Criticism is hard. If not you don’t criticize the “right” way, both parties lose. And rarely anyone does it right. As you know, there are many reasons even smart people criticize other people. The #1 defense against criticism is that the person who criticized is not qualified to criticize. That is the fastest way to… Continue reading
Post Category → General
Why MANY smart people face a mid-career dilemma and how you can avoid it.
Yes, it happens around age 40. It is not a midlife crisis but just a state of dilemma or confusion about their life and their careers. Note: I wrote a book in 2005 highlighting this problem for technology professionals. You can download that book “Beyond Code” ( foreword by Tom Peters) for free. Over the… Continue reading
Why smart people have trouble making a change
(Even when they know change is good for them) Change is hard. Change is hard whether you are smart are not smart. If you are smart, it’s harder, I guess. What is change? Change in this context is to do different things than what you are already very familiar with. For example, if you are… Continue reading
Well, it seems to make sense…
But it does not! At first brush, you see a compelling argument presented well and you would think that it makes a lot of sense. Stop and think even for a moment and you will notice the flaws in the assumptions that are made to craft the argument. I have picked two examples to present…. Continue reading
The Secret Advantage
Everyone has a secret advantage. Whether everyone uses it to make the most of their life is a different story altogether. I am going to share an article I wrote about the secret advantage Indian professionals working in the US have – just to make a point and then actually make a point at the… Continue reading
How to make your email stand out?
Most people who are writing and speaking get a ton of emails – all sorts of emails. I get a fair share of them myself. While most of the emails are pretty standard, every now and then, I get an email that stands out – distinguishes itself from the crowd. Rather than tell you what… Continue reading
11 Kinds of Popularity
Without further ado, here they are in no particular order. Some types lend themselves to be popular within closed circles and others more broadly. 1. The Fun Type: You are always fun to be around. You transform any party with your humor, wit and just by being jovial. You are popular and people will miss… Continue reading
Good Boss, Bad Boss – Inspiring talk by Bob Sutton
I had the pleasure of listening to one of my favorite authors and teachers Bob Sutton speaking about his new book “Good Boss, Bad Boss.” The event was at IDEO ( a company I deeply admire ) so it was a double bonus. Bob was kind enough to participate in the “Quought for the Day”… Continue reading
What you are (really) asking
Sometimes you make a request and you get a No response. You are disappointed. You think it was a simple request and it would hardly take any effort to fulfill it. You just wish people were more considerate. You make your plan to submit the same request to another person. What you might want to… Continue reading
Making it look easy…
The other day we were at the beach in Carmel. Sumukh spotted a bubbly dog Joe jumping into the waves to fetch a ball. His Master was throwing the ball quite deep. Joe would not only spot the ball but would rush through the waves to fetch it in a matter of a couple of… Continue reading