Abhijit Bhaduri’s Blog
I write about careers, skills and the world of work. The cartoons and sketches are mine.
How to get others to support your ideas
How do you get people to support your idea? Getting approval from the senior management is often about the language of you have used in the document or presentation. That's what experts say. When I speak about this, a lot of people believe that if the idea is good enough, it does not need selling. Several bright people look at selling an idea as the socially acceptable term for telling a lie. That is so not true. An idea - no matter how brilliant - has to be sold.
2018: When the dark side of leadership dominated
This year saw the dark side of leadership coming through for some of the most iconic leaders in some of the most high-profile companies in the world. The pattern is always the same. When high-profile leaders are questioned by the media, they tend to ignore or mislead the media rather than take it as a way for course correction. 2018 showed us three glaring examples of the dark side of leadership.
How to be better at giving advice
Three tips to better at giving advice1. ASK WHY: Find out why the advise thought of reaching out to you in the first place.2. MODEL THE BEHAVIOR: When leaders give speeches to employees about Learning Agility it rings hollow if the employees have never seen the leader struggle to learn something new.There is third piece of advice that matters even more.
What do you call someone who collects comics?
I have the complete collection of Supremo Comics (which has Amitabh Bachan as super hero); Sunny the Super sleuth comics that has Sunil Gavaskar as super hero. The comics published by Tirupati Temple trust; Complete collection of Axa Comics (perhaps the only adult comics series published in India) and more ...
How to work with influencers
Can employees act as influencers? Most organizations rarely allow any one employee to build a social media presence such that it allows the employee to be an influencer. an employee of a well-known airline who was synonymous with the airlines raised eyebrows of the Board members who believed that he was building his own brand at the cost of the organization's.
The H Factor
Kibeom Lee and Michael Ashton are convinced that Honesty-Humility is a new personality element that is made up of five attributes: Sincerity, Modesty, Fairness, Truthfulness and Unpretentious behavior. Leaders who are high on "the H -actor" put the spotlight on the team rather than on themselves. While such leaders are high on ambition, they liberally seek help from others and listen to feedback from others. Such leaders handle success without glowing in the I-did-it-all feeling.
Do you have a boring workplace
Do you look forward to being back at work on a Monday morning? Do you look forward to being in a place surrounded by inspiring colleagues? Let me put it simply. Is your workplace as boring and devoid of personality as is possible? Is it soul-crushing? I can tell you a simple way to find out. Read on ...
The fourth space for working
Almost a decade ago Starbucks branded itself as the “third space” after office and home, where work happened. As the nature of work, working and workers have all changed, a fourth space has emerged. Co-working spaces get people from large organizations, small and medium enterprises and the solo workers. The solo worker could be the lone employee of a company or a gig worker who connects to the world on his or her mobile. This may also be triggered by the millennials who enjoy connecting and sharing their life in the virtual world. The co-working spaces give them a chance to do so in the work setting as well. Co-working is more than a working space. It is a place to not be lonely...
How to Build Your Own Silicon Valley
Medha works in the first stage to build the self-confidence of students. This is done by helping them build their sift skills like public speaking, working in teams, negotiating and influencing others. These are all vital skills that every employer looks for. The next phase is where Medha builds the digital literacy among the students. In the final stage, the Medha volunteers coach the students on how to appear for job interviews, how to write a resume and also help them find internships.
The Unconscious Bias Against Introverts in Corporations
One of three people is an introvert says Susan Cain's research. Yet, we often ignore and fail to leverage the power of the introverts. This book is really about understanding the almost silent ways in which introverts operate. Even in organizations, we idolize people who can speak spontaneously, backslap strangers and who visibly demonstrate action. That really puts the introverts at a disadvantage. Introverts are uncomfortable in offices without walls, unabashed self promoting behavior and visibly appearing confident by monopolizing the conversation.
How to have a "Happy Long Life"
Ever noticed how in most organizations the leaders rarely join workshops and training events. They will sit at the back, doing their email. That signals to the team that they do not need to learn all this, but they are joining the workshop just to encourage the team. This is patronizing and tells the participants, the new ideas will not be implemented because the leaders have not accepted their own need to learn and accept new ideas.Even now, in most organizations, the learning opportunities are segmented by hierarchy rather than learning needs. The seniors feel embarrassed to attend the same workshop that their team members are attending. It’s a sign of an antiquated mindset when leaders project themselves to be “beyond learning”. They will not be the role models employees need to stay curious and humble — two qualities that help a person to learn.
Soft Skills - Barriers to Learning
"68% employees want to learn at the workplace. They can learn at their own pace and they also want to learn what they can put to use in solving a workplace problem. In a world where skills take time to learn and yet keep becoming obsolete, the talent developers have to balance the needs for today and future. The organizations survival depends on that." Soft skill development is done better by face to face interactions - not on devices. Soft skills need other human beings to be learned. So don't expect changes by putting all employees through some e-learning course or stuff taught through a device.
How to Experience “Hot Streaks” in Your Career
If you want to be an Algorithm Mechanic for a bank, who will tweak the logic behind algorithms, you will need “skills in risk management, service design, and financial literacy, rather than technological proficiency.” Problems are becoming too complex to be solved by one individual or one discipline. That may provide a clue to what can trigger "hot streaks" in any career - especially in a world of algorithms.
How to Build Gravitas
Gravitas was one of the virtues that "Romans of good character were expected to exemplify and pass on through the generations." Gravitas came from the word gravity and was used to mean a sense of the importance of the matter at hand; responsibility, and being earnest. Firms coach senior leaders in building their executive presence. Gravitas is an important element of Executive Presence. Can it be learned? ...
3 Factors Shaping Your Career
Creating low end jobs is not going to be sustainable. Machines will outperform us every time. It may be hard to build the capability at scale to build techies with deep expertise in Artificial Intelligence. As machines take over from humans, all that is left is creativity and the ability to manage human relationships. That is what India excels at. Instead, India needs to leverage the strengths that it has. It is a culture where relations matter. This is not to take away from the need to build deep tech skills, but to supplement it with something that we may have an advantage in. How do we handle the impact of the 3 factors? Read on...
Reverse Mentor: The 12 Year Old I Learn From
Have you tried reverse mentoring? Learning from someone younger in age and experience. I have. I learn from a 12 year old. There is something new to learn every day. I met him when he was three. I was not too sure if I should hang around with a three year old. But I did ...
How to read less and be better informed
I have picked 4 ideas that I liked to read less and still be better informed. My top pick:CONSUME LESS BUT BETTER DATA - I have exited almost all the WhatsApp groups & stopped reading or responding to anyone who forwards junk. It takes away your time and mind space.
Can we learn empathy from machines?
"With people, things go best if you pay close attention and know how to put yourself in someone else’s shoes. Real people demand responses to what they are feeling in that moment. And not just any response." Read more ...