October 21, 2018

Movie Review: Badhai Ho

What happens when a couple discovers that they are expecting a third child when their eldest son is about to get married. Badhai Ho is a brilliant take on that. This middle class couple is not really thinking of how the new arrival will impact the economics of the family budget. Far from it. Their main anxiety is how to break the news to the family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, relatives ... Each encounter is a potential bundle of embarrassment for different reasons. No one believes for a minute what the couple wants. Everyone is looking at it from their own point of view. That is the nuanced message this film brings.

October 11, 2018

Do you have a boring workplace

Do you look forward to being back at work on a Monday morning? Do you look forward to being in a place surrounded by inspiring colleagues? Let me put it simply. Is your workplace as boring and devoid of personality as is possible? Is it soul-crushing? I can tell you a simple way to find out. Read on ...

October 4, 2018

The fourth space for working

Almost a decade ago Starbucks branded itself as the “third space” after office and home, where work happened. As the nature of work, working and workers have all changed, a fourth space has emerged. Co-working spaces get people from large organizations, small and medium enterprises and the solo workers. The solo worker could be the lone employee of a company or a gig worker who connects to the world on his or her mobile. This may also be triggered by the millennials who enjoy connecting and sharing their life in the virtual world. The co-working spaces give them a chance to do so in the work setting as well. Co-working is more than a working space. It is a place to not be lonely...

October 3, 2018

Book Review: Stories at Work

When you come across an old photo, you recall a story. Suddenly a date becomes significant. Milestone events get etched in our mind because our brain has created a little PostIt note and created a special place for it. By the way, where were you on 11 September 2001? You may be racking your brains to leaf through the pages of your memory. But as soon as you read the story, everything falls into place. Can you use stories in the workplace?

September 27, 2018

How to Build Your Own Silicon Valley

Medha works in the first stage to build the self-confidence of students. This is done by helping them build their sift skills like public speaking, working in teams, negotiating and influencing others. These are all vital skills that every employer looks for. The next phase is where Medha builds the digital literacy among the students. In the final stage, the Medha volunteers coach the students on how to appear for job interviews, how to write a resume and also help them find internships.

September 24, 2018

The Unconscious Bias Against Introverts in Corporations

One of three people is an introvert says Susan Cain's research. Yet, we often ignore and fail to leverage the power of the introverts. This book is really about understanding the almost silent ways in which introverts operate. Even in organizations, we idolize people who can speak spontaneously, backslap strangers and who visibly demonstrate action. That really puts the introverts at a disadvantage. Introverts are uncomfortable in offices without walls, unabashed self promoting behavior and visibly appearing confident by monopolizing the conversation.

September 14, 2018

How to have a “Happy Long Life”

Ever noticed how in most organizations the leaders rarely join workshops and training events. They will sit at the back, doing their email. That signals to the team that they do not need to learn all this, but they are joining the workshop just to encourage the team. This is patronizing and tells the participants, the new ideas will not be implemented because the leaders have not accepted their own need to learn and accept new ideas.Even now, in most organizations, the learning opportunities are segmented by hierarchy rather than learning needs. The seniors feel embarrassed to attend the same workshop that their team members are attending. It’s a sign of an antiquated mindset when leaders project themselves to be “beyond learning”. They will not be the role models employees need to stay curious and humble — two qualities that help a person to learn.

September 6, 2018

Getting Distracted by Shiny Objects

You want to look for information, you will get it - lots of it. There will an equally large number of journals that will tell you that "research shows..." that you ought to be doing something. There will be an equally powerful publication that will tell you that what you just spent time learning and telling your team to implement is the equivalent of "fake news" in the world of management. You want to get on with your ever-growing To-Do list but these shiny objects keep distracting you. You are not alone.