The Office Secrets as a title conjures a different perspective and expectations in mind. But let me start by saying there were never any office secrets. They become apparent and obvious in hindsight when Harish Bhat reveals them one by one through his insightful essays in the book ‘Office Secrets – 50 Human Truths You Should Absolutely Know’.
I don’t read them as Office secrets. They are insightful observations of the curious mind of a marketer who has spent time deliberating on the business environment, office ecosystem and the people around him.
In ‘Office Secrets’, Harish Bhat wields an uncompromising, unforgiving pen to categorise people. Harish Bhat is feebly humorous and, at times, pointedly sarcastic. He is sometimes motivating and a helpful guide to navigating professional life. It seems he can observe and classify people in a Uni-dimensional world just by observing how they look, sit, speak, contribute or not and even react to cookies or what they serve to the visitors.
Harish Bhat Reframes Friends And Colleagues.
Harish has taken the task of unmasking the secrets of the office.
It is funny how things work. While reading the book, the faces of many colleagues flashed in my mind, and I started categorising them as I read a few chapters based on classifying people by their habits and reactions.
We all know people are not unidimensional, but thankfully, the master crafter stays away from and spares the readers a possible insightful multi-dimensional categorisation, which he is more than capable of. Otherwise, it would have been tough to think of a cookie grabber who uses long PowerPoint presentations, rarely speaks at a meeting and more.
More Than Mere Categorisation.
Let me be honest: the book has chapters beyond the mere categorisation of people, but the categorisation stands out and hits you where it hurts because, in addition to categorising people, you end up seeing your reflection in some of the descriptions.
Additionally, Harish Bhat, in the book ‘Office Secrets’ uses the space to introduce you to some of the secret learnings and sources of inspiration. They come from a Horse to Hercule Poirot to making productive use of an unproductive meeting.
Making A Point.
He is harsh on long PowerPoint presentations and presenters. Harish Bhat repeatedly asks for a shorter max of 5-slide presentations throughout the book. He writes ( Chapter 10- on ‘Dump The Slides; Add Power To Your Point’)- ‘There is no subject on this planet whose essence cannot be put forward in five good slides, though it takes a lot of thoughtfulness to ensure such brevity”.
Listening.
Harish Bhat rightly promotes gainful, serious listening, asking the right questions, saying NO – where needed, Generosity and Kindness in the office environment. In the chapter ‘Listening: A Vital Managerial Skill’ explains
beautifully in the section ‘Open your Mind”. “Most new ideas emerge from something that is not aligned to existing knowledge. So, the best way to listen is to keep your ears wide open for negative evidence – evidence that says you are wrong – and pay particular attention to why the speaker thinks that way. Don’t begin the process of evaluation until you have heard him/her out fully. An open mind does not guarantee your true enlightenment, but it certainly helps”.
Limiting Digital Devices.
He is all for limiting the use of digital devices and writes (Chapter 11- ‘New Laws of Digital Workplace’)- “I am a strong proponent of Occam’s digital razor, a new-age version of an ag-old philosophy, which states that to live and work happily, you should minimise the number of digital devices you use. Zero is brilliant but rare, one is fine, two is tolerable, three is a noisy crowd, and four is a mad stampede”.
Laugh At Self.
As a brand marketer, he does not shy away from mentioning the Titan watch. Happily, he promotes Goa in the footnotes of the articles. As a practice, he writes a self-directed dig or experience at the end of the essay- reiterating the point that we in the corporate world need to be able to smile, if not laugh, at ourselves in a self-evaluative mode. I have written the last sentence in a way Harish Bhat, the author, abhors writing. His book is a far simpler, jargon-less, non-iterative compilation of his watchful observations.
Notebooks Resonate With Me.
I fully endorse the use of pen and paper. One can put a notebook to many uses, including taking notes during a discussion, ideas, solutions, to-do list and many more. Keeping one handy and using it judiciously can positively contribute to life and personal image.
Doodling Re-Empathised.
Now, this is interesting not that it required an endorsement, but for ‘Unlocking Rhythms’ in his Chapter on ‘Finding Hot Spots for Ideas”, he writes- I have noticed colleagues who doodle meaninglessly during meetings, perhaps for the same reason, Rhythm appears to unlock the mind”. He further adds in Chapter ‘Taking Note of What Is Said’ and writes. ‘Doodler also carries a core belief that most of what is said in meetings is really a waste of time. So, he keeps himself busy during these discussions by doodling in his notebook. Occasionally, he may lazily scribble a note or two as well if he hears something that sparks his interest. There is research indicating that doodling opens up your mind during meetings and makes you more creative, so don’t rule this out as a useless pursuit.’
I am happy Harish can see the science and art behind an almost free-flowing doodling during meetings. I have been an ardent fan and practitioner of the art of doodling in the conference as an act, tool, and device for concentration and note-taking and I am known as a compulsive doodler. My bosses would question whether I was paying attention if I was not doodling. Read the book ‘Office Secrets to learn more about fruitful positive doodling.
Get the Hint.
All 50 essays are brilliant individual read and follow the bell curve. However, the ones that I really like feature towards the end and that helped me with a great aftertaste of reading the book. The ones I refer to are. Chapter-44, ‘Horse Play at Work- Here is what managers can learn from the fascinating world of horses’. Chapter-47, ‘What Should You Do When You Fly- How executives can make the most of their hours in the air’. Chapter-48, ‘New Principles of our office lives- Here are some laws 5hatgovern our modern workplace’. Chapter-49, ‘Taking Notes of What is Said- The six kinds of note-takers you will find at meetings, from the doodler to the digital geek’.
The best advice is at the end of Chapter 50- he writes the obvious but something we all forget to remember or implement. ‘I think the best way to look good (he is not talking of dressing or grooming) at meetings is to keep your ears and mind open all the time, but to open your mouth only when you have something to contribute’.
Mint Readers Be Forewarned.
All the 50 essays in the book have been earlier published in Mint newspaper – one of the finest financial newspapers in the country under the column titled ‘Tongue-in–cheek’. Now, if you have been a diligent Mint reader and a follower of the column, in that case, this book may not add much to your understanding other than slightly twisting the perspective under which you read it. Titles do have a way to skew our judgment and experience.
People interested and who can read Hindi may want to read the short, crisp N Raghuraman column ‘Management Funda’ in Dainik Bhaskar- which appears every day across all editions and draws upon experiences in life.
Office Secrets- Read At Your Own Risk.
Now, don’t tell me I never warned you. The book has a hidden psychological pattern that nudges you to see things differently. Trust me, the office space, the interactions, and especially the meetings will no longer be the same. They are going to be meaningful and fun in a different way. You would see your colleagues differently. Maybe you will take a side bet on how the person reacts or why the person acts differently. In an updated contemporary way, Harish Bhat in Office Secrets includes a few chapters dedicated to the perils and advantages of WFH (Working from home) and virtual meetings.
Is There A Gender Bias?
Oh! I am unsure if it is a gender bias – planned or a sheer oversight. I presume it is the latter. In most places, Harish has remained gender-neutral to humans. He refers to them as ‘Person’. However, in a few places, Harish uses ‘She’ as a pronoun to denote a kind of person. Fortunately, in most such places, he explains the power behind using pronouns. He makes it more gender inequal by praising one gender disproportionally.
Office Secrets- Slow warmer and follows the bell curve.
Now, this may differ from reader to reader. It depends upon what interests you. To me, the last 7 chapters were the best of the 50 chapters. Harish Bhat’s Office Secret is no deviation and follows the bell curve. So, expect you to like more than 90% of the article and raise your eyebrows to 10% for different reasons.
NET NET.
I have enjoyed reading Harish Bhat’s earlier books like ‘Extreme Love of Coffee’, ‘TATA Log’, ‘the Curious Marketer’ and ‘Tata Stories’.
Office Secrets by Harish Bhat is refreshing, like the last pastry of the day. It is as interesting if you read a few chapters at a time and give enough gaps between the readings. It is candid with attempted humour that, at most, brings a smile to the face, if not a hearty laugh. However, a stand-up comedy artist could use the same inputs to make it viral.
The categorisation of corporate personnel is funny and sharp at the same time; however, it does tend to become monotonous. And, yes, the chapters are not in order, and you can decide to read them in any order or sequence – like the ‘n’ chapter where 1<=n<=50. I would still advise picking them in the order they feature in the book- so that you do not end up reading similar chapters in a series. The author is clear about not understanding Millennials; hence, the readings and observations may not apply to them. I doubt that- they are also humans.
You can read it as a light reading or be seriously involved to filter out the meaningful advice, and mantras sprinkled all over the book. The choice is yours. I found it interesting, enjoyable, and light reading with mined insights and observations served with a dose of Humour. And that too when I officially turn 60 on 28th September 2023.
Book: Office Secrets; 50 Human Truths You Should Absolutely Know. Author: Harish Bhat. Publisher: Penguin Business. Pages: 256 pages. Price: Rs 399.
DISCLAIMER. Harish Bhat is Sanjeev Kotnala’s batchmate from IIM Ahmedabad.
BLOG/052/2023. To connect, send an email, join on Twitter S_kotnala or subscribe to the weekly update.
………………………………………………………………………………
End Of Review.
Here Are SOME Snippets From The Book For The Interested.
Here are examples of what you may end up reading.
Generosity Chapter 2- Why Being Generous Is An Essential Trait Of A Great Leader.
Harish writes, “Generosity is not charity. It is an act of reaching out to our team members or peers and signalling to them how important they are to us. It is an act of kindness that is incredibly motivating to the receiver and equally fulfilling to the giver, and it, thereby, creates even stronger bonding and team spirit within an organisation”.
24-Hour Rule. Chapter-4. Six Rules That Marked Working From Home.
“That it is very difficult for two people to spend all twenty-four hours together every day, for two years at a stretch. You may be deeply in love with your partner or your spouse and totally inseparable as a couple, but day-long observations of their work idiosyncrasies, constant shop talk and general sloppiness can sometimes be too much to handle”.
Balloons And Compliments. Chapter- 6. Have you spotted the Balloon in your office?
“Compliments are the helium that fills everyone’s balloons. They elevate the person receiving them so that he or she can fly over life’s troubles and land safely on the other side’.
An Influencer. Chapter8. Why writing makes us happier.
The ability to influence thinking in our specific sphere of work or interest inevitably creates happiness in our mind, even fulfilment. Sometimes, this is also important to our roles. Writing is perhaps the easiest way to develop such thought leadership.
‘Limiting work to three hours’ and ‘Choose a Bohemian Location’ in Chapter 29- Conference101- And Ways To Add Some Fun.
This is something I would urge the senior team members to consider. He writes, ‘There is a simple basis for this conclusion (Limit Serious Work to Three Hours). If the best of the movies, with all their scintillating actors and emotive appeal, cannot hold our attention for more than three hours at a stretch, do heavy-duty speeches and PowerPoint presentations by corporate men and women really have a hope in succeeding beyond this time limit”. He adds further, “The ability to indulge in a relatively harmless but deliciously sinful activity, such as some minor gambling or a visit to cabaret or a massage in a beach shack always adds to the overall appeal of the location. The casinos of Macau or La Vegas, the night spots of Bangkok and Pattaya, the punky street of Rio and the beaches of Goa- take your pick”.
…………………….
POST SCRIPT.
Interacting With Office Secrets.
This is beyond the review I usually do but is definitely inspired by Harish Bhat’s unqualified classification or the human dwellers in the corporate corridors.
I do not claim to be as observant as Harish Bhat or as good a writer as he is. Having already said that there are no secrets, I am sure these will also be obvious in hindsight despite them being mere conjectures.
You can look at people and define them the way they interact with the book- Office Secrets.
The Curious Aggregator.
The person will read all the reviews and summaries of the book and then try projecting to be an avid reader. This person moves fast on the subject and has a new book summary to talk about before you get ready after reading ‘Office Secret’. In the office, the person assimilates ideas from discussions and makes up his or her mind early in the project or how it needs to be approached.
The Curious Floater.
He is found in a bookshop beside the best-seller stand, where he would also find this book. Curious Floater would pick it up because he had heard the name or read the earlier book, which makes the person curious. He will most likely try to make sense of the cover by referring to the back cover blurb- which will help decide whether to buy the book. Such a person in the offices wants to see a document’s objecting page at the start and last impact page. He is impressed by the names of the team on a project rather than the output.
The Curious Reader.
The person would have already read the reviews and a few comments on Linkedin on the book, including the write-up Harish posted there. Some may have read this review, which would have confused them more than helped to make up their mind. The person would buy the book out of curiosity about what Harish Bhat is up to and will most likely have expectations based on past readings. This person would want to be part of every document and presentation in the office. He will float from meetings to meetings in trying to have an inactive overhand of what is happening in the office.
The Curious Early Bird Reviewer.
The person reads the book and then starts talking about the book in every conversation. Every book or additional information has that limited time-bound value for the person. Usually, they are the readers who pre-order and are the first to read the book. They then flaunt their engagement and are generally positive in their appreciation of the book. One dead giveaway is these people, including learnings from the book and its reference in the next presentation.
The Curious Amplifier.
This person reads a few books but gives them serious reading. In addition to reading the book, the person demonstrates and tries leveraging his reading by carrying the book to all the places. Read it while in transit and in the office. The person would keep it on their worktable or the stacks of books in their workstation. This person may even be tempted to write an e-mail to Harish Bhat sharing inputs on how engaging the book was. Be warned – Office Secrets may not be suitable for this work.
The Curious Silent performer.
The person quietly orders the book after it has gained some excellent reviews and momentum. They get the book and then seriously engage in reading. The pages are marked, and sentences are underlined for reference. The book, if liked, reaches their library and is recommended for reading in the right environment. These people in office demonstrate their capability to work under constraints of resources by taking on only as much as they can deliver.
…………………….
