Author name: Sneha

Whether you’re leading a project, relying on someone else’s work, or simply collaborating with your team, deadlines are part of the deal. But let’s get real: setting a deadline won’t automatically get you results. You can’t just punch in a date, twist a few knobs, and expect people to deliver like machines. Here’s the kicker: deadlines […]

I’m not here to tell you to “find your passion.” In fact, I think that advice often misses the mark. For so many of us in the corporate and business world, passion fades fast when workloads pile up and demands feel endless. Real talk? Passion is nice, but what you actually need is a system.

In this age of distractions and high-speed digital living, one of the quickest ways to reset and refresh your mind is to step back from technology. Your girl has been experimenting 😉 Living without modern technology, even temporarily, taught me valuable lessons. Don’t let devices control you. Don’t let the machines take over. You Want

Do you believe that life is a game of chess, requiring – meticulous planning? unwavering control? perfect execution? This is a myth. This myth thrives because we’re conditioned to believe that in life, every move must be calculated, every outcome foreseen, and every possibility controlled… and only then we can achieve success. But here’s the

Ever Had This Meeting Moment? You’ve had an exciting, action-packed meeting. Everyone seemed aligned, you walked away with a clear list of action items… and then? Crickets. No one follows up, no actions are taken, and you’re left wondering if that energy just evaporated. Sound familiar? This isn’t just a manager’s problem. If you own

It starts innocently: you’re at work, checking one article on industry trends, which leads to a blog post, then a webinar, then another course. Suddenly, an hour has passed, and you haven’t touched your actual work. You tell yourself you’re being “curious”—after all, curiosity is a good thing, right? We even wear that word as

We all know the routine—every now and then, you’re asked to fill out an engagement survey at work.  In fact, late summer and early autumn are some of the main months when they’re conducted, according to this article. 🤔 But do you feel like these surveys lead to any real action from leadership? 🤔Have you ever

I know you hear me talk or see me write a lot about burnout. And you generally agree about the dangers of stress, but what if we’re missing the bigger picture? Stress, when managed properly, can actually be a powerful tool for enhancing performance. Stop Avoiding Stress and Start Managing It Avoiding stress entirely can

Creativity is often hailed as the key to innovation and success. But is an endless pursuit of creativity really beneficial for our work? Think of all the times you’ve been in constant brainstorming sessions that led to idea fatigue, reducing the time spent on execution and implementation. From Endless Creativity to Balanced Execution Use the

🤔 Are you merely satisfied at work, or are you truly engaged? There’s a clear distinction between the two. ♥️ Think of your work-life like a romantic relationship. When you’re in the dating stage, you’re content and happy with your partner. But if someone new catches your eye, you might consider exploring that option instead. Engagement,

🎯 Goals. Everyone talks about them like they’re the golden ticket to success. Sure, goal-setting can provide direction, motivation, and a clear path to achievement. Sure, goal-setting is a tried-and-tested method for many successful individuals. However, let’s face it: not everyone operates the same way. In my work with employees and leaders, I see two types

😊 A smile can hide a dirty story. ⚠️ Just because a person appears happy and smiling does not mean they’re thriving. Similarly, just because your team appears conflict-free does not mean it is strong and thriving. In fact, the absence of conflict might mask deeper issues being ignored or suppressed. Cue Toxic Positivity. Maintaining

🤔 “So, diversity and inclusion topic, huh?” I had just arrived for a speaking engagement and was getting my presentation slides ready when an older white gentleman, an executive, approached me curiously. He intently looked at me and asked, “So, diversity and inclusion topic?” I blinked and shook my head. “Just wait,” I replied. Walking

Picture this: You’re gathered around the conference table, pitching your latest idea to the team. The room buzzes with anticipation, and you are trembling with excitement. And as you speak, you notice heads slowly nodding in agreement, minds opening to your vision. You suddenly feel a power – your idea is shining, you are all

You will spend about 100,000 hours at work in your lifetime. Let that sink in. Imagine these hours being filled with smiles, energy, and contentment. Instead, many of us spend these hours: 👎🏻 Stressing over never-ending to-do lists 👎🏻 Scrambling to finish tasks before deadlines 👎🏻 Struggling to avoid distractions and stay focused Work shouldn’t be this

☀️ As summer approaches, there’s a certain magic in the air. The days grow longer, the sun shines brighter, and there’s an undeniable sense of happiness lingering on the horizon. But amidst the excitement and anticipation of beach trips and backyard barbecues, I was hit by a sobering reality: The Concept of “18 Summers.” I recently

Willpower often gets glorified in the realms of self-help and peak performance, yet there’s a critical point that many so-called experts overlook: your willpower is NOT reliable. Today, I’m going to share some straightforward ways to: Stay disciplined Stick to goals Show grit …all without relying too heavily on your (very limited) willpower. Picture this

Feel like you’re stuck in a cycle of procrastination because you’re just lazy? Think again.  Today, let’s dive into the surprising reasons behind your procrastination habits.   Do you have the “too-long to-do list” syndrome? Do you keep telling yourself you’ll tackle those pending items…  Maybe next month?  Maybe next week?  Maybe even tomorrow?  But

I have never met an employee who loves performance reviews. Today, let’s fix that — let’s make performance reviews more fun, agile, and engaging, instead of a burden.  With summer around the corner, hiking season is upon us. I remember my first hike after my son was born. My husband, the embodiment of laid-back vibes,

In a world that often glorifies busyness, it’s easy to fall into the trap of perpetual motion. But constant hustling isn’t the path to success; it’s a recipe for burnout and underperformance. When you’re always on the go, your energy depletes, your focus wavers, and your productivity plummets. Your constant toxic busyness also affects the

Each adversity fuels growth.” “Growth occurs outside your comfort zone.” “You only grow when you embrace challenges.” Sure, conventional wisdom tells you to embrace challenges to grow and improve yourself. But this ‘go find a challenge’ advice seems overly simplistic, even impractical. With deadlines looming and tasks multiplying, blindly seeking ‘challenges’ can hinder performance and

I’ve been studying burnout for quite some time now, and let me tell you, the solution to burnout is NOT spa days and beach vacations. Burnout isn’t just feeling tired or stressed—it’s an overwhelming wave of exhaustion that hits every aspect of your life. Yet, people often fail to recognize they’re burning out until it’s

STOP. If you haven’t taken the test already, access it here. Ready with your section scores? Scroll down to analyze which burnout stage you are in based on your scores:   SECTION 1 / STAGE 1: Inner State (Earliest Signs of Burnout Within)   Your score is 0 – 4 (Low to Moderate Risk): What’s Happening:

Did you know that on average you get distracted 50-60 times a day, with about 20% of those distractions costing you 23 minutes of lost productivity? That’s four precious hours wasted daily! Imagine what you could do with your day if you could use those four hours instead of being unintentionally distracted. You could get

When was the last time you had fun? Was it during your vacation a few months ago? Maybe it was drinks with friends last weekend… Maybe it was that movie you were watching last night… No matter what variety of answers you give me, I can guarantee that you’re not going to say that you

You know the drill! If you have a team call on a Friday, you all got to ask each other the question, how was your week? And typically, you all are trying to grab the trophy of whose week was the hardest and the toughest or the craziest. When did overworking become so acceptable and

I was just about to sit down to film for my next long video and I couldn’t help but think how far I’ve come along in this whole process. Because at one point, it used to take me a whole weekend to sit down, script the video, film it, and edit it. And now I’m

When I got the opportunity to give a TEDx talk, I knew exactly what I was going to speak on stage about drive and authenticity at work. But as the date got closer, I started wondering what do I wear for the talk? And everyone that I asked advice from basically said, you are an

Everything that you talk about with your manager focuses mainly on your “Opportunities”. They say working is super important, but is it really? So traditionally speaking your strengths are tasks or skills that you’re really good at and you really enjoy doing and opportunities are the things that you kind of suck at. Now, here’s

Did you have a stressful week? No, You’re not alone. Three out of five employees are experiencing negative impacts of stress at work. May is mental health awareness month. So let’s talk about mental health at work. Experiencing stress over long periods of time can make you feel disengaged and disconnected at work, which can

Hard work is overrated… Yes, you don’t achieve results without putting in at least a little bit of effort, but there’s more to success than just blindly working hard. Just putting in endless effort without thinking it through can lead to diminishing returns, leaving you feeling burnt out and demotivated. So what’s the solution? Find

Imagine you’re running a marathon. You’re about halfway through and you realize you’ve been carrying a 20 lb backpack the whole time.  Or… Imagine you’re cooking a meal at short notice, and halfway through prepping the meat, you realize that you haven’t sharpened your knife in months! That’s what it’s like for companies that haven’t

Are you a leader looking to boost productivity and creativity among your employees? Do what some of the world’s most innovative companies do—encourage employees to work on passion-projects that support the company’s goals. This will help employees spend more time in a flow state, where they are completely immersed in the task at hand, not

What do smelling freshly baked cookies… laughing at a joke… and cuddling with a pet all have in common? They make you feel gooooood! These activities release mood-enhancing hormones like endorphins, anandamide, serotonin and, the famous one… dopamine.  If you add Norepinephrine to this mix, which is released when there’s a challenge or slight stress,

Imagine it is a Friday and you have just joined a meeting with your team members to wrap up the week. As you wait for the meeting to actually kick off, the customary small talk begins. The most common question being asked around is: “How was your week?” What would your answer be to that

2022 was definitely the year of layoffs. The biggest set of global layoffs we knew was at the beginning of the pandemic just when national lockdowns had begun in Q2 of 2020. Following those Covid layoffs, the vaccine was introduced and all seemed well for a couple of years. However, with the global inflation rate

As your weekend comes to an end, do you feel the Sunday dreads or the Monday blues? You’re not alone. These are negative emotions associated with the beginning of a work week. A survey conducted in the United Kingdom shared that 66% of employees felt exactly the same way. So, it’s understandable that we think

A lot of self help gurus talk about finding meaning in life. But have you wondered about finding meaning at work? According to mass laws, hierarchy of needs, the least that a job can do for you is give you financial security. But the best thing a job can do  for you is give you

If you are an employee, then here’s your friendly reminder- you’re not limited to that one job, one set of responsibilities, one company, one industry and one career. Growth only happens with change and the fresh complexity that comes with it. So remove your filter and break down your walls, and don’t be afraid to

Are you tired of sitting and meeting after meeting at work and still feel like you’re not being hurt? The reason is that we have very little time and we have too much to talk. Which means that meeting resources are not being equitably distributed. What do I mean by that? Everywhere effective meeting needs

The largest chunk of your waking hours is spent at work. That’s more time than what you spend with yourself or your loved ones, at least during weekdays. You should NOT be spending all that time … almost 100,000 hours in total in your lifetime … struggling, burning out, or languishing… it’s not fair, it’s not

Quick productivity hack. What’s more important than managing your time? It’s managing your priorities and managing your energy. I don’t care what you put on your to do list, but what matters more is what you take off of it. What are some tasks that you thought are super important but are really not? What

‘You can do anything if you have the willpower for it.’ Motivational gurus talk about willpower as if it’s a magic formula to achieve anything you want, but it’s so outdated and not rooted in science. There was a psychology experiment conducted in 1996 which shared that willpower is a depletable resource, which means that

LinkedIn has rated creativity as atop work skill for several years. But many employees think it’s not easy. They think creativity is something that only artists or writers have. Naturally. No, employees like you and I need to be creative when facing challenging tasks. And yes, anyone can be creative by simply building the skill

We all have super long to do list, but some people read through their list by simply utilizing their pre productive hours. Let me explain. All hours are not equally productive because your creative, and energy levels fluctuates. So plan your biggest task during the most practical hours, then spread out the mundane tasks for

Don’t lay outside or you’ll get too tanned. Don’t wear bright colors. They don’t go well with your dark complexion. Why don’t you try some skin lightening treatment? Because you can bring more glow to your face. I heard these things from people around me or the media when I was growing up. And not

What’s more powerful than a promotion at work? It’s recognition; because promotions are limited. They only happen to a few employees once in every two, three or four years; but recognition can happen to any employee, anywhere, any number of times. And it’s so powerful because is it shoots up an employee’s drive, that internal

Can you lie on your resume? A recent graduate asked me this question and there’s no right or wrong answer because for a fresh graduate, they might be super, super desperate for a job and they might be tempted to do so. But before you add lies to your resume, I want you to think

Are you tired of being dominated at work by your boss or your coworkers? Well, the next time you feel unheard, here are 3 things to remember: 1. Be authentic. Never ever give up on expressing your thoughts and ideas. If you don’t stand up for what you believe in, no one else will. 2.

Thank God it’s Friday! Fridays are usually the least productive day for many employees because everyone’s in the mood to start their weekend early. BUT – Fridays are actually perfect for deep focus and housekeeping since there are usually no meetings / interruptions. So use these 4 ideas to better utilize your Fridays. Otherwise, you’re

Do you HATE being micromanaged by your boss? If you can’t escape your manager’s excessive control, then maybe you are making these 3 mistakes at work: You are not proactive: If you don’t reach out early to drive projects and let your manager plan everything, you are giving up your autonomy. You overcommit: If you

Are you bored at Work? Is tomorrow just another day on the job for you? It doesn’t have to be. Here are 3 ways to break out of a rut at work. Enjoy a new work location: Go from home, to office, to a coffee shop, or even a park bench. New surroundings inspire new

Is your team AFRAID of conflict? Do your team members seem to avoid all decisions that create tension? Most corporate teams are diverse. Diverse teams have diverse thoughts and approaches. What happens when these different ideas clash? A weak team resorts to groupthink – where one dominating person, usually the boss, establishes the next steps

Here’s my problem with Motivation. Whether you seek rewards at work like a promotion, or scroll through motivational content online, you’re essentially chasing a temporary “high.” It revs you up for a few hours or days. But then you crash and go back to procrastinating. Then you look for more external motivation to get your

Here’s some advice that will change your life. Stop looking at motivational content on social media. I understand it’s a little challenging because every time you scroll on your socials you see a ton of feel-good quotes, or videos of famous people talking about how they overcame their struggles. But, here’s the thing. Your life’s

Here’s why this famous productivity technique wont work for you. The pomodoro technique tells you to break up your work into small chunks, usually 25 minutes followed by 5 minutes breaks. This method is great if you have short attention span because it forces you to stay on task for at least 25 minutes. But

Consider a situation where you were putting in a lot of thought and energy into a task and you had to struggle to JUST BE DONE with it. Consider another time when you were being yourself and passionately doing something where you lost track of time and work didn’t feel like work. The former task

If you had to improve something you created, like a new recipe or a written article, would you add more to it or take things away and simplify it? Our brains prefer addition over subtraction. Add more activities to a travel plan, more decor to our homes, more accomplishments to our lives, just ADD –

In one of my previous videos, I suggested using silent brainstorming to make meetings more inclusive. Someone commented on that video saying silent brainstorms are too individualistic and not true teamwork.  Yes, brainstorming is a group activity. However, when everyone openly starts talking in a brainstorm, especially in large groups – ideas can overlap. People

In my previous video, I discussed clutch performers who THRIVE under pressure. Here are 4 tips to help you become a clutch performer at work. Embrace pressure: Pressure alerts and energizes you. Accept it warmly and let it wash over you. Focus on what you want to happen, not what you fear. Leverage your strengths:

Enrique Hernandez, a baseball player for the Dodgers in 2017, became the first player in the team’s history to hit three home runs in a postseason game. He was hailed as an unsung hero who surprisingly delivered on the game’s biggest stage. He is what many sports enthusiasts call, a CLUTCH PERFORMER. When under pressure,

I’m not the most creative person but I have consistently produced videos THRICE a week for the last SIX months. That takes some creativity. To keep it up, I use a three-step method that a friend calls the ‘skin-care routine of creativity’!  Step 1: Cleansing  Be selective about what you feed your mind, so cleanse

LinkedIn has rated creativity as a top work skill for several years. But many employees thinkit’s not easy. They think creativity is something only artists and writers have naturally. No. Employees like you and I NEED to be creative when faced with challenging tasks. And yes, anyone can be creative by simply building the skill

A week ago, Patrick Mahomes, quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs, displayed a remarkable clutch performance against Buffalo Bills. Mahome’s trainer famously revealed that Mahome’s heart rate SLOWED when he had the ball, because he was then in a flow state.    Yes, as Flow state progresses, your HR decreases. But at the beginning of

Positive work culture has always been an intangible force that brings employees closer. But – Remote and hybrid work environments have slightly complicated the situation. Today, specifically we face two culture-challenges at work: Low engagement. Reduced in-person interaction means weaker bonding.  Encouraging yourself and others to turn on cameras in virtual meetings, sharing diverse holiday

Sam enjoys painting landscapes in oil and usually completes a masterpiece in 45 days. One day, a client challenges them to complete a piece in only 30 days.  Now, Sam’s driven and loves the challenge, so they immediately get to work with EXTREME FOCUS leading to a Flow State. But – a few hours later

Many believe it’s difficult to get into a flow state. But interestingly, most of us already spend 5% of our workday in flow. A McKinsey study found that increasing flow time per day from 5% to 15% DOUBLES productivity. To enter a flow state, you simply need to be deeply grounded in the HERE and

When the stakes are high and you want to give your best, your confidence is key. Many sports athletes have pre-game rituals to get grounded in the present, narrow their focus, and get ready for optimal performance.  Here are some famous examples. Former Yankees star, Bernie Williams would nap 15 minutes before a game! Top

Many people use sports analogies to describe corporate leadership and performance. Yes, there are some similarities but some argue that the biggest difference is that the sports world is somewhat predictable. The rules, rewards, teams, roles, and playing conditions are mostly stable. In contrast, the corporate world can be – VUCA – Volatile, Uncertain, Complex,

A traditional team is a fixed group of people working on a fixed set of tasks long term. The polar opposite is a FLUID team, a dynamic grouping of people for short-term projects. Fluid teams are extremely successful in fast-paced organizations. How?  People from various departments come together quickly and connect effectively. Their collaboration is

In my last video I shared how introverts may be forced to change their personality to better fit into an extroverted work culture. But how can anyone focus on performing at their best while they’re trying to be someone they’re not? Change starts with YOU. If you’re an introvert, let your manager and colleagues know.

As an introvert, it bothers me that the corporate world is designed for extroverts. Extroverts are consistently perceived as better leaders, more deserving of hiring and promotion. A 2006 Survey mentioned in Harvard Business Review quotes that 65% of senior executives find introversion as a barrier to leadership. 65%!  Then there’s all these articles glorifying

I often talk about achieving peak performance but what if you’re assigned a new project at work? You don’t immediately aim for peak performance; you first aim for minimum results and that’s okay. But before you get started on that new project, ask yourself three questions: Do you fully understand your stakeholders’ EXPECTATIONS? Like tasks

You know how great it feels when your whole team is on the same page. You feel super connected and your communication is so easy like swimming downstream. This happens when all team members know what they want, what others want and step UP to collaborate. But some other times, team communication is like banging

Inclusive meetings help everyone be themselves and contribute meaningfully. Why hold a meeting if it’s all about you and a chosen few? So here’s how to make your meetings more inclusive: Send the agenda and any useful pre-work ahead of time. This will help everyone come prepared equally. If you need to brainstorm, do so

In my last video, I shared how during team conflict, extreme competition or accommodation, both can mess up a team’s decisions. So, your gut instinct could be- let’s just compromise. Compromise happens when you don’t wholeheartedly assert your ideas or wholeheartedly cooperate with others which leaves everyone dissatisfied. Your team’s performance gets hurt.  So, instead

“Wow, my team never has any conflicts!” Hmmm, while your team may seem perfect on the surface, it could actually be suffering from groupthink, where everyone is always nodding in agreement without feeling safe to express a different opinion. This hurts your team’s decision-making ability and creativity. So, how can your team be AUTHENTIC and

I am all about getting better results with lesser effort, but being in an ‘effortless state’, it is a totally different concept. Also, I noticed that the word ‘effortless’ can cause some confusion when I talk about it. Am I promoting laziness and inaction? NO. Let me explain. Typically, the word ‘effortless’ has two meanings:

Bringing your authentic self to work each day is not easy, as I explained in my last video. So what can leaders and managers do to help? Ensure all employees’ authentic selves are clearly valued, preserved and included in the workflow, and not just of a few. You must ACT and not just speak inclusiveness.

There is a new focus in organizations on asking their employees to bring their authentic selves to work. But as writer Jodi Ann Burey brilliantly explained in her TEDx talk, this new focus on authenticity disproportionately and negatively impacts certain employee groups. Those who are in the minority, say introverted employees in a predominantly extroverted

I was recently asked by a viewer – “What if I am driven, authentic, and in flow while solving a problem at work… but I’m still not able to solve it?” Well, being in flow aids in the peak performance of HUMANS, not business outcomes – because business outcomes depend on a lot of external

Diverse teams help us think creatively. But one issue with diverse teams is that everyone might want their own way. In such situations, increasing conversational capacity can help realign the team. Meaning, team members must strive for a balance between CANDOR and CURIOSITY. How? When discussions get heated and alignment is difficult, each team member

As 2021 comes to a close, many organizations are getting ready to share their 2022 goals. But – how impactful are these big org-wide goals? If one of the goals of an organization is to hire more female employees, do all departments focus on the goal equally? NO. Ex: The tech department might need more

Currently, a lot of organizations are worried about the Great Resignation. Well, if your disconnected employees want to leave, they will. But what about the disconnected employees that don’t want to leave? According to a Perceptyx survey, one in every three employees in the US feel disconnected because their needs are not being met by

Mid-sized organizations are known to have fast-paced environments. Their rapid growth and hiring make these organizations attractive to many new employees. Sadly they also have a high turnover. Here are two common pitfalls in fast-paced organizations: Pitfall 1: Low employee morale. Senior leaders readily link external customer satisfaction to increased revenue.  But what about internal

When you’re busy, your first thought is, “Am I not managing my time properly?” But time is limited and our to-do lists are unending. So you’re busy not because you don’t have enough time, no one does, but because you’re poorly managing your priorities. Here’s an example. My priorities are tasks that get me into

What is one of the most serious challenges in teams? Surface-level connections instead of deep, trusted relationships. Reason? Employees become jaded after daily communication fluff like soulless small talk and fake pleasantries. All this is not harmful in and of itself, because small talk initially makes you feel welcome. But when this becomes a routine

We have socially preferred guidelines for teamwork, such as, ‘be nice, don’t be too direct, and ALWAYS let others share their ideas before you share yours.’ These suggestions are good, but if you follow them excessively, you may lose your individuality, and the quality of your contribution can suffer. You don’t want your team to

I am usually a critical realist, and I don’t vibe with some people’s extreme optimism. It’s just not me. However, I AM an ambitious person. The thing about ambition, there’s very little rooted in the present and it has everything to do with the future – what if there was no ceiling for me? How

We are all leaders at work, but typically those that have other employees reporting to them have the title manager. Many managers only focus on one aspect of their role: managing projects and workflow within their team. But what about the ‘people’ aspect of this role? Why does it always come second? To truly live

If you’re a manager, you’re used to performance reviews and stacking up your team members based on them. You might notice the few employees at the bottom of this list and wonder if they just want to clock in and out, collect their paychecks and go home? Consider this first. There is always something that

I have an activity for you. Draw 9 dots on a piece of paper. Connect all of them with just four lines without lifting your pen. [trials] Can’t get it? Let me help. See how I went literally BEYOND the box? My point here is our brains are wired to think within constraints. If you

If you are a manager, and if an employee chooses to leave your team, does it reflect on you poorly? Not always. At a previous company, I wanted to leave my then current team to join another because I wanted a career-change. But my manager made things difficult when I told him that I wanted

Humans crave the luxury of choice. And typically, – The higher your success or performance is, the better your choices are. Consider job hunting early in your career. As the “chaser”, you’d be fine with lesser demands, and more compromises in the job offer. BUT But as you progress in your career and then look

Authentic team connections help you function effectively as a team. But to connect you don’t have to know everything about your team members. Here’s an alternative. Say you’ve been assigned a project with a new team member. Ask this person very specific and intentional questions to get to know them IN THE CONTEXT of the

If an employee is struggling to perform a NEW task, having the drive for it is not enough, they need EFFECTIVE TRAINING first. Say you are a manager and need to get an employee trained. You might think of pairing them with an experienced employee or assigning online courses. Right? Usual options. BUT you may

I was recently asked for proof on LinkedIn on how a Flow state creates a short-cut to mastering a skill. Here’s some research from the book, The Rise of Superman: According to DARPA Neuroscientists in 2011, armed snipers trained in FLOW reduced their target acquisition time by 2.3 times. AND they also found that teaching