2019 Annual Review — SUNIL SURI

During the end of year break, I took time to carry out an annual review and plan for 2020.

It’s the first time I’ve done something like this properly and it is a habit I want to cultivate. Why?

Taking the time to step back allows you to see the progress you’ve made in the previous year. This in turn makes planning for the New Year way easier.

It can change your narrative. I felt like I had an intuitive sense of how my year had gone. While this wasn’t massively wide of the mark, I saw progress that I would have missed if I hadn’t taken the time to set out my reflections. The process also helped me to overcome my own negativity bias, which leads us to over-focus on the things that don’t work out.

There is a joy in looking back that comes from unexpected places. For example, selecting my favourite videos of the year reminded me of the intellectual currents I navigated in 2019.

In the spirit of openness and to encourage accountability, I want to share my experiences and goals for 2020. This annual review has three sections: (1) things to celebrate, (2) things to improve, and (3) goals for 2020.

These thoughts are distilled from my full annual review which I put together during an online workshop run by Tiago Forte and David Perell. I really want to do this with a group of people in IRL in the future. If that sounds like something you’d be interested in or if you simply want the template, drop me an email!

Things To Celebrate

1. Learning in public

In 2019, I setup my personal website, started writing and sharing my monthly newsletter. While these sound like small things to do and somewhat old school, they were big steps for me. In the past, I’ve been overly concerned about what people would think and I’ve also thought my writings wouldn’t be good enough. That’s in the past now though.

In 2020, I know I need to give people a clearer sense of why they should read my work amidst all the noise in our daily lives. I also need to be more direct in sharing what I think. If that sounds obvious, I’ve learnt that it is hard to execute in practice.

Overall, while I didn’t publish as much as I had intended, I feel like I’ve laid the foundations to have my most creative year ever.

The other thing worth mentioning is the project exploring death that I undertook as part of Enrol Yourself, a peer-led learning accelerator. As part of this project, I hosted a series of Death Over Dinner events.

The dinners were mesmerising. I learned things about old friends that I didn’t know, while new energy was also injected into these friendships. As I wrote at the time:

There is a real beauty in organising such an intentional gathering and it is an approach I may try to mimic for other non-death related dinners.

This has inspired me to host four Big Ideas Dinner in 2020, where guests will come together to discuss… Big Ideas. Let me know if you are interested in coming along to one!

2. Increased self-awareness

I’m nowhere near self-aware as I’d like to be, but last year I feel like I took some really positive strides. The start of 2020 marks two years since I started seeing a therapist. In 2019, I even convinced my family to start seeing a therapist altogether. This is a pretty unusual thing to do for an Indian family.

Looking back across the 2010s, I’m confident that one of the trends is that more people than ever became familiar with the idea that vulnerability is a superpower. Now when I think of my levels of self-awareness in 2010, I cringe. But I try to take solace in the words of Satnam Sanghera:

If you are not embarrassed by the person you were ten years ago, then you are probably not trying to live life deeply enough.

When I stop and think, I realise that for a long time I unconsciously believed that sharing my problems was a weakness. As Ester Perell said at SXSW last year:

When we deal with imperfections, when we deal with pain… with frustrations instead of knowing they are part of a collective yearning or a social ill, we privatise our problems and make them our own.

And to help me become more self-aware, I experimented with other things this year including creating a personal user manual and carrying out a 360 degree review. Things to work on include my listening (who doesn’t?).

3. Working alongside inspirational leaders who are trying to solve problems that matter

For the past 18 months, I’ve been working at Catch22. I support social entrepreneurs who are building ventures that reimagine how public services are delivered.

I’m especially proud of the work I’ve done to support Lighthouse, a new type of children’s care home, which should open its first home this year. In 2019, we built out the founding team, raised money and developed the strategy. If you are interested in learning more, read this feature in The Guardian.

Another major milestone was the selection of four new social entrepreneurs to support. This was the first time Catch22 had run an open process and I learnt a lot in the process.

Our portfolio companies are led by inspirational leaders with deep experience of the problems they are trying to solve. For example, Jacob Hill – one of the social entrepreneurs we selected – wrote the business plan for what would become Offploy, an employment agency for ex-offenders, while he was in prison. What unites them is that they are all solving problems that matter.

Building ventures that deliver profit and purpose isn’t easy. One of the main barriers to success is an inability to access capital.

This is why I was excited to be selected as an inaugural Fellow for Included VC, a programme that aims to give underrepresented communities a deeper understanding of venture capital. There were over 1200 applicants from across Europe, with only 30 selected in the end. I’m exploring if and how venture capital can be redesigned to produce change of the kind we need. I’m still at the beginning of this journey, but I’m really looking forward to seeing where it’ll take me in 2020.

Things to Improve

1. Being a more reliable friend and more open to new friendships

Last year I started a new long-distance relationship. I’ve also been supporting my family during a very difficult time. I know hid behind these developments at time as a means of creating space for myself to recharge. This was necessary, but I want to be a better, more reliable friend in 2020.

I’ve also not realised the full potential of the peer groups that I’ve been involved with in 2019. I’ve known some of my friends for 25 years and my university friends for 12 years. There is a stability in my existing group of friends, especially because I’ve been in London for six years. This shared history makes it very difficult for newer friends to break into my inner circle of friends. This is backed up by research. Dunbar’s Law which famously states that we can have around 150 “casual friends” also highlights we actually have around 50 people who we call “close friends.”

Sometimes my awareness of this means that I don’t fully lean into the possibility of newer friendships. In 2020, I want to change this.

2. Having a plan is not the hard part. Execution is.

For the past two years I’ve been using Taylor Pearson’s Antifragile Planning system to set goals. It worked at first, but progress stalled. I think all goal-setting frameworks eventually fail because we need to refresh them so that they stay interesting. This annual review is part of my attempt to refresh my goal-setting systems.

Another problem is balancing professional and personal goals. It’s like a see-saw. Too often I’ve found myself progressing professionally but not planning and executing on my personal goals in the same way.

3. Communication

I started the year by participating in improv comedy classes. I actually meant to sign up for a comedy class to write a script. But it was a good mistake. Improv comedy teaches you to let go of what you want to say and listen carefully to others before responding. This is a wider lesson that I need to keep remembering!

Another learning is that while I like to lead efficient meetings and save time, they can leave others feeling like they’ve not voiced their thoughts. This passage from Chris Voss’s Never Split The Difference really resonated:

If we’re too much in a hurry, people can feel as if they’re not being heard and we risk undermining the rapport and trust we’ve built. There’s plenty of research that now validates the passage of time as one of the most important tools for a negotiator.

Goals for 2020

In 2020, I want to explore ideas by connecting with others. All my goals for this year follow from that simple insight. As Anne-Marie Slaughter writes:

Connection to others, rather than comparison with them, submerges ego by locating identity in the bonds among people rather than in an individual.

What I Plan To Achieve

1. Improve the quantity and quality of my writing by publishing 8 blogs, 4 long form essays (>2000 words) and a monthly newsletter

This is a really important goal for me. There is no other activity that causes me to lose track of time as much as writing. Ironically, I don’t make enough time for it.

This year, I’m going to be guided by two principles. First, I’m going to focus on the range and quantity of my writing over identifying a niche. I think this will give me confidence to write more and in turn, help me to identify the niche I want to deep dive into. Second, I will set deadlines for publishing what I write. Too often I’ll take my time writing and then never publish because the moment passes. To help me improve my writing I plan to enrol on the Writes of Passage c ourse and setup a writers group.

2. Create space for more intentional conversations and exchange of ideas by:

Hosting 4 Big Ideas Dinners and 1 Death Over Dinner
Participating in 2 book clubs
Recording at least 2 podcast episodes
Organising x4 trips with friends in nature
Identifying and meeting with 12 new people
Joining one group focused on activism and/or climate change
Carrying out 2 experiments – one in Q1/Q2 and the other in Q3/4. See this for inspiration.

This one is a bit of a buffet. Hosting Death Over Dinners in 2019 showed me the power of a peer group as a vehicle for learning and meaning. It also made me feel like I’ve been guilty of treading water. This goal aims to address that.

Social events revolve around binge drinking and conversations so superficial a robot could automate them. They’re dozing off in an intellectual slumber. Rather than rising to the level of their dreams, they fall to the average of their environment.
David Perell

3. Improve my health and wellbeing by going to the gym x5 p/w, minimising my possessions, meditating and becoming comfortable with at least four new vegetarian recipes

Predictably, my weight jumped to 74.4kg in the last quarter of 2019. I want to bring that down to 71kg. I also want to improve my flexibility and posture by starting yoga again. And while four new vegetarian recipes sounds like an absurdly low number, the idea is to find recipes that are easy to make and tasty, so there’ll be a filtering process.

4. Improve my information management processes and planning systems by completing the Building A Second Brain course and reviewing progress towards goals on a quarterly basis

5. Chart some paths for the future by writing about four areas of interest, making at least one investment and fully participating in the Included VC programme

Beyond these concrete goals, I’d like to improve a few habits and introduce some new ones:

Cut my alcohol consumption. I’ve already cut how much I drink, but I want to go further as I know it’ll enable me to do more of the things I care about.
Write every day for at least 20 mins. Once I start writing, I really enjoy it. The key is making time for it.
Only watch Netflix etc. with someone else. In 2019, I spent way too much time streaming films and series. I’m also going to manage my access with Freedom.
Hang out with smaller groups of friends (max 2-3) for longer periods of time. The problem with hosting dinners is that your mind is often on the hosting. And with large groups you can often get stuck in superficial conversations. I want to go beyond this.

Memories

Best Meal: Kebab Queen for my birthday

Coolest New Experience: Hosting my first Death Over Dinner

Favourite Weekend: A weekend in Naivasha, Kenya

Favourite Series: The Secret Life of 4 and 5 Year Olds. Often funny and always insightful. Are we really that different from our younger versions of ourselves? A reminder of the importance of play even as we get older.

Favourite Video:

Favourite First Meeting: Ivor Williams

Favourite New City: Ask me again in 2021.

Most Embarrassing Moment: During a workshop I spilled hot coffee over my trousers and reacted by pulling them down. If you want to learn how to pronounce “hot coffee” check out this from Adam & Joe.

Favourite Sports Moment: Ongoing – my team, Leicester City, sitting 2nd in the Premier League.

Favourite Work of Art: JR at the Louvre in Paris.

Most Intense Week: Reviewing 75 applications for the incubation programme I manage.

Favourite Artist: Levon Biss

Favourite Song: Sam Cooke – A Change is Going to Come. I fell in love with this song all over again after watching The Two Killings of Sam Cooke.

Favourite Quote: “Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.” Jordan Peterson