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On working with like-minded people
I’ve long believed that having like-minded people around makes our lives much more bearable, personally and professionally. Although, I would err on the side of moderation, especially if you care about a high-performance culture at the workplace. If that sounds odd, hear me out because you’re either confused or are pretty comfortable in your current…
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A person first, a professional later
I had a profound conversation with a fellow professional the other day on what truly makes people perform at the highest level. And unlike most discussions on this topic, we didn’t bother to discuss skills, knowledge, and attitude — attributes that make up most of all theories, including peer-to-peer studies, on employee engagement and high-performance.…
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Driving an effective organisational communication strategy
As much as I hate cliches, the one about “culture eating strategy for breakfast” is the bitterest, most accurate, and yet the most ignored. And this is particularly the case in the world of organisational communication, where leadership teams spend countless hours coming up with the perfect “strategy” that aligns with their vision. Only to…
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Manager vs leader
I know you have had your share of “manager versus leader” debates, articles, studies, info-graphics comparisons, and even memes! It’s overwhelming. And I don’t want to burden you with more proof or my perspective on this pointless debate. Yeah, leadership is sexy. Everyone wants to be a leader, and nobody wants to be “just-a-manager.” I…
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Now that I’m over it… why do I still have to create content?
After reading day before yesterday’s post, someone asked me, “Sunil, why even bother with your blog and podcast when you’ve decided to just focus on your executive leadership career?” Without a doubt, a solid question and something most followers of this blog might be wondering themselves. I don’t think our career choices have to be…
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That’s all folks!
Among the many life decisions I have made, the one I took this weekend has to be the hardest one ever. After nine years of constant struggle, frustration, and restlessness, I quit entrepreneurship for good. It’s been one heck of a ride. And as I write this, I must say — I don’t feel anything…
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People are different; don’t treat them the same
People are different, yet leaders have a hard time treating them justly. Most have a broad-brush approach that’s ‘fair’ and uncontroversial. And given that leaders are almost always in the spotlight, who would want to ruffle feathers or wrestle with other people’s opinions and judgment of their leadership in their right minds. No wonder treating…
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Skin in the game
As a principle, I choose not to work with clients who have a passive approach to engagements. You know the kind, the drifters who want to get a “taste” of how it’s like to be coached or consulted by an expert. And I will be the first in line to say that most of the…
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The difference between a mentor and an informant
I recently finished watching The Family Man’s second season, an Indian action thriller series. And it was fantastic! The story, plot, and characters are well-developed, making it a worthy contender on your watchlist. I’ve noticed a trend lately on web series — characters from the most popular ones get immortalised in our culture through viral…
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We rise and fall to our systems, not habits
I might have spent the better part of the last decade researching and developing methodologies on personal, team, and workplace productivity. And what I’ve observed time and again is that productivity, at any level, has two aspects to it: intention and extension. Our intentions set a robust foundation for what we want to achieve in…