Treat People Fairly

In my B-school course on ‘Negotiations’, we were split into groups of two and given a $10 bill each.  The person who got the $10, had to split it with his partner in whichever way he wanted. If the partner agreed to the proposal, they got to keep the $10. ...

Progress Over Perfection

The writer who produces the perfect first draft, produces nothing. The entrepreneur who ‘makes sure’ that his first startup is a unicorn, never starts. The person who ‘makes sure’ that everything he does is perfect, does nothing. There is no...

Optionality Hinders Action

I write nearly every day. And I have done it for years. Because in my mind, writing is not optional. It is something I do on good days and bad, on busy days and idle days. Most importantly, I do it whether I feel like it or not. If something is optional, our mind will...

Hardship Fuels Change

Had it been left to me, I suspect I would probably still be sitting on my 1st-year electrical engineering courses without completing them. Ok, I am exaggerating a bit. But without the external pressure of exams and getting a degree, few of us would voluntarily go...

Use things without giving them power over you

I went to IIT for the brand and the academics, but what I loved the most about the place was its simplicity. On campus, there was no show-off, no flashiness. Students attached zero (in fact, negative) value to how you dressed or how you looked. Whether your dad was an...