Which one is better for your enterprise? Going for Scale or Staying small? If you run the best coffeeshop in town, do you focus on opening 100 more around the country or making the flagship coffeeshop the only one available and best in the world? If the decision to open 100 franchises of your coffeeshop,…
Nirmal’s Blog
when you’re ready for fishing
“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Heard it many times. Seems like a valid point of view right? That is if the man is ready to fish or wants to learn how to fish, then it becomes…
Want to become better at…?
Want to be a better writer? keep writing. Want to be a better storyteller? keep telling stories. Want to be a better leader? keep leading. Want to be a better creative? keep getting creative. Want to be better negotiator? keep negotiating. Want to be a better coach? keep coaching. Want to be a better teacher?…
You made it
What’s your success criteria? What makes you feel like you’ve made it? Personally? Professionally? Overall? Is it financial success, family success, social contribution, personal well being, or making the world a better place? Is it enough to make it there or should you be thriving in where you want to be? Have you made it…
Let’s go for a walk
Walking has many benefits. A 30 minute walk can boost our creativity, energy levels, and get us refreshed among many other benefits! Mayo Clinic states regular brisk walking can help you: How’s your walking technique?
Draft to Publish
Today is Leap Day 2024. What ideas do you have saved for a future date to put them into action? What emails do you have sitting in your Drafts folder to send? Why are you sitting on the sidelines when you know you’re prepared for the game? Are you waiting for someone’s permission, approval, or…
Effective Corporate Training
In Carol S. Dweck’s ground breaking book, Mindset The New Psychology of Success How We Can Learn To Fulfill Our Potential, she shares how to make corporate training programs effective. She mentions: Look for talented managers who also embody a growth mindset. Train leaders, managers, and employees to believe in growth, in addition to training…
Talent vs Skill
What is Talent and what is Skill? Are they the same or different? Talent is a natural ability to gain a skill or set of skills. Skill is the ability to complete a set of tasks well. Skills are learned and we get better at a craft by practicing intentionally over a period of time….
Custom Work Hours
What if employee(s) chose the hours they want to work for in a week instead of a regular Monday through Friday from 9am-5pm as long as the total came to be close to 40 hours per week? Would employees’ productivity increase or decrease because of the work time flexibility, employees choosing their shift based on…
Getting to that Next Level
What’s the Next Level? There are Levels. Realizing that there’s another level to be better is a key component in getting to that level. If you strongly believe that there’s no more level beyond where you currently are, then either you’ve achieved a lot already (Happy for you!) or you are limited in your circumstances,…
Attitude and Skill
Attitude and Skill were found to be the two key differences between great competitors and good ones in swimming in a study done by Daniel F. Chambliss and shared through his paper “The Mundanity of Excellence: An Ethnographic Report on Stratification and Olympic Swimmers.” Daniel reviewed the habits, backgrounds, and performance of competitive swimmers and…
Meet to Succeed
Technology, devices, globalization and many other factors have enabled us to work from any part of the world. Being on a virtual meeting with people across multiple locations, time zones, and cultures is more common than ever before. Yet there is something very special about being able to meet your virtual colleagues or team in…
Customer experience ownership
On a recent weekend, we were shopping at a local Marshalls store and picked up few items to purchase. One of the items was on sale and another similar item was not on sale. When we were checking out the products from the store, the cashier suggested that the other similar item might be on…
Creative is a choice
In The Practice: Shipping Creative Work, Seth Godin describes that creativity is an Action, Not a feeling. Taking action on the ideas we have (writing a blog, composing a piece, contributing something new to a conversation or in a meeting etc) is very important. We should not wait for the “right moments” when we feel…
What’s your company culture like?
To get a quick gauge of your current company culture, you can do a few activities. Have a look at what is being promoted and encouraged within the company. What pictures, videos or posts are team members posting on internal company channels? Are those pictures of team events, community activities, nature, industry reports or something…
Relationship equity
What’s your relationship equity like? Have you invested time and energy into building the personal and professional relationships in your life? If there’s not been much investment in the important relationships, should we be surprised by the current status of those relationships? Relationship equity is about putting in the time, energy, care, generosity, and empathy…
Room for Creativity
Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up. – Pablo Picasso In one of her “The Artist’s Way” series book, Julia Cameron says that creativity is born in generosity, and flourishes where there is a sense of safety and acceptance. If we feel safe and accepted…
let my people go surfing
One of the books that had been on my books bucket list for a while “let my people go surfing” by Yvon Chouinard (Founder and Owner of Patagonia, Inc.) was inspiring and moving. I had been fascinated with Patagonia’s authentic storytelling and wanted to learn more about the company, culture, and its philosophies. “Let my…
Institutional knowledge : A case study
Nepal is a beautiful country with its unique opportunities and challenges. Alicia and Ajay both attend a top management college in Kathmandu, center of colleges and universities in Nepal. Once they finish their undergraduate studies, they plan to pursue their graduate studies outside of Nepal (Europe, Australia, North America). After graduating top of their class,…
Supporting the creatives…
There are many ways to support creatives who create and publish their works. There are various forms of art from photography, videography, painting, singing, dancing, drawing, graffiti and many more. Creatives need visibility, appreciation, and respect from their audience which can encourage and help them to continue creating. While what is considered “art” is subjective,…