Hello,Happy Holidays! I hope you’re doing well. Let me keep doing what I’ve been doing every year.The year that is about to end! Looking back on the year 2025! I want to do the same thing now that I’ve been doing for the past few years: writing to you and reviewing how the year went. […]
There are two types of silence in every organisation.One comes from being focused.The other comes from emotional withdrawal. The second type is risky. Stonewalling at work, which is when employees stop talking about their worries, feelings, or feedback, has become a silent epidemic. And even though a lot of leaders think this, it’s not usually […]
Feedback is seen as a way to help people progress in any organisation.But in real life, it often feels like an attack on you. Even when people mean well, honest and direct critique sometimes makes them defensive, upset, or resistant. People begin to explain, argue, and defend instead of learning. In my books Culture Drives […]
The Monday Morning Conference Call is Scene 1. Client (USA): “We need clearer action points and responsibility for every deliverable!”Team (India/Philippines): “Yes, yes… got it.”Client: “So, who owns what, exactly?”Team: [Long, courteous silence] “We’ll talk about it internally and get back to you.”Client: “Hold on, what does that mean?”Team: “Yes.”Client: “What do you mean by […]
(Why the most important talk at work is also the one people try to avoid the most) Scene 1: Meeting Room 3B on a Monday morning Manager: “We need to talk about feedback.”Team Member: [Heart rate goes up three times] “Uh-oh.” “Am I getting fired?”Manager: “No, I’m just giving you some advice to help you […]
“Hey, do you ever feel like you don’t have any energy?” That’s how a recent talk with a 42-year-old IT project manager started. He grinned a little and said, “Spark? I’m just trying not to become too tired. This is something that people in IT, banking, media, BPO, finance, and entertainment are saying in boardrooms, […]
“People used to live through wars. Now we get anxious when an email is late.” I heard this snarky comment in a leadership workshop once, and it sums up a rising fact about our times: Our ability to handle stress and bounce back from setbacks is getting worse very quickly. Even while workplaces are getting […]
Scene 1: A modern office on a Monday morning Manager: “Hey, do you have time for a quick call?”Worker: “Of course.” Right after my wellness session, stand-up meeting, LinkedIn post, two team syncs, and coffee catch-up.“Next year?” asked the manager. Welcome to the age of distraction, where being “busy” is a brand, multitasking is a […]
The First Scene:The Office of Malevolence (A regular morning on a Monday). (The coffee maker is moaning, the printer is yelling, and the ghost of perfectionism is hovering.) Boss: “What gives this report its 99% accuracy rate?”“I didn’t know we had to check the alignment of commas,” the employee explained to the supervisor.We do, Boss. […]
The Stockdale Paradox: A Lesson in Hope and Survival The “Stockdale Paradox” is one of the most profound lessons about how to be strong that Admiral James Stockdale, who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam for more than seven years, taught us. It is simple but deep: Have the unwavering faith that you will […]
