I never thought that waiting in a security check queue could be so much fun and full of learning. It was a Monday morning rush at the Delhi airport. You would have to pay extra attention to even see the floor through thousands of travelers on a busy day like this. 
A long queue is the perfect place to really test your patience. I spotted a business leader standing in one of these long queues. I recently read his interview that got published under a popular leadership column. While he was waiting for his turn, someone cut him in line. That made this corporate honcho lose his cool. A person who was quite centered a minute back was now behaving like a nagging child. Suddenly everything and everyone around him became a problem for him, as if the entire world turned negative for him in a jiffy. His behavior caught my attention and made me think about what ticked him off; maybe it was the person who cut in line or perhaps that incident just acted like a trigger that blew this leader’s mental peace of mind. When we talk about the qualities of great leaders, centeredness is unquestionably one of these attributes.
Category: Teams
It was 10:00 in the evening and another day on the job. All the guests were dancing and relishing the best of the cocktails. I was behind the bar with some fellow bartenders and was surrounded by hundreds of guests. In between all that action I could hear one lady screaming – she was trying to get our attention. My fellow bartender asked her, “How can I help you ma’am?” She asked for a cup of hot milk. My friend said “unfortunately we don’t serve that here” and moved on with his work. It got my attention and for some reason I asked her to wait. I spoke to the chef and arranged a hot cup of milk for her. Later my friend asked me why I did that even though we were short on staff. He said, “You can’t satisfy every guest. What difference does it make anyway?” I had a smile on my face and said, “I just made a difference to that lady.”
What’s common between Oprah, Robin Sharma, Deepak Chopra, Tony Robbins, and Bill Gates? They epitomize success. They are passionate about their work and are high on energy, but what’s uniquely common between them is that they are all members of the 5 AM Club. All of them start their day early. After knowing the benefits of joining the 5 AM Club many high-performing CEOs, which include executives like Founder of Virgin Richard Branson, Pepsi CEO Indira Nooyi, Apple CEO Tim Cook, and Disney CEO Robert Iger, have become members of the 5 AM Club.
Being a motor-sports enthusiast, it was a must for me to visit the year’s greatest auto show held in Greater Noida: Auto EXPO 2016. It is always a delight to see all the brands under one roof and compare those showcasing the best of their best.
A few years ago, I walked into a renowned spectacle shop in Mumbai, to get a pair of defective glasses rectified. When I informed the Salesman I was extremely dissatisfied with the quality of the frames, the salesman immediately concluded that the glasses were malfunctioning because of mishandling. When I pointed out that I had been wearing specs for 32 years and until now I had managed just fine, the salesman said “Well, it’s not possible to satisfy all our customers – some will be dissatisfied.”
A new year, a new you; at least, so we’re told. But is that really true? Every year millions of people resolve to do something new, different, or better, but do these New Year’s resolutions really help us change our ways? Or, is it an illusion, making us believe we are changing our ways but not actually furthering our goals.
Tis the season! It’s the season of giving and the season of joy. There is something magical about the time from Diwali until Christmas that makes people a little happier, a little more generous, a little more thankful and forgiving. It’s a beautiful thing, but no one ever said we shouldn’t have the spirit of giving all the time. Below are a few ideas to get you in the spirit!
Continue reading “4 Innovative Ways to Give Back This Holiday Season”
What if I told you: All the Disney secrets are carefully compiled in a book called Disney U, by Doug Lipp – the former head trainer for Disney International? Just go ahead and buy this masterpiece first. If you cannot do that, see the video here:
Music is all around us. It exists in the songs of the birds, in the waves of the oceans, and in a child’s laughter. Music even shows up in some unlikely places – in the horns on trucks, in the conversation of the couple sitting across from you in the coffee shop, and in the rhythmic roti making at the dhaba. So why not make music without instruments?
I was travelling to Chandigarh, when a man sitting beside me asked, “Are you a CEO?” I was surprised to hear the question, as I was just like anyone else travelling to Chandigarh. I said, “No Sir, I am not, I am only wearing this suit as I have a meeting to attend (assuming that my attire made him ask this question)”. He said, “No, you are a CEO” and I insisted, “No Sir, I am not”. He smiled and said, “You are the CEO of your First name Last Name Pvt Corp”. That was interesting to me so I asked him what that means! He explained, “You are the CEO of your own brand, i.e. yourself and you take ownership of the services you provide to anyone. You are responsible for your own marketing, sales, training and human resources (networks). You are responsible for the value you create for others”.