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Managers Should Lead, Not Do Their Team’s Job
In my policing days, a fellow senior officer was very fond of daily night-patrolling and catching criminals. Sounds cool, right? In fact, the media loved and glorified it. But here is the problem -- that was not his job. His job was to guide his...
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Why Intelligent People Often Aren’t Rich
Why are intelligent people often not rich? Because they want to make money only using their intellect. For example, if a "non-intelligent"...
Everyone Feels Fear – Face It Anyway
Everybody feels scared: -- On the first day of a job. -- During a job interview. -- Before closing a big sales deal. -- Before the performance...
How to Know If Your Idea Is Real
Early in my startup days, I used to sometimes wonder -- am I doing something real or am I just fiddling around, fooling myself? How do I know this...
The Secret of Confidence: Focus on What You Know
As a rookie consultant at McKinsey, before the final client presentation, I used to feel very jittery. No matter how much work I had done, there...
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In Investing and Life, Patience Beats Luck
My friend Vinod Thomas and I have together been investing in public equities for the last one year. So are you ready for some investing wisdom? Kidding. 😊 It is very tempting to think of yourself as a good investor in a bull market. But one of my...
When Focus Feels Like a Battle, Step Back
Yesterday, when I was doing some focused work, after some time, I felt so agitated and restless that I desperately wanted an escape -- check the news, open LinkedIn, do anything. When the task is hard or tedious, this 'escape impulse' comes to me...
Life Comes Without a Map – And That’s Okay
I often hear 25-year-olds say, "I don't know what I want to do with my life." Heck, I am so much older, and even I don't know that! But one thing I do know -- I don't want to waste my life doing meaningless stuff. If something doesn't make sense, I...
Why Staying Up Late Doesn’t Mean You’re Working Hard
On day 1 of my last job with a private equity fund, I wanted to know whether they worked late nights routinely or followed reasonable work hours. But how could I ask? In prestigious post-MBA jobs like consulting, banking, and investing, talking...