Looking back at 2019

On Transitions – Outside and Within

Life is all about transitions, big and small. Everything within and around us is in a constant state of flux, but we only see the changes that are explicit.

Internal transitions precede external transitions in life and careers. Our thinking, emotions, needs, wants and deep internal motivations shift all the time as a result of our life stage, our journey so far and changing circumstances. But just because these are deeply internal shifts, they are too gradual and subtle to notice. And that means, we continue to navigate our way trying to meet/respond to the needs of external world (outside-in).

2019 for me was a year of being more self-aware, cultivating stillness, paying more attention to the changing landscape within the self, mapping my internal world, reassessing my motivations and aligning my external world accordingly (inside-out).

“Success means using your knowledge and experience to satisfy yourself. Significance means using your knowledge and experience to change the lives of others.” – Bob Buford

In personal life, this theme of transitions resulted into continued focus on holistic health including physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social well-being. The journey of internal exploration continues.

Enabling People and Culture For High-Performance

After I took charge as a Country Head at Basware India, I have dedicated myself to build the country organization as a strategic asset with focus on people, culture, leadership, capabilities and operational excellence. Amidst a constantly evolving business context and many challenging situations at work, it has been a blessing to work with committed colleagues who are passionate about making things happen with a right mindset. Basware has been a great playground that challenges and inspires in equal measure – providing space and opportunities to lead from the front and build ecosystems of engagement, growth and high-performance.

 “It’s not what you achieve, it’s what you overcome. That’s what defines your career.” —Carlton Fisk

QAspire Blog – 13 Years and Counting

Blogging used to be the original social network and I have been blogging here consistently for over 13 years with hundreds of posts, sketch notes, stories and resources that bring tens of thousands of readers each month. This blog and I have evolved together – and this has been a platform for me to learn, think clearly and share insights through posts and sketchnotes.

 “That’s what I consider true generosity: You give your all and yet you always feel as if it costs you nothing.” —Simone de Beauvoir

While this year was also slow on posting frequency, I wrote following key posts with sketchnotes.

• Impatiently Patient
• 3L’s of Self-Directed Learning: Insights from My TEDx Talk
• Leadership and Trust: 3 Elements
• The Art of Successful Giving: Adam Grant
• Leaders as Multipliers
• 8 Factors of Happiness
• The Fog
• Social Media for Better Leadership and Learning
• Taking Charge of YOUR Learning
• The Smart Side of Rewards and Recognition
• Future of Work: Back to Crafts
• Mental Habits that Support Lifelong Learning
• Leadership and Self-Awareness: Insights from Tasha Eurich Part 1
• Being a Self-Aware Leader: Tasha Eurich

My hope for 2020 is more frequent sharing of not just curated ideas but my own insights and lessons.

Sketchnote Project – Going Far and Wide

I started my year 2019 with a TEDx talk on the topic  “3 L’s of Self-Directed Learning”.  My entire presentation was a sketch note that evolved as talk progressed. I later posted the sketch note on this blog as well.

Throughout the year, my visual insights were featured at so many places including several events in US, Reykjavik, Buenos Aires, Sri Lanka, India and Germany.  Thank God, these events were attended by at least one person who was aware about my work and that’s how I came to know about it.

I find so much joy when visual notes I create become social objects of sharing, conversation and connection. I am immensely grateful for the privilege of being able to do that.

More at: IdeasDrawn

Visual Thinking Workshops

In 2019, I also advanced my pursuit of helping others think visually to ideate, understand and communicate. I helped close to 100 people in different workshop formats (online and offline) and it was fascinating to see people reconnect with their visual superpower and put pencil to paper.

Find more at: IdeasDrawn Visual Thinking Workshop

Recognitions

I consider all recognitions as by-products of the pursuit and once in a while, when you think of them, they only encourage the pursuit.

For the sixth consecutive year, I was fortunate to be ranked amongst Top SHRM Indian HR Influencers in May 2019.

Each year, being featured on Kurt Harden’s list of 25 Blogs Guaranteed to Make You Smarter  is always an honor since I find company of amazing and inspiring thinkers/bloggers like Michael Wade and Nicholas Bate amongst others who I  respect so much.

Gratitude

I am grateful to all the readers of this blog, people who share my work on social media, podcasters who initiate awesome conversations, fellow bloggers who share their knowledge so generously, people who use my work and people who support it. If I start writing their names here, the list may go on forever.

The spirit of internet, as we know it, is the spirit of collective learning, of raising the bar, of doing the work that matters and bring possibilities to life.

Here’s wishing you a glorious 2020 full of possibilities.