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The Myth of the Top of the Hierarchy
I once met a mega business leader in his office in Mumbai. And on the office wall, there was a photo of the Indian PM with another head of state, behind whom he was standing quite deferentially. I am sure, when this business leader's direct reports...
Recent Posts
Why Constraints Make You a Better Writer (and Thinker)
Back in the days when LinkedIn had a 1300 character limit for posts, writing was a real pain -- I often had to edit out even seemingly essential...
Why Life Is a Daily Event, Not an Achievement
LinkedIn posts from many successful Civil Service aspirants reminded me of the feeling one often gets on clearing the exam -- that you have arrived...
Why Work Expands to Fill All the Time You Give It
During my consulting stint in New York, I had two Jewish colleagues who observed Sabbath and would leave office sharp at 5 pm on Friday. And for the...
The Highest ROI I Ever Got From Writing One Page
When I applied for my MBA, my monthly government salary was comparable to one day's cost of my MBA. But thankfully, that year, Wharton constituted a...
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Why Most Business Problems Are Not Analytical Problems
Before my MBA, I used to think that business "problem solving" was about analytical thinking. But during my consulting days, and then as an entrepreneur, here is what I figured out: 1. Human emotions and ego create a vast number of "business...
Why Entrepreneurship Makes No Financial Sense
In a VC finance course at Wharton, our professor said, "On a risk-adjusted basis, becoming an entrepreneur does not make financial sense -- you are much better off as an investor." Many of us revolted -- how could she say that? Aren't entrepreneurs...
The Costly Startup Lesson That No MBA Teaches
When I launched my first startup, we urgently needed some cash to keep the company alive. So I roped in a world-renowned expert to conduct a pretty expensive workshop. We just needed 100 signups and for the next 12 months, we would not have to...
The Real Meaning of Consistency in Habit Building
If you fail in building habits, the most likely culprit will be a misunderstanding of what consistency really is. We think that consistency is like a mathematical straight line -- for the next 50 years, you should do the same thing in precisely the...