The first step to having a successful conversation is being clear what the conversation is really about. Often, this isn’t what it says on the agenda (if there was an agenda) and it is also not what is first said. And if that doesn’t went hard enough, sometimes it isn’t even clear to the others … Continue reading The first step to having a...
One of the lessons I’ve learnt from following careers of footballers (/soccer players) over the years is that we frequently overemphasize the role of individual talent. In reality, there’s a certain alchemy when we bring together the right player in the right team under the right manager. Talent – especially of the precocious nature – … Continue...
The difference between an experiencing flow and feeling overwhelmed is often just prioritization. Developing a system that just helps us continuously decide the one or two things that matters and helps us focus on those till they get done is among the most important investments we make for our mental health.
A few months ago, I’d shared a post about how our Powerwall had made us so much smarter about our energy use. These kinds of numbers are invaluable in understanding trends in energy use. Once we have this kind of visibility, we inevitably become smarter about our use. I shared last week that I’m on … Continue reading Moen – from seeing...
We often talk about giving someone the “hard sell” when we want to convince them. I’m a big fan of the opposite – the hard anti-sell. With the hard anti-sell, you clearly lay out all the reason someone shouldn’t, say, join your cause. This isn’t about being negative. It is simply about laying out all … Continue reading Hard anti-sell
There’s a great line (among many) from Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits – “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” This is the sort of catchy line that is easy to repeat – but challenging to implement. It is hard enough to get to clarity about what matters. Then maintaining that … Continue reading The main thing
How to dramatically increase the impact we drive with 2 simple steps – (1) Pick 1-2 problems (and no more than 2) to focus on at any given time. (2) Stay with them till they’re solved. Of course, it is so much easier to spread ourselves thin on multiple problems. And then switch course to … Continue reading How to dramatically increase the impact...
There’s a lot written about DeepSeek’s AI highly efficient and optimized AI models. There are 3 lessons I’m taking away – (1) It is clear we’re early in the AI adoption cycle given the amount of hype around an unknown competitor making big dents in efficiency. I think there are going to be many more … Continue reading DeepSeek
One of the harder things to do when we’re attempting to build something is to separate the exercise of determining the “what” from the exercise of determining the “how.”
Growing up in India, one of the strongest associations I made with wealth was comfort. In a country with a large population, help was easily available. And the wealthier someone was, the more they seemed to be able to afford help of all kinds. This in turn meant wealthy folks I saw didn’t have to … Continue reading Built for discomfort
“I created the OASIS because I never felt at home in the real world. I didn’t know how to connect with the people there. I was afraid, for all of my life, right up until I knew it was ending. That was when I realized, as terrifying and painful as reality can be, it’s also … Continue reading Because reality is real
When we think about behavior change, we often think about creating new habits/systems. This is why new year resolutions are popular. “New year, new me” and so on. However, we’re far more likely to be successful if we find ways to incorporate new behavior by amending existing systems. For example, I know I need to … Continue reading Changing...
A friend shared a lovely note on developing an understanding of a domain. Once you learn enough about a domain, you develop a deep appreciation and understanding for the complexity involved. And as you continue learning more, you move past that complexity and develop the mental models that make everything simple. You’re able to sift … Continue...