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Criticism – It’s Something that Leaders have to deal with.

Anything you do will attract criticism - Anonymous.

To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing - Aristotle.

We don't build monuments to trolls - Tim Cook.

Anything we do, critics, trolls and naysayers seem to appear from nowhere!

So be it. Successful people focus on making a positive impact, doing some credible stuff  - than letting trolls and naysayers impact them.

Does it mean we turn a blind-eye to critics? Not really.

As per researchers, we are four times more likely to remember criticism than praise; And it takes five positive events to neutralize psychological impact of one negative event!

So, it's in our choices. We need to choose what to ignore and what to consider, as at times critics may point out blind-spots that exist.

Also it’s worth remembering, as Tim Cook points out, no one admires, appreciates or builds monuments for the trolls. Therefore one more choice to make is whether I should be a critic, troll or a naysayer to others.

My name is PK Narayanan, wishing you the best! Thank you

Do we ask for help when needed? 

A boy and his father were walking on a forest trail. They came across a fallen branch blocking the trail. The boy asked ‘If I try, could I move this branch?’ Father replied, ‘Sure you can, if you use all your strength’.

The boy tried, he couldn’t. He tried again, hard. He couldn’t. With disappointment he uttered ‘You were wrong, I can't move it’. Father responded: ‘I told you to use all your strength. You didn’t. You didn't ask for my help’.

 Asking for help - By doing that, great leaders are able to gain clarity, garner support, and leverage all that’s needed to plan and execute extra-ordinary things, immensely benefiting their teams and their businesses in the process.

Here’s what Steve jobs said once: “Most people never ask, and that's what separates, sometimes, the people who do things from the people who just dream about them”.

From a leadership perspective, asking for help shows strength of character – It’s a strength, not a weakness.

Do we ask for help when needed?

My name is PK Narayanan, wishing you the best! Thank you.

Best outcomes happen   when we put our 'best versions' to work, when we strive to be our 'best   versions' while making the attempt, through the process.

A leader's priority   therefore is to get the 'best version' of every team member, every day.

How do we get there?

One way is to 'be the   best version' of one-self. That way, one could significantly increase the   chances of getting 'the best versions' of team members, and people around.

Another is to be an   'inspired being' one-self - about the purpose (of the business), the goals   that we set for ourselves, the journey that we've embarked upon. That way we   increase the odds of inspiring team members, and people around.

As a team member too, for   that matter even as a piece of life, our priority needs to 'be our best   versions'; That way we enhance chances of generating outcomes that are best   possible for ourselves!

Am I my best version   today?

My name is PK Narayanan,   wishing you the best! Thank you

A man was traveling with his 25 year old son in a train.

The Son sitting by the window looked out and started calling out - ‘Dad, look at those trees, they are moving with us! Look at those clouds - they are yellow and white!’

The father smiled. Two people sitting next to them were at a loss; They murmured each other and then asked the father ‘have you taken him to a psychiatrist?’

The man smiled and said ‘We are coming from the hospital after an eye surgery - He was blind since birth, just got his eye sight now’.

Do we judge people and situations too soon? Assume things, and rush into conclusions in haste?

How’s it impacting our business situations? Our relationships, Our lives?

As a leader, What’s that I could do, going forward?

My name is PK Narayanan, wishing you the best! Thank you

As leaders, we need to simplify. When we simplify, things get done.

Anything complex, clouds visibility; thrashes initiative; impairs motivation; and in effect, Complexity stymies action.

As a leader therefore, it’s essential to simplify; so that visibility improves, initiatives thrive, and motivation sustains. When we simplify, appropriate action happens, and things get done.

When we simplify, we are effective, more productive, less stressed, more efficient.

Steve Jobs once said - Simple can be harder than complex. You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it's worth it in the end, because once you get there you can move mountains. Unquote.

In a world that’s seemingly complex and distractive, how do I simplify? How do I unpack my complexities?

Some of the ways are to:

Minimise - Cutting things down to its essence, Rooting out extra steps,

Figuring out (absolute) priorities, and saying no to other things,

Thus, focusing on what’s (really) important,

Breaking down massive-looking things in to (consumable) smaller pieces,

and

Seeking Clarity at every level, for ourselves.

As leaders, we need to simplify. When we simplify, things get done.

My name is PK Narayanan, wishing you the best! Thank you

Leadership isn't about being comfortable; it's about being effective, even when you're uncomfortable - says Roger Schwarz.

Being effective even when you’re uncomfortable.

Doing what’s needed even when it’s personally uncomfortable.

Leadership is about being effective. When we build our Leadership Presence, effectiveness happens.

As a Leader it’s so important to do what’s needed; to go beyond me and myself while making choices and taking decisions; to discover our blind spots, to push our (so called) limits, breach boundaries, and stretch beyond our comfort zones…

Enhancing our Leadership Presence helps us being more effective. More impactful.

The Good news is that we can build, develop, enhance our Leadership Presence, consciously.

My name is PK Narayanan, wishing you the best! Thank you

#ceo #scaleup #leadership

My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there - said Charles Kettering.

As a leader how much time, efforts, and energy I'm putting into the long-term aspects of my Business, on a daily basis? In other words, how much time, efforts, and energy I'm able to put on a daily basis, into things that really matter over a period of time?

The future shapes-up based on what we do today. We have the power to make choices – as to what to do, what not to do – that goes-on to shape our future to a large extent.

It’s important to note that the future of business depends on the choices we make today; what we think and do today. What we do on a daily basis keeps the needle moving constantly, consistently. Aligning it to where we want to go, what we want to get, is therefore supremely important.

The question is, as a leader, on a daily basis, how much time, efforts, and energy I'm putting into the long-term aspects, the future of my Business?

My name is PK Narayanan, wishing you the best! Thank you

#ceo #scaleup #leadership

Communication, effective communication, is an essential ingredient for enhancing one’s leadership presence.

Being clear, concise, conscious, and sensitive helps one communicate effectively.

Once 2 wise people happened to visit a wealthy man. The wealthy man wanted to know how long he would live.

The first person remarked ‘You will live long enough to see all your sons and daughters die’. The wealthy man was taken aback and disturbed.

He turned to the second one; The second person responded to the wealthy man - ‘you are blessed with a long life, so long that you will outlive all in your family’.

Both of them saw the same thing - yet the way they responded to the question was different.

We can choose our own way to communicate. When we do, are we conscious, clear, and sensitive to the recipient?

My name is PK Narayanan, wishing you the best, Thank you

Great Leaders standout. People   get inspired by their thoughts and presence. What makes Great Leaders tick? One   of the 4 Things Great Leaders Have In Common is:

Leadership Presence:

Being present - being there wherever we are! In whole.

Ability to listen enhances leadership presence. Communicating clearly, Influencing people and   outcomes positively, adds to Leadership Presence.

The second is Clarity:

Great Leaders chase   Clarity, relentlessly. Clarity leads to insights that are relevant. Simplifying,   being open, curious, and seeing things as they are, not as what we think they   are, help improve Clarity.

The third is Walking the talk:

Great Leaders walk the talk. They are authentic and trustworthy. They make conscious effort to   practice what they preach.

The fourth is Concern for Society:

Great Leaders genuinely care - for the Society, Communities, the Environment. They always tend to leave the world in a better way than it was.

Am I conscious, Am I working enough to enhance my Leadership Presence?

My name is PK Narayanan,   wishing you the best, Thank you

Comfort zones make it difficult for one to forego the (false) sense of safety - though we know extra-ordinary things happen outside our comfort zones.

A ship in the harbour is safe, but that is not what ships are built for - said John Shedd.

What would move us from our comfort zones?

External forces do that at times - where we get pushed out of our comfort zones by (external) circumstances. Many success stories, extra-ordinary things have evolved out of such situations.

Alternatively, we could choose to play outside our comfort zone on our own; Going beyond the logical and rational limits that we put on ourselves; Gathering strong emotional urge, the wanting to do it, surpassing, over-powering the fear of failure; Moving beyond the logical limits and boundaries that we set for ourselves…

That's where extra-ordinary things happen. That's where we get to live our true potential.

Am I living my potential? Or am I stuck in my comfort zones?

My name is PK Narayanan, wishing you the best, Thank you