LinkedIn Posts

I am afraid you will become a victim. Not a victim of some scam, but of all the well-intentioned advice, frameworks, and exhortations you will find on LinkedIn, blogs, podcasts, and videos (some of it coming from me 😊). The problem is not that the advice is all bad,...

When writing my Wharton MBA application, I was working right until the 2:30 am deadline. I was frantically working on my application essays in a Word document, saving the edits every few minutes. But in a last-minute panic, I mistakenly overwrote a recent version of...

Today during my morning run, I crossed a guy walking his dog (a sweet-looking labrador). But sadly, the dog was so overweight that even at a very slow pace, it was struggling to keep up -- the owner had to keep pulling the leash to drag him along. Who would have...

During a consulting project at McKinsey, every Monday morning, I had to drive 2-3 hours from New Jersey to the client's office in Connecticut. One Sunday evening, when I went to bed, I barely had 6 hours left before my wake-up time. So I tried hard to fall asleep. But...

Very early in my career, I developed severe back pain due to long hours of sitting. I knew that I should have gone for evening runs or sports, but I stayed late in the office to show that I was a sincere worker. But one of my bosses would regularly go for his tennis...

In my very first job as a senior cop, I saw that many sub-inspectors of police were reluctant to take their weekly day-offs. When asked why, they said that 'they could not afford to' because of the work pressure. (Also, they would get some extra overtime salary) But...

I know many people who miss the days when they prepared for IITJEE or some major exam. Why? 1. A singular, compelling goal like a big exam overrides most distractions and helps you focus, often creating a pleasurable flow-like state. 2. In exam prep, there is a clear...

In my previous job, a team member was making an investment proposal that my boss thought was quite disastrous. So my boss said, "Why do you want to make the same mistake we made last time? There are so many mistakes one can make -- why don't you try something new?"...

Your struggle is not waking up early. Your struggle is sleeping early. If you are scrolling and 'Netflixing' till late at night, you obviously can't wake up early or do your morning walk. And why do you do that late-night scrolling? Because you crave some...

The next time someone is angry and you want to disarm them, just listen to them. They should know that you are genuinely listening, without being condescending. You are listening to understand, not to come up with a retort or a response. When people are angry, 50% of...

In the early days of India's e-commerce boom, in 2011, I was among 30-odd investors gathered around a renowned entrepreneur in Mumbai's Oberoi Hotel. With casual bravado, he said, "In the current market, if you are not growing 30% month-on-month, you are doing...

The best tonic for your mental health is having a kind boss. Even in the most high-profile assignments, when my bosses have been bad, I have hated the experience. And when I had good bosses, even mediocre work felt worthwhile. If you lead a team, being kind is one of...