leadership qualities

Feedback for growth

Posted on November 30, 2021November 30, 2021 by Nirmal Thapa

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 feedback motivating the person or setting up expectations/beliefs that are not really assisting her or him? If only positive feedback is being given by a coach to an athlete/by a parent to a child/by a manager to an employee, then it can be more counterproductive than productive.

Constructive feedback is better for us. We need to know where we are good at and where we need to improve. When we get feedback of our strengths and improvement areas, we can allocate our time, energy, and focus accordingly. If we become tempted to create a perfect world of positive feedback from coaches to athletes, parents to children, and managers to employees, we are being in the fixed mindset. It’s important to adopt a growth mindset which “leads to a desire to learn and therefore a tendency to embrace challenges, persist in the face of setbacks, see effort as the path to mastery, learn from criticism, find lessons and inspiration in the success of others. As a result, they reach ever-higher levels of achievement” (Carol S. Dweck’s Mindset: The New Psychology of Success)

How are you using the feedback you are getting?

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?

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.

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…

I & We

Posted on April 21, 2019April 21, 2019 by Nirmal Thapa

“You want to hear “I” when things don’t go well. You want to hear “We” when things do go well.” Golden State Warriors General Manager Bob Myers stated as he discussed the conversations he had with Warriors players after their Game 7 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals.

When things go well, that’s the easy part. Everyone’s happy. They’re celebrating. Congratulating each other. When things do not go well, the real test comes in. Who steps up to take the responsibility? Are the team members pointing fingers to others or are they owning up to their actions? You’ll probably learn a lot more from losing than winning.

Starting a movement

Posted on June 19, 2018 by Nirmal Thapa

Starting a movement means being the shirtless guy dancing all by himself when most of the crowd is sitting down. Well not just him but his first follower is equally or even more important. Derek Sivers in his Ted Talk says that the leader needs to have the guts to stand out and be ridiculed. Additionally, Derek shares that the first follower is an underestimated form of leadership in itself and that “the first follower is what transforms a lone nut into a leader.” Well said and beautifully shown in 3 minutes below.

A symbol of…

Posted on May 14, 2017May 14, 2017 by Nirmal Thapa

To be a symbol of something positive is powerful. Powerful enough to inspire people from all walks of life. Powerful enough to be the motivator for people in far corners of the world. Powerful enough to make others realize that there is actually light at the end of the tunnel.

President Obama. Muhammad Ali. Anuradha Koirala. Jay-Z. Prabal Gurung. These are not just someone’s names. Their names inspire people. These names are symbols of hope, courage, equality, hard work, success etc. When you mention their names in a conversation or a speech, it carries a lot of weight. Each of them have rightfully earned respect and admiration from millions of people around the world.

A person who has become a symbol or can be a symbol will have a culmination of successes and failures (experiences). I believe it’s not always important for that person to win every fight, to succeed every time and win every race. You will become a symbol when you do something that you passionately believe in. So go ahead, take the lead, show them that the young cannot be underestimated and rise to the occasion. This is your time. You have become a symbol already.

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Tag: leadership qualities