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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)

Following Christmas Lights Across Europe

History, culture, and family bonding blended seamlessly with Christmas traditions, surrounded by stories, snow, and shared smiles.

It was finally time to explore new festive landscapes with my family. After experiencing the enchanting Christmas markets in 2014 and 2018 as a Global Voyages tour leader in Austria and Hungary, this much-awaited family journey took us through Amsterdam, Brussels, Cologne, Nuremberg, and Berlin.


This part of the tour was especially close to my heart, as it was not just another travel plan but a family Christmas vacation. Slow, meaningful, and rooted in togetherness, it let us experience Europe beyond schedules and checklists, focusing instead on moments and memories.


This time, we chose the road less travelled. Instead of trains, we hired a car and drove through the European countryside, past snow-dusted fields, silent villages, winding roads, and frozen lakes. With time on our side, we embraced offbeat experiences and slower travel, with no rush—only shared laughter, spontaneous halts, warm conversations, and the quiet joy of Europe’s winter magic at our own pace.


Soft snow was falling when we stepped into our first Christmas market. The lights shimmered gently, carols floated through the cold air, and our hands wrapped tightly around warm cups of mulled wine and hot chocolate. It felt comforting and magical, as if Christmas itself was welcoming us with open arms.


We began our journey in Berlin, a city layered with history, resilience, and hope. At Christmas, it feels reflective yet festive. One must-see landmark was the Brandenburg Gate, built in the 18th century as a symbol of peace. It has witnessed Napoleon’s invasion, Nazi parades, and the division of the Cold War, and today stands as a powerful emblem of German reunification after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. Seeing it beautifully illuminated during Christmas, with dinner nearby, was deeply moving.


The next day, we explored the Berlin Wall Memorial and the East Side Gallery, where preserved sections of the wall are covered with murals by artists from around the world. These artworks tell powerful stories of separation, struggle, freedom, and hope. Walking along this historic stretch made us pause and reflect on how history shapes nations and individual lives.


We also visited Museum Island, a UNESCO World Heritage Site home to five remarkable museums showcasing ancient civilisations, classical art, and European heritage. It felt like travelling through centuries in just a few hours.


As evening approached, we admired the festive elegance of Charlottenburg Palace, a Baroque residence once home to Prussian royalty. Later, we wandered through Alexanderplatz and the TV Tower area, alive with winter energy and glowing Christmas lights. The highlight was Gendarmenmarkt, Berlin’s most elegant Christmas market, where handcrafted art, woollens, ornaments, and the aroma of spiced wine filled the air. We sipped mulled wine with amaretto and enjoyed classic German snacks like currywurst and bratwurst, which tasted even better in the chilly weather.


Our next destination was Nuremberg, a city steeped in mediaeval history and Christmas tradition. Once a key centre of the Holy Roman Empire, it still preserves its old-world charm. We wandered through the Old Town with its cobbled streets and half-timbered houses, climbed up to Nuremberg Castle for panoramic city views, and ended at Hauptmarkt Square, the festive heart alive with lights, music, and joyful crowds.


We also visited St Lorenz Church, a magnificent Gothic masterpiece that added a sense of peace to our walk. In the evening, we explored the legendary Christkindlesmarkt, one of Europe’s oldest and most traditional Christmas markets, dating back to the 16th century. Red-and-white stalls displayed miniature wooden toys, angel ornaments, and festive crafts. We sampled Nuremberg’s famous Lebkuchen gingerbread and sipped hot chocolate from collectible mugs. Spending two days here felt like stepping into a living Christmas postcard.


We then travelled to Cologne, a city shaped by Roman roots and mediaeval grandeur. The highlight was the awe-inspiring Cologne Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Europe’s finest Gothic structures. Standing beneath its towering spires at Christmas felt deeply humbling. Nearby Christmas markets offered Rhineland crafts, live music, and festive treats. We sampled Reibekuchen potato pancakes and strolled along the Rhine River Promenade, where colourful Old Town houses reflected softly in the winter light.


Spending five winter days across Germany was deeply enriching, as history, culture, family bonding, and Christmas traditions blended beautifully. From here, our journey continued to Belgium and the Netherlands, promising more warmth, local hospitality, and unforgettable festive moments.


Exploring the world is a never-ending journey—the more we see, the more our hearts long for more. And travelling during Christmas, surrounded by stories, snow, and shared smiles, makes that longing even stronger.


So stay tuned, as the next and final part unfolds an even more magical European Christmas story — memories of heartwarming local hospitality that glow softly in the heart, just like Christmas lights on a winter evening.

 

(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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