I was watching Sandor Katz: The Art of Fermentation lecture. It was an eye-opener for me. I remember how grandma was very particular about leftover curd to make more curd from it. Fermentation is more of a magic than science. We have made bacteria the villain. They are part of us humans residing in guts …
Author Archives: Atul
Reading
We are living in a hyper-connected world. We are always connected, occupied and and short of time. I keep hearing from friends that podcast and audiobooks have replaced their book-reading habits. I have not found replacing book reading with audiobooks. It should not matter how many books you have read for the badge, but the …
people skills
I have been in this startup ecosystem for over a decade now in multiple hats. There is a pattern that I have noticed: you need to be a people’s person before anything else. I have also seen people be it a VC, founder, or an analyst at a fund progressing well in their career with …
Attributes of a negotiator
These are some of the important attributes of a successful negotiator: Patience Communication skills Flexibility Tact Open-Mindedness Subject knowledge Willingness to take risks Physical stamina Self-confidence Decisiveness Creativity Willingness to listen Self-control Long-range outlook Persistence Sensitivity to interests and needs of others Form the excerpts of The Global Negotiator
anger
How many lives lost because of anger? How many relationships came to a halt because of anger? How many negotiations faltered because of anger? Why do we get angry? Is it our obsession, wanting, or ego? Or is it about being right, running show in my way? Nero, emperor of Rome, burnt the entire city. …
communication
I am halfway through the book: The Global Negotiator where the author speaks about communication categories based upon purpose. These are: Phatic: This type of communication consists of the preliminary discussions that are intended to build a binding personal relationship. It helps in creating a personal bond before coming to the negotiation table. Informational: The …
listening
The reason why we have two ears and only one mouth is that we may listen to more and talk the less. –Zeno, Stoic Philosopher Listening is a virtue very few have been able to master. I am working towards it. I should master it before my death, hopefully. Listening helps in gathering information to …
winning
Winning runs in our adrenaline. Be it sports, politics, spelling bee, or business: winning at all cost is the mantra. It is part and parcel of every culture. With time, capitalism only added more fuel to it. Is there any side effect of this teaching? Or this what we have to feed our kids, help …
busy
Being busy seems to be the new norm. It gets us a bragging right. The treadmill crafted by a few wants us to feel great about being busy. We are busy, still, nothing gets done on time. We are busy to miss the son’s first recital or daughter’s participation at a speech competition. We are …
cave
Most of us are living in our little cave. Our needs, friendship, and longings are limited to ourselves. What we like is part of the cave. What we dislike is irrational, wrong, or moronic. We are hurt with the discomfort even though they be the reality of life. Our limited knowledge is our ignorance. I …