Understanding Human Psychology

 I was recently attending a training session where the facilitator made an interesting point about feedback. He said that feedback is not something you collect for the sake of collecting it. It is not a box to tick. The purpose of feedback is improvement. It is about understanding what is working, what is not, and what can be done differently. That reminded me of a story I had read some time ago. There was once a lion whose lioness told him that he had bad breath. The lion didn't like hearing this and decided to verify it with his trusted counsellors. The first to arrive was the sheep. The sheep bowed respectfully and said, "Your Majesty, I am sorry to say this, but your breath smells awful." The lion was furious. He immediately pounced on the sheep and killed him. Next came the wolf. Having witnessed what happened to the sheep, he decided to play safe. "My Lord," said the wolf, "your breath smells as fresh as the spring breeze." The lion knew the wolf...

We live in a world that seems to reward speed. The faster you respond to an email, the better. The faster you finish a report, the more productive you are considered. The faster you solve a problem, make a decision, submit a form, prepare a household budget, complete school homework, or crack an interview, the smarter you appear. We learn speed in school may be, where solving your exam paper in a given time before others are done with it, it's considered smart, winning a race is amazing- it becomes more about speed than fitness.  Somewhere along the way, we have started believing that speed and smartness aka intelligence are the same thing. But are they? Back in 2009-10, I used to teach the Introduction of a Learning Organisation to MBAs, that's when I read the concept of Systems Thinking. And I was fascinated that although everything in the world is dependent on each other, yet I never had seen the world this way before. Then I kept deducting how actions take shape and snowbal...

Don’t Fool Yourself Into Thinking You Know It All I recently came across a quote by Richard Feynman that really stayed with me: > “The first principle is that you must not fool yourself — and you are the easiest person to fool.”  ( https://m.economictimes.com/news/international/us/quote-of-the-day-by-richard-feynman-the-first-principle-is-that-you-must-not-fool-yourself-and-you-are-the-easiest-person-to-a-powerful-reminder-about-self-deception-critical-thinking-personal-growth-and-why-facing-the-truth-is-often-the-hardest-part-of-becoming-wiser/articleshow/131228463.cms ) The more I thought about it, the more I realized how relevant this is in today’s world — especially in learning, work, and even with AI around us. We live in a time where information is everywhere. You can ask AI anything, get beautifully structured answers, summaries, frameworks, presentations, even deep-sounding insights within seconds. Social media gives validation instantly. People praise your thoughts, you...

  The last 15 days have been one of the most special and different times of my life. Maybe even the longest proper break I have taken in my career. My daughter got initiated into the Zoroastrian faith through a beautiful and pious ceremony called Navjote. It was such a happy and emotional time for our family. We celebrated together, spent quality time with each other, and created memories I know we will hold close forever. Before taking this break, I honestly wondered how I would feel being away from work for so long. Work has become such a big part of my identity over the years. If someone asked me who I am, a large part of my answer would probably come from the work I do. I wondered if staying away from it for this long would make me feel lost in some way. But the days were so full of love, celebration, family, conversations, laughter, and emotions that there was hardly time to think about anything else. And now, just looking back at the pictures is already making me feel nostalg...

  We suffer more in imagination than in reality. This line really stayed with me. Because if I’m honest, most of the stress I feel is not from what is actually happening, but from what might happen. We create a whole world inside our head — and sometimes that world feels heavier than the real one outside. So many thoughts, so many scenarios, and most of them are worry-filled, anxious, and draining. I’ve caught myself doing this so many times. Replaying a conversation that hasn’t even happened yet. Thinking about what I will say, what the other person might say, what could go wrong. And then replaying it again. And again. By the time the actual moment arrives, I’m already tired. And sometimes, the reality turns out to be so simple, so insignificant compared to the storm I had already created in my mind. Planning is important, no doubt. Thinking ahead, being prepared, helps. But there is a thin line between planning and dwelling. Planning helps you move forward. Dwelling keeps you st...