The Future of Time Investment
Introduction In the new hyper automated age, Return on Time Invested (ROTI) would depend paradoxically on areas of personal growth that are expected to remain free of automation. This piece is about getting a sound Return on Time Invested (ROTI) in the foreseeable future, which is, for purposes of this article, the next 100 weeks of our life. Before we decide what ‘sound’ in this context is, let us revisit the baby-new world that is being born even as I type these lines. The Future is Already Here The future is already here. Driverless cars, coliving, hyperloop travel, commercial space travel, the colonizing of other planets, and living forever are ideas that either exist or are very close to becoming commonplace realities. How many jobs, professional specializations, and professions will go the way of the thatcher, the telegrapher, the typist, the horse buggy driver, the mail-runner? Hyperloop and the Changing World of Transportation Hyperloop, a magnetic levitation vehicle, does not touch any surface and has therefore been likened to an airplane in terms of technology as well as travelling experience. However, as it operates in a sealed chamber, its routines would not be as impacted by the vagaries of extreme weather as an airplane. A road journey from Mumbai to Pune that is covered today in about two hours by road would be covered in just thirteen minutes once Hyperloops are available for the public. Automation, AI, and the Future of Jobs The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs 2018 report cites an estimate that the changing relationship between humans and machines may result in the displacement of 77 million jobs globally and the creation of 133 million new roles by 2022. Now, if you really wish to add an extra edge to your pessimism, Humans Need Not Apply by CGP Grey with its 17 million views on YouTube is just what you need. The sum of what the video is saying is that the bots are coming for our jobs. Grey points out that human workers are like horses that were used for transportation before automobiles emerged on the scene. The global horse population peaked in about the first quarter of the 1900s, and then went downhill from there because automobiles were cleaner, cheaper, and easier to maintain. Today, there are general-purpose robots that learn new tasks by simply observing them. The repetition of jobs once observed by bots is, thereafter, a simple matter. Sure, they presently only function at one-tenth of human speed, but they also finish the same tasks for one-hundredth of the cost. So, what would an hour of your life pay you in terms of money in this ever-changing world? There are no clear answers, but you could look at two personal ‘to-do’ areas irrespective of your area of specialization that could supplement your ROTI or what you earn in monetary terms in an hour. Two Key Areas to Improve Your ROTI 1. Self-work and Creativity With the creation and distribution of audio-visual media in various formats becoming easier by the day, personal branding through improved grooming, public speaking skills, human connect, voice culture, and articulation will become key to standing out. It is therefore imperative that we foster a spirit of creativity in our schools, our families, and businesses as well. 2. Continuous Re-education Only those with an open mind, fast reflexes, and a readiness to return to school will survive and thrive in such an environment.
What is Your Hourly Worth?
Introduction I first came across the principle of Hourly Worth (HW) in a seminar in 2013 led by global time management guru Brian Tracy, whom I regard as an important teacher, mentor, and friend in my journey as a trainer and coach. He was so kind to endorse my book, Million Dollar Second. Understanding Hourly Worth (HW) HW is arrived at by dividing your yearly income by the total number of hours you work in a year (Tracy approximates it at 2,000 hours). So, you write down the time you spend at work in a given year minus the holidays and arrive at the total hours. If it is x dollars per hour and you decide to arrive at a better HW, say y dollars per hour. You either find ways of being better paid for the same hours or reduce the number of hours of work or do both. When I thought about this wonderful tool, I realized it was the beginning of a conversation that had immense value to offer every leader as much as it did to each person the leader was responsible for. The Scope of Hourly Worth at Work The scope of HW in any conversation on people at work is immense. Let’s consider just one here; the daily commute impact on HW. For instance, any honest evaluation of an employee’s HW from an HR or L&D leader’s perspective must include the hours lost in the daily commute, and the inconvenience caused by it. It must also consider the suffering (which is qualitative but can be measured on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest level of inconvenience) that three to four hours of commuting in a normal working day have on the personal, familial, social and professional life of the employee. The sufferings of daily commuters to a business district are exacerbated by the fact that traffic flows overwhelmingly in one direction during the rush hours. Now, an employee may not consciously process his HW with such clarity, but the hours lost in overcrowded public transport are nobody’s gain. Seen in perspective, this wastes over ten working days per month in cities like Mumbai. The Gap Between Employee and Organizational Perspective What this speaks of is the gap between HW seen from the employee’s perspective and the same person’s HW perceived by an organization’s leaders who could be disinclined to take the HW discussion beyond the eight hours they are legally/ professionally responsible for. However, any initiative by an organization that improves the HW from the employee’s perspective is bound to positively impact work efficiency, job satisfaction, attrition, and the overall culture of the organization. Ways Organizations Can Improve Hourly Worth Examples of how this can be done include: The Rise of Work From Home (WFH) While surviving through the COVID-19 Pandemic, we were in a way compelled to adopt the Work-From-Home culture due to prolonged Lockdowns across the Globe. In a span of a few months, many MNC’s saw the difference and the impact this shift brought along, which made way for official announcements to extend this WFH model even after the lockdown was lifted. The recent idea from Tata Steel of ‘Work from Anywhere’ makes me think of innovations that are likely to emerge in the near future and stay even after the effects of COVID 19 fade away. Conclusion Start calculating your Hourly Worth and take the first step towards making every second of your life count for what it’s worth! Application of this seemingly simple idea has changed some people’s lives. See what it did to Jogesh Jain, my TTST Alumni and mentee, who has emerged as India’s #1 Employability Coach. Watch Jogesh Jain’s Hourly Worth Story
Multitasking is Task-switching
Introduction Don’t we all do it? Texting while walking, sending emails during meetings, chatting on the phone while cooking dinner and making telephone calls while driving or walking on the road? In today’s society, doing just one thing at a time seems downright luxurious, wasteful, and is considered out of fashion. We think, as amazing multitaskers, we are great achievers! Wow! We pat ourselves, and even show off, on and off social media that we can multitask and do many things simultaneously. You think that you can concentrate and do a number of tasks simultaneously, you can get more productive and get your tasks done faster? The Myth of Multitasking I have been a proud multitasker for over 4 decades. It was in 2014 when Col Nandu Warrior, in a workshop, made a statement, “The human brain is not capable of multitasking.” I vehemently disagreed and argued. I was proud of doing and achieving more than my peers and was often complemented for it. However, it left a doubt in my mind and considering his knowledge and the credibility he enjoyed, I decided to check it out. My in-depth study that followed, made me realise that I had been a victim of this MYTH for over forty years. The truth I discovered is so different. Research shows that multitasking does not make us half as efficient as we like to believe. The hard fact is that human beings cannot multitask in the true sense. Guy Winch, author of Emotional First Aid states, “What we call multitasking is actually task-switching.” When it comes to attention and productivity, our brains have a finite amount,” he says. Let me share this wisdom with you with 9 strong reasons why you should stop indulging in multitasking. 9 Reasons Why You Should Stop Multitasking 1. Multitasking Can Damage Your Brain Have you experienced writing emails or a serious proposal during a meeting or while attending a webinar? You’re asking your brain to split its attention and it is not wired for that. For the brain, it is cognitive overload, and it dulls the brain and it retards our response time. 2. Multitasking Makes You Less Productive In this act of task-switching the brain consumes more time to switch tasks than the total time one would take if you concentrate on one at a time. Studies have revealed that multitasking can reduce the productivity by as much as 40%. 3. Multitasking Makes You Dumb Although that may sound somewhat harsh, the fact is that repeated exposure to multitasking adversely affects your alertness and even intelligence. 4. Multitasking Can Even Weaken Your Memory Frequent task-switching can affect your memory cells negatively. When you are juggling between two different activities, you cannot be paying proper attention to any one of them. So whatever you are doing or learning, you will not be able to recollect it properly later. 5. Multitasking Makes You Prone to Errors According to Weinschenk, “you make more errors when you switch than if you do one task at a time. If the tasks are complex then these time and error penalties multiply.” Multitasking itself is not as harmful as cutting corners due to pressures of working against time. 6. Multitasking Kills Your Creativity While multitasking, your attention hops from one problem to another. This makes you lose focus and concentration at the tasks at hand. It is quite possible to work on a few similar tasks at one time, when it comes to serious problem-solving, it’s a big challenge. The concentration suffers affecting your creative instincts. 7. Multitasking Causes Anxiety A major disadvantage of multitasking is that feeling of anxiety which is the result of frequent loss of concentration. The symptoms of interrupted work can range from psychological to even physical. 8. Multitasking is a Waste of Time Contrary to the common belief, multitasking takes away a lot of time in attention-switching. The time spent on the reset is far greater than the usual perceived time-saving. That is the simple tragedy. 9. Multitasking Lowers the Quality of Your Work When you multitask, your work suffers, for sure. Research shows that multitasking reduces performance and makes project completion much longer. I have experienced it many times. I have tried sending emails on my phone, in a meeting and ended up sending it to a wrong address or a different attachment went, as compared to the one I intended. And there are chances I missed some proceedings of the conference, in that duration, too. Conclusion In the present day and age, work pressures force us to multitask. And I think it’s okay, if you indulge in it selectively and consciously keeping the above in mind. Do not miss a series of 5 videos on Multitasking on my YouTube channel. Watch the Multitasking Video Series
From Battlefield to Boardroom: 7 Military Leadership Lessons Every CEO Should Adopt
Most CEOs do not have a strategy problem. They have an execution problem. Plans look polished. Meetings sound convincing. Yet months later, the same initiatives remain unfinished. After thirty-five years in the Indian Army, I learned one critical truth: plans only matter when pressure begins. In the military, poor alignment can cost lives. In business, it costs trust, speed, accountability, and results. The principles that build high-performing military units can also build stronger organizations, more decisive leaders, and teams that execute with clarity. Here are seven military leadership lessons every CEO can apply immediately. 1. Lead with Intent, Not Instructions One of the most effective concepts used in the Army is Mission Command. Leaders communicate the objective and the reason behind it — not every single step required to achieve it. Why? Because the people closest to the problem usually have the best information. In business, excessive instruction creates dependency. Teams stop thinking independently and begin waiting for approval. Strong leaders provide direction, clarity, and constraints — then trust their teams to execute. How CEOs Can Apply This Before launching a major initiative, define a simple “commander’s intent” that includes: Then allow your team to decide the best execution path. Organizations move faster when leaders create clarity instead of control. Click Here 2. Lead from the Front Leadership presence matters most during difficult situations. When product launches fail, clients are unhappy, revenue drops, or restructuring becomes necessary, teams watch leadership behavior closely. People do not remember motivational speeches during pressure. They remember whether leaders showed up. Military leaders understand this deeply. During uncertainty, visible leadership builds confidence and stability. How CEOs Can Apply This This week, personally participate in at least two difficult conversations your team may be avoiding. Examples include: Presence during pressure builds trust faster than authority ever can. 3. The 7 Ps: Prior Proper Planning Prevents Poor Performance In the military, planning is not bureaucracy. Planning is preparation for uncertainty. Pressure reduces clarity. Good preparation restores it. A strong operational plan answers critical questions: Most business failures are not caused by lack of intelligence. They are caused by avoidable assumptions. How CEOs Can Apply This Before major projects, conduct a simple “pre-mortem” exercise. Ask your team: “Imagine this initiative failed six months from now. What caused the failure?” This discussion uncovers hidden risks, operational gaps, and unrealistic expectations early enough to fix them. 4. Reconnaissance Before Action The military never relies entirely on assumptions. Reconnaissance replaces guesses with direct observation. In business, many leaders make decisions based only on presentations, dashboards, and filtered reports. But reality is usually found closer to the ground. Direct observation changes decision-making quality dramatically. How CEOs Can Apply This Spend time observing operations firsthand: Real insight often comes from what reports fail to show. 5. The Buddy System Every soldier has a buddy. This system creates accountability, trust, emotional support, and psychological safety under pressure. Modern workplaces often isolate employees — especially high performers and senior leaders. Even capable people perform better when they have trusted peers around them. How CEOs Can Apply This Create informal support partnerships across departments or leadership levels. Encourage employees to connect with someone outside their direct reporting structure who can offer: Strong organizations are built on strong human connections. 6. Conduct After-Action Reviews (AAR) After every military operation, teams conduct an After-Action Review. The purpose is not blame. The purpose is learning. Four simple questions guide the process: Most organizations repeat mistakes because they avoid honest reflection. Learning cultures outperform ego-driven cultures. How CEOs Can Apply This Conduct short reviews after: Leaders should openly discuss their own mistakes first. That creates psychological safety and encourages honest participation from the team. 7. Service Before Self The best military leaders understand one principle clearly: Leadership is responsibility, not status. Officers prioritize the wellbeing, readiness, and effectiveness of their teams before themselves. Great leaders remove obstacles so their people can perform at their best. How CEOs Can Apply This At the end of each week, ask yourself: “Did I spend more time removing obstacles for my team or creating them?” The answer reveals leadership quality more honestly than titles ever will. Brig. Sushil Bhasin Book Final Thoughts The boardroom is not a battlefield. But leadership under pressure follows the same principles everywhere: clarity, trust, discipline, accountability, and service. Organizations consistently outperform competitors when leaders: You do not need a military background to lead this way. You need the discipline to practice these principles consistently. That is what separates managers from leaders.
The True Leader Isn’t the One Who Walks Ahead — It’s the One Who Lifts Others Up
There’s an old saying in the army — “A good officer leads from the front, but a great officer creates leaders behind him.” I truly understood this for the first time when my unit was sent on an incredibly difficult mission. That day, I realized that real leadership isn’t about giving commands — it’s about building trust. The Problem With Leadership Today Most leaders in the corporate world make one fundamental mistake — they confuse authority with leadership. Getting a title doesn’t make you a leader. A big cabin, a fancy designation — these are all external things. The real question is: Does your team work with the same energy and purpose even when you’re not around? If the answer is no, you’ve been building followers — not leaders. The Lesson No Book Could Teach Me It was 1999. We were deployed at a high-altitude post. Communication had been cut off and orders from command had stopped coming. In that moment, one of my junior officers — without any instruction — regrouped the entire unit and held the position. I asked him later, “How did you know what to do?” He said, “Sir, you always told us the why — not just the what.” That is the real difference leadership makes. When you give your team a sense of purpose, they become capable of making the right decisions on their own. 3 Things Every Leader Must Do First — Trust Before You Command. Show your team that you believe in them. Stop micromanaging. When people feel trusted, they push themselves to rise to the occasion. Second — Connect Them to a Purpose. Always explain the “why” behind every task. When a person understands the meaning of what they’re doing, their effort increases naturally. Third — Allow Yourself to Be Vulnerable. A leader doesn’t need to pretend to be perfect. Acknowledging your mistakes doesn’t make you weak — it makes you authentic, and that authenticity is what earns real respect. So, What’s Next? Leadership is not a destination — it’s a journey. And every journey begins with honest self-reflection. If you want your team to not just follow your orders, but truly believe in your vision — start today. Ask yourself one question: “What do I give my team that they simply cannot find anywhere else?”
