part 2 – Continuing our European journey, we found Budapest to be a remarkable blend of history, architecture, healing traditions, and warm culture.

After Austria’s beautiful Christmas markets and glittering winter landscapes, we began the next leg of our journey—Budapest. This city has always fascinated me. Formed by the merger of Buda, Óbuda, and Pest in 1873, it is now a remarkable blend of history, architecture, healing traditions, and warm culture.


Budapest is known for many things: its famous thermal baths fed by more natural springs than any other capital, the world’s second-oldest metro system, and its iconic ruin bars in abandoned buildings. It also boasts Europe’s largest synagogue, a vast underground cave system, and is the birthplace of the Rubik’s Cube.


Yet beneath its beauty lies a painful past. During World War II, Hungary suffered under the Arrow Cross Party, whose brutal anti-Semitic ideology mirrored that of the Nazis. The most moving reminder is the Shoes on the Danube Bank—60 pairs of iron shoes marking where countless Jews were executed after being forced to remove their footwear. Standing before those silent shoes was deeply affecting, a reminder that travel isn’t only about beauty but also about remembering.


After the fall of the Soviet Bloc, Hungary slowly regained its freedom and identity. Today, like Latvia and Estonia, it remains more affordable than many Western European countries, making it an appealing destination for travellers.


Heart of Budapest

After wrapping up our Austrian adventure, we travelled by coach and checked into our central Budapest hotel. Everyone was excited—Budapest captivates you instantly. Without wasting time, we headed out for an evening walk to St Stephen’s Basilica Christmas Market, often voted the best in Europe.

It was magical—twinkling lights, wooden stalls, Christmas music, and the basilica standing like a silent guardian. We loved it so much we promised to return the next day—and we did!


We also explored the lively Vörösmarty Square Christmas Market, Budapest’s oldest. Another highlight was the 3D light show at St Stephen’s Basilica, which made the basilica come alive. Hungry from all the walking, we treated ourselves to the famous Hungarian chimney cake (Kürtőskalács) before stopping for photos at the majestic Parliament building.


Finally, a peaceful walk along the Danube brought us back to our hotel, our tired feet reminding us that Budapest is a city best explored slowly and lovingly.


Night on the Danube

The next morning, despite the cold, we visited Budapest’s iconic thermal baths. Stepping into the steaming pools while the chilly air brushed our faces felt surreal—just the winter magic we needed. Relaxing and believed to have medicinal benefits, it was easy to see why locals love them.


In the afternoon, we browsed the vibrant Christmas shops on Váci Street and enjoyed a delicious local lunch at the Central Market Hall, a historic space filled with handmade goods and traditional Hungarian food.


Our evening was the highlight: a Danube River cruise under a sky of Christmas lights. The illuminated Parliament, Buda Castle, and Chain Bridge shimmering like gold—none of us could stop smiling. It was one of those moments you tuck away in your heart forever.


Day Trip to Szentendre

The next day, we took a short trip to the charming riverside town of Szentendre. With its art galleries, craft shops, and colourful architecture, it felt like stepping into a Christmas storybook. We were delighted to find the Szentendre Christmas Village—a small, artistic market with handmade chocolates, pottery, candles, and local crafts.


Every corner felt warm and inviting. By evening, we returned to Budapest, grateful for the unexpected beauty this little town had shared with us.


That night, as I lay in bed, a thought crossed my mind: the more you explore the world, the more you realise how endless its wonders are.


Heartfelt Goodbye

Soon, it was time to say goodbye to Hungary. We returned to Vienna, spent a night at our hotel, relaxed at Café Sacher, and then made our way to Vienna International Airport for our flight back to India.


As I reflected on our journey, a few memories shone brightest: Rathausplatz and Schönbrunn in Vienna; the Cathedral and Fortress markets in Salzburg; St Stephen’s Basilica and Vörösmarty Square in Budapest; the warm thermal baths; the twinkling Christmas trams; and the sweet tradition of “Jézuska” (Baby Jesus) bringing gifts on Christmas Eve.


As a Maharashtrian girl raised in a Hindu family, Christmas wasn’t something I grew up celebrating. Yet I always wished to experience its true essence. Working as a tour leader and travelling with curious, enthusiastic people has turned that quiet wish into a beautiful reality—again and again.


May this journey continue—and may you join me on the next chapter of Europe’s magical Christmas trail!


(The writer is a tourism professional and runs a company, Global Voyages. She could be contacted at goglobalvoyages@gmail.com. Views personal.)

 

 

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