This eBook is the consolidation of everything I have learnt over the last 15 years. Over the last 5 years I have defined my mission statement as “I want to maximise my potential and help others maximise others” Maximise Potential Get the Most out of yourself Shyam Ramanathan
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About the Author ................................................................................................................................... 64
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Acknowledgements
I want to thank my parents for having always believed in me and providing me the complete
freedom to pursue my dreams. I want to thank my dad for imparting his love of learning to me
which has helped me immensely. I want to thank all my college friends who stood by me in my
tough times even when I didn’t have belief in my potential. I want to thank my wife who has
always supported me at home and without her support a lot of my work could not have been
done. Finally to my two wonderful kids who bring joy and happiness to me making life
memorable.
Introduction
My mission is to maximise my potential and help others maximise theirs. This eBook is the
result of my 15 years of experience in the IT industry and over the past 5 years I have devoted to
learning all I can about success, leadership, management and living a better life while staying
happy, energized and enthusiastic. This eBook is the result of that learning and I thought I will
consolidate all the learning in one place so that it can help others.
I hope you enjoy this short eBook and find use in what is presented. Let us begin
Chapter 1 – Define your Success
We all have reservoirs of potential to be unleashed and to recognize our unlimited potential is the
first step towards getting the best out of ourselves. Talent is a strange word that we use to
describe only the uber successful like multimillionaires, sports superstars and other public
figures but we all have talent that can be unleashed.
Talent is not something most of us are born with, it is something we develop through thorough
soul searching, self-analysis, practice and deep learning. It is a cinch but worth repeating find out
what ignites your passion. Passion ignites reservoirs of talent that is hidden within our vast
reservoirs. The main obstacles in our path are our self-doubt and lack of patience.
Let’s face it once we embark on a journey we get a little overwhelmed with the effort that is
required to get to our summit. There are no guarantees in life and the journey is going to be hard
but we have to realize it is worth the effort. We have to really deeply think what we are in it for.
Yes money is a reason, fame is a reason, a sense of accomplishment is a reason but once we get
deep within ourselves and realize that there is something more important our juices start flowing.
Finding our purpose/meaning/mission in life is our great task. Once we find what we are here for
our lives become more exciting, engaging, and we are full of energy, enthusiasm, passion and
have an unlimited zest for our lives. Just writing about this makes me feel more excited. Today is
a great day to live the life we have always imagined. It has been well established that once we act
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like the person we want to become we will eventually become the type of person we always
wanted to be deep inside.
There is no right way to live a life. As long as we live within the laws we are free to choose what
we do with our lives in the finite time we have. What might mean success for one person may
not be the same for another. We are quick to jump to conclusions and claim some people are
successful while others are not. I believe only the particular individual can decide if they are
successful according to their definition or not.
It is not for us to decide if someone is successful or not. The only choice we have is to determine
if we are successful against the standards and definition we set for ourselves. If we attain success
against the definition we set for ourselves then we are a success period. We owe it to ourselves to
define what success will be for us.
There is abundance in this world and we have enormous choices. As we exercise choices that
enhance our lives we eventually go forward and we will reach our Everest. Continuously
pursuing our summits is the true joy in life and the journey is more exciting than the reward
itself!!
Chapter 2 – Never ending journey of success and goals
The first step to understand about success is that it is not a destination but a wonderful journey
that never ends. The best definition of success I have come across is by Earl Nightingale
“Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal/goal”. It is the process that’s actually
exciting. Most of the times once we reach goals like getting the promotion or losing the weight
we can’t keep up momentum but it is the process that actually keeps us energized. Once we
achieve our goals we feel good for that moment but in order to keep that feeling ongoing we
need to keep setting new goals. The important thing to remember is that goal setting is a lifelong
activity and it does energize our lives. People talk a lot about dreams but there has to be a
distinction between outrageous dreams and dreams that ignite. I can have a dream to be the
greatest tennis player that ever lived but that dream is surely not going to be realized and it is
very much outrageous. I think when we speak about dreams the first step we should clarify is
whether it is aligned with our abilities and has a timeline associated with it. Running a marathon
could be a worthwhile dream for me and something within my capability though it would require
tons of training and will be a BIG stretch for me.
Jim Collins coined the term BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) in his blockbuster book “Built
to Last” 20 years back and he said a lot of the visionary companies set BHAG’s that energized
the organization. I think goals for personal life can do the same for us energizing our lives and
increase passion. The starting point of the success journey is to craft a personal mission
statement and back that up with a powerful vision supported by purposeful action. The best
example of a BHAG is “this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade
is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth” by John F Kennedy.
He made that statement on May 25th
1961 and it was still a valid BHAG even after his untimely
death. It is over 50 years old but the beauty lies in its simplicity and clarity. BHAG’s cannot be
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vague. This just goes to show the power of a BHAG. It doesn’t matter what the BHAG is but that
you have a BHAG. There is also a lot of merit in having a personal mission statement. My
personal mission statement is to maximise my potential and help others maximise theirs. The
action I take towards this mission is to read continuously on leadership, management, business
and then share insights on what I have learned through blogs. This gets me excited to read books
that are tough and that I may not read normally. Another thing that is important to set is have a
core set of values that you can live by. Values could be dedication, integrity, honesty, passion.
Again writing down a personal mission statement and clarifying our values will surely add
purpose to our lives.
It is important to remember that goals are not resolutions. Once a new year starts most people
start setting resolutions like Iam going to stop eating sugar, Iam going to lose weight, etc.
Personally I don’t set resolutions as I feel having goals with a burning desire is more effective.
Research has proven that most people break their resolutions within a month of setting it. This is
because we keep mentioning the things we won’t do rather than the benefits it would provide. A
better resolution could be “I want to be super fit so that I can be at my best all day long and feel
energized throughout ultimately leading to a longer life full of energy, contribution and
happiness” As you can see this is a much more energizing message and probably can help us be
on track more than resolutions. Finally with respect to maintaining our proper weight it is useful
to remember that there is no quick fix. It is only daily action performed consistently over a long
period of time that will produce desirable results. We have to be in it for the long haul.
Finally goals have to be in writing. As it is mentioned often “Goals not written down are merely
wishes. A wish is a goal without any energy”. As Harvey Mackay says “A goal is a dream with
a deadline”. Setting short term goals in bursts of 90 days really sets our life on track. Backing
that up with long term goals like 5 years from now and 10 years from now will set us on the path
towards the journey of success with the purpose and vision required to keep us spirited
throughout. I have read that all top achievers write their goals down, read/review their goals on a
daily/weekly basis so that it is always in the front and center of their lives. There are two theories
on sharing goals. One says that keep your goals confidential and another says sharing them will
put the necessary pressure to complete them. I think financial goals, personal goals related to
family should be confidential but if you have goals like “I want to exercise 5 times a week” it
may be best to make that public in which case it puts more onus on you to follow through. The
example of Thomas Edison is often sighted where he would call a press conference to talk about
his new invention/innovative breakthroughs long before it was ready and then go to work to
make that a reality. This puts pressure on him to deliver and he did deliver BIG TIME indeed.
We can feel satisfied once we reach our goals but the only way we can truly stay happy/excited
is to keep setting more goals that stretch us and the process of setting goals and proceeding on
the journey of success provides the real meaning to life. Finally we will encounter problems
along the way on our journey. The way to overcome that is to go back to our mission, vision and
values. Another trick I came across recently is to ask the 10/10/10 question. Will this matter 10
minutes from now, Will this matter 10 months from now, Will this matter 10 years from now?
This really clarifies what is truly important to us. Think BIG, Burn your boats, Set BHAG’S,
take action and go forward confidently in the direction of your dreams. I wish you a fun filled,
happy, exciting goal oriented success journey that never ends.
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Chapter 3 – 24 Hours
I wanted to name this chapter Time Management but felt 24 hours is a more apt description. The
way we use our daily 24 hours over a long period of time ultimately determines where we finish.
Time Management is an oxymoron and I am surely not an expert on it. I see myself more as a
student and have gathered some ideas that can help in managing ourselves better.
I firmly believe that Time Management is not reserved for only the work we do but it plays a
very important part in our personal lives as well. When we manage ourselves better it reduces
stress and increases our experience of joy. Everyone's philosophy of Time Management is
different so finding what works for each person is the key. For some people it may mean
spending more time with the family, while for others it maybe to reach the apex of corporate
success. Here are some suggestions that can help us on our journey to optimum personal
effectiveness.
1. Focus on the wildly important – This is the essence of Time Management. There will
never be enough time to do everything but always enough time to do the important things.
It is absolutely important to focus on the top 20% of your items which will result in 80%
of your results. This is the Pareto Principle in action. Learn to say no to the things which
are not aligned to your priorities. As Stephen Covey says you can say no to a lot of
unimportant things if you have a more important burning yes. Multitasking is a
productivity killer. According to experts "If you are trying to accomplish many things at
the same time you will get more done by focusing on one task at a time, not by switching
constantly from one task to another." I recently read an article in Inc. magazine which
said "In one survey, people confessed to spending 40 percent of their time on things that
are unimportant or downright irrelevant." The key is to reverse this and focus on the
most important things to be done. The key is to schedule your priorities and not prioritize
your schedule.
2. Written lists – Write down a list of all the activities and tasks on your plate including
personal and official. This is the common advice from all management gurus and Time
Management experts. Despite all the tools available I find the best way to maintain clarity
is to write things down which increases clarity and you get more things done. A good
practice is to maintain a master list which contains all the tasks/activities to be done
including simple things like calling the doctor's office to schedule an annual checkup. The
key is to free up our brain for more creative pursuits by writing the mundane things down.
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I like the reminders app in the iPhone where I can record all my items that need to get
done and the Notes app is great to record ideas. Make a point to celebrate when important
tasks get done. Most of the time we don't acknowledge ourselves when we complete
something for example getting our 5 workouts for the week but if we write down what we
have accomplished even the small things every week we will improve our productivity and
keep us motivated. Measuring our progress against our lists keep us motivated and
engaged.
3. Failing to plan is planning to fail – Most experts have come to the conclusion that
planning your day in advance is a critical step in gaining control over your life. Stephen
Covey advises to plan for a week as it is a more recognizable unit of time and more work
can get done in a week than a day. As Peter Drucker says “We grossly overestimate what
can be done in a year and underestimate what can be done in 5 years”. Plan your weeks,
days, months and years as it will surely bring more energy and clarity to the days. Once we
have things on paper we are much more productive and eager to get to work. Block out
specific times to do activities that interest you for example you can block a Sunday for
only family activities or recreation. Block out times for personal hobbies as well since this
would give more joy and again reduce overall stress. General George S. Patton
observed "Successful generals make plans to fit circumstances, but do not try to create
circumstances to fit plans."
4. Balance in life – All work and no play can make life boring and tedious. Yes working
hard is critical to long term success but working hard and not playing only leads to poor
performance in the long run. The key is to manage yourself and schedule periods of
recreation by engaging in worthwhile hobbies. Exercise or playing a sport or engaging in a
personal pursuit is a great stress buster. Sleep is one of the most neglected aspects. On an
average 7-8 hours of sleep is absolutely necessary to keep us energetic throughout the day.
Yes at times burning the midnight oil is necessary but eventually we have to ensure that it
is not short term gain for long term pain. I just read the following about President Obama
in the book "The Best Place to Work”. “Six days a week his first order of business to
exercise forty five minutes alternating between weight training and cardio. He makes
time to fit basketball and golf to his weekly schedule. He reads history and non-fiction.
During his first four years in office Barack Obama took 131 vacation days averaging
more than a month off per year." Another example sighted is Full Contact a Denver
based Software Company that in 2012 implemented a program that actually pays
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employees 7500 to take their family to vacation. To receive the bonus the employees have
to agree on three things 1. You have to go on vacation, 2. You must disconnect, and 3.You
can’t work while on vacation. My purpose in sharing these examples is that everyone
needs to recharge and the busier we get, the higher we rise the more important
recharging our batteries become and we can’t leave it to chance.
5. Turn off Facebook, Email notifications – When we constantly keep looking at Facebook
or other social media channels it does distract us and we can easily forget what we were
working on initially. We can schedule daily time to check them maybe mid-day or even a
day without social media could be renewing. Technology is a great servant but poor
master. I have Email, WhatsApp on my phone but I have turned off notifications and only
when I open the mailbox or the particular application I can see the notifications. Turning
off notifications works well for me and gives a sense of control.
6. Reduce Stress - There are many technological distractions and there is too much stress
from over stimulation. This stress mainly comes from a perceived lack of time. While this
may be the case we have to understand that all of us have the same 24 hours. The reason
for this frustration could be due to accepting more responsibilities than we can handle
which leads to frustration, stress and lack of control. It is important to constantly
reevaluate and weigh the costs of accepting more than we can chew both in our work and
personal lives. Ultimately peace of mind is more important than over committing resulting
in stress. Mickey Mantle reportedly said "If I had known I was going to live this long, I
would have taken better care of myself."
7. Reflection- Writing in a journal is a powerful way to reflect and improve our overall
effectiveness. I have written down everything that has happened over the last 4-5 years in
my life and have 4 journals to show for it :). As someone once said your life is worth
recording. I also try to write every week what went well, what can be done better, where I
can improve. This keeps me honest and allows for learning to sink in. It is surely a great
way to get to know ourselves and as Peter Drucker said "Follow effective action with
quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action."
8. This is a very instructive quote from former President Woodrow Wilson "We live in an
age disturbed, confused, bewildered, afraid of its own forces, in search not merely of its
road but even of its direction. There are many voices of counsel, but few voices of vision;
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there is much excitement and feverish activity, but little concert of thoughtful purpose.
We are distressed by our own ungoverned, undirected energies and do many things, but
nothing long. It is our duty to find ourselves." He said this back in 1919 well before our
technological revolution but is as applicable today as it was then.
Chapter 4 – The Path to Success and Mastery
The best definition of success I have come across is "Success is the progressive realization of a
worthy ideal or goal." In other words everyone can define their success according to their
predefined goals/outcome and each individual's road map will be different. I believe strongly that
personal growth ties in strongly with an individual's success and that's what I am expanding on
below.
I have also heard a lot of people say "Do what you love" but I have a slight variation on that. I
might love playing guitar but if Iam not any good at it then it doesn't matter how much I love it. I
think it is better to live by the motto "Love what you do and keep getting better at it." Not all of
us can do what we love but we have the choice to love what we do for a living.
What is the requirement for success and mastery? I believe it is the ability to keep getting better
and better at what we do for a living. When we really think about it that’s all it boils down to. I
like the Nike ad campaign which says "There is no finish line." They launched this ad campaign
in 1977 and one statement included “Beating the competition is relatively easy but beating
yourself is a never ending commitment.” This can be a metaphor for us in our learning journey
as there is no end.
Carol Dweck's excellent book Mindset also suggests that mastery is a mindset. There are people
who believe that intelligence just exists and can’t be increased (fixed mindset). Others believe
that with hard work, learning, training and effort intelligence can be increased. The latter group
has what Dweck calls growth mindset. Those individuals with a growth mindset don't mind
failure because they believe performance can be improved as learning comes from failure. She
also says people have two types of goals one is learning goals and other is performance goals.
Getting an A in French is a performance goal whereas mastering a language is a learning goal.
People with learning goals on the long term reach mastery.
One of the tools I have found useful is the three part hedgehog concept articulated by Jim Collins
in his block buster book “Good to Great”. The three questions to ponder are
1. What you can be the best in the world at
2. What is your economic denominator
3. What are you deeply passionate about
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It is amazing the amount of information that is available to all of us in our fields. Time was when
only a select few could reach mastery in their fields as information was hoarded and not shared
or available for everyone. The great thing about the time in which we are living now is the
amount of abundance available. I don’t mean only the economic aspect, I actually believe the
amount of information that is available to each of us is mind numbing and we can’t possibly
learn everything in more than one lifetime .Just look at the following statistic Over 90% of all
the data in the world was created in the past 2 years.
The questions to address in our learning journey are
1. How to get better at what we do?
2. Are we willing to use the enormous information available to our advantage and attain the
mastery that is possible for each of us?
Here are the simple steps that I believe can get us better and better at what we do
1. Find the experts in our field of expertise
2. Read their blogs
3. Listen to their podcasts
4. Write down what we have learned
5. Share what we have learned as it has been well documented that we only learn when we
teach
6. Set goals for our learning
7. Read broadly for example if we are in management we can read all the management books
out there
8. Take certifications in our area of expertise
9. Learn something new every day and remember we are never through learning
10. Apply what we have learned to our work or personal life
11. We should try to get into what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls the state of flow wherever
everything seems to fall in place, we are fully energized and feel a complete state of joy in
our activities
12. Listen to audio books or read during commute time
13. Develop the quality of grit which according to Angela Lee Duckworth of the University of
Pennsylvania is the single most important determinant of success
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14. Finally the magic word “Practice, Practice, Practice” or to use the words the experts say
“Deliberate Practice”. Deliberate Practice for 10000 hours or 10 years on our areas of
expertise and we will reach Mastery.
The steps are simple but following it is the key. If we follow this consistently over a long period
of time I believe mastery is very much in our grasp though we never reach it completely as it is a
never ending journey. The real joy is in the pursuit of mastery and commitment to lifelong
learning is the key. There is no quick fix or shortcut. We have to be in it for the long haul. One
example of perseverance is Tenzing Norgay who reached the summit of Everest along with
Edmund Hillary on his seventh attempt.
I want to finish with this quote from Elbert Hubbard which is very relevant and important on the
path to Success and Mastery. “Self-discipline is the ability to make yourself do what you should
do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.”
Chapter 5 – 10 traits of highly successful people
Following are the 10 common traits exhibited by successful people that I have observed across
various fields including sports, business, and arts. Not every successful person can be a master of
all these but awareness of them can help in increasing these qualities in ourselves.
1. Self-Discipline
I put this at the top of the list simply because without self-discipline nothing is possible. Elbert
Hubbard said “Self-discipline is the ability to do what you should do, when you should do it
whether you like it or not”. Self-discipline is a quality that can be developed by having a clear
idea on what we want and then ensuring the desire to succeed is greater than the consequences of
not doing it. If we want to exercise 5 times a week we can imagine the enormous benefits of
exercise and visualize that while trying to keep the end goal in mind. If we want to achieve all
the things we want then self-discipline is the best place to start and we have 100% control on
this. Napoleon Hill said “Self-discipline is the Master Key to Riches”.Nido Qubein said “The
price of discipline is always less than the pain of regret."
2. Resilience
Angela Lee Duckworth of the University of Pennsylvania says that grit is the single quality that
guarantees success, based on her ground breaking studies. As Napoleon Hill famously observed
“Every adversity carries with it the seed of an equivalent benefit.” For example a sickness might
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seem horrible but maybe that time away may have helped you redefine what is important and
given the time needed to make a change. There are going to be setbacks like we may not get the
promotion we wanted but having patience and perseverance never goes out of fashion. Talent
will not take the place of persistence and resilience. Steve Jobs is a great example of this. He was
fired from the company he started but in his wilderness he started another company NeXT and
bought Pixar. Then he patiently waited for his second coming to Apple and as they say the rest is
History. You can be down but never out. As the Japanese proverb says “Fall down seven times,
Get up eight times.”
3. Passion and Practice
Passion is the fuel behind the success engine. We can look no further than Roger Federer or
Tiger Woods to understand the value of passion. To sight one example at the top of his career
Tiger Woods who had already reached the apex of sporting achievement actually changed his
style of swing because he wanted to get the extra edge. Passion can ignite reservoirs of resilience
that may lay latent. Tiger Woods didn’t play golf for the money though that helped, he played it
for the love. Passion can happen when we do something we love but as a beginning we should
start loving what we do and giving our very best every single day. Research has confirmed that
all prodigies including Mozart, Woods, Bill Gates, The Beatles had practiced for 10000 hours
before they were crowned for their achievement. Mozart didn’t produce his first master piece till
he was 21 by which time he had put in more than 10000 hours of effort. My simple formula is
Passion+Deliberate Practice+Time+Consistency= Success. “The more you sweat in
practice/training, the less you bleed in battle.”
4. Curiosity
One of the best kept secrets of the highly successful is the ability to keep learning something new
every day in their field or related fields. The hallmark of learning is curiosity. Peter Drucker the
father of modern management is an excellent example of someone who kept learning till the end
of his life. He was always learning something new. When we learn something every day it keeps
our mind sharp and it also gives a sense of accomplishment as we are using our time wisely.
There is no end to this journey of continuous learning. The only thing that will not be obsolete is
learning new skills. "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."
Mahatma Gandhi
5. Risk Taking
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All successful people have taken calculated risks to reach where they are. Risks need not be
things like bungee jumping or sky diving; In fact it need not even be physical in nature. It goes
with your intuition. It may require taking up an assignment which everyone has refused. This
then helps you stand apart and has potential to propel your career. There is no guarantee in life so
before taking a risk analyze the risk and see if you are already prepared for it to fail, then it is
worth taking that risk. While taking risks it is important to remember that we don’t put our
families into distress. “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one
can go.” ― T.S. Eliot.
6. Prioritization
Everyone has a list of tasks to be completed. Sometimes we don’t have enough time to get
through everything. The way to overcome that is the key to success. We need to prioritize the
relevant from the irrelevant. From a list of items pick the item which has the biggest impact from
your stakeholder, business sponsor and your immediate boss. Work on the worst first and get it
out of the way. Handle the big rocks first and the pebbles can be taken care later. Make peace
with the fact that there will be always things left undone and it is also imperative to learn to say
no to time wasters and activities which are not aligned with your goals. We should also learn to
say no when needed so that we are not over committed and this gives better control over our
time. One example is Jack Welch who decided that GE will only participate in businesses where
they can be Number one or Number two in that market. This vision led to closure of many other
business units and worked big time for GE. “One of the very worst uses of time is to do
something very well that need not be done at all.”
7. Communication
Most of our waking time is spent communicating both written and verbal. We need to be clear on
what to communicate and we should learn what the best mode of communication is. One of the
ways to improve communication is to become a better listener and understand the other person’s
point of view. As Stephen Covey said “Seek first to understand then be understood”. Keep
reading, writing continuously to improve communication skills. Ronald Reagan was known as
the great communicator. Irrespective of which side of the political isle you sit we have to admire
his simple communication strategy. His answer to everything was simple “smaller government”.
Clarity is the key to communicating effectively. “The most important thing in communication
is hearing what isn’t said.” Peter Drucker
8. Personal Care
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I have noticed that a lot of successful people take care of themselves better. They ensure that
there is proper rest and balance in life. If you want to achieve all you want out of your life you
need to ensure that you are at your best most of the time. Energy is required to go forward
towards your closely cherished dreams. Exercise, yoga, meditation are all helpful in the
enhancement of health. One often neglected part of health is adequate sleep. I don't think lack of
sleep is something to wear a badge and brag about. In fact you can be at your best only with 7-8
hours of sleep. Taking some time off from work actually improves your creativity and research
has proven that people get their most innovative ideas not at work but during a vacation or when
they are in a relaxed state of mind. “Rest and self-care are so important. When you take time to
replenish your spirit, it allows you to serve others from the overflow. You cannot serve from an
empty vessel.” Eleanor Brownn
9. Positive Mental Attitude
It is impossible to imagine a really well rounded successful person who is negative and
complaining all the time. All successful people generally have a positive attitude. They don’t
complain when things don’t go their way as they know that in the long run most of the things
take care of themselves. We should look at the sunny side of life. Being grateful for what we
have while striving for more is actually a great way to stay positive. When you are positive about
the day you just get on with the accomplishment of your tasks with even more vigor. Finally a
positive mental attitude eventually helps performance at work and home. Nothing is important
than your inner peace and overall happiness. “A pessimist sees the difficulty in every
opportunity, the optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” Sir Winston Churchill
10. Self Esteem
Self-esteem is the cornerstone of a healthy personality. It is important to be comfortable in your
own skin. Self-esteem is defined as your reputation with yourself. You are unique and have
talents that can help you succeed. The key to self-esteem is to write down the qualities you
admire in yourself. Maybe you have passion or discipline, in which case acknowledging your
positive traits enhances your self-esteem. When setbacks occur while you may feel bad it doesn't
reduce your self-esteem. Write down all your successes till now and keep track of your
accomplishments. This surely enhances self-esteem. When you have high self-esteem you
generally feel more positive about life and do better at work. “Believe in yourself! Have faith in
your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be
successful or happy.” Norman Vincent Peale
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Chapter 6 – Failure is Never Final
M. Scott Peck begins his best-selling book "The Road Less Traveled" with the words "Life is
Difficult." We have all experienced difficulties and failure but the key question is how we can
use failure to improve our success. In fact it might even be better not labeling anything a failure.
One example of a team that continuously falls short in big moments (world cups) is the South
African cricket team which has always failed at knock out games with one exception. They were
highly fancied during the world cup this year in Australia/New Zealand and still lost in the
semifinal. It is likely that they are not able to bury the ghosts of past failures which is a necessary
prerequisite if they ever want to win and go all the way. Here are some answers I have expanded
with each letter of the word Failure.
F – Fail forward
John Maxwell begins his book Failing Forward with the thesis that "All successful people have
one characteristic which is different from others and that is how they respond to failure". The
famous quote from IBM founder Thomas J. Watson comes to mind. He said "If you want to
increase your success rate, double your failure rate." Everyone is going to fail no matter what
so all that matters is dust it off and move forward learning what you need to from the failure.
Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn. Failure is merely another way to intelligently begin
again. Never give up on your overall vision and remember obstacles come not to obstruct but to
instruct. We can even call failures as challenges that are meant to be overcome. Success is not
avoiding failure but accepting it and moving forward towards something bigger. In the Jim
Collins book “Great by Choice” he says all the great leaders whom he calls 10Xers had three
qualities which are fanatic discipline, empirical creativity and productive paranoia. To overcome
failure we need to have fanatical discipline to keep our commitments/vision/goals front and
center of our lives. When the going gets tough the tough really get going. In fact welcoming
failure and overcoming it can become a game which you keep winning always. The one thing
that is certain in our lives is uncertainty so we do need to equip ourselves to deal with it.
A – Accept Reality
As Max De Pree observed "The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality." While this
may seem to contradict the vision part it is not. While having a vision can propel you forward,
you have to match that with the reality of the current situation. In Good to Great Jim Collins
talks about the Stockdale Paradox about the prisoner of war (James Stockdale) in Vietnam. He
was one of the most decorated officers in the history of the U.S. Navy and how he dealt with the
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unimaginable period of 8 years as a prisoner of war was termed by Jim Collins as the Stockdale
Paradox. He said you should accept reality but have unwavering commitment that you will thrive
in the end by confronting the brutal facts. He said it was the optimists who didn't make it because
they were always thinking they will be out by Christmas but Christmas came and they were not
out. Then they believed they will be out by Easter and Easter came but they were still not out.
This went on for years before they gave up. So never confuse unwavering commitment with the
definition of reality. Confront the brutal facts while maintaining an unwavering commitment that
you will succeed in the end. You can’t have a brand new start but you can create a brand new
ending. His own words “I never lost faith in the end of the story, I never doubted not only that
I would get out, but also that I would prevail in the end and turn the experience into the
defining event of my life, which, in retrospect, I would not trade.”
I – Improve
I like this quote “If you are not getting better you are getting worse.” Your greatest threat to
your future success is your current complacency or as some put it nothing fails like success. At
the height of your success reexamine your life, set higher standards, believe in more and always
have a beginner’s mindset. The greatest enemy of tomorrows success is today’s success. Never
be complacent. I read in Fast Company that Laurene Powell Jobs calls Steve Jobs a "learning
machine." He learned from his many failures and relentlessly applied those lessons. I read that
Bill Gates always thought about the possibility of failure and he hangs a poster of Henry Ford to
remind that everyone including the best entrepreneurs can be surpassed as Ford was by GM in
the early days of the auto industry. He uses it to channel him rather than sabotage his plans. He is
always on the edge continuously thinking of next best thing so that he doesn't get knocked out.
This is a great attitude to have. Constantly seeking to improve ourselves helps in overcoming any
failures and we can see failures as merely detours in a long journey towards mastery. Some
tactics to be on the path for continuous improvement are reading widely in your field and other
topics, listening to educational audio books, listening to inspirational videos on you tube, reading
magazines on business, taking classes/certifications in your field of expertise.
L – Long Haul
Life is not a sprint it is a marathon. If we want enduring success we cannot be impatient. Rome
was not built in a day, we can’t lose weight in a week, and we can’t become world-class in a
year. As researchers have confirmed for anyone to attain mastery in their chosen craft it requires
10000 hours or roughly 10 years of deliberate practice. Deliberate practice is not easy, it involves
sacrifices a key word to remember when considering the long haul. You have to keep practicing
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a skill for a number of years before you get public acclaim. Tony Robbins says people get
praised in public for what they practice for years in private. We should remember the Nike
Slogan “Just Do It” and get on with our lives. Life doesn't stop and as Napoleon Hill famously
quoted “Every adversity carries with it the seed of an equivalent benefit”. You can use setbacks
as a spring board to further your aspirations and life is indeed what we make of it. Long term
thinking and an exciting bold vision masks short term failures keeping you motivated for a larger
cause. Keep the mental picture of your final victory in your mind as you go through the trials and
tribulations of day to day life. As the opera singer Beverly Sills observed “There is no shortcut
to any place worth going” so remember it is going to take time for success to show up but it will
be worth the wait.
U – Understanding
Understanding the purpose of one’s life gives meaning. We can either choose to live a great life
or succumb to our own inhibitions of what success truly is. Success is personal so I am not going
to equate it with money though it does play a part. Our goals define our destiny. Clare Boothe
Luce the politician, writer and ambassador popularized the concept of having a life sentence
explaining the meaning of your life and this is something you create by deeply examining the
inner most feelings and truly writing what you want to be remembered for long after you are
gone. Having a personal mission statement also helps. We all have goals in our work life whether
we like it or not but similarly if we can articulate goals for our life it would surely enrich our
lives and give deeper meaning. Personal goals need not be what others want for you, it is your
imagination and your own story. We can write our own script and give it the best ending possible
by living as close to what we truly want at the end. Setting goals in all areas of life is important.
Set personal goals, career goals, financial goals, family goals and I am sure this will give great
ideas on what our lives are truly meant to be. This can also be translated to having an intense
burning desire to succeed. In the words of Glen Cunningham who in 1934 set the world record
for the one mile run at 4:06 “Desire is what made a boy with burnt legs set the world record in
the one mile run."
R – Reinvent
When we encounter failure it is good time to reinvent ourselves. Human beings have the
enormous capacity to reinvent our lives even under dire circumstances. As Victor Frankl
mentioned "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human
freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own
way.” We can choose our destiny, we can reinvent our lives, and we can turn our past failure into
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stepping stones for greater things. The only thing that is stopping us is a lack of a bigger vision
for ourselves. As General Douglas McArthur says "There is no security in life only
opportunity." The story of human life is the story of overcoming enormous odds and rejections.
An example is the Chicken Soup for the Soul series; it was rejected by nearly 140 publishers
before it was finally published. As a young cartoonist Walt Disney faced many rejections from
newspaper editors who said he had no talent. Young Beethoven was told that he had no talent for
music but he gave some of the most memorable music of all time. Let’s just remember this
whenever we face one or two rejections. We need to really DIG DEEP and bring our best self to
light. Reinvent and recreate so that you live an extraordinary life full of possibilities. Develop
High self-esteem and don’t allow anyone to put you down or your dreams.
E - Energy
Without internal energy it is impossible to overcome failures and live the life of your dreams.
We need both physical and mental energy for the long haul. Our life will go through seasons of
happiness, despair, failure and success. Through it all the only thing that can sustain us is our
energy. To maintain physical energy we need to take care of our body through regular exercise,
proper diet, adequate sleep, constant recharging of the batteries and regular medical checkups.
To keep our mind sharp and active we need to keep feeding the mind with the right material. We
need to be in constant engagement of the mind with positive, uplifting books, magazines, and
videos. Writing in a journal and keeping track of our victories even small ones can keep us
energized, positive and upbeat about the future. The greater energy we have the easier it is for us
to meet failure and overcome it. Failure is not the end but it is only the beginning of something
much greater.
Chapter 7 – Leadership Qualities and Styles
Leadership defined by John Quincy Adams is “If your actions inspire others to dream more,
learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
Following are the key qualities all leaders must possess to become a true leader in their field as
identified by Jack Welch in his book Winning with my take on each.
Vision
Vision is a key trait identified as a distinguishing factor between great leaders and others. A
leader is a dealer in hope. Leaders have to excite the troops to come out and play for the team.
The best way to do this is to create an exciting vision and then ensure the team buys into the
vision. The most important step in getting this done is to communicate the vision to everyone in
the team through all mediums of communication including email, letters, conferences and
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meetings. In order for the team to buy into the vision they should also be allowed to participate
on the formation of vision and at times help in refining the vision. When the team is involved in
the overall wording of the vision statement it would ensure their commitment to the overall
cause.
Coaching
Coaching is one of the most important jobs of a leader. A leader has to have great knowledge of
his team members and understand what makes them tick. One key tool to improve the
engagement of team members is to provide constant feedback on areas of improvement,
acknowledging what is going well and keep appreciating/rewarding good behavior. Bottom line
is leaders need to ensure they help in maximizing potential of others. If they do this it will
increase the self-confidence of the individuals which in turn improves performance.
Attitude
The overall attitude of the team is reflected by the attitude of the leader. If the leader is full of
energy, enthusiastic, passionate it will rub off on the team and will energize the team. One way a
leader can inspire the team is to have regular weekly meetings where the team is provided
appreciation, recognition for the things that are going well and also communicate where the
overall organization is headed with respect to the vision. A leader who displays optimism leads
by example and this rubs off on others. A leader who maintains a positive upbeat attitude even
when things are not going as planned will surely have a team that is full of energy and optimism.
Trust
Trust is the foundation of leadership. Without it teams and companies can crumble. Whether it is
politics, companies, sports or any other field leadership can successful only when trust is
established. The best way for a leader to establish trust is to be brutally honest. When a leader
tells the truth always and displays candor at all times trust is sown. Leaders who criticize in
private and don’t belittle others in their absence set the stage for a trust worthy culture. Being
transparent means being open and one of the qualities all great leaders share is ability to see
others point of view and being open to criticism. A successful leader shares the credit to the team
when things go well and when things turn awry the leader takes personal responsibility.
Courage
Courage is one of the best qualities for a leader. It is not the absence of fear but the triumph over
it. No leader can go far without courage. Followers always respect a leader with courage.
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Leaders establish courage by having a track record of taking tough decisions. The tough
decisions could be people decisions as the most important ingredient of successful teams is the
selection of the team. The leader has to display courage to select only A players to ensure final
victory. The leader has to make tough calls on which markets to enter for example GE made a
decision under Welch that they will remain only in businesses where they were Number 1 or
Number 2 in that respective market. That is an example of courage in action.
Creativity and Curiosity
Curiosity is the hallmark of creativity. A leader has to be curious and one of the methods to
establish this is through focused questioning. As Woodrow Wilson said “The ear of a leader
should ring with the voices of the people”. A leader spends more time listening than talking. The
only way to listen more is to probe, ask questions and encourage ideas. Brain storming is a great
tool to foster communication and quench the thirst of curiosity. The leader also has to ensure that
they track the ideas and ensure they are converted into actionable items.
Risk taking
“Only those who risk going too far can find out how far one can go”. Taking risks is a part and
parcel of leadership. Taking risks doesn’t necessarily mean unhinged bets or wild gambling. It is
more calculated and has high return on investment. The leader also encourages the team to take
risks and encourages the team even when they meet with failure. As the IBM founder Thomas
Watson said “The way to increase success is to double failure rate” .Innovation by its very nature
involves risks. The only teams and leaders that are truly innovative are the ones who take risks
and have confronted the outcome of failure. In a highly interconnected, globalized market place
innovation is no longer a differentiator but merely an entry ticket to play in the game of business.
The only antidote to continuous change is learning. Leaders need to keep learning and be abreast
of the latest developments in their field. This will encourage the team to follow suit and a
successful leader can help this process by recommending books, certifications, training courses
etc.
Celebrating Victories
Work becomes exciting only when we celebrate victories. All successful leaders have a sense of
humor. Also when the team does well it is important to celebrate. There are many ways to
celebrate it could be a very simple pizza party or it could be a big Town Hall with the entire
organization celebrating a significant milestone. The method of celebration is not the key here
but the fact is to build winning teams celebration is critical. We see it in sports teams where after
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every goal or every set the team or individual celebrates. Using the same analogy for business
whenever a new product is shipped, a customer appreciates or a new market is entered it is time
to celebrate and have everyone savor the victory
Finally here are some leadership styles as mentioned in the book Primal Leadership. I also agree
with authors that emotional quotient (EQ) is as important as IQ. In fact the higher you go up the
organization the more important the EQ.
Leadership Styles
1. Visionary Style – This is the best form of leadership where a vision is built by the leader
who inspires followers with an exciting vision for the future. All leaders have vision.
Where there is no vision people perish. Most importantly employees need to feel excited to
come to work and the only way that can happen is if there is something exciting to look
forward to. This is where the visionary leader steps in and provides clear direction for the
future.
2. Coaching Style – Coaching is a very important style for leader to adapt. Leaders are
dealers in hope. They have to set the right example and show the way. What makes a
superior leader is the ability to show competence in an area of expertise and guide the team
through mentoring, coaching and teaching. Coaching is a necessary attribute of every
successful leader. The team looks up to the leader who can provide guidance on how to
proceed to the desired destination.
3. Affiliative Style – This is the ability of the leader to tune into the feelings of others. As the
saying goes people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.
EQ is developed by relating well to people, giving importance to them, recognizing and
rewarding their exploits and providing candid feedback.
4. Democratic Style – This is where a leader listens to the team, helps them make decisions
and reaches consensus on major decisions. This should be used along with visionary style.
Being democratic in all decisions may not work out but it is an excellent people
development style.
There are two other styles which the authors say have negative connotations. They are the pace
setting style where the leader is very demanding and keeps pushing the team to the limit and
while this may work for some time it is not a desirable one especially if the team is overworked
and stressed. The other style which is not desirable is the dictatorial style.
Ultimately leadership is a choice and everyone has the opportunity to showcase leadership in the
way they show up and the attitude with which work is delivered.
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Chapter 8 - Management Tips
I have been in the field of management for the past 12 years and have enjoyed every minute of it.
Management is both an art and science. It has specific actions that need to be taken and the
results will be predictable.
There is a lot of hot air around leadership and I totally agree that leadership is very important.
However management is absolutely imperative to achieve the vision set by the leader. If we have
a leader who can manage and a manager who can lead then we would have an ideal mix of traits
to ensure the success of the organization. Sometimes management is also defined as getting the
work done through others.
Recently I read the book Creativity, Inc.by Ed Catmull (President of PIXAR ANIMATION and
DISNEY ANIMATION) and it is one of my favorite business books. He says "The way I see it,
my job as a manager is to create a fertile environment, keep it healthy, and watch for things
that undermine it. I believe the best managers acknowledge and make room for what they do
not know - not just because humility is a virtue but because until one adopts that mindset, the
most striking breakthroughs cannot occur. I believe that managers must loosen the control,
not tighten them."
Here are the 9 tips to become a great manager
1. Set clear goals and objectives: The starting point of management is to set clear goals and
objectives for everyone reporting to you. Unless there is clarity in defining the clear outcomes,
expected results will not be satisfactory. Ensure the goals are aligned with the overall vision of
the organization. Keep communicating the goals regularly at every chance in every meeting and
organizational sessions.
2. Put people first: If management is getting things done through others then it is absolutely
imperative to ensure the people are taken care. Give respect to every team member in your
organization. Give recognition immediately and celebrate great work. Thank people for every
good deliverable from them. Treat people like they are the most important person as without
people nothing in management can be achieved. So irrespective of whether it is small or large
victories as managers we need to keep praising each member of the team and recognizing their
respective strengths. Rewards can be tangible like cash rewards and intangible like a special
private lunch or offering personal development opportunities.
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3. Give feedback regularly: Don’t wait for the end of the year to give feedback on performance.
This only leads to discontent and confusion. Continuously monitor the work of the team and give
them regular, candid feedback periodically. Give them both recognition and also identify areas of
improvement. Develop an open door policy where the team can share negative as well as positive
feedback. This is easier said than done but striving for this improves the odds and avoids last
minute disappointments.
4. Take responsibility: When the team achieves the goals set give the credit to the team and
when something goes wrong, as a manager you should take responsibility. This ensures that the
team members know you are on their side and they will ensure that failure does not happen
again. A manager/leader can delegate anything except final responsibility. Jim Collins calls this
principle "the window and the mirror". Based on his research, top leaders looked out of the
window to credit others for success and looked in the mirror to apportion responsibility when
things didn't go to plan.
5. Become a great leader: Once you have established yourself as a manager the next step is to
become a great leader. Leadership is doing the right things so take action in setting an exciting
vision which energizes the team. A manager who is also a great leader is more respected and gets
more work done by the team. Develop leadership potential within your team as well through
training resources and other team building sessions. As Stephen Covey says Leadership can’t be
taught but it can be learned.
6. Delegate effectively: Delegation is one of the most important skills of a manager. The reason
you are appointed as a manager is get work done through others. Delegation does not mean
absolving responsibility. Delegation means identifying the areas of strength of the various
individuals and assigning the tasks appropriately but the ultimate responsibility of the end result
is still with the manager. As a manager when you delegate the task completely and enable
ownership it shows the team that you totally trust the employee’s capability in delivering high
quality results. This in turn provides motivation for the individual to bring out their best to the
work they do. In the book "Becoming Steve Jobs" Ron Johnson is quoted as saying "Steve was
the best delegator I ever met. He was so clear about what he wanted that it gave you great
freedom."
7. Become a master communicator: According to the Project Management Institute 90% of a
project manager’s job is communication. It is absolutely important for the manager to develop
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great communication skills both verbal and written. Learning to speak impromptu is another
vital skill for a manager to master. Maintain clear and open communication channels so that the
team bonds together and there is no friction. When you can clearly communicate everything
without fear of retribution it fosters a healthy team dynamic.
8. Enhance employee engagement: Enhancing employee engagement is one of the keys of
effective management. It is your responsibility to provide a sense of ownership to your team,
develop trust within the team and understand each individual. Once trust is established the
person can openly disagree with the boss but if a decision is made they still support to the
decision. Intel’s motto works “Disagree and Commit”. According to Jack Welch "It goes
without saying that no company, small or large, can win over the long run without energized
employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it."
9. Create a compelling scorecard: This is adopted from Stephen Covey's wonderful book The
8th Habit. He encourages organizations to create a scorecard with the following
What is current result meaning where you are? For example 50M revenue
Expected Result – For example 60M Revenue
Create a deadline on when it is to be achieved – by Dec 30th 2015
Communicate this goal throughout all levels of the organization
Translate the goals into action
Finally hold everyone in the team accountable for results
Really simple stuff but it works
Chapter 9 – Team Building
Teams are the most important building block of projects, organizations, sports teams and their
performance ultimately decides overall success. An important goal of a leader is to develop
winning happy teams which contribute desired results. Effective team building is a critical skill
for a leader to develop and the main areas which can contribute to this are
1. Team Selection: The first step of leaders is to select the right team. The skill set needed for
every project is different so it is absolutely imperative that the right team players are on boarded.
Selection of a team is an art and requires some intuition along with logic. We have seen in sports
like cricket, football that selection of the team is crucial for victory. There are some sports teams
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full of superstars and still lose because a team does not require all superstars it is more about
attitude, team bonding and sacrificing for the larger cause.
2. Team Vision: Once the team is selected an exciting vision is crucial for keeping the team
engaged. This is where leadership is crucial. When the team knows what they are working
towards it increases commitment from team members and they feel like contributing to a larger
goal which helps keep the team together when the going gets tough. Vision provides meaning to
project teams and gives them a target/purpose to aim at.
3. Team Bonding: Once the vision is clear the next step is for the team to bond together.
Camaraderie within the team always leads to better results. Team members should know each
other for not only their work related items but personal stories should be shared between the
team for bonding to flourish. Anything that gets the team together on a non-work environment
helps team bonding.
4. Team meetings: It is important to have weekly/monthly meetings where each team member
discusses what they accomplished that week and what they plan for next week. What this
communication does is give awareness on what others are doing and also helps in improving
performance. It also helps understand where everyone is going as a team and can help in
benchmarking performance.
5. Feedback: Continuous feedback is necessary to make the team aware of what is being done
well and what can be done better. Regular candid feedback on a periodic basis is critical to team
performance. Feedback can be positive and also help in identifying areas of improvement.
Feedback should be done both ways i.e. the team leader soliciting input on areas of improvement
from the team as well as providing input to enhance performance for the team. This promotes
trust.
6. Rewards and Recognition: There are a lot of theories that intrinsic motivation does work and
external rewards may not work but I still think that the number one desire for everyone is the
desire to feel important. One of the ways to achieve this is praise in public. Yes sometimes the
rewards need not be told upfront but can be provided after the event. Praise needs to be
immediate so that the individuals/team knows the reason for that praise. Catch teams doing
things right so that the same performance is repeated.
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7. Team Consistency: While changes are always to be welcomed unnecessary chopping and
changing team members on the fly lead to disharmony within the team. However even if
something goes wrong when the team leader keeps faith in the troops it provides others hope to
not be disillusioned by failure. Ensure team chopping is kept at a minimum and the core team is
intact over a long period of time promoting consistency, harmony and eventually better results.
Chapter 10 – Sports Teams and Winning Teams
I wrote this post after Spain beat Italy in Euro 2012 three years back. They were the first team to
win three major international tournaments (Euro 2008, 2010 World Cup, and Euro 2012) in a
row. They were also being talked about as one of the best of all time. It is always difficult to
compare teams across eras. It has happened in cricket as well when Steve Waugh's Australian
team was hailed as the greatest ever. What makes these teams click is interesting. Here are the
seven key steps to build a winning team.
Selecting the right players: The first step towards building winning teams is to have the right
players on the playing field. If we analyze a lot of the top sports teams from history we notice
that all of them have a great set of players who complement each other. We should also keep in
mind that it is not always the team full of superstars that wins. The most important point in the
selection of a team is to ensure that they have a diverse skill set which is required for ultimate
victory. Once we have the right players on the field it makes the job of winning a lot easier.
Team Bonding: The second step for building a winning team is team bonding which means
everyone in the team has to feel part of the team. They should all have a common purpose
towards the victory of the team rather than individual glory. This is true of any team not only
sports. Every team member should know the others at an individual level. The true hallmark of a
great leader is that he or she knows the strengths and weakness of each individual in the team.
With that knowledge they then assign specific activities to align with the strengths of each
individual which keeps everyone motivated and happy.
Coordination: The third step is all team members should have excellent coordination and
understanding within themselves. For example the one who scores the goal makes all the
headlines but if it were not for the other players passing and getting him the scoring opportunity
there would be no winners. So sacrificing for the team cause is an important factor. No player
should shoot for individual glory and that’s why team sports like soccer are different from
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individual sports like tennis (Singles). Team sports require every individual to be committed to
the cause and put their personal agenda on the back burner.
Work ethic: The fourth step is all winning teams possess an incredible work ethic and they train
harder than all the other teams. Only when teams practice together they can understand where
they can improve. Designing practice sessions specifically targeting areas of improvement is a
characteristic of all top teams. They also ensure that any dissent within the team is handled
amicably off the cameras whereas teams which are losing tend to take their fights into the open.
Self-belief: The fifth step is all winning teams possess an incredible level of self-belief and have
the capacity to be resilient in the toughest of situations. They don’t sulk in the face of adversity
and always welcome opportunities to show their character. There is a reason why we have
coaches for all sports teams because there is always a need for encouragement even if you are a
top player. Each team should have a coach or mentor who can give positive reinforcement to
each individual in the team and also identify areas of improvement.
Celebration: The sixth step is to have a celebration routine where the team acknowledges each
other after a goal or point is scored. This is an important part of developing team camaraderie
and ensuring immediate recognition is available for the team to celebrate. This also ensures the
same actions are repeated to get even more recognition. Celebration is the icing on the cake for a
team to know that they have done something significant.
Happy and Relaxed: Finally winning teams are happy teams and relaxed. They ensure that they
don’t lose their cool when things don’t go their way. Instead they focus on what is within their
control. There is no team which is going to keep winning always. The only thing teams have in
their control is their ability to give their best and then stay calm irrespective of the outcome.
I think the sporting analogy holds good for software teams as well. All the above points can
apply to all work teams as well.
Chapter 11 – Employee Engagement
According to a Gallup study the bulk of employees worldwide are not engaged and if this is true
then it provides us a great opportunity to understand what factors enable greater employee
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engagement. From time immemorial we have had motivational theories going the rounds from
BF Skinner, Fredrick Herzberg, Sigmund Freud, and Abraham Maslow. I am not going to labor
on all these but they do provide a good idea of how motivation has progressed. Of course the
need for managers to know what motivates their employees is a key determinant for employee
engagement. This is not meant to be a complete list because human emotions are too widespread
to have a cookie cutter approach to motivation. However some common needs of all can be used
as the starting point towards greater engagement which eventually leads to better performance.
Purpose beyond the paycheck – Lot of studies have been done and concluded that pay is not
the most important motivator. Challenging work and responsibility comes higher on the list.
Again this is considering the basic pay needs are met. One of the elements is for the person to
feel they are contributing something more than just for a pay check. Align a person’s tasks to
overall purpose; make them feel their work is important. We have all heard of the story where
one builder says I am laying a brick while another says I am building a cathedral. Here we have
two people and one person understands the larger purpose and hence brings their best to the work
being done.
Lubricating trust – Ensure that members of your team have no need to fear talking openly
about their concerns/problems with you. This is very important to build employee engagement.
When the person knows that their opinions will always be valued even if the boss may disagree it
promotes trust and trust is the lubricant of successful teams. Once trust is established the person
can openly disagree with the boss but if a decision is made they still support to the decision.
Intel’s motto works “Disagree and Commit”.
Praise and Recognition – The number one human need is to feel important for the work they
do. In my opinion praise never goes out of fashion. Yes there a lot of theories that intrinsic
motivation is more important than extrinsic but nothing makes you feel better than getting
recognized by your boss. So irrespective of whether it is small or large victories as managers we
need to keep praising each member of the team and recognizing their respective strengths.
Rewards can be tangible like cash rewards and intangible like a special private lunch or offering
personal development opportunities. Praise can be offered publicly to make it clear to the team
what actions are needed to get the recognition.
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Feedback – To improve performance appraisals there should be consistent feedback during the
year and at the end of the year the team member would already have an idea on where he or she
needs to improve on and why they got a specific rating. So having one on one meetings on a
periodic basis to provide encouragement, identify areas of improvement and aligning the person
to their agreed goals is critical in ensuring there are no surprises at the end. This is easier said
than done but striving for this improves the odds and avoids last minute disappointments.
Ownership – As a manager one way to get the best out of your people is to create a sense of
ownership. This means the team members are accountable for the final outcome. Once they are
given full authority they feel an air of importance and it gives them a sense of responsibility to
deliver world class results. Ownership is one of the keys to empowered employee engagement.
As a manager when you delegate the task completely and enable ownership it shows the team
that you totally trust the employee’s capability in delivering high quality results. This in turn
provides motivation for the individual to bring out their best.
Get to know the person –Finally as a manager it is not only important to know what motivates
the person at work, it is important to know the whole person, taking an active interest in their
personal accomplishments, what makes them tick as this increases their happiness levels and
gives them a feeling of importance. Once employees are happy the performance elevates. The
point of doing all this is that happy employees are generally self-motivated and once the
environment of excellent employee engagement is established there will be a dramatic
improvement in the output produced. Finally results are everything and driving employee
engagement is one of the primary requirements of leaders/managers which will eventually lead
to desired results.
Chapter 12- Lessons from Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs is one of the most versatile and innovative business icons of our times. There is a lot
to learn from him. Here is my take on what to learn from Steve Jobs
S – Sell yourself–Steve Jobs was unafraid of showing off. In fact it could be argued this was his
biggest asset. Unless you show others what you are capable of nobody is going to know. I think
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we should learn to sell ourselves not in an abrupt manner but a classy manner. This requires
practice but this will pay off in spades. He was always in the spotlight, enjoyed it and created the
larger than life personality.
Lesson: Never sell yourself short. Always exhibit your prowess.
T – Talent– If there is anyone who epitomizes the word talent it has to be Steve Jobs. How many
people started a company in the garage, enjoyed massive success, get fired from the company he
founded, founded another company, made successful movies and came back for one of the
biggest turn around in business history. He is one who believed in his talent even when he was at
his depth. Never lose faith in your ability in spite of any setbacks you face.
Lesson: Believe in your Talent and show case your best self at all times.
E – Enthusiasm– Steve Jobs did everything with unwavering enthusiasm. He was unafraid of
the rule book and pushed the limits of innovation. Everyone looks to the customer for ideas on
what they want. Steve went the other way he invented what he believed would make the
customer get wowed. One example is he even wanted the inside of the mother boards to be so
beautiful and when the team asked who would see it Steve replied “I will”. He could turn on his
charm/enthusiasm at will and had the ability to charm one and all. There is no charisma without
enthusiasm. As documented in Inc. Magazine back in the 1981 cover story “When Steve Jobs
speaks it is with “gee-whiz” enthusiasm of someone who sees the future and is making sure it
works”
Lesson: Do everything with your stamp of enthusiasm.
V – Victory –Steve Jobs is one person who believed in victory at all costs. He took a no
prisoners attitude towards life and he was always looking out for the next BIG thing.
Surprisingly he always found the next best thing for the world to be awed. Of course there are
also stories where he would turn down someone’s idea and then say the same idea to a group as
if it were his own. This is obviously something not to learn but his overall genius masks any
downsides he may have had. He wanted to always control the software, hardware and operating
system for all products as that would give complete leverage and gave Apple total
control/responsibility of the user experience. He was obsessed with minimalism to ensure the
customer experience was simple.
Lesson: Begin with the End in Mind and plan for ultimate victory.
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E –Energy –Without high energy he could not have sustained his passion over the years in
wilderness. He could easily have retired into the background after his ouster as he had already
enough money but he had a bigger vision for his life and started another company which showed
his tremendous drive. He had enormous energy and this was very much exhibited in his second
coming to Apple(he was also running Pixar at the same time which took a lot out of him) where
he patiently took the title of Interim CEO and ensured consecutive quarters of profit before
taking the permanent post. He was an unstoppable person with enormous energy and it paid off
in dividends.
Lesson: Keep your energy levels high at all times, determine which times of the day are your
most productive and do your most important work at that time.
J – Journey – His life epitomizes that life is a journey. Even for a person as talented as Steve
Jobs, there will be setbacks/bumps along the journey of life. It is how we bounce back from
seeming setbacks that truly measure our heart for exceptional success. The journey is an
adventure and we all can have a second coming like Steve Jobs if ever we find ourselves in a
precarious position provided we believe in the journey and understand that life is not a
destination. Ups and downs are part of everyday life.
Lesson: Life is a journey not a destination. Enjoy the adventure.
O- Optimism – The key to success lies in optimism. It’s not what happens to us but how we
respond to what happens to us that matters. Steve Jobs believed in his products even when he
was the only one with the vision. He was not even sure if it will be accepted in the market but he
showed undying optimism to see success till the end. Even in his professional nadir he showed
enduring optimism and show what one can achieve with optimism and belief. An example is the
Apple Stores concept. Initially the media had written this off as a non-starter but Jobs believed in
it. He wanted to take retailing and brand image to a new level.
Lesson: Be an eternal optimist. An optimist sees an opportunity in every difficulty.
B- Boldness – Steve Jobs epitomized boldness and took risks even when failure was a
possibility. He believed in being the best in his field and showed what a pioneer does to be called
the best. He not only showcased vision, he also exhibited audacity and he believed that there is
only one thing the customer wants more than anything and that is the BEST. His eye for details
was amazing as he even focused on the staircases of the Apple Stores and wanted it done to
perfection. Simplicity and lack of distraction was the key to the success of the stores. When the
iPhone came out initially it was criticized for being too expensive and it didn’t have a keyboard
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but Steve Jobs had the last laugh. Once again his bold actions left people and his competitors
breathless.
Lesson: Be bold with a touch of audacity and go for the best in everything you do.
S – Story Telling –Steve Jobs had a unique ability to sell to the world his vision of the story.
This was famously called the Reality Distortion field and everyone who knew him has said that
he sold his vision so well that no one could dispute that or take their eyes off his vision. In the
book Second Coming of Steve Jobs the author says he had a seductive personality and people
especially the media were very attracted to him and his personality. He was a unique ICON who
made a huge difference in this world. An example is the Stanford Commencement where he gave
one of the best speeches. He eloquently weaved his life into three simple stories which resonated
with the audience. The three stories about his life were “Dropping out of college”, “How getting
fired from Apple was good for him”, and “Being diagnosed with Cancer and the awareness it
brought”.
Lesson: Be true to yourself, discover what you are best at and ensure others buy into your
beliefs.
Chapter 13– 10 Tips for Resilience
I recently read an interesting article in Time magazine by Mandy Oaklander on resilience which
also listed the top tips from experts on the subject. Here are the 10 tips from experts in the field
for developing resilience with my take on each.
1. Develop a core set of beliefs that nothing can shake: The key to achieve this is to first have
a personal mission statement for your life. Once you have that in place you can then determine
the values around which your life will revolve. Values could be kindness, integrity, honesty,
courage. So even if something goes wrong you can go back to your mission and core set of
values so that you see any setbacks as temporary.
2. Try to find meaning in whatever stressful or traumatic thing: The best quote related to this
is by Napoleon Hill who said “Every adversity carries with it the seed of an equivalent benefit.”
Everything happens for a reason and if we understand that, then we can deal with the inevitable
setbacks much better. The key is to bounce and not break. Every negative event has something to
teach us and once we use it as a learning mechanism to further our lives we can overcome it.
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3. Try to maintain a positive outlook: It is impossible to imagine a successful person who is
negative all the time. Bill Gates is someone who always has a positive outlook. He is fighting for
a larger cause now even eradicating diseases and his foundation is doing excellent work. They
key is his optimism that the world can be better than it already is. Another key to maintain a
positive outlook is to have a high appreciation for life. Count your blessings and write down
everything you are grateful for in your life.
4. Take cues from someone who is emotionally resilient: The people we associate with are
what psychologists call our reference group. We all know people who have overcome
tremendous adversity and we are in awe of them. I think the suggestion is to keep associating
with emotionally resilient people so that you get inspired and the qualities admired in others rub
off on you.
5. Don’t run from things that scare you: As Ralph Waldo Emerson said “Do the thing you fear
and the death of fear is certain.” As lot of experts say pursue the things that scare you and move
into your zone of discomfort. We have all been afraid of some presentations and once it is done it
wasn’t that big of a deal. We have also dealt with everything that life has thrown to us. This
understanding clearly tells us that we can overcome things if we approach them head on and
meet it with our presence. One thing that can help in this is to do the worst thing first. Start with
the most difficult thing on your to do list and the rest of the day will go much easier.
6. Be quick to reach out for support when things go haywire: None of us can do anything
alone. When we face problems we should confide either with our spouse or trusted confidant.
The office environment is not the right place to discuss your personal problems beyond a point.
Also speaking to others enables to sooth our emotional psyche and we can feel better about
ourselves. The key is to develop a master mind alliance with key friends whom you can
communicate without any inhibition.
7. Learn new things as often as you can: I like this line which says if you are feeling listless
make a list. We all have a lot on our plate at work but what about our personal lives. We should
have things we want to learn and we are passionate about. To increase joy in our lives we need to
do the things that make us happy. So keep learning something new every week and this reduces
stress increasing joy.
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8. Find an exercise regimen to stick to: Exercise is a great stress buster. The toughest part in an
exercise regimen is to get started. The problem is with every New Year we set some resolutions
like exercise 6 times a week and lose 30 pounds. The issue here is just because the calendar has
changed it doesn’t mean we are physically ready to take on the challenge. So start small by
setting a goal like going to the gym 3 days a week, losing 5 pounds in two months. The point is
we will stick to an exercise regimen only if feel like we are making progress so we need to set
easy to reach goals to keep us motivated for the long haul. Science has also shown that exercise
increases the three neuro transmitters namely dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine which