As team leaders we all want to do the best for our full team and its individual members. We look at ways to encourage them, motivate them, and keep them focused on doing the best possible work. This is certainly the intent that each successful team leader holds for her or his team. But most times, these are aspects of human behavior – both at an individual and at a group level – that many leaders have not understood. We essentially replicate what our leaders – especially our role models...

Welcome to the last conversation (episode 3) we’re having in this series on strengthening the relationship between couples or partners. In the two previous episodes, we’ve spoken about establishing or re-establishing the foundation for a good relationship between the two of you, and we’ve looked at ways to have some meaningful conversations. Let’s talk today about talking about some difficult things for the couple/partners. Our goal is not to have a perfect solution, or to establish a...

Let’s continue our conversation on strengthening the relationship between couples or partners. This is the second part of a 3 part series on (Re) Igniting your relationship. Our focus today is on setting a strong foundation for the relationship between couples and partners. So, if you’ve not listened to part 1 of this series, I encourage you to listen to part 1 also.   Now, most couples start a relationship – either by active choice or by passive acceptance – without too much thought of...

Till you meet that special person, life seems a bit less grounded or unstable. And, then you finally meet that special person and it’s rainbows and roses… at least in the movies, and perhaps in real life as well. Now, time goes on and the relationship which was wild and passionate and adventurous tends to mature into a peace-filled pace that we enjoy. There is a maturity in the relationship that moves from being a fizzy soda to the deeper roundedness of a single malt.  Well, at least for...

There is certainly one place that nearly all of us have been at.. and that is at the crossroads!! The Crossroad (s)  is the place and or time in our life when we’re not sure of how to proceed, in which direction to go, or what to do next…   The pathways are conflicting, there is no certainty, there’s lots of confusion, and not enough data. And, if this point in time and space occurs when one is also dealing with emotional turbulence then, it’s that much harder and scarier…   This is the...

As a talented and ambitious professional, you’re committed to your learning and development. You’re probably attending as many programs online or reading material or getting certifications as you can. And, this is a required and integral part of your development.. However, this gives you only explicit or technical knowledge. There is another aspect of your learning and development that you need to focus on.. and this is getting tacit knowledge or wisdom… especially to manage your career,...

Ever so often managers and leaders have the opportunity to meet with their senior colleagues from the executive level. This could be a VIP visit to the site, or at the Board meeting or some launch event and so on… Most times, YOU - the young and upcoming leader - are not able to really take advantage of the air time or personal face time with the senior leader. In some cases, YOU essentially stay quiet and let the boss speak, or you just listen and nod and smile, or you let some other...

The last couple of years have been particularly difficult for team leaders at all levels. The way we’ve lead teams all these years in our career has been completely disrupted and we’ve had to adjust to using virtual mode as our only option. However, there is some down side in terms of zoom fatigue, endless virtual meetings and calls, erosion or home and work boundary, and disruption of geographic time management. There is an overwhelming sense of tiredness and fatigue that has crept in...

In our conversation today, we’re talking about specific strategies that you can use in each phase of the personal change process. This is part 2 of our series on understanding the personal change process, so if you’ve not listened to part 1; then you’ll find it really helpful to listen to that first and then come back to this episode. We’ve understood what each one is in our last episode, so today, my focus is to share with you some do’s and don’ts for each stage so that you can support...

So, you’ve been wanting to start to make changes in your lifestyle for quite some time now. But, something always comes up OR  the timing just doesn’t seem to be right. And Unfortunately, when we’re unable to move towards the personal changes that we aspire to make, we start Judging ourselves:  I just don’t have the discipline, I control myself..    Or, we condemnourselves … I’m such a loser…  or just feel really terrible or guilty and so on. None of these states are helpful for you to...

Most of us have a secret!!  And, this secret is that we’re trying to lose weight or get more physically active or drop a habit that is not helpful for us, or trying to pick up a habit that is good for us. We treat this behavior change program of ours as a SOLO Journey and very soon we’re not able to sustain it and so we drop out. The reason we drop out is that this is NOT supposed to be a SOLO journey! You’ll succeed if you treat it as travelling with friends and family. Your social...

So many of us set an intention to get fit, or move towards a healthier life style, start exercising, giving up junk food, going easy on the booze.. and we take a few steps and very soon, our efforts collapse. Some folks have tried out so many fitness fads and diets, that and nothing works for them, so they get a cynical attitude of been there, done that, nothing works.. So, what do you need to do differently this time?  Here’s a secret….. before you start to DO anything, it’s vital to...

By the time you reach mid- to senior level successfully in the organization, your skills, qualifications, talent, track record, are considered as base line requirements for the job; they are essentials to help you keep your job but are not enough if you aspire to grow further. One of the key requirements for success in organizational growth is to develop and nurture a mentor, or preferably a panel of mentors  -  who will support your career.. These mentors can be formally appointed by...

Leaders reach a senior level and find themselves with knowledge and skills that can be outdated and not relevant to the requirements of the new role. And, this can make them feel vulnerable because they see peers who have new ideas, are able to bring in different points of view, share information that is relevant and unique and always seem to be on the cutting edge of information and analysis.   So what is the secret of these leaders who are thriving and making a mark at senior leadership...

As  LEADERS & MANAGERS, many times we work with team members or other stakeholders who’re dealing with a difficult situation or some emotional turmoil and during this time, they’re thinking tends to go haywire. This faulty thinking can be a passing phase or it can tend to stick around for a bit. Now, you as an outside person can clearly see that the thinking is faulty, but for the person who is thinking this way and feeling it also….it is real! In our conversation today, let’s...

When it comes to setting goals, all of us know about SMART goals or setting BHAG goals. Leaders are conditioned to set goals that are big, inspiring, and that are supposed to scare the self or scare others. And, while this might give a small shot of adrenaline rush, there is an immediate crash the next day when it comes to actually implementing these inspirational, BIG Goals, that are supposed to scare. Fact is that they are so scary that our own inner systems collapse when it comes to...

Over the last year and half t we’ve all struggled with the impact of Covid in our personal and professional lives, our fears and anxiety have been amplified and concentrated given the chronic impact of this virus. They have become an insidious part of our life. Some of us are able to recognize the impact that these fears have on us, and for some of us, the impact is hidden. So, in our conversation today,  I’d like to share some insights and techniques  that have worked for my coaching and...

The last couple of years between COVID and long hours in calls, have pushed so many of us to become COUCH POTATOES. Our health and fitness have taken a back seat!! Given that the situation is still difficult and uncertain, many of us do not have an idea (or perhaps energy) to get back into some form of fitness. In today's conversation we share some very simple tips to help you start taking some simple steps...  Share your feedback / comments with me on [email protected] If you liked...

The last one year of Covid has created and put us under tremendous pressure and stress. And, the fact that the end is no where in sight.. we now have an escalation that is even more severe… means that many of us are struggling with a high level of fatigue..or despair.. and giving up… So, let’s consider the things that are causing this covid fatigue and look for ways that we can deal with it. These are COVID FATIGUE Management Strategies!! We really don’t have a choice because we have –...

The challenge with the so called negative emotions such as anger, fear, sadness, shame, guilt, anxiety, depression and so on – is that they often cross over from a normal functional range that we all experience during the course of a day or week, to a more intense level that tends to last longer. Maybe a few weeks or a few months.  In such situations, the brain’s neural circuits get caught repeating the same unhelpful thoughts which in turn trigger these negative emotions.. this is called...

Psychological safety is the what your team members experience at the workplace, because you make each member feel that they can be heard … and you welcome their input.         …in such teams, studies demonstrate increased creativity and productivity because of the higher levels of trust and confidence that each member feels. One of the ways that a team leader creates psychological safety with the members of his team is having coaching conversations that are specifically designed to make the...

When it comes to office politics, many of us shy away from it because it seems to have a negative connotation. In our minds we think of backstabbing, playing underhand games, hypocrisy, lack of trust, gossiping and so on.  No one is open to say, I love office politics and I’m good at it.. yet, there are so many who become part of it… knowingly or unknowingly.. willingly or unwillingly. So, in our conversation let’s understand what’s behind this term and how to manage office politics.   Share...

None of us can deny that the last one year has disrupted nations, economies, industries, companies, and our individual lives. We’ve had to look at every aspect of how we live and work. Many sacred beliefs and traditions about how we do things, and how businesses need to be run have been reset because we’ve discovered that life goes one without them… in new ways! So, in our conversation today, let’s talk about somethings that we need to think about as lessons learned; and our focus is on how...

Every leader – whether it is a first-time team leader or a senior executive at the Director, VP or CXO level is interested in increasing her or his productivity and effectiveness as a leader. One way that is often overlooked or treated without much intention is the leader’s ability and willingness to delegate important tasks to direct reports. Research shows that leaders who delegate effectively can increase their effectiveness at work by as much as 30%. So, how can You – as a leader -...