How are your listening skills?
Are you listening more than you are talking?
Are you attentively listening to your team?
Richard Branson talks about how important listening skills are in our daily lives. Kobe Bryant says on leadership that “to be an effective leader, you have to be a really good listener and focus not just to what’s being said, but to what’s not being said.”
I have put Bruce Lee Striking Thoughts: Bruce Lee’s Wisdom for Daily Living by Bruce Lee in my reading list this year. I’m glad to have found this video of him which makes me want to read the book even more.
To get an overview of some of the things that are happening around the world and to know that things are actually improving globally, it’s good to read over Bill and Melinda Gates’s 2019 Annual Letter.
Some of the points that I found interesting were: Africa is the youngest continent (its median age is just 18), the world is building an entire NYC every month for 40 years (urban population is increasing in the coming decades), data needs to be more gender balanced (there is a lot of missing data about women and girls’ lives) and that toilets have not changed in a century (the new generation toilets will save millions of lives).
Read more on the 2019 Annual Letter.
You came and changed the game.
After that, it was never the same.
You were talked about everywhere.
It felt like you just came out of nowhere.
You were an enigma to some but inspiration to many.
You were hated by some but loved by many.
You were a pioneer in so many ways.
Authentic and original no matter what anyone says.
This generation has much to thank you for.
The impact and legacy is what they remember you for.
You are relevant today more than ever.
There will always be so many questions but you are the real Answer.
There will always be vendors who can do the services you need at a cheaper price. You can research, talk to people, do more research and find the lowest cost provider. But is cost the only factor to consider when your business operations needs to run smoothly?
Excellent customer service will matter more when the challenge arises. When the business operations have to be running smoothly all the time, a minute situation can become a big ordeal. Thus, it’s necessary to measure the tradeoff between service and cost if you decide to go the cheaper route. Would it be really worth it down the line? If paying a little bit more now to save the headache in the future, it might be best to consider that option.
Dr. Sameer Maskey, founder and CEO of Fusemachines talks about Democratizing AI in this Venture Talk series.
The story goes like this: President John F. Kennedy was visiting NASA headquarters for the first time in 1961. While touring the facility, the President introduced himself to a janitor and asked him what he did at NASA.
The janitor replied “I’m helping put a man on the moon!”
What I got from this was that the janitor understood the vision, had a purpose, and felt that he was contributing to something bigger than himself.
Having grown up in two distinct cultures—Nepali and American—I have had the opportunity to learn the best from each of them. Values such as hard work, humility, and respect are beautiful attributes of Nepali culture. From my work experience in Nepal, I have come to realize three qualities that we can strive for a better professional life. They are understanding the value of time, being accountable for our words, and being patient in the pursuit of our professional goals.
Different cultures perceive and approach time in their own ways. In the American culture, time is literally regarded as money, while Nepali culture looks at time as more of a relative concept. This important distinction has a huge impact in how we go about our personal and professional lives. In Nepal, for example, if you say to someone let’s meet at 10, it is generally considered five to 15 minutes later than the mentioned time. However, in the American culture, if you say to someone let’s meet at 10, it means that you have to be present at the location before 10. By understanding how each culture approaches time, people from Nepali and American cultures can have better communication and relationship with each other.
Rethinking Nepali time
The concept of “Nepali time” has become too common in our culture and we need to seriously consider the impact this is having in our personal and professional lives. While we can casually disregard that it is really not a big deal, this is causing conflict and miscommunication at personal, professional, and national levels. At the personal level, if you are meeting your friends and relatives and consistently coming on “Nepali time” then eventually it can lead to annoyance or you becoming less trustworthy overtime. At the professional level, you and your team are constantly working on projects that have deadlines. If one team member or the team does not understand the urgency or timely delivery of the project, then it can lead to missed deadlines and even the client altogether. At the national level, we hear of many international conferences being held in Nepal and the preparations are mostly done at the last minute. When the international conference is at the door, our government steps up efforts to pave the roads, clean the streets, put up banners everywhere, etc. If the government does proper planning and executes well, it will not only benefit Nepal’s image internationally, but also garner the support and admiration of its citizens.
While “Nepali time” has become a habit for most of us, we can have much better and trustworthy relationships with our friends, relatives, and colleagues by understanding the value of time and showing up when promised. Being on time means you are respectful to others and it is the right thing to do. If you do run late for whatever reason, it is also courteous to communicate that to the person who is waiting on you.
Keep your words
Another quality that is highly regarded in the professional context is being accountable for our words. Words have power. If you want to build trust with someone, the simplest thing you can do is to follow up on your words. If what you say and what you do are not in alignment, then a disagreement, confusion or conflict will surely occur. I have been in countless situations around Nepal where words and verbal commitments do not hold that much weight. Some people use words and make statements very casually. In the professional context, if the verbal commitment you have made to deliver on a project, handle certain responsibilities or follow up on something is not kept, then trust gets lost. Once trust is lost, it will take a long time to gain it back.
In Nepali culture, a lot of time we say things that we do not really mean. We generally want to appear nice and not hurt someone else’s feelings. Thus, we do not communicate directly and leave things in ambiguity. Other times we tend to overpromise on things and underdeliver. In both cases, it is essential to realize what you are saying and how people are interpreting it. It is important to be a person who is authentic and genuine with his or her words.
It is admirable to build a reputation where people can trust what you say and you can be counted upon. If on the other hand, people cannot trust what you say, then you will be left out of many great opportunities in the professional setting. There are times when what you promised cannot be delivered because of unforeseen circumstances that are out of your control. In these circumstances, it is important to promptly communicate to anyone who could be impacted by the situation. These are simple ways to build trust and accountability.
Patience pays
Patience is another quality that can have a profound impact on your professional success and long-term happiness. From my experience of teaching at a college and interviewing individuals for jobs, I have felt so much rush for young professionals to be making a lot of money or be in a higher position. While being ambitious at a young age is noteworthy, it is also important to put in the work and be prepared to achieve the goals. I have met a few young professionals who are extremely dedicated in their craft, but mostly meet those who are targeting for fast success.
There can be a lot of reasons why we are becoming more attached to “overnight” success stories and not understand the full sacrifice, dedication and grit that it takes to become successful. Social media and reality shows have not helped in this regard either as we have become more glued to sensational and unrealistic standards of “success.” It is essential to understand your own goals, be patient in the efforts and take steps accordingly. The fruits of labor gained after struggle and sacrifice is even sweeter.
Many young and experienced professionals in Nepal are climbing up the professional ladder because they understand the value of time, have trust worthy communication, are patient and have other professional skills. In a globalized economy, these qualities are even more important. Combining Nepali cultural values of hard work, humility and respect with a disciplined approach to time, trustworthy communication and being patient, we can live a more fulfilling personal and professional lives.
Link to the article: https://myrepublica.nagariknetwork.com/news/chasing-success/?categoryId=opinion
To make a team strong, you have to empower them, trust them, and provide feedback. As a manager/leader, you will have a lot on your plate. Decisions have to be made. If you delegate tasks, the team members will do just enough to complete it. They won’t feel ownership or empowered enough to do their very best. Yet, if you delegate responsibility, you will find ownership, accountability, and results from the team members. People feel more responsible when they are trusted to handle challenging projects.
It’s much better to delegate responsibility than tasks.
I recommend you to read Benefits of a daily diary and topic journals by Derek Sivers.
When a new innovation/technology comes around, it will have an impact. Whether small or big, it will create changes. That change can affect many people’s livelihoods.
It’s important to consider the societal impact of the new innovation. As much as possible, it’s best to consider the impact brought out by it and think of ways to create a win-win situation for all stakeholders. You’ll have a better chance to go further if you do so.
I started reading Yuval Noah Harari’s book Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind.
Some initial points from the book that I found profound and gripping.
Three important revolutions shaped the course of history: the Cognitive Revolution, Agricultural Revolution, and the Scientific Revolution.
Homo sapiens had siblings: Homo rudolfensis (East Africa), Homo erectus (East Asia); and Homo neanderthalensis (Europe and western Asia).
Humans have extraordinarily large brains compared to other animals. Modern sapiens have a brain averaging 1,200-1,400 cubic centimetres.
An important step in the Sapiens rise to the top of the food chain was the domestication of fire.
The new Sapiens language gave them a significant advantage over other animals.
The book is very interesting and weaves through various disciplines to provide a fascinating perspective on the history of humankind.
It’s a “good problem” when a business has to turn away customers because it does not have the current capacity to fill up their orders. That’s usually a result of a viral activity, marketing stunt, recent media publicity or sometimes just luck. If the business cannot promptly figure out the solutions to this “good problem” then the negative social media, word of mouth and bad customer service will doom the business in the days to come.
Sometimes a lot of marketing without careful planning or proper capacity management will hurt rather than help the business.
Competition breeds innovation. It’s a survival thing. If you’re not innovating when the competition is coming at you, then you’re gone.
There are thousands of websites (around 140,000 per day) that pop up on the internet. However, our daily visits are on a particular few websites where we spend most of our times. Why is that? One reason is that those few websites offer what we need. They have got our attention, time and it’s where we’ll most likely to spend our hard earned money. That’s the same trend that follows for all the physical stores from the momo shops to the coffee shops out there.
It’s unlikely that your idea is the first ever in the market. Even if you have first mover advantage, someone or many will come chasing to take a share of your pie. That’s when you have to continue to get better, faster and do everything with care. Competition will help you innovate and you’ll thank it when you keep getting stronger.
That’s what the headmaster of a local school told John Wood, a Microsoft executive in 1998 after he had just completed the eighteen day, two-hundred mile trek of Nepal’s Annapurna mountain range. John did return to Nepal with books and started Room to Read. Today over 20,000 communities in 15 countries have Room to Read libraries.
In the book, Purpose, Incorporated: Turning Cause Into Your Competitive Advantage, John and Amalia McGibbon delve into the origins of Room to Read, lessons from running the non profit as a business and the many conversations they had with business leaders trying to infuse purpose into their companies. John states in the book that “these business leaders saw purpose not as a nice thing to do but as a must-do-a key competitive advantage that could enhance enterprise value.”
Purpose is becoming more and more an integral part of a company’s strategic focus. Once an afterthought at most companies, now purpose is an important discussion taking place in the halls and boardrooms of startups to multinationals. According to THE 2015 MILLENNIAL IMPACT REPORT, 44% of millennial employees said they were more likely to volunteer if their supervisor participated and 65% were more likely to volunteer if their coworkers participated. We expect companies to do more good in the communities they operate in. We as employees want our companies to contribute more to the society. With great power does come greater responsibility.
How to get started with purposeful initiatives at your company?
Sasto Deal. Daraz Nepal. UG Bazaar. Muncha. Now eSewaPasal. There’s more ecommerce companies in Nepal and I’ve only mentioned the ones that I regularly hear of.
It’s exciting to witness the growth of ecommerce in Nepal in the last 5-7 years. Alibaba Group acquired the entire share capital of Daraz, the Pakistan-based e-commerce company that has been running online marketplace services in a number of South Asian countries including Nepal (May 2018). Dolma Impact Fund, the first international private equity fund dedicated to Nepal made investment in SastoDeal (June 2018). Dolma was impressed with SastoDeal’s 233% growth just in the last quarter.
Although ecommerce is probably not the first option for many consumers in Nepal, it is certainly becoming much popular and a very good alternative shopping option. Why is ecommerce heating up in Nepal or specifically Kathmandu, the capital? Here’s a few reasons I can surmise:
What’s next for ecommerce in Nepal? What would happen in the next 3-5 years in Nepal’s ecommerce scene?
My assumptions:
What do you think? Looking forward to hearing from you whether you are an online shopper, retailer or someone working at an ecommerce company. Please comment below.
Each company has a culture. Some cultures are lead by senior management, others lead by the employees and some lead equally by the management and employees. In any company, I believe there are a few people who aspire to lead, want to do new things and make a bigger impact in the company/society. Some company cultures give those people the platform to lead while in other companies the ideas stay with the employees and never sees the light of day.
If you want to lead an initiative within your company, you have to start with a simple mindset. Telling yourself “you are the right person to lead this initiative.” When you have the confidence and feel the responsibility to lead, then things fall in place. Picking the right time to launch the idea is equally important. The name of the initiative has to be catchy so everyone can easily understand what the group or initiative is all about. Catchy names are usually between 1 to 3 words.
In the beginning days of launching the initiative, you have to proactively engage with the audience. Overtime, it should be your audience putting up content, leading the initiative and engaging other members. That’s when you know it has become a success-when the group members lead and take it to newer heights. The initiative/platform needs to be constantly monitored so that non relevant content or activities that go against the group’s values/ethics is not shared or encouraged.
In a research of American and Chinese companies, it was shown that humble leaders are significantly more effective than narcissistic leaders with their employees more productive and more innovative. Leaders need to have the confidence to drive their team forward and also be grounded to the reality of things.
Adam Grant points out that it was not only by bringing Chris Bosh from Toronto Raptors and LeBron James from Cleveland Cavaliers to Miami Heat that helped them win back to back NBA finals (2012-2013), Shane Battier also played a key role. Although Shane had his limitations, he studied the stats of other NBA players and understood where they struggled on the floor. Every now and then he offered LeBron tips on opposing players and was able to help him become better. Role players like Shane provide a huge boost to any sports team because they are not as much under scrutiny as the superstars and have specific roles and assignments.
As a leader, you need to have the confidence and humility to lead. You can show both of these traits without looking overconfident or feeble. How? By asking questions, getting input from others with experience and knowledge of the subject at hand and not getting caught up in your own biases and assumptions. Easier said than done but its worth it.
Does Tawa Food have the best chicken momos in Jackson Heights, Queens, New York City? I believe so.
Having lived close to Jackson Heights for many years, I have had the pleasure and joy to enjoy some of the best momos in New York City. You can’t find any other place concentrated with so many choices of himalayan cuisines than Jackson Heights. Thousands of immigrants from the South Asian region reside in Jackson Heights or around it and thus you have access to the flavors, tastes and culinary from that region.
To find the best momos in Jackson Heights, I have gone from one restaurant to another. There are many contenders for the most delicious momos (Lali Guras, Himalayan Yak, Woodside Cafe, Bhim’s Cafe) but for me, Tawa Food takes the trophy for now. Tawa’s chicken momos are juicy, tasty and have a flavorful bite to them. A plate of hot momos on a rainy evening in New York City is the perfect comfort for any foodie. There can be a wait time of 10-15 minutes for your momos to be prepared at Tawa but its worth it. And what better way to wrap up your momo cravings than some bites at Tawa Food and a masala tea at Kebab King.
By the way, a few years back I participated in a food tour through Jeff Orlick’s Ambassador Program. We went to Woodside Cafe and here is the blog about the adventure.
When I first started reading TOOLS OF TITANS: THE TACTICS, ROUTINES, AND HABITS OF BILLIONAIRES, ICONS, AND WORLD-CLASS PERFORMERS, I combed through the chapters of people whose names I had heard before or recognized right away. Then I started to go through chapters of other icons.
After going through several chapters of the book, it is easy to notice that the icons have their own disciplined approach to their craft. Some eat the same thing each morning while others follow the same routine before getting into their zone. It is great to learn of simple habits of the uber successful individuals. What I am taking away from reading about these icons is that each person has to find what works for himself or herself. The book is a good guide to learn from the greats and take them as inspiration to find your own unique talent. Be the best version of yourself.
Have you read the book? What are your thoughts on it?
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