“The bottom line is, good communication skills equate to good relationships, a better career path, better mental health, and a better chance for overall success in your career and personal life”
Employers often list communication skills as their highest priority, above even the qualifications for the job in question. Communication is essential in business to convey ideas, to have good relationships with colleagues and staff, to handle interviews, to create an impact with your presence, to network, the list is endless.
The bottom line is, good communication skills equate to good relationships, a better career path, better mental health, and a better chance for overall success in your career and personal life.
Forms of professional communication include written, verbal and non-verbal formal and informal communication. Not surprisingly, e-mail the most frequently used form of written formal communication today.
Here are a few simple points we need to keep in mind while writing a professional e-mail:
1. Pay attention to the subject line – Try to keep it concise and clear, and make sure it reflects the actual content of the e-mail. Avoid using ‘Hello’ or ‘FYI’, or other general greetings as subjects.
2. Always use a proper salutation or greeting – ‘Good morning’, ‘Good day’, ‘Greetings’ or ‘Hello’ are acceptable ways to begin your e-mail; while ‘Hey’ and ‘Hi’ are not appropriate for formal e-mails.
3. Write a proper introduction – Especially when writing to someone for the first time, it is best to include your full name along with some background information in the first few lines. For example, “Dear Ms. Mathews: My name is Anjala Singh, Editor of Literature Today magazine; I am writing to you regarding…”
However, in certain cultures (such as Japanese), it is not considered appropriate to introduce yourself directly to a potential contact, such introductions are customarily made by mutually respected third parties. So, it is always best to research the customs of a country you are unfamiliar with, before writing an e-mail or starting any kind of communication.
“Millions of e-mails are sent across the globe on a daily basis. Yet, a single poorly written e-mail can damage your professional image”
4. Avoid humour and sarcasm – It is easy to misinterpret e-mail messages if the context is not clear. Humour is culture-specific and can oftentimes confuse or worse, offend the recipient.
5. Do not use the ‘Reply All’ option unless it is actually needed – Avoid using ‘Reply-to-All’ unless everyone needs to know. For example, when a C-level executive (Chief Operating Officer, Chief Executive Office, and so forth) or their assistant sends an e-mail to ten staff members requesting volunteers for a project, reply to the sender of the e-mail, not to all the other recipients of the mail. Reply-to-All is a function for ongoing deliberations on a particular subject.
6. Break up your e-mail into concise points – Use bullet points when possible and stick to the basic information. Do not write an essay when three sentences can do the job.
7. Before hitting the ‘send’ button, ask yourself, “Does the receiver need all this information,” or, “Could this be better as a conversation over the phone instead?”
8. Reply promptly – On working days, formal e-mails should ideally be replied to within 24 hours.
9. Use proper language – Do not use short forms or acronyms, or slang in your e-mail.
10. Proofread – Check your grammar and spelling before hitting ‘send’.
Millions of e-mails are sent across the globe on a daily basis. Yet, a single poorly written e-mail can damage your professional image. It would be helpful to remember here that every successful person has superior communication skills. In fact, the most admired and best leaders are the most clear communicators. You can take the first step by improving your e-mail writing skills!
“NFTs are digital collectibles, just as people collect physical objects of value such as coins, art, baseball cards. An NFT is a certificate of authenticity for digital assets – which can include art, music, video clips such as sports highlights, or even tweets – validated by blockchain”
What is NFT?
NFT is an acronym for Non-Fungible Token. A Non-Fungible Token or NFT is a digital item which can be created, bought, and sold in an open market. NFTs are owned and controlled by individuals and do not require the support or permission of any centralized authority or organization. The key characteristic of an NFT is that it is a distinct proprietary asset and cannot be exchanged for any other NFT, unlike Bitcoin, Ethereum or other cryptocurrency. Each NFT is a token that is encrypted on the blockchain network.
NFTs are digital collectibles, just as people collect physical objects of value such as coins, art, baseball cards. An NFT is a certificate of authenticity for digital assets – which can include art, music, video clips such as sports highlights, or even tweets – validated by blockchain.
What is the difference between NFTs and cryptocurrency?
Cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin, is ‘fungible’ or ‘exchangeable’ – meaning that one Bitcoin can be exchanged with another, without making any difference to the owner. This is not the case with NFTs, as each one is unique and irreplaceable. While blockchain was initially developed to support assets such as Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency, it is has now evolved to enable users to create unique non-fungible assets.
How do NFTs work?
Blockchain allows users to create unique crypto assets which are non-fungible, that is, which cannot be replaced. Creators of unique digital artifacts can capture information of relevance to their digital creations and store them as tokens on the Ethereum blockchain, enabled by the ERC721 token standard. The ERC721 was built with the intention of setting the technical standard for non-fungible tokens on the Ethereum blockchain. It tracks ownership and movements of individual tokens in the block, thereby enabling the chain to recognize the non-fungible tokens. The famous CryptoKitties project was the first to use the ERC721 technical standard.
What is the reason behind its current popularity?
NFTs entered the mainstream in 2017 with a project called CryptoKitties, a virtual game based on blockchain in which players could adopt, raise, and trade virtual cats. 2018 and 2019 saw huge growth in the NFT ecosystem, with NFT marketplaces flourishing and trade volumes growing. Earlier this year, the sale of digital artwork “Everydays: The First 5,000 Days”, by digital artist Mike Winkelmann, also known as Beeple, at Christie’s Auction House for a record USD 69.3 million was the first ever sale of a digital artwork by a major auction house.
One likely factor behind the rising popularity of NFTs may be the increase in recreational investing during the pandemic. As most such exchanges accept cryptocurrencies, this meets the demand of individual investors with stockpiles of cryptocurrency who are looking for entertaining avenues to spend it on, which also have the potential to help create money in the future.
What are the benefits of NFT?
The historic auction of Beeple’s digital artwork was not only a landmark moment for all digital artists, and those involved with NFTs, but also has huge implications for all kinds of artists who are creating today. Crypto art can finally resolve the problem of artists getting paid, as NFTs can be programmed to pay royalty to the creator every time the collectible is sold.
Though it has come far from its early days, the NFT market is still growing and evolving. The next year is likely to see much innovation and further developments. NFT has immense potential to create value in the physical world as well, by setting clear and secure ownership standards. The removal of intermediaries makes the option of transacting with NFTs desirable, affordable, and fast.
Where can someone create, buy, and sell NFTs?
Firstly, a creator would have to decide which blockchain they would use to create their NFTs. Each blockchain has its distinct NFT token standard, compatible wallet services and marketplaces. To mint your own NFT artwork, videos or music on the Ethereum blockchain (which currently has the largest NFT ecosystem) you would need an Ethereum wallet that supports the ERC-721 token standard, and USD 50-100 in ether (ETH). Thereafter, one can choose from a number of platforms / marketplaces – such as OpenSea, Rarible, Mintable – which allow the user to connect their wallet and upload any image or file that is to be turned into to turn into an NFT. Some other popular NFT marketplaces are SuperRare, VIV3, BakerySwap, and NFT ShowRoom.
“For young adults stepping into the career world, their choice of mentors plays a significant role in the degree of achievement they set for themselves, the goals they aspire to, and the confidence with which they step forward into this exciting new era of their lives”
Every moment of our lives from our first breath to our last, we are influenced by mentors, either directly or indirectly. The actions, words, successes, failures, inspirations and motivations that shape our personalities, goals and dreams are influenced by mentors. When we are children, we generally don’t have a lot of say in who our mentors are…family, friends, teachers, school playmates – these are the people who will shape our ideas of teamwork, our ability to make decisions, our morals, and our tendencies to be leaders or followers. The people who teach us fundamental life lessons as children influence our ability to problem solve, make decisions and choose the right (or wrong) mentors when we get older. As adults, we take these attributes shaped by the mentors of our youth, and we use these models to shape the character of our future, and how we influence ourselves, others and humanity.
For young adults stepping into the career world, their choice of mentors plays a significant role in the degree of achievement they set for themselves, the goals they aspire to, and the confidence with which they step forward into this exciting new era of their lives. The big, bad, scary future is much less daunting when you have a trusted advisor/mentor to listen, learn from, brainstorm with, and model. Mentors can be older siblings, parents, professors, friends, but a mentor can also be a boss, colleague or even a peer. There is no universal formula for a mentor – we are all mentors and we are all mentees, regardless of age or professional experience.
“There is no universal formula for a mentor – we are all mentors and we are all mentees, regardless of age or professional experience”
“Companies that embrace a culture of mentorship are shown to outperform competitors, having greater levels of efficiency, more cohesive team structures, and lower turnover rates. Mentoring builds unity, and a company unified from within will be a true vanguard of the future”
Seasoned professionals, business leaders – those individuals who have been running in the rat race for a period of time – have a responsibility to inspire the younger generations so that they can aspire to reach their full potential, learning from our successes while avoiding the pitfalls that can usually only be sidestepped through experience. Companies that embrace a culture of mentorship are shown to outperform competitors, having greater levels of efficiency, more cohesive team structures, and lower turnover rates. Mentoring builds unity, and a company unified from within will be a true vanguard of the future.
One of the most underappreciated forms of mentorship is reverse mentorship. Reverse mentoring pairs younger employees with executive-level team members, usually focused around technology and innovation. Companies that encourage their employees to be open to both mentorship and reverse mentorship, have a greater sense of inclusion, cooperation and productive knowledge-sharing. When senior executives or members of the leadership team challenge their younger employees with the responsibility of hacking apart problems and conceiving new and innovative solutions, teaching and guiding their colleagues, the company is positioned to be both disruptive and transformational. We have much to learn from one another. When you ask someone for their assistance, ideas or opinions, you are showing them that you value their input and trust their perspective. While they are contributing to the solution of your challenge, you are contributing reciprocal value to them, helping to build their self-confidence, further inspire the courage of their creativity, and ensure that they feel valued as an employee.
“When senior executives or members of the leadership team challenge their younger employees with the responsibility of hacking apart problems and conceiving new and innovative solutions, teaching and guiding their colleagues, the company is positioned to be both disruptive and transformational”
Our ability to professionally mentor does not come only from our education or professional experience, it comes from each and every engagement we have with others, the places we have traveled, the challenges we have faced, the times when we have been uplifted and the times when we have been let down. Sometimes, as we mentor others in a business capacity, we endeavor to keep it very linear and focused only on the topic, leaving the ‘personal’ out of it. But the ‘personal’ is what makes us human. The ‘personal’ is what makes us relatable. The ‘personal’ is what shapes the value of our perspective. And the ‘personal’ is what makes our content as a mentor, much more valuable. The personal side of us encompasses our emotions – the love, loyalty, sense of family. A mentor who counsels strictly from the rigid space of business will be missing a phenomenal opportunity to shape a well-rounded thought process infused with empathy, understanding, and balance – the balance we all need to successfully manage both our business and personal lives. We are sometimes afraid to show emotion or vulnerability in the workplace, but emotion and vulnerability is what truly makes us creative and forward-thinking. We see problems and challenges from a myriad of perspectives when we bring emotion to the table. If we hide behind a façade, attempting to be what we assume to be appropriate for the workplace, we are denying the workplace of the value of well-rounded perspective from our lessons learned. A mentor who espouses this as a role model is helping to shape visionary, tolerant and courageous mentees – who will pass this on as they assume their role as a mentor.
“A mentor who counsels strictly from the rigid space of business will be missing a phenomenal opportunity to shape a well-rounded thought process infused with empathy, understanding, and balance – the balance we all need to successfully manage both our business and personal lives”
“Have the courage to do things differently than others, and not only will you have opportunities that others don’t have, but you will inspire those who see you as a mentor to be brave enough to also do it differently”
A work environment built around a nucleus of mentorship is the most important way to ensure your company dominates your sector. We are stronger together. As business leaders, entrepreneurs, innovators…and global citizens, we have a responsibility to elevate one another – not only for our personal gain or our business growth, but simply because it is the right thing to do. When we lead by example, we are passively mentoring. Have the courage to do things differently than others, and not only will you have opportunities that others don’t have, but you will inspire those who see you as a mentor to be brave enough to also do it differently. Every single day, we are mentoring and being mentored by others. Mentoring is not always sharing the good…we also learn from the bad examples we see. Be the good example. Be the mentor who inspires, empowers and uplifts. When we uplift one another, we uplift humanity.
“The pandemic has really highlighted the resilience and ability of the best entrepreneurs”
When the virus first arrived, we were incredibly concerned. Our company SFC Capital has a portfolio of about 200 companies; and so, March and April were worrying months. Were investors going to stop investing? Would our company survive? But it soon became clear that the problems were going to be focused on certain sectors, namely travel and hospitality, while big opportunities were opening up for companies involved in other businesses, such as delivery and remote working. Some of our portfolio companies had a very tough time; but some thrived, and a dozen or so witnessed their revenues shoot through the roof – including a flower delivery business, a company that makes kits to upgrade pushbikes to electric, and a sustainable packaging company that transitioned to producing recyclable PPE. Before the virus, they were supplying paper straws to McDonald’s, so their story is a good example of innovation. The pandemic has really highlighted the resilience and ability of the best entrepreneurs. So far, we have not lost a company, some have flourished, while others have hunkered down and waited.
Good entrepreneurs can pretty much survive a nuclear war – they will be able to pivot, transition, rally their team, adapt. They are people-centric, which is hugely important. When we assess companies to invest in, we always look at how the CEOs and leaders interact with their employees, how they behave together in the bunker, so to speak. Are they all pushing in the same direction? The virus has stoked a kind of war-time spirit and the best entrepreneurs are making sure their companies are coming out the other side stronger.
As an early stage investor, at SFC Capital we use a marking matrix to guide us, 50% of which scrutinizes the CEO, leaders, co-founders, and team of each company. How do they come across; how do they behave? Have they got their finger on the pulse? If there is only one founder, they are really up against it from day one; it’s a negative in many ways, but we certainly do not exclude them. Sole founders need to be seriously good for us to invest in them. We are looking for that real spark. We do psychometric testing, we have lots of discussions with them, we see how they respond to our questions on due diligence, and we do a deep dive on each company. If we do decide to invest, later when we are considering whether to reinvest, we re-evaluate them, check their resilience and perseverance, have they built a good team? These are important factors to consider.
“Good entrepreneurs can pretty much survive a nuclear war – they will be able to pivot, transition, rally their team, adapt”
“The virus has stoked a kind of war-time spirit and the best entrepreneurs are making sure their companies are coming out the other side stronger”
Quite often, we are presented with a brilliant idea but the team is lacking. I would rather have a great team with an average idea than an average team with a great idea. A great team will forge something even during the toughest times. One of SFC capital’s first investments was an identity verification company called Onfido. When we invested, they had no revenue, the product wasn’t really there, but the team was so exceptional that we knew it was going to be something special. The company is now worth more than £350 million. It is all about the people.
Remarkably, during the pandemic, valuations have not gone down. People generally tend to overvalue their businesses – how can a company with zero revenue, that is three months old, be worth £2 million? We see crazy valuations like this all the time. I do believe that the pandemic is potentially a good thing for entrepreneurship. We are going to see a lot of people out of work when the furlough scheme in the UK comes to an end. There should be no shortage of startups. The UK is a very entrepreneurial country; but it also probably means we will see some people who should not be entrepreneurs trying their luck coming to the market and demanding corporate salaries.
For budding entrepreneurs in the times of Covid, and even generally, I would advise:
Ø If you don’t have a co-founder, get one. It is extremely difficult going it alone. If you find someone who is compatible with your vision it takes a great deal of pressure off.
Ø Take time to work out a detailed plan and don’t rush things. Be clear when you talk to your potential investors – don’t assume they know anything. Investors tend to be generalists, so you need to be clear.
Ø Don’t overvalue your company. High valuations can destroy companies for so many reasons, not least because it will take so long to source enough investment that you run the risk of someone stealing your idea in the meantime.
Entrepreneurship is the foundation on which the future of business will be built. With the fractures in manufacturing and supply chain, which became evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an immediate opportunity to start businesses with innovative models and solutions, and those having services or products that fill our current challenges and needs. Among established small businesses, which are the backbone of our communities, many are struggling to regain their footing during this challenging and unprecedented time. If we approach the future of business with a new outlook, discarding what we knew to be true about the past, creating what will be true about the future, businesses will transform, going from a position of vulnerability to a position of strength.
When businesses are enduring difficult times, either due to internal or external catalysts, we must all have a distinctive approach to confronting these challenges and crafting customized solutions. While many businesses are looking at the situation from a linear standpoint (“How can I take what you already have and just tweak it to find a solution?”), businesses who approach the challenges using an out-of-the-box thought-process will be the ones shaping the future. When revitalizing business plans, innovating models, or helping a distressed business to recover and accelerate, focus not only on ways to do it differently, but create a unique roadmap for your company, measuring these changes through integration and implementation, so that you can quantify the impact to your stakeholders, customers and employees. Businesses should not simply improve or solve a problem in their operations; they MUST find ways to differentiate themselves from their competitors, carving a unique niche for themselves in an overcrowded marketspace. This not only increases profitability, but it generates value, impact, consumer confidence and profitability.
While this is a very disruptive time for business, disruption leads to transformation. As businesses around the world are channeling large portions of their budgets into cybersecurity and making sure their employees have access to technology and connectivity while working remotely, and as physical office space sits empty, we are embracing this as our new way-forward. Even when this pandemic stabilizes and it is safe to go back to “normal”, it will be far too costly and inefficient to put things back the way they once were. We can’t go back to normal when normal was clearly the problem. KPIs are up, overhead is down…welcome to the new norm.
Many business experts are advising clients to pull in their sails, but I fully disagree! You are missing a phenomenal opportunity! This is the time when fortunes will be made, and fortunes will be lost. While many businesses will sit back licking their wounds, waiting to see how the dust will settle, those who are proactive, examining the gaps that are appearing, and formulating unique solutions will be the ones leading the pack into our transformational future. There is a way back “in” for every business and industry. Finding it, however, requires us to step out of the cattle chute of “business as it’s always been done”, and begin to look at our businesses through fresh eyes, understanding that it may require us to scrap much of our existing model in favor of innovation and change. When adversity becomes a chapter in the handbook of our business, remember that you are the author of the story. You determine what happens next. Whether the story ends or continues depends on your willingness to step out of your comfort zone, being brave enough to disrupt your existing model, and lead the way in a new direction. The beauty in writing each chapter of our lives is that we can take the eraser to the words and redo them any time. Life is never written with a Sharpie. If you make a mess of today, forgive yourself and start fresh with the sunrise.
“While this is a very disruptive time for business, disruption leads to transformation”
“This is the time when fortunes will be made, and fortunes will be lost.”
During COVID-19, we witnessed the breakdown of our global governments at many levels. As businesses, we count on our governmental policies to be our beacon in the night. One of our biggest lessons-learned during the pandemic is that we must take responsibility for our own circumstances. We’ve allowed ourselves to get too comfortable in the somewhat erroneous belief that our government will be able to come to our rescue in times of economic downturn, natural disaster or, clearly, pandemic. Perhaps we are learning a hard lesson about our role in our systemic recovery and resiliency. As we re-evaluate our strategies, implementing new mechanisms and policies which will transform our operations, we must establish contingencies for the fractures which have appeared – and continue to appear, in our supply chains, operations, distribution and services. It would not be unreasonable to use the past few months as the measure by which we reshape our strategy, ensuring that we weigh each catalyst and consequence to formulate flexible and adaptable plans for our new enterprise models.
2020 was about as predictable as the path of a Kansas cyclone. Not long after stepping into this new decade, as we all know, the world was blindsided with an unexpected reality – COVID-19. We went from commuting 90 minutes to/from the suburbs to commuting 30 seconds to our home office, which, for many folks, was/is the kitchen table, serving the dual purpose of conference room and classroom. Schools morphed into computer screens, airports became parking lots, and an elbow bump became the new handshake. We were gearing up for March madness, only to be shocked with an unexpected ‘madness’ in March. Four months ago, the education of our children was a daily routine – mindless clockwork. What time they get on and off the school bus; their spring sports schedules; SAT and ACT testing dates…all written in marker on our calendars. Why write it in pencil? These expectations and benchmarks were as predictable as the solstice – rigid, routine, unalterable.
Progress doesn’t stop because of a challenge, in fact, challenges are the catalysts for progress. It is said that the Stone Age didn’t end because we ran out of stones, it ended because of PROGRESS. We aspire to more sophisticated medical care. We find ways to use technology to automate and innovate. We create processes and operations to make our businesses competitive and relevant. As parents, we strive to enable our children to progress beyond us in terms of quality of life and success. Progress implies forward motion. Why then, in the face of COVID-19 and the challenges we are facing in our businesses, would we want to go BACK to the way things were? Why would we want to regress into the past – a past that was clearly laden with systemic fragility, catastrophic failures in governmental policy, supply gain inefficiencies and gaps, and ineffective plans for the management of risk. We can’t go back to normal because ‘normal’ was the problem.
“One of our biggest lessons-learned during the pandemic is that we must take responsibility for our own circumstances”
“Progress doesn’t stop because of a challenge, in fact, challenges are the catalysts for progress”
There is no magic formula which will determine how we emerge from the challenges of 2020; however, we need to look at this new year with a different mindset. Instead of letting 2021 shape us, we must shape 2021. Our success or failure is not predestined, arbitrary or accidental. We cannot attach blame or pass away the accountability. Too often, business owners or leaders fall into the ‘victim trap’, believing the there’s nothing they can do except lick their wounds and ride out the storm. However, to emerge from unprecedented and challenging times in a position of strength, flying as lead-bird, you cannot waste one minute ‘waiting it out’. While large multi-nationals have the internal teams or the access and resources to engage the large consulting firms for guidance and direction, buoyancy, weathering this storm and the subsequent recovery is much more challenging for entrepreneurs and small businesses. Small business owners bear the brunt of responsibility, carrying the weight of continuity, feeling the greatest impact from unexpected setbacks, closures and/or lapses in the supply chain. Small business owners are often required to step into all roles and positions within the company, meeting KPIs for the entire operational force. Being frugal with resources, doing more with less, and shouldering the uncertainty are, too often, the burden – and the survival strategy deployed by struggling small business owners. With the right tools and perspective, however, coupled with the courage to ‘reinvent’ in the face of adversity and challenge, small business owners have the singular opportunity to distinguish themselves, moving ahead of the pack of competitors, shaping themselves to be the vanguards of the future.
Accelerating our business depends on our ability to understand the need to re-strategize, then being courageous enough swerve off the pathway, recognizing that we have the power to pioneer a way-forward for others to follow. This is the motivation that will keep us driving ahead. But it all begins by making a commitment to persevere in the face of adversity and the determination to find the right key that will fit the lock of our new future.
Is it difficult to imagine that a boy battling intellectual disorder would make a mark in golf? Well, there is an interesting story to tell.
My name is Ranveer Singh Saini. I am a 20-year-old special needs golfer, a Gold and Silver Medalist in the Special Olympics, World Games.
But this is not how I started!
I was diagnosed with Autism at the age of two. My childhood was full of odds and hurdles – numerous interventions, therapies, special education, occupational therapy, speech stimulation, sensory diet, calming medicines. These were part of my daily routine. A report chart that indicated slow progress! My world was limited to my parents, my caretakers, a few close friends and my siblings.
One day my parents took me to the golf course, and that was it. It was as if golf was drawing me towards it. I started accompanying my parents to the golf course every single day and started taking it as a challenge. As a game of concentration, accuracy, body and mind control, golf seemed to be the last game which my therapists and special educators suggested. However, overcoming all stumbling blocks, I started training under the National Coach Mr. Anitya Chand and began practicing and pursuing golf with a professional perspective.
Finally one day, that turned out to be life-changing! The Asia Pacific Golf Masters, Macau, 2013 – the mega event that opened new pathways in my life. Being the only special needs golfer from India, I was representing the hope of millions at the Asia Pacific Golf Masters, Macau, 2013. And today I humbly admit that I didn’t let my nation down. And then, there was no looking back.
Winner of five gold medals at the Asia Pacific Golf Masters, Macau – my victory featured as a record in the Limca Book of Records for four consecutive years (2013-2016). I was bestowed with one of the ten People of the Year 2016 award by Limca Book of Records and was awarded ‘Sportsperson of the year 2015’ by Sports Illustrated India.
LaVar Arrington is a legend in football. Widely regarded as one of the top linebackers of all time coming out of Penn State University, he was selected #2 in the NFL draft by the Washington Redskins, where he went on to a legendary career as an all-time top linebacker. Famous for his spectacular ‘LaVar Leap’ on the field, Arrington has spent the years after football leaping into business as a successful entrepreneur and advocate for the development of youth. His career trajectory is a prime example of how pro athletes can continue to shine after their athletic careers have ended.
Sport is a common denominator around the world. It is the great unifier, the great motivator, and the global pastime. Regardless of which sport an individual plays, watches or supports, the attributes of an athlete are generally the same across all sports – the ability to function as part of a team, leadership skills, decision-making, patience and self-discipline. LaVar believes that, “While talent plays a role in levels of achievement, talent alone does not turn an athlete into an elite athlete. You must infuse the attributes listed above in order to become a ‘complete athlete’”.
Sport, specifically football, was the foundation of LaVar’s life from the time he was a young child in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – a city well-known for cultivating some of the greatest players in football history. LaVar was fortunate to have mentors and role models such as Dwight White, a legendary football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who was a neighbor in his community; and Jerome Bettis, from whom LaVar had the opportunity to learn many significant career and life skills.
“Sport is a common denominator around the world. It is the great unifier, the great motivator, and the global pastime”
“To be a complete athlete, LaVar represents that an athlete must be physically fit, but perhaps even more importantly, they must also prioritize their emotional, mental and financial well-being”
Over the course of his career LaVar came to recognize several learning gaps that impact the growth of an athlete, and his development as a businessman was based on an endeavor to fill those gaps for others – to help them build the attributes that make a complete athlete. To be a complete athlete, LaVar represents that an athlete must be physically fit, but perhaps even more importantly, they must also prioritize their emotional, mental and financial well-being. Committed to developing and nurturing youth to achieve their full potential, LaVar promotes the complete development of youth, providing an ecosystem of growth and development, focusing on helping youth to build the attributes which will allow them to be elite athletes and well-rounded human beings. LaVar is dedicated to shaping the future, one athlete at a time. Through the Complete Athlete and his Up on Game podcast, LaVar aspires to give young athletes the knowledge, tools and resources to help them develop themselves. In LaVar’s words, “If you can build winning habits as a person, and have winning thoughts and have a winning mindset and apply those attitudes to your life, then for me, we will have succeeded in putting one more positive person into our society; who can make a difference and will give back to others”.
The definition of success changes as we age and mature, and this is no different for an athlete. For the longest time, until LaVar got to an age where he was actually able to comprehend what success looked like and have physical interaction with top athletes, he saw success only as a dream. Now, as an entrepreneur and businessman, LaVar understands the important role that business leaders can play in preparing an athlete for success after their sports career. It is only when industry leaders humanize success – by opening up their daily routines, their decision-making strategies and methodologies – that the youth can see a real pathway to success, the actual steps they can take to achieve their goals. “I never took my talent for granted, pushing myself to always reach new levels and go beyond the limits that our minds – and sometimes our bodies, set for us. By never taking my talent for granted, I was always achieving new levels of personal success, which allowed me to be recognized as one of the greatest linebackers at Penn State University and continue to perform at a high-level in the NFL”, noted LaVar. “Now, as a businessman, I have the opportunity to influence young athletes in a different way – both helping to refine their talents on AND off the field.”
As an elite athlete, LaVar recognizes that his greatest responsibility is to enable youth to reach their full potential by empowering them to measure success through the personal and professional development necessary to become a complete athlete. According to LaVar, the methods of building success are truly a learned and applied process, and it’s not something that drops out of the sky. “You are not randomly chosen to be successful; rather, success comes to people who are willing to put in the time and energy and develop the beliefs that make success a reality”, notes Arrington.
LaVar recently launched the Up on Game podcast with fellow football legends, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Plaxico Burress, allowing them to explore relevant issues in the world of sports and life. Through Up on Game, LaVar, T.J. and Plaxico endeavor to be a positive role models for youth, exploring issues and challenges relevant to young people today – at all levels of their game, helping them to overcome these challenges through their experience and lessons learned throughout their career. Additionally, he prioritizes bridging the communication gap between coaches and athletes, parents and kids, using Up on Game as a vehicle to spur conversation, discussion and positive impact.
Up on Game examines the issues and current events in sports, tying it to life, making it relevant for everyone. Edgy, honest, dynamic and raw, Up on Game allows Arrington, Houshmandzadeh and Burress to providementorship, experience, perspective and commitment to athletes of all ages. “Up on Game allows us to contribute to the development of athletes around the world, allowing us to impact lives, shape the character of athletes, developing the perspective and understanding of athletes, coaches, parents and families, who are integral to the success of the athlete”, notes Arrington. His aim is to build a culture of giving back, and to mentor athletes from a young age that a service mentality – embracing the impact that we must all make on society and for one another – is the most important ingredient to success at all levels of life, and it has been a fundamental pillar of LaVar’s life as an athlete and businessman.
“It is only when industry leaders humanize success – by opening up their daily routines, their decision-making strategies and methodologies – that the youth can see a real pathway to success, the actual steps they can take to achieve their goals”
“You are not randomly chosen to be successful; rather, success comes to people who are willing to put in the time and energy and develop the beliefs that make success a reality”
With the Complete Athlete and Up on Game, LaVar aims to familiarize the youth with critical self-development experiences. He believes that if you make youth aware of how important it is to learn who you are and to develop who you are, they will be on a course for a more enhanced life and future. “Had I done this, my life could have potentially been more enhanced, which may have even made me a more phenomenal athlete. In the end, I look at things from the very simplistic standpoint that, undoubtedly, I am more than enough, and also valuable enough to continue building and growing who I am, and that is my ‘magnificent obsession’, as C.T. Fletcher would say”, says Arrington.
Transitioning to the next stage of his career beyond football was easy for LaVar because of his love of helping people and being a person of service. He stresses that his awards and achievements in sports don’t amount to anything if he doesn’t use those experiences to help others achieve at a high level – high enough to potentially be an all-pro, pro-bowler or professional athlete. The Up on Game podcast allows him to have the opportunity to communicate with and mentor younger athletes, which is something he has always excelled at. “I’ve been a better teacher and a better mentor than I’ve ever been an active player. I take a great deal of pride in my ability to communicate clearly the different ways to approach sports AND life to be as successful as you can possibly be”, remarked Arrington. Helping to develop athletes into the complete athlete is something that has been a tremendous passion of his, and he recognizes that he has been blessed to have enough success where he can make this commitment to young athletes his daily focus in both life and business. He acknowledges that, “It is not about what LaVar can do for LaVar, it is about what impact and influence LaVar can have on humanity, and since my lane is sports, that’s where I endeavor to begin my ‘crusade of service’”.
Prioritizing personal development, professional development and continuing education programs for youth is critical to preparing young athletes to excel not only in sports but in their careers and life – by refining key life skills and building on the attributes of leadership that are found in athletics. When businesses commit a portion of their corporate social responsiblity budgets to programs that support the development of the next generation, they make a commitment to the sustainability of our collective future. Contributing to the development of youth means preparing them to be future elite athletes, entrepreneurs, innovators, and humanitarians – better equipped to take the reins of leadership in our metamorphic future.
LaVar’s advice to young athletes is to put as much effort into their personal growth as they do to their athletic growth, urging them not to neglect their mental health. Take risks. To quote William Shedd, “A ship is safe in the harbor, but that’s not what a ship was built for”. Greatness doesn’t come from comfort zones. As LaVar says, “Dream big, work hard, and don’t give up.”
Although becoming a hotelier was an impromptu decision for me, I can’t see myself doing anything else! My career has enabled me to travel all over India and the world, allowing me to gain first-hand knowledge from some of the top hoteliers in the industry.
The hospitality industry naturally engenders a multi-cultural environment. Working in a hotel does not mean that internationalism within the establishment stops at the clients, as the people behind the reception, in the kitchen and at the offices come from all corners of the world, and bring with them their own language, varying cultural backgrounds and ideas on how to efficiently work within the industry.
During my internship I worked with people from different cultural backgrounds and all these people taught me how to maximize my working capabilities based on their own personal experience, from their own place of origin. This not only enriched my practical skills but my knowledge of other parts of our country and the world. Working with such diversity all around me resulted in great development of my communication skills and, ultimately, the feeling of being a part of one big team.
The hospitality industry allowed me to develop professionally and as a person. Not only did I master the professional skills I had learnt during my education, but with time and commitment I learnt others, as I was put to the test with exposure to a vast variety of colleagues, clients and situations. From organisational skills, communication and working in a team, to more technical competencies such as serving, revenue management, accounting and facilities management; I learnt it all.
One of the most important factors in hospitality, literally, is taking care of people. My experience taught me that it takes empathy and commitment to put another person’s needs and desires ahead of your own – while keeping a smile on your face. Customers want an experience, irrespective of their reasons to stay in a hotel, and just as people differ greatly, so does the care and commitment each hotelier exhibits to the clients’ needs. I always enjoyed stepping out of the box to ensure that the needs of my customers were met.
I love hospitality simply because it’s fun and enjoyable. All the dynamics, all the shifting with different responsibilities and the feeling I got when I started in training and ended up in management positions is more than satisfactory. For me personally, the fact that I got the opportunity to meet and socialize with people representing a wide range of nationalities is the career highlight of my profession. The hotel industry is a pretty interesting and pleasant domain to get involved in. As with any other job, it has its ups and downs, and that’s the great part of it: there is always a place for innovation and there will always be innovators like myself.
One such innovation I am proud to be a part of is EazyDiner. I have been a part of the hospitality industry since 1997 and have been with EazyDiner, as Co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer, creating India’s leading restaurant reservation app since 2014. EazyDiner is one of the success stories in the new wave of digital start-ups in the Food and Beverage industry.
Being a major foodie with a strong desire to change the way India dines, I have maintained the role of Chief Innovations Officer, with primary focus on app development, creating crazy deals and initiating and executing new ideas with customers always in mind. As one of the Co-founders, I have been involved in the establishment of the initial platform of the company and in executing the core values and goals. From sales to team building (which incorporated recruitment and training), I have actively contributed to the growth of EazyDiner. I have been involved in and strategizing for and execution of customer building, from zero to almost 6.5 million. I was also deputed to Dubai in 2016 for the launch of EazyDiner from the foundation level, resulting in a success story for the company.
My Advice to the Younger Generation
If you are at a complete loss when it comes to career choice, talk to people who know you. Family, friends, tutors, and so on can often give illuminating feedback.
Turn to someone you admire. Everyone has a role model in their lives, someone who could be the most inspirational person for you. Often, you want to follow in the footsteps of your role model and it is motivating and inspiring to be like them.
Don’t base your career choice on job titles. Roles change over time, and you may well have the chance to develop yours. For this reason, focus on finding companies where you feel you would develop professionally, rather than being led solely by job title.
Follow your heart and avoid the traps of employment and accidental career paths. Many people spend years in education, only to stumble into the first job offered to them, and 20 years later they find themselves in a career they hate. Make the right choices at the start of your career to ensure that you have the freedom and flexibility to evolve as you move through life.
Seek career advice as you prepare to join the workforce and pay attention to tips from advisors, as they are the counsellors who have your best interests at heart. Always remember, you are the future.
Once you have embarked on your career pathway, time gets away at lightning speed. My advice would be to regularly spend time really thinking about your career. Professional development is vital for growth, both career-wise and personally. Do a career mapping by giving yourself a career objective and/or pathway. Have a concrete time frame of where you want to be in certain period of time – with defined goals such as seeing yourself getting promoted or even owning your own business one day. These motivational thoughts keep you excited as well as grounded.
As we see the disruptive environment that Covid has thrust on us as business owners, leaders and professionals, one must wonder if the challenges associated with pivoting and formulating recovery strategies directly correlates to the fact that we are married to our legacy business models, unable to easily innovate and adapt. On the other hand, our youth have been reared in an era of hyperconnectivity, global connectiveness and digital transformation; allowing them to take these cataclysmic business shifts in stride. Our youth recognize that we are stakeholders of the planet – mandating sustainability and social inclusiveness, allowing businesses to truly embrace the world as a global marketplace.
So, how can the ‘old guard’ empower the next generation of entrepreneurs, business leaders and professionals to achieve the full measure of their potential? Incorporating disruptive, rapidly progressing technologies with the wisdom and lessons-learned through years of experience? For the youth, as they prepare to step into life, moving toward a future of decision-making, responsibility and adventure, I have a few suggestions which I hope will allow them to be the change-makers of the future, healing our badly damaged planet, incorporating technological innovation with the established business methodologies of the past.
Do not say goodbye to education. Your education is only just beginning. Life never stops teaching, so you should never stop learning. As President John F. Kennedy said, ‘Leadership and learning are indispensable to one another’. To be a great leader, continue to adjust your perspective, refine your skills, enhance your knowledge and recognize that experience, while important, represents the past, but education empowers the future.
Be ethical and altruistic leaders, building a legacy along with a career. Make ‘giving back’ an integral part of your ethos, weaving it into your business model from the very first day. Embrace sustainability as our collective mandate for the future. We did not inherit the planet from the past; we are borrowing it from the future. So far, we have done a horrible job of preparing the future for the next generation. We recognize that we have a responsibility to prepare you for our collective future now; therefore, as we give you the tools on which to build this future, recognize the gift you have in the Sustainable Development Goals*. Select one or two of these Goals, which are a blueprint to the future. Your impact on one goal will have an ancillary impact on many others. Perhaps the most important goal is number 17: Partnerships for the Goals; recognizing that we are stronger together. We have no ‘Planet B’. We can only heal our troubled world if we work together. It can no longer be us against each other; it must be us together for a solution.
You must find ways to differentiate yourselves. These are the times when fortunes and made and fortunes are lost.To be the former, don’t be afraid to throw away ‘the way it’s always been done’ and write a new way-forward. Recognize the value in the word ‘team’. As Phil Jackson said, ‘The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team’. When great minds come together with purpose, commitment and vision, the results can be transformational. As a business owner or leader, trust in the value of your employees, making them stakeholders in your company’s future. Delegate responsibility giving your employees the freedom and confidence to develop and refine their skills, and count on the diversity of their perspective when the chips are down and your company needs to pivot. As leaders, we often get trapped in the cattle chutes of worry, burdened with solving problems without sharing that burden with our team. Use your team to help ‘hack’ apart the problem and brainstorm the solution, and you will have a company that will always be the industry or sector leader. YOU have the power to define the future. Your personal and professional success or failure is not predestined, arbitrary or accidental. You cannot attach blame or pass away the accountability. When adversity becomes a chapter in the handbook of your business, YOU have the power to decide how that chapter is written. It begins by making a commitment to persevere in the face of adversity and the determination to stay the course.
Take risks. To quote William Shedd, ‘A ship is safe in the harbor, but that’s not what a ship was built for’. Greatness doesn’t come from comfort zones. Dream big, work hard, and don’t give up. You may have to try 1,000 keys before you can find the one that opens the door, but if you quit, that door will stay shut forever.
Be open to adjusting your route and relishing the unexpected detours that life bestows. What you expect to be, the life plan that you’ve drawn for yourself, will be as ever-changing as a Dubai street map. The detours will lead you to unimaginable experiences, destinations and people, often missed by those who are too inflexible, fearful or distracted to see these diversions as opportunities. Put down your phone. Look up. SEE the world. Destiny will walk right by those who are too busy taking selfies.
Be strong in your convictions, even if those convictions are contrary to popular opinion. With each juncture in life, you will need to make a decision. Do not be afraid to swim against the current. Make your decision, believe in that decision, and follow it through to the end – regardless of the outcome. Do not doubt yourself. YOU are the one person with whom you can have complete trust. Make mistakes. Mistakes are as much a part of life as successes, and they often teach you the largest, most important lessons. Do not be afraid to fail. Failure is one of the necessary stepping-stones of life. Follow your endeavors through to the end – sometimes the end is bitter, and sometimes sweet, but each conclusion you reach will leave you stronger than you were at inception. There will always be people who tell you ‘it can’t be done’. Remember, people say you can’t because they are afraid you WILL.
Follow your dreams, but do not be afraid to change those dreams. As you grow and evolve, so will your hopes, goals and aspirations. Life is unpredictable, and ever changing. Be brave enough to change with it. As Darwin said, ‘It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent; it is the one most adaptable to change’. Do not be afraid to embrace change. The ones who are crazy enough to believe they can change the world, are the ones who do.
While it is never good to judge a book by its cover, learn to trust your instincts. They rarely steer you wrong. Always treat others with dignity and compassion. Be helpful, not hurtful. You may never know how deeply an unkind word will affect someone. Be empathetic. Compassion, honesty, commitment and humor are necessary qualities found in all great leaders. Believe that YOU have what it takes to be a great leader. If you believe it, you will achieve it.
You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only option. Do not hold on to the past. Do not be afraid of the future. Enjoy today and learn from it. If you make a mess of today, forgive yourself, and start fresh with the sunrise. Each day is a clean slate. Each path you take will be an adventure, and remember, the greatest surprises and joys will be found on those unexpected detours.
Sustainable Development Goals: The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – also known as Global Goals – were set by the UN General Assembly in 2015 as a part of the UN Resolution called ‘The 2030 Agenda’. There are a total of 17 SGDs, each set with the intention of achieving a better and more sustainable future for all. The SGDs are integrated and interdependent, and have the definitive purpose of balancing development with social, economic and environmental sustainability.
The word ‘pressure’ applies to each and every one of us, not just in sport where we deal with it on a daily basis. Needless to say, the word itself has negative connotations and we all see players wilting under pressure.So what is pressure? Pressure, very simply put, is the fear of failure; and the reason we feel pressure is worrying about not being able to achieve the desired outcome.
This brings me to the most important aspect of Sport, and life in general – Being in the present.
If you let your mind race ahead to the outcome instead of focusing on the process, that is when you feel pressure and let your mind wander. Here I turn to the age-old saying ‘Karm karo, phal ki iksha mat karo’, to explain my point. Simply put, focus on doing your job to the best of your ability without worrying about the results or outcome. Easier said than done, but that is the essence of what separates the Good from the Great and the ability to absorb pressure and use it as a tool to enhance your performance, rather than impede it.
I can think of numerous occasions in my career where I have let my mind race to results and outcomes and suffered as a result of it, but if I think back to all the exceptional performances that I have had in my career, I always found myself in what we term in Golf as ‘The Zone’; a state where you are completely absorbed in the shot and the execution and in your mind you only see positives; no matter what you do, you don’t think about your score or the results, you are totally in the moment. Getting in that Zone is simply about allowing yourself to perform to your full potential and getting out of your own way, without weighing yourself down with expectations.
If I were to simplify the whole concept of handling pressure, I would say it is detachment from outcome or results, whether in life, your job or the sport you play – focus on giving your best and not on what you expect or what others expect of you.
The top athletes in the world all thrive under pressure, as we see it on television, but in fact they treat each match, each point or each shot, as the case may be, in the same manner and with the same intensity; not allowing their minds to race into the future and the possible outcome.
The one lesson we can all take away from this is to live in the present, enjoy every moment and not dwell on things we cannot control, especially results!
