Leadership Skills

Blog Posts by Satish Mehta

Pretty Vs. Performance

Chic stores in an upscale mall attract a lot of visitors. People enjoy the razzle-dazzle of the displays and the activities. Rarely such lavish stores sell as well as ā€œfunctionalā€ outlets. Think Ikea, Costco, Samā€™s Club, Dollar General, etc. Fancy websites rarely convert as quickly as straightforward, intuitive, functional websites. The simplicity of Google wiped […]

Getting out of Jam or Pickle

The predicament is that you see no outcome other than the one you fear or do not want. So, most of the time, when we think we are stuck, we fear the short-term outcome of making a decision. Make a choice, take the step, and own the consequences. You can then start fresh. Of course, […]

Rule Breakers

My children went to the local public school. The school teaches the way it has been doing for, maybe, over fifty years. The tools may have changed. The methods are the same. Most parents are familiar with how the school works; know the teachers and several other parents. They are part of the same clan. […]

Brash and Obtuse

One does not have to be in a cult to act like a cult member. It is not a surprise to come across angry, brash, and obtuse people behaving like cult members. However, when people in professional positions act like cult members, it is frustrating, to say the least. Cult members are rigid, often emotional, […]

Novelty Wear Off – Is bloom off the rose?

When smartphones came out, everyone was installing apps indiscreetly. More, the better. Now, users install an app only if it is something they will use frequently. When the electronic newsletter was a new thing, people subscribed to them by the tens. Now, the newsletters show up unsolicited, and people unsubscribe them by the tens. Until […]

Myopia

Marketing is still about the offer, delivery, price, and promotion. It can have unintended consequences, not always positive. Shrink-wrapped slices of pineapple at the grocery store promote sales. Same with precut watermelon, and chopped onion in a jar. All of them sell better but taste worse. Smartphones with a large number of pre-installed apps mean […]

Listening

My friend, Chris, called to complain about how a homeowner, who has listed her house with him, will not cooperate in staging the home best. He had tried to persuade her with all the logic he could muster. Many negotiators dive into persuasion mode. Skilled negotiators focus on uncovering the real issues. How? With active […]

Simplicity

“Simplicity is the ideal virtue. Oh! how difficult it is to be Simple!” Google placed a simple rectangle for search. Write or ask anything, it will fetch the relevant information. Several other search engines had their websites crammed with everything except search box, placed conspicuously. Google won. Toyota began manufacturing Corolla in the U.S. in […]

Practice Kicks Fear

Anything you are afraid to do, practice doing it. Practice gets rid of fear. With practice, it becomes a habit. If you’re afraid to play the piano, play a little every day. Learn the notes. Begin with simple music. Play when you are alone. Record yourself. Play a bit more. Every day, tick-tock, tick-tock, a […]

Chatter and Intelligence

  Mind chattering is the continuous narrative going on in our heads. Some scholars call it a bug. That may be a hasty assessment. Mind chatter is the raw material for Sci-Fi writers. France wants to hire the creatives to imagine how the future could go wrong so that the nations can stay one step […]