Straight from the desk

“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

"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

"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

“We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behavior.” Stephen Covey “I always begin a relationship with trust - until you prove me wrong.” Me Trust has now become an overused, abused term. It doesn’t come from big slogans. It comes from being consistent.. Replying when you said you would. Remembering what someone told you last week. Trust is all about showing up, being there. The myth of “team building” We think trust is built in offsites, team outings, and w

“I don’t like work—no man does—but I like what is in the work—the chance to find yourself.” — Joseph Conrad There’s a moment every new manager goes through. It’s quiet. It doesn’t come with a promotion email or applause. It comes when you realize… no one cares how good you are anymore. They care how good your team becomes. When I first moved into managing UXers, I thought my job was to raise the bar. Better reviews. Sharper critique. Cleaner outputs. I was wrong. My job wasn’