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Why Comparing Career Choices Is a Dead End
During my MBA, a college friend visited us in Philadelphia. And during our conversation, I asked him about his career plans. But he had no 'plans' -- he was happy with his life, and I couldn't understand how that was possible! After an IIT degree...
Recent Posts
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...
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...
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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...
Why Constraints Make You a Better Writer (and Thinker)
Back in the days when LinkedIn had a 1300 character limit for posts, writing was a real pain -- I often had to edit out even seemingly essential stuff to fit the character limit. Today, with a 3,000 character limit, your creativity is no longer...