Here is the answer for those of you who are in a hurry: In short, you need to first build a case to make a case. You need to raise awareness to the related issue or opportunity so that someone is open to you making a case on a topic. Now a longer explanation. I… Continue reading
The Case for Listening
Have you faced a situation where you had gone to a meeting to share something but by the end of the meeting all you did was to listen to the other person talk about their work and never bothered to listen to what you had to say? If you have experienced it, I am sure… Continue reading
Why MOST smart people are better at solving other people’s problems…
And, not their own problems. I am sure you have seen them and may be you are one of them. Smart people who can solve other people’s problems very easily but they can’t solve their own problems. As my friend Stuart Scott would say, most people have brilliant “outsight” and all they lack is some… Continue reading
Gatecrashing into someone’s heart…
Can you gatecrash into someone’s heart? It can happen in movies, for sure. In real life? The chances for that are the same as the chances of winning a lottery. Possible but rarely practical. Make a place in someone’s heart and the you change the relationship completely. Once someone allots a place for you in… Continue reading
Mini Saga Workshop and Mini Saga #58 – Karma
If you have been reading my blog for sometime, you know about mini sagas. It is a story that is told in exactly 50 words. Not 49 or 51 but exactly 50. I have had many requests about how to write a mini saga. I have written close to 100 mini sagas and published around… Continue reading
Ways to Distinguish Yourself #211 – Beware of Drama
I have to tell you a story to make this point. Some of you have seen Indian movies and some of you have not. Those of you who have seen an Indian movie will smile at this and those of you who have not will want to see an Indian movie ( a mass-market kind… Continue reading
Beating the odds
There are odds for everything. I mean everything. In fact, without those odds, it wouldn’t be fun doing it anyway. The first step to beating the odds against you is to “try” to beat it. That means doing something that you want to do. I have long followed a rule that has worked very well… Continue reading
Ways to Distinguish Yourself #210 – Bridge the “Gap” to Connect Well
Think about last week. You met with a lot of people personally and professionally. Only a handful of them “really connected” with you. Most others ( even those that impressed you ) did not bother to “connect” and you will probably wipe them out of your memory sooner than later. [ Note: On the flip… Continue reading
CEREBRATE Silicon Valley 2010 – Request for Nominations
CEREBRATE Silicon Valley 2010 happens during July 30 – Aug 1, 2010 at Mount Madonna. The event begins late Friday afternoon and ends on Sunday afternoon. CEREBRATE (brain-child of my friend Kiruba Shankar) is an event like no other. The event typically begins with no agenda and quickly develops into a a series of conversations… Continue reading
Independence Day
Today is Independence Day and there are celebrations all over the place. It’s exciting. Definitely. Independence as the word explains is opposite of “Dependence” – in other words it is your freedom to choose rather than being dictated or told what to do. In fact, it is more than the opposite of dependence. The keyword… Continue reading