NOW. Literally now. If you are thinking about doing a startup, want to be an entrepreneur or create something of your own, there is no better time than RIGHT NOW. There is no uniform age, timeline, state, region, phase, moment or any other factor that guarantees the best time to do a startup. I like…
Category: career
What’s on your calendar?
One way to identify what’s a priority for someone is to look at their calendars. What’s there and what’s not there? If your calendar does not have the activities/people/experiences that you value or are important to you, pretty soon it will start filling up with other people’s priorities. Someone can tell you how much they…
Working those muscles
Being more creative, more inquisitive, more evolved requires working with intention on those creative/curious/reflection muscles. If you want to be more creative, keep challenging yourself to think outside the box, look for different ways to solve the same problem or spend time around “creative people.” If you want to be more inquisitive, keep asking questions,…
Beyond the Comfort Zone
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Useful resources on curiosity and questions
Articles/blogs: The DNA of the World’s Most Innovative Companies Curiosity is a Must-have Skill The Business Case for Curiosity Forget Brainstorming. Try Questionstorming Why must businesses step back in order to move forward? Videos: How to Ask Better Questions | Tim Ferriss The Truth about Being the “Stupidest” in the Room | Simon Sinek Podcasts:…
Here’s a piece of advice…
Giving advice to someone is a tough ask. When someone reaches out to you for advice, you are put in a position of authority or power. It could be that the person seeking your advice thinks you are the right person, have the relevant experience, have information that others don’t or for any other reason….
Books that inspire asking questions
Here are a few books that I found to inspire each of us to ask more questions. These books delve into the power of asking important questions, questions that can change the direction of a person, group, or company and provide insights into using questions as a helpful guide in our personal and professional lives.
Feedback for growth
Growing up in a household or being in an environment where you get mostly or only positive feedback, you will expect that type of feedback in all areas of your personal and professional life. How helpful is the (mostly or only) positive feedback for the person receiving it in the long run? Is that positive…
Asking questions to understand better
Simon Sinek, author of Start With Why and other books says that “asking questions doesn’t mean you’re the stupidest person in the room; it usually means you’re the only one brave enough to speak up.” Some of the reasons why we aren’t asking enough questions even when we don’t understand the topic of discussion are…
the perspective
With new adventures, everyday challenges, feedback from others, conversations between employees and managers, and many other moments in our daily experiences, it’s important to keep them in perspective. Imagine a scenario of a manager giving an employee honest feedback. It’s tempting for the employee to expect all positive feedback from his/her supervisor and vice versa….
Grades or growth?
When we put a lot of focus on the grade in school and college, are we limiting the growth of the students’ learning? If ultimately the course grade is what matters, then the students will study accordingly and stay within the framework of the course curriculum. In theory, the student’s grade is expected to represent…