Co‑ops and internships have been misunderstood. In my humble opinion, the co‑op - and by extension, the internship - was born from the spirit of the apprenticeship. A concept built not on transactions, but on transformation. For generations, people who were curious and serious about learning a … [Read more...]
Backbone Over Comfort: The Quiet Bravery of Conviction
Leadership is rarely glamorous in the moment it matters most. It’s not the boardroom photo or the inspirational quote; it’s the silence that follows an unpopular opinion, the long pause before someone says, “I disagree,” and the lonely stretch between dissent and decision. True leadership, the … [Read more...]
I Don’t Dream of Retirement, and That’s Not a Problem
Recently, I came across another early retirement post on LinkedIn - the kind that comes with heartfelt reflections, sincere gratitude, and a new chapter wrapped in a bow. I paused, smiled, and genuinely appreciated the discipline, intention, and optimism it takes to design a life that allows for … [Read more...]
The Joy of Building People
Some people build products. Others build companies. But the work I’ve come to love most - the work that energizes me every morning - is building people. Not in the abstract, theoretical way we sometimes toss around in leadership circles. But in the trenches, in real time, through the process of … [Read more...]
The Algorithm Can’t Look You in the Eye
Over February and March this year, I spent a few weeks walking through India - part work, part wandering, part listening. In every conversation, every transaction, every quiet observation at the edges of the chaos, I found myself returning to one core truth: high touch will always, in the end, … [Read more...]
The Weight of Old Narratives
Time moves. Life moves. People move. Yet, for all our acknowledgment of change as a constant, we rarely grant that same fluidity to the way we perceive others. We hold on, sometimes stubbornly, to outdated impressions of people, locking them into versions of themselves that no longer exist. We … [Read more...]
What If We Stopped Asking Kids What They Want to Be?
Growing up in India, the question we were all asked was: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” It was often delivered with a mix of curiosity, pride, and sometimes quiet pressure. The answers came in predictable shapes - doctor, engineer, IAS officer, businessperson - respectable, … [Read more...]
Stillness Is Not a Luxury – It’s the Work
It’s strange, isn’t it, how little space we make for thinking in the places that depend most on our ability to think clearly? Time spent reading, reflecting, analyzing, and planning has somehow become the enemy of productivity in modern professional culture. We’ve romanticized the busy calendar, … [Read more...]
The Gentle Art of Getting Started
Procrastination gets a bad rap. We treat it like a character flaw, like something to be ashamed of, something that signals weakness, laziness, or a lack of discipline. But more often than not, it’s none of those things. Procrastination is rarely about time. It’s almost always about emotion. And … [Read more...]