A very basic understanding and why we struggle for control — Photo: From Think Again by Adam Grant I am intrigued by the concept of risk and uncertainty. It began last year when I stumbled unto “An Economist Walks Into a Brothel” by Alison Schraeger. Having worked in and around banks and finance for a while, you’d imagine that I had a fair grasp of the subject matter…

The world needs more teams and less superheroes — The way the world of work is set up, there is constant pressure to put on a show — to “package” yourself, your skills, your experience and talent so that you stand out from the crowd. All these, we’re told, we need to do to improve our chances in a…

What a year of journaling taught me about myself and life — I started journaling exactly a year ago. At the time, it was something I had tried several times in my life and failed horribly at. I could never manage it consistently for any sustained period of time. …

What is on repeat inside your head? If life seems to be repeating lessons or messages, is it because the messages are important, or is it a sign that one isn’t paying attention? Or might it be that there aren’t really that many important lessons to begin with, just the…

In a world inundated with strategy, tactics, data and insights, what we actually do matter still matters most — I picked up on this expression recently. Having had a generally torrid 2020, with the pandemic and all, most business leaders I listened to seemed to still be playing the short game. I heard various versions of “we need to double down, work thrice (insert your preferred multiple) as hard…

Embracing the non-linear reality — Some things feel like they should be obvious. Like “if at first you don’t succeed, try again”. When stick with stuff, we improve our odds of succeeding at them. But then again, we don’t think in odds, we think in certainties. If I do this, I’ll get that. …

Our haste for results may be tripping us up. — In nature, we have some simple laws like sowing and reaping. You put a seed in the ground, provide the right conditions and wait. We wait for the process to do its work, humbly acknowledging that some things are outside of our control, no matter how much we put in…

Managing the unwanted but unavoidable source of growth — Conflict is inevitable in life. Nothing strange there. I think the source of all conflict is the self — fanned to flame by scarcity. Sometimes, the Self is even in conflict with itself! How much more so when it is between distinct, separate selves. I can hear how this might…

Being intentional about how you show up… — Posture is practiced. Very few things in life come to us “naturally”. So much of what we call “instinctive” is first learned by exposure, repetition and cemented by success. Success meaning that it works in a given context or produces the desired outcomes. Maybe what we usually mean by “natural”…