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Earning Respect That Lasts a Lifetime
A few weeks ago, I called a former boss of mine (the then Director General of Police, Kerala) to wish him a happy new year -- he is nearing 80 and is not keeping very good health. This officer was the most draconian disciplinarian to have headed...
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Action Converts Potential Into Reality
You have potential. So do I. But even a rock sitting on a hilltop has potential energy. Yet, there is nothing it can do until it starts rolling down...
The Truth About Jobs and Entrepreneurship
"9-to-5 jobs are slavery. You work on someone else's dream -- and have no freedom, no flexibility. It is a shitty life. "I was also like that once....
The Power of Simple Stories
In the summer of 2006, I was doing my summer internship with McKinsey in New York. My manager was an MD from a top medical school. One day, he and I...
Choose things that are right for you
You don't have to hustle -- if you don't want to. There is no law of nature that says -- "Everyone in the world has to hustle all the time." No...
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Treat People Fairly
In my B-school course on 'Negotiations', we were split into groups of two and given a $10 bill each. The person who got the $10, had to split it with his partner in whichever way he wanted. If the partner agreed to the proposal, they got to keep...
Progress Over Perfection
The writer who produces the perfect first draft, produces nothing. The entrepreneur who 'makes sure' that his first startup is a unicorn, never starts. The person who 'makes sure' that everything he does is perfect, does nothing. There is no magic...
Optionality Hinders Action
I write nearly every day. And I have done it for years. Because in my mind, writing is not optional. It is something I do on good days and bad, on busy days and idle days. Most importantly, I do it whether I feel like it or not. If something is...
Hardship Fuels Change
Had it been left to me, I suspect I would probably still be sitting on my 1st-year electrical engineering courses without completing them. Ok, I am exaggerating a bit. But without the external pressure of exams and getting a degree, few of us would...