Moving away from rigidity As we age, we become stiff both physically and mentally. It is not only our muscles and bones that become rigid, but also our little egos and identities that lose their fluidity. We like to think this is who we are and this is how we will be till we reach …
Moving away from rigidity | Bonding with strangers | Context vs Environment Read More »
Power of pausing Last week, a small incident made me realize that I have been unconsciously responding in certain situations. I was using the same response repeatedly for certain incidents, without giving it much thought. It had eventually become my default response. However, when I paused this time, I was able to become aware of …
Power of pausing | Working with a bar raiser | Connecting with people Read More »
To grin and bear it The marathon event held during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics proved to be quite challenging for the runners. They had to endure unfavorable conditions, such as suboptimal temperature and humidity, as well as overcrowded drink stations. Despite these hurdles, Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge successfully won the Gold medal in the men’s …
To grin and bear it | The map is not the territory | I have nothing to add Read More »
Delegating decision making Shane Parrish, in his recent book, Clear Thinking, highlighted the dilemma of delegating decision-making for leaders. One of the challenges for leaders is to enable their teams to make critical decisions in their absence. Leaders don’t articulate to the team the most important criteria they use when they make the decision. While …
Delegating decision making | Making progress visible | Lesson from marathon Read More »
Tradeoffs Our choices of who we want to be would mean we make choices of who we don’t want to be. This is applicable both in business and life. Successful businesses choose to serve specific customers and their needs which means they say no to others. e.g. Walmart stores do not serve people in Manhattan …
Tradeoffs | Offering help | Gaining confidence from failure Read More »
Create space for growth When I tried to disentangle a growing mango plant from a the grips of a tiny climber, I was amazed at how the fragile climber could bind the leaves and stunt the plant’s growth. Our self-limiting beliefs can stunt our growth just like these weeds. Some catch us when we are …
Create space for growth | Allow to compound what we value | Focus on what has gone right Read More »
Making use of new beginnings Are you still wondering what is the point of making new resolutions and not keeping up? Don’t give up so easily. Choose a resolution that you have never tried at all. You can always try to use the new year to begin a fresh start. Behavioral scientists call it the …
Contrarian thinking Following the crowd is our ingrained survival mechanism. Being stuck in slow-moving traffic for six hours over the Xmas weekend made me realize that sometimes it does not serve to be where the crowd is. In life and entrepreneurship, we want to go with the crowd for fear of being left out. However, …
Contrarian Thinking | Year-end reflection | Ending Rumination Read More »
Playing a positive sum game Last week I attended a seminar, where I met people who are in my industry as coaches. It was a big learning experience as I interacted with them and exchanged ideas. On reflection, I realized business competition need not be a zero-sum game. Unlike war or sports where a single …
Playing a positive sum game | Our hidden strength | Expressing gratitude to your team Read More »
Helping someone grow Reflecting on a recent engagement, I realized that Coaching a person is about enabling their self-discovery and self-realization. One of the fundamental learning I gained was I cannot change a person. I can only aid them in being who they want to be. It meant learning to trust in the innate wisdom …
Helping someone grow | Surviving before thriving | Wielding power gracefully Read More »
