Train your people to build focus

In this deafening clamor of notifications, pings, and rings, do you know the one thing nobody cares about? You. And your attention, your well-being. Nobody cares about your attention because you can always work late nights and get work done. Then why bother? We have...

If you are a leader, the buck stops with you

On his desk in the Oval Office, US President Harry Truman famously had a wooden sign which said, “The buck stops here.” No shifting responsibility, no passing around blame — when the push came to shove, Truman promised finality. And true to his...

How to rise up the leadership ladder

If you want to rapidly rise up the leadership ladder, these are the things to do: Don’t wait for people to tell you what to do. Identify problems or areas where can you contribute and then offer specific help. Take responsibility, even if small ones – and deliver....

Overcoming perfectionism

Procrastination is NOT laziness. And unless we understand this, we can’t fix our procrastination problem. We procrastinate when we don’t know how to handle the negative emotions generated by a task (e.g., anxiety). We then avoid working on a task even when...

When looking for a job, find out what you hate

When looking for a job, first find out what you hate. Here is why I say that. During the networking events in my MBA (and even post that), I found it impossible to tell anyone that I was looking for a job. Whether it is selling my candidature or a product, I really...