In my business school ethics class a long time back, I recall an experiment conducted by our professor. Before class, he privately asked me to say something provocative in our class discussion. He would then get angry and throw me out of the class! The purpose was to observe my classmates’ reactions. He wanted to […]
Good Hearts, Heavy Minds: Understanding Mental Health in the Workplace
Today is world mental health day! I have been reading about the growing importance of this subject in our daily lives, particularly in the workplace and have recently discovered a critical aspect, that mental health issues like depression are not signs of weakness, but rather proof of conscience! Good, caring individuals often carry a heavy […]
Time as a Gift: How Age Brings Perspective
In my family, this is the season for birthdays. A lot us are somehow born in these couple of months! And birthdays for older people like myself often carry a different kind of meaning compared to when we were younger. They are more moments of gratitude for health, family, friends and the simple gift of […]
From Sci-Fi to Strategy: Learning Deterrence in Business
I am currently watching a captivating sci-fi series on Netflix called “A Three-Body Problem,” based on the trilogy of books by Chinese author Liu Cixin. The show revolves around aliens threatening to take over the world, and humans strategically using deterrents to prevent this catastrophe. What initially piqued my interest was the realisation that the […]
Why Investing in Your Mind Pays Forever
I have a friend who isn’t much of a reader. In fact, he believes reading is a waste of time and tries to convince me of this whenever we meet 🙄 I imagine many younger people these days would agree with him. A zen master once said, “The shortest distance between a human being and […]
How Environment Shapes Success—More Than Talent
It is challenging to achieve success in an environment dominated by failure. Whenever there is an overall negative sentiment in a business or for that matter in an industry or even a country, it is difficult to overcome. Unfortunately, there is so much of this negativity in all aspects of life in the land of […]
Breaking the Full-Time Myth: Understanding the Power of Fractional Roles
I was recently introduced to someone with the title “Fractional CHRO” This individual worked in that organization two days a week and was involved in similar roles for a few other companies. This person is not alone. I have seen similar situations in other organizations, and I am amazed that many of our organizations have […]
The Voice Within: How Self-Talk Shapes Our Reality
The other day, during a game of tennis I observed that I was frequently cursing myself for playing terribly. Each bad shot prompted me to use four-letter words in my mind, though I admit occasionally they would come out loud! Of course it didn’t cross my mind that perhaps my opponent was a much better […]
Rethinking Talent: Are We Hiring for the Wrong Skills?
I have been trying to help some clients identify talent for middle and senior management roles recently. But I keep coming up with gaps between what they require and what is available. On the other hand there are some exceptional people who are available but it is difficult for them to be a good fit […]
The Hidden Wisdom of Those Who Refuse Power
In one of my previous organisations, a senior leader surprised us all by quitting his job and retiring the day he turned 50. We couldn’t imagine why anyone would make such a drastic decision. He was one of the most respected people in the organisation, and we were sure he was on his way to […]
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