Last week, we discussed five of the top 10 lessons that I learnt from my doctoral supervisor Professor David James Edwards fondly known as DJE. We discussed the main objectives of education, the importance of recognising the unique contribution of every member, writing things down, deleting things we are not sure of and sleeping over problems we struggle to solve.
Today, we discuss the next 5 big lessons from DJE.
6. Aim for top standards: Each time we were doing research, DJE wanted us to do it to the best of our abilities and to represent the brand we were associated with. He demanded very high standards in everything we did. He instilled a spirit of standing out from the crowd. It is a mind-set thing.
7. If it doesn’t work, try something else: DJE knew when to quit. He was a very good problem solver but once many options have been tested, it was time to decide to move on to the next good thing. He believed that the world has so many good things that we can attempt and excel at.
Do not co n f u s e t h i s with determination. Determination is important and DJE was a man of determination. But he clearly chose his battles. This is so important in life. Know when to quit and when to embark on something else. Many fail in life because they forever stick to something that never and will never work.
8. Complex problems have simple solutions: Each time we had a problem including technical glitches in the laboratory, DJE started by looking at the simplest things. Often the solution lied in the small things. He would bring us down to basics. I have used this technique many times and it works a lot. I will give a simple example.
One time when I was IT Director at Airtel and Airtel Money system was down, the team explored everything and could not identify the issue. I recalled how DJE would solve it and I asked the team to start with the simplest things and I asked them to trace each cable. The top Airtel Money expert immediately saw that the cable connecting the main server was loose. And within seconds he solved the problem. That is exactly the DJE way!
9. Think outside the box: DJE was a master of really thinking outside the box. Before buying something expensive, look around and you may find that you can alternatively use the existing items that you have. One time, I was doing experiments in the lab on how future mobile phones would transmit signals. I was looking at many modes of antenna arrangements.
For one configuration, I needed antennas that were arranged in a certain angle which we didn’t have. Using the funding that was available, I applied to buy new antennas. But before he could approve, DJE explained how I could re-arrange the existing antennas to achieve the configuration I wanted. This saved not just the money but also the time for more research. This is just one of the many times he truly thought outside the box. Are you spending enough time to think outside the box?
10. Packaging and optics matter: We hear this a lot these days, that the optics and how you look matter. I recall a time when there was shortage of office space in the Engineering Building at Oxford and administration staff were to come to identify space that they could divide and give to new teams. DJE wanted us to protect our space. Our lab could host say 40 research students but we were about half the number.
DJE called us all to the lab a day before to plan and rehearse for the visit. We re-arranged ourselves to make the lab look busy and full. We also agreed that everyone would be in the lab the next day when the authorities would be walking around the offices to identify extra space. These authorities spent like 20 minutes on most of the labs and divided them. When they came to ours they just walked through remarking “This lab is busy and full, nothing we can do.”! We kept all our space!
