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Why Intelligence Without Accountability Is Dangerous
One of my IIT professors had a stellar academic reputation. But after he quit/retired, he abandoned academic rigour and started making random claims. He would inflate mediocre work using jargon and began behaving like a quack. And the reason was...
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Why Prestigious Jobs Still Leave So Many People Unhappy
About half of the IAS/IPS officers who reach out to me ask me about career opportunities outside the Services. Of course, there is an obvious...
Early Struggle Is Not a Signal of Failure
During my tenure at McKinsey, a new colleague got started at the Firm. And in the initial days, this person really struggled despite a stellar...
Why a Packed Calendar Is Killing Your Productivity
A packed calendar seems like the ultimate productivity hack. Yet, it is a terrible idea. Here is why. When your calendar is packed, your mind feels...
When Bad Luck Turns Out to Be a Blessing
In the 2008 financial crisis, most of my MBA classmates working in Wall Street lost their jobs. The rout started with Bear Stearns going bankrupt...
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Is Consulting the Best Training Ground for Future CEOs?
Is consulting the best training ground for future CEOs? I think the answer is complicated. Consultants are very good at getting to quick first-cut answers, without boiling the ocean. And that's an incredibly valuable skill for any business leader,...
Why Throwing More People at a Problem Makes It Worse
During one of my consulting projects, we had a very influential and intimidating client. So to dazzle him, a lot of senior leaders were added to the team. And what was the end result? A top-heavy team, which resulted in the poorest work I have done...
Remote Work Isn’t the Problem — Fake Work Is
I was recently chatting with a youngster in the US, who told me that his sister has a full-time remote job where she works only one hour a day and is seemingly having a gala time! But for now, she is discharging her responsibilities just fine and...
Why Top Performers Don’t Work More Hours
When I landed as a 1st year student in IIT, I imagined that the all-India toppers would be obsessive bookworms. But not only did they study the same hours as everyone else, the were also involved in a lot of extra curricular activities. In that...