My content is all about getting into a FLOW or an effortless state leading to peak performance. Today, I want to take a break to share some research about WHY my ideas can work. Here is some evidence gathered from The Flow Genome Project led by Executive Director Jamie Wheel whose head of research was […]
Evidence for Flow leading to Peak Performance Read More »
According to a survey by Indeed, 73% of businesses are struggling to hire and retain talent right now because of an employment crisis called the Great Resignation. Why? Lack of flexibility for employees. Adam Grant defines flexibility as more than just the ability to work from home. It is choosing your own purpose, and priorities,
The Great Resignation Read More »
Why should you care about your organization’s goals and values? Aligning your personal goals at work with the organization’s actually helps you reduce burn out. For example, if one of your company’s goals is social responsibility, you as an employee should feel passionate about the same. This should show up in your projects, your processes,
What is Meant by Aligning Personal Goals With Organizational Goals? Read More »
Problem-solving is valued a lot at work. Employees are wired to find what’s not working within and outside them and focus on fixing it. Example: “Oh no, business writing is my weakness” or “Argh, we missed the project deadline.” When you are constantly looking for what’s broken, you are in a stress response which stops
Appreciative Inquiry and Flow Read More »
A Gallup study says that 87% of global employees are disengaged at work. What does that mean? 87% employees lack the motivation to connect and contribute to the overall organizational goals. One of the biggest drivers of intrinsic motivation is autonomy- which is having control over how and where you channel your efforts. Do you
Finding Organizational Purpose Read More »
Many consider STRENGTHS as something that they are GOOD at. But, Marcus Buckingham says that your strength is more appetite than ability, and it’s that appetite that leads to the practice, and ultimately performance. Essentially, your strength is not just what you’re good at but also what you’re passionate about. So how do you figure
Love it or Loathe it, at Work Read More »
A lot of entrepreneurs kind of give shit to people who work 9-to-5 – “Oh, you’re not working for your dream, you’re working for someone else’s dream.” Just let people be. Having dabbled in small business and now fully engaged in a 9-to-5, I’d argue that jobs provide fantastic exposure, and opportunity to experiment. Hey,
Entrepreneur vs Intrapreneur Read More »
Big brands can be arrogant. Hear me out. Large brands and corporations hire employees year-round. If these employees don’t like it, they leave. It’s a universal issue. But, big brands tend to think, “Oh cool, we’ll just hire more. People are scrambling to join us.” Nonsense. Here’s another angle to consider. In Organizational psychologist Amy
Employee Turnover Sucks in Today’s Idea Economy Read More »
Many consider learning/growth as a low-results phase. This worries high potential and high performance employees. “I’m doing well, why should I attempt anything new and jeopardize my status at work?” I disagree. Growth and learning don’t HAVE to automatically result in low performance. Think about this. When things are predictable, you may perform well, but
Growth Phase Need Not Mean Low Results Read More »
No matter HOW MUCH I look to minimize efforts and maximize results in life – I sometimes find myself stuck. Taking too long to complete a challenging project or experiencing a creative block when I need it the most. And I thought, that’s life, you know. You flow sometimes, you stall sometimes. But – I
The One Question to Get You Unstuck Read More »
Ever since I started speaking about and promoting effortlessness, I have been asked, many times – So you think hard work is useless? You think those that hustle and grind won’t succeed? You’re just LAZY!! And … my response – How dare you call ME LAZY? That is pretty insulting. If you believe in the
Effortlessness vs. Laziness Read More »
Apparently, it takes 10000 hours to master a skill. I shared the two flaws in this idea in my last video. Now, let’s talk about how to cut down these 10,000 hours drastically! First, remember that the quantity of practice hours doesn’t matter a damn. It’s the quality of those hours that counts. Second, our
Cut Down the ‘10000 Hours’ to Mastery Read More »
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
Fastrack to Authentic Team Bonding? Read More »
10,000 hours. That’s how long it’s supposed to take to master a skill. It’s a pretty popular “self-help” idea. Mmm… I’m not a big fan. Yea it shows that experts are made and not born but – Here are two flaws: Let’s do some quick math. Say I want to learn playing the keyboard, And
The Problem with the 10000 Hour Rule Read More »
Leaders are always looking for ways to build trust in their teams. And you can get a lot of suggestions from the internet or your HR department. Be respectful, inclusive, transparent, etc. These are pretty conventional and take a long time to have any effect. What more can you do? Actually, trust need not take
Building Effortless Trust in Teams Read More »
Question: How do you achieve Effortless peak performance? Answer: With drive and authenticity. If you do something you WANT to do (drive) in the way that you want to do it (authenticity) – that’s how you get your best results. Now if you’re a manager you’re probably wondering – wait, my team has to do
Achieving Peak Performance, Effortlessly Read More »
We all have super long to-do lists. But some people breeze through their list by simply utilizing their “peak productivity hours.” Let me explain. Not all hours are equally productive due to fluctuating creative and energy levels throughout the day. So plan your most important tasks during your most productive hours. And spread out the
Peak Productive Hours Read More »
Problem-solving is valued a lot at work. Employees are wired to find what’s not working within and outside them and focus on fixing it. Example: “Oh no, business writing is my weakness” or “Argh, we missed the project deadline.” When you are constantly looking for what’s broken, you are in a stress response which stops
Appreciative Inquiry and Flow Read More »
Your typical day at work consists of wasting a lot of energy while getting things done (working in silos, inefficient training, miscommunication within and outside teams). Yet – every senior leader wants high results and wants them now. The quickest solution they can think of is “Let’s throw more people into it”. If not, “Let’s
The Problem with the Hustle Culture at Work Read More »
We’ve been told ALL our life – that the key to success is hard work. But studies continue to show that harder work and longer hours really just lead to burnout. Which in turn decreases our performance, lowers our morale, and makes you wanna QUIT. So what if we redefine success? What if peak performance
Let’s Redefine Success Read More »
Project retrospectives or lessons-learned type meetings are common after the completion of a large-scale project. Typically the team comes together and analyzes what can they start, stop or continue doing in order to be more effective. Often these meetings end up focus on the processes/structures – and not people. The process was inefficient, there were
Be More Introspective in Project Retrospectives Read More »
When your manager asks to have an annual performance conversation with you –you probably get nervous, right? I would. That’s because traditionally performance reviews have always been about identifying your weaknesses and working on them while ignoring your strengths. Here’s the problem though. No one can be perfect. By default, we are pretty good at
Weaknesses are NOT Always ‘companys weaknesses’ Read More »
Sorry, I can’t do that– very busy today. Let’s see… I’m busy this week, this entire quarter. You know what, 2022 will be a busy year too. If you are busy all day long but seem to accomplish very little – then you’re spending a lot of your effort on a lot of trivial tasks
A prioritization matrix helps you manage your time and priorities. My own spin on this is the Performance matrix; with two factors drive and authenticity. Drive is highly charged energy towards something meaningful to you. Authenticity is staying true to who you are in this world full of filters. When your drive AND authenticity are
The Performance Matrix Read More »
Do you realize how the pandemic has affected us mentally? We are devoting all of our energy to respond to the chaos, and uncertainty that’s around us, outside us. We’re too tired to reflect on what’s going on within us. But, hey, we’ve changed exponentially in the last year and a half. We aren’t even
Performance and the Pandemic Read More »
Imagine you just gave a fantastic talk on a global stage. What compliment would you prefer? “Wow, what an effortless speech.” or “Yeah, you put in a lot of effort, and it shows”. Most of us admire people who achieve peak performance, effortlessly, naturally, and confidently. But not many talk about it. So I set
What is Effortlessness? Read More »
I am a big advocate for working smart and NOT working hard. You might have two questions for me – 1. Should you stop putting efforts completely? NO. Save your energy by working smarter, or eliminating tasks that don’t matter to you in the long run. Then focus on tasks that do
Hard Work vs. Smart Work Read More »
Imagine you have to spend a 100 hours doing 2 tasks. You great at one, and really bad at the other. How would you split your time? Would you spend more time working on your strength or your weakness? Consider this as your skill level, and your strength and opportunity. The same effort that makes
Strengths-Based Performance Read More »
We often get so caught up in pumping efforts to achieve something, that we forget to track how much we’re putting in. The hours, the energy, the peace of mind, the lost opportunities. When we finally succeed, we tell ourselves that all that hard work was worth it. Was it though? Next time, do yourself
Efforts vs. Results Read More »
Do you have shiny object syndrome? That is- do you tend to chase shiny new projects or ideas that come your way and ditch whatever you’re doing? I think it is a sign that you are NOT a 100% involved in what you’re working on, right now. It’s okay. Let go and see if this
Do You Have Shiny Object Syndrome? Read More »
Where does your BEST work come from? I want you to think of a time when you achieved peak performance while thoroughly enjoying the process. How did it feel? You must’ve heard the saying, “work smart, not hard”. Why punch a nail through a board when you can use a hammer? Your BEST work doesn’t
Stop Trying Too Hard. Read More »
Are you satisfied at work or are you engaged? Here’s why you should care about the difference. Consider Taylor and Wanda. Taylor is content at work. doesn’t have too many complaints, and produces decent results. Taylor is a satisfied employee. Wanda on the other hand, is very driven at work, takes strong initiative, strives to
Why Settle For Satisfaction? Read More »
There’s a fundamental problem with feedback. Let me explain. Have you ever received feedback that feels overwhelming or simply not agreeable? Sure, feedback is valuable to improve your performance. But – it may not always align with who YOU are and how YOU want to improve. Sometimes, feedback is just flat-out personal opinion. [Hey can
The Problem With Feedback Read More »
“Find your passion and keep hustling.” Ugh (shake head). If every person puts their head down and works super hard on something they love – and do just that for the next 20 years – every. single. one. would have achieved exceptional success. But that’s clearly not the case. I am sure you can think
The Biggest Lie About Success Read More »
We live in a society that worships those that persevere, setback after setback. Grit that’s shown over months, years, and even decades. I have mad respect for people who aren’t quitters. But this general attitude from our society puts pressure on those who do want to quit on a goal. If you value your goal
To Quit Or Not to Quit is the Q Read More »
What makes someone DRIVEN? Drive doesn’t come through external rewards or forced action. It is all about internal motivation which is inspired action. Many researchers have tried to crack the code of DRIVE. Reason? Internally motivated people are more determined and more likely to produce better results with lesser efforts. Self-determination theory gives you 3
3 Factors to Become DRIVEN Read More »
I am an introvert by nature. I was given feedback that I should speak up a lot more in meetings. I am not the kind that would say something just for the sake of it. But I was affected by this feedback so much that I thought I wouldn’t stand out if I didn’t change
Finding YOUR Effortless Path Read More »
You. Don’t. Need. Role Models. One more time – You don’t need role models. There’s nothing wrong in learning from others or someone giving you a stroke of inspiration. Cool. Respect that. Leverage what you learn and move on. But fixating on a person rather than the idea they stand for – just makes you
You Don’t Need Role Models Read More »
People talk about peak performance as an outcome of hard work and high skills but it is so much more than that. All aspects of your performance (mental, physical) go through the roof when you are in a state of FLOW. A state where you are completely immersed in an activity, with laser-sharp focus. Your
What is Peak Performance? Read More »
People say that growth never occurs when you stay in your comfort zone, Sure. But when you throw yourself into an extreme challenge – guess what usually happens? Let’s be real, you are bound to feel anxious and your performance dips. So… where does growth really happen? Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, aka the grandfather of Flow, has
The Simple Formula For Growth Read More »
Some organizations hire candidates by checking if they are a good culture-fit. What does culture fit even mean? Culture is created by the PEOPLE within an organization. It is dynamic depending on how diverse an organization is. So stop looking for a culture-fit – Look for a culture-add, instead. Culture-fit promotes traditional thinking, conformity leading
Looking for a Culture-Fit? STOP. Read More »
I am an introvert by nature. I was given feedback that I should speak up a lot more in meetings. I am not the kind that would say something just for the sake of it. But I was affected by this feedback so much that I thought I wouldn’t stand out if I didn’t change
Finding Your Effortless Path Read More »
What makes someone DRIVEN? Drive doesn’t come through external rewards or forced action. It is all about internal motivation which is inspired action. Many researchers have tried to crack the code of DRIVE. Reason? Internally motivated people are more determined and more likely to produce better results with lesser efforts. Self-determination theory gives you 3
3 Factors to Increase Drive Read More »
We live in a society that worships those that persevere, setback after setback. Grit that’s shown over months, years, and even decades. I have mad respect for people who aren’t quitters. But this general attitude from our society puts pressure on those who do want to quit on a goal. If you value your goal
To Quit or Not to Quit is the Question Read More »
“Find your passion and keep hustling.” Ugh. If every person puts their head down and works super hard on something they love – and do just that for the next 20 years – every. single. one. would have achieved exceptional success. But that’s clearly not the case. I am sure you can think of at
The Biggest Lie About Success Read More »
There’s a fundamental problem with feedback. Let me explain. Have you ever received feedback that feels overwhelming or simply not agreeable? Sure, feedback is valuable to improve your performance. But – it may not always align with who YOU are and how YOU want to improve. Sometimes, feedback is just flat-out personal opinion. It is
The Problem With Feedback Read More »
Are you satisfied at work or are you engaged? Here’s why you should care about the difference. Consider Taylor and Wanda. Taylor is content at work. doesn’t have too many complaints, and produces decent results. Taylor is a satisfied employee. Wanda on the other hand, is very driven at work, takes strong initiative, strives to
Don’t Settle For Satisfaction Read More »
Where does your BEST work come from? I want you to think of a time when you achieved peak performance while thoroughly enjoying the process. How did it feel? You must’ve heard the saying, “work smart, not hard”. Why punch a nail through a board when you can use a hammer? Your BEST work doesn’t
Stop Trying Too Hard Read More »
