Posted on Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Words Matter. Watch Them!

Your Words Can Inspire Growth Or Sow Death

Many of us live in communities that identify with free speech. In this arena, the words we speak may seem trivial. But are they, really?

Words are a powerful catalyst to life. They make war and instill peace. A carefully chosen word can incubate love or instigate strife. Our relationships depend on words we choose to share or withhold.

Andrea Gardner produced a short video that spoke straight to my heart. In it, an elderly man sits on a cold sidewalk. He has a small tin can and beside him is a sign that reads, “I am blind, please help.” A few passersby toss some change in his direction.

Then comes a smartly dressed lady. She picks up the sign, scribbles something on it and puts it back in its place. No sooner has she walked away than more coins swamp the blind man faster than he can pick them up. People bend over to drop their donation.

“It’s a beautiful day and I can’t see it,” read the new sign. The lady had written the same message but in different words!

Posted on Saturday, September 5, 2015

Goals – My Dreams On A Deadline

5 reasons why goals are in my survival kit

You wake up and think, “Oh my, here’s another day! What am I going to do?” As your brain begins to fire up, the magnanimity of the tasks ahead slam your head back on the pillow.

This was my exact daily morning ritual a couple of years back. I hated my work environment. I would drag myself out of bed, take a long shower and fix a strong coffee.

Routine filled my life. Rather influence my environment, it felt like the routine was sucking the life out of me. For years, what I did drove a major part of my identity, rather than who I am. I was frustrated, angry, tired and confused.

After I quit my job, I did a deep-dive into why I felt and acted the way I did. My discovery was amazing as it was simple. Never at any time had I written down my personal goals. As much as I knew what my vision was, I sabotaged my life by not articulating my goals.

Posted on Thursday, August 27, 2015

Top 3 Reasons Why Your Story Matters

Stories are powerful catalysts to life

It’s amazing how stories have the power to revise the course of our lives. But why do stories captivate our minds, leave our hearts pounding and enchant euphoric emotions?

Our perceptions and actions are influenced by the stories we live. And even more profound and longer-lasting are the stories we chose to share.

It is because narratives that happen at a personal level influence my potential to lead. They are powerful catalysts to my ability to be the change that I want to see in others. Stories act as a diving board to a deeper meaning of my life or my launch pad to the greatness I am meant to live.

One of my annual goals is to keep my fitness and health in check. I even purchased a mountain bike. However, I kept on telling myself that I need to ease into basic fitness first before I could begin my riding program. Six months later, I hadn’t made any progress! All because I made excuses of lack of time to justify my laziness. These excuses became the story of my life.

Posted on Thursday, August 20, 2015

So, Why Are You Alive Today?

Why we need to take a deep-dive to our soul

It was 5 AM. I stretched my body to wakefulness. It was going to be just another day. In a flash, my mind was invaded by a troubling question, “So, why are you alive today?”

Like a shot out of a canon, I was out of bed like a cat on fire. By the time I got downstairs, heart pounding as if to eject itself out of my rib-cage! I had a thin, cold bead of sweat on my brow.

Grief has a way of gripping at the core of a human being. The loss of a family member can have far-reaching consequences. For me, the loss of my dad has increased my sensitivity towards being alive and life in general.

When I finally planted my body on the couch, I began to critically process the question again, “So, why are you alive today?” The answer seemed simple as it was another question… “What will you do with your life today?”

Posted on Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Learn Or Crash? Lessons In Grief

When your world suddenly caves in...

This post is a special tribute to my dear Dad. He fought through pain and remained strong to the end. His courage will not be in vain.

You are cruising along a beautiful, tree-lined boulevard. Without warning, you suddenly fall off a precipice that has appeared from thin air!

This is how I felt on the morning of August 2nd, 2015. It was sudden. The finality of the experience tore at every fiber of my being. My Dad was no more… he had made his final bow. The cancer that had afflicted his tongue finally took its toll on his life.

We were just glowing in the joy of reconnection. I had struggled for decades to get to this point. Yet it was only to be for a short six weeks. But what treasured memories that brief window provided.

We had our fair share of ups and downs. However, if I were to forget everything else Dad left with me, these three lessons will forever remain inscribed on my heart.

Posted on Friday, July 31, 2015

Top 3 Attitudes To Win At Leadership

Why leading isn’t as complicated as we think it is

There it was glowing in splendor. It was like gazing at a sailing ship riding from a starry, jet-black night sky!

This was my first reaction when I saw the Burj Al Arab, a luxury hotel in Dubai. It’s sail-like silhouette was like nothing I had seen on any building before.

Access to the hotel was over a private, 280-meter long curving bridge. However, there is a dedicated helicopter transfer service if that’s your fancy.

Thinking back to my brief experience on the 27th Floor, I couldn’t help but ask myself, “What kept this hotel repeatedly voted the world’s most luxurious hotel?” I believe it was the action of the people who work in the background.

It made me think of how easy it is to miss out on leadership opportunities. The vanity of position, possessions or power can obscured our focus.

We cling to hierarchies because our place in a hierarchy is, rightly or wrongly, a major indicator of our social worth.” ~ Harold J. Leavitt

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Posted on Tuesday, July 21, 2015

The Challenge Of Leadership

The 3 major roadblocks I face everyday

On the 21st of June 2015, one father had committed to meet with another father. It was Fathers’ Day. These two fathers had not met or talked over a stretch of 10 years!

Not surprisingly, the meeting was emotional. One father got to meet his grandchildren for the first time. One, two, then three… the 10, 8 and 6-year old kids hugged their grandfather for the very first time. And then they introduced themselves to him.

The grandfather was in tears, the other father was confused. Lunch was followed by tea. Then there were the photos. The fathers stood side by side, their chests thrust out forward in silent pride.

There was a sense of closure. This closure that was brought about by a choice to take leadership of a seriously broken relationship.

Posted on Wednesday, July 15, 2015

I Am The Problem

When life boomerangs back at you

This guest post is by Chris Pineda, the Athletic Practice Director at the Arbinger Institute, the organization-author of the bestsellers, Leadership and Self-Deception and The Anatomy of Peace. Learn more about the new expanded second edition of The Anatomy of Peace

After lacing up my soccer boots I took my headphones off to get focused for the match. We were playing our rivals and one thing was on my mind: Winning!

It was time to step onto the pitch. It was a big day. I needed to get the best warm up possible and my teammates had better be as focused as me.

I made sure I stretched properly and warmed up with the ball, all the while thinking about what I was going to do in the game. Picturing the saves I was going to make, the plays I was going to be highlighted in, and how the fans would roar afterwards.

Posted on Wednesday, July 8, 2015

5 Reasons Role Models Make Better Leaders

Transformational growth happens when we are purposeful

Kenneth Blanchard, an author and management expert, says this: “The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.”

Reading is a culture that is developed consciously. Growing up, I could only lay claim to the schoolbooks I had. Food inspired my love for reading.

I borrowed a classmate’s copy of The Famous Five by Enid Blyton. One thing stood out from the book. As Georgina (George), her three cousins and their dog went out camping, they fried bacon and eggs for breakfast. Afternoon tea was accompanied with cake!

In my mind! I could taste the delicious bacon. Having grown up with just the basics and the occasional treats once in a blue moon, this book brought to life possibilities beyond my current status then. When my mum served pumpkin and black tea, out came the Famous Five.

Posted on Tuesday, June 30, 2015

Worry No More!

4 Steps to Stop Worrying and Start Living

At the end of this post, you can watch my interview with Bruce Van Horn, bestselling author of “Worry No More! 4 Steps to Stop Worrying and Start Living”. There is an audio version for you too!

It felt like the longest drive I have taken in my life. Yet it was only 160 kilometers long.

Anxiety plagued my mind. I was going home for the first time in a decade! That is how long it had been since I had last seen my dad.

The fact that my children had never set foot in the where house I grew up compounded my worry. They too had never met their grand-father. How would the meeting unfold?

When I informed my wife of my decision to reconnect with my dad, even she was astounded. She understood the pain that this separation had caused. Her response just compounded my worry of this whole experience going south on me.

But on Fathers Day, my family and I hit the road. I had to confront my fear and worry. It was time to wrestle with my fate. A time of renewal.