Maximise Potential

Steve Jobs is one of the most versatile and innovative business icons of our times. He has joined the pantheon of greats like Einstein who have had a huge impact on the world and also our every day lives. A smart phone is now something which we cannot live without. There are things not to learn from him as well. The key things to learn are focus, creativity, simplicity and ability to take tough decisions. All these are requirements to be a great business leader. Here are 9 timeless lessons to learn from Steve Jobs. S — Sell yourself –Steve Jobs was unafraid of showing off. In fact it could be argued this was his biggest asset. Unless you show others what you are capable of nobody is going to know. I think we should learn to sell ourselves not in an abrupt manner but a classy manner. This requires practice but this will pay off in spades. He was always in the spotlight, enjoyed it and created the larger than life personality. In fact before videos were popular he was the one mak...

Elon Musk is one of the greatest business icons of the 21st century. With the passing of Steve Jobs he has rightly taken the pole position in the realm of business leaders who are considered visionaries. I read the book on Elon Musk by Ashlee Vance and it is a wonderful  inspiring read. Here are the lessons I gleaned.  Be in it for the long haul – Irrespective of what our aim is unless we have decided to be in it for the long haul it is very difficult for us to scale the heights that we are capable of. Elon Musk in 2008 was in dire straits. Space X and Tesla were both running out of money but the man was in it for the long haul. He didn’t care about short term setbacks. He always looked to the future with hope and was over optimistic in most cases. He set unrealistic deadlines as that’s the way he thinks. Everything he does is fast and he is always in a hurry. He pays an obsessive attention to detail and for SpaceX he wants to reduce the cost of launc...

What are the qualities that separate the winners from others? This is a wonderful topic which I am really excited in exploring. I have been a student of success in sports like tennis and cricket. I have in the past 10 years also researched the success secrets of business superstars like Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Andy Grove and others while reading in-numerous books on the same topic. At the outset I don’t mean to say that you have to be a CEO to be successful but understanding what makes these people superstars is well worth a look to get to our best which is what our aim should be. If we can incorporate some of those qualities we can reach our personal summits without the need to compare with others. Here are the 12 qualities of winners that I have identified.  Discipline – There is nothing that is more important to be a winner than developing the quality of discipline. If you want to be a winner then it goes without saying that you need to do what winners do. My favorite role ...

I wanted to name this post time management but felt 24 hours is a more apt description. 24 hours is what all of us get every day whether we like it or not. The way we use our daily 24 hours over a long period of time ultimately determines where we finish. Time management is an oxymoron and I am surely not an expert on it. I see myself more as a student and have gathered some ideas that can help in managing ourselves better. I firmly believe that time management is not reserved for only the work we do but it plays a very important part in our personal lives as well. When we manage ourselves better it reduces stress and increases our experience of joy. Everyone’s philosophy of time management is different so finding what works for each person is the key. For some people it may mean spending more time with the family, while for others it maybe to reach the apex of corporate success. Here are seven ways that can help us on our journey to optimum personal effectiveness. Focus on the...

There is a popular story which has been made famous by a lot of authors. Michelangelo was asked how he came up with David and he said I chipped away everything that was not David before arriving at the final masterpiece. Similarly if we want to make our life a masterpiece there are a few things we need to take care of. I have identified 10 keys if followed consistently can surely help us achieve lasting success and fulfillment on our own terms. It is a process and you never reach there but you can enjoy the journey. Here are the 10 Keys to make your life a masterpiece. Define your mission  — Without a mission it is very difficult to be excited about life. A few years back I defined my mission as “My mission is to maximise my potential and help others maximise theirs.” This has driven me to read, learn, write and share whatever I have learned. It has also helped me feel excited nearly every single day which is the biggest gift from having a mission. Stephen Covey mentioned t...