“Don’t perform tasks in sequence, when they can be done in parallel.” I was talking to Manisha. She was planning for a company event. “I have the list of people to invite. I am collecting and verifying their contact information. As soon as I have all the addresses available, I will send out all emails using mail merge.” Manisha explained her...
“This is completely unreasonable, I am expecting complete professional behaviour, I can’t work with such emotional xxxxx.” Sujit, one of the managers in my team was completely upset with an unnatural behaviour from one of his team members. Sharad on the other hand was really a good person, he had done a wonderful job in the past. His last mistake...
“Whenever I need to talk to you, you have never said no. When I send you a message, I always get a response back, almost any time of the day. How are you able to work such long hours? Can you give me some tips to improve productivity?” The conversation started in a very interesting way. I was having lunch...
“The need for empathy towards the buyer is huge. It’s a differentiator…” -Doug Brown, former CMO, IBM Systems“I am looking for a laptop computer, for my daughter.” A middle-aged customer called in using the support line.What would be your answer, when a customer calls a support number for buying? Would it be - “That is great, we have many available to buy online,...
“What is the difference between a chat and a conversation? How is conversational AI different from a chatbot?” “Well, in general chat refers to an informal interaction, while a conversation is a more serious matter and requires involvement from both sides.” “It’s not so much about the dictionary definition.” “When you visit a superstore, do you really look forward to an interaction...
“I understand delegation. I am still not able to figure out the secret sauce of control. When should I exercise tighter control and when should I leave it to the team?” In a Saturday morning mentoring session with a budding CEO of a start-up, we were discussing scaling the organization. “It’s like using a slingshot, my friend.” “A tighter control is required...
“Do you remember the glossy #catalogs, received in the mailbox? It was not such a high tech experience, still very popular with high-value retailers.” Along with a #CIO from a #retail start-up, I was enjoying the journey down memory lane. “And the 1-800--- numbers. I wondered why would someone call when it is easy to pick up from the store!” “There are people with special needs....
“We are replacing human interaction with our AI-based product. This is working out really well, I am now considering more improvements. Do you have any suggestions?” Sagar, the CEO of a Start-up started the conversation during our brainstorming session. “Sagar, in personal and social interactions emotional intelligence plays a key role. Have you considered adding some grace to the conversations?” “Emotional intelligence in the product? What...
Continued from last week... “You will be your best self when you take time to understand what you really need, feel and want.” - Deborah Day There is always a struggle between what you #need and what you #want. Should I go for what I need? Or go for what I want? Difficult to decide, isn’t it? I tried to ask many people for advice and...
“Your selection of things is mostly the reflection of your thoughts, inner feelings, and character.” ? Ehsan Sehgal The continuous bombardment of information, meaningful or not, has complicated our life beyond imagination. In general having more choices for selection, will be considered as a positive thing, having a lot of choices, without having the tools to select the best is a...
