I have read dozens of leadership books and articles by now and have also been fortunate enough to see some amazing leaders in action, both at work and on the personal front.

There are some important traits that many of these articles talk about, and most good leaders share. Things like delegation, communication, influence, leading by example, openness to feedback, humility, etc., are commonly spoken about and seen in them (well, humility not quite often).

However, there are some other qualities that great leaders possess and things that they do that are extremely important but not often spoken about. …

When was the last time you were truly happy for other’s success? Happy for someone who wasn’t family or a close friend.

To some extent, it’s normal to be envious, indifferent, or even dislike when others keep achieving milestones in their lives.

This behavior is evolutionary and inherent within us. We perceive someone else’s ascent as our downfall. Remember, not very long ago; we roamed around in hostile environments wherein the best survived and the rest perished. So if someone else were better than you back then, you’d probably have to worry about your survival.

That’s not the world that…

#3 Shit happens. Move On.

Toddlers can be amazing teachers if you’re willing to listen (or observe).

To watch a child hustle and struggle her way through her early years is fascinating and mesmerizing, to say the least.

Before our son was born, I never really saw the growth process in action. Yes, we’ve all seen ourselves grow in our personal and professional lives, but that growth happens over a period of time and isn’t quite noticeable on a day-to-day basis. However, a child’s growth is visible every single day. …

Writing did not come naturally to me. In fact, I dreaded writing when I was in school and college. Interestingly, what made me incline towards writing was; Reading.

I developed a love for reading a decade or so ago, which intensified over the last few years. I started with fiction and gradually slipped into non-fiction and then stayed there.

When you read a lot, you start getting a ton of ideas and thoughts. Every book gives you food for thought. Some of these ideas were so brilliant that I had to share them with others to remember them. …

I come from a conservative, religious, orthodox family. My parents and grandparents strongly believe in the values and principles of Jainism.

One of Jainism's key principles is Non-Attachment, also called ‘Aparigraha.’ To explain it broadly, Aparigraha means minimal attachment to material and worldly possessions. It recommends very limited possession of property, relations, and emotions. This principle's key idea is that unchecked attachment to possessions (material & psychological) results in direct harm to one’s personality.

While it is difficult to follow and comply with this recommendation completely, my family did make an effort to follow it to the extent that they…

This is a familiar situation for most of us. You told your colleague something, they interpreted something else and then communicated a completely different thing to a third person, stripping the statement of its original intent or spirit in the process. Kids call it the telephone game. For adults, it is workplace gossip.

Many of us have contributed to and been victims of gossip like this. It is deeply pervasive in our workplace and can range from harmless banter and conjectures to full-blown conspiracy theories.

Why we like it

No matter the nature of gossip, we seem to derive some definite pleasure from it…

I have 15 unfinished courses!

My mind immediately reacted after seeing my Udemy course library. I firmly believe in the value of lifelong learning and informal education and hence, this caused uneasiness and guilt.

And it wasn’t Udemy alone; LinkedIn Learning & Coursera libraries had the same picture. My courses finished vs. courses enrolled ratio was 2:10.

I wanted to change that and started going through the remaining courses to complete them. I made progress in the next few days and felt good about it. However, that progress didn’t last long. …

“You’ve let your distractions hijack your mind. You’ve got to do something about it before it’s too late.”

My friend had a dire warning for me when I sought his advice on my deteriorating work performance and unfulfilled personal life.

This happened almost a year back. I presented him with my problems. He asked me some basic questions and dug deeper into my answers. It took not more than 15 mins for him to realize what the problem was. I had set some lofty and ambitious goals for myself at the beginning of the year. Now, in June (When I…