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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...
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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...
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...
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...
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...
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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...
Perfectionism is not excellence
Perfectionism is not excellence -- it is a mental trap. When we are anxious and unsure of our work, we keep editing our emails and keep fine-tuning the presentation far beyond the point of adding value. The root cause of perfectionism is anxiety....
The biggest benefit of exercising
I have found that the biggest benefit of exercising is better mental health -- even more than physical fitness. Exercising reduces anxiety and depression, and improves well-being and brain health, though it is not 100% clear how that happens....
A good human being
Here is a fascinating experiment involving split-brain patients, whose left brain cannot communicate with the right brain. Whenever we see something on the left side, the visual signal goes to the right brain and vice versa. Normally, the left and...