A warning to all Life-long learners
We all love the idea of learning—online courses, certifications, even a new master’s degree. They promise a better version of ourselves. But what if our craving for knowledge isn’t about growth at all? What if it’s about something else entirely? Should we question our motives for learning? Damian Collins and I, an HR&OD practitioner and […]
What have you left at your doorstep?
As you are reading this newsletter, the chances are, you are a go-getter who’s pretty good at getting what you want. You might even be a generous giver who can pour your heart out for others. But the chances are also that you are not a very good receiver. Receiving is a skill we collectively […]
Surrounded by Idiots
This ONE by Yolanda Yu This ONE idea and its manifestations in life and career Happy This ONE Friday! Many of us feel like we are surrounded by “idiots” at work – people who are lazy, ineffective, mischievous, uncommitted, self-centered, etc. The book “Surrounded by Idiots” by Thomas Erikson explores this phenomenon and what’s creating […]
The roles we play, what do cherries have in common with humans
Some of you have done this exercise with me: a constellation work to map out team relationships. Depending on where we were, I drew them on whiteboard, paper, iPad, or enlisted things on hand, tissue, scrap paper, pens, etc. But today was special: I happened to have cherries in my bag. So I used cherries. […]
Tackling Our Die-Hard Behavior patterns
The ONE Idea "Spontaneity propels the individual towards an adequate response to a new situation or a new response to an old situation." Jacob Levy Moreno, founder of Psychodrama. It occurred to me that we can sort things into two main categories: Old Response to an Old Situation Nothing changes. The situation repeats, and we […]
Need more visibility in your company but…
You are doing well in your career and poised to get promoted. Then a mentor, often also a senior executive, tells you that you must become more visible in the larger organization for bigger success. You know what that means: shout out about your achievement, speak more, speak louder, socialize, network, pitch, sell, boast. You […]
This ONE: Dancing with polarity
Since childhood, we've been taught to see things in binary terms: this and that, success and failure, good and bad. At its best, it helps us simplify decisions. But more often than not, this view creates major problems for us. For one, life’s richness often lies in the spaces between yes and no, black and […]
Don't set goals, set a system that wins.
I was with Daniel Pieper at the “Futureproofing your career” webinar on Tuesday. Daniel is the former CIO of Hoolah, a fintech startup acquired by ShopBack a few years ago. His entrepreneurship journey began even before he graduated from university and he had to defer his studies to be the full-time CEO of his own […]
This ONE – How trustworthy are you?
But while writing this newsletter, I am not feeling happy. And I think that is okay. My daughter’s close friend, also a 5-year-old girl, lost her mother last night. Though unfamiliar with her mother, I have met the girl many times. In the past years, she had grown from a timid toddler to a sweet […]