Ladder of Inference

How do our beliefs influence what we see? Ladder of Inference by Chris Argyris brings out this concept exceptionally well.Let’s take a common example from our lives, especially if we have teenage children at home. Say, you teenage son goes out for a party on Friday night. The curfew time is 10 pm.The clock turns … Continue reading Ladder of Inference →

Our comfort with discomfort

Few weeks back, our team met for an informal catch up. With the Mumbai rains lashing on the glass windows, our conversation drifted to comfort food. We all described what we loved and intuitively go for in such weather – varying from hot Maggi to vegetable khichdi…. The word ‘comfort’ stayed with me that evening. … Continue reading Our comfort with discomfort →

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 →

Personal productivity – Complex interplay of individual and org culture

Few weeks back, I came down with food poisoning. I was not ill enough to stay in bed, so I decided to go to work. At the end of the day, I was surprised at how little work I could get done. Productivity as a concept has its roots in economy; it is the ratio … Continue reading Personal productivity – Complex interplay of individual and org culture →

Question with disclaimers

Few days back, a colleague walked over and said, “this might be a silly question, but I want to ask if……….?” Why do we tend to add a disclaimer before asking a question: a simple question or unnecessary or trivial question or even complex question. Contrast this with how children ask questions; uninhibited and straight … Continue reading Question with disclaimers →

Thoughts

Every day our brain processes about 6000 thoughts. That’s a whopping number of thoughts! Ever wondered what these thoughts lead to? I am reminded of the famous quote by Henry Ford, “whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you are right’ Indeed, our thoughts determine what we do, who we are … Continue reading Thoughts →

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 are our strangler vines?

Learning from my recent visit to forest continues…. Here’s the picture of a tree enveloped by a strangler vine. A strangler vine, while starting as small plant in the beginning, quickly envelops large trees, sucks up the nutrients and eventually causes the death of the host tree. I have seen several strangler vines and trees … Continue reading What are our strangler vines? →

Iceberg of Trust

Trust – be it for products, organizations, government, or people – is soft; yet it’s presence or absence can be distinctly felt…. When we trust an organization, we buy more product or services from it and recommend it to others. When we trust something or someone, we tend to engage and bond more with them. … Continue reading Iceberg of Trust →

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 →