Patience Nurtures Competence

On day 1 of my first job with the Indian Police Service – I was quite useless. I had some theoretical knowledge of law enforcement but I am pretty sure I was good for nothing. But people tolerated me and with time and exposure, I learned. The same thing happened at...

Leadership

One of my best managers at McKinsey announced on day-1 of the client engagement, “Guys, let us aim to make it a 9 to 5 engagement – I mean 9 to 5 pm, not 5 am!” We had never been able to do that on any engagement – least of all, on a super-intense, two-week due...

Health Fuels Success

Should you choose success over health or the other way around? It is a false choice. No job should make us choose between health and success. Without health, there can’t be any success. When we are in good health, we do better work. When we are relaxed, we think...

Strength from Struggles

Growing up in a strictly middle-class family, we did not have too much money. And it may seem like it put me at a disadvantage. It did not. In fact, I consider my upbringing my biggest luck. Not having money, I knew that whatever I wanted to do in life, I had to do it...

Consistency and Persistence

Yesterday, when I needed some medical advice for my dad, I called my friend Dr. Shankhabrata Bagchi, one of the best doctors I know. And yet, Bagchi has never practiced medicine – he joined the IPS right after his MBBS and was our batch topper. But such is his love...