Act Your Dream

"If our organizations are really artificial persons, these people are incredibly fat." Today's organizations are obese. I always thought there’s a lot going on in their guts but after a closer look, it turns out there’s too little going on to help shed those extra pounds. Why do we need food anyway? It gives us maintenance energy, right? And energy helps us do stuff. What good is the food then if it saps our energy in the long run rather than adding to it? Remember, the food is composed of nutrients that if not utilized quickly convert into fats and make us slow and dull; unable to respond to changes in our environment. In the context of today's organizations, such nutrients abound. It is crucial to keep an eye on the organizations ability to convert nutrients (technology, policies, procedures and best practices) into energy (revenue, cash flow, ROI). Seemingly trivial measures like inventory turnover and accounts receivable ratios tell us how good the organ...

It was a pleasure to speak at the 12th Annual Internationally Educated Professionals (IEP) Conference on Feb 27 this year at the magnificent Metro Toronto Convention Centre. This was the second IEP conference I attended in a row and I was overwhelmed see the level of interest among delegates to connect with the speakers and to network with other delegates as a pivotal strategy to achieve career success. What was more heartening to see was the quality of questions the attendees raised during the panel discussion. It pointed to their good grasp of the challenges faced by newcomers and their resolve to overcome them through the many strengths they bring with them to Canada. Like the previous year, importance of investing time and effort in personal development and networking with other professionals in the field featured as two main themes of the discussion. I underscored my position on the importance of positive attitude and perseverance both duri...

Dear Boss, I write this letter today to tell you that I lied to you. Yes, you heard me right. Not once, not twice, but every day since the last 11 years that I've been working here, I lied to you. In every nuance of my voice and in every gesture of my body, I lied. Still, I did not consider myself guilty of deceit. That is so because I lied to myself too. And my lies were so convincing that I actually thought I was telling everyone only the truth. I have been lying since my first day at work many years ago, not only to you but to all the bosses I have had in the past 19 years. It flowed in my veins and nourished my ravenous ambition to have a successful career; I never suspected myself of lying for even a second. But what happened last night has flustered my conscience to a degree irreparable by any amount of commiseration or any false promise of success. As I turned back to leave my 10 year old son's room after putting him to bed, I heard his meek whisper, ...