Keeping everyone happy often leads to failed leadership. Leadership demands painful choices. Sometimes, those choices means going against the wishes of certain stakeholders. There are no right and wrong answers in leadership. Hence, leaders often get stuck in the trap of consensus-seeking, mistaking agreement for progress. James moves from alignment to action James always sought …
Comfort zone is more than just a place of ease—it is a silent trap. While it feels safe, it often prevents people from realizing their true potential. Staying within it may seem protective, but in reality, it limits growth and keeps individuals from stretching toward bigger opportunities. Día’s Story : Choosing Safety Over Growth Día …
What is your voice? Amy sat at the conference table, observing her peer, Akash. He commanded attention the moment he spoke. As the first one to pitch in, he framed with his thoughts quickly and delivered them with ease. Amy thought, “How spontaneous of him to express those ideas so confidently.” Later in the meeting, …
Losing yourself Losing yourself in something you love doing is the way to find yourself. When you are learning drums, learn to be lost in the act of playing the drums. When you draw, be lost in the world that you are drawing on paper. While coding, be lost in the syntax of your code. …
Losing yourself | Your voice | Leadership is sensemaking Read More »
The cost of panic reaction Panic is an alarm triggered by sudden, imminent danger. It is reflexive rather than responsive. Any action taken in a state of panic has potential irreversible consequences. Panic and reason can not co-exist. When reason fails judgment follows suit. “Panic causes tunnel vision. Calm acceptance of danger allows us to …
The cost of panic reaction | Information diet | Choosing kindness Read More »
Career bucket list What if you could create a career bucket list to make your work more interesting and meaningful? What would your career bucket list look like? Would it feature exciting projects? Perhaps, it involves exploring unconventional ideas, and working with a diverse group of people. A career bucket list allows you to focus …
Career bucket list | Self-talk strategy | Feminine leadership 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 »
