Mukesh Gupta's Blog, page 10

The Most Important Stories we Tell

The most important stories we tell are those that we tell to ourselves and about ourselves. The collection of these stories then become our operating system. The operating system of a computer or our mobile phone puts the limitations that all the other applications or programs that we run on that computer need to follow and adhere to. Similarly, our stories create the limitations under which we end up operating. It doesn’t matter what these stories are. They create the boundary conditions under ...

Metaphors and Leadership

One of the responsibilities of a leader is to simplify complexity in a way that everyone can relate and make sense. One of the best ways to do is by the use of metaphors. Metaphors are used to explaining something (new and unknown) by comparing it with something else (common and known). We generally use a lot of metaphors in our day to day conversations. Some of become cliches and enter the collective consciousness of a generation if not more. While we can continue to use such metaphors, when th...

5 Types of Stories Leaders Need to Tell

This post talks about the 5 different kinds of stories that leaders need to be able to tell, based on the situation, if they want to become "Leaders Worth Following".

Storytelling and Leadership

As leaders, one of our primary responsibility is to share ideas and our vision in a manner that those we lead can not only remember in full but also be able to spread it further as and when required. The best way to do so is through the medium of stories. Over the next few posts, we will explore the kinds of stories we need to be able to tell and on the art and science of storytelling and how we can get better at it.

How to be Vulnerable as a Leader?

In this post, the author talks about the importance and benefits for leaders being vulnerable with their teams, advice on how to be vulnerable and what to avoid while being vulnerable.

Celebrating Books on the World Book and Copyright Day 2024

This post shares a list of the books that had the most influence on the authors thinking about business and leadership.

World Creativity and Innovation Day 2024

Here is wishing you all a year full of inspiration and access to creativity and the drive to pursue innovation!!

Leading be like..

This is not only a great way to live our lives but also a great way to lead in the fast changing world we operate in. It allows us to be open enough to spot the opportunities in the midst of the chaos, disguised as changing contexts…

6 Attributes that Leaders need to Avoid

Premise:  I was watching a Chinese TV series “The Blood of Youth” on Netflix and in one of the episodes, there a teacher talks about the 6 attributes that kings should avoid. When I looked at the list, I believe it is relevant for all leaders, modern ones included.  This is relevant to us irrespective of whether we are already in a leadership position or if we have made the decision to be a leader.  So, here we go:  Arrogance:  If we are already in leadership positions, it goes without saying th...

Being Super Busy or Being Super Effective

As leaders, we tend to be busy people, moving from one meeting to the next. In all the hustle and bustle of this busy life, we need to remember that being busy is not our goal, being effective is. Sometimes, in order for us to be effective, we need to find open time on our calendars, time when we can deliberate and make sense of the context in which we are operating. Sometimes, in order for us to be effective, we need to find open time on our calendars, time we use to explore new ideas, to accep...