culture – Page 4

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. In essence, if someone asks for advice, he or she is looking for some sort of an answer from you. It’s a tall order to give accurate and meaningful “advice” to another person.

In his book, WILL, Will Smith says this about advice “The thing I’ve learned over the years about advice is that no one can accurately predict the future, but we all think we can. So advice at its best is one person’s limited perspective of the infinite possibilities before you. People’s advice is based on their fears, their experiences, their prejudices, and at the end of the day, their advice is just that: it’s theirs, not yours. When people give you advice, they’re basing it on what they would do, what they can perceive, on what they think you can do. But the bottom line is, while yes, it is true that we are all subject to a series of universal laws, patterns, tides, and currents – all of which are somewhat predictable – you are the first time you’ve ever happened. YOU and NOW are a unique occurence, of which you are the most reliable measure of all the possibilities.”

A powerful and practical way to approach this situation when someone reaches out to you for advice is to say “I am happy to share with you what has worked for me.” An example of this in real life is to watch this video of Dwayne Johnson “The Rock” speaking to the Los Angeles Lakers as part of their GeniusTalks series, reflecting on his career as an athlete and actor, and sharing lessons he learned along the way.

Sports documentaries that are worth it (updated October 2022)

Posted on January 12, 2022June 9, 2024 by Nirmal Thapa

As a sports fanatic, I’ve devoured the sports documentaries available in various streaming platforms. Some of those documentaries I’ve gone back and watched it again because the stories are told in a riveting way and have had a huge cultural impact.

Here are the sports documentaries or documentaries based on sport figures that I really enjoyed watching (in no particular order).

Tiger (HBO) – Tiger is a two-part documentary offering a revealing look at the rise, fall, and epic comeback of global icon Tiger Woods.

38 At The Garden (HBO) recognizes a pivotal moment in time for Lin, and celebrates a phenomenon that was bigger than basketball for the world.

Being Serena (HBO) – Being Serena is a documentary series chronicling tennis icon Serena Williams at a pivotal moment in her personal and professional life.

Tony Parker: The Final Shot (Netflix) – This film examines the background and career of Tony Parker, whose determination led him to become arguably the greatest French basketball player.

The Redeem Team (Netflix) – After their shocking performance at the 2004 Olympics, the US men’s basketball team seeks redemption as they pursue Gold at the 2008 Beijing Games.

The Playbook A Coach’s Rules For Life (Netflix) – Coaches with championship résumés share their personal rules for success in sports and life in this reflective and inspiring documentary series.

Untold: Malice at the Palace (Netflix) – Key figures from an infamous 2004 incident between players and fans at an NBA game in Michigan discuss the fight, its fallout and its lasting legacy.

Take the Ball, Pass the Ball (Netflix) – Through firsthand accounts and analysis, this football documentary details the dominance of FC Barcelona from 2008-2012 under manager Pep Guardiola.

Noami Osaka (Netflix) – This intimate series follows Naomi Osaka as she explores her cultural roots and navigates her multifaceted identity as a tennis champ and rising leader.

A Kid from Coney Island (Netflix) – From gifted athlete to professional NBA hooper, Coney Island’s Stephon Marbury navigates the pressures, pitfalls and peaks of his basketball journey.

The Last Dance (Netflix) – This docuseries chronicles the rise of superstar Michael Jordan and the 1990s Chicago Bulls, with unaired footage from an unforgettable 1997-98 season.

I Am Bolt (Prime) – Competing in the 100m and 200m races, Usain Bolt attempts to make history by winning these events for a record third time.

What’s your energy focused on?

Posted on December 21, 2021December 21, 2021 by Nirmal Thapa

Your energy has immense power. What you put your energy into will create the results accordingly. Being aware of your energy, focusing the energy on your important goals and priorities, and taking utmost care of your energy is crucial to achieving success and getting the results you want.

The Law of Attraction is based on the belief that thoughts are a form of energy and that positive energy attracts success in all areas of life, including health, finances, and relationships. If your mindset is about positive energy and thoughts, it will lead towards positive results and vice versa.

As a salesperson, instead of focusing the energy on only your personal goals (earning high commission and getting a sale as quick as possible), if you focus your energy on actually helping the customers solve their problems and get what they want, the results can be phenomenal. As a manager, if your objective is only about achieving your personal goals above your team’s goals, then you will face continuous challenge. As a coach, if you want to achieve greater success as a team, you have to put the team’s goals ahead of your own. When the focus is on only your personal goals, your drive, motivation and energy will all follow accordingly and you might face more challenges along your path to success. When there is wholehearted focus on your customers’ goals and also your personal goals, the results can be remarkable.

When I approached the day with a single goal in mind and the right energy, I was able to achieve greater success. With a singular focus and making it a priority to helping my customers get what they want, I was amazed to see the overall results. What I focused my energy on completely changed the day and the results I got.

So what’s your energy focused on?

Books that inspire asking questions

Posted on December 12, 2021June 9, 2024 by Nirmal Thapa

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.

Asking questions to understand better

Posted on November 22, 2021November 22, 2021 by Nirmal Thapa

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 beliefs/thoughts/internal questions we have going in our head:

By asking this question(s), will it make me look “stupid”?

Would I look like the person who doesn’t understand this topic if I ask this question?

It’s actually not relevant to me at all so why ask this question.

I am the “expert” or “smartest” person in this room. Why ask questions and make myself look like a beginner?

Do I have the “authority” to ask questions in this group or in this context?

Grades or growth?

Posted on November 11, 2021November 11, 2021 by Nirmal Thapa

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 his or her understanding of the course material and a way for teachers to assess the student’s knowledge of the subject matter. This will continue to keep many students incentivized to take classes where they can earn easy A’s and not be as hungry to seek out challenging yet important classes that actually lead to their intellectual growth.

As long as we have GPA’s and scores to measure progress and understanding of a subject matter, it will have its shortcomings. If it’s not going to be on the exam, then why would students put more extra effort than needed or go beyond their coursework. With GPAs and test scores not going anywhere anytime soon, we’re left to ask ourselves:

As a teacher,

how can you instill a hunger for learning beyond the course curriculum?

how can you prepare the students for a future of tomorrow?

how can you support the growth of students who are struggling academically but talented in other areas?

As a parent,

how can you encourage your child/children’s learning and education beyond the school’s course curriculum?

how can you encourage your child/children to ask questions as much as having answers?

how can you prepare your child/children for the future of tomorrow?

As a student,

why are you taking these courses and how will they add value to your long term career?

how can you become more aware of the changing job market and prepare yourself accordingly at school/college?

what are your strength areas and how will you continue to hone them or add more skills to be job market relevant?

Organizations that grow

Posted on October 19, 2021October 19, 2021 by Nirmal Thapa

In Carol S. Dweck’s groundbreaking book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, she talks about the research that Jim Collins and his team did on what made companies move from being good to being great. The five-year study showed that there were several factors that distinguished the thriving companies from the others. In Jim Collins’ book, Good to Great, he states that the one distinguisher that was absolutely key was the type of leader who in every case led the company into greatness. “They were self-effacing people who constantly asked questions and had the ability to confront the most brutal answers – that is, to look failures in the face, even their own, while maintaining faith that they would succeed in the end.”

Carol states that these leaders have the growth mindset and believe in human development. They are constantly trying to improve themselves and surround themselves with the most able people they can find, they look squarely at their own mistakes and deficiencies, and they ask frankly what skills they and the company will need in the future.

Who sets the company culture?

Posted on October 8, 2021October 8, 2021 by Nirmal Thapa

The people who care.

The people who care think of an idea, an initiative and pursue an action. In a startup, people who care make or break the company culture. The values or ideals that the caring person or the caring group have will carryover and reflect in their initiatives and activities within the company.

Many employees want to be part of something bigger than themselves. When an employee cares about a topic or issue very deeply, they will take action and others with similar interests follow suit. But it always starts with the one who cares enough to do something about it. Great company cultures are rarely set by the majority of bystanders.

Great company cultures start and thrive on people who care about the topic or issue. If you want to build a great company culture, find the individuals who care and give them all the resources you can to let them implement ideas and initiatives and watch them grow. There will be challenges along the way but trusting the people who are leading the culture front and encouraging them would be the way to go to building a resilient company culture for the long term. The people who don’t care enough to do more than their roles and responsibilities will be there in each company. However, the company culture will be driven by the individuals who are passionate and voluntary lead the efforts.

Can you learn how to ask better questions?

Posted on August 31, 2021August 31, 2021 by Nirmal Thapa

You certainly can. Asking questions is a skill. As with all skills, it can be learned and used everyday.

If you want to ask better questions, you can learn them if you care deeply enough about it. There are many ways to become better at asking questions. One simple technique is by starting to ask questions as you go about your day. Nothing complicated. Just start by building a habit to ask one question. Let’s take some regular day to day scenarios. If you grab a coffee and bagel from your local bakery, ask the person at the counter a question. It could be as simple as “how are you doing today?” At work, if you are in a meeting, make it a point to ask one question related to the topic of discussion. If you are in a group discussion, prepare questions and ask at least one question.

When you are working to become better at asking questions, you are essentially building a new habit. You want to look for consistency and simplicity is the key. Everyday you ask one question no matter where you are or what you are doing, you keep building the questioning muscle. Overtime you will build more confidence and have less anxiety to ask questions.

Here are some good resources that dive deeper into questions:

The Surprising Power of Questions | Harvard Business Review

The art of asking the right questions | Tim Ferriss, Warren Berger, Hope Jahren & more | Big Think

We are also starting our Ask Better Questions Workshop soon. If you want to learn the art and science of asking good questions, ask questions that show curiosity and empathy, and develop better relationships with your audience, this is a workshop you can join.

Take care of your employees.

Posted on August 18, 2021August 18, 2021 by Nirmal Thapa

We’ve heard the phrase many times “Employees are a company’s greatest asset.”

Do you think most companies actually believe that phrase in their core and behave accordingly? That’s a profound statement that companies have to visit and revisit all the time. Some well established companies tout all the benefits they provide to their employees but seldom ask employees how they value each of the company’s benefits or what other benefits could be more important to them. Some companies’ benefits package reflects what their industry counterparts offer and do just enough to remain competitive employee benefits wise.

If companies wholeheartedly believe that employees are indeed a company’s greatest asset, how are they showing that they care for their employees?

Here’s something to ponder upon…

A better manager

Posted on August 7, 2021August 7, 2021 by Nirmal Thapa

In the beginning of anyone’s career, the company you choose to work for, your team, and the managers you have can shape your career trajectory. Your manager is a key facilitator to your professional growth. There is a lot of truth to the phrase that employees don’t leave companies, they leave bad managers. On the same note, some employees will stay longer at a company because of their manager, even though they can easily switch jobs, earn more somewhere else, or have a choice to do something else.

A better manager takes time to understand their team better, mentor them, challenge them, and expect the best from their team members. A better manager holds themselves to the highest standards and also expects the team to be at that same level. They appreciate their team members when they get results and coaches them where needed. Companies have managers because of their organizational structure, but becoming a better manager is their choice.

Are you choosing to become a better manager?

W.A.Y.T.O.G.O

Posted on August 1, 2021August 1, 2021 by Nirmal Thapa

“Our grandfathers and great grandfathers built schools to train people to have a lifetime of productive labor as part of the Industrialized economy. And it worked.” – Seth Godin

Schools and colleges worked their magic and most of the graduates eventually made their way to a beautiful five day work week of 9am-5pm. Seems like a smooth system to create and produce the labor force needed to work at corporations.

Now, we live in knowledge based societies with the need for people to be more creative and independent thinkers. Schools and colleges need to evolve with time and change their roles accordingly. With the advancements in technology such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) automating many manual tasks that workers used to do before and the speed of change we are witnessing like never before, our workplaces are not adapting as fast as it needs to.

The forty hour work week for all the employees might not produce the best results for the company. Employees should be working during the times they are most productive because some are best during the mornings, while others could be better working during the evenings or at night time. This is not to say that each employee should create their own work schedule or that managers will have an easier time managing their team members. Employers should focus more on offering the best flexibility to their employees and evaluate them based on the results that they bring.

The Accenture Future of Work Study 2021 explored what people need to be healthy and productive as we enter a new era of work. Here are their main findings from the research report.

A majority of workers (83%) prefer a hybrid work model, but a variety of factors influence their ability to thrive, whether they’re onsite or off.
Responsible leaders must move beyond physical location to shape the future of work by giving people resources tailored to their needs.
63% of high-growth companies have already adopted a “productivity anywhere” workforce model.

Work At Your Time Of Greatest Optimum (W.A.Y.T.O.G.O) is a new paradigm for work. At the start of each new hire, the manager and HR sit together and explain the team or department’s goals and the new hire’s responsibility. The new hire is required to produce the best work within a certain time frame. The focus is on the results. Flexibility is a privilege and the new hire should understand that it can be taken away if the results are not optimal or under par. If the new hire works in a team or needs face to face interaction, it can be a virtual video or audio call. In person meetings should be done if the team is fairly new so individuals can get to know each other or as absolutely needed. This can be more easier to implement in a new startup or even a small size team within established companies. This type of work model is necessary for productivity to thrive at the highest level.

Which work model is your workplace currently following?

Few books I’ve loved reading

Posted on July 19, 2021January 23, 2022 by Nirmal Thapa

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of NIKE by Phil Knight – When I went to college, there was only one company I wanted to work for after graduation and it was Nike. This was one of the reasons why I studied abroad in Amsterdam, The Netherlands which was very close to Hilversum where Nike’s European headquarters was located. At that point, I had planned to either get an internship or a field visit to Nike’s Hilversum office. Neither happened at that point but Nike has always fascinated me with its creative ads, innovative products, and the athletes it endorses. When I heard about this book, I was overjoyed and couldn’t wait to read it. I borrowed this book from a friend and finished reading it in a few days. This book is definitely one of the best memoir’s I’ve read. I loved reading about Phil’s journey of starting Blue Ribbon which later became Nike. There are so many gems inside the book-the high’s/low’s of starting a company, sacrifices made, cross-cultural challenges, among others. I could go on and on about the book but I rather you read it for yourself.

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie – In 2007, I had picked up a copy of Business Week and on its last pages was the list of bestsellers. One of them was How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie. I read the book and it has become one of my favorite books. The book has many stories that explain the simple principles and psychology of human behavior. I would recommend this book to anyone no matter what field or life stage they are in. I believe anyone can read this book, understand the characteristics of human nature, and apply the principles to their daily life.

Limitless: Upgrade Your Brain, Learn Anything Faster, and Unlock Your Exceptional Life by Jim Kwik – This was definitely a book I wanted to read soon as it was published. Once I read it, I wished I had found a book like this sooner. The book helped me become aware of our limited mental and cultural beliefs, common learning challenges, and techniques to unlock our limitless mindset. Having attended Jim’s weeklong Limitless Reading Challenge to several of his Instagram live sessions, I’ve always enjoyed hearing his insights, tips and strategies on unlocking our limitless mind.

Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio – A book that is full of management lessons and ideas that Ray followed throughout the course of his life and journey of building his investment firm, Bridgewater Associates. I first learned about Ray Dalio’s book Principles on The Tim Ferriss Show and the title on Tim’s podcast was, Ray Dalio, The Steve Jobs of Investing. I followed up with reading Principles’ reviews on goodreads which made me want to read the book even more. Some readers on goodreads had said that Principles is one of the best books they have ever read. I couldn’t wait to read it myself and see what the book was all about. Once I got this book, I finished reading it in my daily commute to work.

A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas by Warren Berger – In my research on the art and science of questioning, I came across the book “A More Beautiful Question The power of inquiry to spark breakthrough ideas.” I listened to several talks and podcasts that featured the author and became more interested to read the book. The book has a lot of interesting insights and detailed analysis on questioning from our environments at home, school, and in the workplace. It also makes a strong case of why the skill of asking really good questions is important now more than ever.

Any questions?

Posted on July 1, 2021 by Nirmal Thapa

These days I’ve become more fascinated by the power of questions and the journey to unlock really good questions to activities, decisions, and the world around me. In my research on the art and science of questioning, I came across the book “A More Beautiful Question The power of inquiry to spark breakthrough ideas” by Warren Berger. As soon as I got my hands on the “A More Beautiful Question” book, I started reading it and finished it recently.

A “beautiful question” is an ambitious yet actionable question that can begin to shift the way we perceive or think about something – and that might serve as a catalyst to bring about change. – Warren Berger

I had always been fascinated how as a child we “naturally” ask a lot of questions. However, as we grow up, we don’t ask that many questions or ask enough questions at all. The book has a lot of interesting insights and detailed analysis on questioning.

“Preschool children, on average, ask their parents about 100 questions a day. By middle school, they’re pretty much stopped asking.” – “The Creativity Crisis”, Newsweek.

Warren states in the book that many educators and learning experts contend that our current system of education does not encourage, teach, or in some cases even tolerate questioning. Teachers for the most part are also constrained by the course overload that they have to cover within a certain time frame leaving little to no time for questioning. An interesting revelation was that “schools in many industrialized nations were not, for the most part, designed to produce innovative thinkers or questioners-their primary purpose was to produce workers.”

“Our grandfathers and great grandfathers built schools to train people to have a lifetime of productive labor as part of the Industrialized economy. And it worked.” – Seth Godin

We now live in knowledge based societies and need for people to be more creative and independent thinkers. The ability to ask really good questions thus has become a key skill in the world we all live in today. Growing up, our home and school environments play a huge role in helping/hurting our own questioning skills which carries over to how we work, communicate, and go about our lives. Questions are beautiful and we need them in today’s world more than ever before.

For more insights into Questions, I recommend reading “A More Beautiful Question The power of inquiry to spark breakthrough ideas” by Warren Berger.

Asking Better Questions

Posted on March 9, 2021 by Nirmal Thapa

I Asked A Ton of Questions.

That’s the title of a section on Kobe Bryant’s book “The Mamba Mentality How I play”. In that section, Kobe talks about how he was curious, wanted to improve, learn, and fill his head with the history of the game. He also adds that no matter who he was with and where he was at, he would fire away with question after question. That relentless curiosity about the game, strong work ethic, and becoming skilled at asking questions were some of the countless reasons Kobe finished his basketball career with 5 championships, 33,643 points, and 20 years playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.

We come into this world with infinite curiosity about everything in life. Some environments help nurture that curiosity while other environments control or destroy that innate desire to learn and discover. For some people, questioning comes easily while for most of us, we don’t ask enough questions, nor do we pose our inquiries in an optimal way as stated by the Harvard Business Review article The Surprising Power of Questions. The good news is that by asking questions, we naturally improve our emotional intelligence, which in turn makes us better questioners – a virtuous cycle. As mentioned in the HBR article, the first step in becoming a better questioner is simply to ask more questions. Of course, the sheer number of questions is not the only factor that influences the quality of a conversation: The type, tone, sequence, and framing also matter.

A valuable resource on How to Ask Questions Better by Tim Ferriss

Asking a lot of questions unlocks learning and improves interpersonal bonding. – The Surprising Power of Questions

Unleash your superpower in 2021

Posted on December 30, 2020December 30, 2020 by Nirmal Thapa

2020 was an unprecedented year with many challenges, emotions, and narratives. We were all tested emotionally, mentally, and physically like never before. As we move towards 2021, the stories we hear, see, and especially what we tell ourselves serve as a compass and help us navigate forward.

Storytelling is our authentic superpower.

Here are a few ways you can Unleash Your Superpower in 2021:

1. Understand how Storytelling could help you in your personal and professional journey
2. Hone your Storytelling skills
3. Attend a Storytelling workshop
4. Observe the Storytelling structure and your emotions when you watch movies, shows, and documentaries
5. Take a Storytelling course
6. Listen to podcasts on Storytelling or that tell great Stories
7. Reflect on your own journey and see what Stories have shaped you over the years
8. Maintain a journal and write regularly on the Stories you observe in your daily life
9. Be part of a supportive community and share Stories
10. Jump into any opportunity where you can share your Story

30 Stories: The Hiut Denim Company

Posted on August 22, 2020August 22, 2020 by Nirmal Thapa

@hiutdenim Story

Our town is going to make jeans again

Cardigan is a small town of 4,000 good people. 400 of them used to make jeans. They made 35,000 pairs a week. For three decades.

Then one day the factory closed. It left town. But all that skill and knowhow remained. Without any way of showing the world what they could do.

That’s why we have started The Hiut Denim Company. To bring manufacturing back home. To use all that skill on our doorstep. And to breathe new life into our town.

As one of the Grand Masters said to me when I was interviewing: “This is what I know how to do. This is what I do best.” I just sat there thinking I have to make this work.

So yes, our town is going to make jeans again.

Here goes.

Text credit : The Hiut Denim Company website

Image credit : GQ website

30 Stories: Arniko

Posted on August 21, 2020August 21, 2020 by Nirmal Thapa

@arniko_official Story by @thestorieshub

Marius “Arniko” Arter initially did not plan to make a business out of selling skateboards. He went to Nepal to see if he was going to be able to produce skateboards and after three months of producing skateboards in Nepal, he brought two boards back to Switzerland. Many people in his network in Switzerland liked the skateboards so much that he went back to Nepal to produce more, which ultimately led to the creation of his business, Arniko.

Arniko is well known for their skateboards, which they proudly produce in Nepal and was the first company to introduce the skateboarding culture on a large scale in the country. Back in 2011, Arniko had about 70% foreign customers and 30% local Nepalese customers. The skateboard scene was rising in Nepal and Arniko believed that there was potential in growing and getting more Nepali customers.

Fast forward to today, we now have @skate_nepal, which is spreading skateboarding to the people of Nepal. There is now also a community-built skatepark in Pokhara, Nepal @annapurnaskatepark.

Bio: Established in 2007, Arniko produces a wide range of fashion articles and skateboards in Nepal and India. Arniko has a flagship store in Zurich, Switzerland and also sell their merchandise through The Local Project Nepal store in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Image credit: Arniko website

This story was first published on https://www.instagram.com/thestorieshub/

Category: culture

Useful resources on curiosity and questions

Here’s a piece of advice…