Friday Thoughts Sep 4 2026

As I wrap up the week, these two quotes that I read today made me pause and think.

Are we leading a meaningful life? How many lives are we touching? My answer is YES. I am having a meaningful life.

When you walk into a Govt. office to meet a senior technical judge, who hugs you, welcomes you wholeheartedly, and helps you, is meaningful. Happened a couple of days back.

Many call me to share their pain and joy, that is meaningful to me.

After I leave the organizations, decades and years after, people call me to share the time I was there. That is meaningful to me.

The second one is even more powerful — are we learning from others — sometimes called experiential learning; from our life and observing others.

Many leaders, including top leaders, always speak to prove their point. We, as employees, listen as they talk but learn how not to be like them. But some emulate them, use their language, and put themselves down in the eyes of others in the team.

When you treat every interaction as something meaningful and learn from that, it will help you grow.

If you think you are the apple of your management’s eye and follow their footprint, when you change the work place, you will not succeed.

Life is so full of learning by watching surroundings rather than walking like a horse that has blinders to only look at the road.

You decide.

Dont Stop Learning

 What Is the Need of the Hour? — My Thoughts

Monday morning, coffee in hand, I was browsing LinkedIn. I read some great stories, opinions, thoughts, suggestions, and views.

But I felt something was missing—something many of us are not paying enough attention to.

People are stopping learning too early.

I thought about this for almost an hour and asked myself, “Is my observation correct?” I concluded that perhaps it is, and I am sharing it here with the hope that at least a few people will pause and think.

1. Learn technology, not just how to use it

From GitHub to AI-powered coding, technology has made programming easier. With the right prompts, AI can write code and even correct it.

But are we losing the art of coding?

Are we still thinking through algorithms, designing logical flows, understanding the code, and solving problems ourselves?

I worked with an excellent Java coder in the US who was a guitarist turned coder. His passion for coding was remarkable.

That passion for learning is what we should not lose.

2. Learn the complete end-to-end picture

I have heard this many times in meetings: “I have done my part. I don’t know what happens upstream or downstream.”

Who sends the data to you? Why? What happens to your output? Who consumes it?

Unless we interact with people and understand the end-to-end flow, I don’t believe we can build sustainable systems.

This is systems engineering thinking—something I feel we are slowly stopping learning.

I once worked with an ex-Army veteran who built excellent SOPs and an accountant who audited them. At the time, we all felt the pain of those processes.

But that discipline helped us eventually become part of BigBlue through an acquisition.

Thanks to our VP, who came from AT&T, we learned how data flowed across the organization and how to troubleshoot problems for our customers.

Don’t just learn your part. Learn the system.

3.Be humble. Let go of your ego

I have seen talented people fail because their ego became bigger than their willingness to learn.

When someone points out a blind spot or an area for improvement, the first thought can be:

“Who is he to tell me?”

That is where learning stops.

I once heard a powerful story about Indra Nooyi being reminded to leave her CEO role behind when she came home. The exact words may vary, but the lesson is simple:

Leave your ego behind before you enter the workplace—and certainly before you enter your home.

One of our CEOs once said that managers may not always be role models, but you can learn from them what not to do.

That stayed with me.

When someone points out your blind spots, don’t see it as criticism. They may be doing you a huge favour by giving you an opportunity to grow.

So, my simple thought for this Monday morning:

DON’T STOP LEARNING.

THE ONLY WAY TO GROW IS TO LEARN.

Situational Awareness ; Art or Trait?

 This message I received today immediately resonated with me because I lived through something remarkably similar in December 2019!!!

I cannot share the full story because it involves details that are not meant for public consumption. However, I can share the lesson that has stayed with me ever since.

It is called Situational Awareness (SA).

In my view, Situational Awareness is one of the most underrated leadership skills. As we grow in our careers, we are often evaluated not by how we perform when everything is going well, but by how we respond when everything seems to be going wrong.

On that day, around 3:30 p.m., I found myself in an extremely difficult situation, and a colleague’s career was hanging in the balance.

There was no time to panic. No opportunity to overthink.

I had to think on my feet, stay calm, control my emotions, assess the situation objectively, and act decisively. More importantly, I had to ensure that my colleague remained confident, believing everything was under control.

What happened next still amazes me.

I completed an all-hands meeting, coached my colleague, sat next to the very same person at dinner, and carried on a casual conversation as though nothing had happened.

Later, while on his way to the airport, that same person sent me a heartfelt SMS saying he wanted to stay connected and be my friend.

That was the moment I realized the true power of Situational Awareness.

It is not manipulation.

It is not pretending.

It is the ability to read the room, understand people, manage emotions, make sound decisions under pressure, and protect both relationships and outcomes.

The final outcome?

The good people kept their jobs, and those who created the problem eventually left the organization.

Looking back, I realize that leadership is not always about taking charge. Sometimes, it is about remaining calm when everyone else is anxious, making the right decisions under pressure, and quietly changing the outcome without seeking recognition.

That is why today’s message touched me so deeply. It felt less like reading words and more like hearing a whisper from the past: “You have been there.”

Have you ever experienced a moment where Situational Awareness changed the outcome? I’d love to hear your story.

#Leadership #SituationalAwareness #LeadershipLessons #DecisionMaking #EmotionalIntelligence #CrisisManagement #CareerGrowth #PeopleLeadership #ProfessionalDevelopment #LeadershipMatters