Latest Post
Embrace constraints
A McKinsey partner once told me about his niece who got a job offer as a management trainee from a world-leading healthcare company. This company had (and still has) a spectacular global brand, and is a market leader in many categories. And...
Recent Posts
Action beats rumination
I have often seen people say, "I have no regrets." Sadly, I am not like them. I have a lot of regrets, big and small. In fact, I find regrets...
Love for hard things is the secret
Most of your life will be spent doing three kinds of things: Category 1: Things you do because they are easy and fun. Category 2: Things you do even...
How to succeed in the workplace?
To succeed in the workplace (and even in your personal life), here are some things you should never say: 1. No offence. Why is this a bad idea:...
Substance over style
One lesson I learned at McKinsey -- "Never go to a meeting without a polished presentation." Before the meeting, everybody might say, "It is just a...
More Articles
Prioritization
The day I get a LOT done is also a day when most routine things remain pending. And those are the days I cherish. Just striking off the maximum number of items from a to-do list is another rat race. What's the point? One day, try this: 1. Pick one...
Being busy won’t change the world
Here is the wicked story of the 20th-century technology revolution that may change your resolutions for 2023. William Shockley was working at AT&T Bell Labs with John Bardeen and Walter Brattain when they came up with the point-contact...
A no-choice is also a choice
During my MBA, Sam Zell, a multi-billionaire real estate tycoon in the US, came to our campus as a guest speaker. Just before that, he had sold Equity Office Properties to Blackstone for $36 billion, at the peak of the real estate bubble in 2006....
An ounce of action is greater than a ton of theory
Everybody knows how to be a good leader – until their tail is on fire. Everybody knows how to advise startups until they do their own startup. Then, they are staring at an empty bank balance and the family on the verge of disowning them 🙂 Some...