Scarcity: the Fountain of Creativity

The other day I came across some beautiful paintings done by an artist with no arms. He uses his feet and mouth to paint. He lost both his arms in an accident when he was still a child. But, this did not deter him from painting, something that he always wanted to do. He has … Continue reading Scarcity: the Fountain of Creativity →

Manage Agreement: Don’t let it become a Dysfunction

Leaders often find themselves managing conflict. And focus their efforts on resolving conflicts and helping teams work towards common goal. Can we consider agreement – the opposite of conflict – a boon? Is it good for teams? Will an agreement bring a team closer to success? Not necessarily; inability to manage agreement can also be … Continue reading Manage Agreement: Don’t let it become a Dysfunction →

Leading a team? Be aware of your mood; it could dim your team’s performance!

Annie walked into the CXO floor with a concerned look on her face. She had received a cryptic message from her boss asking her to meet right away. Before walking into his room, Annie couldn’t resist asking the secretary, “how’s boss’ mood today?” The secretary wasn’t surprised by her question, he responded with an understanding … Continue reading Leading a team? Be aware of your mood; it could dim your team’s performance! →

Engage in difficult conversations; ones that are needed and matter the most

We often come across situations that we find challenging to engage in. Consider few scenarios: Scenario 1. A senior executive is behaving in a dysfunctional way; his behavior is negatively impacting several people. But the business head procrastinates having the difficult conversation with him. Scenario 2. A business leader strongly feels that a delivery head … Continue reading Engage in difficult conversations; ones that are needed and matter the most →

When not to delegate?

Delegation is one of the first few skills taught to professionals once they transition into managerial roles. It is considered to be one of the good management practices; helping leaders get more work done and also enabling development of team members. However, we have all witnessed situations where improper delegation by the leader ended up … Continue reading When not to delegate? →

Want to be successful? Grow from your strengths

Once upon a time the animals decided to set up a school that would help their children develop all-rounded personality: ability to run, climb, fly and swim. The duck was excellent in swimming; he did better than his teacher! But, he just scraped through flying; and running was near impossible. Since he was poor in … Continue reading Want to be successful? Grow from your strengths →

When stuck with a bad boss

At some point of time in our career, we end up working for someone with whom we are unable to strike a rapport or see eye to eye. Changing the job or role is an option, but may not always be easy. This would be impractical; especially if you like your work and the organization. … Continue reading When stuck with a bad boss →

Managing the invaluable asset: Time

“Wish there were 36 hours in a day!” is not an uncommon wish. We are constantly pulled in multiple directions every single day; and 24 hours just don’t seem enough. As the expectations to deliver increase, the length of our ‘to do list’ increases proportionately. The picture on personal front is no different with hordes … Continue reading Managing the invaluable asset: Time →

Failures are stepping stones to success – How can we learn from our failures?

History is full of examples of people who failed, but didn’t give up; they persevered and became successful. However, for every such person, there are probably thousands of people who gave up when faced with failure, those who never really bounced back to success! Thus, failures are important; they have the power to become stepping … Continue reading Failures are stepping stones to success – How can we learn from our failures? →

Want to Coach Others? – First Develop the Right Mindset and Core Skills

Coaching is a word that is often used in the corporate world: executive coaching, on-the-job coaching, off-the-job coaching, leaders as coaches…. the list goes on. Despite all this fanfare, if you ask an average employee about his or her coaching experience — how often he has been coached or benefited from coaching — the answer … Continue reading Want to Coach Others? – First Develop the Right Mindset and Core Skills →