Leadership is a Personal Choice

At age 70 I decided to go back to college. In this episode, I talk about my return to formal education – an 8-week Immersive Arabic course at Middlebury Language Schools.

Your Pink Slip was written the first time you passed up an opportunity to learn. It was just sent to you on the day you received it. What is sad is not the Pink Slip but that it was you who wrote it for yourself. The post Beware of gradual change appeared first on Yawar Baig & Associates.

As you work towards a great goal you will become restless, irritated, and impatient and inclined to take shortcuts and cut corners – all for the excellent reason that you want to see the project up and started as soon as possible. But in this urgency, there will be the tendency to accept compromises. I am … Beware of the C-Word Read More » The post Beware of the C-Word appeared first on Yawar Baig & Associates.

Accompanying Video: https://youtu.be/rxcdLVicuEw The post David and Goliath appeared first on Yawar Baig & Associates.

In 1968, Hyderabad was in a state of pandemonium. The city was the bedrock of the infamous Telangana agitation and witnessed both frenzy and fire as a multitude of students demanded statehood for Telangana. As one would expect, it effected the lives of people living in Hyderabad, regardless of their age, profession and residence. People … Gift of a Year Read More » The post Gift of a Year appeared first on Yawar Baig & Associates.

Listen to Mirza Yawar Baig narrate his story of securing a job at the plantation estate after returning from Guyuna and the lessons he learned along the way. The post Third Time Lucky appeared first on Yawar Baig & Associates.

A lot of people seek out mentor-ship but very few consider actually becoming a mentor. What does it take to be a mentor? How do you convey your knowledge to your protegee? What are some things to do and not to do? Listen to Mirza Yawar Baig answer all your questions about being a successful … Mentoring, Elixir of Life Read More » The post Mentoring, Elixir of Life appeared first on Yawar Baig & Associates.

Team building while being critical to any organisation, is all about the individual. Listen to Mirza Yawar Baig explain the three major things you as an individual can do to bolster your team’s overall functioning: Learning from your mistakes, encouraging new ideas and sharing experiences. The post Teambuilding is about you appeared first on Yawar Baig & Associates.

Based off the BBC4 “Desert Island Discs” podcast, college student Omar Abdelaal sits down and asks Leadership Consultant Mr. Mirza Yawar Baig to select 8 music titles most connected to his life experiences. Interviewing in the outdoors, a natural habitat for the interviewee, childhood memories and stories are shared with us through laughs and tears. … Influences. Read More » The post Influences. appeared first on Yawar Baig & Associates.

A good plan with graded steps plays the role of bringing the stars within reach. It also indicates that enough thoughtshare has happened in the genesis of the plan. Potential supporters look for this consciously or unconsciously. For example, when venture capitalists are listening to a business plan, more than looking at the numbers, they … The power of the extraordinary goal – Part 4 Read More » The post The power of the extraordinary goal – Part 4 appeared first on Yawar Baig & Associates.

As I have said earlier, it is in the nature of extraordinary goals to inspire extraordinary effort. Nobody rises to low expectations; people rise to high expectations. It is essential that the final result is visualized clearly and is as real as possible to the person who sets out to accomplish it. The more desirable … The power of the extraordinary goal – Part 3 Read More » The post The power of the extraordinary goal – Part 3 appeared first on Yawar Baig & Associates.

The challenge was that there was no formal training course, degree, or program that I could attend to qualify as a leadership trainer. Also, I was sitting on top of the hill in the Anamallais while everything I needed to qualify was miles and days away in the cities. To make matters more interesting, I … The power of the extraordinary goal – Part 2 Read More » The post The power of the extraordinary goal – Part 2 appeared first on Yawar Baig & Associates.

Believe it or not, the first time that color television sets became freely available in India was after the Asian Games in 1985. Almost everyone I knew in the plantations immediately bought a color TV and a VCP (no VCRs yet), so that the lonely evenings in the plantations could be spent watching films. There … The power of the extraordinary goal – Part 1 Read More » The post The power of the extraordinary goal – Part 1 appeared first on Yawar Baig & Associates.

Covid has brought us face to face with the reality of what is truly important in life. Thanks to the enforced isolation of home quarantine and the shut-down of all public life, we have been forced to face ourselves. Education, like other things has had to change in the way it is experienced – teaching … Shift in Education from IA to AI Read More » The post Shift in Education from IA to AI appeared first on Yawar Baig & Associates.

A senior manager in Dubai who I am coaching asked me this question. Question: I want to be able to improve my self-belief the way you did this while in the plantation industry and later on in America when you stuck to your guns to become a highly paid consultant. Increasing my Imaan would be one … Hit the road running Read More » The post Hit the road running appeared first on Yawar Baig & Associates.

We are living in defining times. Never in living memory has the world seen something like the Covid-19 virus and the disruption that it has caused all over the world. Not in living memory or history. There are those who claim that it is a hoax. But dead bodies don’t lie. The world has come […] The post BC to AC appeared first on Yawar Baig & Associates.

The objective of life is to achieve that which you did not know you could. To scale heights that leave you breathless with fear until you realize that it is excitement and not fear at all. Excitement is fear that anticipates a happy ending. Short breath, dry mouth, alive senses, and joy. The objective is […]

The objective of life is to achieve that which you did not know you could. To scale heights that leave you breathless with fear until you realize that it is excitement and not fear at all. Excitement is fear that anticipates a happy ending. Short breath, dry mouth, alive senses, and joy. The objective is […] The post Every choice has a price tag appeared first on Yawar Baig & Associates.

Today we live in a world where dignity has quite wrongfully been linked to material wealth. No matter how learned a man or woman may be, or how kind or truthful or trustworthy, if they are not wealthy, they are treated with disdain. Net worth has only one meaning. And I can’t think of a […] The post What’s your worth? appeared first on Yawar Baig & Associates.

Many young and old (post retirement) friends and acquaintances ask me for pointers to enter the world of Organizational Consulting & Training which I have been in since 1985. I thought it would be good to share generally what I have been advising people for several years. I hope it will benefit many more. It […] The post On becoming a Consultant appeared first on Yawar Baig & Associates.

Jack Welch passed away at the age of 84, on March 1, 2020. I decided to title my podcast ‘Built to Last', after Collins & Porras's book by that title which I consider to be one of the best corporate (or other) leadership books that I have ever read. Jack Welch was ‘built to last'. […]

Jack Welch passed away at the age of 84, on March 1, 2020. I decided to title my podcast ‘Built to Last’, after Collins & Porras’s book by that title which I consider to be one of the best corporate (or other) leadership books that I have ever read. Jack Welch was ‘built to last’. […] The post Jack Welch, Built to last appeared first on Yawar Baig & Associates.

Have you ever seen an eagle take a duck in flight? Or a leopard bring down a wildebeest running with his herd? Or Rafael Nadal return a serve? They all have one thing in common and that is FOCUS. You may be impressed by the fact that these three are focusing on their target. But […] The post Stand, if you’re alive appeared first on Yawar Baig & Associates.

The one who controls the language, controls the debate. Today Indian Muslims are in a peculiar situation where they are damned if they do and damned if they don't. and interestingly it is all a product of language. ‘Secularism', which was the refuge, not only of Muslims but all those who believe in our Constitution […]

The one who controls the language, controls the debate. Today Indian Muslims are in a peculiar situation where they are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. and interestingly it is all a product of language. ‘Secularism’, which was the refuge, not only of Muslims but all those who believe in our Constitution […] The post Change the language appeared first on Yawar Baig & Associates.

The whole logic of fighting forest fires is about preventing them from starting. And if they do start, then trying to prevent them from growing. If this is not done, then once a fire grows beyond a certain size, nothing can put it out until everything that can burn has been burnt. The fire will […] The post Nation and Forest Fires appeared first on Yawar Baig & Associates.

People sometimes look at the misery that surrounds us and ask, ‘Why doesn't God do something about all the sick and dying and starving people?' The answer is, ‘God did something already. He created you and gave you the means to feed at least one hungry person, pay for the education of one child, pay […]

People sometimes look at the misery that surrounds us and ask, ‘Why doesn’t God do something about all the sick and dying and starving people?’ The answer is, ‘God did something already. He created you and gave you the means to feed at least one hungry person, pay for the education of one child, pay […] The post Master or Victim appeared first on Yawar Baig & Associates.

On April 13, 1919, the 9th Gurkhas, 54th Sikhs & 59th Sind Rifles, on the orders of Col. Dyer, fired on an unarmed, peaceful crowd gathered to celebrate Besakhi at the Jalianwala Bagh in Amritsar. As a result, 1000 people died and perhaps three times that number were injured. Even though, the crowd was overwhelmingly […]

On April 13, 1919, the 9th Gurkhas, 54th Sikhs & 59th Sind Rifles, on the orders of Col. Dyer, fired on an unarmed, peaceful crowd gathered to celebrate Besakhi at the Jalianwala Bagh in Amritsar. As a result, 1000 people died and perhaps three times that number were injured. Even though, the crowd was overwhelmingly […] The post It’s not my fault appeared first on Yawar Baig & Associates.

I started my corporate career in Guyana with the Guyana Mining Enterprise in Kwakwani, on the Rio Berbice. Kwakwani was a small mining town, hanging on the bank of the Berbice River trying not to get pushed into its deep and dark waters by an aggressively advancing forest. Living in the middle of the Amazonian […]

What is kindness? Is it accepting substandard work or is it insisting that only the best quality is acceptable? There is often a lot of confusion about this and people think that they are being kind when they say nothing to their group members, family or friends who routinely over promise and under deliver. … […]

I want to begin by saying that today I am truly proud that my nation, India, is still a democracy and that we the people of India are people with courage and the willingness to stand up for each other. Frankly, going by our recent history and the rapid polarization of our society and proliferation […]

Mentoring is the in-thing today. There seems to be a profusion of those who want to or believe they can mentor others. The interesting thing is the name for the one who wants to be mentored. It is ‘mentee'. I tell anyone who wants to be mentored by me, ‘If you are demented enough to […]

There are two stages to reflection: What happened and what did I learn? … https://yawarbaig.com/wherearetheleaders/living-thoughtfully-maximize-your-roi/

As I grow older I am aware of an ever increasing sense of urgency; a feeling that I have progressively less time left to leave behind a legacy that can be a credit to me. This sense of urgency has nothing to do with the fact that the reality of time running out is one […]

We have reached a stage in our development (if I dare to call it that) as human beings where our world seems to run on hatred, not love. I think we all know the many reasons for this and how the flames are fanned. I remind myself and you that all fire burns and the […]

My friend asked me a question; Where are the statesmen? Where have they all gone? For the sake of some clarity, I defined statesmen as people who were highly respected for their integrity, were highly ethical and moral and showed long-term vision for their people and countries and spent their lives in helping their people […]

It was December 1980. I was sitting on the veranda of my house in Guyana. It was about 9.00 pm, dark, balmy evening in the tropics. As usual on most days in this season, it had rained in the day and stopped. The air was heavy with moisture but the breeze, cool. Before me was […]

“Can we change their attitude?” “No.” “Can they change their own attitude?” “Yes.” “So, what is our goal? To change their attitude, or to convince them that they need to change it themselves?” “That is challenging, difficult, will take sweat and tears……….do I really want to even try it?” “Ah! We are now at the […]

In 1985, when I was studying at the IIM Ahmedabad, our Professor of Organization Behaviour (OB) Area was Prof. Pulin Garg. One day he told us a very interesting story which has remained in my mind all these decades. He told us that some years earlier Ford Foundation, the American NGO, did a project to […]

The idea of meeting old friends after decades of having been out of touch is romantic indeed but one that is in reality fraught with danger. Old friends are a mirror in whom you see your own face and the experience is always moving, sometimes frightening. Old friends are markers in the journey of life, […]

I am going on a long journey and want to remind myself and you of the three critical lessons that I learnt from my life. I call them my Three Fundamental Laws. I hope they will help you as they helped me all my life. … https://yawarbaig.com/wherearetheleaders/three-fundamental-laws/

Leadership is not playacting. It is not pretension. It is not a game. It is authenticity, integrity, putting your money and yourself where your mouth is. We learned to walk our talk and the perils of not doing so, long before we knew that there was such a term. Credibility falls through the gap between […]

Our present methods of teaching which are inflicted on by far the vast majority of children the world over are the single biggest cause for killing the imagination that every child is born with and making them into square blocks which fit our own frightened, constrained and slavish worldview. Those who comply we ‘pass' and […]

First the words;Eulogy: a speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly, especially a tribute to someone who has just died. Elegy: An elegy is a sad poem, usually written to praise and express sorrow for someone who is dead. But eulogies, Wikipedia assures me, can also be delivered at retirement functions and other such events […]

Snakes have always had a fascination for us. We fear them, some people worship them, we hate them, and we kill them. Those who don't do any of this and instead, appreciate them for what they are; rodent controllers, snake population controllers and just plain law-abiding citizens with as much, if not more, right to […]

Learning and even more relearning, is a key survival skill as well as the single most important skill that any person can learn and continue to remain adept in, if he wants to be and remain successful throughout his life. I will tell you in a minute why I say that relearning is even more […]

Sometimes people ask me for the secret of success. We live in a world of fantasy where people want magic formulae for everything. Let me tell you the good news. It is not a secret, but it is a magic formula. Focus + Investment + Consistency. Works every time. … Read more at https://yawarbaig.com/wherearetheleaders/fikr/

Success seems to breed fear of failure. This is a paradox, since success should really build confidence. It does that too, but what seems to happen over the years is that we become progressively more afraid of losing what we have created and our ability to take risks decreases. This to me explains why entrepreneurs […]

I am so grateful that I am one of the ‘Innocents'. And I can still recall what it was like to lie in the sand of a riverbed on a dark night, looking up at the stars and wondering if what I was seeing was still there. I didn't even have a wristwatch because those were rare and, in any case, I was too poor to afford one. Such beautiful days. I recollect this when today, thanks to big data my words are transmitted all over the world to places that I have never been to and probably never will. I have seen both worlds. My generation is a generation that straddles times and change. We have seen more fundamental change than both our predecessors and successors and we love it.