The ice cream run – Management lessons from Dad

18 years ago, I successfully completed my post-graduation in Business Management from one of the prestigious institutions in Bangalore, Christ College. Though my specialization was in Marketing, during the course of two years, I learned various aspects of business including supply chain, time management, advertising and many more.

Little did I realize that there was a time, way back in early 90s while in grade six, I was privy to a bunch of fantastic management lessons in real life. This was when my dad started an ice cream parlour named Adens in our small town of Changanacherry in Kerala. The ice cream was of a brand named Lazza and the company that made it was in Ernakulam, a city roughly hundred kilometres from our hometown. My first lesson in entrepreneurship.

Since dad took distribution of Lazza ice cream in and around Changanacherry, he obviously had to arrange for transportation of ice cream from Lazza factory in Ernakulam to our shop. Considering the distance between the locations, he had to plan the purchase that needed to last him for the next few weeks after which there will be a repeat of this. We called it the ice cream run. The entire process had to be meticulously planned since dad was a banker during his day job and he had to plan the trips on weekends. My first lesson in planning and supply chain management.

The number of items that were required for every ice cream run was sizable enough to be carried in ten large containers. Dad knew a person who owned a van which was big enough to carry those boxes. Arrangements were made to use this van so that multiple runs could be avoided, and the trip was optimized. My first lesson in logistics.

We will start early morning and will reach the factory in Ernakulam. Dad will have a list with the categories and numbers required of ice creams needed that day. He will then sit with the factory manager and while I enjoy an ice cream there, I could hear them talk about sales and strategies towards customer satisfaction, none of which made sense to me then. On hindsight, those were the pearls of wisdom from the lovely ocean of business world. Many times, dad was also able to strike some good deals before he confirmed the order. My first lesson in negotiation.

Once the order was finalized, the boxes were offloaded from the van for the factory staff to fill them with packets of ice creams. As this activity took a while, dad always made use of the time for a quick trip to the city and buy some other items required for Adens including ice cream cones, glasses, tissues etc. which were not something you could buy from the factory. I always looked forward for this quick trip since after the shopping it will be invariably time for lunch, and it was a great opportunity for me to explore the restaurants around Ernakulam. My first lesson in time management.

By the time we returned to the factory, the boxes of ice creams were safely packed and kept ready for the trip back home. Those were the days before temperature-controlled vehicles. Hence special type of insulated boxes was used to keep the ice cream from melting and for further protection large frozen containers of ice were used which ensured that everything was ok during the transport. My first lesson in quality.

The party then headed back to the hometown and just in time to beat the evening traffic so that we reach Adens right on time to store the ice cream safe and sound in the freezers awaiting customers. Sometimes dad also got some posters with colourful pictures of ice creams which promptly went on the walls of Adens which added to the whole appeal of the shop. It was such a heartening sight to see the kids screaming and crying with joy when they saw these images and specifically asked for them and most parents obliged. My first lesson in marketing and sales.

Though dad is not around physically, these moments remain deeply embedded in my mind which continues to be my guiding light in my professional life where I need to apply the principles of management. Something which no management books in the world ever taught me…

A Chilling Farewell

It was past midnight and Dubai was at the fag end of the scorching summer on the 27th day of October 2014. My son had not turned three and was a bit restless that night which kept both Ruby, my wife and me awake. It was a period in between our little one’s disturbed sleep due to some uneasiness that was troubling him. Since I could not sleep, I tried to make effective use of the time by putting my thoughts into a story and started with that on my laptop.

I was halfway into the story and our clock tried telling me it is quite an unearthly hour with the small needle touching the number one. Nevertheless, I continued with my attempt to write. A few minutes later, Ruby came by asking if I am not sleeping since the light was on in the hall where I was seated.

I told her, I shall join soon, but for some strange reason I was getting a bit too cold unusually. I requested my sweetheart to check the thermostat of AC, which was working all well. She said everything is fine and asked if I am feeling feverish which may explain the chills I was starting to experience. She even took out the thermometer which confirmed that my body temperature was normal, but I continued to feel cold.

It was just a matter of time that the chillness gave way to shivering and I had to get a jacket to make myself feel comfortable. I tried to switch off the air conditioning, but it was a futile attempt. It was beyond any logical explanation. I tired to continue writing, but with the quivering I had no option but to shut down the laptop. All what I wanted to do was get under the thick blanket and snuggle up to my darling wife so that I feel better.

As soon as I hit the bed and felt the shivering subside, the phone rang. It was dad. Getting a call from back home in Kerala at 1:30 AM is never a good thing. The news he had to share was indeed not a happy one. My dearest grandpa, one with whom I spent my entire childhood and one who I consider close to my heart is no more. He passed away a few moments ago peacefully in his sleep. Time stood still.

The world did not wait for me. Calendars were replaced a few more times.

It was closer to midnight again in Dubai, but this time in the middle of the winter on the 15th day of February 2023. A couple of hours earlier my dad was taken on an ambulance from a hospital in Changanacherry, my hometown, to a bigger hospital in Kochi where he had earlier undergone treatment. My mom, along with my sister-in-law and my cousin brother had accompanied him. They reached the hospital, and he was immediately taken to the emergency room for treatment.

My cousin kept me posted with updates. With every message that was coming through, the tension in the air at home in Dubai was rising. Dad was truly the one bond that kept the entire family together and the happiness we shared throughout our lives was something beyond my ability to put down in the form of words. As Ruby and I was figuring out the flight to Kochi, the next message arrived. It was quite an ominous one which said dad suffered a massive cardiac arrest, but the doctors did revive him. It was followed by two more attacks and my cousin messaged saying the doctors were planning to shift him to the ventilator.

The nights of February in Dubai are when the temperature is quite pleasant outside, and we do not really need air conditioning throughout. The AC was off, but I could sense the tingling sensation coming back. Something that was familiar to me about nine years ago. I asked my sweetheart for a sweater. The chills were back, and she had to hug me since I started shaking. She covered me with a shawl and later with a jacket as well. But this time I could feel the trembling staying a little longer than last time. The next day I managed to reach Kochi and bid a final farewell to dad standing next to his bedside. He was beyond any state of recognising me, but I knew exactly when he came to me and gave me a hug. Just the way my grandpa embraced me before he started his journey back to where we all came from.

Do-Nothing Time

In the past couple of weeks, I remember having conversations with a few of my friends and colleagues about kids of the current generation. The topic was around how kids are restless these days and we all shared a common concern that idle time is something our kids do not even have in their dictionary. The conversation went on and on as how learned adults speak with the pseudo righteousness which is attributed to most of the parents across the world with young kids.

Little did I realize then, the accusation is not really limited to children. The question I started asking myself was, how often do we have a time during the day when we remain idle? Isn’t there something or other we keep ourselves busy and not really have a do-nothing time for ourselves?  

The biggest irony will be, most often than not, the activities we engage ourselves could be less creative than what our kids involve themselves during their busy time. Among other things, our children may delve into art or craft, while we wile away our time among the never-ending trolls and memes across the various social media platforms.

I truly believe, the concept of a do-nothing time is in fact quite powerful. As you may be aware, when your entire body rests during the night, the brain continues to send signals to the internal organs which still need to function. A similar state will come in play when you give a break to your busy schedules and allow yourself a bit of do-nothing time. This gives a chance for your brain to take a deep breath and indulge into something that directly instigates the creative side as your logical thinking takes a back seat.

The truly magical moment will come and present itself to us if we could practice this more often. It is a busy world, and we all acknowledge that. But let us not forget the fact that the creative genius in all of us, in various forms and shapes, need to be given an opportunity to be awakened. Trust me, you’ll be surprised to see the amount of creativity buried deep down in you getting awakened and the doors indeed open for the true colours of your ingenious freedom.

Give it a chance. Have a bit of a do-nothing time. Celebrate your other self!