Week 22: Most dangerous point in human history, How to get new ideas

Today I make a small request to you.

If you happen to read these weekly editions and find any value in the thoughts and resources I include here, do share this newsletter with at least 1 person you think will benefit from subscribing, so they receive future editions directly into their inbox.

“Knowledge increases by sharing but not by saving.”― Kamari aka Lyrikal

It has been 22 weeks since I started this and I love curating this newsletter because it is a good repository of my learning notes. And at the same time, I do know so many of you as subscribers tell me that you enjoy reading this weekly collection of diverse topics.

My curiosity for a wide variety of topics and my focus on developing myself in areas that matter to me help me to come back to this space every week. As I mentioned here a few times, I hope to continue this newsletter for a very long time, so Week 22 is still very very young.

Topics of the week:

1. "The prospect of the destruction of organised human life on Earth"

Noam Chomsky, who is 93 years old and sometimes considered the world’s most cited living scholar, said in this video, that 'we’re approaching the most dangerous point in human history.'

Do listen to the video/ read the article to understand several perspectives 'the father of modern linguistics' has to offer on topics like the current geopolitical landscape and climate change.

2. "back in the office" = boil the frog?

I found this Fortune article very insightful where the ex-CHRO of Google shares his thoughts on the current hybrid work practices (not) adopted by several companies including Google and how will this trend be in the next 3-5 years.

“Most executives have been working in offices for 20 to 30 years, so it’s comfortable for them. It’s the environment in which they know how to lead. They want to go back to what is familiar.”

3. Isaac Asimov Asks, “How Do People Get New Ideas?”

I loved reading this article from 2014 where an answer to this question is attempted. In this essay on creativity, Isaac Asimov mentions

what is needed is not only people with a good background in a particular field, but also people capable of making a connection between item 1 and item 2 which might not ordinarily seem connected.

It fits very well into my own framework and how I came with up the name of this newsletter (Trace Your Mastery) which is also a kind of my ever-evolving life philosophy.

Check this old post that I wrote on Leena Nair's suggestion detailing my approach to a related topic. Why do I link this post with this topic? I suggest you read the description of my newsletter (....collect the dots & connect the dots) Can you relate to it now?

From the internet/metaverse:

One of the most fascinating things I find since I re-joined LinkedIn last year is the raw conversations that happen in public spaces and I love the internet for this. The world is an open university from which we can keep learning.

Look at this post and all the comments and how later it is covered in all the big newspapers.

Do we need any greater lessons on the importance of building a good workplace culture and developing leaders who are trustworthy?

Personal Updates:

If you are following my posts you would know that I started a mini-challenge (#21DaysHRdeepdive) this week to write on various topics within the scope of HR.

There is so much that happens within the world of HR that hardly is understood by people outside HR. Peyush Bansal of Lenskart seems to agree with me.

I believe that the best value I can create with such an initiative is to make the work of HR teams understandable to everyone, so it helps by inviting healthy criticism, adding to the overall progress of the function to serve people, businesses and society.

So do check out #21DaysHRdeepdive and engage with the posts to increase our collective understanding and deliver a better impact.

Another small yet important personal update I shared in this post: Yesterday I have been selected as a 'Mentor of Innovation' by i2E Lab which is a strategic initiative co-created by?Telangana State Innovation Cell?&?Make Room?India (a global social change ecosystem). I want to share with you all that I am humbled and thrilled to play a small role in improving the startup ecosystem of India.

That brings me to the end of this week's edition.

Until next Friday,?keep?tracing your mastery?#TraceYourMastery.

If you missed the previous editions of my newsletter, check them out?here.