Binod Shankar

The biggest tip is to not focus too much on the things obvious technical aspects but on the behavioral side which is far less obvious. Who has the power? Who wants power? Who feels left out? Who do you have to consult before making decisions? Who is resistant to change? Who will adapt to change? What’s the culture & why is it like that? Who should you hire? Who should you fire? Who’s on your side? Who wants to see you fail? For each of the above you must also know the WHY. Your success will be driven by how well you understand & manage this.

For me the biggest plus has been to get feedback from those who know me well and won’t hold back. Whether on my personal brand, online presence, public speaking, leadership skills, diet, fitness, relationships, outlook on life, post graduate education or anything else that’s significant I’ve always sought the advice of smart & bold people. Hence you must develop & maintain such relationships because they’re priceless.

The indecision usually comes from lack of clarity on themselves- values, skills, traits and goals. Lack of clarity leads to confusion & wrong decisions. So start with self awareness. Get honest feedback. Introspect. Review and revise your goals. Be ok with being contrarian. Stop taking on obligations that will cripple your flexibility. Look forward to living your values instead of someone else’s idea of life. And then you’ll find decisions are so fast, easy and best of all you’ll have no regrets.

Get a good presentation coach. They’ll ask you to present to them, quickly identify your strengths and weaknesses, tell you how to tell your story, tell how to craft a powerful presentation, watch and critique your rehearsal & give you the confidence that is probably the most important ingredient. They don’t come cheap but then nothing valuable is!

This is what I’ve learnt: Understand how the new tech can help you & suddenly it becomes invaluable & no longer a chore. You’ll put effort into understanding & practicing it. You’ll want to get better at it. Think of it as a Force Multiplier. This has another positive effect. When your team sees that the boss is walking the talk with benefits to the firm there’s less reason for them to not implement the tech.

I find that the lack of consistency is a hallmark of lack of strategic thinking. People sometimes stop the work on personal branding after getting a promotion or a job & that’s a wasted opportunity. This is a long term play that involves knowing yourself and your audience, crafting a brand and message & communicating that. It requires discipline & avoiding distractions & regularly checking the progress towards the goal.