Straight from the desk

“When a statesman insists that his country is his, he is probably about to prove it.” - I.F. Stone We have a strange weakness for confident people. Give us two leaders. One says: “I'm not completely sure. Let's look at the evidence.” The other says: “I know exactly what to do.” Guess who gets the applause. We like the second one. It makes life easier. There is something comforting about watching a person walk into a complicated situation and behave as though the complication

“The most terrible poverty is loneliness, and the feeling of being unloved.” - Mother Teresa We are living in enchanted times - Between the dozen communication apps and AI assistants, there are so many ways we can stay connected. Yet, a peculiar phenomenon is occurring - People are feeling lonely. A recent report on Gen Z professionals highlighted a generation with jobs, networks, and countless online connections, yet they struggle to form genuine relationships. This should c

“Plans are of little importance, but planning is essential.” - Dwight D. Eisenhower "Where do you see yourself in five years?" I have asked people this question and I've been asked this question. I've probably asked myself this question more times than I care to admit. All in equal measure. It used to be a reasonable question. Now I'm not so sure. The world changes too quickly. Jobs change. Technology changes. Companies disappear. Entire professions get reshaped. And yet we s

“The future is already here — it's just not evenly distributed.” — William Gibson A few weeks ago, I wrote about something that has been bothering a lot of UX people. 'Will AI replace us?' Someone on my team had asked me the same thing. It was a fair question. My answer then was simple: 'AI isn't going to replace good UX. But it will expose bad leadership.' Because when people are frightened, they don't need predictions. They need leadership. I still believe that. But somethi

A few weeks ago, I wrote about what India’s Gen Z student protests taught me about leadership. It became one of the most-read pieces in the series. And I think I know why. The story wasn't really about politics. It was about young people finding their voice. About purpose. About what happens when people who don't normally sit at the same table decide they have something worth standing up for. I thought that chapter was over. Boy, was I wrong. The movement has changed. The iss

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." — Margaret Mead Over the past few weeks, billions watched students take to the streets of New Delhi demanding education reforms after repeated examination controversies. Whatever your political views, one thing stood out. A generation that's often dismissed as distracted or glued to their phones managed to organize one of the largest student-led

“Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.” — Groucho Marx Bella has never read a leadership book. She has never attended a workshop on psychological safety or workplace dynamics. Yet, she has taught me some of the most useful lessons I know about trust and leadership. Bella is my dog. As she's grown older, I'm becoming more aware of the fact that she has a mind of her own. There are days when she listens to everything I say. And t

“The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it.” — Terry Pratchett A few years ago, one of my executive leaders announced: 'Speed is essential. Faster is better.' More meetings. More updates. More Slack messages. More check-ins. 'Churn out more. More is better.' As a manager, I thought my job was to keep things moving. Fast. Forward. Never stopping. Then I started noticing something strange - The bus

"The future ain't what it used to be." — Yogi Berra Every second post on LinkedIn talks about the apocalyptic future of AI. Every person is asking some variation of the same question. "Will AI replace Me?" As an UXer, I hear other UXers worry about AI's influence on design. UXers are a worried lot. As leaders, we are constantly trying to put out these tiny fires of doubts and anxiety in our teams. Unbelieveably, we are none the wiser. People have always feared change. When

“Leadership is practiced not so much in words as in attitude and in action.” — Harold S. Geneen If there is one thing I've learnt in relationships, it is that people won't remember what you said to them, but they will remember how you made them feel. For life. This is a universal truth. Your team member will not remember what you said in the appraisal meeting, but they will always remember how you made them feel after it. And I've had the unique opportunity to be on both sid

“The graveyards are full of indispensable men.” — Charles de Gaulle He was one of those hard-working team member, always eager to take on a challenge, and to deliver. So when he resigned right after the annual appraisal call, I took it personally. Specially since I got him a promotion and what was considered a significant hike. I replayed every conversation in my head. What could I have done differently? Where did my communication fail? Should I have pushed harder for him? W

“Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.” — Bobby Unser, race car driver Most employees think promotions are decided during appraisal season. Almost none of them realise the amount of discussions that goes behind identifying talent that deserves the growth. When the discussion reaches a conference room after weeks of reviewing employees and the work they've done over the past year, most decisions are already obvious. The honest insider truth is - Promotions are ea

“Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.” — Joe Louis Come March every year, every team member I have worked with wants a promotion. Very few want to hear the feedback or understand that they have to earn one. And contrary to popular belief, no manager looks forward to telling that talented person that they did not get the rating they hoped for. I have had this conversation more times than I remember, and it never gets easy. But over the years, I've chipped