Self-development Overdrive may Diminish Your True Potential

In this "growth mindset" and "learn it all" era, it's often easy to be driven by self-criticism in disguise of all those positive things. "What do you mean"? You might ...
Read More
Two people in a job interview

Job Interview: Is Your Eagerness Hindering Your Presence?

Vinod, a director-level leader in Tech, had been searching for a job for some time without much success. Perplexed, he sought my advice to determine what else he could do ...
Read More
A man looking out through the window

Are You an Emerging Leader Seeking Next Level of Growth?

Are you an ambitious mid-career professional in tech, STEM, or any high-paced culture? Do you long to make a meaningful, fulfilling impact? Many, like you, sometimes wonder what else they ...
Read More
Pillars and a woman

Foundation for Growth: Four Simple Practices Make My Clients Successful

People come to coaching for many reasons. Some want to lead a significant change management initiative, while others want to improve team productivity or develop leadership skills for the next ...
Read More
Conflict at work

What Causes Conflicts In Teams

No one wakes up thinking, "I will ruin the day; I will create trouble today." But even when everyone on the team is decent, stress, conflicts, and drama happen. I ...
Read More
Sharmin Banu coaching in front of an audience at an HR Conference

How an Embarrassing Setback Helped Me Become Better

When we hear advice like "turn setbacks into growth experiences," we often dismiss it as cliché or unrealistic for ourselves. However, a few years ago, I was in an embarrassing ...
Read More

Secrets of High-Value Creating Teams: Learnings from Legendary Professor Hawkins

In our global, highly complex world, the heroic leadership figure has increasingly become a relic. Manfred kets de vries, 2011a: 56 Over the past 6-7 years, I've recognized a need ...
Read More
Moonshot book

Preparation, Not Luck: Pfizer’s “Moonshot” Lessons Applies to All Of Us

I've been diving back into the pages of "Moonshot - Inside Pfizer's Nine-Month Race to Make the Impossible Possible" for the second time, and the narrative continues to captivate me, ...
Read More
A Man standing in a reflective posture

Celebrate Yourself Through an Year-End Reflection

As the year comes to a close, many of you are cherishing precious moments with family and loved ones, possibly enjoying a well-deserved trip to a delightful destination. Amidst these ...
Read More
Holiday Family Dinner

From Chaos to Connection: Gracefully Managing the Holiday Family Gatherings

Managing family visits during the holiday season presents a delightful yet demanding task. Juggling multiple family members' diverse opinions, needs, and desires can be an energy-draining experience for hosts and ...
Read More
Sharmin Banu: The Coach Extraordinaire

My Interview w/ Mindful Leader Practice

My colleague Anu Arora and I had a great time reflecting on the journey that made us who we have become. We first reflected on our time on the International ...
Read More
Clock, brain, bulbs

Three Strategies That Reduced Stress for a Busy Executive

Sheela, a senior executive at a renowned Fortune 500 company, sought my coaching services to improve her quality of life. She said her demanding job was taking a toll on ...
Read More
An elephant

How Not To Think About An Elephant – A Neuroscience Way To Attain Goals

What if I say, "Do not think about an elephant?" - I bet all you will think of is an elephant or several elephants in your mind. Well, it turns ...
Read More

My Learnings From Turning A Cynic Into A Collaborator

Imagine you shared an idea with a co-worker, and they said, "That's a terrible idea." How would you feel? Most of us would feel discouragement and react with either active ...
Read More
A Cat Image by Heinz Hummel from Pixabay

Are You Sabotaged By Your Inner Hyper-Achiever?

A tech leader, let's call him Jason, said, "I can't relax; I always have to do something useful. Nobody makes me do so; it's me. This is how I am" ...
Read More
Two men are talking in a business setting

How to Approach Difficult Conversations When It’s Uncomfortable

Are you dreading a challenging conversation, particularly in a work setting? Do you fear that it might not go as planned? You're certainly not alone; many of us share this ...
Read More

Want to Take Your Career to the Next Level? Manage Your Attention Wisely

“I don’t have the time to pause and think; my days are filled with back-to-back meetings. When someone asks me a question, I tell them what I know and go ...
Read More

You were given Feedback to Improve your Executive Presence – What do you do now?

The other day, a senior leader contacted me to hire me as his coach. His LinkedIn Profile was immaculate - multiple graduate degrees from top-notch schools and a strong track ...
Read More
A Busy Woman:

Are You A Go-to Fixer For Your Team? You Are Not Helping.

Elizabeth was a long-tenured senior officer at a commercial bank. She had a high sense of responsibility. Most of her time was spent fixing problems created by others both at ...
Read More
A Woman -Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

Job Searching for a Career Path Change? Act Like a Farmer

A job change is a daunting task. It becomes even more challenging when it involves a discipline, industry, or role change. A common misconception is one can do it by ...
Read More
A connected graph of people.

Idea Dating: Tap Your Network for Clearer Insights

During a recent coaching session, my client Francis had an eye-opening moment. Despite consistently positive performance reviews, he no longer found satisfaction in his current role. When I asked what ...
Read More
Setback - Image by Fábio Luciano Sorg from Pixabay

Overcome Setbacks Using 3A’s : Acknowledge, Analyze and Act

Theresa has been feeling significantly down the last few days. Her manager informed her that she didn't get the promotion this time. He was pretty compassionate while giving her the ...
Read More
Smile face, balloon, job promotion announcement

Sustainable Success: The Multifaceted Journey Beyond Social Media Posts

It is the season of job promotions. I've been getting several such news through LinkedIn posts from my clients. However, these celebratory posts only scratch the surface of their entire ...
Read More

Nick’s Path to Emotionally Intelligent Leadership

Meet Nick, a talented young professional in his mid-thirties who holds a managerial position in a corporate. One challenging aspect of his job is that his team members, older than ...
Read More
A woman sitting down with a pensive look

Beyond Success: The Path to Significance

A few months ago, I met Megan, a high-achieving corporate leader in her early forties, happily married with two young kids. Despite her stellar success, she felt like she was ...
Read More

Organization Politics – How We See It Can Change the Meaning

"I like doing my job, but I hate politics. Almost everyone says that they hate politics. If no one likes it, then who creates it in the first place"? My ...
Read More
A Lion

Be Like a Lion: Enhance Leadership Through Pauses and White Spaces

Carol, a Vice President at a communication company, wanted to up her leadership presence. But she didn't know how to create that learning space as she felt overwhelmed by her ...
Read More
Idea generation

Ambiguous Project With Not Enough Guideline? Follow This 5-Step Process.

Myriam is a product manager at a multinational company whose job is to understand current industry trends, anticipate customer needs, design product road maps, and get buy-in from upper management ...
Read More

Redefine Success Through Embracing Imperfection and Cultivating Resilience

The other day, I had a conversation with a woman grappling with her career satisfaction. Despite her impressive credentials, which included a Ph.D. and valuable job experiences, she was not ...
Read More
Authenticity, a bird showing its colors - Image by wasi1370 from Pixabay

Beyond “Fake it Till You Make it”: A More Authentic Approach To Building Confidence

During the early days of my coaching career, when I said, "I am a coach," my facial expression didn't match it. The truth was, I didn't feel confident about my ...
Read More

How a Small-Group Coaching Circle Helped Mid-Level Leaders Thrive

A recent Harvard Business Review article said, "The benefits of small-group coaching come from powerful learning interactions among leaders who aren't on the same team but are roughly equal in ...
Read More
Tearing elephant By ArtTower on Pixabay

Strong Leaders Also Need Psychological Safety

Psychological safety has become a prevalent concept, encompassing the feeling of safety individuals experience when sharing their thoughts and feelings without risking their status. While this is often attributed to ...
Read More
Conflict at work

Intimidating to Inspiring: How A Tech Leader Solved The Approachability Problem

Vlad (not his real name), a seasoned tech leader, received feedback that some team members found him intimidating - hindering them from seeking his guidance. His management urged him to ...
Read More
A man sitting with hands holding this head

5 Strategies To Withstand Turbulent Times

The current economic crisis and the layoffs by major companies created anxiety among workers, even those who have not been directly affected. Unsurprisingly, Microsoft's HR Chief wrote about a global ...
Read More
Clock, brain, bulbs

5 Misconceptions That Get In The Way Of Sustainable Success

Over the years, through my coaching work with the tech leaders and executives, I helped them uncover some of their misconceptions and limiting behaviors. Even though they were already successful ...
Read More

Direct Communication Doesn’t Have To Be Hurtful

Stuart, a mid-level leader at a corporate, came to me as he wanted to be more approachable. "I am very direct, but people take it negatively." I want to influence ...
Read More
Will Smith hits Chris Rock on Oscar Stage

What Can We Learn From Will Smith’s Oscar Debacle

[I originally wrote this after the Oscars last year (March 2022).] Since the Oscars, my newsfeed has been flooded with the news and commentary about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock ...
Read More

What Simone Biles, Jacinda Ardern, and Naomi Osaka Taught Us

Simone Biles, Jacinda Ardern, and Naomi Osaka share a common trait - they all made a courageous decision to quit, to say "no" despite the societal pressure to keep pushing ...
Read More
Two people talking

Do You Dread Giving Feedback? There Is A Better Way.

Giving feedback is a regular part of a manager's job responsibility, but most are uncomfortable. David Rock and his colleagues from the NeuroLeadership Institute wrote in this article, “Typical feedback ...
Read More
Smiley face on a sidewalk

A Smile is a Leadership Tool

I recently had a coaching session with a tech leader who expressed a strong desire to enhance his approachability. While he was committed to delivering high-quality products, he was aware ...
Read More