Question to connect A kindergarten teacher had one of her students come to her in tears. The teacher looked at the child and asked, “Do you want to be hugged, helped, or heard?” Many times, we think we understand others, but often we are mistaken. Some need emotional consolation (hug) at that moment. Others may …
Question to connect | Executive presence | Pivoting Read More »
Questioning You were rewarded for giving the right answers. Hardly were you incentivized to frame the right questions. Rarely were you credited for finding answers to your own questions. But life has always incentivized those who questioned and tried to find the answers to their questions. The incentive is the enriching experience you gain when …
Questioning | The joy of running | Post-vacation stress Read More »
Networking tips There is no one best way to network. It evolves around your needs. Three things I have learned are:1) Consistency helps and time matters2) Be open to those who want to connect with you.3) Not everyone may vibe with youNetworking is an exchange of energies, ideas, and opportunities. Self-awareness of your needs and …
Networking tips | Witnessing kindness | First principles Read More »
Interruptions Interruptions are a way of subtly dominating conversations. We may be unaware of doing this because we are used to it. We may be interrupting when: By interrupting someone, we may think that we are moving ahead in the conversation, but we may be moving away in the relationship. “The most basic of all …
Interruptions | Believing in people | Confidence Read More »
Going slow In a fast-paced world, going slow can be mistaken for shyness, lack of conviction, or fear of action. People who are fast to speak, act, or think get noticed. While people who think and speak slowly, feel overwhelmed about keeping pace with others, or dealing with people who interrupt and cut their speech …
Going slow | Making hope happen | Enabling articulation Read More »
Externalizing solution When we cannot grapple with a problem, we tend to unconsciously wait for someone outside to come and solve it for us. A recent experience in a group setting made me realize how eagerly we were expecting someone outside to do something for us. One reason for this was our unwillingness to call …
Externalizing solution | Need for likeability | Change equation DxVxF>R Read More »
Year end reflection At the end of each year, I reflect on how the year went by and derive new meanings from it. For reference, I use my journal, my timesheet, and my pictures. From these, I learn how I interpret events, what sort of person I have been, what kind of people I am …
Year end reflection | Present | Letter to your future self Read More »
A Solopreneur’s offsite I recently went for an offsite to reflect on how my journey as a coach has been over the last year. This was especially helpful as I returned with many learnings, clarity, and celebrations of small wins. Even though the initial idea of offsite seemed improbable, it evolved into a very important …
A Solopreneur’s offsite | Momentum is underestimated | Energy can be intimidating Read More »
Understanding Exile I attended a wonderful session by Aruna Gopakumar on Leadership and Exile where I realized how life may put us through situations which seem like exile only to learn about ourselves. One of my key takeaways was exile is indeed painful, yet it is not a punishment and it can be a gift …
Understanding Exile | Boundaries not walls | Coaching your star players Read More »
Time rules Time is both subjective as well as objective dimension. However, we have only understood the objective aspect of time which is usually measured as productivity. This makes us rigid about how think and use one of the important resources in our lives. An alternative is to look at time subjectively which would help …
Time rules | There are no small roles | Not anymore Read More »
