Bamboo In The Wind

We naturally desire change when we want to see a difference. When there is a desire, we have a start. But that is just a beginning. Now we need to get others along on a path toward change. Getting others along the path we have in mind is a daunting task. We must develop an influence system to build understanding, opinions, and interests from those we want in our journey. It's rarely easy. Creating a reward system is necessary for following the steps we lay out. We need to walk a double-edged sword. The influence system needs to convey the benefits unambiguously. Avoiding the trap of serving personal goals and priorities is vital. A reward system needs to be set up to benefit a broader set of people. Without that, the influence system is not be trusted.  Consensus building is an arduous process! Integrity plays a pivotal role!

There is an intellectual you, and there is an emotional you. Both represent the real you. A combined version of you is facing the world. Rational thinking comes from the intellectual side, which expects evidence before acting. It makes cautious moves and analyses the impact of actions. Irrational thinking comes from the emotional side that makes you work as you feel right. Autocratic decision-making and democratic decision-making, too, are indicative of two You's! One is authoritarian; the other one more inclusive.  But best decision-making is often just a reflection of the combined version of two you's and is represented in meritocratic decision-making. It's more evidence-based behavior and represents the most balanced version of intellectual and emotional you. Two You's are unavoidable. They are what you have. You just need to see them and learn to combine them into a version that gives you the best chance!

It sounds dreading to be in a place where no one understands where you are coming from. Everyone views you to be in a good place. They don't realize you have your struggles and don't have all the answers. The perception is that you manage yourself alright and have everything going your way. That is a suffocating place to be in! You are dealt a blow that you are fine and need no help! Besides, they can surround you all they want and flood you with their needs. They expect graciousness from you. One way! That is grossly unfair. But that is how real life plays out! You are lonely only until you reach out! Go for the swing! You are sure to find someone willing to give ear to what you have been longing to say!

The most pernicious thing about resistance is it pops up its head everywhere. It dissuades you from doing your work. As you embark on your art, finish your research paper, do your daily chores, or start out on an entrepreneurial journey, resistance shows up.  Before you know it, your voice goes against doing what you set out to do. You might show the courage to get past it. But just as you hit the rough middle patch, resistance reemerges! You start to find all silly reasons to give way to it. Abandoning the vital work you have progressed but have a temporary hurdle on. You might circumnavigate this phase too. The persistent resistance notoriously shows up just when you are at the finish line. It dances in your mind with reels of all that can go wrong at a precarious prevailing moment. Close to your goal post; it might get you to second guess yourself. That's the last blow to negotiate when you least expect it! The resistance does not rest. It is persistent but transient;  Star...

How often have you been drawn into thinking about stories of how those around us feel about us? That's a trap. You are more worried about others' views of you than your own. Just as you do, you begin to lose agency with yourself. Understandably, you are trying to fit in with the peer circle. You want to be acceptable and amenable to others' points of view. That is fair. But know that you are buckling under the urge to fit in. You lose your originality as you adapt to others' views. It's a syndrome we all suffer. Even those who work with us! The excellent trick to cure this is to learn to see who should have the agency. And then place it back where it belongs!

A bunch organized in a specific way always creates an impression. Take an example of a bunch of flowers. If someone nicely sets them in a pot, it has the power to change the mood in the room. Until they need replacement. A bunch of people, on the hand, when they are pulled together, might be uncertain about their roles in the absence of a well-defined organization. Yet they can quickly bring discipline and order to the group by volunteering and distributing responsibility to one another. Self-organizing groups rely on initiative, skills, and ownership. Gone are the days for someone to form rigid organizational structures that are static and monotonously boring. Evolutionary formations are the future. Purposeful and worth being around!

To focus on actual results, the best approach is to focus on the nearest work. Just next to you.  Operating in the vicinity is fraught with focusing on the micro instead of the macro canvas. And,  micro canvas makes you uncomfortable.  In microenvironments, everything appears just here, within reach. You are called out to begin painting. You have to get started unguarded. It gives a feeling of a constraining environment that requires you here and now. To be in the present and flow with your imagination. You feel kind of exposed.  Your worries are justified. What if you leave the micro canvas over or under-utilized? What if you made irreversible mistakes? What if you disappoint yourself. What if you let anyone else down? Justified. But often stalling. Fear grips you. Stay there until it doesn't. The sky clears, and thinking prevails! That opens the door of possibility. It is an imaginary door that unlocks only with a key of fearlessness. You begin to believe that the ...

Encountering uncertainty is startling. You go off balance as a reaction. You are awestruck by the reality of the unexpected. That is a normal reaction. You are not alone! What matters is what you do next. Even when you are in unknown territory. Feel fearful, shed the fear, and become intent. Regaining your focus is the only way out of the uncertainty. No matter what you face, the process of gaining back the agency is the same. Trust the process! Embrace the rendezvous!

Many things in life are attractive at the start and get boring over time. There are frameworks such as schooling, jobs, marriages, research, explorations, or start-ups. There is glamor in them when they are new. Filled with excitement about the potential of being in it for the greater good. There is a show of partnership, going out of the way to help, accommodation for mistakes, or reciprocation with generous acts. And then there come circumstances that take their sheen away. The excitement begins to fade away. Most interesting forms of frameworks that looked promising now look hopeless mid-way through the experience of being in the framework! This is true for most things we do. That is the time to stick around and honor the frameworks. Getting through this period of what looks boring is the period to stick the neck out and do the grunt work despite all the noise telling us to quit. It's time to back ourselves. Most often, the magic happens when we do just that. Persisting with the...

Half the battle in accomplishing anything lies in overcoming the mental hurdles faced. They come from narratives we tell ourselves. The narratives, hugely influenced by our biases, originate all the times. But still, they have two main places of occurrence and therefore generate two distinct responses that impact what we do as a result.  When the narrative surfaces after we embark on a journey - our pursuit of meaningful work - it usually indicates that we lacked preparedness and are now experiencing second thoughts about our goal.  The narrative manifests with few reflective thoughts that raise doubts about what we really wanted to pursue. It sets in, albeit late, because of what we discover after having embarked on the pursuit. We have a surprise, contrary to our expectations of the journey.  Most of us fall prey to poor thinking and ensuing inadequate preparation. Poor preparation turns into hurdles and yields pressure situations. Our response then tends to be reconcil...

We are always busy future-proofing ourselves or getting over our past regrets. In the process, we miss negotiating the present! We throw away present moments. Often without even opening them. We lose sight of what the present moments had packed in them. If we cared to open them, we might find that there is an opportunity to connect. If we engage the present, we might get the feedback, motivation and reason to direct our march. There certainly is a possibility of getting an audience with those who might find it rewarding to engage with us. There might be glimpses of precious moments of happiness and recognition in it. The present is often spontaneous and unstructured. It brings uncertainty quite unexpectedly. It brings surprises and a lot of disappointments. Tells you what you did well and what you missed the mark on. Being in the present moment extends a handshake with information, critique, opinions and support.  The present draws progressive action from us!  Being present is...

A lot of what we do is a desire that generates from what happens in our surroundings. We get pushed into being part of the game that others have started. Nothing wrong with it. They pay off and provide grounds for an excellent experience. The problem starts when such adopted desires begin to collide with your own. There comes a time in your life, career, or profession where you sense that you are dragging your feet just where you felt it was the most suitable place to be; beneficial and progressive.  Usually, that is the time you have begun noticing your own core desires. Such desires stem from your core beliefs and have the potential to represent your true self. There are two ways to benefit from it. You apply your core beliefs at the place where you have had an enjoyable ride so far. Hopefully, you are at a juncture where your contributions thus far offer you the flexibility to pursue your desire. Usually, the outcome is growth in enriching experience and empowerment. But often, ...

First, you must know what you want, how you want to feel and the results you expect. It's strange to put a stake in the ground like this. Most often, we are eager to just start. And that is fair. But somewhere in that journey lies the land of unknowns that throws you off guard. We must negotiate the unknowns. Discharging our fear is a large part of it.  Have you experienced the sudden drop we experience when flying at 35000 feet? And the unstoppable stomach roll you feel? It is that same fear. We must let it dissipate;  live through that fear, and come out at the other end unscathed. Only when we shed the fear emanating out of the unknowns will we reference and clarify guiding principles.  Principles that provide the supporting rails so that you know how to get back on track. Or at least get back near where you want to be. Working patiently to know what you eventually intend to achieve and why is confusing. It makes you go off balance, yet it is essential. It's an unavoid...

So much of what you do is possible because "the other" is kept in mind.  What others ask, tell, demand, suggest, opine, question, and agree with becomes the motivation for you to address through what you do. Similarly, much of what we have needs an outlet with "the other". Without someone to share it with, it is impossible to validate your assertions about the why and who you are doing it for.  When your reach out to "the other", the story behind what you have gets adopted (or not) via your work. The network is the conduit for the exchange of thoughts. It has the potential to provide a point of absorption for you. It also offers a sounding board for ideas of needed detours. A network develops bidirectionally; with  initiative and proactive reach out. The network effect, the tailwind for your effort, is an aftermath of thoughtful and transparent exchange. Openness to scrutiny is at the core of its multiplier effect. You enter the network by opening your car...

As easy as it sounds, getting to do the work is the hardest. Why so? It requires battling with yourself. Your resistance, in fact. You bring up many reasons against actually moving ahead and getting started. Safely walking across the mental block is your biggest hurdle. It is the main reason why the work of utility and value does not happen at your hands. An initiative that you need stems from making this walk happen. There is no other way. Resistance must be tackled in our minds. It is an act of thinking through the block and erasing the imaginary hurdles. It is a physical activity that you can perform with someone's nudge. Others can provide you tips on how to circumvent the resistance. Others cannot help reset the mindset of what stops you. Embarking to do your work requires you to push through the fear of failure, laziness, missing discipline and most importantly, the perception of how others view you. Once you learn to be ready to start with all your imperfections - the fear o...

Big problems need more hands than just yours. Different thinking, points of view, debates, and boldness to tear apart the assumptions are critical to solving a problem that requires more than what meets the eye. It's always helpful to use second-order thinking to unravel something that is not apparent at first sight of the problem. That is precisely why we need teams. A team from the same discipline and that from cross-functional disciplines. We often underestimate the importance of learning from subjects beyond our core areas of expertise.  Great problems require such openness to deploy relevant knowledge from other fields. It gives us the power to bring in motion changes that influence society in unimaginable ways.

While we may not realize it, sensitivity is at the root of how cultures build and how we behave. Environments that can build around such cultures have usually seen an arduous, painstaking journey of ill-effects of exclusions and restrictions leading to constrained closed communities that exist but severely lack trust. Retention of relationships is based on trust in the group behaviour. When cultures evolve with an element of sensitivity, it moves toward an expansive inclusion and gives a free hand to explore or opine. That is when cultures catch on. Consistently grasping who is in front of us sets the direction of future culture - one of care. 

In larger environments such as public gatherings, large companies the stakes are low for speaking out. There is a rush to make macro predictions, environmental impacts, company culture, and business outlook at a broad-based level. Sweeping statements promise to bring radical changes and magical performances. In expansive environments, you are mainly focused on luring the populace to listen to what you have to say. They also need someone who can provide them glimpses of what is happening around them. Just knowing what is on is usually enough. Such environments lack a tight communication network that works to create an understanding, amplify messages or open up a debate. Nor do they care about the commitment and accountability of a speaker or the listener. So no one bothers about what actions it means for them. This is one of the primary reasons why large organizations begin to struggle to keep up their early appeal. Because nothing that was said gets done. The status quo is felt by the ...

There come mornings when you dread waking up. You have no sense of drive or direction to feel like getting up to make the most out of the day in front of you. Work does not give the same kick it once used to. Interactions are boring and monotonous. You feel trapped in a routine that does not generate a bit of enthusiasm. You feel the loss of purpose.  And then you embark on a soul searching. You expect to regain lost purpose. You rarely find your calling by looking for the purpose. The purpose expresses the core of who you are. Through your work and interactions, no matter what or where it is. In a consistent manner. Your natural tendencies have the power to exhibit themselves in a way for you to emit happiness and satisfaction. You get a sense of accomplishment when doing the work that makes your beliefs come out. Whatever they are. When you are in an environment where you have wound up expressing yourself, you are in a constraining situation that chokes your creativity and c...

There are trapping forces that withhold our progression. Attachments to unfinished commitments, cultural bonds, unsettled scores, worry about the uncertainty surrounding what we care for, incomplete discoveries - so many forces draw us backwards. We surely want to unshackle ourselves from those but cannot get our minds to shed thinking about it. No matter how many distractions we create externally, we cannot get the internal thrust. Bringing the point of internal equilibrium raises the possibility of generating a liberating push that turns into a compounding thrust until we gain an escape velocity to leave behind trapping forces. Escape velocity gives us to be in orbit of a progressive path. But the first step is to gain an internal equilibrium so that we know how to generate the initial push.

Accomplishing anything requires mental focus. Bringing focus has been a rather intriguing problem to crack for ages. Focus is an ever-elusive form of behaviour. You have an uncanny ability to lose focus on anything important. You bring in umpteen number of distractions to your rescue just when you begin to focus. Vitality focusing is not apparent until the effectiveness of focus is in the picture. Focus begins with holding yourself accountable to be somewhere, to do something, to prepare, to help, to reach out, to gather; there are so many things you are engaged in. Each one requires you to hold yourself accountable to act in a manner that those things are made possible. Accountability is a close cousin of commitment. Without showing commitment, you are unable to perform the task at hand. It is one thing to say that you are accountable. Commitment implies a realization of that accountability. Commitment is fulfilled when you are seen showing up. But the trickiest part is both accountab...

It's one thing that you have done things in a certain way. There always comes a time when you realize the approach is not working. You learn from whether what you did yielded the outcome you desired. If not, you tend to grapple with the possibility of changing things a bit. Being open to adapting the approach is a good thing. Having a perfect picture or product-market fit for a product you building is a desire. Often things do not go the way you desire. You must then edit what you have already produced. Adapt it. Get two minds to brainstorm what might make sense when editing. The process of editing is rarely lonely. When two minds come together, an invisible yet potent combination comes into play. It's like three independent minds solving what you are aiming for. The editing process involves an open mind, embracing change, and a willingness to rise from failure. Fearlessly edit what you do. As often as you like!

How often do we find ideas born yet not having a long life? Very often. Why is that the case? Ideas need an environment to thrive. They need oxygen to germinate. There is no possibility of ideas becoming big right away. Ideas have numerous manifestations. Some desired and some undesired. We need to keep pruning the idea bush into shape routinely. It needs care, protection, survival feed, encouragement and support until it launches. Once the idea gets the root, it's time to give it climber support. With vanishing cognitive biases, ideas get better. The bright sunlight makes ideas launch themselves, clasping for reaching out. They need to stream out the best they have got, so they can cross the chasm and make the reach. That is the point at which ideas can merge with the masses. They become mainstream. Birthing ideas is always great. Proving an environment that allows those to turn into streams of related idea assimilation. Masses can turn down the streams. Making the stream acceptab...

We gain knowledge in different ways. We acquire it by observing things or observing how others think, read, interpret, act or do something. We also get it by thinking, understanding and creating something ourselves.  The difference between the former and the latter is that the former is learned knowledge, and the latter is earned knowledge. What is the difference? Learned knowledge gives you tricks and tips. You get the benefit of absorbing others' summarised understanding of something. In return, you don't have to experience first hand. It is referenced absorbtion. Earned knowledge, on the other hand, is hard-earned through experiences. There is a history of making many mistakes before you gain experience. Acquisition of such knowledge helps create absorbed understanding directly from our experience. It's an original and personal version. Earned knowledge helps articulate pathways, approaches, thinking patterns and actions that everyone, including us, can benefit from. 

You run into situations that make you compare how you are doing vis-a-vis others you admire, like or respect. Like favourite people all you want. You cannot become them ever. It's futile to be like others.  It is good to meet people from various backgrounds and fields and listen to their way of doing things. The way they think about situations that you struggle with. Find out how they navigate circumstances that lead to positive outcomes. Learn from others to improve your odds of success. It requires no getting entangled with who they are as a person.  Trying to be some other personality you are not is going to be disappointing. Short cuts to mimic what Steve Jobs, Sachin Tendulkar or Shahrukh Khan looks, thinks or does results in blatant comparison that is bound to boomerang on you. You are not them. You cannot be.  You are uniquely you. Ditto for what you are building or when erecting companies. They carry are unique to who you are and what you stand for. Learn from oth...

You have to work hard to win the trust of others. Others are a critical part of the equation to accomplish anything. That is teamwork. Teamwork is impossible without having others along your journey. Those who join the journey do so because they trust you. Trust in who you are and how you are likely to treat others - in their face or when no one is watching you. Their trust in you is a result of their past experience with you. You earn the trust (or mistrust) with your behaviour and actions and the consistency of those when looking over your shoulder.

Ticking the ball keeps you on the move. Nudging the ball towards a fellow player allows you a space to reposition yourself. A fraction of a second of a breather and reliance on others can prove a game changer. This is the time  you realign thoughts, moves and the next step. Others have an equally important job! To read your next step, to bring you back into action and thereby secure their own space to reposition. This creates a series of interconnected, dynamically thought action webs with a singular goal to make an impact. Keeping the reigns in your hand at all times rarely makes sense. It is overambitious in indicating you are always in control and unproductive in that it declines the others an opportunity to contribute. It indicates a lack of trust, and poor delegation, which explains stagnation. If you want mobility in thoughts and the possibility of favourable results nudging the situations, scoring in collaboration with others is the way to go. Be on the move; keep it ticking...

Circumstances bring stressors that cause breakdowns. They appear irreparable at first. If we show courage to express emotion, fear expresses itself. Fear is an extreme picture of hopelessness and the futility of countering the breakdowns. It makes us feel feeble. For all the wrong sides of fear, the best part is letting it out even when it is hard. Resistance to being vulnerable is the primary hurdle to fixing the breakdown. As the clouds of fear fade away, we find ourselves intact, contrary to what our fear told us.  Before we know it, the frame of mind realigns. That is the beginning of reconstituting for attacking breakdowns.

We do not realize the need for building communication loops. Creating those involves tieing the two ends of the channel. Tieing up circumstances, work tasks, and our thoughts into an understandable perspective so recipients respond with care.  It reflects a complete formation that keeps the interests of both ends in mind.  The absence of loops creates a void.   Why are the loops critical?  Loops are critical because they have the potential to provide a meaningful context.  The absence of context, circumstances, tasks or even our thoughts does not make sense.  We tend to apply a skewed lens when illusionary context prevails.  The ultimate impact is flawed and biased decision-making. Is there a value in building habits for building those?  Evidence suggests there is a value in building habits of building communication loops. We may not recognize that most gaps visible in relationships and commitments are a result of incomplete context.  An inco...

There is a myth that formidable forces are made with a formula. That is rarely the case. One has to look underneath the hood to see what is present in such a force's early days. When we do look up, what we find common among those who are achievers is the following: Understanding what is trending and investing in those. Willingness to fail. Shameless to announce failure. Nurturing the grounds for a soft landing if and when failing. Ability to find and access resources. Give yourself chances until you progress toward success. What are the early actions along this path are the following: Creating something that catches emotions. Product. Building dams where rivers will likely flow into it. Audience. A simple way to experience the need you are serving. Utility. Having a story that flows from person to person. Appeal. Ability to produce and get traction at low or no cost. Value. Every formidable force has moments of struggle, strain, rejection, failure, and pivot before being successful...