Pushing Beyond the Obvious - Helping Entrepreneurs Succeed

Premise: Almost all leaders today lead in an environment that is ripe with disruptions and ever changing competitive landscape. The challenges of leading in this constantly evolving landscape are very different from that of leading in a stable environment where the current management practices are rooted in. So, if we have to succeed in this new world, we need to change the lens through which we view leadership and management practices. That begs the questions - where can we draw inspiration for the new way of leading. Thankfully, we don't need to look far. We can learn from Evolutionary Biology. Leading an organisation today and how evolution works are very similar - they are both a part of and navigate complex adaptive systems. And nature has had a long time to perfect the techniques and tactics that have allowed life to bloom. So, I think there are some interesting and important lessons that we can learn from nature and the evolutionary process. Foundational Tenets of Evolutionary Biology Here are the most fundamental and foundational tenets on which the entire field of Evolutionary Biology is based on: Random events produced the first signs of life. Since then, variation (mutation - adjacent possible and genetic drift - random shifts) provides the impetus for evolution. Selection acts as the fitness test (ability to reproduce and stay alive) Inheritance ensures successful traits are passed on to next generations. Deep time allows cumulative change to produce new functions or species. Over time, simple rules lead to complex patterns, behaviors and species. The starting of our organisation was the random event that started this journey of survival. Embrace Variation - Adjacent Possible & Genetic Drift All evolution happens when there is some sort of variation - either within the organisation or its context. This variation results in something new, which is then put through a rigorous test by its environment and only those variations that are able to navigate the environment successfully are then preferred. Every other variant slowly but definitely dies out. Similarly, as leaders, we need to create an ecology of ideas. We need to look at adjacent possibles (continuous improvement) in our area of work all the time. We should also be on the look out for the genetic drift (random, breakthrough ideas) which can help us shift the level we operate at. Every time something changes - internally within our organisations or externally within the context in which we operate in, we need to explore and come up with experiments and the one that is able to navigate the changes the best, needs to be promoted, while the other ideas slowly but surely die out. Actionable Tip for Leaders: Invite everyone on the team to constantly explore ways to improve the existing processes by running small SMART experiments. And once in a while (maybe quarterly), explore to identify game changing ideas. It is great if you succeed, if not, you would have atleast some more interesting experiments to run. Idea is to engage in the process. Selection acts as the filter for fitness Evolution uses fitness as the only filter to assess whether a variation in a species continues to evolve or simply goes extinct. It is nature's job to be always creating variations, testing them for fitness, promoting the fit one's to be passed on and killing off all other variations. It is exactly our job as a leader. We need to continue to create experiments (variations) both in the adjacent possibles and attempt at breakthroughs (genetic drift), give them some air to test and continue to invest in those that are providing to be successful and kill those that are not. Actionable Tip for Leaders: Lets ideas clash for investments - money, attention and time. Let the best idea (defined before the process is run) win, and let the rest die quickly. Inheritance of successful traits: In addition to variation, evolution also ensures that the successful traits are always passed down from one generation to the next. In exactly the same way, as leaders it is our responsibility to ensure that good ideas and what we learn is spread across the organisation and passed on. This can be done by creating systematic process for documenting and sharing of ideas - good one's that work well. In evolution, the only key criteria is for the organism to continue to survive as a species by reproducing itself. In business, the most important criteria is similar - to survive for another day. Anything that can help in this regard needs to be well known and well shared within the teams. Actionable Tip for Leaders: Ensure that best practices and good ideas are widely shared among the team so that everyone can learn and build on them. Let time play out The biggest strength of the evolutionary process is that it takes its time and is in no hurry. It allows for simple variations to compound over time to create complex abilities and species as a result. As leaders, we can also leverage the power of time on our side - by continuing to work on the different experiments, we are in a way creating a flywheel. This flywheel has the potential to compound over time and create an outsized impact for our business. We just need to trust in the process and let time do the rest. Actionable Tip for Leaders: Have a long term view and approach. Allow multiple small ideas compound over time. What does this mean for us as a leader? This requires us to shift from being a controller to a facilitator, creating environments that empower self-organization, experimentation, and optimizing for learning. We can do that by Encouraging exploration and manipulation of ideas and contexts Design robust feedback and feedforward loops for continuous learning Empower teams with autonomy and reward experimentation, even failures Value diversity and inclusion to prevent blind spots and foster robust solutions Be comfortable with ambiguity and utilize managed tension between agents as a driver for adaptive change and novel information Be responsive to environmental shifts Continuously modify internal models Implement continuous learning loops ("learning by doing") Leverage inherent resilience and self-organization of complex adaptive system Adopt adaptive governance with decentralized decision-making As leaders, we need to treat leadership as Experimentation. We treat decisions as hypotheses to be tested, learn from feedback, and adapt accordingly. Self Organisation and Emergence: In evolution, all of these principles when play out and result in what we call Self organisation and emergence. Emergence by its definition is random and can not be predicted in advance and is a result of self-organisation (there is no one in charge there). This also shows that the overall entropy in the system is ever growing (with variation and emergence). As leaders, we need to be aware and constantly looking for emergence as and when it emerges. Once we see what emerges, we can explore how to exploit the emergence towards our goals. Smart leaders are always on the lookout for emergence everytime, they change something - for both expected and unexpected consequences and deal with them in real time. Self-organized Criticality One of the results of emergence is also the concept of self organised criticality, where the response to a small action can be outsized and can cause ripple effects across the entire system (as in the last grain of sand falling on an already tall sand pile leading to the collapse of the sand pile). As leaders, we need to be constantly on the look out for such criticality building up within our systems and plan for the inevitable shock that will come. By being better prepared, we can not only minimize the shock but possibly even find ways to leverage the shock to accelerate our pursuit to our goals. Conclusion Evolutionary biology offers an invaluable lens for leading complex adaptive systems. By embracing variation, facilitating selection via feedback, prioritizing adaptation over prediction, cultivating self-organization and co-evolution, organizations can move beyond outdated management practices. When leaders act as adaptive facilitators, empowering systems to learn, evolve, and adapt to an unpredictable future, we build resilient and some times even an Anti-fragile organisation and that can lead to consistent and significant high performance over a long and sustained period of time in a turbulent environment. In the past few posts, we explore about how we can learn from Anthropologists, Behavioral Scientists, Coaches and Directors. As you can see, Leaders worth following can learn from anything and everything. In order to succeed in the ever evolving environment, we need to optimize for our learning ability.

In this episode, I want to share a brilliant story written by one of my favorite marketers, Dave Trott, titled "Strategy is Sacrifice". The story takes us back to World War II. At the time, standard military strategy assumed that for a bomber to survive, it needed more armor, more guns, and a larger crew. Planes like the British Lancaster and the American B-17 were massive, heavy, and slow because they were weighed down by defenses. But Geoffrey de Havilland had a different idea—a creative strategy. He asked a simple question: What if the enemy couldn't catch you?. Instead of adding more gear, he stripped everything away. He built the Mosquito: a plane made of wood that carried no guns and had a tiny crew. Because it was so light, it flew at nearly 400 mph—faster than the German fighters trying to shoot it down. I discuss why this is a perfect example of "brutal simplicity." Creative strategy isn't about adding more stuff; it's about taking things away until you are left with one powerful thought. I also share my three key takeaways from this story on how we can solve problems today: Imagination: Using creativity as our only legal unfair advantage. Intuition: Trusting our instincts to focus on the main goal. Challenging Assumptions: Breaking the rules of "how things are usually done". I hope this story inspires you to look at your own strategies differently. #Strategy #Creativity #DaveTrott #Marketing #ProblemSolving

Welcome back to another episode of Pushing Beyond the Obvious. I recently read a blog post from the MIT Sloan Management Review titled "Your people are not all right," which highlights the immense overwhelm and stress employees are currently facing. This inspired me to talk about a critical responsibility we have as leaders: having a clear understanding of what is happening in our team members' lives, not to spy on them, but to genuinely ensure their wellbeing. In this video, I break down the subtle but vital differences between an average leader, a good leader, and a leader worth following. While a good leader might only notice a problem when it negatively affects the team's results, a leader worth following is always on the lookout for shifts in behavior—whether it's a top performer slacking off, someone suddenly arriving late, or a typically cheerful person becoming withdrawn. I discuss why regular check-ins and asking simple questions like "Are you okay?" or "Tell me what's going on?" are the best tools you have. These questions give your people the space to share what they are comfortable with and help them feel truly seen, heard, and invested in. Listen in to learn how to spot these signals early so you can take care of your team before they burn out.

Standing out starts with choosing to see, think, and act differently from the default, and then designing your work, relationships, and systems around that choice. This means intentionally questioning "how things are done here" and repeatedly experimenting with better ways that reflect who you are and what you care about.youtube​ Why being different matters Most environments quietly push people to conform, to not make waves, and to follow existing templates for success. If you obey those pressures blindly, you become invisible, even when you are talented and hardworking.youtube​ Being different is how you become memorable in a noisy world of similar profiles, pitches, and products.youtube​ Differentiation is not about being weird for its own sake; it is about being meaningfully useful in a way that others are not.youtube​ Think differently Thinking differently begins with the questions you allow yourself to ask. Instead of accepting constraints as fixed, you look for hidden assumptions and test them.youtube​ Ask "Why do we do it this way?" and "What if the opposite were true?" in your work, business, or projects.youtube​ Study patterns in your industry and then deliberately look for ideas at the edges or in completely different fields.youtube​ See differently Seeing differently is about changing the lens through which you view people, problems, and opportunities. Two people can look at the same situation and one sees inconvenience while the other sees an opening.youtube​ Practice empathy: observe what your customers, colleagues, or audience actually feel, not only what they say.youtube​ Train yourself to spot non-obvious insights in everyday situations—how people queue, complain, improvise, or work around bad systems.youtube​ Hire and collaborate differently Who you surround yourself with determines the ideas you are exposed to and the standards you normalize. If you pick only people who look and think like you, you guarantee average outcomes.youtube​ Seek collaborators who challenge your thinking and bring complementary skills instead of clones of yourself.youtube​ Value mindset, learning agility, and character at least as much as credentials or years of experience.youtube​ Design and execute differently Difference must show up in how you design and execute, not just in slogans. Many people talk about innovation but run projects exactly like everyone else.youtube​ Simplify where others complicate: remove steps, jargon, and friction from your processes and experiences.youtube​ Obsess over small details that signal care and craftsmanship, because they compound into a distinctive experience over time.youtube​ Engage differently Engagement is where your difference becomes visible and felt by others. If your ideas stay in your head or your hard drive, they cannot set you apart.youtube​ Show up consistently on platforms where your audience is present—through writing, video, audio, or conversations—and share real, unfinished thinking.youtube​ Replace generic, broadcast-style messages with personal, specific, and generous interactions that make people feel seen.youtube​ Making "different" a daily practice Standing out is not a one-time campaign; it is a daily habit of choosing intentional over automatic. Over time, these small choices build a personal or professional brand that is hard to ignore.youtube​ Regularly review where you have quietly slipped into default mode and pick one area each week to experiment with a different approach.youtube​ Measure your success not only by results, but by how authentically you showed up and how courageously you chose to be different.youtube​

Teams that are engaged perform better, collaborate more, and stay longer. I often talk about how employee engagement sits at the heart of every high-performing team. The real question is: how do leaders actually build it in day-to-day work? Hire for Attitude Before Skills Engagement starts much earlier than most people realise — right at the hiring stage. I believe that while skills can be developed over time, attitude is much harder to change. Hiring people who naturally align with the team's values and energy creates a stronger foundation for engagement. At the same time, we need to understand the importance of acting quickly when a hire clearly isn't the right fit. Delaying tough decisions doesn't just affect performance; it quietly impacts team morale. Compensation Is More Than Just Money When people hear "compensation," they usually think of salary. I would challenge leaders to think broader. True compensation includes financial, psychological, and emotional elements. Feeling respected, trusted, and appreciated often matters just as much as pay. When employees feel valued as individuals, they're far more likely to show up fully and stay engaged with their work. Trust and Respect Come First Psychological safety doesn't appear overnight. As i always say, we have to be trusting, in order to be trusted. Leaders who genuinely respect different opinions and encourage open conversations create an environment where people feel safe to speak up. When employees know their voices matter, engagement becomes natural rather than forced. Upskilling as a Tool for Engagement Training isn't an expense — it's an investment. I encourage you to find creative, cost-effective ways to help your teams build new skills. Learning keeps people motivated, confident, and future-ready. Equally important is giving employees opportunities to apply what they learn. When learning turns into real impact, engagement grows organically. Culture, Values, and the Power of Stories A strong culture needs clarity. I believe storytelling helps bring values to life. Stories stick far better than policies. Whether it's a legendary customer-service moment or a small internal win, stories reinforce what the organization truly stands for and encourage others to act the same way. Don't Forget to Make Work Enjoyable Engagement doesn't mean constant seriousness. I believes that teams that laugh together tend to work better together. Small moments of fun, informal check-ins, and celebrating wins, even minor ones go a long way in strengthening team bonds. Listening and Adapting to People's Needs Engagement is not one-size-fits-all. People go through different life phases, challenges, and priorities. It is important to listen closely and adapt our leadership styles accordingly. Sometimes engagement looks like flexibility. Other times, it's recognition or simply being heard. Leaders who pay attention create loyalty without forcing it. Conclusion Building an engaged team is an ongoing process. It requires intention, consistency, and genuine care for people. As I often point out, the principles are simple but applying them every day takes effort. Leaders who commit to trust, learning, and empathy don't just build engaged teams; they build teams that last and perform the best.   

Premise:  In today's fast-paced world, every organization and leader feels the relentless pressure to innovate. We're taught to hunt for that game-changing idea, that single "Eureka!" moment that will redefine our market. But waiting for a random stroke of genius is an ineffective and stressful strategy. The myth of the lone visionary struck by a sudden, brilliant insight is just that—a myth. True innovation isn't about luck; it's about process. Generating breakthrough ideas can be a systematic, repeatable activity. By moving beyond passive inspiration and adopting active methods, you can build a reliable engine for creativity within your team or organization. Today, we will talk about three powerful, and perhaps counter-intuitive, ways to systematically uncover your next breakthrough idea.  Re-Think Imagination's Role Imagination Isn't the Starting Point—It's the Fuel. When we think of breakthrough ideas, we often start with imagination. We picture Albert Einstein conducting a thought experiment, imagining what it would be like to travel alongside a beam of light. From this thought experiment came one of the most profound and innovative breakthroughs in science, the theory of relativity. Imagination is undeniably a critical component of innovation. However, in a business context, it's rarely the initial source of a breakthrough idea. While almost all breakthrough ideas require the use of imagination at various stages of development, it's more of a powerful tool than the primary method for idea generation. It's the engine that helps you explore possibilities, not the map that shows you where to look in the first place. This is an important distinction because it frees us from the pressure of having to conjure a brilliant vision from a blank slate. It allows us to focus on more systematic methods that provide a clearer starting point. Engineer Your "Aha!" Moments Your Best Ideas Are Hiding in Your Subconscious (And You Can Find Them). A more reliable path to breakthrough ideas is through "insight." An insight isn't just a random thought; it's a moment of profound clarity.  Insight is the capacity to gain an accurate and deep understanding of someone or something. That "Aha!" feeling you get when something suddenly clicks is an insight, and it's a feeling you can systematically engineer. There are two primary ways to do this: Systematic Observation: To gain insights about your customers, stop asking them what they want and start observing what they do. People often act out of routine or automatic behavior and can't articulate the "why" behind their actions. By observing their behaviors, inferring their underlying needs, and even running experiments to test your hypotheses, you can uncover pathbreaking insights that they could never tell you directly. Subconscious Processing: Have you ever had a brilliant idea pop into your head in the shower or just as you were falling asleep? This isn't random luck. It's your subconscious mind at work. As one expert describes it, the subconscious is "like having a set of back office users who are always working." You can intentionally assign a difficult problem to your subconscious mind, then step away. While your conscious mind is focused elsewhere, your subconscious mulls over the problem, making connections and searching for solutions. By consciously "loading" a problem and then letting it go, you create the conditions for these powerful insights to emerge. Systematically Question Everything Breakthroughs Come from Breaking Assumptions. This is the most systematic and process-driven method for generating breakthrough ideas. As behavioral scientists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky have shown, we all operate using a set of biases, mental models, and assumptions to navigate the world. These assumptions, which we often take for granted, are a fertile ground for innovation. The goal is to identify and challenge them. Challenge Your Own Assumptions: This is entirely within your control. You can unearth and break your own limiting beliefs using two simple tactics: Ask probing questions: Force yourself to think differently by posing powerful, assumption-breaking questions. Examples include: What would it mean if we were to do the same thing but at a 10x or 25x scale? What would it mean if we were to do this at a fraction of the cost that we currently do it for? What would we do if the top 10% of our customers stopped giving us business? What would we do if AI has made a lot of our business models and a lot of our products obsolete? Reverse your current model: Take your current business model and consider its exact opposite. Prompts to get you started include: Convert your product to a service (or service to a product). Move from outright selling to subscriptions (or vice versa). Shift from a mass-market focus to a premium one (or vice versa). Challenge Your Customers' Assumptions: This is more difficult, but it offers a much higher reward because so few companies attempt it. To even begin, you must have built up what one expert calls "relationship capital." There's a very thin line between challenging their assumptions and challenging them as individuals, so your approach must be rooted in genuine curiosity. You are trying to be curious, not annoying. Ask questions that open up new possibilities for how you can provide value: What can we do to significantly (10x, 20x, 25x) increase the business that you give us? Is there a problem that you're struggling with which if solved would give you the biggest advantage in your market? When you can't ask these questions directly, you can still use the power of observation to identify the assumptions your customers are operating under. Use your imagination and empathy to step into their shoes and deduce the flawed beliefs that might be holding their business back. This alone can lead to breakthrough ideas for products or services that help them break free. From Random Ideas to a System for Innovation Innovation doesn't have to be left to chance. By building a reliable process, you can move beyond waiting for inspiration and start systematically generating game-changing ideas. When you rethink imagination's role, engineer moments of genuine insight, and relentlessly challenge the assumptions that guide your business, you create a repeatable engine for innovation. The goal is to shift your primary challenge. Once you begin, you will find that the amount of brilliant ideas that come up is so immense, you'll have to struggle to keep up with what you can implement. Your problem will no longer be a scarcity of ideas, but an abundance of opportunity. Which assumption about your business will you challenge first?

Introduction Confidence doesn't always come naturally, especially when you grow up rarely seeing people like you represented in leadership, media, or success stories. In a world where visibility often determines opportunity, learning how to show up fully becomes essential. Sheena Yap Chan, a keynote speaker, leadership strategist, and author, shares powerful insights on confidence, identity, and visibility, particularly for Asian women navigating personal and professional spaces. Why Representation Matters More Than We Think? Growing up in Canada, Sheena often felt the absence of representation. There were few role models in media or leadership positions who looked like her, and that lack quietly shaped what felt "possible." Over time, she realised that confidence isn't just an internal trait—it's deeply influenced by what we see around us. This realisation led her to create The Tao of Self Confidence podcast, where she has interviewed over 800 Asian women. By amplifying real stories, struggles, and successes, Sheena highlights how representation helps people believe that they, too, belong in spaces of leadership and influence. Understanding the VISIBLE Framework One of Sheena's key contributions to leadership development is her VISIBLE Framework, a seven-pillar model designed to help individuals build confidence and presence. Each pillar focuses on a different aspect of growth, including finding your voice, embracing your identity, working through inner beliefs, and leveraging support systems. Rather than encouraging perfection, the framework focuses on authenticity, showing up as you are while continuing to grow. It also emphasises the importance of lifting others as you rise, creating a ripple effect of confidence and visibility within communities. Breaking Cultural Barriers Around Confidence Sheena openly discusses how cultural expectations can limit self-expression, especially in Asian households where humility and silence are often rewarded. While these values have meaning, they can sometimes discourage people from speaking up or taking risks. Instead of waiting until everything feels "ready," Sheena encourages a "ready, fire, aim" approach, taking action first and adjusting along the way. Confidence is built through experience, not perfection, and visibility grows when we allow ourselves to be seen before we feel completely prepared. Key Takeaways Confidence and visibility are learnable skills, not personality traits Representation plays a critical role in shaping belief and ambition Action builds confidence faster than waiting for perfection Strong networks and community support accelerate growth   Conclusion Sheena Yap Chan's journey is a reminder that confidence doesn't come from fitting in, it comes from owning who you are. By challenging limiting beliefs, embracing visibility, and sharing stories that matter, individuals can create meaningful impact not only for themselves but for others who are still finding their voice. Confidence, when practiced intentionally, becomes a powerful tool for leadership and change.   You can find more information about her, her work and her books on her website - https://www.sheenayapchan.com/.     

Premise The real job of a leader is not decision-making. It is decision capability-building and this can be done by creating better leaders from those that they lead. Bad leaders manage how work is being done, good leaders manage whether the work is being done and great leaders create capacity so that the work gets done. This is possible only when we are able to find ways to train them, to coach them and to get them ready for their journey as a leader. This requires us to give them additional responsibilities and create opportunities to lead as part of the day-to-day work. We can prepare them for these additional responsibilities via coaching conversations which we can have by creating coachable moments. Before we even get to coaching conversations and talk about creating coachable moments, lets first understand what is a coaching conversation. Three Types of Conversations Any conversation that a leader has with their teams can be classified as one of the three kinds of conversations. Each of these three kinds of conversations are required tools for leaders – they fall on a spectrum and needs to be used in the appropriate situations. Remember – Most leaders don't over-direct or under-coach. They misdiagnose the moment. Directive Conversation This is when a leader says, do this or dont do that. This type of conversation or direction, is an important tool When you are dealing with someone who is very new and has not yet developed the skills required to do the job by themselves or When you are trying to deal with a crisis and need urgent responses or When you have a high stakes situation that needs a carefully calibrated response from you as a leader. Mentoring Conversation This is when a leader says, when I faced a similar situation, here is what I did and this is why I did it. This type of conversation is an important tool When you are dealing with someone who has enough experience and the ability to figure out the right approach when directed towards the right way forward. You don't have to spell it out. Coaching Conversation This is when a leader uses questions to enable the colleague to arrive at the best way forward themselves. This type of conversation is the right way forward When you are dealing with someone who hasn't yet developed the expertise required to arrive at the best way forward but has the potential to do so, when guided well When you want to teach them the ability to think through something When you want to help them develop experitise, instinct and become a leader worth following. There are many frameworks that are available for how to conduct a coaching conversations. All of them require a few fundamental things in order to be effective: There is trust between the two people involved in the coaching conversation You as a leader are open and empathetic towards the person being coached The person who is being coached is open and wants to be coached The coaching conversation is beneficial for everyone involved, including the team overall. The only way that coaching as a leader is different from all the above coaching models is that in this case, we are moving the person we coach towards an outcome (sometimes the outcome we already know and at other time allow the outcome emerge – however with the attributes we already know and want), which in traditional coaching models, is a no go. Leadership coaching is not about helping your team in the process of self-discovery. It is about aligning deep, independent thinking with organisational reality. The real job of a leader is not decision-making. It is building the capacity and capability for good decision making. When not to coach Before we even get started on how to identify how to coach someone as part of the regular work day, it is important to know when is it a good idea not to coach. Here are some very specific situations where coaching is probably a bad idea: High stake situations: While there might be some times with some people, it might be a good idea, but for most of us and in most cases, high stake situations are not a good idea to use as coaching moments. We can create a coaching moment and coach people after the high stake situation is dealt with. This doesnt mean we don't invite opinions from those we want to coach, it just means that we dont abdicate the responsibility of making the crucial decision and the accountability of the results from that decision to someone else. Attempting to coach during high-stakes moments doesn't build leaders. It builds anxiety and confusion. Situations that require urgent responses: Just like high stake situations, there come times when speed matters a lot more than anything else. In such situations, as leaders, we make the decision and act with speed and once the urgency has passed, we work with the team member to find a coachable moment with them about the urgent situation and how it was responded to. Remember that coaching can be a tax on speed. When Emotions are running high: No coaching is possible when emotions are running high – either you are feeling it or the person you want to coach is feeling it. It also doesn't matter if the emotion is a positive one (happiness or joy or similar) or a negative one (anger or frustration or sadness or similar). When we are feeling emotionally aroused, our ability to understand or teach is limited. So, we need to first find a way to bring our emotions back to normal and then look for a coachable moment. Coachable Moments Now, that we have looked at some moments that are not suited for a coaching conversation, let's find out how we can identify and spot coachable moments and have a coaching conversation and while at it, let's also learn how we can get better as a coach. Remember, coachable moments are when you help improve the thinking and decision making capability of your team. So, we need to take them seriously and with utmost respect. Any interaction with the people we lead can be converted into a coaching conversation, apart from the above listed situations. Even in these cases, we can always go come back to these situations and explore how they were handled and in that find a way to have a coaching conversations. Here are some non-exhaustive ideas from a practitioner's point-of-view, on how can we as leaders show up as a coach and help our teams get better and help them develop themselves as a Leader Worth Following. How we Show Up As in parenting, the people we lead learn about what is acceptable and what is not, by observing us and how we behave. So, it is super important to show up and behave the way we want our teams to behave. There can't be two sets of rules within the same team. If you observe carefully, if there is someone who has been a part of your team for any decent duration of time, they will start copying your mannerisms (the way you address people, the way you start your meetings, the way you respond to situations) sub-consciously. This is the power of social norms and the power of the leadership position. So, before we can do anything else, we need to ensure that we show up and behave the way a leader worth following is expected to behave and we would have done half of our jobs. Team Meetings Team meetings are a great tool to coach people. One of the ways we can use the power of these team meetings is by inviting someone on our team to lead all team meetings for a month (if we meet weekly) or for a quarter (if we meet monthly). They are responsible for setting the agenda, inviting the speakers, preparing the slides, running the meeting, taking notes and following up on action items that were agreed upon. And since this responsibility will remain with them for a specific amount of time, they know that they can plan their work around this. When you offer this responsibility (yes, offer – they can always refuse to take this up and that can lead to a completely different conversation), you also offer them your full support. They should be able to come to you with questions, ideas, suggestions, challenges and you work them through together. The way you do that is through coaching them through the process (we will come to what I mean by coaching in a bit) instead of directing them to the best way forward (you can do this as well, when the person is very junior and needs it). This creates an opportunity for every member on your team to showcase their ability to lead a team meeting, a small but an important skill, if they want to become a leader worth following. And in the act of leading the team meeting, they are also learning other soft skills (Influencing, negotiation, etc). Problem Solving Every time you are faced with a problem that you need to solve, it is a great opportunity to create coachable moments and to create a coaching conversation (unless it falls in the urgent or critical category, in which case you do the same thing, but a bit later in the future). When you come up against a problem (or someone on your team comes up with a problem) that needs solving, you invite the most relevant person, who has the experience or the aspiration to grow to a level that requires them to know how to solve such problems, and have a conversation with them. You ask them the following question – If you were to solve this problem, how would you go about solving it? And ask them to think out aloud if they have some experience with similar problems. If not, ask them to come back to you with proposals of how they will solve this, along with their thinking behind their proposals (Yes, in the plural). They are free to ask you questions or reach out to anyone relevant (depending on the sensitivity of the problem). This framing about coming up with multiple solutions is also in a way coaching – this teaches them that for any problem, there are always multiple solutions. The framing about open to reach out to anyone for help is also another coachable moment – teaching them early that it is ok to ask for help. Once, they come back with their proposals, ask them to share their thinking about how they would solve the problem. You can then either agree with their approach (if it is correct) or guide them toward other ways to solve the problem that are available. The key here is for them to arrive at the optimal solution by themselves, maybe with your support, but they need to feel that they came up with the solution. Then implement the solution, giving them due credit publicly. Repeat this process with different colleagues for different sets of problems based on their current situation, ability and future aspirations. It is crucial that we don't always go to the same person, which is easy to do for us. This builds up their ability to solve problems, helps them develop instinct and build confidence in their ability. If you are coming to this conversation after dealing with an urgent or critical situation, we do the exact same process but in addition, do it in reverse order as well (starting from the solution we used to address and going back to why this was chosen over the other potential solutions). This helps them understand the concept of tradeoffs and how to find balance when picking between two competing sets of values. When they come to you for advice or approval When someone on your team comes to you for some advice (lets acknowledge that if this is happening, you are already doing some good work – Congratulations), it is a great opportunity for a coaching conversation. Again, the idea here is to help them (through asking a series of questions, sometime guided questions), come up with a resolution to the questions that they came to you for advice. When they come to you for approval, could also potentially be a good coaching opportunity, if they haven't fully made the case based on which you can provide your approval. In this case, you use the coaching conversation to guide them such that they recognise what's missing by themselves and are able to get the same to you. This also teaches them about how you think about something before you approve it. They can use similar process when they become leaders themselves and until then, make it easier for you to approve their requests, as it has everything you need from them. Performance Appraisals The same process holds good while you are providing them feedback on their performance (weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual). By letting them understand and come to a shared view of how you think about performance and the reasoning behind your feedback, you are creating a trusting relationship and training them to be on their way to becoming a Leader Worth Following. This also has the benefit of the team being extremely clear on what is expected out of them and how they measure upto those standards. It makes the leaders job easier when it comes to the next round of appraisals and the time in-between. In conclusion A leader's real output is not producing results. It is to produce people who can produce results without them. The time we spend on coaching is an investment in the future. In order to make this a reality, we can treat every interaction that we have with our team members as a coachable moment that can lead to a coaching conversation. The better we get at this, the more effective the team gets and the less busier we get so that we can spend more time on dealing with the critical and urgent situations as and when they arrive. As a leader, it is our responsibility to develop our teams such that they bloom into leaders worth following are are able to realise their full potential. The feedback I usually get from leaders is that they are far too busy to find time and energy to invest into coaching. My response to that is that the very reason they are so busy is because they didnt take the time to coach their teams to make the decisions that they are being forced to make. The question is not whether you have time to coach. The question is whether you want to keep solving the same problems forever. PS: You can watch me talk about it here.

In this short narration, Quentin Tarantino talks about the role of a director and it is a classic definition of what we need to do as leaders to become a leader worth following. Very early in his career, he asked Terry Gilliam on what was the job of a director in the making of a movie and here is what he was told – "It is not your job to create your vision, it is your job to have a vision! And it is your job then to hire talented people who understand your vision. You articulate your vision to them. Then they take your vision and they create it. And with them creating it, you bring your inputs to play. Your vision is still two dimensional. They will take the distinct elements of your vision and make it three dimensional. This way, you get back more than you gave into the vision. You will know even more what you are talking about and what you are seeing and your vision will get filled in. You think you have to do everything, you don't. You don't need to know anything about sewing to have wonderful costumes in your films, you just need to express what you need to the costume designers! You don't need to have a degree in engineering to have magnificent sets in your pieces, you just need to be able to describe what it is that you want. You don't need to know to take a bunch of light stands and put them together to create a specific lighting effect, that's not your job. You don't need to know any of that. What you need to know is that you need to have a vision and you need to know how to express it. And you let the other people take it and do it for you. That is what a director does!" Being a leader worth following is also the same. It is your job to have a vision. It is your job to know how to articulate the vision. It is your job to go out and hire talented individuals and share the vision with. It is then your job to let them take your vision and attempt to bring it alive. You then give your inputs where needed and let the vision come alive. You dont necessarily need to know how anything is done. You just need to know what you want and allow the talented individuals on your team to bring that to fruition. Having a vision, articulating the vision, hiring the right people and letting them bring the vision alive – that is your job as a leader! You can watch hear Tarantino share this in this video here.

Introduction: The Vicious Cycle of Feeling "Stuck" Have you ever felt completely stuck? Maybe it's a low mood you can't shake, or a physical exhaustion that makes every task feel impossible. When you're in that state, it can feel like a vicious cycle you can't break. But what if you had more control than you thought? The relationship between our psychology (our mind) and our physiology (our body) is a powerful two-way street. How we think affects how we feel physically, and how our body feels and moves directly impacts our mental state. This is fantastic news because it means you don't have to remain stuck. You can consciously use one to influence the other. Here, we'll unlock four simple but profound strategies you can use to take control, shifting your state in minutes. Takeaway 1: To Fix a Bad Mood, Don't Think—Just Move When you're feeling down or depressed, the common instinct is to try and think your way out of it — to analyze the feeling or force a positive mindset. The principle of the mind-body connection offers a more direct route: use your physiology to change your psychology. In other words, just get up and move. This can be as simple as going out for a walk, putting on some music and dancing, or even just jumping on the spot. It could also mean heading to the gym for a workout. Any activity that changes your physical state has a direct and powerful impact on your mental state. This idea is often counter-intuitive but incredibly effective because of its speed. Instead of getting caught in a loop of negative thoughts, you can take a physical shortcut. By changing your body's state through movement, you create an almost immediate shift in your mind, lifting your mood before you've even had a chance to think about it. It's the fastest way to short-circuit a negative mental loop when cognitive approaches fail. Takeaway 2: To Overcome Physical Fatigue, Engage Your Mind Now, let's look at the reverse scenario. Imagine you are feeling physically lethargic, tired, and have absolutely no motivation to go anywhere or do anything. In this case, you can use the other lane on the two-way street: engage your psychology to change your physiology. Instead of trying to force your body to move, start by shifting your mental input. You can do this by: Putting on some inspiring music Listening to an engaging and inspiring audio podcast Watching inspiring videos By deliberately changing what your mind is focused on, you can trigger a remarkable shift in your physical energy. A great dance track can suddenly make you feel like moving, or an inspiring talk can make your body feel ready for action. Engaging your mind isn't just a distraction; it's about creating the mental conditions that give your body permission to feel energized, unlocking latent physical energy you didn't think you had. Takeaway 3: The Ultimate "Reset Button" for When You're Mentally and Physically Drained What happens when you're dealing with both issues at once—feeling depressed and lethargic? This is when you can feel the most stuck, with neither your mind nor your body wanting to cooperate. For this exact situation, there is a simple, combined solution that acts as a powerful "reset button." The method is simple: Put on your favorite music and just move your body to it. You don't need to dance perfectly or follow any specific steps. The only goal is to move your body in response to the music. This single action engages both your mind (through the music) and your body (through the movement) simultaneously. This simple act can "shift everything around," breaking the cycle of both mental and physical stagnation. It's a technique that, as the source speaker notes, "has worked really really well for me." Takeaway 4: Your Breakthrough Might Come from an Unexpected Source While the general principles of moving your body or engaging your mind are powerful, sometimes the most effective solutions are more personal and unconventional. The key is to be open to trying things that might seem unusual but work for you. Two specific and surprising personal examples highlight this point: For extreme physical lethargy: Try listening to electronic music with heavy beats and rhythms. In my experience, perhaps this works because the external vibrations of the music resonate with the body's own internal rhythms, like the heartbeat. This definitely works for me. For a low psychological mood: Try the simple art of coloring. I have never painted or done any kind of art work in my life before, yet I have discovered that engaging in a focused, creative, and non-demanding activity like coloring can subtly "shift something inside," changing my mood without me even realizing how it happened. These examples show that the best solutions are often the ones we discover for ourselves. They don't have to be complicated; they just have to resonate with you. Conclusion: You Are the Driver on a Two-Way Street The connection between your mind and body isn't a passive system; it's a dynamic, two-way street, and you are the one in the driver's seat. You have the power to direct the traffic. You can use physical movement to break out of a mental rut and mental engagement to spark physical energy. You have the tools to shift your state at any moment. The next time you feel stuck, will you try to change your mind with your body, or your body with your mind? https://www.youtube.com/live/vBgq3q3URjQ?si=-flEWRcGiHNaoSAO  

This is the recording of a live conversation I had with Dr. Efrat Goldratt-Ashlag to explore how the principles from the Theory of Constraints can be applied to multi-project environments (Digital transformation efforts) to deliver projects on time, on budget and on spec. She shared insights from her latest book (now available in Worldwide) Goldratt's Rules of Flow to help us understand how to increase the velocity and throughputs of project deliveries within our organisation. We covered the following topics in the conversation: Introducing the work of Dr. Efrat Goldratt-Ashlag Do 70% of projects really fail to achieve their goals? Why? And how can we address it? The importance of triage in a multi-project environment instead of focusing on improving productivity Whose job is it to identify the constraints in a multi-project environment? Why is flow important in the Theory of Constraints? And what are the fundamental rules of flow? The importance of Full Kit. How do organisations make the shift from their current operating model to the ToC model? My learnings from the book - Goldratt's Rules of Flow When you want to go farther, focus. The psychological cost of the wrong assumptions that run multi-project environment What is a Full kit? How to deal with an external customer and run projects the ToC way. Does this work for projects with no clear end date? You can watch the session delivered by Rami Goldratt @ https://youtu.be/YIc1U1LUDE0?feature=shared&t=9660 #TheoryOfConstraints #ToC #CriticalChain #ProjectManagement #ontime #onbudget #onspec #DigitalTransformation #EliyahuGoldratt #Goldratt  You can connect with her via LinkedIn @ https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-efrat-goldratt-ashlag-44046212a/ You can find Dr Efrat's book: Goldratts Rules of Flow @ https://amzn.to/3Q6mqik You can find Dr. Goldratt's book: The Goal @ https://amzn.to/3MBsYEL My website: https://rmukeshgupta.com Connect with me: https://linkedin.com/in/rmukeshgupta My books: - Thrive: https://amzn.to/493brhZ Your startup Mentor: https://amzn.to/3FrBbHr Being Happy: https://amzn.to/3QsE4xO

In this episode of the podcast, we host the inimitable and unapologetically ambitious, Sophie Krantz. We had a conversation about leadership and the need for economic growth and opportunity. We discussed the possibility of creating positive change in the world through frameworks like exponential organization (ExO) and coaching ordinary people to do extraordinary things. In this wide ranging conversation, we discussed - The importance of seeing the world as one and the need to overcome fears and limiting beliefs to achieve breakthrough growth. - The value of immersive experiences and tapping into personal passions to create unapologetic ambition and confidence in tackling global problems. - The difference between a limited and expanded worldview, with Sophie encouraging people to look for colour in the world and to tap into their potential to create something new. - The power of generative AI and the importance of exploring the world and pushing outside of one's comfort zone. - The importance of expanding limitations and having ambition in leadership. - The need for role models and the importance of creating a space for people to play and experiment in order to tap into their creativity - The importance of expanding one's perspective and mindset in order to succeed in a world surrounded by smart machines and intelligent algorithms. - The importance of continuously learn and experiment, and to reach out to others for support and knowledge. We had a conversation about experimentation with generative AI, the oneness of the world, and the importance of concrete stories in relating to ideas. Books discussed in the video: Exponential Organisations 2.0 by Salim Ismail: https://amzn.to/492yYzH Connect with me - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rmukeshgupta Connect with Sophie - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sophiekrantz/ Sophie's website - https://www.sophiekrantz.com My books: - Thrive: https://amzn.to/493brhZ - Your startup Mentor: https://amzn.to/3FrBbHr - Being Happy: https://amzn.to/3QsE4xO

In this conversation with @DrAlanBarnard, we explore how the principles of the Theory of Constraints (originally created by Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt) can be used to not only drive significant business results but also to help us make high stake decisions as leaders. In this freewheeling conversation, we explore Dr Barnard's story about how he met with Dr. Goldratt and his famous motto. We explore who is a true expert He shares how he got into an argument with Dr. Goldratt and how he then formed a life long connection with Dr. Goldratt. He shares his most important lessons from all his interaction with Dr. Goldratt What is a Life Goal? The definition of a Life goal is a "Dream taken seriously - Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt I will not sacrifice my goal for anyone and I will not sacrifice anyone for my goal Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt He also introduces the concept of Theory of Constraint then, shares what is a constraint and the different kinds of constraints that we might face in any given system (Market/demand (external), Capacity (internal), Supply (external), Cash (Internal), Management Attention (internal) and probably the most crucial in any business. He also shares two ways to improve a constraint and therefore significantly improve your impact. He shares the importance of "Flow" or "Throughput" in any given system and how "Flow" is two-dimensional. He also shared the importance of understanding and increasing flow (time and velocity). He also shares different Ways to improve any given system. He also shares the story of how Tata Steel UK went from 1 Million Pound loss per day to 1 Million pound profit per day using Theory of constraints We constantly see good people make bad decisions. He explains why this happens and how to avoid them. He talks about what he calls as the agency equation. We then move into the realm of individuals and he shares how to identify what constrains our belief systems? Really? The power of questions - Really or unless. He also shares insights about how our minds work? He talks about the importance of learning prompt engineering to engage not just chatGPT but ourselves as well. He also shares insight on how to ask good questions as a leader and the 2 steps to make a breakthrough in any field. He also shares insight on how to measure people's performance and its impact on the business. Dr. Goldratt had started a movement called "Viable Vision". He shares more information about this viable vision and how can one go about achieving the same in their business. We then understand his own learning process and the key people he learns from - Herbert Simon and Nassim Nicholas Taleb. What is so obvious to him that all of us miss? We don't usually learn from experience but from Experiments Dr. Alan Barnard In Summary: We need to remember the 4F's - Flow, Focus, Finish and Fast Feedback to become influential and impactful leaders. More information about the resources we mentioned in the conversation: 1. Goldratt Research Labs: https://goldrattresearchlabs.com 2. Dr. Efrat Goldratt-Ashlag:   / dr-efrat-goldratt-ashlag-44046212a   3. My interview with Dr. Efrat:    • Delivering Projects on time, on budge...   Books discussed in the video: Goldratt's Rules of Flow by Dr. Efrat Goldratt-Ashlag: https://amzn.to/3FrAa25 The Goal by Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt: https://amzn.to/3Q0iXSe Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb: https://amzn.to/3s0ieIK Blackswan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb: https://amzn.to/40d9ewz Apps mentioned by Dr. Alan Barnard: https://harmonyapps.com/apps/harmony-... Dr. Alan Barnard's podcast - https://dralanbarnard.com/category/im...

In this free wheeling conversation, we cover What it takes to lead in an ever changing world  What are some of the key skills leaders need to cultivate to thrive What are some of the things that leaders need to avoid to thrive How AI or Artificial Intelligence will change the face of the organisation and therefore the role of a leader The importance of having a clear strategy or a "True North" when everything around us is changing all the time and much more.

In this interesting conversation, Speaker, Author and Advisor (and Public speaking coach)  @ColFink  shares his perspective on the importance of clear and effective communication for leaders. He also shares insights on how to get good at communication and specifically when speaking to an audience (internal or external). He shares how leaders can learn to communicate to inform, inspire and connect. He also talks about how good communication can provide leaders the leverage they need in order to scale both - effectiveness and efficiency. If you are a leader and want to work on your communication, this is a conversation worth listening to. Here are some things that we cover in this conversation: Most Common mistakes people make when trying to communicate Questions to ask ourselves before planning our speech (People, Problem, Purpose, Plan, Prescription) The cost of not having prepared our speech How is communicating different when the goal is to Inform, Inspire or Connect people The importance and the skill of telling stories using the concept of Pink Sheets developed by  @Matt.Church  How to get good presenting in front of a camera? How can leaders find leverage to increase their impact and influence How does Col learn and continue to stay current One piece of advice that had a profound impact on him What is so obvious to Col but people miss all the time and that frustrates him You can find more information about Col at https://www.ColFink.com. You can connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/colfink. Books discussed in the video: - Speakership: https://amzn.to/3Q9xo6q - Tribes of learning: https://www.colfink.com/store/p/tribe-of-learning - Kevin Kelly on Pushing Beyond the Obvious: http://rmukeshgupta.com/2017/06/29/pbto56-the-inevitable-technological-forces-that-will-shape-our-future-with-kevin-kelly/

In this first episode of a new series, which will be focused on leadership, we host a practicing leader - Pankaj Rusia. He currently works for SAP as the Head of Customer Success for the SAP HR Cloud business are and is based out of Singapore. As the Head of Customer Success for SAP South East Asia, he is on a mission to make customers look great in front of their leadership, employees, and managers, and to help them get the best out of their SuccessFactors solutions. In this wide ranging conversation, he shares his insights on leadership. WE cover many things including the following: The leadership burden, which makes us be different person at work and while at home. We discuss some challenges that typically leaders in the middle management face. He talks about the importance of listening more than talking, understanding what drives your team members and having good conversations. He shares the importance of developing people and letting your people outgrowing us as their leaders. He also shares the importance of finding mentors and sponsors for those we lead outside of their immediate circle within our organization. We discuss the book - One minute manager and the key insights from the book.  

This the first episode of the current season of my podcast - Pushing Beyond the Obvious and I am super happy and excited to kick off the season with none other than Lisa O'Neill. She is a self described energy and human expert. In this wide ranging conversation about energy and leadership, she shared a lot of great insights on leadership. Here are some of my takeaways from the conversation: She shared insights about the importance of knowing ourselves. If we do not know what kind of a leader we want to be, how would our team know. In order for our teams to perform at their best, they need to know exactly what we expect from them. So the first thing that we need to do as a leader is to become aware of what exactly do we want, who exactly we are and how exactly should our team engage with us. She also shared the importance of letting our team know how we roll as a leader. That way they know how to get the best out of us. High performing teams don't just need team members performing at their peak but their leaders performing at their peak as well. And this aspect of leadership is not discussed or shared enough. She shares a 4 step model to help us get more self aware - Notice, Nourish, Navigate and Nurture. In all, she shares the importance of pondering, pondering about ourselves and what we want. She also challenged the leaders listening with these three quests: Spend a week only asking questions of your team. List down all the people in your team and rate them from whom you really like to the one you least like. Answer the question - why is this so? Write down three personal things you know about everyone on your team. If you can't up with them, take them off for a cup of coffee or tea and talk to them to get to know them. In conclusion, this season could not have started at a better note than this conversation. I have lined up a lot more conversations with both thought leaders and practicing leaders for the show and am excited about how things will go from here. I hope you ride along with me on this journey. PS: If you want to want Lisa as you listen to this conversation, you can do so below: https://youtu.be/Y6adjSNMUeI Resources that were mentioned in the episode: - Thought Leaders Business School - https://thoughtleaders.com.au - My post on the 25 Women - https://rmukeshgupta.com/celebrating-25-women-who-influenced-and-shaped-my-thinking-and-work/ - More info about Matt Church - https://www.mattchurch.com Books mentioned by Lisa: - 100 questions for self awareness by Lisa O'Neill - https://www.lisaoneill.co.nz/shop - Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsh- https://amzn.to/3MiMuWd - You can Heal your life by Louisa Hay - https://amzn.to/3S92BcI - Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz - https://amzn.to/45Hls1v - The Net and the Butterfly by Olivia Fox Cabane - https://amzn.to/45JGRaA You can find more information about Lisa and her work - https://www.lisaoneill.co.nz You can connect with her on LInkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisaonz/ Connect with me: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rmukeshgupta My books: - Your startup Mentor: https://amzn.to/3FrBbHr - Thrive: https://amzn.to/493brhZ - Being Happy: https://amzn.to/3QsE4xO

In this episode of Pushing Beyond the Obvious, we host Stacey Barr – The Performance Measure Specialist. Stacey is a specialist in strategic performance measurement and evidence-based leadership. She specialises in using practical performance measurement as the catalyst for creating a high-performance culture that achieves measurable success. She is also the creator of the PuMP® methodology. PuMP® is a performance measurement methodology that routinely transforms measurement cynics into its greatest advocates, which has been adopted in more than 90 countries and across industries. In this wide ranging conversation, we cover:  1. What is the definition of a KPI and what are the […]

In this episode of Pushing Beyond the Obvious, we host Stacey Barr - The Performance Measure Specialist. She Stacey is a specialist in strategic performance measurement and evidence-based leadership. Stacey specialises in using practical performance measurement as the catalyst for creating a high-performance culture that achieves measurable success. She is also the creator ot PuMP®. PuMP® is a performance measurement methodology that routinely transforms measurement cynics into its greatest advocates. In this wide ranging conversation, we cover:  1. What is the definition of a KPI?  2. The difference between Leading measures and lagging measures.  3. What is the true purpose of defining KPI 4. What is the difference between good KPI's and bad KPI's  5. We also talk about the PuMP® methodology that she created. 

In this wide ranging conversation, we host Radhika Dutt, who is the author of the upcoming book Radical Product Thinking: The New Mindset for Innovating Smarter. We speak about what is Radical Product thinking and why this is not just about products but a way of life and an approach to thinking. She also shares the story of Lijjat Pappad and a few other case studies that explain her thinking, with respect to Radical Product Thinking. She also shares the importance of being vision led in building a product and the challenges that one ends up facing when we are […]

In this episode, we speak to Radhika Dutt, the author of the book - Radical Product Thinking.   

Who is on the show: In this episode we host Liz Kislik, For 30 years as a management consultant, executive coach, and facilitator, Liz has focused on advancing business results for her clients. She develops higher performing workforces for leading organizations, from the Fortune 500 and national non-profits to family-run businesses. Why is she on the show: Over the years Liz has coached and mentored employees from the C-suite to the contact center — vice presidents, human resource professionals, and department supervisors — motivating them with her wit, wisdom, and humanity. She also is the author of the Workplace Wisdom […]

Who is on the show: In this episode we host communication and influence expert Stacey Hanke. She is a business owner “Stacey Hanke Inc”, a keynote speaker, author and an executive coach and a mentor. Why is she on the show: In her forthcoming book, “Influence Redefined”,  she offers readers a new perspective on how to behave such that we can grow our influence and impact people not just when we are around them but even when we are not around. What did I learn from the conversation: True influence doesn’t come from a fancy title. It needs to be […]

As part of an employee engagement activity, I was given the opportunity to deliver a talk based on my latest book – “Thrive – Mindsets and Skillsets needed to succeed in a world dominated by smart machines & intelligent algorithms“.  I tried to record the audio of this recording and would like to share that as part of my podcast. The recording is not very clean and there is some noise through out the recording and I am sorry about that. I am sharing this despite the noise as I think that each one of us can go away with something […]

One of the greatest strengths of the human race is also one if its weakest link. Our ability to imagine is the source of all the innovations around us that has made our lives and our species so dominant in the also what causes us to trip in a lot of our pursuit. We could end up living in our imaginary worlds and never see the reality. This is the reason why so many of us (individuals and organisations) are never able to realize our potential. We are unable to get out of our imaginary worlds into the real world and look at reality as it is, without colouring it with our imagination. This is why: Even after being completely drunk, we still think that we are sober enough to drive home. Even after seeing that the reality around us has changed, we continue to execute our old plan as if nothing changed. There is such a gap between knowing and doing what is the right thing. This is the reason why most change initiatives fail (as they don't acknowledge and incorporate the reality but are built on imagined realities). Most leaders fail (as they don't acknowledge the reality of their situation and of their followers). We continue to smoke or drink (we imagine a future when we will quit smoking or drinking). We don't learn from our mistakes (we think that the reason for that failure was not due to mistakes we made but because of some other imagined reason). We have so many couples go through divorces (instead of accepting our spouses for what they are, we imagine how we want them to be and when they don't measure up to that imagined reality, we are not happy in our relationship anymore). Even though we know this now, I am sure that we will imagine that we are much better at recognizing the reality and not make these same mistakes (which is also a form of living in an imagined reality).     The question then is how to get grounded in the reality (some might even question the very notion of reality, but let's leave that discussion for a later date) and not make these very mistakes. One way that I have found to work really well is to have a buddy who can help us see the reality and shatter the imagined reality that we are living in. If we are looking for a reality check in our work life, then this person needs to be someone who doesn't have a stake in the discussion but is still part of the same universe. Someone who sees the world very differently than how we do. As buddies, it is our responsibilities: Recognize that every world view is biased & based on some figment of our imagination or experience. Share our world views openly and without any Question each other's world views. Go deep to find out the core beliefs driving our world view. And then explore how close to the reality these beliefs are. This can only work on the following conditions: There is a strong level of trust between both the buddies There is no conflict of interest between the buddies Both the buddies know and understand that biases and imagination are a real threat that needs to be addressed. Both the buddies believe that the process will make them better and more successful. In Conclusion: As they say, “Sunlight is the best disinfectant”. Acknowledging the fact that we all live in some imaginary world which leads to biased thinking and decision making is the first step towards addressing this problem. There are more people who have failed due to this reason than any other reason. As this is also the reason that allows us to build a better world, we need to be extra careful and intentional about when to allow our imaginary world to lead the way and when to come out of our imaginary world and let our work be rooted in our reality.

One of the greatest strengths of the human race is also one if its weakest link. Our ability to imagine is the source of all the innovations around us that has made our lives and our species so dominant in the also what causes us to trip in a lot of our pursuit. Imagination can be both productive and destructive.  We could end up living in our imaginary worlds and never see the reality. This is the reason why so many of us (individuals and organisations) are never able to realize our potential. We are unable to get out of […]

In this episode, we speak with Anne Sugar. She is an executive coach and speaker who has advised top leaders at companies like TripAdvisor, Sanofi Genzyme and Havas, She also serves as an executive coach for Harvard Business School Executive Education.

Who is on the show: In this episode, we speak with Anne Sugar. She is an executive coach and speaker who has advised top leaders at companies like TripAdvisor, Sanofi Genzyme and Havas, She also serves as an executive coach for Harvard Business School Executive Education. Why is she on the show:  Dorie Clark recommended that we should host Anne and that she will have a lot of insights that can help us. Anne proved to be all that Dorie said that she will be. She shares a lot of great insights that will help us find success in our […]

Who is on the show: David Burkus is a best-selling author, a sought-after speaker, an associate professor of leadership and innovation at Oral Roberts University. Why is he on the show: His forthcoming book, Friend of a Friend, offers readers a new perspective on how to grow their networks and build key connections—one based on the science of human behavior, not rote networking advice. He’s delivered keynotes to the leaders of Fortune 500 companies and the future leaders of the United States Naval Academy. His TED talk has been viewed over 1.8 million times and he is a regular contributor […]

In this episode, we host David Burkus and talk about his latest book - Friend of a Friend. In the book he talks about the science of networks and what we can learn from them.  He shares a lot of great insights into how to use the science of networking to build a network that will help us get what we want while helping our friends get what they want. 

Who is on the show today: James “Chip” Massey is the CEO of Plowshare Communications, which advises business leaders on strategic negotiations and how to accelerate the sales process by building strong, powerful, and trust-based relationships.   Why is he on the show:    For more than two decades, Massey served as an FBI Special Agent and hostage/crisis negotiator. During his tenure, his work ranged from collaborating with the CIA to crack espionage rings to high-profile corruption cases, to post-9/11 counter-terrorism investigations at key Washington, D.C. sites. As a hostage negotiator, he worked extensively in crisis situations, including international kidnappings […]

Who is on the show today:    James “Chip” Massey is the CEO of Plowshare Communications, which advises business leaders on strategic negotiations and how to accelerate the sales process by building strong, powerful, and trust-based relationships.   Why is he on the show:    For more than two decades, Massey served as an FBI Special Agent and hostage/crisis negotiator. During his tenure, his work ranged from collaborating with the CIA to crack espionage rings to high-profile corruption cases, to post-9/11 counter-terrorism investigations at key Washington, D.C. sites. As a hostage negotiator, he worked extensively in crisis situations, including international kidnappings and fugitive apprehensions.   Within the bureau, Massey was noted for his ability to quickly build rapport, and his deep expertise interviewing both victims and criminal suspects. He spent several years coordinating the FBI's Victim-Witness Program, as well as directing the FBI Citizens Academy in Washington, D.C.   What did I learn from the conversation: Hostage negotiations are like high stake sales meetings. The skills that you need to do well in both the situations are very similar. The most important skill is the ability to build rapport & trust really quickly. The fastest way to build trust is to do the little things right. They add up quickly.    Empathy is a super-power that can propel us to success. Empathy comes from listening what the other person is saying so that we can understand what is going on in their lives. Listening is not just about listening to what is being said, but also to identify the emotions behind what is being said. IF we are able to identify & name the emotions that are being conveyed, we are already starting to empathise.  Open ended questions can help us delve and dive deeper to really understand our partner.    In stressful situation, it is better to be the emotional leader. It is in our nature to mimic the emotion that we see. So, if we are talking to someone who is angry and yelling, typically, we start feeling the anger and our tone of our voice starts to go up as well. So, if we are able to resist that and are able to stay calm and lower our voices, the person who is angry will typically follow suit. It is human nature. Also, we need to allow people to speak and vent when they are running on high emotions. Their emotions need a vent out in order for them to calm down.    When we (or someone) are in a crisis, all our senses start to get into a focused state. We will listen less, see less and think less. So, it is best to use short sentences, increase the volume of our speech and be in front and centre of the person's vision for them to see us. Some phrases to avoid - “Calm down” or “I understand”. Both only end up flaring the other person's emotions    The more we talk, the less we listen and if we want to influence someone, we need to listen more than we talk.    Books recommended:  If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?: My Adventures in the Art and Science of Relating and Communicating, Alan Alda The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It, Kelly McGonigal Mindset, Carol Dweck  What is so obvious, but people often miss:    - The need to listen more than we talk.    Where can you reach him:    You can find more information about Chip and his work on his website here. 

Who is on the show:  In this episode, we host Denise Lee Yohn. She is a best selling author, keynote speaker and the leading authority on building great brands and exceptional organizations. Why is she on the show: Her book "Fusion" comes out today in which she shares her insights on the importance of bringing organisational culture & the power of branding together to create an organisation that can become a powerhouse of a business.  Top 3 ideas I learnt from the conversation:  1} It is critical that we know right from the start of our business about what do we stand for. We might still take on work that is not the ideal work so as to stay in business. We still need to keep looking for the ideal business and only talk or brand ourselves as per the ideal work or look for the ideal client.  2} Organisations that are able to take their branding or promise to our customers and use that to build a culture that drives the behaviours that can enable the delivery of this promise are the one's that become exceptionally successful.  3} It is important as leaders to understand that we need to be consistent in three aspects (ideological, tactical & symbolic). This means that as leaders our actions determine the culture we create.  Resources mentioned:  1} You can find all her books (Fusion, What Great Brands Do)  2} Take the Fusion assessment here. How to connect with her:  You can find her blog here. You can connect with her on twitter @deniseleeyohn. 

Who is on the show: In this episode, we host Denise Lee Yohn. She is a best selling author, keynote speaker and the leading authority on building great brands and exceptional organizations. Why is she on the show: Her book “Fusion” comes out today in which she shares her insights on the importance of bringing organisational culture & the power of branding together to create an organisation that can become a powerhouse of a business. Top 3 ideas I learnt from the conversation: 1} It is critical that we know right from the start of our business about what do […]

Opening music credits goes to my son Yuvan Gupta. Who is on the show: In this episode, we host Dorie Clark. She is a marketing strategy consultant, professional speaker, and frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review. Recognized as a “branding expert” by the Associated Press, Fortune, and Inc. magazine, she is the author of Entrepreneurial You (Harvard Business Review Press,), Reinventing You, and Stand Out, which was named the #1 Leadership Book of 2015 by Inc. magazine and one of the Top 10 Business Books of the Year by Forbes. Her books have been translated into Russian, Chinese, Arabic, French, Polish, Korean, and Thai. Why is she on the show: I have been reading her blog and following her work for […]

In this epsiode, we host best selling author Dorie Clark. She has written multiple best selling books - Reinventing You, Stand Out & her latest book Entrepreneurially You.  She shares great insights on how to create a brand for yourself and also about the importance of being entrepreneurial, even if you are not an entrepreneur.  I had a great time talking to her and is an insightful conversation. 

Opening music credits goes to Riju Mukhopadhyay & Pavan Cherukumilli Who is on the show: In this episode, we host Harold Jarche. He is focused on providing actionable insights for workplace transformation. He works with individuals, organizations, and public policy influencers to develop practical ways to adapt to the technological, demographic, and societal changes facing us today. Why is he on the show: I have been reading his blog for almost a couple of years and have learned a lot. He helped me change my approach to internalising important information that I come across through a framework that he has developed. What did I learn […]

In this episode, we host Harold Jarche. He is focused on providing actionable insights for workplace transformation. He works with individuals, organizations, and public policy influencers to develop practical ways to adapt to the technological, demographic, and societal changes facing us today.  We talk about how we can create our very own personal knowledge mastery strategy (Seek --> Sense --> Share) & how this can help us make sense of the changes that see all around us.     

In this episode, we speak to the creator of "Vycle" a vertical transportation system that she developed as a project. She rethinks and creates a new product that can help us go up and down, one that doesnt take too much space (like stairs or escalators) nor do we have to wait for a lot of time to get into a box.  The product is truly one of its kind and we try to deconstruct the process of creating this product with Elena. 

Who is on the show: In this episode we host architect and product designer Elena Larriba. She works at the intersection between art, science and design. Her curiosity leads her to investigate new concepts, technologies and techniques which she blends together in novel experiments merging engineering, design and craft. Why is she on the show: She is the designer of a vertical movement product called Vycle, which is a hybrid version of a cycle and an elevator and can be used for vertical movement. She has since this conversation gone on to create a lot more interesting products. What did I […]

In this episode, we host Jeffrey Baumgartner (again) and talk about what he calls "Imaginativefulness" and its importance in the overall creative process. 

Who is on the show: In this episode, we host Jeffrey Baumgartner. He is an entrepreneur, artist, teacher, author and an innovation consultant and not  your typical Innovation consultant. He is the author of the books, “The Way of the Innovation Master” & “The Insane Journey” He is also the creator of a new & effective creative thinking methodology called “Anti-Conventional Thinking” as an alternative to traditional brainstorming methods. He also runs the Report 103, which is one of the longest running eJournal or blog on creativity and innovation in business. Why is he on the show He is not your typical innovation […]

Who is on the show: In this episode, we host Jill Konrath. As a business-to-business sales expert, Jill's ideas and insights are ubiquitous in multiple forums, both on and offline. Jill's newsletters are read by 125,000+ sellers worldwide. Her popular blog has been syndicated on numerous business and sales websites. Why is she on the show: She was recently named one of the most influential people on sales by LinkedIn, among many other recognitions. What did i learn in this episode: As sales professionals, we are constantly busy and we are to find time on ever more busier executives so we can position ourselves as someone who can add value to them and their business. We do a lot of our work online (from checking our emails to researching our clients and their social profiles to reading more about the financial results of our customers. And some of the most brilliant minds in our era are working tirelessly to keep us hooked on their products by using findings from neuroscience research. When we add both of the above, it is extremely difficult to not get lost in the rabbit hole that is the internet. Some things that Jill recommends: No notification policy: Notifications are one of the most important way that we get distracted and sucked into rabitholes. So, the first thing to do to gain our time & focus back is to remove all notifications. I only have notification for when either my wife or my boss reaches out to me. Batch our work: She recommends that it is easier to focus and we become a lot more productive when we batch our work. Fixed time for emails. Fixed time for online research and so forth. Shut down the distractions: As sales professionals, we need to be able to think deeper and find insights. The ability to shutdown our gadgets and thinking deeply is  important to refresh our brains. We need to give our brains some rest. Focus: Think about and decide what is the one thing that we can do today/this week that will have the biggest impact and focus on accomplish that. Learn how to work in a digital world: As a species, we have not evolved to deal with the digital world. And this is not going to go down but only going to get worse. So, we need to consciously learn how to live and work in a digital world. Take a break: The higher level thinking which is required in order to connect with different thoughts, identify patterns and gain insights require that we take breaks so that we can replenish & rejuvenate our brains. Work on 50 - 10 mins bursts - 50 mins work followed by 10 mins of active break (walk, drink water, stretch, etc). Work on what matters: With the time saved by becoming more productive, we as sales professional can continue to do more high value activities and self development. Unclogging our pipeline: So much of deals or opportunities are in our pipeline because we hope that they will happen. Just like it is important to be more intentional and focused on our time, we need to be as focused and intentional about keeping our pipeline unclogged. By unclogging our pipeline, we can find common themes among the opportunities, thereby helping us address these concerns. Another high value activity. Best Prospects are the one's undergoing change: The best prospects who will be open to change are the one's that are already going through some kind of flux. This change makes them more open to challenging the status quo. Overcoming Overwhelm: By becoming more focused and productive, we can use the time we save to not only do high value activities but also help our customers by giving them information that can help them overcome their overwhelm. Best part of her job: Solving challenging, complex,  sales problems. Biggest challenge of her job: Difficulty to decide which ideas to go after. Whats on her bucket list: Iceland. Recommendation: Hidden Figures, the movie What superhero would she be:  Jill, the time master What is so obvious to her which people miss all the time: Overwhelm is the biggest problem at the root of almost every challenge. 2 action recommendation: Minimise distractions. Find out your own ways to avoid and minimise distractions. There no hacks, only lasting change. Where can you connect with her: You can find all her great work on her website - www.jillkonrath.com and on LinkedIn. You can buy her latest book here.

Who is on the show: In this episode, we host Jill Konrath. As a business-to-business sales expert, Jill’s ideas and insights are ubiquitous in multiple forums, both on and offline. Jill’s newsletters are read by 125,000+ sellers worldwide. Her popular blog has been syndicated on numerous business and sales websites. Why is she on the show: She was recently named one of the most influential people on sales by LinkedIn, among many other recognitions. What did i learn in this episode: As sales professionals, we are constantly busy and we are to find time on ever more busier executives so […]

Opening music credits goes to Riju Mukhopadhyay & Pavan Cherukumilli Who is he on the show:    In the first episode of the new season, we host Andy Tryba. He is the CEO of Ride Austin, EngineYard and Crossover.com.    Why is he on the show: Andy has spent the last 15 years as CEO of multiple successful startups and is currently running three startups. One of them is a very interesting social experiment and has a very interesting approach to running his other two startups as well. He has built a product that already provides glimpses of how the future of work might unfold.  […]

Credits: Opening music credit goes to Riju Mukhopadhyay & Pavan Cherukumilli Who is on the show: In this episode, we host Bernadette Jiwa. She is a best selling author of multiple books and writes one of the most popular marketing and branding blogs – The Story of Telling. Smart Company named as the top business blog in Australia of 2016. Seth Godin listed it as one of the marketing blogs he reads. Why is she on the show: She just released her most recent book – Hunch. The book talks about how we can turn our everyday insights into the next big thing. What do we talk […]