Posts

Who Won the Race?

Image
So often we see in real world the credit or discredit for completing the target successfully or failing getting attributed to the last leg guys who happen to be at the finishing line. That is how human nature is, what’s in front of our eyes gets maximum attention, both positive and negative. But is this true and fair? Have you ever seen a group of rock breaking workers who keep hammering the wedges in turn to split the rock? Who do you think can take credit for splitting the rock? The man who hit the last hammer? Who do you think won the relay race? The last runner who crossed the finishing line?  Most complex endeavors are performed by teams, each focusing on a specific activity and supporting others.  In the military competitions, the rule is very clear, either the whole squad wins or loses together, there are no stars. This ensure that whole team works jointly towards a common goal and each one puts the team mission above personal ambitions.  The Good Leaders understan...

Which Side of the Problem are You?

Image
  If there is onething that will never be in short supply is "Problems"? And one thing that will always be in short supply is "The Problem Solver". Organisations obviously pay premium for people who can solve problems. You need to decide which side of the fence you want to be, the solver or a passenger. There are many elements that go into becoming a successful "Problem Solver". While experience and domain knowledge can help, but not necessary as these skills can be brought/arranged,  the key ones are more related to personal attitude, perspective and values of the problem solver/leader. I will not undermine the importance of a logical process or methodology which helps to model/structure the problem framework, identify the root causes, work out the options, analyse best course of action etc but the success depends on how these are applied in practice.   All successful problem solvers develop an inquisitive  mind which has the ability to simplify complex s...

Nobody Really Cares Which Car you Drive!

Image
When do you know you are wealthy? Happiness is gap between expectations and what you have or make. If you are worth a million dollars and want 1.1 million, you will still be miserable. Ability to get up when you want, do what you want, do at your own pace is one sign of being wealthy. You are no longer on the treadmill. You can be stuck on that for all your life. It is important to know when to stop and start enjoying. If you cannot do it, you will always be miserable, all your life, even if you have stashed billions of dollars. The level is for you alone to decide. After a stage, money is just a number. Unfortunately most of us don't know when and how. Every time we hit a financial milestone, we create another one. It never ends. A bigger car, bigger house, bigger portfolio and so on. An average citizen of most countries makes double of what they used to make in 50s and is half as happy today. Happiness is managing your expectations, it's within you. Chasing more money is ...

How Leaders use Failures to Succeed

Image
  If you have not tried and failed, you have done nothing new in your life. How dreadful life would be if we were stuck in the same place, however comfortable it may be. Leadership can be lonely sometimes. especially when you face a big setback. The fundamental of leadership is that the leader is finally accountable for the outcome. Good leaders use these failures as opportunities to rally the team around, learn from the experience, and pivot to move toward the next objective. Action is the best medicine to overcome procrastination and negative thoughts. Leaders should reach out to their network and deliberate on what happened, how things could be different etc. This helps the leader to look at things from an entirely new perspective and also share the learnings for others to benefit. Leaders always have a choice at all points in time. Success depends on the ability to decide quickly and decisively. Weak leaders get paralyzed and fearless leaders decide and act. Only actions conver...

It is easiest to succeed in today's World!

Image
  It is easiest to succeed in today's World. You must be taken aback and a bit surprised to read this when the most common thread we keep hearing is the crib about succeeding in the extremely competitive world. One most common traits that all successful people across the World who sustain success, irrespective of geography, culture, and time is:- "They have consistently given back more in value compared to what they get" Look around yourself, how many such people do you find around you? (Don't forget to count yourself in!). Negligible, isn't it? If you actually find somebody, you will not fail to notice that they will be highly in demand, always sought after, and generally more happy, content, and successful for their age and experience. So, you actually have very little Competition provided you decide to live by the Mantra of giving back more than you get. It takes very little to do that, just a bit of introspection and commitment to yourself.

The Bonsai Effect

Image
  Many times in our lives, unknowingly, with all good intentions, we create a Bonsai of our loved ones, may be family or our team members. In our zeal to protect them from the wicked world and its hardships, we shelter them.  We would see many examples in our real life among our family, friends and relations. While we all want them to grow and flourish in life, do we really plant them into the open sky and expose them to all the vagaries of nature? A tree planted in the open soil, under the sky has infinite space for its roots to grow and its branches to spread out into the sky unlike a Bonsai tree which stagnates and remain a dwarf. Lets give them the space, allow them to flourish and achieve their full potential.  

Hope We are Not Killing our Star Performers ?

Image
Have you experienced that your star  performer has suddenly  become a liability? Such situations can be seen in organisations that are on a rapid growth trajectory such as startups or in their early growth stages. Some hi-potential talent who were great in early stages and smaller scale get pulled up the ladder along with the organisation's growth and may land up in such a situation. This happens very often when we elevate and promote a person too early in our enthusiasm to reward performance and of course our efforts to take our ‘winning team’ along the growth path sometimes. He is ‘My Man’ (using ‘He’ only to narrate, it may mean 'She' as well). The person gets placed in a position for which they are not mentally, emotionally and skill wise ready. They are not prepared for the stretch that comes with the new expanded and higher role. Also given the past performance reputation we assume that he will cope. Our lack of time for mentoring and coaching makes this a very likely...