In our comfort zones, we tend to feel at ease, almost no anxiety, stress free, and safe. In the boundaries of our comfort zones, we tend to feel some or a lot of anxiety, stress, and get defensive. Do we all have comfort zones? If so, do we stay in those zones or go beyond…
Author: Nirmal Thapa
Getting through the data noise
An authentic brand story will help your company get through the data noise. How much data noise is really out there? Domo’s Data Never Sleeps 10.0 presents some numbers. Some notes from Domo: Over the last ten years, digital engagement through social media, streaming content, online purchasing, peer-to-peer payments and other activities has increased hundreds…
Will you have the audacity to wave ’em off?
Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks waved off his teammates to take the game winning shot in Toronto against the Toronto Raptors on February 14, 2012. Why is this a big deal? It’s a big deal because we witnessed an Asian man in the NBA have the confidence to say that I’ve got this…
Sleep as your superpower
Matthew Walker’s Why We Sleep Unlocking the power of Sleep and Dreams packs a lot of insightful research and content in the sleep domain. The World Health Organization and the National Sleep Foundation both stipulate an average of eight hours of sleep per night for adults. Listed in the book’s Appendix are Twelve Tips for…
Transitioning from an employee to an employer
Entrepreneurship can be a beautiful journey. Many individuals enter the workforce and work for several years before striking out on their own. Some individuals go straight into entrepreneurship before working for anyone else. There are several questions/scenarios that an aspiring entrepreneur(s) considers when deciding to stay in the current job (if working) to going completely…
more authentic, less perfect
There’s been an idea or belief that has been with me for a while. It’s that for some reason, life has to be “perfect.” It could have started in childhood, school or just the culture I grew up in. Not being able to achieve “perfection”, it created anxiety or stress for no reason. I could…
Is success really “self-made”?
We often see the below headline in the media (blogs, magazines, articles etc.) to describe an individual or founders’ success. They were self-made billionaires. They were self-made entrepreneurs. Then the rest of the media coverage goes something like this… Person A’s company is now worth a billion dollars. Having started in her garage four years…
the “perfect” work
Seth Godin’s blog today was Unbeatable vs Perfect. In it, he states that Google has killed more than 200 projects over the last few decades. They fail all the time. MORE THAN 200 PROJECTS!!! Over the years, I knew Google discontinued a few products/services here and there but did not expect more than 200. Often we see…
Saved in my drafts
How many thought-provoking and authentic stories end up just in the drafts section of your blog? How many original ideas stay in your employees’ head instead of being shared with the team and the company? How many times does an important question gets missed because the individual feels like she or he won’t be heard…
You’ll be the co-captain of the varsity team!
That’s what my high school basketball coach told me after having joined the team just a few weeks ago. Basketball was still a new sport to me. I had not played much basketball growing up but fell in love with the sport instantly. My coach knew my grades and wanted to set an example to…
What will your Ted Talk be about?
Imagine receiving an invitation to give a Ted Talk. What will your Ted Talk be about? Each of us have unique experiences in the world and these experiences shape our perspectives, thoughts, and behaviors. Each of us has an authentic story and it deserves to be heard. There are many platforms out there to share…
Handling dissatisfying situations
In Albert Hirschman’s book “Exit, Voice, and Loyalty: Responses to Decline in Firms, Organizations, and States” he mentions that there are four different options for handling a dissatisfying situation. Decades of research show that you have a choice between exit, voice, persistence, and neglect. Exit means removing yourself from the situation altogether. Voice involves actively…
Who’s the most valuable member of the company?
Since it was the founder/co-founders’ idea that led to the company’s start, is she/he/them the Most Valuable Member (MVM)? Sales team brings in clients and revenue. Are they more valuable then? How about the technology team that made the software which the sales team sold? And the human resource team who found and hired the…
Rooting for Jonathan
Jonathan Livingston Seagull loved to fly, loved it so much that he went against its own flock to reach for the sky. Yet we find fewer Jonathans soaring in the skies above because society wants conformity, has its beliefs and expectations. Many buddingJonathans face the harsh reality soon as they start going to school, around…
The creative narrative
“She is so creative.” “He is really creative.” “That’s the creative team.” Creativity is hard to define. Each one of us is creative – that creativity can be seen at our homes, workplaces, the hobbies we have, the activities we do, and it can be anywhere and everywhere. What type of environment helps in facilitating…
Curiosity is its own reason
Albert Einstein once said “Don’t think about why you question, simply don’t stop questioning. Don’t worry about what you can’t answer, and don’t try to explain what you can’t know. Curiosity is its own reason. Aren’t you in awe when you contemplate the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure behind reality? And…
Your Authentic Greatness
Each individual has internal superpowers. These superpowers are unique and developed through our personal experiences, environment, and evolution. Storytelling is one of our authentic superpowers. Each individual can define “success” in their own terms and go towards reaching their authentic greatness. If each of us realize and tap into our internal superpowers, live our authentic…
Then what else do you see, Arjuna?
“What do you see?” I see the eye of the bird. “Do you see the tree?” No. “Do you see the branch?” No. “Do you see the bird?” No. “Then what else do you see, Arjuna?” Nothing, I see only the round black eye of the bird. Excerpt from The Mahabharata – A conversation between…
Being an apprentice
Every human activity, endeavor, or career path involves the mastering of skills. – Robert Greene in “Mastery” In his book Mastery, Robert Greene elaborates on the Apprenticeship phase involving three essential steps in the apprenticeship, each one overlapping the other. The three steps are: Deep Observation (The Passive Mode), Skills Acquisition (The Practice Mode), and…
Your company’s “Chief Question-Asker”
“The most important thing business leaders must do today is to be the “chief question-asker” for their organization” says Dev Patnaik of Jump Associates. Patnaik says that “the first thing most leaders need to realize is, they’re really bad at asking questions. The business executives rose up through the corporate ranks because “they were good…