Pushing Beyond the Obvious - Helping Entrepreneurs Succeed

Pushing Beyond the Obvious is a podcast dedicated to help entrepreneurs succeed in a hyper-competitive & ever-changing business environment. We will invite practitioners and thought leaders to share their experience, strategies and secrets about their success, that can entrepreneurs can apply in their day-to-day life. Join us on a journey of discovering new insights every week.

The Hidden Leadership Skill: Leading for Evolution 01/13/2026

The Hidden Leadership Skill: Leading for Evolution Premise: Almost all leaders today lead in an environment that is ripe with disruptions and ever changing competitive landscape. The challenges of leading in this constantly evolving landscape are very different from that of leading in a stable environment where the current management practices are rooted in. So, if we have to succeed in this new world, we need to change the lens through which we view leadership and management practices. That begs the questions - where can we draw inspiration for the new way of leading. Thankfully, we don't need to look far. We can learn from . Leading an organisation today and how evolution works are very similar - they are both a part of and navigate . And nature has had a long time to perfect the techniques and tactics that have allowed life to bloom. So, I think there are some interesting and important lessons that we can learn from nature and the evolutionary process. Foundational Tenets of Evolutionary Biology Here are the most fundamental and foundational tenets on which the entire field of Evolutionary Biology is based on: Random events produced the first signs of life. Since then, variation (mutation - and - random shifts) provides the impetus for evolution. Selection acts as the fitness test (ability to reproduce and stay alive) Inheritance ensures successful traits are passed on to next generations. Deep time allows cumulative change to produce new functions or species. Over time, simple rules lead to complex patterns, behaviors and species. The starting of our organisation was the random event that started this journey of survival. Embrace Variation - Adjacent Possible & Genetic Drift All evolution happens when there is some sort of variation - either within the organisation or its context. This variation results in something new, which is then put through a rigorous test by its environment and only those variations that are able to navigate the environment successfully are then preferred. Every other variant slowly but definitely dies out. Similarly, as leaders, we need to create an ecology of ideas. We need to look at adjacent possibles (continuous improvement) in our area of work all the time. We should also be on the look out for the genetic drift (random, breakthrough ideas) which can help us shift the level we operate at. Every time something changes - internally within our organisations or externally within the context in which we operate in, we need to explore and come up with experiments and the one that is able to navigate the changes the best, needs to be promoted, while the other ideas slowly but surely die out. Actionable Tip for Leaders: Invite everyone on the team to constantly explore ways to improve the existing processes by running small SMART experiments. And once in a while (maybe quarterly), explore to identify game changing ideas. It is great if you succeed, if not, you would have atleast some more interesting experiments to run. Idea is to engage in the process. Selection acts as the filter for fitness Evolution uses fitness as the only filter to assess whether a variation in a species continues to evolve or simply goes extinct. It is nature's job to be always creating variations, testing them for fitness, promoting the fit one's to be passed on and killing off all other variations. It is exactly our job as a leader. We need to continue to create experiments (variations) both in the adjacent possibles and attempt at breakthroughs (genetic drift), give them some air to test and continue to invest in those that are providing to be successful and kill those that are not. Actionable Tip for Leaders: Lets ideas clash for investments - money, attention and time. Let the best idea (defined before the process is run) win, and let the rest die quickly. Inheritance of successful traits: In addition to variation, evolution also ensures that the successful traits are always passed down from one generation to the next. In exactly the same way, as leaders it is our responsibility to ensure that good ideas and what we learn is spread across the organisation and passed on. This can be done by creating systematic process for documenting and sharing of ideas - good one's that work well. In evolution, the only key criteria is for the organism to continue to survive as a species by reproducing itself. In business, the most important criteria is similar - to survive for another day. Anything that can help in this regard needs to be well known and well shared within the teams. Actionable Tip for Leaders: Ensure that best practices and good ideas are widely shared among the team so that everyone can learn and build on them. Let time play out The biggest strength of the evolutionary process is that it takes its time and is in no hurry. It allows for simple variations to compound over time to create complex abilities and species as a result. As leaders, we can also leverage the power of time on our side - by continuing to work on the different experiments, we are in a way creating a flywheel. This flywheel has the potential to compound over time and create an outsized impact for our business. We just need to trust in the process and let time do the rest. Actionable Tip for Leaders: Have a long term view and approach. Allow multiple small ideas compound over time. What does this mean for us as a leader? This requires us to shift from being a controller to a facilitator, creating environments that empower self-organization, experimentation, and optimizing for learning. We can do that by Encouraging exploration and manipulation of ideas and contexts Design robust feedback and feedforward loops for continuous learning Empower teams with autonomy and reward experimentation, even failures Value diversity and inclusion to prevent blind spots and foster robust solutions Be comfortable with ambiguity and utilize managed tension between agents as a driver for adaptive change and novel information Be responsive to environmental shifts Continuously modify internal models Implement continuous learning loops ("learning by doing") Leverage inherent resilience and self-organization of complex adaptive system Adopt adaptive governance with decentralized decision-making As leaders, we need to treat leadership as Experimentation. We treat decisions as hypotheses to be tested, learn from feedback, and adapt accordingly. Self Organisation and Emergence: In evolution, all of these principles when play out and result in what we call Self organisation and emergence. Emergence by its definition is random and can not be predicted in advance and is a result of self-organisation (there is no one in charge there). This also shows that the overall entropy in the system is ever growing (with variation and emergence). As leaders, we need to be aware and constantly looking for emergence as and when it emerges. Once we see what emerges, we can explore how to exploit the emergence towards our goals. Smart leaders are always on the lookout for emergence everytime, they change something - for both expected and unexpected consequences and deal with them in real time. Self-organized Criticality One of the results of emergence is also the concept of , where the response to a small action can be outsized and can cause ripple effects across the entire system (). As leaders, we need to be constantly on the look out for such criticality building up within our systems and plan for the inevitable shock that will come. By being better prepared, we can not only minimize the shock but possibly even find ways to leverage the shock to accelerate our pursuit to our goals. Conclusion Evolutionary biology offers an invaluable lens for leading complex adaptive systems. By embracing variation, facilitating selection via feedback, prioritizing adaptation over prediction, cultivating self-organization and co-evolution, organizations can move beyond outdated management practices. When leaders act as adaptive , empowering systems to , evolve, and adapt to an unpredictable future, we build resilient and some times even an organisation and that can lead to consistent and significant over a long and sustained period of time in a turbulent environment. In the past few posts, we explore about how we can learn from , , and . As you can see, can learn from anything and everything. In order to succeed in the ever evolving environment, we need to optimize for our . /episode/index/show/pushingbeyondtheobvious/id/39711150

The Bomber with No Guns: 3 Lessons in Strategy from a World War II Secret Weapon 01/08/2026

The Most Important Question You Can Ask Your Team: "Are You Okay?" 01/08/2026

How to Be Remarkable And stand out from the crowd 01/07/2026

How to Be Remarkable And stand out from the crowd Standing out starts with choosing to see, think, and act differently from the default, and then designing your work, relationships, and systems around that choice. This means intentionally questioning “how things are done here” and repeatedly experimenting with better ways that reflect who you are and what you care about.youtube Why being different matters Most environments quietly push people to conform, to not make waves, and to follow existing templates for success. If you obey those pressures blindly, you become invisible, even when you are talented and hardworking.youtube Being different is how you become memorable in a noisy world of similar profiles, pitches, and products.youtube Differentiation is not about being weird for its own sake; it is about being meaningfully useful in a way that others are not.youtube Think differently Thinking differently begins with the questions you allow yourself to ask. Instead of accepting constraints as fixed, you look for hidden assumptions and test them.youtube Ask “Why do we do it this way?” and “What if the opposite were true?” in your work, business, or projects.youtube Study patterns in your industry and then deliberately look for ideas at the edges or in completely different fields.youtube See differently Seeing differently is about changing the lens through which you view people, problems, and opportunities. Two people can look at the same situation and one sees inconvenience while the other sees an opening.youtube Practice empathy: observe what your customers, colleagues, or audience actually feel, not only what they say.youtube Train yourself to spot non-obvious insights in everyday situations—how people queue, complain, improvise, or work around bad systems.youtube Hire and collaborate differently Who you surround yourself with determines the ideas you are exposed to and the standards you normalize. If you pick only people who look and think like you, you guarantee average outcomes.youtube Seek collaborators who challenge your thinking and bring complementary skills instead of clones of yourself.youtube Value mindset, learning agility, and character at least as much as credentials or years of experience.youtube Design and execute differently Difference must show up in how you design and execute, not just in slogans. Many people talk about innovation but run projects exactly like everyone else.youtube Simplify where others complicate: remove steps, jargon, and friction from your processes and experiences.youtube Obsess over small details that signal care and craftsmanship, because they compound into a distinctive experience over time.youtube Engage differently Engagement is where your difference becomes visible and felt by others. If your ideas stay in your head or your hard drive, they cannot set you apart.youtube Show up consistently on platforms where your audience is present—through writing, video, audio, or conversations—and share real, unfinished thinking.youtube Replace generic, broadcast-style messages with personal, specific, and generous interactions that make people feel seen.youtube Making “different” a daily practice Standing out is not a one-time campaign; it is a daily habit of choosing intentional over automatic. Over time, these small choices build a personal or professional brand that is hard to ignore.youtube Regularly review where you have quietly slipped into default mode and pick one area each week to experiment with a different approach.youtube Measure your success not only by results, but by how authentically you showed up and how courageously you chose to be different.youtube /episode/index/show/pushingbeyondtheobvious/id/39638440

Here is how to build an engaged team 01/06/2026

Here is how to build an engaged team Teams that are engaged perform better, collaborate more, and stay longer. I often talk about how employee engagement sits at the heart of every high-performing team. The real question is: how do leaders actually build it in day-to-day work? Hire for Attitude Before Skills Engagement starts much earlier than most people realise — right at the hiring stage. I believe that while skills can be developed over time, attitude is much harder to change. Hiring people who naturally align with the team’s values and energy creates a stronger foundation for engagement. At the same time, we need to understand the importance of acting quickly when a hire clearly isn’t the right fit. Delaying tough decisions doesn’t just affect performance; it quietly impacts team morale. Compensation Is More Than Just Money When people hear “compensation,” they usually think of salary. I would challenge leaders to think broader. True compensation includes financial, psychological, and emotional elements. Feeling respected, trusted, and appreciated often matters just as much as pay. When employees feel valued as individuals, they’re far more likely to show up fully and stay engaged with their work. Trust and Respect Come First Psychological safety doesn’t appear overnight. As i always say, we have to be trusting, in order to be trusted. Leaders who genuinely respect different opinions and encourage open conversations create an environment where people feel safe to speak up. When employees know their voices matter, engagement becomes natural rather than forced. Upskilling as a Tool for Engagement Training isn’t an expense — it’s an investment. I encourage you to find creative, cost-effective ways to help your teams build new skills. Learning keeps people motivated, confident, and future-ready. Equally important is giving employees opportunities to apply what they learn. When learning turns into real impact, engagement grows organically. Culture, Values, and the Power of Stories A strong culture needs clarity. I believe storytelling helps bring values to life. Stories stick far better than policies. Whether it’s a legendary customer-service moment or a small internal win, stories reinforce what the organization truly stands for and encourage others to act the same way. Don’t Forget to Make Work Enjoyable Engagement doesn’t mean constant seriousness. I believes that teams that laugh together tend to work better together. Small moments of fun, informal check-ins, and celebrating wins, even minor ones go a long way in strengthening team bonds. Listening and Adapting to People’s Needs Engagement is not one-size-fits-all. People go through different life phases, challenges, and priorities. It is important to listen closely and adapt our leadership styles accordingly. Sometimes engagement looks like flexibility. Other times, it’s recognition or simply being heard. Leaders who pay attention create loyalty without forcing it. Conclusion Building an engaged team is an ongoing process. It requires intention, consistency, and genuine care for people. As I often point out, the principles are simple but applying them every day takes effort. Leaders who commit to trust, learning, and empathy don’t just build engaged teams; they build teams that last and perform the best. /episode/index/show/pushingbeyondtheobvious/id/39624280

3 Ways to come up with Breakthrough Ideas 01/05/2026

3 Ways to come up with Breakthrough Ideas Premise: In today's fast-paced world, every organization and leader feels the relentless pressure to innovate. We're taught to hunt for that game-changing idea, that single "Eureka!" moment that will redefine our market. But waiting for a random stroke of genius is an ineffective and stressful strategy. The myth of the lone visionary struck by a sudden, brilliant insight is just that—a myth. True innovation isn't about luck; it's about process. Generating breakthrough ideas can be a systematic, repeatable activity. By moving beyond passive inspiration and adopting active methods, you can build a reliable engine for creativity within your team or organization. Today, we will talk about three powerful, and perhaps counter-intuitive, ways to systematically uncover your next breakthrough idea. Re-Think Imagination's Role Imagination Isn't the Starting Point—It's the Fuel. When we think of breakthrough ideas, we often start with imagination. We picture Albert Einstein conducting a thought experiment, imagining what it would be like to travel alongside a beam of light. From this thought experiment came one of the most profound and innovative breakthroughs in science, the theory of relativity. Imagination is undeniably a critical component of innovation. However, in a business context, it's rarely the initial source of a breakthrough idea. While almost all breakthrough ideas require the use of imagination at various stages of development, it's more of a powerful tool than the primary method for idea generation. It's the engine that helps you explore possibilities, not the map that shows you where to look in the first place. This is an important distinction because it frees us from the pressure of having to conjure a brilliant vision from a blank slate. It allows us to focus on more systematic methods that provide a clearer starting point. Engineer Your "Aha!" Moments Your Best Ideas Are Hiding in Your Subconscious (And You Can Find Them). A more reliable path to breakthrough ideas is through "insight." An insight isn't just a random thought; it’s a moment of profound clarity. Insight is the capacity to gain an accurate and deep understanding of someone or something. That "Aha!" feeling you get when something suddenly clicks is an insight, and it's a feeling you can systematically engineer. There are two primary ways to do this: Systematic Observation: To gain insights about your customers, stop asking them what they want and start observing what they do. People often act out of routine or automatic behavior and can't articulate the "why" behind their actions. By observing their behaviors, inferring their underlying needs, and even running experiments to test your hypotheses, you can uncover pathbreaking insights that they could never tell you directly. Subconscious Processing: Have you ever had a brilliant idea pop into your head in the shower or just as you were falling asleep? This isn't random luck. It’s your subconscious mind at work. As one expert describes it, the subconscious is "like having a set of back office users who are always working." You can intentionally assign a difficult problem to your subconscious mind, then step away. While your conscious mind is focused elsewhere, your subconscious mulls over the problem, making connections and searching for solutions. By consciously "loading" a problem and then letting it go, you create the conditions for these powerful insights to emerge. Systematically Question Everything Breakthroughs Come from Breaking Assumptions. This is the most systematic and process-driven method for generating breakthrough ideas. As behavioral scientists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky have shown, we all operate using a set of biases, mental models, and assumptions to navigate the world. These assumptions, which we often take for granted, are a fertile ground for innovation. The goal is to identify and challenge them. Challenge Your Own Assumptions: This is entirely within your control. You can unearth and break your own limiting beliefs using two simple tactics: Ask probing questions: Force yourself to think differently by posing powerful, assumption-breaking questions. Examples include: What would it mean if we were to do the same thing but at a 10x or 25x scale? What would it mean if we were to do this at a fraction of the cost that we currently do it for? What would we do if the top 10% of our customers stopped giving us business? What would we do if AI has made a lot of our business models and a lot of our products obsolete? Reverse your current model: Take your current business model and consider its exact opposite. Prompts to get you started include: Convert your product to a service (or service to a product). Move from outright selling to subscriptions (or vice versa). Shift from a mass-market focus to a premium one (or vice versa). Challenge Your Customers' Assumptions: This is more difficult, but it offers a much higher reward because so few companies attempt it. To even begin, you must have built up what one expert calls "relationship capital." There's a very thin line between challenging their assumptions and challenging them as individuals, so your approach must be rooted in genuine curiosity. You are trying to be curious, not annoying. Ask questions that open up new possibilities for how you can provide value: What can we do to significantly (10x, 20x, 25x) increase the business that you give us? Is there a problem that you're struggling with which if solved would give you the biggest advantage in your market? When you can't ask these questions directly, you can still use the power of observation to identify the assumptions your customers are operating under. Use your imagination and empathy to step into their shoes and deduce the flawed beliefs that might be holding their business back. This alone can lead to breakthrough ideas for products or services that help them break free. From Random Ideas to a System for Innovation Innovation doesn't have to be left to chance. By building a reliable process, you can move beyond waiting for inspiration and start systematically generating game-changing ideas. When you rethink imagination's role, engineer moments of genuine insight, and relentlessly challenge the assumptions that guide your business, you create a repeatable engine for innovation. The goal is to shift your primary challenge. Once you begin, you will find that the amount of brilliant ideas that come up is so immense, you'll have to struggle to keep up with what you can implement. Your problem will no longer be a scarcity of ideas, but an abundance of opportunity. Which assumption about your business will you challenge first? /episode/index/show/pushingbeyondtheobvious/id/39613935

The Confidence to be VISIBLE with Sheena Yap Chan 01/03/2026

The Confidence to be VISIBLE with Sheena Yap Chan Introduction Confidence doesn’t always come naturally, especially when you grow up rarely seeing people like you represented in leadership, media, or success stories. In a world where visibility often determines opportunity, learning how to show up fully becomes essential. Sheena Yap Chan, a keynote speaker, leadership strategist, and author, shares powerful insights on confidence, identity, and visibility, particularly for Asian women navigating personal and professional spaces. Why Representation Matters More Than We Think? Growing up in Canada, Sheena often felt the absence of representation. There were few role models in media or leadership positions who looked like her, and that lack quietly shaped what felt “possible.” Over time, she realised that confidence isn’t just an internal trait—it’s deeply influenced by what we see around us. This realisation led her to create The Tao of Self Confidence podcast, where she has interviewed over 800 Asian women. By amplifying real stories, struggles, and successes, Sheena highlights how representation helps people believe that they, too, belong in spaces of leadership and influence. Understanding the VISIBLE Framework One of Sheena’s key contributions to leadership development is her VISIBLE Framework, a seven-pillar model designed to help individuals build confidence and presence. Each pillar focuses on a different aspect of growth, including finding your voice, embracing your identity, working through inner beliefs, and leveraging support systems. Rather than encouraging perfection, the framework focuses on authenticity, showing up as you are while continuing to grow. It also emphasises the importance of lifting others as you rise, creating a ripple effect of confidence and visibility within communities. Breaking Cultural Barriers Around Confidence Sheena openly discusses how cultural expectations can limit self-expression, especially in Asian households where humility and silence are often rewarded. While these values have meaning, they can sometimes discourage people from speaking up or taking risks. Instead of waiting until everything feels “ready,” Sheena encourages a “ready, fire, aim” approach, taking action first and adjusting along the way. Confidence is built through experience, not perfection, and visibility grows when we allow ourselves to be seen before we feel completely prepared. Key Takeaways Confidence and visibility are learnable skills, not personality traits Representation plays a critical role in shaping belief and ambition Action builds confidence faster than waiting for perfection Strong networks and community support accelerate growth Conclusion Sheena Yap Chan’s journey is a reminder that confidence doesn’t come from fitting in, it comes from owning who you are. By challenging limiting beliefs, embracing visibility, and sharing stories that matter, individuals can create meaningful impact not only for themselves but for others who are still finding their voice. Confidence, when practiced intentionally, becomes a powerful tool for leadership and change. You can find more information about her, her work and her books on her website - . /episode/index/show/pushingbeyondtheobvious/id/39598100

Don’t Solve Problems. Develop Problem Solvers 01/01/2026

Don’t Solve Problems. Develop Problem Solvers Premise The real job of a leader is not decision-making. It is decision capability-building and this can be done by creating better leaders from those that they lead. Bad leaders manage how work is being done, good leaders manage whether the work is being done and great leaders create capacity so that the work gets done. This is possible only when we are able to find ways to train them, to coach them and to get them ready for their journey as a leader. This requires us to give them additional responsibilities and create opportunities to lead as part of the day-to-day work. We can prepare them for these additional responsibilities via coaching conversations which we can have by creating coachable moments. Before we even get to coaching conversations and talk about creating coachable moments, lets first understand what is a coaching conversation. Three Types of Conversations Any conversation that a leader has with their teams can be classified as one of the three kinds of conversations. Each of these three kinds of conversations are required tools for leaders – they fall on a spectrum and needs to be used in the appropriate situations. Remember – Most leaders don’t over-direct or under-coach. They misdiagnose the moment. Directive Conversation This is when a leader says, do this or dont do that. This type of conversation or direction, is an important tool When you are dealing with someone who is very new and has not yet developed the skills required to do the job by themselves or When you are trying to deal with a crisis and need urgent responses or When you have a high stakes situation that needs a carefully calibrated response from you as a leader. Mentoring Conversation This is when a leader says, when I faced a similar situation, here is what I did and this is why I did it. This type of conversation is an important tool When you are dealing with someone who has enough experience and the ability to figure out the right approach when directed towards the right way forward. You don’t have to spell it out. Coaching Conversation This is when a leader uses questions to enable the colleague to arrive at the best way forward themselves. This type of conversation is the right way forward When you are dealing with someone who hasn’t yet developed the expertise required to arrive at the best way forward but has the potential to do so, when guided well When you want to teach them the ability to think through something When you want to help them develop experitise, instinct and become a leader worth following. There are that are available for how to conduct a coaching conversations. All of them require a few fundamental things in order to be effective: There is trust between the two people involved in the coaching conversation You as a leader are open and empathetic towards the person being coached The person who is being coached is open and wants to be coached The coaching conversation is beneficial for everyone involved, including the team overall. The only way that coaching as a leader is different from all the above coaching models is that in this case, we are moving the person we coach towards an outcome (sometimes the outcome we already know and at other time allow the outcome emerge – however with the attributes we already know and want), which in traditional coaching models, is a no go. Leadership coaching is not about helping your team in the process of self-discovery. It is about aligning deep, independent thinking with organisational reality. The real job of a leader is not decision-making. It is building the capacity and capability for good decision making. When not to coach Before we even get started on how to identify how to coach someone as part of the regular work day, it is important to know when is it a good idea not to coach. Here are some very specific situations where coaching is probably a bad idea: High stake situations: While there might be some times with some people, it might be a good idea, but for most of us and in most cases, high stake situations are not a good idea to use as coaching moments. We can create a coaching moment and coach people after the high stake situation is dealt with. This doesnt mean we don’t invite opinions from those we want to coach, it just means that we dont abdicate the responsibility of making the crucial decision and the accountability of the results from that decision to someone else. Attempting to coach during high-stakes moments doesn’t build leaders. It builds anxiety and confusion. Situations that require urgent responses: Just like high stake situations, there come times when speed matters a lot more than anything else. In such situations, as leaders, we make the decision and act with speed and once the urgency has passed, we work with the team member to find a coachable moment with them about the urgent situation and how it was responded to. Remember that coaching can be a tax on speed. When Emotions are running high: No coaching is possible when emotions are running high – either you are feeling it or the person you want to coach is feeling it. It also doesn’t matter if the emotion is a positive one (happiness or joy or similar) or a negative one (anger or frustration or sadness or similar). When we are feeling emotionally aroused, our ability to understand or teach is limited. So, we need to first find a way to bring our emotions back to normal and then look for a coachable moment. Coachable Moments Now, that we have looked at some moments that are not suited for a coaching conversation, let’s find out how we can identify and spot coachable moments and have a coaching conversation and while at it, let’s also learn how we can get better as a coach. Remember, coachable moments are when you help improve the thinking and decision making capability of your team. So, we need to take them seriously and with utmost respect. Any interaction with the people we lead can be converted into a coaching conversation, apart from the above listed situations. Even in these cases, we can always go come back to these situations and explore how they were handled and in that find a way to have a coaching conversations. Here are some non-exhaustive ideas from a practitioner’s point-of-view, on how can we as leaders show up as a coach and help our teams get better and help them develop themselves as a Leader Worth Following. How we Show Up As in parenting, the people we lead learn about what is acceptable and what is not, by observing us and how we behave. So, it is super important to show up and behave the way we want our teams to behave. There can’t be two sets of rules within the same team. If you observe carefully, if there is someone who has been a part of your team for any decent duration of time, they will start copying your mannerisms (the way you address people, the way you start your meetings, the way you respond to situations) sub-consciously. This is the power of social norms and the power of the leadership position. So, before we can do anything else, we need to ensure that we show up and behave the way a leader worth following is expected to behave and we would have done half of our jobs. Team Meetings Team meetings are a great tool to coach people. One of the ways we can use the power of these team meetings is by inviting someone on our team to lead all team meetings for a month (if we meet weekly) or for a quarter (if we meet monthly). They are responsible for setting the agenda, inviting the speakers, preparing the slides, running the meeting, taking notes and following up on action items that were agreed upon. And since this responsibility will remain with them for a specific amount of time, they know that they can plan their work around this. When you offer this responsibility (yes, offer – they can always refuse to take this up and that can lead to a completely different conversation), you also offer them your full support. They should be able to come to you with questions, ideas, suggestions, challenges and you work them through together. The way you do that is through coaching them through the process (we will come to what I mean by coaching in a bit) instead of directing them to the best way forward (you can do this as well, when the person is very junior and needs it). This creates an opportunity for every member on your team to showcase their ability to lead a team meeting, a small but an important skill, if they want to become a leader worth following. And in the act of leading the team meeting, they are also learning other soft skills (Influencing, negotiation, etc). Problem Solving Every time you are faced with a problem that you need to solve, it is a great opportunity to create coachable moments and to create a coaching conversation (unless it falls in the urgent or critical category, in which case you do the same thing, but a bit later in the future). When you come up against a problem (or someone on your team comes up with a problem) that needs solving, you invite the most relevant person, who has the experience or the aspiration to grow to a level that requires them to know how to solve such problems, and have a conversation with them. You ask them the following question – If you were to solve this problem, how would you go about solving it? And ask them to think out aloud if they have some experience with similar problems. If not, ask them to come back to you with proposals of how they will solve this, along with their thinking behind their proposals (Yes, in the plural). They are free to ask you questions or reach out to anyone relevant (depending on the sensitivity of the problem). This framing about coming up with multiple solutions is also in a way coaching – this teaches them that for any problem, there are always multiple solutions. The framing about open to reach out to anyone for help is also another coachable moment – teaching them early that it is ok to ask for help. Once, they come back with their proposals, ask them to share their thinking about how they would solve the problem. You can then either agree with their approach (if it is correct) or guide them toward other ways to solve the problem that are available. The key here is for them to arrive at the optimal solution by themselves, maybe with your support, but they need to feel that they came up with the solution. Then implement the solution, giving them due credit publicly. Repeat this process with different colleagues for different sets of problems based on their current situation, ability and future aspirations. It is crucial that we don’t always go to the same person, which is easy to do for us. This builds up their ability to solve problems, helps them develop instinct and build confidence in their ability. If you are coming to this conversation after dealing with an urgent or critical situation, we do the exact same process but in addition, do it in reverse order as well (starting from the solution we used to address and going back to why this was chosen over the other potential solutions). This helps them understand the concept of tradeoffs and how to find balance when picking between two competing sets of values. When they come to you for advice or approval When someone on your team comes to you for some advice (lets acknowledge that if this is happening, you are already doing some good work – Congratulations), it is a great opportunity for a coaching conversation. Again, the idea here is to help them (through asking a series of questions, sometime guided questions), come up with a resolution to the questions that they came to you for advice. When they come to you for approval, could also potentially be a good coaching opportunity, if they haven’t fully made the case based on which you can provide your approval. In this case, you use the coaching conversation to guide them such that they recognise what’s missing by themselves and are able to get the same to you. This also teaches them about how you think about something before you approve it. They can use similar process when they become leaders themselves and until then, make it easier for you to approve their requests, as it has everything you need from them. Performance Appraisals The same process holds good while you are providing them feedback on their performance (weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual). By letting them understand and come to a shared view of how you think about performance and the reasoning behind your feedback, you are creating a trusting relationship and training them to be on their way to becoming a Leader Worth Following. This also has the benefit of the team being extremely clear on what is expected out of them and how they measure upto those standards. It makes the leaders job easier when it comes to the next round of appraisals and the time in-between. In conclusion A leader’s real output is not producing results. It is to produce people who can produce results without them. The time we spend on coaching is an investment in the future. In order to make this a reality, we can treat every interaction that we have with our team members as a coachable moment that can lead to a coaching conversation. The better we get at this, the more effective the team gets and the less busier we get so that we can spend more time on dealing with the critical and urgent situations as and when they arrive. As a leader, it is our responsibility to develop our teams such that they bloom into leaders worth following are are able to realise their full potential. The feedback I usually get from leaders is that they are far too busy to find time and energy to invest into coaching. My response to that is that the very reason they are so busy is because they didnt take the time to coach their teams to make the decisions that they are being forced to make. The question is not whether you have time to coach. The question is whether you want to keep solving the same problems forever. PS: You can watch me talk about it . /episode/index/show/pushingbeyondtheobvious/id/39582845

What Quentin Tarantino Can Teach Leaders About their Jobs 12/31/2025

What Quentin Tarantino Can Teach Leaders About their Jobs In this short narration, talks about the role of a director and it is a classic definition of what we need to do as leaders to become a leader worth following. Very early in his career, he asked on what was the job of a director in the making of a movie and here is what he was told – “It is not your job to create your vision, it is your job to have a vision! And it is your job then to hire talented people who understand your vision. You articulate your vision to them. Then they take your vision and they create it. And with them creating it, you bring your inputs to play. Your vision is still two dimensional. They will take the distinct elements of your vision and make it three dimensional. This way, you get back more than you gave into the vision. You will know even more what you are talking about and what you are seeing and your vision will get filled in. You think you have to do everything, you don’t. You don’t need to know anything about sewing to have wonderful costumes in your films, you just need to express what you need to the costume designers! You don’t need to have a degree in engineering to have magnificent sets in your pieces, you just need to be able to describe what it is that you want. You don’t need to know to take a bunch of light stands and put them together to create a specific lighting effect, that’s not your job. You don’t need to know any of that. What you need to know is that you need to have a vision and you need to know how to express it. And you let the other people take it and do it for you. That is what a director does!” Being a leader worth following is also the same. It is your job to have a vision. It is your job to know how to articulate the vision. It is your job to go out and hire talented individuals and share the vision with. It is then your job to let them take your vision and attempt to bring it alive. You then give your inputs where needed and let the vision come alive. You dont necessarily need to know how anything is done. You just need to know what you want and allow the talented individuals on your team to bring that to fruition. Having a vision, articulating the vision, hiring the right people and letting them bring the vision alive – that is your job as a leader! You can watch hear Tarantino share this in this video . /episode/index/show/pushingbeyondtheobvious/id/39572925

How to Trick our Mind and Body to do What We Want 12/29/2025

How to Trick our Mind and Body to do What We Want Introduction: The Vicious Cycle of Feeling "Stuck" Have you ever felt completely stuck? Maybe it's a low mood you can't shake, or a physical exhaustion that makes every task feel impossible. When you’re in that state, it can feel like a vicious cycle you can't break. But what if you had more control than you thought? The relationship between our psychology (our mind) and our physiology (our body) is a powerful two-way street. How we think affects how we feel physically, and how our body feels and moves directly impacts our mental state. This is fantastic news because it means you don’t have to remain stuck. You can consciously use one to influence the other. Here, we’ll unlock four simple but profound strategies you can use to take control, shifting your state in minutes. Takeaway 1: To Fix a Bad Mood, Don't Think—Just Move When you're feeling down or depressed, the common instinct is to try and think your way out of it — to analyze the feeling or force a positive mindset. The principle of the mind-body connection offers a more direct route: use your physiology to change your psychology. In other words, just get up and move. This can be as simple as going out for a walk, putting on some music and dancing, or even just jumping on the spot. It could also mean heading to the gym for a workout. Any activity that changes your physical state has a direct and powerful impact on your mental state. This idea is often counter-intuitive but incredibly effective because of its speed. Instead of getting caught in a loop of negative thoughts, you can take a physical shortcut. By changing your body's state through movement, you create an almost immediate shift in your mind, lifting your mood before you’ve even had a chance to think about it. It's the fastest way to short-circuit a negative mental loop when cognitive approaches fail. Takeaway 2: To Overcome Physical Fatigue, Engage Your Mind Now, let's look at the reverse scenario. Imagine you are feeling physically lethargic, tired, and have absolutely no motivation to go anywhere or do anything. In this case, you can use the other lane on the two-way street: engage your psychology to change your physiology. Instead of trying to force your body to move, start by shifting your mental input. You can do this by: Putting on some inspiring music Listening to an engaging and inspiring audio podcast Watching inspiring videos By deliberately changing what your mind is focused on, you can trigger a remarkable shift in your physical energy. A great dance track can suddenly make you feel like moving, or an inspiring talk can make your body feel ready for action. Engaging your mind isn't just a distraction; it’s about creating the mental conditions that give your body permission to feel energized, unlocking latent physical energy you didn't think you had. Takeaway 3: The Ultimate "Reset Button" for When You're Mentally and Physically Drained What happens when you’re dealing with both issues at once—feeling depressed and lethargic? This is when you can feel the most stuck, with neither your mind nor your body wanting to cooperate. For this exact situation, there is a simple, combined solution that acts as a powerful "reset button." The method is simple: Put on your favorite music and just move your body to it. You don't need to dance perfectly or follow any specific steps. The only goal is to move your body in response to the music. This single action engages both your mind (through the music) and your body (through the movement) simultaneously. This simple act can "shift everything around," breaking the cycle of both mental and physical stagnation. It’s a technique that, as the source speaker notes, "has worked really really well for me." Takeaway 4: Your Breakthrough Might Come from an Unexpected Source While the general principles of moving your body or engaging your mind are powerful, sometimes the most effective solutions are more personal and unconventional. The key is to be open to trying things that might seem unusual but work for you. Two specific and surprising personal examples highlight this point: For extreme physical lethargy: Try listening to electronic music with heavy beats and rhythms. In my experience, perhaps this works because the external vibrations of the music resonate with the body's own internal rhythms, like the heartbeat. This definitely works for me. For a low psychological mood: Try the simple art of coloring. I have never painted or done any kind of art work in my life before, yet I have discovered that engaging in a focused, creative, and non-demanding activity like coloring can subtly "shift something inside," changing my mood without me even realizing how it happened. These examples show that the best solutions are often the ones we discover for ourselves. They don't have to be complicated; they just have to resonate with you. Conclusion: You Are the Driver on a Two-Way Street The connection between your mind and body isn't a passive system; it's a dynamic, two-way street, and you are the one in the driver's seat. You have the power to direct the traffic. You can use physical movement to break out of a mental rut and mental engagement to spark physical energy. You have the tools to shift your state at any moment. The next time you feel stuck, will you try to change your mind with your body, or your body with your mind? https://www.youtube.com/live/vBgq3q3URjQ?si=-flEWRcGiHNaoSAO /episode/index/show/pushingbeyondtheobvious/id/39553230

PBTO: Goldratts Rules of Flow - Delivering Projects on-time on-budget and on-spec and driving up profitability 02/26/2024

PBTO: Goldratts Rules of Flow - Delivering Projects on-time on-budget and on-spec and driving up profitability This is the recording of a live conversation I had with Dr. Efrat Goldratt-Ashlag to explore how the principles from the Theory of Constraints can be applied to multi-project environments (Digital transformation efforts) to deliver projects on time, on budget and on spec. She shared insights from her latest book (now available in Worldwide) Goldratt’s Rules of Flow to help us understand how to increase the velocity and throughputs of project deliveries within our organisation. We covered the following topics in the conversation: Introducing the work of Dr. Efrat Goldratt-Ashlag Do 70% of projects really fail to achieve their goals? Why? And how can we address it? The importance of triage in a multi-project environment instead of focusing on improving productivity Whose job is it to identify the constraints in a multi-project environment? Why is flow important in the Theory of Constraints? And what are the fundamental rules of flow? The importance of Full Kit. How do organisations make the shift from their current operating model to the ToC model? My learnings from the book - Goldratt's Rules of Flow When you want to go farther, focus. The psychological cost of the wrong assumptions that run multi-project environment What is a Full kit? How to deal with an external customer and run projects the ToC way. Does this work for projects with no clear end date? You can watch the session delivered by Rami Goldratt @ #TheoryOfConstraints #ToC #CriticalChain #ProjectManagement #ontime #onbudget #onspec #DigitalTransformation #EliyahuGoldratt #Goldratt You can connect with her via LinkedIn @ You can find Dr Efrat's book: Goldratts Rules of Flow @ You can find Dr. Goldratt's book: The Goal @ My website: Connect with me: My books: - Thrive: Your startup Mentor: Being Happy: https://amzn.to/3QsE4xO /episode/index/show/pushingbeyondtheobvious/id/30107558

PBTO: Stepping into a World of Exponential Possibility with Sophie Krantz 02/13/2024

PBTO: Asking the Right Questions and Questioning the right things with Dr. Alan Barnard 02/06/2024

PBTO: Asking the Right Questions and Questioning the right things with Dr. Alan Barnard In this conversation with , we explore how the principles of the Theory of Constraints (originally created by Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt) can be used to not only drive significant business results but also to help us make high stake decisions as leaders. In this freewheeling conversation, we explore Dr Barnard's story about how he met with Dr. Goldratt and his famous motto. We explore who is a true expert He shares how he got into an argument with Dr. Goldratt and how he then formed a life long connection with Dr. Goldratt. He shares his most important lessons from all his interaction with Dr. Goldratt What is a Life Goal? The definition of a Life goal is a "Dream taken seriously - Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt I will not sacrifice my goal for anyone and I will not sacrifice anyone for my goal Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt He also introduces the concept of Theory of Constraint then, shares what is a constraint and the different kinds of constraints that we might face in any given system (Market/demand (external), Capacity (internal), Supply (external), Cash (Internal), Management Attention (internal) and probably the most crucial in any business. He also shares two ways to improve a constraint and therefore significantly improve your impact. He shares the importance of "Flow" or "Throughput" in any given system and how "Flow" is two-dimensional. He also shared the importance of understanding and increasing flow (time and velocity). He also shares different Ways to improve any given system. He also shares the story of how Tata Steel UK went from 1 Million Pound loss per day to 1 Million pound profit per day using Theory of constraints We constantly see good people make bad decisions. He explains why this happens and how to avoid them. He talks about what he calls as the agency equation. We then move into the realm of individuals and he shares how to identify what constrains our belief systems? Really? The power of questions - Really or unless. He also shares insights about how our minds work? He talks about the importance of learning prompt engineering to engage not just chatGPT but ourselves as well. He also shares insight on how to ask good questions as a leader and the 2 steps to make a breakthrough in any field. He also shares insight on how to measure people's performance and its impact on the business. Dr. Goldratt had started a movement called "Viable Vision". He shares more information about this viable vision and how can one go about achieving the same in their business. We then understand his own learning process and the key people he learns from - Herbert Simon and Nassim Nicholas Taleb. What is so obvious to him that all of us miss? We don't usually learn from experience but from Experiments Dr. Alan Barnard In Summary: We need to remember the 4F's - Flow, Focus, Finish and Fast Feedback to become influential and impactful leaders. More information about the resources we mentioned in the conversation: 1. Goldratt Research Labs: 2. Dr. Efrat Goldratt-Ashlag: 3. My interview with Dr. Efrat: Books discussed in the video: Goldratt's Rules of Flow by Dr. Efrat Goldratt-Ashlag: The Goal by Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt: Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb: Blackswan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb: Apps mentioned by Dr. Alan Barnard: Dr. Alan Barnard's podcast - /episode/index/show/pushingbeyondtheobvious/id/29819553

PBTO: The Art of Leading in an Ever Changing World with Damien Cummings 01/22/2024

PBTO: Learning How to Communicate to Inform, Inspire and Connect People with Col Fink 01/21/2024

PBTO: Learning How to Communicate to Inform, Inspire and Connect People with Col Fink In this interesting conversation, Speaker, Author and Advisor (and Public speaking coach) shares his perspective on the importance of clear and effective communication for leaders. He also shares insights on how to get good at communication and specifically when speaking to an audience (internal or external). He shares how leaders can learn to communicate to inform, inspire and connect. He also talks about how good communication can provide leaders the leverage they need in order to scale both - effectiveness and efficiency. If you are a leader and want to work on your communication, this is a conversation worth listening to. Here are some things that we cover in this conversation: Most Common mistakes people make when trying to communicate Questions to ask ourselves before planning our speech (People, Problem, Purpose, Plan, Prescription) The cost of not having prepared our speech How is communicating different when the goal is to Inform, Inspire or Connect people The importance and the skill of telling stories using the concept of Pink Sheets developed by How to get good presenting in front of a camera? How can leaders find leverage to increase their impact and influence How does Col learn and continue to stay current One piece of advice that had a profound impact on him What is so obvious to Col but people miss all the time and that frustrates him You can find more information about Col at https://www.ColFink.com. You can connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/colfink. Books discussed in the video: - Speakership: https://amzn.to/3Q9xo6q - Tribes of learning: https://www.colfink.com/store/p/tribe-of-learning - Kevin Kelly on Pushing Beyond the Obvious: http://rmukeshgupta.com/2017/06/29/pbto56-the-inevitable-technological-forces-that-will-shape-our-future-with-kevin-kelly/ /episode/index/show/pushingbeyondtheobvious/id/29580103

PBTO - The Art of Leadership with Pankaj Rusia 01/15/2024

PBTO: Mindsets to Become a High Performing Leader 11/01/2023

What sort of Leader do you want to be with Lisa O'Neil 10/26/2023

What sort of Leader do you want to be with Lisa O'Neil This the first episode of the current season of my podcast - Pushing Beyond the Obvious and I am super happy and excited to kick off the season with none other than . She is a self described energy and human expert. In this wide ranging conversation about energy and leadership, she shared a lot of great insights on leadership. Here are some of my takeaways from the conversation: She shared insights about the importance of knowing ourselves. If we do not know what kind of a leader we want to be, how would our team know. In order for our teams to perform at their best, they need to know exactly what we expect from them. So the first thing that we need to do as a leader is to become aware of what exactly do we want, who exactly we are and how exactly should our team engage with us. She also shared the importance of letting our team know how we roll as a leader. That way they know how to get the best out of us. High performing teams don't just need team members performing at their peak but their leaders performing at their peak as well. And this aspect of leadership is not discussed or shared enough. She shares a 4 step model to help us get more self aware - Notice, Nourish, Navigate and Nurture. In all, she shares the importance of pondering, pondering about ourselves and what we want. She also challenged the leaders listening with these three quests: Spend a week only asking questions of your team. List down all the people in your team and rate them from whom you really like to the one you least like. Answer the question - why is this so? Write down three personal things you know about everyone on your team. If you can't up with them, take them off for a cup of coffee or tea and talk to them to get to know them. In conclusion, this season could not have started at a better note than this conversation. I have lined up a lot more conversations with both thought leaders and practicing leaders for the show and am excited about how things will go from here. I hope you ride along with me on this journey. PS: If you want to want Lisa as you listen to this conversation, you can do so below: https://youtu.be/Y6adjSNMUeI Resources that were mentioned in the episode: - Thought Leaders Business School - - My post on the 25 Women - - More info about Matt Church - Books mentioned by Lisa: - 100 questions for self awareness by Lisa O'Neill - - Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsh- - You can Heal your life by Louisa Hay - - Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz - - The Net and the Butterfly by Olivia Fox Cabane - You can find more information about Lisa and her work - You can connect with her on LInkedIn - Connect with me: My books: - Your startup Mentor: - Thrive: - Being Happy: /episode/index/show/pushingbeyondtheobvious/id/28427627