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Showing posts with the label leader

Between the Checklist and the Blank Page

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  There are days when my work feels like walking a tightrope. One moment, I’m expected to follow processes exactly as they are — templates, standards, formats, quality checks. Don’t miss a step. Don’t improvise. Consistency matters. And I completely agree. In many situations, standardisation is what keeps work efficient, reliable, and safe. But a few hours later, I’m asked a very different question: “Can you think differently?” “Can you make this more innovative?” “Can you bring a fresh perspective?” And suddenly, the same system that demanded conformity now expects creativity. I’ve often found myself thinking — which version of me do you want today? This is the reality for many of us. The world asks for quality — which usually means standardisation — and at the same time asks for creativity and innovation, which often means breaking away from those very standards. Both are valuable. Both are necessary. But managing the shift between the two is not easy. As a leader, I’ve realised ...

Have You Tried To Dig In Your Innate Abilities?

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Innate, yes, you have it within you. Those knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) that are so much in demand for growth in your organization and in your career. May be you have never looked for. Seek and you shall find. Many-a-times coachees are completely unaware about their potential. They may just be frustrated of a lost chance for promotion. Being frustrated really doesn't help as it just leads to a more of upset feeling and even the existing job role gets affected negatively to a great extent. Either the person may feel that he is not being valued and he may get such kind of perception about the outside world, which may not be real. Instead try to dig in and know the innate KSAs which would help him immediately get started to work for a promotion next year or mid year.  It is not impossible if we work towards it patiently. Just find out what the job role requires and what is it that you have it in you and are not yet putting it to the best possible use if you are unaware or it...

Nature Heals Us

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  It's a picturesque view of nature around. Clear waters, birds chirping around, galloping dolphins, fresh breathable air, green grass, trees in full bloom. Yes we had it all. It was a brief period where we really got to see it all. The lockdown brought humans in cages and animals out of theirs. As we are now opening up again we realise the damage we are doing to nature day in and day out. How selfish can we get? We humans have already depleted much of Earth's resources.  Still if we see nature, we feel calm, composed and healed. For meditation, for inducing a deeply relaxed state, we often hear sounds of the sea waters, birds chirping, sound of the soft wind blowing. Nature continues to heal us. What are we doing to protect it? Truth is we are too busy in the world inside of us, to be really concerned about the world outside of us. We live in our heads, our life stories, our dreams. We then live in this physical world and so we do not pay attention to how nature actually is h...

'I am so modest, please call me ______'

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In over a decade of corporate experience and few years spent in educational sector, I have come across all kinds of personalities in the senior management cadre. By this I mean, I've seen those who truly believe their power is their Designation, their Chair and their Title (the way they are addressed- sir, mam). And I've seen those who recognise and follow the fact that a leader is what he is because of his followers. Respect is earned and commanded and cannot be demanded. I've seen those earlier lot of people which I mentioned here, are highly driven by cabin culture. The size of the cabin and the table they have is their reason to boast. Sadly, within themselves they attach their self worth to it, and in one way they are slaves to their Chair. I say this because they attach their purpose, respect, ego and life to it.  Then there is a category 3 which I call the 'confused minds'. They are the ones who yearn for a large space and want their names to be addressed wit...