Situational Awareness ; Art or Trait?

 This message I received today immediately resonated with me because I lived through something remarkably similar in December 2019!!!

I cannot share the full story because it involves details that are not meant for public consumption. However, I can share the lesson that has stayed with me ever since.

It is called Situational Awareness (SA).

In my view, Situational Awareness is one of the most underrated leadership skills. As we grow in our careers, we are often evaluated not by how we perform when everything is going well, but by how we respond when everything seems to be going wrong.

On that day, around 3:30 p.m., I found myself in an extremely difficult situation, and a colleague’s career was hanging in the balance.

There was no time to panic. No opportunity to overthink.

I had to think on my feet, stay calm, control my emotions, assess the situation objectively, and act decisively. More importantly, I had to ensure that my colleague remained confident, believing everything was under control.

What happened next still amazes me.

I completed an all-hands meeting, coached my colleague, sat next to the very same person at dinner, and carried on a casual conversation as though nothing had happened.

Later, while on his way to the airport, that same person sent me a heartfelt SMS saying he wanted to stay connected and be my friend.

That was the moment I realized the true power of Situational Awareness.

It is not manipulation.

It is not pretending.

It is the ability to read the room, understand people, manage emotions, make sound decisions under pressure, and protect both relationships and outcomes.

The final outcome?

The good people kept their jobs, and those who created the problem eventually left the organization.

Looking back, I realize that leadership is not always about taking charge. Sometimes, it is about remaining calm when everyone else is anxious, making the right decisions under pressure, and quietly changing the outcome without seeking recognition.

That is why today’s message touched me so deeply. It felt less like reading words and more like hearing a whisper from the past: “You have been there.”

Have you ever experienced a moment where Situational Awareness changed the outcome? I’d love to hear your story.

#Leadership #SituationalAwareness #LeadershipLessons #DecisionMaking #EmotionalIntelligence #CrisisManagement #CareerGrowth #PeopleLeadership #ProfessionalDevelopment #LeadershipMatters

A wake up call for India

 A Wake-Up Call for India.

I have always believed in the strength of our traditional engineering branches — Civil, Mechanical, EEE, ECE & Chemical Engineering.

Some may ask me: “You worked in IT, why not embrace only the latest technologies?”

A valid question — and here’s my perspective.

A Civil, Mechanical, EEE, ECE, or Chemical Engineer can easily step into IT, cybersecurity, robotics, or emerging tech. But the reverse? Not so simple.

• I’ve seen Civil Engineers become top professionals in cybersecurity and risk.

• Mechanical Engineers thrive in robotics, mechatronics, and advanced manufacturing.

• EEE, ECE, and Chemical Engineers holding high-paying roles worldwide — even at the C-level.

But can an IT engineer calculate the right concrete mix for your home or diagnose a failing engine? That’s the power of core engineering.

I believe it’s time to re-balance engineering education — reducing over-saturation in IT-related seats and investing more in traditional engineering branches. This not only strengthens our industries but also ensures India grows with a solid foundation — quite literally.

On this Engineers’ Day, let’s build a nation rooted in core engineering, not just artificial engineering. 

#EngineersDay #Engineering #FutureOfIndia #CoreEngineering

#Sep15 2025

Dont worry Be happy

 Here’s a lightly edited and 

☀️ July 30, 2025 — A Morning of Reflection

A lovely morning—with the sun peeking out and my coffee cup warming my hands. This is my time to reflect, whether on yesterday, today, or something I read. And today, I found myself deep in thought over one headline: a well-known company laying off 12,000 people.

Over the past seven months, many MNCs have done the same—layoffs across continents. But when I sit down and do the math, many of these cuts are less than their regular annual performance management churn (<10%). Yet the moment “12,000” is in the headlines, the reaction is dramatic. Understandably so—but there’s more nuance to it.

I also read a few CEO messages, those open letters that often go viral. Surprisingly, I found nothing wrong with most of them. These leaders are simply seeing the road ahead—something employees often miss. They’re re-aligning their organizations for the future. Are you, as an employee, preparing yourself the same way? If not, you risk falling behind.

📈 The Constant in Tech: Change

Throughout my own career, I’ve watched technology transform the job market—again and again:

• The Y2K bug that created a flood of IT jobs
• The birth of the World Wide Web
• The B2B boom of the early 2000s
• The ERP explosion
• The shift to EDI and data integration
• The rise of AI/ML
• And now, the horizon of quantum computing

Yet despite all this change, jobs continue to be created. The challenge is simple but not easy: reskill and stay relevant.

🧭 Where Should New Graduates Look?

Here’s my take on a few areas that are promising right now. This list is not exhaustive, but based on what I’ve seen and continue to work on:

1. 

SAP Cloud Migration

Just like the Y2K shift, SAP is pushing customers to move from on-premise to cloud. This alone will generate jobs—not just in SAP but across all cloud ecosystems. I remember being in the room when Steve Ballmer first announced Microsoft’s shift to the subscription model in Bombay. At the time, I didn’t fully get it. Today, it’s reality. SAP is headed the same way.

At NOBL Q, we’re preparing students for exactly this transition—building skills that make them job-ready.

2. 

Go Beyond AI/ML Buzzwords

It’s not enough to know what AI/ML are. Learn to build with them. Create agents, solve problems, automate, and optimize. Businesses don’t care about the technology itself—they care about the value it brings.

Ravi Venkatesan, in his book Conquering the Chaos, spoke about how service companies must transform, just like the US auto industry did. At NOBL Q, we’re helping Oracle customers reduce onboarding time by 50% through AI-driven agents built on OIC. This is the kind of impact that sets you apart.

3. 

Own the Whole Solution

Too often I hear people on calls say, “I did my part—I don’t know what comes next.” That mindset doesn’t work anymore. Especially for job seekers in India: be curious, take ownership, and aim to deliver end-to-end solutions.

What’s surprising is that the same professionals, when working abroad, handle everything. So why not do it here?

🧠 Final Thought

The future belongs to those who prepare for it today. Don’t wait to be told what skills to pick up—be proactive. Be curious. The job market is not dying, it’s evolving. And those who evolve with it will not just survive—they’ll thrive.

— Suresh Perugu

If I can you too can??

 For a rural kid who grew up in Telugu medium till plus 2, and struggled thru first year of engineering with English teaching, I feel very fortunate to have great privilege to study and work in great institutes and companies.!!

If not luck, hard work and Lord Venkkana help, I would not have worked in these tech and investment banking giants.!!!

IBM

IBM was founded in 1911 as the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Company (CTR) and later renamed to International Business Machines (IBM) in 1924, making it approximately 114 years old as of April 4, 2025. 

State Street

State Street Corporation, whose predecessor, Union Bank, was founded in 1792, is the second oldest continually operating United States bank, making it approximately 232 years old as of April 4, 2025. 

Microsoft

Microsoft was founded on April 4, 1975, by Bill Gates and Paul Allen in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Completed 50 years 

Analog Devices

Analog Devices (ADI) was founded in 1965 by Ray Stata and Matthew Lorber in Cambridge, Massachusetts. , making it 60 years old as of April 4, 2025. 

Education

APRSK The Andhra Pradesh Residential School, Kodigenahalli (APRSK) was established in 1972. 52 years old 

Sri Venkateshwara University College of Engineering - 61 years old

Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee -IIT Roorkee, originally established as Roorkee College in 1847, is one of the oldest technical institutions in India, and it became the first engineering university in independent India in 1949. - 178 years old.!!

Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University is a public institution that was founded in 1876 - 149 years old

I cherish every place I worked and studied..

What is next for Comp Sc and IT

 Where are Engineering Branches of Computer Science, related and IT heading ??

I heard all three major IT gaints are either not taking college hires from campus for a second year or the growth projects is not great.  When I read this I was thinking of what I was advocating for last few years. 

Every THING has a Cycle. Now IT cycle is coming down. It is a clear writing on the wall. “Conquering the Chaos” a book by Ravi Venkatesan  that came in 2013 has a few pages advocating how all these IT companies must transform to meet next growing needs while focusing on Customer Centric plans. In fact when I asked two of my friends kids to take up Civil engineering than comp sc or IT many thought I am out of my mind and I asked them to be Civil Engineers as I am one. What many did not know was I started seeing trends when IBM started investing in Vietnam and Phillipines. 

Today, In my opinion the reasons for the present IT sutuation are

1. Lack of forward thinking leadership at helm of these companies. Instaed of worrying about their jobs and securing their bonus many did not take bold decisions Like Satya Nadella

2. Geo Political situation. No need to explain as Software exports might be subjected to more taxes and less profits

3. Workforce that is not learning surviving skills, but losing what they know even. Their span of attention has become very less. Focus and concentration is lacking. What that means for an employee is some one takes your place and you are displaced

4. Too many graduates coming out. The engineering college spends less to have more of these two branches than corr engineering labs. They can have more intake. That is causing market getting flooded with Engineering Grads like BA, B Com, BSc grads of our time. They are willing to take up recuiter jobs as relevent fileds openings are a few. Competetion is too much. 

I always voiced for Core Engineering branches for students or choice of their passion Law, Arts, etc than comp sc and IT. Now also I ask all parents to think what is best for your kids. When I see long lines of these Engineers waiting to write a exam hoping they will get the so called Software job, My heart pains for their future

Failing Fast is Success Mantra

 Failing Fast is Success Mantra:

Oct 20, 2015

One of my friend visiting us from US was sharing that in Silicon Valley (where everything is about start-ups and many made it) if you fail faster you are considered a better start up and your stock goes up while people running companies with money from their own pocket or VCs are called living dead as they do not know when to exit the game.

Michael Jordan of the famous Chicago Bulls who won the NBA cup three times in a row against New York Nicks  is my all favourite athlete; not as he gambled off his money; not that he left the team a couple of times and came back but he always learnt from the mistakes.  You need to be really BOLD and GUTSY to admit your failure so my word to all start-up folks, if you think you are failing please fail fast and move on.

You need a mentor,  go find who failed a lot as they would give you best advice on what landmines you need to side step and what you should not do. They may need time to open up, but they are your best bet to get top class advice in my opinion. How many of them do we have in your city? You will never know as they don't have directories, they are not listed in Internet. So my friends it is hard to find these folks than finding the Start-up gurus who conduct conferences, run sessions lecturing, and project themselves as next best thing to sliced bread. Still I suggest you go after finding these unlisted folks who failed and ask them for their time to help you.

If you think 9000 shots and 300 games is a small number better re-think again. Every day we fail in one or other thing, but beauty is have we learnt anything out of that is the question you should be asking yourself. Have you misplaced the trust people put on you in those 26 shots that might have won the game? Don’t worry to admit that you missed and move on. You need Scottie Pippen likes to be on your side to bring a winning company.

So my dear start-up friends, get wet behind ears, see some bad things in life, the earlier you see them the faster you grow. Following the yellow brick road may lead to a fantasy that cannot be fulfilled but creating the road you want to travel will be definitely get you to be on top of the world.

Reflections of 2023

 Reflections of my 2023 

This is a year that will be dear to me for so many reasons. 

First at the end of Jan 2024 I will be leaving corporate life retiring as per company policy to start a new second innings. My inspiration for this are many of our alumni from first five batches.  I am sure i will post something bigger in next five years what I accomplished. My advice what comes your way embrace and go with it is the one that gives you success. #EmbraceWhatComesYourWay

Always I speak of empathy to the people around you. We dont know what others are going in their lives. Pay attention to what they are worried about. Listeing helps in doing this. A recent experience I want to share.  We started an IGNITE club in our SVUCE. The team is very young and they wanted to conduct a HAKATHON. They planned well but fell short of funds.  Loved the self confidence they showed. Asked IGNITE alumni to help and inmediaty the funds came. I could have been upset that they did not plan well but appreciated the spirit with which they started.  Thus the event went well and waiting to hear final news

#EmpathyAlwaysPutsOthersFirst

Dont worry about what you are doing today as what you will become later in life is unknown. I was doing PhD at Texas A&M Univ College Station Texas. You can see the picture of me at my soil dynamics lab. No one must have thought including me where I will be three decades later. At that time in 1993 refused to take any comp courses when everyone around me were doing Visual Basic and getting whopping compensation. Later when I found reality of my comp with possible PhD versus master in CS, got an opprtunity to shift to SAP EDI. Thus no turning around. After that IBM in US and so many.  I call my success as #AccidentalSuccess. I grabbed every oppurtunity that presented before me and had a fulfilling career building high performing teams.  I feel I am leaving at the top of my game 

#ChangeAtTopOfYourGame 

Moving into the next year if you want to be like me, dont make any resolutions that you can not fulfil. As the beautiful sunset over Hyderabad today (captured in Picture) your flight is ready so be ready to take off with postive intent, emphathy and open mind