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How to break out of a stable equilibrium
If you practice anything for, say 10,000 hrs, you will become world-class. Right? Wrong. You probably already know people who have been playing badminton for years, maybe decades. And are they ready for the Olympics? Of course, not. In fact, you...
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Prioritizing customer happiness
A private equity fund I know, once invested in a startup led by a rockstar CEO -- or so we were told. The startup raised seed capital of $100...
To lie or not to lie
When I was recruiting during my MBA at Wharton, people said that if an interviewer asks whether you have other job offers, always say ‘yes.’ The...
Best work comes from not burning out
Twice in my life, I have worked 6 months or more, without a single day's break. Here is what happened. The first time, I was serving as the...
How to stop being frustrated
A few years ago, at the Gold’s gym in Bandra, Mumbai, a few of us were waiting for the lift -- and yes, I do see the irony of using an elevator to...
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What would you give up for job security?
Last year, when I was talking to a youngster after one of our bootcamp sessions, he asked me, “I have taken up a government job, which I really hate but my family is asking me to stick to it for job security. What should I do?” I don’t give career...
A Dramatic Journey
In Jan 2006, while most of my MBA classmates had secured their summer internships, I was waiting, empty-handed. Many firms didn’t even interview me -- who wants to hire an ex-cop, with no prior business experience? In the midst of a festive mood in...
Self-Respect in Entrepreneurship
In the past, I have often gotten this question: “Why don’t you use your civil service connections to get business from government?” As an entrepreneur, this is the thing I would hate doing the most. So much so that whenever I have had discussions...
Embracing Accountability
During my days as a private equity investor, I saw people making two kinds of mistakes: Type 1 mistake: You make a bad investment, but when you realize it, you accept it and move on. You secretly curse yourself and try not to repeat it. Type 2...