A Guide to Taking Better Breaks at Work by HBR

 Most people feel pressure to push through fatigue, but skipping breaks leads to burnout, poor focus, and lower productivity. Recognize that recovery isn’t a sign of weakness—it’s a strategy for long-term success. By taking intentional breaks, you can recharge your mind, boost creativity, and improve overall performance. Here’s how to make your breaks more effective.

Time them wisely. Short, well-placed breaks—especially in the morning or right after demanding tasks—help you sustain energy and focus throughout the day.

Get moving. Walking, stretching, or any light physical activity reenergizes your body and clears mental fog.

Relax your mind. Deep breathing, mindfulness, or progressive muscle relaxation resets cognitive function and reduces stress.

Prioritize social connection. Casual, positive conversations with colleagues boost mood and foster collaboration.

Do something creative. Breaks don’t have to be idle—brainstorming, mentoring, or reflecting can be refreshing and productive.

Take control of your time. Choose break activities that work for you, whether it’s alone time, a walk, or a quick personal task.

Handle personal errands. Running small errands or taking care of family needs can reduce mental load and help you refocus

Interested to know more?

Read the complete article at:

https://hbr.org/

Consistency is the Key on both Ironman and Projects

 

          In both endurance sports like Ironman and long-term projects, one quality stands above all others: consistency. Unless you train daily, you will not be able to meet the desired level of fitness needed to achieve your goals. The same is true for our project; unless we consistently deliver to our commitments on quality and defect fixes, we will not be able to deliver the project. To meet our commitment of “Go Live” , we must embrace consistency.

The Ironman triathlon is one of the most demanding athletic competitions in the world, perfectly representing what it means to commit fully, push through challenges, and progress steadily toward a goal. Completing an Ironman—comprising a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and a 26.2-mile marathon—is not something anyone can do overnight. It requires months, even years, of disciplined preparation. In the same way, achieving success in any complex project demands sustained effort, determination, and above all, consistency.

Similarly, in projects, consistency is vital. A successful project requires consistent good quality, team coordination, and disciplined delivery of tickets. Just as an Ironman relies on training cycles and feedback, a project team depends on regular updates, iterative work, and clear milestones.

In conclusion, the Ironman sport teaches us that greatness isn’t achieved by luck or talent alone—it’s earned through steady, disciplined, consistent work. Similarly, our project is like an endurance race; we must remain committed, constantly offer high-quality results, and persevere in the face of volume of defects. Together, all of us with our Consistency will deliver the project to production on time.

The Traits You Need to Build Executive Presence by HBR

 Aspiring leaders have long been told they need “executive presence” to be considered for senior roles. Traditionally, this has boiled down to three attributes: gravitas, strong communication skills, and the “right” appearance. But what does that look like today? A recent survey sheds light on how our views have changed over the last decade.

 

Gravitas. To project gravitas, you need to seem confident, decisive, and have a clear vision. An increasingly important element of gravitas is being inclusive—not only hiring people with diverse backgrounds and giving everyone a fair shot at climbing the ladder, but also ensuring that all your employees feel respected and supported.

 

Strong communication skills. Communicating well has always entailed speaking and writing clearly and an ability to command the room. In the new world of work, commanding the Zoom (or other forms of virtual meetings) is just as important. To communicate with executive presence today also requires listening and learning—rather than communicating with force.

 

The “right” appearance. Appearance is the least important attribute, but it’s the one that has changed the most from 2012 to 2022. Authenticity, which didn’t register with survey respondents 10 years ago, is newly prized. To be seen as leadership material today, executives are expected to reveal who they fundamentally are—not mimic some dated, idealized model of what it means to be “professional.” 

 

Interested to know more?

 

Read the complete article at:

https://hbr.org/2024/01/the-new-rules-of-executive-presence

Is Project a Marathon or a Sprint

 

 I have unabashedly copied the famous quote by Phillip C. McGraw and changed it to fit our projects. While Mr. McGraw described the same about life, I think our projects are no different.

  We as project managers, run agile sprints to deliver what our customer expects. The sprint in turn expects a cadence to be followed. A cadence that needs to be rhythmic for a long term. So, does this cadence not translate itself into a Marathon in the form of a Project?

 

Let us review the classic definitions of both Sprint and Marathon and decide:

 Sprint is defined:

•   for a clearly defined scope

•   with a very solid to unmistakable understanding of deliverables

•   for a fixed and usually (comparatively) short time window

•   with clearly defined and assigned resources

 Marathon is when one wants to emphasize:

•   a team needs to set and maintain a long-term focus

•   individual commitments for the long run (years instead of just weeks/months)

•   the complexity of an undertaking is higher

 

So, a marathon can be thought of as a group of sprints that have a common subject from a certain area of your backlog. Marathons could also be considered collections of Sprints tied to a larger or longer goal.

 As project managers, we need to convert our weekly/monthly Sprints into a steady marathon run. Steadily(but not slowly) we will reach our desired running cadence which is needed for our projects to succeed. Just like we have done in the past, we will take this project too to its closure state.

 

 Let us keep the project management spirit of “We Deliver” intact and start this marathon. We all are in it together to WIN!!!

 

With the the challenges of global and hybrid work, Help Your Team Collaborate Better

 In today’s complex work environments, collaboration sometimes feels harder than ever. To build engagement and drive results on your team, here are four strategies you should commit to as a leader.

Focus on shared goals. Silos form when teams focus solely on their own tasks and miss the bigger picture. Emphasize collective goals that require cooperation across teams and departments. When everyone understands how their work contributes to overall success, collaboration improves.

Use inclusive language. Shifting from “they” to “we” can transform mindsets. Using phrases like “our team” and “our organization” fosters a sense of unity across units and teams. By modeling inclusivity, you encourage others to follow, reducing internal competition and boosting morale.

Allocate resources fairly. Resource inequality breeds resentment. Ensure that every team has access to the tools they need to succeed. Equitable distribution promotes a sense of fairness and trust, keeping teams focused on shared goals rather than competing for resources.

Encourage constructive criticism. Teams thrive when members feel safe to offer feedback. By fostering a culture of openness and transparency, you can help identify areas for improvement without fear of backlash. This psychological safety is essential for innovation and trust, which are both crucial for high-performing teams

Interested to know more?

Read the complete article at:

https://hbr.org/2024/11/4-research-backed-ways-to-help-your-team-collaborate-better

Give More Valuable and Engaging Feedback -- Tips by HBR

 Do you dread giving feedback? You’re not alone—many managers feel anxious about these conversations. However, your feedback is crucial to helping your team grow—even your highest performers. Here are five actionable tips to ensure your feedback is valuable and engaging.

Don’t hold back on constructive feedback. Instead of vague praise like, “You did great,” offer specific insights like, “Your detailed analysis helped us make a decision. However, try to engage with team questions to enhance collaboration next time.”

Avoid all-or-nothing language. Skip exaggerated statements. Replace sweeping declarations like, “You always contribute XYZ” with specific observations like, “Your questions in the last meeting opened up a vital discussion.”

Don’t get too personal. Focus on skills rather than traits. Instead of saying, “You’re a joy to work with,” try, “Your clear communication improved our pitch.”

Be extra mindful of negative framing. Position your feedback constructively—especially to avoid reinforcing racial or gender stereotypes. Instead of “You’re difficult to work with,” say, “I noticed you shut down ideas quickly. Let’s work on fostering open dialogue.”

Map out clear paths for growth. Offer specific next steps by saying something like, “You excel in client communications. Let’s set a plan for you to lead the upcoming project."

Interested to know more?

Read the complete article at:

https://hbr.org/2024/11/high-performers-need-feedback-too

Stop Hurrying All the Time

From the article "The Insidious Effects of Hurrying" by HBR

In an era of hyperconnectivity, hustle culture, and frequent change, hurry sickness—the constant feeling of needing to rush—can leave you exhausted and irritable. Here’s how to slow down without sacrificing your performance:

 

• Build in buffer time. Schedule space between tasks to handle surprises or reflect. Block out undistracted time for deep work or reevaluating priorities.
• Pause before committing. Before saying yes to a request, ask: Is this mine to handle? Does it align with my goals? Enlist a trusted person to give you feedback if needed.
• Write it down. Spell out the consequences of agreeing to a request. Will it cost you more than it’s worth? Seeing the trade-offs in writing can clarify your decisions.
• List the benefits of slowing down. Visualize what you gain by easing up—for example, more rest, better relationships, and less stress.
• Use prioritization tools. The 4D method (Do, Defer, Delegate, Delete) helps distinguish urgent tasks from distractions. Avoid adding tasks until others are completed.
• Show yourself grace. Celebrate what you’ve accomplished instead of fixating on what’s left to do. Treat yourself with the same kindness you’d offer a friend.
• Practice mindfulness. A few minutes of deep breathing, a body scan, or a mindful moment with a cup of tea can reset your mental pace.
• Seek support. Therapists, coaches, or accountability partners can help you make long-term changes to your pace 

Interested to know more?

Read the complete article at:

https://hbr.org/2025/01/the-insidious-effects-of-hurrying

What can be said in New Year rhymes, That’s not been said a thousand times?

 While I was tempted to write the typical New Year Blog about "Let's do something new, bring in change," I will avoid using the same old pattern that you see every year. This presents another challenge for me on what to write…

An interesting alternate proposition is to ask -->  "Why change? Why not accept the Best practices that have been in place for a while?" Let's build on this notion... The customer uses Japanese quality standards and best practices which have been demonstrated to be the best in the world.  Let us embrace and learn from this ongoing theme.

Looking forward, in order to satisfy customer's exacting standards, we must implement Japanese quality best practices. At first, the requirements could seem overwhelming. But upon closer inspection, we see that it's for the account's overall benefit.

Let us look at the Japanese quality concepts of "horizontal checks" and  "vertical checks". In quality control, "horizontal checks" examine a single process across multiple departments or stages of production, analyzing how different areas within the workflow interact with each other, while "vertical checks" inspect all aspects of quality within a specific department or function, looking at the entire process from start to finish within that single area. Essentially, a horizontal check looks "across" the process while a vertical check looks "down" through a single department.

I acknowledge that the terms “horizontal checks" and  "vertical checks" are a bit alien to most of us and add a bit of overhead. However, if implemented diligently over time, it will improve the quality and, eventually, our work-life balance. So, let's embrace the tradition from the Best!

I'd like to conclude with Ella Wheeler Wilcox's poem, which summarizes the editorial and our focus for the upcoming year:

What can be said in New Year rhymes,

That’s not been said a thousand times?

The new years come, the old years go,

We know we dream, we dream we know.