2022-Year End Gratitude

Dear All,

As we are approaching end of year 2022 and most of us will be taking off in few weeks times. I would like to pen down my thoughts and gratitude for all my friends, colleagues and mentors. Most of you were/are with me in my ups and downs and this makes me comfortable to share my learnings of the year with you. I will quote some of the lines (or books or writer names) which I have assimilated in this year.

I am blessed (& always been) that I got opportunity to work with the ignited minds and wonderful human beings on this earth. Got an opportunity to learn & make mistakes and was well mentored and guided by various leaders throughout my life and in professional career as well. Year 2022 was somewhat special as I got the opportunity to learn more & more. Started the year with new role and new team, and can’t describe the experience in words. One thing which I learned during the journey if you want to bring best out of any team members, create the culture of openness so that team members can express freely & put forth their ideas. Empower them to take decisions as aim is to create more leaders not followers. Democratic institutions or leaders create the culture where one learns to agree with disagreement as aim is to ensure best idea wins not the person. The idea of healthy team is where everyone listens and participate to ensure goal sets are achieved in the right way. Kudos to my fellow colleagues, team and leadership for creating such culture. Its rightly said getting right people in right roles in support of the goal is the key to success (Ray Dalio)

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (book by Patrick Lencioni & picture below to summarize the learning), has taught me there is no replacement of trust and not everyone takes accountability. Those who takes accountability will be known as leader and will face more challenges and huddles.

Challenges bring best out of us and its rightly said No one grows when things are easy, we all grow when we face challenges. Great leaders are problem solvers. As Brene Brown said, “Integrity is choosing courage over comfort; choosing what is right over what is fun, fast, or easy and choosing to practice our values rather than simply professing them”. At the end of the day when I see my kids, I feel satisfied that I kept choosing tougher path than the easy one. (My kids keep inspiring me!!).

Steve jobs has rightly said “Great things in business are never done by one person, they're done by a team of people”. It’s always important to understand power of team. Building strong team is not everyone cup of team. Creating environment of trust and empowerment are important essentials for building team. Its important to have drinks with team, comraderies are not getting built in cabins but in bars. (??)

In this fast-evolving era, change is must. Leaders keep learning be it new skills or new adaptions. Small changes like change in temperature can turn liquid into solid, similarly small changes in habits can turn one into better person/professional so keep accumulating small changes and reap benefits of power of compounding (Loon shoots by Safi Bahcall, Atomic habits by James clear). 2022 is an eventful year for me where I completed by MBA and many thanks to all my professors for enlightening me with their knowledge. I am firm believer that experience is just a number and knowledge is the ocean, more you swim more left to cross.

Make friends or working friends as some one rightly said No matter what technology or digitalization we use in our life; we should always come back to relationships. Learned to be more emphatic, fitting myself in other shoes and understanding their challenges. This has gifted me with more friends. We also need critics to keep us in shape as if we don’t have critics probably, we don’t have success.

In the world of data, I think we are forgetting that human instinct sometimes creates more value in decision making. If we use sense making (Sensemaking a book by Christian Madsbjerg) with data it may create wonders. As I Often said and laugh do not underestimate natural intelligence in the world of artificial intelligence. (I literally got inspired by writings of Charles Bukowski)

Another learning of 2022 was, don’t use the excuse of agile for not planning properly. Any goal without plan is just a wish, Success doesn’t come overnight it comes with consistent effort. So realistic planning and ensuring adherence to it is must to fulfil the goal. In old school whatever visible was the reality, in the new cryptic world most of the things will not be visible so planning is essentials in coming age of metaverses. It’s needed for financial independence as well so plan the wealth as well.

Be it yourself (eagles fly alone at high altitudes), no one can be happy by copying others. Last year example of over hiring under the fear of great resignation and this year firing under the fear of recession is example of same. Understand your roots and chew what you can digest. Over of anything is definitely is not good for health. Leaders always keep people in their mind and lion leading pack of sheep's is more effective then Vice versa (Colin Powell).

Diversity matters, diversity of thought process is key for any team irrespective of Gender, Race, Age and Social Norms. Team mixes of diverse thought process where people can challenge and conflicts can take place are sign of healthy team. I have always been told by my close friends that I expect a lot and they do love me for this as it brings best out of them. So, keep pushing individuals/Friends to bring best out of them. And enjoy the same when its reciprocated.

Thanks All , I may not be able to tag all but like every other year you all (my connections , friends, well wishers & critics) kept inspiring me.

?Thanks & Regards

(Picture below has inspired me a lot)