As leaders climb up the ladder and take on higher responsibilities and start to deal with complex assignments, what is more critical: ability to zoom-out or zoom-in? Zooming out is about looking at something from 30,000 feet. When we look at things from such height, we see the whole picture easily see the connection between … Continue reading Zoom-out or zoom-in?
Framing Bias in Action
Many of us would remember the young girl-old woman illusion. The experiment was done with two groups. The first group was shared a story about a young girl, and the second group listened to the narrative of an old woman. When the same picture was projected on the screen, members in the first group saw … Continue reading Framing Bias in Action
Attention to Details
Several years ago, I worked with a #leader who was passionate about attention to details. Go to him with a document that has few typos, or inconsistent font, bullets, words, data and he will push the document back to you with a smile and say, “I am sorry, I can’t go through this note. It’s … Continue reading Attention to Details
Banana Times @Work
I usually tell people, “give me a good book, a cosy couch in a corner and leave me alone!” That’s me… a typical introvert’s way of life. Yet, during COVID times what I most missed was just walking over to my colleagues’ office, chatting with them for few minutes before heading back to my desk. … Continue reading Banana Times @Work
Epistle from Magnolia Blossom
Last month, we visited the Company Garden in Mussoorie. Walking in, we saw lines of trees covered with pink flowers. From a distance, they looked like Cherry Blossom. As we walked closer, we saw lines of trees in full bloom, covered with incredibly gorgeous pink-white flowers. Mildly fragrant, they resembled lotus buds in shape and … Continue reading Epistle from Magnolia Blossom
Sankofa – spring into future stepping on past
Few days back, I was reading articles on culture. I came across this phrase ‘Sankofa’. It is a Ghanaian expression; it refers to a mythical bird whose feet are firmly planted forward while its head is turned backwards carrying a precious egg in her beak. It represents the old African adage, “always remember the past … Continue reading Sankofa – spring into future stepping on past
The HOW and WHEN of Psychological Safety
Psychological safety in organizations is an oft discussed subject today. A key element of psychological safety is the ability to freely share a contrarian thought or idea; disagree with our co-workers, manager, or seniors. To build a psychologically safe workplace, we expect our co-workers and seniors to be open, not wedded to their ideas and … Continue reading The HOW and WHEN of Psychological Safety
What commands respect – you or your position?
We all want to be respected and valued! It’s an inherent desire of most human beings. I still remember the day I became a team lead, a manager for the first time. I was elated and rushed to share the good news with my father. He was already gravely ill but was fully conscious and … Continue reading What commands respect – you or your position?
What fuels us?
https://www.istockphoto.com/illustrations/intrinsic Think of a time you received a coveted recognition, or a promotion or a salary increase you were aspiring for? Close your eyes and recollect your emotions at that moment, on that day. Exhilarated? On cloud nine? What happens few days or weeks later? You still take pride in your achievement, but the joy … Continue reading What fuels us?
Micro hierarchy
An incident from yesteryears remains etched in my memory. It was late in the evening; I was on a call. My son, who was barely 7-8 years at that time, needed something urgently from me. But he patiently waited for the call to finish. He said, “I knew you were speaking to your boss, so … Continue reading Micro hierarchy
A moment lost is gone forever!
Today is my father’s 25 death anniversary.He passed away alone with no one holding his hand as he made his final journey; despite living with his whole family in a 700 sq ft 2-BHK flat, despite we being fully aware that his soul is ready to leave the cancer devoured body any moment! He even called … Continue reading A moment lost is gone forever!
Three questions to leverage the most from an experience
An experience – be it professional or personal – is a strong conduit to individual growth. We all go through experiences like assignments, new projects, leading or being part of a cross-functional team, or even a difficult conversation or negotiation. Irrespective of its outcome, every experience adds to our capability. An honest reflection on three … Continue reading Three questions to leverage the most from an experience
Life is akin to a road….
Learning 1 Irrespective of how fast we drive, there will be people ahead of us. Irrespective of how slow we drive, there will be people behind us. It's pointless competing with others on a road! Compete we must, but with self, not others! Learning 2 There are stretches of road that are smooth, like carpeted … Continue reading Life is akin to a road….
Incessant Stories We Tell
Every waking moment of our lives, we involuntarily weave stories; stories about people around us, about our context, problems / challenges and even stories about ourselves. Stories are powerful, they influence our behaviors, actions and decisions. This in turn impacts our reality. When we tell ourselves a positive story, our actions are affirmative and energizing, … Continue reading Incessant Stories We Tell
Paradox of Continuous Learning
World around us is changing fast. The only way to excel, or may be even survive in times like this, is to continuously learn. When I reflect on times when I stopped or paused my learning, I observe two common themes: I thought I know a lot about the subjectOr I got disheartened that it’s … Continue reading Paradox of Continuous Learning
Culture shift – lessons from nature
Last few weeks, I have been intrigued by the hibiscus flowers in our terrace garden. In the first sun rays, I would see the buds hanging low, slightly bent under their weight. As I returned from my morning walk, the bright red hibiscus smiled cheerfully at the world. I wondered how long does it … Continue reading Culture shift – lessons from nature
How we approach our work: Task or Impact
How we think of our work influences how we approach it. Do we think of it as a ‘task’ or as ‘impact’? Any task will create an impact. So, does it really matter as to how we view it? It does, let’s see how…. Task is specific, its finite and neatly fits into our weekly … Continue reading How we approach our work: Task or Impact
Learning to Learn 
Internet has truly democratized information. In today’s world of information overload, what differentiates individuals, teams and organizations is the ability to learn, the willingness to learn to learn. Four interconnected aspects that make a difference are: • Am I CURIOUS to understand things that I don’t know, or never knew existed? • Do I OBSERVE others in action, be leaders or co-workers (or even children, family, friends)? • How do I APPLY it to my context –what works, doesn’t work, why so? • Do I have the courage to engage in honest SELF-REFLECTION?
Visibility trap – beyond the chosen few…
It’s human to fall into Visibility Trap – not to take chances when putting together a team for key project or an important task. It’s natural to include people whom we trust, who have contributed in the past. It needs conscious effort to go beyond the obvious and continuously look for new people who can be included.
Disengaged, yet hanging on!
I remember having lunch with a gentleman few months back. It was our first meeting. After a round of pleasantries, our conversation turned towards his work which quickly became a downpour of grievances – how he had slogged for more than a decade in the organization, but never got recognition, how his career stagnated, how … Continue reading Disengaged, yet hanging on!
Future-proof Capabilities
Couple of weeks back, I had a lunch date with my ex-colleague’s daughter. Post her masters, she was working with a mid-sized organization. She was enjoying her work and doing very well. Full of energy and ambition, she asked, “aunty, what skills should I pick up - ones that will help me through my career? … Continue reading Future-proof Capabilities
Judgemental – A Natural Wiring?
Being non-judgemental is the foundation of many organization culture elements: inclusion, collaboration and empathy to name a few. It’s about accepting people for who they are, understanding their perspective, respecting their views and opinions I have been on this learning path for some time now. I was proud of the progress I made; I thought … Continue reading Judgemental – A Natural Wiring?
Consequences of Underdog Mindset
We know the story by heart. Running fast along the path, the hare laughs at the tortoise slowly laboring along. Humiliated, the tortoise challenges the hare to join a race. Slowly and steadily, the tortoise reaches the finishing line, even as the hare clumsily runs after a short nap, which unfortunately had turned into a … Continue reading Consequences of Underdog Mindset
I can do all that a man can
As a twenty something, this was my motto, at all times! I would look for opportunities to prove it. Of course, women can do all that a man can…. But is it really needed? Is it the only way to prove our ability? Now, with more salt than pepper in my hair, I have learnt … Continue reading I can do all that a man can
Perspectives 