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Leadership Means Deciding Without Complete Data
A colleague of mine at McKinsey used to once work at Capital One, an extremely data-driven company. It was understandable that a fintech company would love data but even their senior management took decisions off spreadsheets. And sometimes, it led...
Recent Posts
The Truth About Wealth: Why Side Hustles Rarely Work
I know quite a few wealthy and well-off people. But I don't know even one person who got somewhat wealthy doing "side hustles, generating multiple...
Flying, Safety, and the Myth of Magic Solutions
Whenever I take a flight, my mother becomes anxious and is on tenterhooks till the flight lands. For 20 years, I have been convincing her that...
Why the Zero Inbox Philosophy Fails
If you follow the 'zero inbox' philosophy for email, I have some bad news for you. Zero inbox is great in theory but in practice, it fails. Here is...
The Hidden Truth Behind Motivational Content Online
I was once recording a video talk for a TED-like online platform. When I was preparing the script, the organizer asked, "Can you insert some...
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Learned Helplessness: Why Good People Help Us Break Free
During my policing career, when interacting with very poor people, I would often notice an attitude of helplessness and resignation. Life had probably battered them so much that they felt that nothing they did mattered. Martin Seligman, a renowned...
How Elimination Reveals What Truly Matters
A partner at McKinsey once told me about a massive cost-cutting project at a company that used to operate very lavishly. For example, on every floor, this company had multiple large printers. Had you asked, the staff would have probably insisted...
Why Deep Change Feels Invisible – Until It Transforms You
8 months after trying out another gym, I went back to my old gym recently. And I saw a familiar-looking guy, who used to be overweight and flabby. But now, he seemed quite fit -- most of his excess weight, including a prominent double chin, was...
Why True Confidence Comes from Hands-On Experience
When you first hold a rifle, shooting seems so easy -- just align the gun's foresight, backsight, and the target, and pull the trigger. But there is a challenge! Your eye is like a camera that can focus only at one distance at a time. So when you...