The crossroad challenge.

Whether you take the beaten path or are one of those explorers who believe in creating your won way, there will be a time when you will hit the cross road and when you do arrive there, the choices that you make either will make you keep moving ahead or you will end up coming back to the crossroad over and over again, until you are able to choose the right path and say a final bye to the crossroad! Join me here, we we try to understand what is this crossroad really communicating to you, how do you make a choice when you are there, and what do you do when you get looped back in or are able to race ahead! So here we go!

As we go about our lives, each one of us passes through the crossroad- at different developmental stages- when we are studying, as we build and destroy relations and as we succeed and fail in our worldly pursuits of success. Few of us are very blessed, in the sense that whether they rise higher or perish, they have no other option to take a pause at the crossroad and evaluate their next move- say you are born in a politicians family, you are born as a heir to a business empire of few billion dollars- and frankly in those kind of scenarios why should you really care about the signboards on the path of life- I mean who would- because just by the virtue of the context that you have got- you are already way ahead in the race- and if you succeed- no one gives you the personal credit- unless you do something radically different and if you fail- you are still let go- with a minor warp because everyplace knows you can still live the way you want to- whether you do or don’t do anything! So if this the kind of unimportance that the crossroad attracts from these few blessed souls, why does much of humanity struggle when they arrive here? Read on!

For the large majority of humanity, our arrival at the crossroad is as certain and as fatal and final as are the chances of living and dying without anyone knowing we were here on this planet and we did make a difference! The only issue that pops up here is that, most of us are really unprepared when we reach this point, and unless and until you have your personal progress checklist handy and ready- no matter what you do- every time you arrive at a crossroad you will be taking a chance and as the rule is with the game of chances- you have to be very very lucky indeed to get it right the very first time and if you don’t then the never ending looping back to the cross road commences! This never ending loop is what makes our life a wonderful engaging story or a nightmare based on not only what the choices we make, but importantly also how we respond and deal with the choices that we make- how well we are able to stand by, face and tame them- irrespective whether they are working in our favor or conspiring against us! Let me explain…

For the blessed few, who happen to be in the settings where they should be, the crossroads are just an intersection where the light is always green for them, so they just whizz past hardly ever bothered about what is around, for their purpose and goal is etched and they are on the way given the foundation that they have to bank on. When it to come sot the majority of us, like you and I , the crossroads that we come across seem something like these- what field should I study , or perhaps now that I have studied, what should I further specialize in, now that’s done, should I work or be on my own, if work, where, if on my own, how….so on and so forth! Don’t even think that these are normal decisions that you are supposed to take- these are decisions where you are forcing on a choice comparing a few alternative. This is surely not that kind of a pizza question- with cheese or without- this is more with so many pizza’s around me, which one should I go for! The crossroad is not about what you do with a given option, it is about choosing an option from what is around you- based on how and where you have arrived! Think about it! So how can we make the most out of it when we are at a crossroad? Read on!

Like with everything else, your ability to make most of it when you arrive at a crossroad- will depend largely on how prepared are you when you arrive at that point! Consider this, you join an organisation at an X level and you have this finite aspiration of one day being at the corner office.You arrive at this day when you are been told that – you are not enough for that office- what do you? You have options- smack that person- ask him to get lost and you seek a new place that gives you that corner office- next week or you listen, assimilate and work around to become eligible for it in some more time, or you just jump out of the window, whining you are finished, or you just hit the bar! How you react will depend on what your readiness, preparations have been as you were working towards your aspiration of being in that corner office. You see, you can dream- that’s the easy part- working upon it- is the difficult part and what’s where shit happens to 95% people! The reason for that is not that you are incompetent- but the the process- you see the goal/the aspiration- of the corner office or being able to win over the person of your dreams is the easy part- the difficult one is work- know- learn and apply yourself to all the non glorious part that goes on to sustain and manage what your aspiration or desire is!

As long as you arrive prepared with the necessary hard work, have few thoughts and plans about what you really want to with your life; each time a question is poised to you, either by the people or the circumstances that you come to face, you will be able to evaluate, decide and move ahead by an empowering choice and that’s when the crossroad will end up being more helpful than you think! A lot of us, would have heard about- “I had a choice, I thought about it….but than I did this, or that happened and than life took a turn…..away….form what….I aspired!. Well these are nothing more or nothing less but the confessions of people who were at the crossroad- perhaps unprepared or perhaps they faced the odds where they had no other choice but to take a detour! This seems bad- don’t think that way- because- may success stories are ever indebted to these forced/unplanned detours- as people than became more cautious, alert and observant as they walked a path that they had not intended to- and that powerful learning on a new path- made a whole new person out of them- which rewarded not only them but as they shared their learning with the worlds- helped us all- you know these people- this is more or less the story of all the great people who have offered to us the world as we see today! Innovators, Scientists, Business disruptors, Statesmen who lead nations(in the real sense of the words), you think about all the magic you see around that goes to make your life easy- it’s already because of the direct or indirect detours that a few souls had to undertake when they were at the crossroads of their life! So when do crossroads really hurt bad?

When people arrive at crossroads, less prepared, take detours and still not learn, coming back to the same crossroad and going on and on in that loop, that’s where the life giving magical crossroads seem to become a nightmare and simply don’t go away even in broad daylight! Why does this happen- well- the person- you see unless you don’t change-your approach doesn’t change- whether the problem is the same or the problem is a new one- you will end up taking the same action owing to your limited thoughts and that will end up bring you back to the same point! So you basically end up travelling a lot in the same place! The only way, if you ask me to over come this vice like grip of the crossroad- is to bring in a new you to the point- by altering your thinking and approach- unless that is done no matter what your choices look like and what your crossroad is- you will just spend away your whole life in this meaningless loop taking everyone who you care about along with you- adding to their confusion and irritation!

Final words, embrace the crossroads and keep an eye out for them, because as long as you are prepared, you have a goal, a destination, an aspiration, no matter how blurred that may be- the crossroad will be the best direction board that you will ever have come across in life and you will remain ever grateful to that- every second of your coming tomorrow! The best part – not all crossroads are lifeless- few of them also assume human forms- they are your teachers- your coaches, your guides, your friends, your allies- who tell you all the time about the options and consequences and help you by being a reflective board that amplifies your thoughts by weeding out the ambiguity and provindg you clarity- that is so vital for you to set out and achieve what you aspire!

I leave you here, for bow, grab that coffee and think about the crossroad you are now at , or you had been and what was that time like and what did you do, was it an informed decision, an enforced detour that helped you or are you in that loop and want to move out of it now! Think about it and stay prepared- you never know, the next crossroad may be arriving soon- to usher in a wonderful tomorrow just for you!

Ciao for now, stay safe and stay wise and yes be prepared- It helps- always!

Success through disruption.

Scholars and historians may not always agree on all the things that have been ever said or recorded, but the one thing that all of them will always agree upon is the singularity of the fact that- All great success and progress of humanity has been through or amidst disruption and more importantly, the greater the disruption that humanity has been hit by, even more greater has been the resurgence and the pursuit for success to ensure that humanity lives to its name of being the most adaptable and intelligent of all species on the planet! Ironically enough- it is often the dumbness and stupidity of the same species that lands humanity in tight corners to begin with! Join me here as we explore how and why success through disruption seems to be so refreshing and exciting even though it may at times charge a premium as as as far as the price and cost at which such a success eventually manifests!

I you see through the last 300 years of world history, it has been sprinkled with long periods of calm with ensuing periods of unrest, war and chaos in between- Importantly at any given time, there always has been one region or area of the world which has been in a flux of unrest (for whatever reason) and strangely enough this small pocket of unrest always has gone to dictate what the whole world should focus upon and thereby all efforts of humanity would be automatically aligned to resolve that space or pocket of oddity and with that would come in the rush to seek success by any means or ways just to get that pocket of the planet into the – normal way as seen and perceived by the majority! Needless to say, as soon as the leaders of the world would resolve one pocket of unrest or uncertainty there would be another few developing and this never ending cycle goes on like a perpetual machine along with it- creating and destroying lives, livelihoods and economies- all of this ever happened with a singular plan to have perpetual success for a select few at all times even as the rest are left ever struggling through their chaos and turbulence to seek his ever elusive success of calm and peace which seems ever away from their view point- at times for reasons of their own making and yet at other times because of situations are simply beyond their control and are in fact designs of someone else!

Through this fog of chaos, if you carefully observe, success has embraced those societies and nations which have held their ground for the core values that they stand for and have not relented even an inch in what they ever believed and what they thought was the greater good for their people! What works for societies sure does work for individuals and that is why when individuals (who are the basic element of the society) bring in resilience and that desire to be successful, magic happens and times of disruption provide the perfect contrasting backdrop which ensures that even ordinary success (during other times or times of peace) ends up becoming stellar performance worthy of awards and accolades! This very element of being able to get attention and getting noticed is what makes success earned through disruption and that’s why disruption is a blessing- as long as you are anchored to what you seek! So how is success through disruption different than other times? Read on!

In the normal course of times, when everything is settled and things are all fair weather, many people want to try many things and thereby- irrespective of the individual cases of merit- that never ending competition to even seek attention- fails many efforts and at times even the best of the best! You see, attention seeking techniques can be manipulated without checking or validating the real merit that a particular story warrants- don’t believe- watch any news channel you will know what I mean! Next, this clutter of attention seeking behavior then further dampens the genuine interest that actually propagates and drives success!This vital step ends up creating false starts- where wrong projects or stories get highlighted and races ahead only to succumb on account of their own intrinsic failure of having no depth or merit! When the seas are calm you have many ships out there heading for the harbours and it is these crowded harbours that create bursts of attempts for success- in any which way- that goes to undermine individual talent, intellect and impact that any of those ideas can ever have in the real sense on the society or a nation!

On the other hand, when the weather is adverse, you have very few mariners out there and rest assured they are the best of the best, for they have learnt the art and science to tame the storms, at times through prudence and persistence and at other times, through costly lessons of having borne the brunt and re-build themselves all over again to take upon the storms and tame them all over again! It is these pioneers who believe in what their thoughts are , ideas are even in face of seemingly adverse contextual settings, that hold the key to create impact on societies and nations in big way- for the simple reason that- they are ready to venture out when there is not much of crowd! Hence the very few who do venture out get all the attention and support (if needed) to deal with the challenge at hand and get a ready audience who is eager to hear what their ideas about the new definition of success is!Not to be surprised then, it is these very ideas and these very ideators who then wear the hat of the pioneer to direct societies and nations in a direction that suits and defines their success!

Ironically enough, since there is much less competition even among pioneers during times of distress, that even the most average idea and thought ends up being a heroic one and this extent of paucity of alternatives either builds a strong and intelligent society or creates an even deeper sink hole purely depending on the merit of the idea and the definition of success that it brings along with it!

So in a way, if you see, times of disruption are perhaps the best times that one can eagerly await for when it comes to put forth a clutter breaking idea or thought and weaving a new narrative for success- something that makes the oder and earlier narratives obsolete and makes the new one aspirational, desirable and likeable! So what are the kind of ideas and who are these ideators and how do they possibly manage it? Well here you go!

To begin with, more often than not these ideators are someone like you and I,the normal people that you come across through the routine of your life! These are really those ordinary people who have an extraordinary ability to see something of value even as majority of us tend to frown and keep complaining about- how the normal has changed! These people have the intrinsic ability to see the new normal and embrace it long before we understand it and even as majority of us are struggling to adapt! Next and more importantly, these people are great readers of their contextual settings and know the gaps very well and carve out ideas that fit those gaps- whether these are product related or service oriented in such an amazing way that- it all looks simply natural and something that society was possibly ever waiting for! I am sure, if you look around you will find a number of such ideation cases which have been very recent but seemed so very natural the moment they got activated! Finally, since there is a genuine dearth of courageous innovators who have the ability to mix, simple, powerful solutions and communicate them through their charisma- success- real success is far infrequent than one would have thought! Even among the pioneers who come in shining armour during desperate times, only a few survive the turn of a decade and hardly any a generation later- unless and until their ideas have been foundational and potent enough to withstand the onslaught of time and ever evolving human intelligence!

Well, if I have to kind of wrap the things up for this article, here is the crux, embrace disruption and be thankful for it, for you may never know which part of your easy life that you live was a consequence of an earlier period of rapid stress and disruption- which was heeded to by some amazing pioneers and their ideas luckily for you and me, tuck long enough to make our lives that notch easier and bearable to live! Disrupted times are times when there are very few people on the stage of the world and that ensures that each one of them gets their chance to fame and glory-who succeeds and who doesn’t largely depends on how great, simple and powerful the thought is, how well that resonates with the contextual settings of the time and how effectively the whole package is communicated to the society to make it desirable, likeable and successful!

I will leave you here with these thoughts; hopefully we are yet somewhere still in the flux of our current times; perhaps few moments over your favourite drink and who knows! magic happens and you may be the the one who comes up with the next simple, powerful and compelling idea that writes in a new narrative for the society to embrace!

Ciao for now, I will be back soon with another article! Until then stay wise, stay safe and embrace your contextual disruption!

What do you “Benchmark”?

Benchmarking, by itself is a very interesting space to be in! You see, we all have worked at some or the other time in companies that have always screamed from the top of the world- that they value and respect ingenuity, innovation and uniqueness- then why do they always benchmark these apparently different and unique people when it comes to annual growth packets, opportunities or setting so called standards? What’s really happening? Join me here, as we explore and try to understand what the real essence of ” benchmarking” is or rather should be, where we are now and what can we do about this space- can we really make an honest attempt at making “benchmarks” meaningful?

Catch up with any HR Manager, choose the industry you want, they will tell you how far and wide they have gone to ensure that they have a diverse work force, which is able to add different perspective to their business challenges and thereby provide a superior edge to the organisation over the competition. Now what the HR manager will not tell you is about what happens next! The story about how and why they end up “benchmarking” when it comes to assessing the annual performance of these gifted individuals who were hired because they were unique! I mean, what’s the great logic, when you have got them in, because they were different, how can you then go ahead and measure their competence and performance by “benchmarking” them with each other? How sane does this seem

Benchmarking, if you ask me, (I believe) has its older versions hidden within industrialization; that period wherein people clocked in and clocked out with an amazing accuracy and shifts were calibrated to production output with unfailing accuracy and stiff targets, well back then it really didn’t matter “who” the person was at the station along the product line, as long as the products were delivered through the line the way they were supposed and then the comparisons would start, by seeing which floor supervisors shift was more better than the other- well this was, a decent way to do benchmarking because you had technically hired all of them to do a similar or a designated function irrespective of “who” they were! So you see, you were actually buying in similarity and congruence of skills and competencies and not divergence or diversity of skills! So when a shift performed, the results were evident and when failure happened it could be identified to a specific workstation along the production line and thereby this process of comparison, analysis and developing a reward system around what was always a stiff but achievable stretch target was developed and embraced; and that’s how I believe., we had sown the seeds of modern day “benchmarking”- the only fallacy being today we are using it to create more failures than real sane success!

There can only be two possible routes for effective benchmarking, if you ask me, and these are really simple- simple to understand, explain, communicate and measure! But before we explore any of these two routes its important that we understand what is that we have been hiring people for- whether we are hiring them because they are similar or whether we are hiring them because they are different and based on which one of these holds true for a specific organisation or for departments within an organisation, we need to calibrate our measuring parameters and approach to either calibrate , record and measure the similarities (the convergence) that comes up or the dissimilarities which manifest through diversity (divergence).The impact created by these similarities/ congruence and the dissimilarities/ divergence is what needs to be measured and benchmarks need to set up around these parameters! The mistake that organisations end up doing is they end up benchmarking individuals rather than the process or the task! You see a task can be done with greater impact following either the route or congruence or divergence- but the end result- as in the outcome of the impact of the task can be recorded and measured to its effectiveness.When organisations fail to do this and start with the easier premise of “I did it, so can you” kind of an approach, we end up measuring garbage and instead of creating benchmarked system of performance- end up creating islands of differing competence across the organisation which over time manifest into overall organisational incompetence across levels and processes! This is when, either the organisation is either than shook ground up or rebuilt form scratch- read the much hyped OD interventions to live another day! So to keep it simple, here’s what you must do!

First know what you are hiring for! Once you know whether you are hiring for similarities- congruence or dissimilarities- divergence, create a system to calibrate, record, measure and communicate the impact and efficacy that an individual is bring to the process/task (remember it is very important to understand that in neither of the scenarios are you benchmarking the person- you are benchmarking the impact/effectiveness that the either routes/approached bring to the point of action!). Once this system has been created, let the people know how they are being measured or evaluated– the conversations have to be , more of, “You achieve “x”, by “y” time through the method A or B that you say you are great, we have you rewarded with PQR! (A could be the process aligned to congruence- wherein people are been hired for similarity and B can be for divergence- wherein people are hired for diversity). What this does is essentially brings a level playing field so that people are rewarded based on the competence and skills that they were hired for inline with the reason that they were hired for! Sure enough, this is extra effort and needs a lot of foundation building with regards to processes and acquiring skilled people to drive such a intricate process- but rest assured once this is done right, the rewards are far too many and can create great companies from good ones and help people stand out individually and also as teams, irrespective of the path that they have chosen to excel- whether it is the route of convergence or divergence! This, if you ask me is the real essence and soul of benchmarking done the right way!

I will leave you here, with these thoughts for now, and urge you to explore, what is that you have experienced when it comes to this aspect of benchmarking and what is your chosen route? Were you the one you directed the process or were you the one who were examined by the process! Importantly now that you have the thoughts, that I shared, what is that you plan to do differently to create sustainable value irrespective of who you hire or where you get hired!

Ciao for now, I will be back soon with another article, until then stay wise, stay safe and continue to create your mark, the way you know it well!

Harness your “superpower”!

Well, this is about sharing with you, what we perhaps all have, tend to overlook or possibly try to not use it the way we should be using it! Yes, this is about discussing the “superpower” that each one of us has within us; at times we are aware, yet other times, we are unaware and this singular difference between being aware or not, puts us on the pathway to easy success or success through struggle and detours! So join me here, as we try to understand the concept of “superpower” as I see it. Who knows, it may just end up being that aspect, which you always waited for; which may make your life that bit easy!

The most common mistake that people do with the thought of having or not having “superpower” is that it has to be massive, large scale or something that can alter and impact lives around the world- well the fact is. that it doesn’t have to be this way all the time! You see at times, your superpower can be only as much as to ensure that you don’t get killed! Surviving- don’t trust me, ask a war veteran- they will tell you why being able to survive is more than a superpower in the theaters of war! Like everything else, your “superpower” has to be set in the right contextual frame of your life, for you to recognize it to begin with and next use it!

I don’t want to get into a trap of trying to define what “superpower” means, you are good enough by yourself to factor and measure that bit (as it has to be seen the reality of where you are in terms of the circumstances that impact you!). What I can certainly tell you is that, the easiest way to discover the “superpower” that lies within you, is by knowing at the attributes/traits that create the differentiation between you and everyone else!– As we grow up, live our lives around, friends, family, colleagues all of us hand over generous badges or titles to us based on what they perceive us to be, someone may calls us, “smart”, someone may address us as a “hunk” yet another may address us as a “genius” or a “blessed soul”, there could be an endless list of these kind of quoted addresses, but hidden within these, are the first clues of what your superpower may be! The superpower- that we hold within us- has a funny way to it; whether we realize it or not, it keeps manifesting itself through our behaviour, especially at times when we are cornered or in a tight spot! Let me explain!

Have you ever observed people, the successful ones’- who make everything seem like a breeze, maybe you have seen that ace sales manager, who hits the numbers every quarter without fail, you would have seen that bank teller, who has that great eye for detail and speed to move fingers and crunch number insanely! Perhaps you met that ace recruiter, who read you like a book and ended up giving you that career break which made your professional life accelerate ahead! If you have ever met any of these aces, you will notice one thing, they bring their superpower to work and their superpower may never have anything to do with what their work is! You see that, awesome sales person would have been gifted with a personality which has been applied to the work, which came as a blessing! A naturally aggressive nature was met by an equally tough challenge to crack deals! Needles to say as the superpower of aggression got direction and purpose and was supported and developed- it only helped to propel the individual’s career and professional achievements! Likewise the bank teller, would have harnessed the “superpower of attention”, when it was rewarded by a profession, that too excelled and provided an opportunity for the individual to apply this superpower at work! That odd recruiter, would have used the superpower to read people, that intrinsic superpower ability to connect, counsel and help people which got amplified as the opportunity of working as a recruiter became a reality! I can go on giving more and more examples like these,across fields, vocations and subjects, however, the singular common factor that remains and confirms across all the people that I have studied and come across is –“The ability to know ones’ superpower and put it to use in the right contextual frame of time and space”

The question, now is, how does one know what their superpower is, well that’s really deceptively simple! I say, deceptively simple, because, unlike attributes/qualities your superpowers will qualify as superpowers only and only if they are able to serve other through you and not serve you by tapping into others! Consider this, you have this individual who has a great memory, can play songs over the guitar one after the other, without missing note or jumping the string, now how can this person use this ability to uplift themselves? People will often make a mistake by suggesting that playing the guitar is the superpower, well nope, sorry to disappoint you, you may further argue it is about playing the guitar well, well nope- when you play a guitar or any musical instrument you do it to play well, I mean no one plays a guitar to wreck the strings or torture the audience, so what is it?, you may ask, well, in this case, it’s the “Intrinsic qualities that an individual has within, which help that person to play the guitar well- which are his true superpower!

We are a planet with over 7 billion people and each one of us can pretty much do what the other person does, like say, driving, walking, running, jogging, reading, writing, playing some game, working at some place, doing those jobs with job titles comparable and interchangeable the world over, similar businesses, similar products,services, that’s what is all around us and that’s what living on the planet is all about! Magic happens when we are able to bring from within us, our superpowers and apply them to whatever we choose to do! Perhaps you want to jog or run- you apply your superpowers- you end up becoming an athlete, you apply your superpower of patience and calm to your knowledge of medicine- you become that “ace” surgeon, you add that superpower to number crunching to your vocation- you are poised to rule the financial world! So you see, its never about doing the job well, it is always about getting into a job or a vocation that you can do well by applying the superpowers that you may have within!

The good thing about these superpowers is the fact that, they never go away, they are with us always, waiting to be tapped and used when the time is ripe, hence you find people flourishing and hitting their professional peaks at different times of their lives; by the time a CEO of a private firm is retiring perhaps its the dawn of youth for someone aiming for the high chair of the Prime Minister or President of a nation! Superpowers are essentially the traits and attributes that we have, these can be tangible and non-tangible- see few traits are easy to observe, record and reproduce- say like being good at numbers, ability to memorize, ability to manage and excel at complex science or technological developments, there are yet areas like music, art, creative arenas where the superpowers are not necessarily even and occur as flashes of vivid bursts of creative excellence, when there is consistency developed in these areas you have the icons of the respective field of arts/creative spaces walking amidst you!

As a coach, one of the major roles that we play is to help people realise their own potential and their superpowers, we don’t plant anything, we hold a mirror which allows the individual to reflect and see for themselves with clarity- what they are, who they are, what do they hold within and who they can become by doing what! Once this basic foundation has been established then it is just a matter of time, that people are able to start making progress and move in the direction which remains resonant with their core strengths and traits! You may want to argue, if that’s the case, why aren’t everyone equally successful? The answer to this as I said earlier is simple, if people continue to walk along the way they are meant to and practice and play to their intrinsic strengths and attributes in the right and nurturing contextual settings- we have what is called as an “event of congruence” wherein abilities, potential and opportunities all come together to allow an trait to be applied and developed“, when all these variables are at the same place and time and in-sync it unleashes the complete potential and provides an opportunity to excel way above average and this is the place where masters and leaders are created! If you change one-only one variable around this space of congruence and create a confrontational or non-conducive environment around. even the most gifted talent/person around you will falter and you will see an immediate dip and drag in the output and although people will survive and endure their ability to reach the zenith will get severely impaired and stand limited by the extent of the circumstantial disadvantage created by the time and space around!

The “Superpower” locked within each of us is a statement of who we are and what we can do and wish to do, as long as it serves the greater good of people around you, it remains your “superpower” , the day you try to self-serve yourself with it, rest assured you will feel begin to feel your shine fade away within you! The best part of your “superpower” isIt is your’s and it doesn’t come or go, if you change jobs, move places or eat more or less! It is intrinsic, it’s a statement of who you are and what you bring to the table- the way you do! So you may have millions of similar people doing what you do, but your superpower ensures; you can do it like the way you do it and no one else can replicate that, just as you can’t replicate them! Humanity has ever been as creative it has been and also as destructive as it has been as people harness their superpowers the right and wrong way- the balance of societies and civilizations changes and it all start from an individual and their intrinsic “superpower”!

I will leave your here, giving you time to reflect and assess what are your “superpowers” and let you imagine, how you want to put that to use to serve the greater good of the society around you! Always remember, your “superpowers” are often who you are and what you eventually become!”

Ciao for now, will be back soon with another article!