Latest Post
The Value of Knowledge Across Domains
I was once talking to a UX designer in Bangalore, who was supposed to be quite good at her craft. And she explained to me some nuances of UX design quite well. But when our discussion shifted to other social issues, she seemed quite lost. At one...
Recent Posts
Prioritizing Thoughtful Work
When I was serving as the Trivandrum Police Commissioner, I once skipped a useless meeting called by a senior government official. The next week,...
How to build a startup?
Conventional wisdom (some of which I also fell for): - Leave your job. - Chase VC funding. - Spend all the money on ads and a huge team. - Pray for...
Value your time
An email you almost never get: I need your money. An email you often get: I need your time -- can we jump on to a call? Is your time less valuable...
Focus on Today
In my previous startup, we once reached a point where only had cash left to survive three months. Even worse, we had huge expenses coming up over...
More Articles
The Realities of Careers
Job loss is not a blot on your career. It is an unfortunate feature of the free market economy. Gaps in your resume are also not a blot on your career. They reflect the realities of human life. One of my best hires at HabitStrong was freelancing...
Three things to achieve any goal
Whether it is working on my startup or preparing for the Civil Services exam, I have never needed motivational videos or a pep talk to get going. In fact, you ONLY need these three things to achieve any goal: 1. Take up a goal only if you are...
Life is an opportunity
When I was leaving my job at McKinsey after a relatively short stint of 18 months, a classmate remarked that I was being hasty – in the initial few years on any job, one has to pay the dues. I disagreed – and still do. There are no dues to be paid....
Attach your ego to the right thing
During my stint in the police, I was once overseeing a jampacked swearing-in ceremony for some new ministers at the Kerala Raj Bhavan (Governor’s official residence). The crowd was in a celebratory mood and hard to control. So when the Chief...