Productivity hacks and mental health

In the age of technology, we are already good at managing tasks and responsibilities in our work life. However, how many of us know that we can use Productivity Hacks to manage our mental health? Productivity is not just about managing tasks and responsibilities. Productivity is also about managing your emotions, relationships, and thoughts to be more productive in your daily lives. Productivity Hacks are useful productivity tools that help us better manage certain aspects of our lives, such as time management, knowledge management (brain health), mindfulness meditation, stress management, etc. Productivity Hacks are also good productivity tools for us to manage our mental health. Productivity hacks can help people who suffer from anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses gain control by managing the condition using Productivity Hacks. Productivity Hacks can be useful tools, especially in dealing with your emotions at work that becomes triggers for anxiety or depression.

Developing the second brain for enhancing our Productivity

The concept of the second brain is the idea that we have a secondary system that stores our memories, thoughts, ideas, and emotions. It helps us increase efficiency when we have to work quickly on transporting information or data during high-scheduled periods. The brain operates differently from day to day.

Some people can handle high amounts of work and still stay sane, while others need to relax more often. Productivity hacks are practices that an individual can do on their own to boost personal productivity. Productivity hacks include having a time management routine, creating digital brains for storing memories and ideas, getting enough sleep, saying no to tasks you don't want to do, and using positive self-talk to deal with procrastination. In addition, productivity hacks can help you stay on top of your tasks when you're having a hard time managing your mental health.

It's important to have a routine because it allows the brain to process one task at a time instead of many things happening randomly, which can lead to confusion and stress.

Productivity hack tip: Create schedules for your day to have a specific time for taking breaks.

Productivity hack tip: Use your digital brain to store and organize data in folders such as ideas, research notes, book summaries, meeting notes, and conversations with people so that you can access them later and find related information easily

It's important to have enough sleep because it helps the memory function take place.

Productivity hack tip: Create a nighttime routine for yourself so that you sleep well. Productivity hack tip: Take breaks from your work every 2 hours and stretch before doing something else

Productivity hack tip: Use your digital brain to create a list of tasks for the next day using notes, reminders, calendars, schedules, etc. You can either set them as alarms or look back at the list each morning.

Productivity hack tip: Use your digital brain to create a library of the documents you need for your work. The documents can be shared with other people to look back and find recent updates easier.

Productivity hack tip: Use your digital brain to clean out old files that are not useful anymore but still take up space on your computer

Productivity hack tip: Use your digital brain to create reminders and alarms for the tasks you need to do the next day. You can use notes, calendar entries, or reminder apps.

Productivity hack tip: Be sure to set them as reminders so that they pop up whether you are at home or not

Productivity hack tip: Set a "time" limit for the number of messages you can write on social media

Productivity hack tip: Use your digital brain so that you can access the files even if your internet is down

Productivity hack tip: Keep the number of social media accounts you have to a minimum

Productivity hack tip: Keep some time for yourself, and take breaks from your work now and then

Productivity hack tip: Use positive self-talk to avoid procrastination

Productivity hack tip: Do not be too hard on yourself

Productivity hack tip: Visualize yourself completing your tasks

Productivity hack tip: Give yourself rewards for completing your tasks

Conclusion

The productivity hacks focus on the main areas of Productivity: Time Management, Productive Habits, and Digital Productivity. Productivity is the ability that helps us get more done within a certain period of time. Productivity is important in everything we do, no matter what field of work, from being a student to a business owner. Productivity is essentially about efficiency and can be increased by coming up with better strategies that help us get more done within shorter periods of time. Productivity Hacks, however, are very general tips that can be applied to literally every area of your life.

If you would like to get in touch with me and find more about the productivity hacks, please fill-up the form - https://bit.ly/3DuK1C7

The need for Augmented Intelligence in a modern organization

The rise of robots and AI taking over humans is a hot and contested topic in the digital world. However science is still at its infancy stage and it is hard to predict the effect of AI on our day-to-day life. A lot more research needs to be done in this field before we can see Artificial intelligence as a threat or opportunity for humanity. The real benefit AI has been enabling humanity with added capabilities which weren't possible in earlier decades. One of the key areas in AI is the Augmented intelligence that has the potential to change how we live, learn and work. Augmented Intelligence will enhance our day-to-day lives by making us more productive, giving us a competitive edge in life and offering an opportunity for growth of humanity's capabilities.

With research still ongoing about what AI means for humans it is hard to predict where this technology will lead or when we'll start seeing its effects on society as a whole. Augmentation which was not possible previously lets people achieve new goals that were not available before with human abilities alone. Augmenting the minds may be one way forward into future generations if artificial intelligence can offer benefits rather than threats to the humankind then augmentation seems like inevitable step.

Imagine a future where Augmented Intelligence is commonplace. Augmented intelligence will be an integral part of our daily lives, from the moment we wake up to the time that we finally get off work for the day. What does this mean for businesses? It means that they too will need to understand Augmented Intelligence and how it can help them in their own operations. 

Augmented intelligence will give them the ability to make quick decisions as information is rapidly changing and emerging. In addition, augmented Intelligence means businesses can scale their AI efforts, with less work for humans involved in data analysis.

Augmented Intelligence will play an increasingly integral role as we continue our journey into what some are calling The Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry I through III were revolutions of mechanization and automation). Augmented Intelligence will help companies solve the problem of a shortage of data scientists, as those employees are hard to find with today's rapid progression. 

How Augmented intelligence can help your business: 

- Augmented Intelligence increases efficiency in decision making

- Augmented Intelligence means businesses can use their workforce more efficiently by relying on Augmented Intelligence to handle data analytics

- Augmented intelligence can enable organizations to provide insights in real-time that would otherwise take humans hours or days to find. 

Organizations embarking on Augmented Intelligence journey need to appreciate the three dimensions: Augmented Insight, Augmented Connection and Augmented Imagination.

Augmented connection: Augmented Intelligence can help people connect in new ways and share more complex data to find insights that would otherwise be missed. Augmented Connection means businesses can take advantage of Augmented Intelligence to scale human tasks, freeing up time for more complex ones like strategic thinking and creativity.

Augmented Insight: Augmented intelligence is helping companies to make quick decisions as information changes rapidly during the day without slowing down or being affected by bias. Augmentation insight means Augmented Intelligence is giving businesses the ability to leverage data in a faster, more efficient way. Augmented intelligence allows insights into an organization's processes and how it can better serve customers.

Augmented Imagination: Augmented intelligence will help organizations imagine innovative ideas that they might not otherwise have come up with without Augmenting their imagination. Augmented Imagination means Augmented Intelligence will help organizations to be able to create new products and services that would otherwise not have been possible for humans for hours or days to find. 

The Future of Augmenting Human Understanding: Augmentation in the Workplace 

The reality is that humans will need to augment themselves with AI for the sake of their future. Augmentation in the workplace is a new trend that will change how people work, with Augmented Reality (AR) changing lives for better or worse. Augmented Reality will disrupt how work is done, with Augmenting imagination and creativity that would otherwise not have existed. Augmentation in the workplace means Augmented Intelligence has a place for humans to be able to thrive in an AI-dominated world.

The Augmented Intelligence revolution is already here, and it's only going to get more prevalent as time goes on. Augment your business now, or be left in the dust of those who do!

Takeaway: Augmented Intelligence is the future of data analytics for any organization looking to stay competitive in their industry. Organizations need to understand what it means for them as a business model because they too will Augment with Augmented Intelligence.

The critical task in an AI-led organisation

Artificial intelligence has been used in the last decade in the pursuit of human-like machine learning, but AI is just now seeing a surge as companies worldwide recognize its potential. Artificial Intelligence (AI) provides natural intelligence and smartness to machines that can think, act and decide as humans do; this artificial intelligence is referred to by some businesses as "smart technologies". With successful demonstrations of this technology's capabilities over the years leading up to recent demands from many industries, it seems clear that there will be increased use of what we call “AI-led organizations”.

The perfect harmony

AI is all about data these days. Well, you would be wrong. AI is only as good as the data it uses to make decisions-- and if that data is bad or incomplete, AI can't do its job very well at all. Data management matters for AI just as much as it does for any other business function. That's because there are many facets of data management, from finding the right information to managing that information in a way that improves efficiency and quality through governance practices such as ensuring high-quality metadata (data about your data), designing workflows around best practices. Hence, people know what they're looking at when they review it, making sure there's an audit trail if someone needs to go back and find trails and focus on explainability. AI is a great way to make decisions and take action on data, but AI can't do that without high-quality data management.

Data matters because AI needs it for decision-making. Data also plays an important role in the workflow of AI systems--from finding good information through designing workflows around best practices so people know what they're looking for.

The issue at hand:

AI can't do this without high-quality data. AI needs robust, clean and structured data to make decisions, create new content or products, identify problems in systems and operations before they happen--and take action on that information quickly enough to avoid disruptions.

AI will be able to learn from mistakes when we get better at managing the quality of data. However, data management practices are the backstage work in the context of AI. For example, in a play, front artists drive an audience to cheer and come back for more--and pay for tickets to be entertained by them again. Similarly, AI needs quality data governance to make good decisions and avoid ethics and privacy concerns.

Recommended best practices:

Data governance is fundamental to AI-led organization’s data management and efficiency using the data. Master Data Management (MDM) with a controlled mechanism is essential for efficient data management. It requires technologies, processes, and people to manage and protect the confidential data from, guaranteeing the understandable, complete, secure, correct, discoverable business data. Data governance includes data architecture, data modeling & design, data security, data storage & operations, data integration & interoperability, documents & content, reference & master data, meta-data, data warehousing & business intelligence, and data quality.

The primary goals of data governance are

●     implementing compliance,

●     establishing data usage rules,

●     minimizing risks, reducing costs,

●     improving communication,

●     increasing data value, and

●     risk management and optimization

Some AI-driven organizations have demonstrated that quality data governance practices can lead to AI success. For instance, one of the large technology organizations has shown that it is possible to generate up to $100M in savings from AI adoption alone with the right approach and investment. This includes a focus on adopting AI for predictive maintenance and automation, as well as focusing attention on data governance practices.

Though data governance has advantages, it affects the organization at strategic, operational, and tactical levels. The first dirty and challenging task for AI-led organizations is to convince stakeholders of a data governance budget. An open corporate culture requires changes in the existing organization’s structure that may add to political issues. Lastly, the demands for flexible operations and networks within the organization are necessary for the rapidly changing business requirements that need to implement data governance standards as per the company’s business requirements. 

Artificial intelligence has the potential to make or break a company. AI can enable an organization’s competitive advantage and help it maintain that edge by identifying problems before they happen--but this only works if there are excellent data management practices. Organizations need high-quality data governance practices to evolve and scale the organization and create competitive advantages.

Summary: Managing the dirty task in an AI-led Organisation:

All employees within the organization need to accept and understand the technical and business aspects of data governance and it is essential for AI-led organizations, The dirty or low ROI (in short term) tasks of data management, administration, analysis, and data strategy to ensure improved business opportunities and performance. It also needs an additional workforce with expertise in data governance, such as Master data practitioners, data stewards, governance, ethics, and data quality professionals.

The Leader at the end of the tunnel looks different

There was a telling WhatsApp forward going around during the early days of the coronavirus crisis – What entity has brought the most significant digital transformation to your organization? The answer was not the CIO or the CEO, but the Coronavirus Pandemic. Along with the near-global lockdown and economic disruption, the pandemic brought, at best, inconstancy and uncertainty and, at worst, severe anxiety and depression to a vast majority of people. In this scenario, leaders within organizations found themselves changing track overnight—from a predominant focus on achieving business goals to supporting the people behind them—yes, as enablers of business goals and as extensions of leaders themselves, threads of shared humanity. And the shift in focus towards people and their changing work and consumption habits necessitated a change in technology models to support new ways of thinking, working, living, and engaging.

As I see it, there are four principal leadership needs emerging as we move into the future, regardless of whether we call it the "next to normal" or the "never normal"

1. Servant Leadership

In Hermann Hesse's book, Journey to the East, he tells the story of Leo, a servant among many others in a traveling group. When problems start cropping up in Leo's absence, the other servants realized how Leo had kept the group together and that he was, in fact, more of their leader than a servant. Leo's story inspired Robert K. Greenleaf to later define 'Servant Leadership' as a management style where the leader's chief focus is to 'enable other people to develop and perform to the best of their abilities. 

Over the past few months, the term servant leadership has held growing personal relevance for me. As my team members moved to remote working in unusual circumstances, I often found myself on team calls and one-on-one calls to discuss our personal lives more than work. Everyone knew their job and was doing it – where they needed help was managing stress and uncertainty and the nitty-gritty of work-personal life balance. As leaders in our organization, it became our predominant role to support our teams in every possible way only – emotionally and in terms of resources, with clarity and transparency in communication. More than anything else, it was the acknowledgment of our shared vulnerability during the pandemic that significantly brought everyone together, with a greater resolve to unite and tide through the times – together.

2. A larger perspective on Diversity and Inclusion

In recent years, most organizations have become increasingly aware of different kinds of biases we all have and have been actively trying to find systemic and personal ways to eliminate discrimination, especially in terms of class, gender, and race at work and life outside work. Yet, organizational culture is siloed in more ways than we routinely think. Leaders, rather than entire teams, think about strategy and direction. We discuss work issues with our colleagues more than with our family or friends. We expect great ideas to come from a particular set of individuals. The pandemic blurred our usual lines of interaction, families started occasionally joining in on work calls, and teammates joined in on virtual needs more often than they may have in person. We often found some of the most valuable ideas and solutions come from unexpected quarters – from children who are digital natives or relatively junior folks in the organization with fresh perspectives.

““An inclusive leader welcomes everyone as an equal collaborator. They create an environment where everyone can be themselves, play to their strengths, ask for help, and work together to get better solutions,””

— says Ben Renshaw, leadership coach, and author

The most successful leaders of the future will be those who value all voices equally, and in turn, get an equal representation of ideas from the rich spectrum of human experience.

3. Agility and not being a "know all' 

Last year has proven that even great leaders or managers may not have the "farsight" to foresee what's coming, what would change, or what actions are needed. Individuals and companies who have survived or thrived have either adapted or learned to become agile. Agile leadership primarily focuses on building collaborative learning environments, quickly acting on feedback from the larger ecosystem (Partners, Customers, Stakeholders, Shareholders, and Government) to drive the business forward. Agility is not about living in the moment and taking it as it comes; the focus should be on taking incremental steps toward the larger goal and purpose. 

Organizations and teams look at leaders to answer or solve every question or need statement. In technology, where knowledge is created and curated faster than the speed of light, leaders need to embrace humility and ask for help or guidance for all types of situations. Even if they know or have experienced scenarios, there is no harm in reaching out to their teams or trusted advisors to seek a better way or get guidance on her/his thought process.

4. Fluid teams augmented with real-time insights

The business of the future will be a fast-moving and shape-shifting creature. As the gig economy grows and remote working catches on, your workforce will likely need to be an agile, adaptive entity – shrinking and expanding to suits the demands of a project or situation. What you will need in that scenario are excellent insights systems that augment new teams with real-time, contextual insights to help them rapidly get up to speed and deliver optimally from the get-go.

Instead of hiring a workforce for life, bearing enormous costs of attrition, and losing business through gaps in knowledge transfer, organizations must think of systems – not as clunky repositories – but as agile support tools that can instantly and powerfully empower teams with the knowledge and machine intelligence they need to perform their best. As AI technologies mature and meld with cognitive intelligence, the scope to drive a genuinely insights-powered, lean, and intelligent organization is as broad as it is compelling. Timely information with the right insight has always been a game-changer, but it's your essential survival kit in a changing world.  

“The Leader at the end of the tunnel looks different ”

— Anees Merchant

The last call to adopt AI

“To use AI tomorrow, you need to embark or extrapolate on your AI journey today—a journey that begins with a fundamental decision to remodel and repurpose your business with AI at the core.”

— Anees Merchant

The coming decade will have no patience for businesses with old ways of working. Companies that continue to deliberate on adopting AI technologies will find themselves brutally snared between digital-born companies with inherent AI drivers and early adopters with highly operational AI, steadily losing customers over a widening gap in quality and intuitiveness of offerings. The time for organizations to be on the fence with AI is over.

The Covid pandemic has come when AI technologies have started maturing, with even scaled use-cases in several companies. Many businesses that had barely dabbled with AI as experiments before 2020 are now turning to rapid digital and AI-led transformations to tide over new economic challenges. As these small and local to large and multinational businesses accelerate their digital journeys, their capabilities have started to surpass their peers. Meanwhile, consumers with fast-growing digital savvy are increasingly choosing to interact with companies that provide more value, faster delivery, and a more intuitive purchase journey – all of which are enhanced by AI in a digital world. The AI Divide – that differentiates businesses that use AI intelligently versus those that don’t – is growing wider each day and will increasingly determine business success in every market and industry.

To survive and thrive in the next decade, businesses are going to adopt AI. And to use AI tomorrow, you need to embark or extrapolate on your AI journey today—a journey that begins with a fundamental decision to remodel and repurpose your business with AI at the core.

Let’s take a look at what’s holding many traditional businesses back and how the hurdles can be overcome.

The Building (or Stumbling) Blocks of AI Adoption 

1. Culture – There was a time when people said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast, ” which implied that no amount of strategy change would work until you first changed your organization’s culture. But today, if you wait for the culture to change, there may be no breakfast left to eat! People often question their organization’s culture or their executives for failure to change. Remember, if your organization lasted and thrived the pandemic, there must be some goodness in it that has brought you this far. Why not focus on the good and use that as a starting point – How can you use AI to make your organizational strengths even more substantial? This way, you are augmenting what’s already there, and it’s easier because radically changing culture, attitudes, and perceptions is the most challenging thing to do in the world – and you can’t afford to let that process hold you back.

2. People – The people who enable your AI processes are the fundamental blocks of your AI journey. Currently, there is a talent war growing, and there are severe talent shortages. Companies need to adopt a multi-level strategy to build teams. Organizations need to take a multi-pronged approach, assign a champion to lead the organization’s AI strategy, hire individuals (only if there are no available resources in-house), and infuse the team with business team members, ensuring the culture and actual business alignments. However, it is not always essential or feasible to hire AI specialists for everything. Businesses must realize you cannot do everything in-house, and you should not reinvent the wheel. It would be best to have an ecosystem with partner organizations to support your business’s exact needs and nature. These partner organizations could either be strategic business partners, technology platform providers, academia, or industry cohorts. The important thing is to not allow a shortage of internal resources to become a stumbling block and to move ahead by building your ecosystem.

3. Technology – As a company, once you have made a fundamental decision to start actively adopting AI in your business process or model, the actual move to AI need not involve a complete one-time overhaul of systems or migration to one large platform that requires massive investment. Companies must take a “Lego approach,” that is, they must build their AI capabilities as a Lego structure within the organization. That way, you can quickly replace the systems or completely change your “Lego” structure pretty promptly and efficiently, and you don’t have to incur massive spending and drive wide-scale adoption all at one go. You could also leverage open source technologies like Python, R, Java, etc., making it easier to experiment and switch – unlike when you invest in a paid technology, you get tied to that company and are limited by what that company or technology can do. The key to technology adoption is to adopt a phased approach to derive the maximum business benefits that current technology can offer while keeping the door open to adopting new and evolving technologies in the future.

   The other important thing is to avoid benchmarking with substantial companies like Google or Amazon because their entire scale and journey are different. You have to identify what’s right for your organization, what AI means for you and keep evolving that statement as your organization matures.

4. Data – When considering the prospect of using advanced analytics or AI, people often say, “we don’t have the data” or “we have bad data” to begin with. Yet, it’s rare that companies have no usable data. There is always enough data, to begin with. The real problem is when people have not identified the best use cases for AI or the most critical business challenges, to which existing data can then be mapped. It’s always the data inventory and data cataloging exercise that is vital for an organization to push forward. And you can always reach out to external consultants to do that for you.

Setting the Parameters of Success

1. Accountability – Eventually, all AI strategy starts at the top. And this means that the CEO, CAOs, CDOs, and CIOs must be held accountable for AI investments. As this is your senior leadership, there’s no one else within the organization who can assess the investments’ value and success. Also, a CEO may only think they are answerable to shareholders who may not think long-term, while the AI journey requires a short-, mid-and long-term approach. One solution would be to have an additional board member or an advisor who focuses on this aspect. The other solution would be to have a ‘business performance scorecard’ that is entirely transparent within the organization, so the success parameters are well established and work as a clear guide and yardstick for the company’s AI initiatives. Most importantly, these parameters should provide room for failure because the trial is the only way to find what works best for your organization. And that brings us to ROI.

2. Return on Investment (ROI) – In my opinion, when you define your company’s budget for AI, at least half the budget should be allocated for ‘learning’ in the first couple of years. So, for instance, if you assign $100 for AI initiatives, you must expect ROI on only $50 and consider the other $50 as a “learning budget” that, in turn, helps you recover your additional $50. That sort of equal focus on immediate returns and continuous learning helps build a genuinely workable, valuable AI journey.  

Conclusion

Today there are many well-recognized, proven use-cases in every part of the organization, from sales and marketing to supply chain, finance, HR, customer service, and others. And these are not small use-cases; many organizations have been able to scale them pretty effectively. All you need to do is begin somewhere.   

2020 has proven that businesses cannot afford to be in the deliberation stage over digital transformation anymore. The time to wait and watch on AI is over. Start or perish…

Power Series: Experimentation as a differentiator

The world, organizations, societies, and we as human beings are still adjusting to the new normal. The situation around is evolving at a rapid rate and is challenging all our basic and standard processes. Given where things are, survival, staying safe, and healthy is our utmost priority.

There are a lot of conversations in when would things go back to normal. However, what the new normal would be is going to be highly unpredictable. So let us paint a near promising future. The world has found a vaccine that can be administered through the air, and in two days, the world as a whole cured. The sick revive, and things start opening up slowly. So here are the key questions:

• Would we go back to work in public transit services?

• Would we go to large social gatherings?

• Would we have an urge or need to go to restaurants?

• Would we be comfortable sending our children to schools?

• Would we travel more?

• Would we???

The list of maybe's and would be's can be long? The answers to the above questions have multiple options. The scenarios can have various options and various outcomes, which can further have a trailing impact and paint different scenario's. The best tool available in such situations is experimentation. Experimentation plays many roles and is important in such scenarios. One of its essential characters is to test theories and to provide the basis for current and future knowledge. It can also call for a new theory, either by showing that an accepted theory is incorrect or by exhibiting a new phenomenon that needs explanation. To manage the current scenario, no one can deem themselves as experts. Hence managing the future requires an individual to master the art of experimentation. 

My recommendation for organizations (large or small) is to either set up a SWAT team or individuals whose sole responsibility is to think and build scenarios and experiment with different outcomes. Experimentation is the key to learning in organizations. Only through careful experimentation can causal inferences be drawn about the success or failure of new ideas. It is almost planning and playing for a game of chess. The world or the organization is on one side of the board, and the other side is the entire socio-economic factors that would react to how the situation/the game unfolds. 

I would highly recommend one of my favorite books - Experimentation Works: The Surprising Power of Business Experiments by Stefan H Thomke.  You can get the Kindle version from the following links:

I hope to see all of us get in the mindset of experimentation and love to hear the experiments you undertake. Chao..

Power Series: Agility

Today, we are all confined to our homes and locality without much movement. What sounded reasonable to all of us:

1. Going to work/gym/other public places

2. Taking public transports

3. Eating out in restaurants

4. Participating in events or other larger gatherings

Feels a distant dream and confinement to place or home was a scary moment or if we did if we had to take rest for a day. However, most of us are confined to our homes for weeks at a stretch now. The world has come to a standstill, actually humans and machines, yet, nature is blooming, and other living beings are thriving. The Pandemic of COVID-19 has challenged all of our thinking and movement in the so-called technology and thriving 20th century. 

The current times are challenging and world political leaders, large-medium-small organizations are relooking at their business models, and human beings at large are adjusting to a new normal at the same time contributing to fight out the pandemic. The novel Coronavirus doesn't have precedence Individuals, organizations, and countries would only thrive if they can quickly adapt to changing and evolving scenarios. The scenarios are rapidly evolving, and what seemed to be the benchmark yesterday has been disrupted today completely. Countries, organizations, and communities which have shown agility, swiftness, and accepting change have been able to arrest and control to an extent the situation.  

Agility is a mindset than a process that is either born out of a will or a necessity. Organizations that have been slow to adopt an agile mindset or methods are today, finding it difficult to survive or manage the current situation. What I fear is that, once hopefully, the pandemic is over, and either the circumstances take an upswing turn or goes in another direction, organizations again would not be prepared to manage it. The systems, checks, and controls would all go out of the window, and larger cracks would start forming within an organization.  

More so, industry experts deem that great leaders have to balance agility with consistency in the current state, and once we all come out of it, to adjust consistency would be the biggest challenge for many leaders. The past, present, and future all would have different benchmarks and standards that define consistency would be the biggest challenge. The only way to manage consistency would be to embrace empathy, listening, and to stay true to oneself, brand, and the country at large. Consumers and the nations would evolve at a rapid pace, and there would be new benchmarks set every day. The future would require a great sense of agility and the ability to balance the other moving pieces around oneself, organization, and the nation as a whole.

It is still not that late to develop an agile mindset, but those who don't would perish. Chao..

Power Series: Humility

When I started writing the article, I had a different perspective of being humble; however, the current situation which the world is facing due to COVID-19 has taught me and changed my view of what humility is all about. 

Today's scenario is challenging all the norms and processes which we have set in our personal and professional life. There is no benchmark or blueprints available in the world which can either prepare, prescribe, or allow us to take action, which we don't know the outcomes or measures. The world is in an experimentation mode, everyday new methods, information, and aspects are enhancing or changing our experimentation methods. Humans have survived, and we would all survive this phase of the world. 

The phase of the world also demands we, as human beings, take a step back, evaluate and appreciate what is around us. Today there is rage, fear, and a sense of hoarding which is brewing amongst us. We need to calm ourselves down and also evaluate how we manage the situations which are evolving every day and every hour. What is being requested of us is to demonstrate humility across the walk of life. Humility is a quality of being humble and a form of self-control that is neither having pride (or arrogance) nor indulging in self-deprecation.

Having a sense of humility in the business context allows individuals to build sustained relationships. In the age of digital, building relationships would test all the previous myths (in-person, handshake, body language, personal appearance, and many more). Displaying humility and being considerate of others' needs before yours would allow businesses to scale through the current and global scenario of the world. Functions in an organization like sales, marketing, finance, and even the board members sooner than later would need to adopt humility as a leadership style to weather the storm and also sustain the business in the short and mid-term. 

Recent research suggests that humility is a quality of certain types of leaders. For example, Jim Collins and his colleagues found that a particular kind of leader, whom they term "level 5", possesses humility and fierce resolve. Humility is being studied as a trait that can enhance leadership effectiveness. The research suggests that humility is multi-dimensional and includes self-understanding and awareness, openness, and perspective-taking.

I am no expert in humility but have been consciously and unconsciously practicing it since the last decade. If you have perspectives on it further, please do leave your comments below. Chao. 

Stories from my conversation with Cab Drivers: A Body Guard and Uncle of a famous rap artist

In one of my Chicago trip last year, I was in a rush to the Airport (a peculiar phenomenon with me) I ordered Lyft (my preferred medium for my transport in the United States). It was about noon and from Magnificent mile to Airport was showing about 35 minutes. So had about two and a half hours between me leaving and the flight taking off. I was pleasantly surprised to get allocated a GMC SUV. I am also a big sucker for SUV cars, comfort, and space are vital criteria.

I had to visit a Seven-Eleven to pick a few items before I was in going to the Airport. I requested my Lyft driver that can we make a quick stop to Seven-Eleven as in the city; there were many showing up on the map and asked him to make a decision. He happily obliged and got me to a nearby Seven-Eleven. While it was lunchtime, I asked him whether he wanted something, he then requested that if I can pick some chicken wings as in that specific store, they made it well.

In a quick snap, I was back with my stuff along with the chicken wings. The chicken wings did the trick, and we started talking. I asked straight up, is driving a Lyft was his full-time gig, and the answer he gave and what followed was a fantastic story. He revealed to me that he is a personal Body Guard and also Uncle for Chief Keef. My ignorance on Hip-Hop didn't make me recollect the name, but I quickly did my search on Google, and I got acquainted with Chief. In the meantime, he also shared it on his iPhone Itunes Store.

The fine gentleman went to talk about how he had to pack his Nephew over to Los Angeles, as his life was under threat. Since Chief Keef songs were little edgy and had words that were offensive, many took it in the wrong way. Also, the cops had booked Chief Keef with multiple charges; he was worried about him. He did share many other things, and to respect his privacy, I would be careful about what I write here.

However, there were many other stories he did share on how in the formidable years, he ensured that his Nephew doesn't take any incorrect steps that would hurt either Nephew or his career. He also shared the dark side of Chicago - Drugs, Guns, and many other things. It was a little overwhelming for me, and probably was almost a movie script being recited to me.

Earlier this week, I was listening to one of my favorite Podcast - Turnaround with Jesse Thorn and in that he interviews Reggie Ossé whom himself runs Combat Jack Podcast. They do talk about Chief Keef in that, and it was a deja-vu moment for me and compelled me to write this connection with this Lyft driver.

Each one of us has a great story in our rights, and we must express or share it with the larger world. I continue in my quest to strike conversations and also document the fun and interesting ones. Chao...

Power Series: Kobe Bryant The Great

Black Mamba, Kob-Me, Employee #8, Mr 81, Kobe Wan Kenobi, KB8, KB-24, Neo, Ocho, The Dagger, and many more

26th January 2020, a dark day in the history of sports, the world lost one of the greatest athletes of all time, Kobe Bean Bryant. KB8 though, was gifted; if you know about his strong ethics, he has worked hard to be and achieve greatness through hard work and perseverance. His death caused mass hysteria across the world and his fans were deeply saddened. He left a great impact, apart from being a great athlete, he was a great human being too.

However, he didn’t reach his greatness easily and worked hard over the years to achieve what he did in his lifetime.

1. Focus your destination: Per Kobe Wan Kenobi, everything he did either on the court or off the court was with a single objective that he wanted to be the greatest at his art. If you have that only goal, the universe aligns and shares the only target with you to drive everything around you to make it happen

2.  His work ethics: He didn't compromise a single day to divert from his goals. He focussed on his strengths and weakness and worked upon them to ensure he can work towards his goal

3. Understand your limitations: The Dagger understood his weakness like his vertical jump was not compared to some of the greatest, his palm was not that big, and he wasn't the fastest on the court. So he had to understand the game, study the game in detail, get more skilled combined with the basics of basketball to define his success. 

4. Getting into the zone: Neo mentions across his interviews and in his book that whenever he entered the court, there was a mental switch that allowed him to get focussed on the game. It was almost like a 'Switch' once turned on; it made him feel like a live wire. 

5. Emotional strength: We are very self-conscious and the worst critics of ourselves. Kob-Me recommends we all get over ourselves, and it is not just about us. 

6. Consult the best in the game: Nothing to be shy to consult who are celebrated in their field. Ask on how did that, and what made them succeed in the game they played and what are the key learnings from their careers. He referred to the great as "Goat Mountains."

7. Relationship with near and dear ones: KB8 understood to achieve greatness; he had to give up or lose something on the way. For him, his goal was to be the best in what he endeavors in the game. He didn't take breaks to take time off with his family or near and dear ones. The reason for that, when he retires, he doesn't need to repent that could have put more time into what he could have achieved greatness. The people around him understood his path and let him be what he wanted to be. Great learning, communicate, and discuss your passion and ensure the individuals around you know 'why' and 'what' you are doing. 

8. Your Customers are essential: For Black Mamba, his fans who have paid money to come and watch him. They expected him to be in his best shape and also not get intimated with any of the opponents even if he is not fit. Come what may, he always put his 'A' game for the fans.

9. A coach: Once KB8 retired, he started working with folks, to enable and get the best out of them. He is creating a platform for the folks to understand and deliver their best

10. Parenting advice: During the game against the Golden State Warriors, where they had a close game, the Black Mamba is called to take a shot. Just before the shot, the Achilles happened. He stood up, made the free throws, and walked back to get the surgery done. In the locker room, his kids waited for him, and his message to them was, 'I would be all right'. His word to all of us that we shouldn't get defined by this one incident. I am going to be in control and ensure that I come out of it. 

Wow, just wow, and his passing was a big set back to the entire world. I haven't watched him play much, but the more now I understand his past, the biggest fan I have become. To 'Black Mamba'...

If you want to read more about his life, I would personally recommend the book:

The Mamba Mentality: How I Play

Power Series: Product Management + #FOMO

The most critical role within an organization that makes or breaks the future of the organization is Product Management. The Podcast: Masters of Scale, in discussion with Marissa Mayer she covers how at Google she had led the organization to create the role of APM (Associate Product Manager) and onboard people to induct within the function. Today the industry is facing a big challenge to get products to its maturity because of a lack of great Product Managers. A product manager is almost like a General in an army who has to hold strategy, define the plan, understand customer needs, a futurist, and get individuals rally around a path in maybe a decentralized and chaotic future.

Product management can be daunting for many individuals, and the critical role per me is to define the roadmap. Defining the roadmap is based on the broad vision and mission the product is trying to focus on. The key here is "FOCUS," and I have personally seen products failing is due to misalignment in focus. In the early and mid-stages, the misalignment happens when customers or your internal teams would like to shape the product or the features unique to their needs. Ideally, a product in today's age has to have 80% out of box features and 20% customizable features. If the percentages are imbalanced: less than 80% out of box features, then it is not a product; if less than 20% or in single-digit customized features, then it is not a successful product. The focus also requires to be more targeted to an industry or a specific consumer group. This focus should be aligned not in the initial stages but a must in the mid-stages of the products. It is critical to find the niche and scale rapidly as you would face competition if you are entering a crowded space or product is gaining attention.

The focus also shifts if the executives or other stakeholders apply undue pressure and focus on the revenue or some other KPIs, then the "Fear Of Missing Out" (FOMO) automatically creeps in. This #FOMO mindset destroys the future of the product and wastes many precious resources along the way. The critical avoidance of such a phenomenon must be driven by the Product Managers to ensure and reiterate/remind the goals and path of the products. The Product Manager is the torchbearer to see the success of the product.

Avoiding a #FOMO mindset doesn't mean that you neglect the evolving needs of the customers or internal stakeholder feedback. The key here is to chart on the path which is defined, recognize the feedback or deviations, evaluate them to see if it makes sense to step up, and or park them for future considerations.

If you are a Product Manager and have experienced #FOMO then I would like to hear from you. Chao..

Digital Transformation: Not about Technology

The last decade gave birth to technologies, sciences, and business models which have brought in 

• Companies which are challenging the norm

• Forced companies to transform or evolve their business models

• Perished or close to being non-existence large companies which at one point were industry leaders

A more significant and higher-order business transformation program that came to light was the term "Digital Transformation." Industry leaders, academia, and many other leaders defined their own versions of how organizations should approach digital transformation. The concept started taking many forms, and technology-led organizations started positioning as their product as the lead to drive digital transformation. The positioning enabled and excited board members and executives to embark on the "Blue Pill" that adopting such technologies would be to position the company completing a digital transformation program. The order was short-lived, the companies faced the following:

• Technologies weren't able to scale organization-wide

• It solved a specific and not a more significant organization-specific use cases

Hence adopting technologies is just one of the cog in the wheel and not the entire picture. The recommended approach to the right digital transformation program is to define your strategy based on:

1. Redefining the business 

2. Enhancing customer-facing programs

3. Improving employee engagement and increasing efficiencies

4. Generating and evaluating new business models

5. Setting the machine to machine engagement models

With the solve objectives to strengthen and transform the business into its entirety. In addition to core strategic framework, the essential layers which enable a digital transformation are:

1. Data - the fundamental asset of the companies to drive, prioritize and simulate the programs

2. People - a multi-faceted and multi-skilled team

3. Technology - an appropriate tech stack and not a single ecosystem with a balanced subscription and open tech ecosystem

4. Agile and DevOps - the sharp and continuous delivery mechanism

5. AI - an enabler to exponentially impact the program

6. Consulting - an in-house group to define, refine and project outcomes

7. Engineering - a robust technology-enabled approach

8. Knowledge Management - ensure retention of organizational knowledge

The layers are not independent and are like lego blocks that come together to form a structure. 

Recommended books for further reading:

Hit Refresh

Book by Satya Nadella covering his personal life and transformation of Microsoft

Buy on Amazon

Driving Digital Strategy

One of my favorite books on Digital Transformation

Buy on Amazon

Power Series: Bruce Lee Wisdoms. Application in our life.

Bruce Lee has been one of the greatest athletes in the field of action sports. As I was growing up, he has been a role model for most of us growing up in the '70s to '90s along with other greats like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jackie Chan. Specifically, the movies of Bruce Lee, such as "Enter the Dragon" and "Fist of Fury," my personal classics and I would personally sit and watch any time. 

Bruce Lee's story is definitely enriching, and if you are interested in learning more about him, you can visit - www.brucelee.com, which has a detailed story about his life. The famous quote: "Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless like water. You put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle. You put it into a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow, or it can crash. Be water, my friend." has a lot of expressions and deep thinking on his part and teaches us a lot about how to live life. He personally overcame a lot of challenges and has defined paths to achieve his dreams. The same expression can be applied in our day to day work, personal relationships, world travel, and many other scenarios. 

The one which got my attention and definitely has become my mantra of looking at things in life:

"Research your own experience.

Absorb what is useful.

Reject what is useless.

Add what is specifically your own."

If you decode this particular statement and think about it. The thought is just profound and can be the key to success for many of us in our work and personal life. I always recommend to individuals that we need to carve our own paths and not try to copy or replicate what others do. From my other blog post, "Observational Learning," one should assimilate the knowledge from the world, learn and retain the understanding of what is important to you. In technology age and information overload, there is contradicting information to the thesis or specific area which you are trying to conduct your research or gain knowledge on. The quote can be applied in the approach, each one of us should control and imbibe on paths which are own, but informed and evaluated based on our thought on risks, gains, and outcomes at the end of it. 

Whether it is fitness, health, career, relationship goals, faith, or any other areas which impact your life directly, the approach from the quote can be applied literally on each of the facets of our life. There is a Podcast on Bruce Lee which you can listen on:

Maybe you can call me a big fan of Bruce Lee, apart from being great at what he did, he was also stalwart having great wisdom for life. As I finish up writing this blog, I would like to leave you with few more quotes from the great.

Do not pray for an easy life; pray for the strengths to endure a difficult one

I am a martial artist by choice, an actor by profession, and I am actualizing myself daily to be an Artist of Life.

Each man binds himself – the fetters are ignorance, laziness, preoccupation with self and fear. You must liberate yourself.

Using no way as way; having no limitation as limitation.

Power Series: Why gift yourself each year on your birthday?

We are born on this planet Earth with a purpose and make an impact in our own ways. - Anees Merchant

Every one of us is important and born on this planet ‘Earth’ to drive something important and move each day by a second, minute, and hour. There are various emotions we go through the year and continue to focus on aspects to improve our lives and individuals around us. While we navigate the multiple facets of life (ups and downs), we often forget to appreciate the most important person, that is, ‘Us.’ The proposition applies to individuals who are in a capacity to earn or in a position to gift themselves.

So why gift yourself every year? The idea is not being selfish or think that you are alone in the world. We often are focussed on making individuals around us feel special and an essential part of our life. Out of love, we tend to express our gratitude and love either through gifts or objects which represent our love, compassion, or affection for the other person without an intention that the other person would reciprocate your expression. Often than not, we do get reciprocated by our near and dear ones. However, it is not necessary to expect the same gesture in return from everyone you care or show your compassion.

I often recommend to individuals that we need to learn to love ourselves first before we appreciate others around us. Many life coaches often suggest that we get ourselves goals that are SMART (Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realist, and Timebound) for a year ahead. These goals should include personal and professional aspirations and need not be declared open to everyone. So what happens, once you achieve your goals, you quietly feel proud or have a sense of accomplishment. At this moment, if you truly have completed your goals and have overachieved them, then it is important you declare them and appreciate the milestones you have achieved.

The way of appreciation is giving yourself a gift (the most expensive in your benchmark) to self appreciate yourself. The self-appreciation is a self-gratifying process that gives you a personal high and provides a sense of contentment and calmness. You can pick a date in a year where you would mark such a moment. The best one, as per me, would be your birthday or other important dates which are monumental in life. I would also recommend that you do it once only, as that would hold the special meaning in life for you and would also set a personal goal each year.

If you follow such a practice then I would like to hear from you. Chao..

Business Travel Apps: before you go on your next trip to United States

Travel is fun for some, daunting for some, and for some, it is just another day. The United States is one of the premium destinations attracting professionals and tourist traffic. As per Statista, travelers added contributed nearly 1.1 trillion U.S. dollars to the country’s gross domestic product in 2018 alone. But, travel can be tricky for the first time and even frequent travelers. Over the last 15 years, I have been traveling globally and spend 100+ nights in the United States itself. My work takes me to different cities and states, which means there are various things which I need to take care of:

• Commuting

• Food

• Travel

• Unwind

• Personal errands

Definitely, one of the travel tenets is to be agile, expect the unexpected, and be ready to course-correct based on situations. Mobile Apps have been a big help for me and have helped me make travel easy. If you have unique apps that you often use for personal or professional needs, do share. Chao..

Here is the list of recommended apps from my side: 

Lyft

Rideshare App

SkyScanner

For all flight options

Hotel Tonight

For last minute hotel needs and deals

Yelp

For all food needs

Workfrom

Find great workspaces & wifi anywhere.

Eventbrite

Find exciting events near you

Polarsteps

Great travel diary

Product Review: Bose Noise Cancelling Wireless Bluetooth Headphones 700, with Alexa Voice Control, Black

I am a big fan of Bose for over the last decade and have always loved their engineering, focus on improving sound and enhancing the experience for the buyers of the platform. Though with every version they have evolved and Bose has been a market leader in the noise-canceling category for a long time. Though they have faced stiff competition from other big technology giants however they never were uprooted from the throne. It was saddening for me to see they shutting most of their physical stores in the United States, but it is definitely a great strategy as they have strategic tie-ups with key technology focussed retailers who have excellent shelf space for Bose. 

The brand Bose is synonymous with noise-canceling, and if you are an avid traveler, I would highly recommend the Bose headsets over any other brands. I have used other brands like Sony, Audio Technica, Jabra, Beats, etc. but none of them come closer to the sound technology as Bose. Why choose a noise-canceling headset? Well, if you are someone like me, who needs to be in their zone and want to cut off the outside noise, then it is beneficial to get one headset. However, the issue with the previous generations of Bose headset has been that you aren't able to control the noise levels as well as you need your phone or other devices to control the audio. With the newer generations, Bose has evolved the technology to include the sound management feature on the headset itself. In the new Bose 700 NC, with the technology enabling Audio Augmented Reality Headphones, the experience is of the next level. You can control the audio with swipe gestures on the right mic. 

I have used Bose Quite 35 before, but my biggest issue with that was:

1. My ears would be warm and ache after wearing for a few hours

2. It was bulkier for me, and I started getting headaches

3. The foam on the headband had completely deteriorated 

Some of the great features of the new Bose 700 NC are which has made me write this product review:

1. Battery life: Yes, it can go up to 20 hours of continuous playback. With just 15 minutes of charge, it can give you a juice of 2 hours plus. 

2. Gesture Control:  I really like the gesture control to manage volume, playback and switching the audio as necessary

3. Controllable Noise Cancellation: It is required many times when you want to be aware of the surrounding sounds or when you have just sat in the plane. You would like to keep a tab of the announcements or conversations around you. For, e.g., in the flight, the announcements by a flight attendant or the captain. Bose 700 NC has three levels 0, 5, and 10. 

4. Virtual Assistant: Another cool feature of the new Bose headset is the integration of your favorite Google or Alexa voice assistant. 

The only drawback of the Bose headphones is the Bose App. I am not a big fan of it, and it doesn't add much value. Though on the expensive side, the headphone is a big win for me personally and would recommend anyone who is looking to make an investment in 2020 for noise-canceling headphones. If you have bought this headset, do share your experience by leaving a comment or two, Chao.. #BoseHeadphones

Power Series: How to manage stress on things which you are passion for?

The corporate life continues to get complicated, variety and has a more significant impact on us as individuals by introducing stress. A study by the American Psychological Association in 2017, work is about 61% source of stress. The higher than that is Money at 62%, which is related to work. Depending on the type of stress, it can have a severe impact on our well being in the short and long term.

I often see my colleagues and team members either expressing verbally or through their actions that they are stressed. The stress is often self-induced, or the environment, culture, or just work adds to it. Stressful situations in corporate life can be managed if you are passionate about the work or focus area. Passion brings in a positive mental attitude that balances the state of your body. However, passion, if not managed effectively, can lead to additional stress, which would deteriorate your further. Over the years, my work hours have increased, and individuals around me often ask how do I manage all this and still be happy with a contagious drive around me.

At the heart of driving a balance within my life, there are four critical elements that one should think of balancing daily and not weekly. 

© Anees Merchant - Circle of Influence and Balance Circle to manage Stress

1. Passion: passion can be your work, either as an employee, freelancer, or entrepreneurship. One should enjoy what they are doing else it is futile to continue working in the stream. I strongly recommend to folks around me that whatever career path you choose to ensure that it is fun, you are motivated and are enjoying every day. Every type of work would have its qualms, but that shouldn't be the maximum part of the job else; it is not fun, and you would not be passionate about it. Motivation is an overrated word in corporate life, frankly speaking, I firmly believe no one can motivate anyone. Motivation comes from within and is self-driven. 

2. Health: this has three dimensions that need to be balanced further and should be equally given importance. Food, Physical, and Mental health. Food and diet have gained significant influence over the last decade and would continue in the years to come. One's food habit greatly influences the mental and physical health state. Physical health is not about attaining a body athlete, but to be physically fit to ensure you are not tired and have adequate energy levels across the day for personal and professional chores. Mental health is all about keeping all state of emotions at bay and not suppressing any of them. For eg., it is ok to cry. It would help if you partook laughing or invoking happiness emotion daily. 

3. Entertainment: Entertainment is the most underrated balance principle to manage stress. My recommendation is that there is no harm to indulging in entertainment (physical or virtual) based on your preference. In fact, it needs to be practiced daily to ensure you can do something which doesn't need your brain to work. Many times, entertainment allows me to relax and not think about anything related to work. 

4. Social Circle: Your social circle really influences your stress, passion, and work. The first inner social circle is your immediate family, and spending quality time with them enhances your mental state. The second outer circle is our extended family and friends who are closer to you. Lastly, the outermost circle is the acquaintances and your broader friends. Frequent connections with your second and third circle of influences enable you to build relationships and enhances your social wellbeing. 

The objective here is to create a balanced circle which incorporates all the four aspects in your daily life. Do practice and let me know how does this approach help you.

PS: I am not a medical practitioner, and all statements are based on my personal experience. 

2010: The decade of AI birth, 2020: The decade of AI Maturity

Last decade can be touted as the “Birth of AI”

• 36M+ results on Google on Artificial Intelligence

• 300+ books on Amazon

• 11M+ scholar search results on Google Scholar search

• 4k+ courses on Coursera.org and Udemy.com

• Hollywood movies (Her, Iron Man and the series of Avengers, El Machina, etc.) and many more short series on subscription platforms.

• Interest over time increased from 36 to 88 - from Google Trends

• ~811k results on LinkedIn People Search with Artificial Intelligence term

The stats are staggering and continue to grow, overwhelm and leave each one of us wondering where would this lead to. The growth in AI (Artificial Intelligence) and its applications has given birth to many companies, conferences, academia, government, and organization led socio-political-economic initiatives, universities introducing MDPs, graduate and post-graduate programs to enable current and future students to be better equipped to manage this tsunami.

In the last 10 years, watching and being part of the industry, it feels like the industry has seen birth and growth of new kid on the block - “AI”. It almost feels like the birth of a new species which brings in opportunities and raises concerns across the various groups involved. The initial applications, actual deployments, and semi-success have instilled confidence in the possibilities this stream of technology can have on humans’ socio, political and economic growth.

The decade has also raised legitimate concerns on the applications of AI as well due to misuse or inappropriate usage. Concerns like

1. Deep Fake

2. Cambridge Analytica

3. Data Privacy

4. Technology mimicking or displacing humans

The industry has recognized such fears and incidents, and steps initiated to be put in place by authorities in power to ensure no further misuse of technology or misappropriation of facts. GDPR, PDP, CCPA are some of the data protection norms being instilled by the government and other authorities to protect consumer rights.

But the most interesting fact in the last decade has been a heightened awareness by most of the consumer groups across developed and emerging markets, which makes the AI as a center point of discussions. Today most of the AI applications have become so inconspicuous that a naked eye or an ordinary consumer that most of the apps go undetected.

The new decade is going to transform how applications of AI would be leveraged in our day to day life either personally or professionally. As technology and screens have become synonym to our day to day life, similarly, applications of AI would be seen across the human touchpoints. Here is my top 10 wishlist for AI applications for the new decade:

1. Natural calamities and global warming

2. Conversation and enhancement of natural resources and species

3. Education and skilling of global citizens

4. Personalized Medicine and Care

5. Personalized Travel and Hospitality needs

6. Ease of doing business or interactions with local/global government institutions

7. DIY products and services

8. Increased robots amongst humans

9. Better technology and data governance

10. Enhanced and Choice to the everyday consumer on how applications AI, technology and data usage

This is my personal perspective on how applications of AI would evolve in the new decade if you have an interesting 11 and 12 or more would like to hear about them. Chao..

Power Series: The leaders of 2020...

The last decade has been the most exciting decade, which has redefined, challenged, and also made the world think about Technology, Leadership, and Environment needs. What made it compelling is the growth of a new breed of leaders, which has made us think about how we need to think about leadership going forward.

The three companies which I admire and follow: Microsoft, Google, and Adobe have not only seen a new breed of leaders, but these leaders have transformed and led the companies to become category leaders. All three of them - Satya Nadella, Sundar Pichai, and Shantanu Narayen, have challenged the status quo and transformed the companies to set examples of business models that new and old companies are seeking to adopt. Stepping into a Chief Executive role, have debunked the myths that successful and potential career paths should be either in Sales or Marketing. The background and the career have common traits that I have done my best to enlist for all of us to recognize and take cognizant. 

1. Education: All three of them have completed their graduation, and also got a master's degree. The focus puts back on an excellent education that debunks the earlier decade myth that education is not necessary to succeed. Each of them has studied engineering and then went to get an MBA.  

2. Product Management: Career choices and paths are an essential factor for you to be successful. More importantly, I would highly recommend gaining knowledge on how to focus on product management and build skills around that. The last decade saw a significant shortage of individuals with excellent Product Management skills, and this shortage would continue. Being a successful Product Management professional requires to have multiple skills and perspectives to manage successful product management lifecycle. 

3. Humility and Bold: I firmly believe that being humble in your day to day personal and professional is a crucial trait. Even though being a CEO of such large and global giants, all three of them have more than often not have come across being humble. Humbleness doesn't mean that you shouldn't challenge the norm. All three of them have tested the standard in their companies and helped transform the company to become category leaders. Boldness requires one to relook at things, the ability to take risks, appreciate diversity, analyze culture nuances in a corporate setup and lastly, accept failure as well. 

4. Build industry partnerships: Partnerships can be daunting or detrimental, and if it is with an entity that can be considered as competition in the near or long term is perceived as a bad strategy in the corporate world. However, each of them has done the reverse where they have embraced competition successfully and announced partnerships that have challenged the norm. It has not only positioned them and but also their companies as inclusive. The approach has allowed their respective customers to appreciate their move as many customers do not want to get tied into an ecosystem and would like to have the sense of decision making in their own hands. 

5. Global and Growth Markets: The world has now transformed and compelling businesses to go global and consider local nuances. More so, there are significant and emerging markets that are shifting focus from west to east and south and requires leaders to think about how the economies function, thrive, and consider their decisions. Each of them since had an upbringing in India and appreciated the diversity, inclusion and innately understand what moves the largest democracy in the world can apply similar principles in the other growing economies. 

I hope this article inspires each one of you, and I look forward to seeing your career excel in 2020 and the decade to come. 

I would also recommend reading Satya Nadella's book 'Hit Refresh.' The book gives insights into his life, work, and his approach to things in life.