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
Read More
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
Read More
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
Read More
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
Read More
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
Read More
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
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
Read More
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
Read More
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
Read More
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
Read More
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
Read More
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
Read More
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
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
Read More
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
Read More
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
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
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
Read More
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
Read More
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
Read More
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
Read More
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
Read More
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
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
Read More
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
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
Read More
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
Read More
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
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
Read More
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
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
Read More
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
Read More
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
Read More
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
Read More
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
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
Read More
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
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
Read More
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
Read More
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
Read More