Excellence Blog

negative behavior

What is the upside of your negative behavior?

What is the one negative behaviour or habit you wish you could break out of? Maybe it’s controlling the time you spend …
elephant in the room

Is there an elephant in the room?

The things that go unsaid.. Those elephants in the room That’s where the biggest challenge to team effectiveness comes from …
advice

I’m looking for someone to give me advice.

“I’m looking for someone to give me advice.” I hear these words a lot from prospective clients. They say this …
being

Who are you being today?

Our sense of identity defines EVERY action we take! A lot of the work that I do with clients is …
do what you love

Do you do what you love?

❌❌ The biggest lie ever told: “Do what you love ❤️ and you won’t need to work another day in your life.” Not …
switch off

Are you struggling to switch off?

Do you often find yourself “buzzing” with energy at the end of your day and unable to switch off? I …
pace

Is your team keeping pace?

Does this sequence sound familiar? > You have a whole bunch of interesting ideas > You get your team charged …
resources

Resources and resourcefulness

I have never met a team that has ALL the resources it needs to be successful. There is always a …
leadership styles

Lets take the guesswork out of leadership

There is so much literature on leadership styles that a few lifetimes would not be enough to read it all! …
saying no

Are you saying no when you should?

Do you say yes to EVERY new, exciting initiative or project that comes your way? And then do you find …
selfcare

Selfcare and leadership

If you are always tired, stressed and on the brink of burnout you CANNOT be an effective leader. You may …
diversity

Do you know how to make use of the diversity in your team?

Research says that a leader’s behaviour has a 70% impact on the feelings of inclusion of team members, which in …
team

We hereby declare you a “Team”

We hereby declare you a “Team” This is literally how most teams are put together in an organisation. 🟡We hire …
break

Take that break !

It is sometimes one of the hardest things to do, isn’t it? Especially when you are in the middle of …
job description

What will be your job description in the coming months?

What should your job description look like six months from now? Because if you’re doing the same work and using the …
leader

You are hereby declared manager

I hereby declare you “leader”!! 👑 This is literally how a large number of leadership promotions happen in organizations 🟡 An …
team

Tale of Two Teams

In most organizations, we are part of two teams. Team A: The one where we are the leader Team B: …
disagree

Does your team disagree with you?

What is harder for leaders to achieve? Getting people to agree with them OR to get people to disagree with …
perfectionism

Perfectionism procrastination

So, have you ever found yourself endlessly refining a task because you want it to be perfect? Or completely avoiding …
uncertainty

How comfortable are you making decision when there is uncertainty?

How comfortable are you making decisions when there is uncertainty? Like if you have to make a decision with incomplete …
best team

What was the best team you ever worked with?

The best team that I ever worked with was in the very early years of my career.   What made …
high achievers

High achievers are 20% more likely to experience burnout!

Do you believe that only burnout only happens to the weak and weak-minded? Fun Fact: High achievers are 20% more …
problems

Who solves the problems in your team?

If you really want to make full use of your team’s knowledge and experience when you are solving a problem …
handle

How many things should you handle?

The number one thing that will impact your focus and your productivity : “Taking on more things than you should …
schedule

Does your schedule match your priorities?

Does your schedule match your priorities? Or are there some things there that are left over from your priorities in …
balance

What does balance mean for you?

Balance DOES NOT mean the same thing for everyone It is a personal and subjective thing that depends on individual …
achiever

How a high achiever becomes a terrible manager

As a high achiever when you went from being an individual contributor to a people manager did you expect that …
strengths

Are you taking your strengths for granted?

How often do you stop to think about your strengths? Chances are, you’ve got some pretty amazing abilities that you …
self-doubt

My friend self-doubt

Self-doubt is your friend Yes, you read that right! But how can something that keeps you worried, makes you wonder …
leader of a high-performing team

What every leader of a high performing team knows

Being the leader of a high-performing team is one of the most rewarding experiences! It can also be the hardest …
overthinking

Do you get stuck in overthinking loops?

Do you ever get stuck in an overthinking loop? When you go over and over the same thoughts, and you …
burnout

Creativity to burnout in 7 simple steps

When you have a strong, intrinsic drive to succeed you are willing to work tirelessly towards your goals. But this …
road trips

Goals are like road trips

Goals and action plans are a lot like road trips. You have the end destination mapped out on your GPS …
micromanagement

The Fine Line Between Micromanagement And Attention To Detail

Micromanagement is bad. For business. And employee morale. And because the term micromanagement has such a bad reputation, the fear …
team

Do you need to work as a team?

Is working as a team always the best solution? Short answer, “No”. Because teams only work well when everyone on …
high achievers

Leadership burnout

Most leaders today are BURNTOUT. Or running on fumes. Because recent times have been hard on everyone. But in some …
team focus

On what is your team focussed?

Do you REALLY know how well your team is utilizing its time? It is so easy to get caught up …
quiet quitting

How is Quiet Quitting serving anyone?

Quiet quitting is NOT cool! It is an entitled and disempowered approach to work and career. Quiet quitting is the …
your vision

Does your team really understand your vision?

A FALSE assumption that a lot of leaders operate under is that their team completely UNDERSTANDS and ALIGNS with their …
procrastination

Procrastination does not mean you are lazy

Do you berate yourself when you procrastinate on important tasks? Or do you worry that you are being indisciplined, incompetent …
saying no

Saying no is hard

Why most people struggle with saying no: They feel it will  spoil the relationship They feel it will spoil their …
delegate

5 ways to delegate without stressing

Delegation is hard. Especially, if you are really great at what you do. Here’s why. You’ve got to where you …
saying no

Handling a no

78% claim they find it most difficult to refuse their boss’s request, even if the request makes excessive demands on their …
high performing team

What is a high performing team?

What most people think a high-performing team is:  📈 🔸  Team members with the best talent 🔸  A team that …
busy or productive

Are you busy or productive?

Are you confusing being busy with being productive? What being busy looks like: Super busy calendar with back-to-back meetings Little …
belonging rules

What are the “belonging rules” in your team?

What are the “belonging rules” in your team? You know- the rules that tell people what it would take for …
paradox

The high achievers paradox

Being successful has a lot of paradox: Embracing the limelight while accepting the loneliness Enjoying the achievements while learning from …
great work

Does your day have great work?

What’s taking up most of your day? And what is it doing to your energy? Not all work is created …
what you love

The myth about doing what you love

The biggest lie ever told: “Do what you love and you won’t need to work another day in your life.” …
not knowing

The little known leadership superpower – the power of not knowing

The leader who knows it all: Whenever I ask someone about the most important qualites that a leader needs to …
consistency

Consistency is a superpower!

What people think makes someone successful: ⚫ Being smarter than others ⚫ Having better ideas ⚫ Having luck on your …
networking

3 things that stop people from networking

3 things that stop 🚫 people from networking ⚫ They don’t like manipulating and using people for selfish reasons ⚫ …
vacations

Vacations should be part of your business investments

I vote for vacations to be classified as a “business investment.” Here’s why: I’m just back from a week at …
life of a high achiever

Life of a high achiever

High achievers make success look easy. They are high on ownership, accountability, quality of work and getting the job done …
self-care

Quick self-care

For most of us when the workload goes increases, our focus on self-care goes down. In reality, those are the …
high achiever

Why do high achievers need a coach?

I am a coach for high achievers And the question that I get asked very frequently is “Why do high …
burnout

High achiever burnout

High achievers are always at a higher risk of burnout. Why?? Think of any high achiever (or yourself if you …
high achiever

Are you a high achiever?

Do you like pursuing and achieving meaningful goals? Most high achievers define accomplishing goals as something that gives them a …
great reset

Let’s take the “blame”​ out of the great reset!

A few weeks back Elon Musk’s email to his employees evoked a lot of strong reactions. Responses ranged from anger …
Communication

The challenge with communication

George Bernard Shaw said, ” The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place’ When …
next normal

How are you deciding your next normal?

In the last two years, we seem to have gone through multiple cycles of: The pandemic is over let’s slowly …
owning your reaction

Owning your reaction

Sentence 1: “He irritates me with his high pitched voice.” Sentence 2: “I get irritated when I hear his high …
coaching or mentoring

Do you need coaching or mentoring?

The term coaching is often used interchangeably with mentoring. This is because both these have a lot of similarities. They …
wordle

How Wordle is the perfect flow creator

I look forward to my daily Wordle. And I know I’m not the only one. Wordle is the perfect example …
Yoda

Yoda had it right

I guess Yoda had it right when he said, “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” When we are …
cheer

How about you cheer for yourself?

A reporter at Kanye West’s house found a giant poster of Kanye on his living room wall. Assuming it was …
next normal

What is your next normal?

In the last two years, we seem to have gone through multiple cycles of: The pandemic is over; let’s slowly …
teams

How is your team doing?

In a detailed study of 95 teams in 25 leading corporations, chosen by an independent panel of academics and experts, it was  …
team

What is a team?

When a bunch of people work together it does not mean that they are a team. Neither does reporting to …

The Gap Between Skill And Performance

Two people with the same skills and experience perform differently in the same environment. When a person does not meet …
Motivation

Where is your motivation coming from?

Motivation is the force that pushes or prevents you from doing something. It is a combination of the “Why” behind …
introvert

The introvert leader – why it works!

“I’m not sure I can be a manager, because I am an introvert,” said my client Anjali. This was her …
the but

Where are you placing your but?

Read these two sentences: Sentence 1: “Your performance this year has been excellent but there were a few misses that …
What if

Dealing with our “What Ifs”

Our biggest fears are what I call our “What ifs” “What if the investor/interviewer asks me a question I haven’t …
feedback

Should you always work on feedback?

In a world where you constantly get feedback to improve yourself,  how do you decide if the feedback is valid? …
path to success

The path to success

In school, we are often told, “Do well in your exams and that will mean you are successful”. In college, …
groupthink

Groupthink and how it reduces the effectiveness of your team

What is groupthink? Think of the last time you were in a team meeting and someone shared a suggestion. Maybe …
hire a coach

Three situations when you should hire a coach

Coaching is NOT the solution to all problems. However, in your life there are 3 situations when you SHOULD hire …
beliefs of high achievers

The core beliefs of high achievers

Our beliefs define who we are. Our behaviours ( both conscious and subconscious) are a result of these beliefs Sometimes …
different experiences

Same meeting, different experiences

“I enjoyed the conversation and I thought it was very productive.” “I felt uncomfortable sharing my thoughts. I also felt …
social loafing

Social loafing and why group projects are the worst!

One of the things I absolutely abhorred in school and college was group projects. I am a recovering perfectionist today …
fulfilment

When money is not the same as fulfilment

“My business is doing well. We are growing well and making good money. But I am not feeling happy.” I …
play to win

Are you “playing to win” or “playing not to lose”?

“ In order to succeed your desire for success need to be higher than you fear of failure” – Bill …
high achievers

What differentiates high achievers?

High achievers are wired differently. In his Theory of Human Motivation, David McClelland proposed that human beings are motivated by …
psychological safety

What psychological safety is not

Psychological safety often gets dismissed by leaders and because it is mistakenly seen as a soft approach or a possible …

Imposter syndrome – The nemesis of all high achievers

The good news first. If you find yourself relating to this post you are probably a high achiever. High achievers …
minimum viable product

What if you treated yourself as an Minimum Viable Product?

I love the concept of Minimum Viable Product(MVP). An MVP is a new product is introduced in the market with …
coaching

How to get the most from your coaching

Coaching is one of the most effective interventions for executive and professional development. However not every coaching engagement works out …
checklist

Checklist for finding the right Executive Coach

Finding the right Executive Coach can be tricky. If it’s the first time you are hiring an Executive Coach how …
psychological safety

What is psychological safety and how you could build it in your team

Psychological safety is the new buzzword in the organizational space. As per Amy Edmondson Harvard Business School Professor and the …
Success

Success can be scary

“I can see myself being very successful. I know I have it in me to reach any level of success …

Work life balance or balance in life

I don’t understand the term “work-life balance”. Isn’t the work we do a part of life itself? The term “work-life …
trust

“I feel I cant trust him”

“I feel I cant trust him” “Trust him with what?” “Anything!” This was a frustrated rant from a client about …
conflict

Conflict is uncomfortable but needed for team performance

When a bunch of people work together, conflict is inevitable. And yes, conflict is uncomfortable. It makes people uneasy. It …
answer

How about answering that question?

“Will I even make it?” “The moment I think of quitting my job and starting my business this is the …
Group Coaching VS One-on-One Coaching

Difference Between Group Coaching and One-on-One Coaching

Group Coaching is a lesser-known but increasingly used coaching intervention. While traditionally coaching was always a One-on-One intervention between a …
failure

“Failure is not an option!!”

“Failure is not an option!” This was my client expressing how important being successful was to her. This belief drove …
executive coaching

What goals could you work on in executive coaching?

Executive coaching helps leaders to develop the capability to optimize their strengths and excel at their work. At the same …
vision

What is your team’s understanding of your vision?

“What is your vision for this business?” I asked this question to one of my clients. He explained in detail …
what does an executive coach do

What would you get if you hired an executive coach?

I often get asked why someone hires an executive coach. Is it the same as hiring a trainer or a …
Team Building or Team Coaching

Do you need Team Building or Team Coaching for your team?

This is a great question to ask when you are looking at investing in the development of your team. Both …
purpose

What gets you up in the morning?

I get up at 4:30am every morning without an alarm. Then I go to the gym and work out for …

So, what do you do?

“So, what do you do?” is a question that always unsettles me. Not because I don’t know what I do …
a team or a group

Are you leading a team or a group? (and how that influences you people management strategy)

The words “team” and “group” are often used interchangeably in most organisations. These two are however not the same. There …
advice

Why a good coach may not give you advice

“I am looking for someone to give me advice.” I hear this from a lot of prospective clients reaching out …
power of leadership

The Four Powers of Leadership

I believe leadership is not one thing but a collection of attributes and skills. When the right mix of these …
right support

How to pick the right support for your development needs?

All of us at some point or the other need to find professional help. This could mean help to grow, …
layoff

A Compassionate Leader’s Guide to Layoffs

Layoffs are tough at any time.  But with the current Pandemic, the entire world has seen a rise in the …
resilient

The Mindset of a Resilient Leader

Most leaders and businesses can thrive when the economy is booming. But it takes a very strong resilient mindset to …
high performing team

The 3 Catalysts To Create A High Performing Team

Creating a high performing team is the aspiration of every leader and organisation. It is easy to assume that if …

A Smart Employee’s Guide To Career Management During A Crisis

The recent pandemic has thrown a lot of uncertainty into the already VUCA world of business and jobs. Businesses are …

Leadership In The Times Of COVID-19

In the last few months, COVID-19 has hit the world out of the blue and in a matter of weeks …

Take back control of your career and job satisfaction.

In the course of our careers, we are bound to have times when we feel dissatisfied, unhappy and discontent with …

How to build accountability in your team – and anyone else you speak with

As a leader do you constantly feel that your team misses deadlines or needs reminders to get tasks done? Do …

“Be an authentic leader” may be the worst advice for you.

Adam was summoned by the HR department in his company to talk about a complaint filed by his employee. The …

“I should be doing something!” – The addiction to busyness

  How do you respond to the question “How are things going?”. Are you more likely to say, “I’m crazy …

How to build motivation for those important goals you are avoiding

  We all have many goals and aspirations that we want to achieve. Some of these are ones that we …

What to expect when you hire a coach?

Having a coach is a popular success strategy today. Most successful entrepreneurs, executives, professionals, leaders, performers and sports people hire …

Turning a job transition into a career building move – Part 4 : Career Break

In the current work environment taking a career break (both voluntary or involuntary) is becoming more and more common. Layoffs …

Turning a job transition into a career building move – Part 3 : Role Changes within the Organization

Image Credit- Alex Rodrigues on Unsplash The most common type of job transitions are role changes within the organization. Most …

Turning a job transition into a career building move – Part 2 : Changing Industry

Photo credit Createsima on FreeImages In my last post, I explored transitioning from one organisation to another. Many of us(myself …

Turning a job transition into a career building move – Part 1 : Changing Organizations

In today’s fast-paced world jobs are no longer for life. Career moves are part of the journey and even recommended as a …

What extrovert leaders need to learn about connecting with people

A connection is that energy that exist between two people where they feel seen, heard and valued. – Brene Brown …

BHAG COACHING

Do You Have A BHAG? A BHAG or Big Hairy Audacious Goal is a goal that: Grabs you in the …

The (limited) value of technical expertise in leadership

If you are a perfectionist, you are likely to spend a lot of time building your expertise at work. You …

How successful leaders handle a “no”

Successful leadership is often about getting stuff done. Which means convincing, requesting, delegating, directing and mentoring people to take on …

Words are all you have. Really!

Well, maybe the title goes a bit overboard but Boyzone came pretty close to explaining how important words are in …

What is your relationship with success?

If I ask you, “What does success mean to you?”, what would you say? Most people answer this question by …

Are you climbing the right mountain?

Sometimes we chose a path in life where there is a risk involved. But we still go ahead because all …

Are you working in your self interest?

There was a time when I used to believe that human beings act with their own self-interest in mind. After …

What your manager means when he says that you need to be more strategic?

The most common developmental goal for executives today is that they need to be more strategic. If you are part …

Understanding purpose and why it’s not what you think.

A lot of clients come to me to figure out their true purpose in life. Many of these individuals are …

Authenticity in the presence of power

In a recent leadership event that I attended, there was a segment on Executive Presence. The speaker addressed the importance …

Newton’s first law of motion and how it applies to your career

Recently Prashant came to me seeking support in his career. We discussed the goals for the coaching engagement which were …

3 steps to start breaking free when you are feeling stuck in a rut

We all go through phases in life when we feel stuck. Getting stuck  generally happens when: You are emotionally part …

“I hope someone notices my good work” is not a career progression strategy

There is no substitute for skill and hard work. Both of these are an absolute must to get ahead and …

Saying no without feeling like a jerk

Anupam’s boss constantly keeps dumping last-minute tasks on him. Because of this, Anupam ends up working late on a lot …

3 Key steps to ensure success in your new role

You have just been promoted to the new role you have been aspiring for the last 2 years. It has …

Is leisure your guilty pleasure?

Let’s say, you are asked to sit for 10 minutes in the room without doing anything. Not check your phone, not …

What is the little voice in your head and what does it want?

Imagine this; you are outside an interview room waiting to be called in. The interview is for a job you …

Procrastination can be good for you

Two weeks back one of my aunts asked me to pick up a book for her from a bookstore near …

Procrastination is NOT about laziness

Last week I had to prepare for an important presentation. I was pitching for a deal, which, if it went …

What is your ugly duckling story?

The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Anderson is one of my favourite fairy tales. To me it is a story of …

Your career is a marathon. Are you sprinting instead?

I was recently working with a corporate executive . The brief for the coaching assignment was to help him manage …

7 Leadership Lessons I learnt from Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones is a hot favourite right now for all TV buffs. Many claim that its popularity is because …

When a past failure refuses to let you go

  When time does not heal Imagine this – One of your friends has approached you with a great business …

When the need to win gets in the way of your success

I have always seen myself as a go-getter. A winner no less. When I start a program my need to win …

Internal networking is not optional. Embrace it!

Rajesh is a very successful sales manager. He is known as a people’s person and is highly spoken of by both …

If you are a manager – get good at sharing bad news

The dilemma of sharing bad news Leaders are often the messenger and sometimes the creator of bad news. While the saying …

How your success could set you up for failure

What are your reasons for success If I were to ask you, “What makes you successful?” what would you say? Whenever …

Why goals fail – even the SMART ones!

Look back on all the years that you set New Year resolutions for yourself. If you do not believe in …

If your team does not follow your directions- here’s what’s wrong!

Leadership is defined as the ability to get others to follow you. The key responsibility of a leader is to …

You’ve successfully met your big goal – and that is your problem!

John is one of my clients. We came in contact, after his organization hired me to support his transition into …

The one reason you may not have got a leadership promotion yet

You are really good at what you do. Your management, peers and subordinates agree that you do a great job …

4 ways to master that task that you don’t like doing ……but need to do anyway

Susan(name changed) is one of my clients. We have been working on her transition into a job role she got promoted …

4 mistakes that could make you feel stuck in life

“Feeling stuck in life” – that feeling that we all know. When you are in a situation that you hate …

Is internal competition killing your organisation’s effectiveness?

Most organisations have evaluation systems that measure employees against their goals and how they performed vs their peers. The obvious …

The difference that makes the difference

This week in India was marked with the sudden demise of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the Missile man, the extraordinary …

3 Steps to take control when change happens

Change is difficult! Occasionally its manageable. More often than not it is tough to deal with. Some changes in life …

The missing piece in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Maslow spoke about human motivation and human needs being interrelated. Maslow’s work on the hierarchy of needs pyramid published in …

Are you being a duck in water?

What is a duck in water? A client was recently telling me that he likes to maintain a calm exterior to portray …

Leadership VS the Myth of the Perfect Leader

 “The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves” – Ray Kroc Who is a …

The achievement treadmill – why pausing it is so hard and what to do about it

“Sometimes you need to press pause to let everything sink in.” –  Sebastian Vettel Being a high achiever means that …

Authentic leadership in times of change – the first step that no one told you about

“Authenticity is the alignment of head, mouth, heart, and feet – thinking, saying, feeling, and doing the same thing – …

Is perfectionism your imperfection?

Perfectionism is not a quest for the best. It is a pursuit of the worst in ourselves, the part that …

Why “Purpose” is the most critical factor behind the success of your enterprise.

 “There is nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency something that should not be done at all.” – Peter …

4 things to consider if you are unsure of a career move

 ” I’ve come to realise your career is all about the choices you make. Every single one matters.”  – Demi …

2 things you need to know about willpower to be able to use it

Will power is defined as : “The strength of will to carry out one’s decisions, wishes, or plans.” or  “Control of one’s impulses and actions; determination; self-control.” or “The ability to delay gratification, resisting short-term temptations in order …

The 5 inner demons every leader must tame

Vince Lombardi said “ Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the …

4 personal traits that can overshadow your excellence

If you are an excellent performer but are suddenly finding it difficult to get things done check if any of the following …

10 life lessons from a toddler

I have a 20 month old son and I thought I had to teach him the rules of life……….till I realized …

Having it “all”

A recent article all over Facebook, news portals and blogs had Indira Nooyi’s picture and title proclaiming in bold terms …