The first world was unhappy when India became a nuclear power. Feed the starving and clothe the naked we were told. The same voices can be heard again when we speak of our space mission. Space activity is a wealth generator. India wants to enter the multi-billion-dollar market for space products and services. We are dreamers. Dreamers are irrational. They will pick themselves up, dust themselves and run towards the next moon or moonshot whichever comes first.
Using a “pull method” is always better than throwing the rule-book at your colleagues. Besides, it is not illegal to speak in a different language. You may not be able to control how your colleagues behave, but you can control your response to the situation.
The settings are varied. What goes on behind the scenes when two star musicians from India and Pakistan share the stage in a concert for peace? A small-town music teacher and a big-city businessman team up. They plan a hunt for India’s best new classical talent—and make a few crores in the process? How does it end? Shubha Mudgal writes about these from the point of view of an insider. That is why each story is so true. The tone is funny but there is a tinge of sadness I felt right through even as I laughed. The stories have a wicked humor that comes from someone who has seen these characters at close quarters.
In a crowded job market, it is hard to explain what makes you different from every other qualified candidate. That is where building a personal brand matters. A potential employer must view you as different from the thousands of other job-seekers. The differentiation is easiest to create through one's online presence.
The world often hands us what are called "wicked problems". These are settings where the rules of the game are unclear or incomplete. The patterns do not repeat and feedback is often delayed or misleading. The world is increasingly beginning to sound close to that description. Who will be more successful - the generalist or the specialist?
While the job descriptions may be the same, you probably do the same job very differently from your predecessor. Personality shapes several aspects of the role – our ability to bounce back after rejection (Sales roles); risk taking ability; our method of competing with others or even how much we voluntarily socialize with colleagues can be traced to personality. A caveat: use a personality assessment tool that is scientifically validated and reliable. Humantic uses AI to assess the candidate for Big Five personality traits without requiring her to answer a questionnaire.
Automation may require an estimated 375 million workers to reskill for new jobs by 2030. New jobs are being created that have never existed before. Being a standup comedian is a thing now. As is the role of a ‘Tweeter-in-Chief’ that Twitter it looking for to run its Twitter account. The position requires a “fun, creative person with story-telling skills”.
Knowing what you want will help you to articulate what you’re seeking advice on. Going in to meet your mentor without knowing what you want to meet for can be a waste of time for you and your mentor. Think of the meeting like a conversation—not a question-and-answer session. Make it a free-flowing and spontaneous dialogue. If you have a doubt or apprehension, or if you wish to seek a clarification, do it in the moment.
