Musings, published a few times every week, are my attempt at sharing diverse perspectives to help us better navigate our lives.
The key theme I explore is how can we progress towards achieving our potential, and thereby become more accomplished & secure. Some of these ideas come from my own experience, while others come from a thorough study of management research & leadership books, perspectives from science, arts, history, and discussions with industry practitioners across sectors & functions.
Your First Boss Matters
Our bosses probably have the single largest influence on our careers, especially in the initial years. They can make or mar our initial perspectives, success, confidence and liking for the corporate world.
Anticipation of reward
It is the anticipation of reward, not it's fulfilment, that makes us act. The higher the anticipation and/or more lucrative the reward, the greater the will to act. That's the critical role of dopamine in enabling us to strive forward towards our goals.
Falliable is OK
We are all fallible, and that’s ok
Often, with the best of intentions and while trying to be careful, we can come up short! We could end up having an emotional outburst, propagate a flawed perspective, have a perspective bias in our way of working, etc. Last week, in a debate with a leadership team member I was convinced how what I was saying was right
Not everbody is a run way genius
Being able to identify the team members with potential, and then backing them to hilt is how people blossom
Experience Teaches you
Experience doesn't mean we don't feel anxiety or know it all when a tough or unexpected situation comes up. But it does mean we are better prepared, and usually don't overreact like we would have if we were going into it as a greenhorn.
Choices are a Mirror
Is choice a mirror to our natural inclinations?
Giving choice to people is the best and easiest way to find out about their natural inclination and character. This is as true in professional life as it in personal life.
Sharing Credit Fatally
"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit" -
An Expensive Lesson in Team Management
One of my most expensive lessons in team management is to not keep plans about my team and reports close to myself. It’s better to share a work in progress directional plan earlier on than wait for the perfectly laid out plan to be shared at a future date.
Who you Work for Is More Important Than Where you work
It's revealing how people perform remarkably differently working with different leaders. The same person who is a struggling performer under one person can be a star performer working with another manager. Does this mean the person morphs, or his capabilities zoom through, within a short period of time?
Compassion at Workplace
With rising stress levels both personally and professionally, there is a heightened need for compassion at work. It is important not just because it is the humane thing to do, but also because it makes great business sense. Sharing my thoughts on what compassion at the workplace means, and how we can build it in our organizations.
Guerrilla Warfare for Goals
New years are typically time for resolutions. But as I started down that (often precarious) road, I realized what has kept me from achieving my goals in the years (and for the better part of January 2020) that went by. It has not been a lack of intent or passion. It really has been my inability to find time for things that matter to me. I’ve been unable to consistently prioritize what’s important to me vs. where I spend my time. And this seems to be pandemic.