Our enemy’s best friend

Decades ago, when I wrote an article with the same title for a (now defunct) e-zine, my focus was the immaturity and gullibility of Indian society; especially the youth. Growing up, I would see mobs of youth going on rampage at slightest provocation by religion, politics, social causes they believed in or to protest against… Read More »

A role is a role is a role

During my career at Intel, one of the misunderstanding most managers had was that employees in the same role were easily transferrable; especially in roles that did not require deep business or technical knowledge; like project and program manager, first line manger, UI/UX designer and others. This assumption would make restructuring or reorganizations of the… Read More »

It’s all about positioning

I was lucky enough to learn very early in my career that it’s all about positioning! I didn’t like it then and I don’t like it now; but you cannot live in denial and still expect stellar results. As I grew in my career I realized the truth behind this advice I got and why it… Read More »

Preparing for the 2nd act

Even though no one will admit it, just like in the story of the emperor with no clothes, the age-discrimination bias does exist in the industry; more so in the hi-tech industry. That does not mean that if you are in your 40s or 50s or 60s and are thinking of re-entering the work place you… Read More »

The R-Quadrant

The discussion started around one of the important traits of a good and effective leader – the say-do ratio. I have used this as an important parameter to evaluate others and my own leadership, whenever I was in such a role. Soon the discussion diverted to old friends and acquaintances, but a thought lingered in… Read More »

Working remote or remotely working?

Work-life balance and working remote (working from home) is a topic that usually instigates a debate like a discussion on God. Both sides vehemently posit their point of view by citing examples and data from various sources rarely coming to a conclusion or a common ground. In traditional and large companies, ‘working from home’ is… Read More »

Soft-skills, the hidden differentiator

My most recent book provides a primer on essential soft-skills for managing your career. During my own career of 30+ years, I focused on sharpening my soft-skills along with the hard-skills required to do my job. A lot of times I was told that it’s only the hard-skills that create a differentiator and learning about… Read More »