A J Balasubramanian "AJB"

One cannot choose to be a mentor because they think that mentoring is an opportunity! Great mentors must start helping their prospects without having to declare them as *Mentor* - Instead by one's ability to impact others through their contribution and empathy , the mentees will co-opt them as mentors. But the first skill is to listen and understand what challenges mentees face and offer them pragmatic advice to provoke them to think and come up with their own solutions.

In our normal course of interactions with our colleagues, we keep our communication transactional and very formal. The best way to motivate people and self is to look at things that have gone right. And also be generous sharing the praise to all those who are part of the initiatives. Thus, you create opportunity for reciprocity. All people long for appreciation, irrespective of their position. Celebrating gives all an opportunity to pause and realize their worth.

Not all people are great at Criticism. Most people are blunt and often may not articulate the feedback in a way this is appreciable. These exchanges can become emotional and may lead to break down of communication. However, as a receiver of criticism, it is a good idea to listen to the feedback carefully, without being impacted by the emotion that may block the communication, very often, one can identify opportunities for improvement. The best way to handle criticism is also to seek advice from the critic to explain, how one can handle the situation better. This may mean that one has to be vulnerable. But the moment, this posture is changed, you will often by the critic starts cooperating with you to improve the outcome.

Every new challenge is an opportunity to learn a new skill. The key to growth of people and organization is doing something that has not been already done. No one learns by not practicing. Knowledge is just knowing. But the value of knowledge gets amplified only when one gets an opportunity to apply the knowledge to produce outcomes. Sometimes, the enormity of task may lead to hesitation. That should not deter one from starting it. The journey of 1000 miles start with first step. Start doing what is immediately possible, and as you progress, you will see those things which you thought were impossible, will become possible.

Focus on what has changed most recently. If possible reverse the change and see if the problem still exists. Ask whether the problem is really a problem or an issue due to the structural limitation or lack of expertise.

Thought leadership is offering insights about the future. Thought leadership is also an ability to observe emerging trends which seem complex and cluttered, and give a clear explanation in simple terms so that others can benefit from these views. It is like predicting the future and making sense.