The connection


Jobs, success, ambition, failure are all connected in some form or the other.

If you have noticed, I haven’t posted for a bit. In usual circumstances I leave a note with my return date. 

This happened suddenly, a block where I simply stopped writing. I would wake up everyday and think today will be the day and as the day went by I realised I didn’t want to write. Then a sudden emergency that took me away from I loved doing the most.

Of course, I have also been dabbling with a few ideas and it all seemed fun. It was rightful to get back to the blog, specially this month where I complete 4 years of blogging. Yay!

While reading for the last few weeks; I came across this that that most people as much as people hate failure, are also scared of success.

Who knew?

Well turns out there a lot of reasons why people fear success. It can come from their past experience
or the change that will come with it.

Sure there are ways to overcome when you are overworked or ways to overcome the fear .

I think the main question here is to understand how you react to what:
  • What success means for you?
  • What do you relate with success?
  • Do those relations make you happy or fearful?
  •  If fearful, what are you thinking of?
  •  Is there a way you can get out of the mindset?
  • What do you really want from life?

It isn’t very difficult to understand what you are going through. Take some bold decisions based on what you think you should be doing and get along with it.

If you sort it out now, things will be much easier to sort out later in your career. By the way, did you know that Tuesday is the most productive day at work?

So, step up your game today and lotsa luck!

y the way, there's lots of interesting stuff coming up- the new e-book (Handbook for Stepping into Project Management) and what I am doing with my life now, my new public speaking life, a new study (pics coming soon), the "coffee break series" ready to make a comeback and what I have been thinking.

Stay tuned.

(Pic Courtesy: Google Images)

The Spark of Success- Do you feel it everyday?

Jul 2, 2012 | 0 comments |

Success is a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.” ~Robert Strauss via @MariSmith

Tiredness, burned out, not inspired, bored, routine job- this is something we all face in our job and careers.

I just read this article last week by Anne-Marie Slaughter and wow did it hit me strong. It’s going strong and there have been rebuttals from the NY Times as well.

So, make hay while the sun shines.

 How can you bring in your cent percent everyday to work?
What happens when you wake up one morning and can’t find the zing in you anymore? What happens when you realise you are not inspired today? So, who is responsible in bringing in the spark in our lives? The Employers, the Managers, the HR or is it Us?

To control your cow, give it a bigger pasture- This is a great quote from Zen Master Suzuki Roshi, talking about controlling your mind. I see the cow and her pasture as a form of allowing things to happen — instead of tightly controlling something; you’re opening up, giving it more room, a bigger pasture. The cow will be happier, will roam around, will do as she pleases, and yet your needs will also be met. The same is true of anything else — stepping back and allowing things to happen means things will take care of themselves, and your needs will also be met. And you’ve done no work (Taken from: Zenhabits)

Let it happen- It’s better to let yourself be; to do what you want to do than force to be something else.
Seriously, what’s the point of killing yourself?  Sometimes things just don’t materialize no matter what you do because you are not present in the “now”. You are just doing it out of habit.

A class I took long ago while in university- asked us what we would do if we had all the money we needed t take care of everyday stuff. That’s the real you. Ask yourself who are you? If you enjoyed doing things 5 years ago, not necessarily you will enjoy forcing yourself to gulp down the same stuff today.

It’s scary and difficult to give up what you are used to liking (like the salary or your peers or Friday nights after work drink). The freedom to choose many might argue is for the rich, the taken care of.....we have more excuses in us than we can think of. And we can pick up the purse and go shopping to spend half the salary of the next luxury couch or more clothes and gadgets.

If we have planned it well, we can take the few months and try out new things we have always wanted-to write the novel, travel the world, learn horse riding, start painting, work for a project manager and invest in yourself for once.

Forgive yourself- if you have always been on the go- it’s ok to make a wrong move, do what you like and stop working for 12 hours/day. It’s ok to socialize and be with your friends and not work in your next book for the next 2 hours.
It’s like fitness, if you have had that sinful piece of cake, just stop whining about it and get back to your routine form the next day.

Find the right partner- who will support you in your decisions; even Sheryl Sandbergmentions in one of her interviews  as the most important career choice is whom you will marry.

Learning to enjoy work- Some people are bored more than the others. So, here are 30 things to do to stop being bored.

Plus remember that “if you have two good friends at work, itwill never feel like you have a bad job” .

Remember, not all days will be the same and it’s human to go through ups and downs. Just keep in touch with your friends and mentors while you are holding on tight during the rollercoaster ride!

(Pic Courtesy: Google Images)

Coming up- Ebook

Jun 19, 2012 | | 0 comments |

Coming up very soon is the Stepping into Project Management (Welcome to the #PMOT World). 

It is on its way and will be available by the end of next month (July). The book is a step by step guide that’s answers all your questions and dilemmas about the project management domain and skill set and path you have to walk to do to get into it. Full of tips and interviews with people who have made it, their obstacles, the steering through office politics and getting the job title they have worked so hard for is a story that will be inspiring enough to venture on your own journey.  This will be published through the blog.

So, stay tuned.

Meanwhile create some space to have lots of templates tagged along with the book to help your journey get better. 


Want to learn more from real life Project Managers, check out the SIPM Community.

(Pic Courtesy: Google Images)

Step it up and out

Jun 1, 2012 | , | 0 comments |

“I am not rich. I live in a 955 square foot loft in a very small town. My television (which is plugged into a Wii and a Blu Ray player) is about 26″ across, I think. I own one car. Most of my clothes come from the Men’s Wearhouse and Target. I eat well. I won’t deny that (as if my belly would suggest otherwise).


I didn’t get rich quick. Maybe some day after a few more years of working, I can get rich quick. That’d be cool. Like, you know, after 20 years of doing what I do, seeing a check with six zeroes once would be really cool. But that’s not what I do.”
                                                         - Chris Brogan 

Very few of us dare to live the dream, we didn’t set up a goal to travel 193 countries before turning 35 . Our goals are very basic- get a job, buy a car, a home, may be travel and be happy.

In trying to tick off the happiness list, we always look for the path taught to us for years- get your degree, an internship, followed by a job. Work hard, look up and keep moving. Buy bunch of things and don’t think outside the box.

It’s fine, till you get the itch.

That’s when things start changing and more often than not we suppress it. Taking the decision to be unconventional might be terrifying but refreshing for the people who see it from outside, like reading how Scott H Young is completing his MIT challenge . Or people like Jenny Blake, who have quit their job at Google to follow their own passion.

“The thought of going out on my own struck TERROR in my heart — and yet, once I made the decision I knew with 100% certainty that it’s the right thing to do. I’m still scared, but mostly hopeful and excited.”
                                                                                         - Jenny Blake

Sure, you can follow your calling and fail or you can try to dominate the world with your brilliant ideas  but there’s always this fear of the unknown. What if it doesn't take off, what is something goes wrong, what if I am not good enough. Rarely are we risk takers (take your risk assessment here).

So, they say : “Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.” - Peter Drucker

So, what are you doing with your life? Are you happy, do you feel fulfilled in your job, your everyday life or do you get the itch- to get out there and do something more.

You can scratch the itch along with your regular life, if you like to play it safe or you can just go out there and do what you have been planning to do all your life.

In most cases than not, things do figure out for themselves. Step out today.

(Pic Courtesy: Google Images)



Have a few seconds to spare- would you mind taking the poll to your right hand side? Thank you.
Want to learn more from real life Project Managers, check out SIPM Community - Connect.  

The distance- how close are you?


I came across this new term while doing the research on offshore project management= Perceived Distance.

A study by B. Aubert from his paper Information Technology and Distance-Induced Effort to Manage Offshore Activities talks about how “Perceived Distance” is considered the most imp influence when analyzing the effect of “distances” in the much hyped domain of IT Outsourcing.

It is obviously the space that parties in business feel amongst themselves. It might or might not be related to the real geographical distance between them. It has also been proved that sometimes inspite of the distance (location); some parties have had relative notion of “perceived distance” mush lesser than what reality was.

And it’s true. I had clients (in New York) whom I worked for from India and with the passing months the “perceived distance” decreased as the understanding and communication became much clearer. However the path to the decreased distance had some work put behind it.

Here’s how you can do as well:

  • There’s a person behind the job title- with today’s technology it’s much easy to know about the other person. Social networking sites especially Linkedin will always give you a little background. 
  • Understanding the business- know your role in the business side of things. How what you are doing will affect the bottom-line is an important consideration. This increases the chance to a better conversation and the fact that both parties (onsite and offsite) are emotionally involved in the delivery. 
  • Are they right or left brained- Graphics or numbers? See what they like and present your reports accordingly.
  • Why do they want from you?- Is there a gap and where is it? If you are aware of an issue and yet haven’t been able to pin point it- ask.
  • Are they micro managers- Do they like to know your every move? If they do, send reports as often as you can or simply call them up and give updated. This is more of a trust issues and will gradually lessen as they understand you more. They are simply trying to keep a tab on the cost.
  • What can you do to earn the trust-This is the most important of all. Learning what you can do to earn their trust can allow you to sleep better at night. Listen between the lines in meetings or read their emails carefully, you will find what you need. Provide the required, listen well, ask questions, don’t assume and you will be allright.


By the way, I did meet my client finally in New York in a coffee shop 1.5 years later and we are still in touch, though I have changed jobs and she is not my client any longer.

So, here are some updates in the PM world: