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.
When I am Dead by RabindraNath Tagore
I cannot help but share these beautiful lines from Sir Rabindranath Tagore. They seem so much more meaningful in the context of what we have witnessed in the pandemic. To make authentic connections is what makes us human!
Question & Persevere
Our professional journeys are determined by our continuous ability to question and persevere.
Garden OR Gardening
Do you love the garden or gardening!
With the pandemic raging and lockdowns across, the gardeners haven't been allowed in most colonies. A number of beautiful gardens, that people once maintained, have dried up within a few weeks.
Humility is Key
Humility is key to build authentic relationships, whether with peers or your team.
Change is Inevitable
Change is inevitable.
We cannot resist it.
Better still if we can plan or create it.
All for One, and One for All
"One for all and all for one"
Corona times have been a great reminder to live by the famous lines from the novel The Three Musketeers.
Not everyone is impacted the same way by COVID. Some are lucky to not have contracted it, while others have got COVID but are either asymptomatic or have minor symptoms. Then there are those amongst our friends and colleagues who are severely impacted - either individually or through their families & friends. Some have experienced unparalleled grief.
Rational Vs. Reasonable
There is difference b/w being rational and reasonable. Rational means always doing things that are logical, without getting emotions into decisions.
The fact is we are emotional beings, and what we do is dependent so much on what makes us feel better (not always logical).
We often beat ourselves up in hindsight on things we could have done better/ more logically. We need to remember that it’s more realistic to aspire towards being reasonable i.e. identifying our priorities & taking decisions based on them (vs. conventional wisdom).
Kindness is need of the hour
Our teams are going through a lot. People are either impacted themselves or have their immediate friends and family reeling under the effects of COVID. Needless to mention the panic like situation and fear that's all around.
We need to be sensitive to our colleagues. Everyone is emotionally charged and going through difficult times. It is important to be doubly careful in what we say to our teams and how we say it.
dichotomous TImes
Never have I seen such a dichotomous situation in the last 20 years!
There is fear of COVID and rampant hiring in IT/ ITES companies going hand in hand.
I swear my charger is not there!!!
I often find myself telling my wife or my mom -"I swear the knife isn't in the kitchen shelf or the charger isn't in the socket by the fridge". This is typically followed by the mom or wife coming back shaking their head, how vigoursly depends on their mood, showing me the the knife and charger were exactly where they said it was (and where I checked it wasn't). It's embarrassing to admit but happens to me so often, typically at least once a day.
Professionalism
Professionalism has no correlation to a person's title, hierarchy in the organization, or even the size of the organization that one represents. It is a way of life!
Can i Please be happier
Aspiring to be happier is a slippery slope
Being happy and successful can be achieved, unfortunately trying to be happier cannot. The latter is a slippery slope, with a shifting goal post without much end.
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