AI systems -- Ensure Your Team Isn’t Wasting Time “Botsitting”

 Ensure Your Team Isn’t Wasting Time “Botsitting” by HBR

Many organizations are dealing with a new, invisible tax on employees’ time: botsitting. This is the untracked, unrewarded work of repeatedly checking, correcting, and stabilizing an AI system before its output can be used. As a leader, you need to account for this labor to protect your team’s time and mental energy. Here’s where to start. 

Identify when botsitting is necessary. Not all oversight is wasteful; some of it provides the accountability AI-assisted work requires, such as reviewing AI-generated material before it reaches a customer. Protect this work and build it into your team’s workflows. 

Create clear metrics. Track how often AI-generated work needs human review, how many prompt attempts it takes to get a usable result, and how much time employees spend verifying answers or transferring context across tools.  

Build psychological safety. If you reward token counts and login streaks, employees may quietly stop flagging bad outputs. Make it safe for people to say “this isn’t working” without fear of appearing resistant to adoption

Interested to know more?

Read the complete article at:

https://hbr.org/2026/08/how-much-time-do-your-employees-spend-botsitting

Lead Your Employees Through the AI Revolution -- the HBR Way

 In a recent panel discussion, three CHROs—Daisy Auger-Domínguez of Digital Asset, Monique Herena of American Express, and Daniela Seabrook of the Adecco Group—discussed how successful AI transformation depends less on technology and more on how leaders guide people through change. Their advice: 

Start with business priorities. Don’t treat AI like a separate initiative. Connect new tools and workflows directly to your team’s goals and priorities. If people understand why change matters, they’re more likely to engage with it. 

Create space for experimentation. You can’t expect people to learn new systems while maintaining the same pace and workload. Build room for testing, small failures, and iteration. If everything feels urgent, learning won’t happen. 

Involve people in the change. People resist change when it feels like it’s being imposed on them. Instead, bring employees into conversations about new workflows, tools, and processes, so they feel ownership over what comes next. 

Focus on clarity over certainty. You won’t have all the answers. Explain what you know, acknowledge what you don’t, and communicate what happens next. Trust comes from consistency, not perfect predictions. 

Keep developing judgment. Technical skills matter, but the ability to make decisions, adapt, and navigate ambiguity will matter even more

Interested to know more?

Read the complete article at:

https://hbr.org/2026/05/leading-the-human-ai-organization

Get Better—Not Just Faster—With AI as HBR Does...

 AI can now easily help generate the first draft of most communications, which means the challenge now lies in exercising judgment about the quality of that output. To collaborate effectively with AI, you have to articulate things that used to go unstated. Below is a four-step process to build this skill. It applies to any task where AI is involved and your judgment matters. 

 
Establish an initial point of view. Before opening any AI tool, ask: What specific question are you answering? Who is the audience? What will they do with the output? And what would make the result useful versus merely competent? Develop your own hypothesis that you can later compare against the AI’s output. 

Collaborate with AI across multiple modes. Most people interact with AI only to generate‌ output. But you should also be using AI to critique (pressure-test what was produced), compare (surface the tradeoffs between alternatives), simulate (test the outputs against what you know about real stakeholders), and challenge (test what the output can’t know). 

Analyze the differences between your initial view and the output. Not every difference will matter; sometimes AI will have a better take than you, sometimes the reverse. The point is to diagnose which differences reflect AI’s limitations and which reflect your own.  

Deliver the output with an explanation of how you and AI arrived at it. This “reasoning trail” should capture two things. First, what AI initially produced, the starting point. Second, what you changed and why, to make your judgment visible

Interested to know more?

Read the complete article at:

https://hbr.org/2026/06/help-employees-get-better-not-just-faster-with-ai

Turn AI into a Better Meeting Partner -- The HBR Way..

 AI is becoming a regular part of team meetings, with many leaders expecting it to improve collaboration and decision-making. But adding AI to a discussion without clear norms can backfire, limiting participation or shifting ownership away from the team. To make AI a productive contributor, you need to build intentional habits around how your team uses it. 

Engage with AI as a team. Introduce the people in the meeting and their areas of expertise. Prompt the AI to address the full group, not just one individual, so its responses reflect different perspectives and encourage broader participation in the discussion. 

Use AI in flexible roles. Don’t limit AI to taking notes or summarizing decisions. Ask it to act as a challenger, customer, competitor, or stakeholder representative. Changing its role throughout the meeting can surface blind spots, test assumptions, and push your team to think more critically.  

Keep ownership with the group. Treat prompting as a shared activity. Debate what to ask, pause to evaluate the AI’s output, and decide together whether its responses are useful. The goal is to use AI to strengthen your team’s thinking and collaboration—not replace either one

Interested to know more?

Read the complete article at:

https://hbr.org/2026/05/its-hard-to-use-ai-as-a-team-these-3-practices-can-help

A Smarter Way to Disagree by Hanne K. Collins at HBR

 Constructive disagreement can spark creativity, prevent costly errors, and drive better decisions. To keep disagreements from escalating into conflict, you need to use language that shows your counterparts that you’re coming from a place of curiosity and empathy. Here’s how to turn disagreements into better ideas and decisions. 

Signal that you want to learn. Start by stating your curiosity. Try: “It seems we see this differently. I’m curious how you’re thinking about it.” This makes others feel heard without weakening your own position. 

Acknowledge their perspective. Repeating what someone just said accurately and without judgment shows respect. “I hear you. The team’s been working long hours…” signals that their message landed with you, even if you ultimately disagree. 

Find shared goals. Highlight common ground with phrases like “We both want…” or “I agree with some of what you’re saying.” This frames the conversation as collaboration, not combat. 

Hedge your claims. Show humility with language like “From my view…” or “It might be the case…” People trust those who allow for complexity instead of clinging to certainty. 

Tell your story. Share a personal experience that shaped your view. Vulnerability builds trust faster than data alone and helps shift the conversation from facts to understanding.

Interested to know more?

Read the complete article at:

https://hbr.org/2025/11/a-smarter-way-to-disagree

Managing Gen Z in the Age of AI by HBR

 Gen Z is shaping the future of work with how they use generative AI—and how they feel about it. If you want to lead or manage these younger workers effectively, focus on four key priorities. 

Acknowledge AI ambivalence. Even though most young adults use AI regularly, most worry it makes people lazier and less intelligent. They’re not anti-tech—they’re anxious about its long-term effects. Take those concerns seriously, and don’t dismiss them as resistance to change. 

Don’t ban AI usage—guide it. One in six Gen Z workers say they use AI even when told not to. Bans don’t work. Instead, create clear, practical guidelines. Help your team understand when AI can be used, how it should be disclosed, and where it adds the most value. 

Remove fear of the unknown. Frequent users worry less. Encourage experimentation and hands-on experience. When people see what AI can do, it often replaces anxiety with insight and confidence. 

Highlight capability-enhancing use cases. Show how AI can support—not replace—critical thinking, creativity, and learning. Focus especially on how it frees up time for meaningful work and deeper human connection

Interested to know more?

Read the complete article at:

https://hbr.org/2026/01/how-gen-z-uses-gen-ai-and-why-it-worries-them

How to Become a Sophisticated AI User by HBR

 You’re likely measuring the results of your individual AI use the wrong way. Counting prompts and hours won’t tell you if your performance is improving. You need to focus on how you are using AI—not how often. Here’s how to level up your AI skills. 

 

Be ambitious in how you use AI. Don’t treat AI as a quick tool for simple tasks. Push for deeper interactions. Write more detailed prompts, go back and forth, and switch between tools when needed. Aim for complexity and sustained engagement, not one-off outputs. 

 

Treat AI as a reasoning partner. Guide the model instead of accepting its first answer. Define roles, provide examples, and refine outputs iteratively. Ask it to test assumptions and explore alternatives. Progress comes from shaping the thinking over time. 

 

Delegate complex tasks with clarity. Give AI multi-step work with clear objectives. Define constraints, success criteria, and output structure. The more specific and structured your direction, the more useful the result. 

 

Use AI across your work. Apply AI beyond writing tasks. Use it for ideation, analysis, and problem solving. Switch between tools based on the task and build comfort through frequent, varied use. 

Interested to know more?

Read the complete article at:

https://hbr.org/2026/03/what-the-best-ai-users-do-differently-and-how-to-level-up-all-of-your-employees

Chasing the Elusive Sakura and Production

     It is my fourth year travelling to Japan, and I have yet to catch the elusive Sakura – Cherry Blossom in full bloom. The first year, I missed it by a weekend, the second year I was early by a week 😊. Last year, global warming pushed it by 3 weeks beyond my travel. This year, I am keeping my fingers crossed to be lucky enough to view the elusive Sakura in Full Bloom.

              Just like the Sakura that eludes me, our project production has also been eluding us for a while. Which was planned initially in January this year, has moved to July, and is now in September. I understand a lot of expectations and emotions are associated with seeing the system we worked so hard for in production. And I assure you, everyone of us is pushing to achieve this call.

              Sakura – Cherry Blossom bloom stays for a week and teaches us the valuable life lesson that nothing is eternal. The same can be said about life and projects. While we will not go all philosophical about life. For projects like ours, the milestone achievement feeling is usually ephemeral. We rejoice in meeting the January milestone and the February milestone is awaited, and so on…

While I understand that the unending milestones take a toll, we need to look at the final picture. The satisfaction of having our years of work bear fruit during production makes it all worthwhile.

So, my dear friends, let's keep our eyes on the target(project production) and cherish the joy of meeting the milestones, however ephemeral they may be, like the transient Sakura bloom that happens every year in Japan.

-- Sanjay Ishwarlal Upadhyay 

The HBR way to Make Your Leadership Impact Visible

 As you become more senior in an organization, visibility isn’t optional—it’s expected. But when your team is doing the hands-on work, how do you talk about your role without taking undue credit or sounding vague? Here’s how to own your contributions with clarity and credibility. 

Use “we-then-me” structure. Acknowledge the team first, then describe your own role. This signals collaboration while making your input clear. It’s more credible than leading with “I,” especially when your work involves guiding others. 

Speak to scale. Always contextualize the scope of your work, including budget, audience, or timeline. Instead of “I led the campaign,” say “I directed a campaign that reached 2 million customers.” Use leadership verbs like oversaw, guided, or secured buy-in. 

Show your strategic thinking. Anyone can explain what happened. Your competitive advantage is explaining why it happened. Highlight key decisions, tradeoffs, and risks you managed. This demonstrates executive judgment and reinforces your business impact. 

Name the invisible work. Bring the behind-the-scenes effort to the foreground. Relationship-building, alignment, and conflict resolution often go unnoticed unless you call them out. 

Highlight your stewardship. Frame how you advanced values, built talent, or reinforced the mission. These are critical indicators of senior-level success. 

From https://hbr.org/

Lead Through Chaos by Sticking to Your Values -- As suggested by HBR

When disruption is constant, leadership requires the ability to adapt quickly while staying grounded in your purpose. To navigate complexity with clarity, make pivoting a daily habit that’s rooted in values. Here’s how.  Start by facing hard truths. Don’t waste energy defending outdated strategies. Acknowledge what’s no longer working and challenge assumptions that may be holding you back. Clarity—no matter how uncomfortable it makes you feel—is the first step of a purposeful pivot.  Recommit to your values. External pressure can push you to compromise your stated purpose, but consistency builds trust. When tough leadership decisions align with your values, you protect credibility and avoid internal drift.  Adapt strategy, not identity. Agility is critical, but only when it’s tethered to what matters most. Let your values inform your response to disruption or change. That way, you can move quickly without losing alignment and integrity.  Empower your team. Don’t solve every problem alone. The best ideas often come from those closest to the frontline work. Invite creative solutions and delegate decision-making authority to accelerate execution.  Go on offense. Defensive moves are tempting in uncertain times. But well-timed, proactive investments in innovation, talent, or business models can set you apart from the competition.  Interested to know more? Read the complete article at: https://hbr.org/2025/12/5-ways-organizations-can-pivot-with-purpose

The Keys to Great Conversation from the Pros at HBR

A Simple Framework for Becoming a Better Conversationalist 

Whether you’re interacting with colleagues, clients, friends, family members, or strangers, conversations are the building blocks of relationships. To become a great conversationalist in both work and non-work settings, use the TALK framework: Topic, Asking, Levity, and Kindness. Here’s how.

 Start by preparing topics. Think ahead about two or three things your conversation partner might enjoy discussing. Once you’re talking, don’t linger too long on any one subject—switch topics if you notice your counterpart’s energy dipping or interest fading.

 Ask more questions—especially follow-ups. No one likes to be talked at. Being inquisitive shows you’re listening and encourages deeper sharing. Practice by challenging yourself to ask a follow-up every time you speak.

 Infuse levity to counter boredom and disengagement. This doesn’t mean you need to tell jokes; compliments, smiling, or switching to lighter topics can create connection and boost engagement, especially in professional settings.

 Finally, lead with kindness. Good conversations aren’t about being the smartest or most interesting person in the room—they’re about making others feel heard and valued. Show you’re listening by paraphrasing what others say or validating their perspective before responding 
 

Interested to know more?

Hear the complete podcast at:
A conversation with Harvard Business School’s Alison Wood Brooks about improving your casual communication skills.

https://hbr.org/podcast/2025/03/the-keys-to-great-conversation

Marathon and Train for Project Production

     The marathon is named after Pheidippides, a Greek soldier who ran from Marathon to Athens to proclaim Greece's victory over the Persians.  Just like the Marathon, we're all racing the final mile to the production to announce the project's win.

Training for a marathon involves a structured running plan combined with cross-training and strength work to build endurance and prevent injuries. To avoid injury from repetitive motion and to build overall fitness, it is essential to supplement your running with other activities like Strength training and Cross-training (low-impact cardio).

              Missing training, especially over an extended period, can cause various physical and mental side effects. The rate at which you lose fitness, a process known as "detraining," depends on your previous fitness level, age, and how long you are inactive. Similarly, we must guarantee that our training for the project marathon, i.e., IVT, SVT, and PT with migrated data, is not in RED or prioritized for a lengthy period of time..

              Missing training might also affect recuperation.  Similarly, our holidays have influenced our defect backlog, which has climbed significantly.  We must now recover from the backlog and be fit again to attain our goal.

              As a result, I urge you, my dear team, to train consistently, keep the backlog low, and be proactive in resolving all potential concerns so that we can accomplish our final goal, the pinnacle of the marathon, or production.

A Data-Based Approach to Delegating -- The HBR Way..

 You probably know you should delegate more. The real challenge is figuring out what to delegate. Start with this four-step process. 

Track your time without judgment. Use a simple spreadsheet divided into 15- or 30-minute blocks. For two weeks, record everything: emails, meetings, reports, conversations. Update the log a few times a day to avoid relying on memory. Don’t try to improve your habits yet—just capture what’s actually happening.  

Sort your tasks into four categories. Once you’ve gathered enough data, group tasks into: (1) should delegate, (2) could delegate, (3) should not delegate, and (4) automate or eliminate. You’ll spot work you’ve outgrown, inherited, or never questioned—along with tasks that shouldn’t be done at all. 

Make a delegation plan. Start with the “should delegate” list. Choose someone whose skills or goals align with the task. Set expectations, provide guidance, and plan a handoff. Avoid the temptation to step back in if things aren’t perfect right away.

Reclaim your time. After two months, review your original log. Add up the time you’ve freed, and repurpose it for more strategic, high-value work. 

Interested to know more?

Read the complete article at:

https://hbr.org/2025/07/a-data-based-approach-to-delegating

Become a Better Delegator to become a better Manager

How to Get Better at Delegating by HBR.

If you struggle to delegate, you’re not alone. But holding onto every task isn’t just overwhelming—it can hold you back. Effective delegation isn’t about offloading work, but empowering your team, boosting efficiency, and freeing up your time for high-impact priorities. Here’s how to get started.

 

Identify your roadblocks. Do you resist delegating due to control issues, perfectionism, or fear of failure? Recognize these tendencies and ask: What’s the real cost—not just to you, but to your team’s growth, efficiency, and overall morale?

 

Know what to delegate. As a manager, your job is to focus on three key responsibilities: strategy, hiring decisions, and ensuring your team has resources. If a task doesn’t fall into these categories, someone else can likely handle it.

 

Start small. Begin with low-risk work, like recurring reports or scheduling. Quick wins build confidence for both you and your team, making larger handoffs easier over time.

 

Give directions—but allow for autonomy. Explain expectations, desired outcomes, and key checkpoints, but let people find their own way. Micromanaging stifles innovation and creates unnecessary bottlenecks.

 

Check in (without hovering). Use structured touchpoints to track progress, address concerns, and provide support, making sure to avoid excessive oversight that signals a lack of trust

Interested to know more?

Read the complete article at:

https://hbr.org/2025/03/how-to-get-better-at-delegating

Do you have a Gavator Account?

Gravatar is a service by Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, Tumblr, Pocket Casts, Day One, Beeper, WooCommerce, and other popular web services.

Gravatar is an open alternative to profile page services like LinkTree. Integrated across millions of websites, Gravatar avatars and profiles ensure a consistent presence online. You have full control with no data lock-in and can use your own custom domain. Update your profile once, and it updates everywhere

I created mine. The QR code is here

  

And so is the direct link: 

https://gravatar.com/sanjayiu

Do you have one?

If not, create one... It's free 😊

 

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