Driving to the office everyday is a very humbling experience. Just a few kilometers on the bustling highway, there is a crematorium with two chimneys emitting light-grayish fume. Passing through a cemetery or crematorium, I come face-to-face with mortality. We are all going to die – and that itself should be a powerful provocation to […]
I recently delivered a talk at a local entrepreneurship forum on the topic “How to Build a Great Team and Culture”. It won’t be unfair to say that establishing a great culture and team is highest on priority of a business leader. And why not? A great culture enables success, builds team fabric and attracts […]
Most businesses today are talent driven businesses – skills and competence of people developing products and providing services is at the core of an organization’s differentiation strategy. Talent management and people development should be at the top of an organization’s strategic agenda given the need to improve productivity and effectiveness. Everyone agrees that people […]
Day-to-day work can sometimes feel boring, but we need to adjust the lens we use to see our work and focus on ‘purpose of the work.’ Two workers were toiling outside of a huge new structure. The first one was exhausted, disengaged and uninspired. “What are you working on?” asked a passerby. “Cutting some stones!” […]
Mark had joined this new company only a few months back, but he felt frustrated. He looked at problems from a very different point-of-view than his boss resulting in strong debates over solutions. One fine morning, Mark put up his resignation. “Why?” asked the boss. “Because my thought process is very different than yours”, replied […]
In manufacturing, “touch-time” is when the raw material actually touches the machinery and moves one level up in the production cycle. In a factory, more capacity to produce does not yield results if “touch-time” is low. In lean methodology, it is also referred to as “processing time”. As a professional, you have required skills and […]
When we encounter a change, we first perceive ourselves in a changed situation. So, our perception of the changed situation actually precedes the actual change and shapes our response. In the same context, I read two quotes by Luc de Brabandere. The first quote comes from Forbes India article by NS Ramnath about N. R. […]
Last week, Chip R. Bell and Marshall Goldsmith released the revised edition of their classic book “Managers as Mentors: Building Partnerships for Learning”. This week, they open up in a free-flow conversation with QAspire on the art of effective mentoring. In my view, this interview is almost a definitive guide to become a great mentor! […]
For thousands of years in India, there prevailed a tradition of “Guru-Shishya” – mentor and protégé in other words. In this relationship, which was a primary form of education then, powerful and subtle knowledge was conveyed to protégé on a one-on-one basis in an environment of complete trust, dedication and intimacy. As realization grew, the […]