CEO/CXO coach. I help people move from confusion to clarity. I can help you identify what is coming in the way of your or your team's success, work on it, and realize your true potential.

I coach senior leaders through their toughest challenges.

What I do:

For CEOs/CXOs (1:1 Coaching): 
I'm your confidential thinking partner when you're facing big decisions, feeling stuck, or navigating leadership challenges that you can't discuss with anyone else.

For Leadership Teams: 
When your CXOs work in silos, avoid difficult conversations, or struggle to align - I help you function as a real team with shared goals.

For Groups of Leaders: 
I bring together leaders facing similar challenges (like CXOs dealing with CEO expectations) to learn from each other in a structured coaching environment.

For Co-Founders: 
Before you start a venture together (or if you're already struggling), I help you understand if you're truly compatible as business partners.

For Conflict Resolution: 
When relationships between senior leaders break down, I help rebuild communication and find workable solutions.

I have worked with leaders from 100+ companies, including:
- Large companies like Adobe, Cisco, Barclays, Wells Fargo, Salesforce.com, Disney, Reliance, TVS, Indian Oil
- Growth-stage businesses like 91mobiles.com, Finzly, River Law, Intoglo
- Institutions like ISB, IIT, Great Lakes Institute of Management

My approach: 
• Practical, not theoretical 
• Confidential and judgment-free 
• Focused on real outcomes

Background: 
• Certified executive coach and team coach (CFI), trained in depth coaching (IIT Madras), and NLP 
• MBA from ISB, Gold Medalist from DCE 

Ready to talk? 
The first conversation is always confidential and clarifying.

DM me with what's on your mind, and let's explore what's possible.

Ramkumar R

𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Two thousand flights cancelled in five days.

Not because of storms. Not because of strikes.
Because an airline believed its past would protect its future.

IndiGo had two years to prepare for new pilot rest rules.
Other airlines adapted. IndiGo held to what made them great - lean efficiency.

Then November arrived, and their strength became their weakness.

They weren't caught by surprise.
They were caught by certainty.

In those airport terminals were people missing funerals. Weddings. Last goodbyes. 
All because an organization confused momentum with permanence.

We all have our IndiGo moment coming.
That moment when the thing that built us breaks us.

The discipline that becomes rigidity.
The focus that becomes blindness.
The efficiency that becomes fragility.

Success doesn't whisper warnings. It just stops working one day.

Sometimes I wonder if our greatest strength isn't ability or intelligence.
Maybe it's knowing when to let go of what got us here.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝗰𝗸.
𝗜𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘀.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆
𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄.

💭 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲?

Executive coach to 100+ CEOs/CXOs | Turning leadership struggles into success stories

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𝟱𝟬𝟬,𝟬𝟬𝟬 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗳𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿.
𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗘𝗢𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀.

They're not.
They're escaping your culture.

A CEO came to me six months ago.
Three female VPs had resigned to "start consulting firms."

"Good for them," he said. "Entrepreneurial spirit."

"Call one of them," I suggested. "Ask how it's going."

He did. She was honest:
"I'm making ₹40K a month. Was making ₹6 lakhs.
But at least nobody steals my ideas anymore."

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲.

Usually you.

Women 40-50 are a fast-growing entrepreneur group.
Sounds empowering.
It's not.

Of the 100+ CEOs I've coached, many have lost senior women this way.
Same pattern:
Passed over for promotion. Again.
Boss took credit for their strategy. Again.
Asked to mentor everyone but lead no one. Again.

They don't start businesses from vision.
They start them from exhaustion.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵:
𝗘𝘅𝗵𝗮𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻.
𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆.

That CEO did something smart.
He called all three former VPs.
Asked one question:
"What would've made you stay?"

Same answer from all three:
"Let me build something that mattered."

Not more money.
Not better title.
Just ownership of outcomes.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:

Stop the exodus before it starts.

Ask your top performers one question:
"If you could launch any initiative here, what would it be?"

Blank stare = They're already gone.
Instant answer = You've found your retention strategy.

Create "founder roles" inside your company:
- They own the P&L
- Build their own team 
- Their name on the success
- They get the credit

One CEO I work with implemented this last year.
Used to lose 3-4 senior women annually.
This year? Lost zero. 

New revenue from their initiatives? ₹18 crores.

The women who left to consult?
Two came back as advisors.
Running initiatives they designed.
Inside the company that finally saw them.

Your female talent isn't leaving for freedom.
They're leaving because freedom looks better than frustration.

Even when it pays less.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻
𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿.

💬 How many "entrepreneurs" on your team are just exhausted executives planning their escape?

🔁 Share this for the CEO who thinks their talent is leaving for opportunity.

🔔 Follow Ramkumar R for mirrors that show you what you're really losing.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 "𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁" 𝗦𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝘁 𝟭𝟭𝗽𝗺.
𝗡𝗼𝘄 𝟯𝟬𝟬 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝘀𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽.

That's the worry paradox at scale.

A founder came to me after months of watching his team freeze.
"Nothing's moving," he said.
"Everyone's scared to make mistakes."

"How often do you share concerns in all-hands?" I asked.

"Every week."

"For transparency?"

"Exactly."

There it was.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘅𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀.
𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗻𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘀.

The CEO who worries protects the company.
When 10,000 employees worry, nothing ships.

He'd been sharing every concern "to be transparent."
His team stopped building to avoid mistakes.
Created a culture where fear looked like care.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵:
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿𝘀.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:

Keep anxiety with people who can fix things.
Free everyone else to execute.

We changed how he communicates:
- Board: Gets the raw truth
- Leaders: Get problems with solutions
- Everyone else: Gets decisions and direction

Three months later? 
They shipped more in 30 days than the previous quarter.
Same problems. Different approach.

He learned: When he said "I'm worried about revenue,"
employees heard "Layoffs coming."

When he says "We're fixing revenue this way,"
employees hear "I've got this handled."

His job wasn't to eliminate worry.
It was to turn anxiety into action.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗿𝘆
𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘆𝗼𝘂.

💬 What anxiety is your team carrying that only you can fix?

🔁 Share this for the leader who thinks sharing everything is transparency.

🔔 Follow Ramkumar R for mirrors that turn worry into velocity.

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She was the expert on the call. They spoke to me.

Not because I was leading the meeting.
Not because I had more expertise.
Just... default.

My colleague was right there.
Someone I look up to. 
Someone I learn from every time we talk. 
Someone who's fixed what most leaders didn't even know was broken.

They finished what they wanted to say.
Then she spoke.

And suddenly, she existed.

After the call, she said quietly:
"This happens often."

I sat with that for a while.

Here's someone who's been doing this work since before LinkedIn existed.
And she's still waiting to be heard!

Not erased completely. 
Just... invisible until proven otherwise.

It's 2025.
And brilliant women are still announcing themselves into existence.

𝗦𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻'𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸
𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗲'𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺.

💭 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴?

𝗔 𝟰𝟮-𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿-𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟳𝟮 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁.

"No breaks. Pure hustle. That's commitment."

His board member sitting next to him nodded.

I didn't.
"Show me what you built in those 72 hours," I said.

He opened his laptop. Three half-done strategies.
Two broken partnerships. One resignation letter from his best VP.

"Now show me your hospital bills," I said.

Confused look.

"The ones coming in 3 years when your body invoices you for this stupidity."

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:
𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝟳𝟮 𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀.
𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗻'𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆.

Stanford research: After 50 hours per week, productivity drops to near zero.
Microsoft study: Decision errors increase when sleep-deprived.

But sure, post your exhaustion trophy on LinkedIn.
Watch the applause roll in from people destroying themselves too.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵:
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝟭𝟬 𝗣𝗠.

A ₹2,000 crore CEO I coach works 6 hours daily.
"My superpower?" he told me.
"I make three decisions a day. The right ones."

Meanwhile, that 72-hour hero?
Making 300 micro-decisions while exhausted.
290 of them wrong.

The other 10? He won't remember making them.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:

𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲.

- 90-minute deep work blocks (not 9-hour marathons)
- 8 hours sleep (non-negotiable, not weakness)
- Walking meetings for creative problems
- Email bankruptcy at 6 PM sharp

That CEO who worked 72 hours straight?
We restructured his schedule:

Morning: One big problem. Fresh brain.
Afternoon: Execution. Clear tasks.
Evening: Family. Full stop.

One year later:
Finally hit his growth targets. Working 40 hours weekly.
Best part? His VP withdrew that resignation.

"I get more done by noon than I used to in three days."

Because exhaustion isn't dedication.
It's just poor planning with better PR.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲?
𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱.
𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Easier to stay busy than ask: "Is this even worth doing?"

💬 What are you using exhaustion to avoid confronting?

🔁 Share this for the CEO who thinks sleep is for the weak.

🔔 Follow Ramkumar R for mirrors that turn hustle addiction into strategic excellence.

𝗔 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝟴 𝗔𝗠 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 "𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿."
"Everyone has the same 24 hours."

While his single mom employee was up at 4 AM.
Making breakfast. Packing lunches. School drop-off.

She left at 3:30 PM for pickup.
He called her "uncommitted."

Never mind she closed 40% of the quarter's deals.
She wasn't in the 5 PM "strategy session."

So she got passed over. Again.

"Same expectations for everyone," he insisted.

"Same childcare?" I asked.

Silence.

"Same spouse handling dinner? Same parents not needing care?"

More silence.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:
𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲.

Like fish explaining water doesn't exist.
They've never been dry.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵:
𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀
𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.

Not lying. Just blind.
Advantages feel normal when you've always had them.

That 8 AM meeting? Easy with a stay-at-home partner.
Impossible when you're doing school runs.

Weekend retreats? 
Simple without aging parents.
Career suicide as the primary caregiver.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:

Stop confusing equal with equitable.
- Core hours that work for caregivers
- Flexibility for same output
- Results over face time

We moved his meetings to 10 AM.
That single mom? Top performer within 6 months.
Promoted twice since.

She was always brilliant.
Just needed a field that wasn't tilted against her.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗹:
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 "𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘆" 𝗶𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴.

💬 Which of your "performance standards" actually just measure privilege?

🔁 Share this for the leader who thinks hard work is why they're on top.

🔔 Follow Ramkumar R for mirrors that show what water looks like to fish.

𝗨𝗻𝗽𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗞𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗶𝗵𝗮𝗿?

It wasn't execution.
It was becoming an insider.

Zero seats in Bihar.
After helping PM Modi, Mamata, Nitish win elections.

My LinkedIn feed is full of the same take:
"Kishor = strategist, not executor."
"Just like Laxman Narasimhan at Starbucks."
"Consultants can't operate."

They're missing the real story.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:
𝗞𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿'𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲, 𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲.

As a consultant, Kishor saw what politicians couldn't:
Their blind spots. Their biases. Their bubbles.

He could tell them: "Your loyal voters hate this."
He could say: "You're solving the wrong problem."

Why? He wasn't trapped in their echo chamber.

The moment he started his own party?
He became what he used to diagnose.

Walked 3,000 km but missed what villagers wanted.
Talked governance when youth wanted jobs.

His Jan Suraaj got fewer votes than NOTA in 68 constituencies.
Voters preferred "none of the above" to his vision.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵:
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀.
𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲.
𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿: 𝗼𝗯𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆.

Same pattern with Narasimhan.
McKinsey partner → Starbucks CEO → Gone in 17 months.
Not because he couldn't execute.
Because he started believing Starbucks' own stories.

Once you're inside, you breathe the same air.
Start believing the same stories.
Your edge was never your expertise.
It was your outside perspective.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:

Don't abandon your superpower when you expand your game.

Kishor could have partnered with a grassroots leader.
He'd bring the strategy. They'd bring the ground game.
He'd stay at 30,000 feet. They'd work the villages.

Instead, he tried to be both.
Lost his edge trying to gain theirs.

With PM Modi, Mamata, Nitish - he upgraded their machinery.
When he became the machinery? He needed what he'd never built.

The smartest consultants who transition?
They maintain their outsider perspective.
Hire operators who execute.
Build boards that challenge them.
Keep advisors who call BS.

They protect their distance while building depth.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲
𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄.
𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲.

💬 Are you protecting your edge while expanding your game?

🔁 Share this for the consultant thinking they need to become the operator.

🔔 Follow Ramkumar R for mirrors that show you how to grow without losing your superpower.

𝟭𝟬 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗜𝗦𝗕 𝗪𝗜𝗦𝗘 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁.

Rujuta Diwekar dropped the first bomb: 
"I love money so much that I care how I make it."

That stopped me cold. 
Because your bank account has no memory. You do.
And that memory compounds harder than any interest rate.

Then Kirthiga Reddy said something that challenged everything:
"Do at least one thing just because. Let the dots connect."

Made me think - the best networkers I know? They don't network.
They just stay curious about people. 
The connections happen anyway.
Not everything needs an ROI. 
Some things ARE the ROI.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:
𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗢𝗜
𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗥𝗢𝗟 - 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻 𝗢𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲.

The other 8 truths? 

Including Srishti Behl's question that silenced the room.
And Vishal Karungulam's AI insight that nobody saw coming.
Why Ashni Biyani's take on respect changed how I see leadership.

All 10 truths are in the carousel.
With what they said. And what I learned.

Swipe through. 
Pick the truth that stings most.
That's your work for next week.

💬 Which truth from the carousel are you taking home?

🔁 Share this for someone who needs these mirrors but wasn't in that room.

🔔 Follow Ramkumar R for wisdom that turns conferences into conversions.

Indian School of Business ISB Alumni Madan Pillutla D N V Kumara Guru Parul Khullar Kaumudi Goda Sireesha Yadlapalli Shifa Soomar Bhargavi Vijayakumar Dr. Manisha Gudka Mahima Garg Himanshu Arya Deeksha Shah Priya Yadav Sandhya Balakrishnan Mukti Hariharan Maulshree Kalothia Kanksha Sood Naman Sharma

Top 10 Learnings from ISB WISE 2025

𝗔 𝟰𝟱-𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿-𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗩𝗣 𝘀𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗺𝗲.
"𝗜'𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝟯 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀."

Still there.
Still planning.
Still dying inside.

Every other Sunday night, he opens his email.
Types his resignation letter.
Opens Excel. Reviews his EMIs.
Deletes the resignation letter draft. 

₹5 lakhs monthly salary.
₹2.8 lakhs monthly expenses.
Golden handcuffs. Platinum prison.

"What would you do?" I asked.
"If money wasn't the issue?"

Silence. Then tears.
He'd forgotten how to want things.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:
𝗖𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺.
𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗶𝘀.

You know exactly what's killing you:
The PowerPoints nobody reads.
The 9am status call where nothing changes.
The promotions that feel like participation trophies.

But clarity without courage is torture.
You see the cage. You hold the key.
You stay anyway.

I've coached 100+ CEOs.
Know what I discovered?
Half their top performers Google "resignation letter template" regularly.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵:
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴.

They show up. Deliver. Excel.
While their soul shops for exits.

That VP had been pushing one idea for years:
A simpler product for tier-2 markets.
Always got "maybe next quarter."

His CEO finally asked the right question:
"What would make you stop planning your exit?"

"Let me build that product," he said.

Six months later: 8 pilot customers.
₹50 lakhs in revenue. Small start.
But his main role performance? Up 40%.

Why? He wasn't managing someone else's vision anymore.
He was building his own. Inside the company.
Even 2 hours a week on YOUR project changes everything.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:

Stop giving your best people better titles.
Give them ownership of outcomes.
Real P&L. Real decisions. Real impact.

Your top talent doesn't need an exit.
They need to build something with their name on it.
While keeping their medical insurance.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲
𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲... 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲.

💬 What's the idea you've pitched 10 times that keeps getting delayed?

🔁 Share this for the executive who's planning their exit while perfecting their PowerPoints.

🔔 Follow Ramkumar R for mirrors that turn midlife crisis into midlife creation.

𝗔 ₹𝟱𝟬𝟬 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝘀𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗺𝗲, 𝗵𝘆𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴.

"I can't breathe. Every decision feels like life or death.
3,000 families depend on me."

"What's your company's global market share?" I asked.

He did the math. "0.00001%"

"So you're having a panic attack over a rounding error?"

Long pause.

"Shit. That's... actually helpful."

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:
𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗲.
𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲'𝘀.

To your employees? You're everything.
To the universe? You're nothing.

Both true. Both liberating.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵:
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝟭𝟬𝟬 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀.
𝗦𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿.

I've coached 100+ CEOs through this paradox.

The ones who get it? Move faster.
Make bolder bets. Sleep better.

When nothing matters eternally,
what matters is impact now.

One told me:
"I stopped asking 'What if this ruins my legacy?'
Started asking 'What if this helps one customer today?'"

His business transformed. Not because strategy changed.
Because fear left.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:

Your insignificance IS your competitive advantage.

Amazon won't remember you.
Your competitor is also a rounding error.
The market doesn't care about your ego.

So take the risk.
Launch ugly.
Fail fast.

That hyperventilating CEO?
Six months later:

"Launched our riskiest product.
Failed spectacularly.
But the failure taught us what customers actually wanted.
Next product? Our biggest hit."

"Still losing sleep?" I asked.

"Only when my newborn cries.
The company stuff? Just math now.
Not mythology."

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗖𝗘𝗢𝘀:

The weight you feel isn't responsibility.
It's imaginary importance.

Your job isn't to matter forever.
It's to matter right now to the people who chose to follow you.

💬 What decision would you make TODAY if you accepted your cosmic insignificance?

🔁 Share this for the CEO mistaking pressure for purpose.

🔔 Follow Ramkumar R for mirrors that turn existential weight into execution speed.

𝗜 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝟴 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗽𝗽.
𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵, 𝗜 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝟯𝟬 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀.

Bharanidharan Viswanathan initiated me recently into coding using AI tools.
I took 30 minutes to design the application and test locally.
Another hour to deploy it.

Of course, my deep expertise using this with 700+ people over the years 
was key to churning it out quickly.

But still. 30 minutes vs 8 years.

Now my coaching clients use it daily.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘀?
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲.

When ChatGPT launched, everything shifted.
My 5-day work week compressed to 3.5 days.
Proposals. Research. Content. All automated.

But I watched most people do nothing with that extra time.
Write emails faster. Then scroll LinkedIn.

Meanwhile, I started showing CXOs what they were missing.

A Head of Strategy told me after one of my sessions:
Fresh from Stanford Seed program.
Year-long executive education. Top-tier faculty.

She went quiet when I showed her AI analyzing her company's strategic options.

"The frameworks we spent months learning...
The analysis that took our team weeks...
This just did it in minutes."

Then she said something that haunts me:

"𝗜𝗳 𝗜'𝗱 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀, 𝗜 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱'𝘃𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗮 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿'𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀."

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵:
𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀.
𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗔𝗜 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲.

My fellow coaches from CFI saw what I was doing.
"Show us," they demanded.

Live demos. Real workflows. Actual results.
Watching skeptics become builders in weeks?
That's when I knew the game had changed.

They went from "AI is complicated" to using AI excitedly in their coaching.
Some of them message me about breakthroughs they're having.

But here's what nobody's talking about:

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Right now, most people are AI tourists.
Using ChatGPT for emails. Maybe some content.

The builders? Still rare.
But not for long.

Your "unique" business idea? 
Someone's building it right now. With AI. In hours.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:

Can't code? AI tools make you a developer.
No designer? AI creates your visuals.
Need research? AI analyzes everything.
Want automation? AI builds it with you.

Every excuse you had in 2020 is dead.

The question isn't "Is this the right time?"
The question is "How much longer will you wait while others build?"

That app I wanted for 8 years?
Someone else could build it tomorrow.

Good thing I built it last month.

💬 What have you been waiting 8 years to build?

🔁 Share this for someone still collecting excuses instead of customers.

🔔 Follow Ramkumar R for mirrors that show you what's actually possible.

Serial Entrepreneur | Co-Founder - Intoglo.com, 91mobiles.com, saasworthy.com

"𝗪𝗲'𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲. 𝗠𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁."
Three CEOs told me the same thing this month.

I've heard this from 12 CEOs in the last quarter alone.
All saying the exact same thing. Almost word for word.

One showed me his org redesign:

"Look - AI handles reporting now. Junior folks execute.
My senior management make the strategic calls. 
Why do I need translators in between?"

Another was more blunt:
"I'm paying ₹50 lakhs for someone to forward emails
and schedule meetings my calendar app can handle."

The third? She actually showed me the math:

"22 middle managers three years ago. Now we have 8.
Revenue up 40%. Efficiency soared."

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:
𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿,
𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁.

They just haven't figured out the timing yet.

Meanwhile, on LinkedIn:
These same middle managers posting about "building culture"
and "mentoring the next generation."

While their CEOs are in board meetings
drawing org charts without them.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵:
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘄𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗲𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁.

AI from below. Cost pressure from above.

Too expensive to keep. Too experienced to retrain.

Too proud to pivot. Too visible to panic.

One CEO confided:
"My 45-year-old directors make ₹60 lakhs
to do what a 28-year-old with ChatGPT does better.
The math stopped working."

Another admitted:
"I feel bad. These are good people.
But sentiment doesn't show up on P&L."


𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:

Stop being a messenger. Start being a maker.
- Own outcomes, not org charts
- Create value, not slide decks
- Build revenue streams, not reporting lines
- Solve problems AI can't define
- Become indispensable, not intermediate

The CEOs keeping middle managers?
Only the ones who generate more than they cost.

The harsh calculus: If your job is translating up and down,
you're already obsolete.

Your Sunday truth:
If you're explaining someone else's strategy to someone else's team,
start building your own value proposition.

Before someone else explains why you're redundant.

💬 What unique value do you create that can't be automated or eliminated?

🔁 Share this for the middle manager who needs this wake-up call.

🔔 Follow Ramkumar R for uncomfortable truths your CEO won't tell you.

𝗠𝘆 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸.

A VP Sales called me in tears.

"I stopped attending the daily sync.
Started visiting clients instead.
Closed ₹3 crores in new business last month.
HR just put me on a PIP for 'not being collaborative.'"

"How many meetings did you miss?" I asked.

"Twenty-two."

"How many deals did you close?"

"Four."

"So you traded 22 hours of talking for ₹3 crores?"

"But nobody knows about those deals except my two team members."

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲.
𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝘁.

I see this pattern everywhere:
The quiet achiever wondering why they're overlooked.
The meeting regular who contributes nothing but gets promoted.

One CEO told me honestly:
"I promoted Rajesh because I see him every day.
Priya closed our biggest deal, but I found out three weeks later.
In my mind, Rajesh is always working. Priya? I don't know what she does."

"But Priya delivered ₹5 crores last quarter."

"I know that NOW. But perception happens daily.
Results get reported quarterly."

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵:
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺.

Your manager has 200 emails daily.
15 meetings.
3 escalations.

Your quiet excellence? It's competing with loud mediocrity.
And loud usually wins.

Not because companies are stupid.
But because humans are wired to notice presence over performance.

I've coached 50+ executives who discovered:
- High performers spend 8 hours/week in meetings
- But only 10 minutes/week communicating wins
- Low performers? 27 hours in meetings
- Which means 27 hours of visibility

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:

The 10-minute visibility system:
- Monday: 5-bullet email on last week's wins
- Wednesday: One Slack message about progress
- Friday: Quick corridor update to your boss

Total time: 10 minutes weekly.
Total impact: Massive.

That VP Sales?
We didn't change her work style.
We just made her work visible:
- Created a "Deals Closed" Slack channel
- CC'd leadership on client thank-you emails
- 2-minute video updates instead of hour-long meetings

PIP withdrawn in 3 weeks.
Why? Same results. Different visibility.

"Nothing changed except everything," she told me.
"I'm doing the same work.
But now people know I'm doing it."

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵:
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳.
𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸.

💬 How much time do you spend doing vs. communicating what you've done?

🔁 Share this for the quiet achiever who deserves to be seen.

🔔 Follow Ramkumar R for mirrors that show why being good isn't good enough.

𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.

One was 24, building his first startup.
The other was 40, between school pickups.

Both walked away convinced they were losing.

The young founder saw composure. Balance. Wisdom.
The parent-founder saw energy. Focus. Speed.

Neither saw the truth.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴.
𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲.

The 24-year-old works 80 hours because they have 80 hours.
The 40-year-old works 40 brilliant hours because that's all they get.

One burns time to learn what the other knows instantly.
Pattern recognition vs runway. Different games entirely.

A parent-founder told me last week:
"I can't compete with these kids. They code all night."

"When did you last lose a deal to them?" I asked.

Silence.

She'd won every pitch against younger competitors.
Why? She solved the problem in one meeting.
They needed six iterations to understand it.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵:
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀.
𝗜𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺.

The tragedy?

The parent-founder quits, thinking they can't compete.
The young founder burns out, thinking this pace is sustainable.

I've coached both types.
The young ones ask: "How do I go faster?"
The parents ask: "How do I find more time?"

Wrong questions. Both of them.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:

Young founder? Your edge isn't time. It's iteration speed.
Ship fast. Break things. Learn cheaper.

Parent-founder? Your edge isn't balance. It's precision.
One right decision beats ten experiments.

Stop comparing hours. Compare outcomes.

The 24-year-old has time but needs wisdom.
The 40-year-old has wisdom but needs time.

Both staring at what they lack
instead of leveraging what they have.

That parent-founder who thought she couldn't compete?
She raised ₹8 crores last month.
Works 35 hours a week.
Outperforming teams working twice as long.

She stopped trying to run their race.
Started running her own.

𝗥𝘂𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲.
𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆:
𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲.

💬 What constraint do you have that's secretly your competitive advantage?

🔁 Share this for the founder comparing their chapter 7 to someone else's chapter 2.

🔔 Follow Ramkumar R for mirrors that show you the race you're actually running.

𝗔𝘁 𝟮𝟱, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹.
𝗔𝘁 𝟯𝟱, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹.
𝗔𝘁 𝟰𝟱, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹.

Then you hit 50 and realize the goal was never the goal.

A CXO messaged me last week.
"Finally got the corner office. Feel emptier than when I was an analyst."

"My kids don't know me," he said.
"I'm in board meetings all day planning a future I won't enjoy."

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:
𝖸𝗈𝗎 𝖽𝗈𝗇'𝗍 𝗇𝖾𝖾𝖽 𝖺𝗇𝗈𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗋 𝗍𝗂𝗍𝗅𝖾 𝗍𝗈 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗅 𝗏𝖺𝗅𝗂𝖽𝖺𝗍𝖾𝖽.
𝖸𝗈𝗎 𝗇𝖾𝖾𝖽 𝗆𝗈𝗋𝖾 𝖽𝖺𝗒𝗌 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗍 𝖿𝖾𝖾𝗅 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝗍𝗁 𝗅𝗂𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗀.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵:
𝖳𝗁𝖾 𝗀𝗈𝖺𝗅𝗉𝗈𝗌𝗍𝗌 𝗇𝖾𝗏𝖾𝗋 𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗉 𝗆𝗈𝗏𝗂𝗇𝗀.
𝖴𝗇𝗅𝖾𝗌𝗌 𝗒𝗈𝗎 𝗌𝗍𝗈𝗉 𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝖾𝗆.

Get the promotion? Want the CEO chair.
Hit ₹3 crore? Want ₹5 crore.

Playing a game where winning means needing more.

I've coached 100+ CEOs through this exact trap.
Chase the next level thinking it'll complete you.
Get there. Feel the same. Chase harder.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:

𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝘀.

What does a perfect Tuesday look like?
Not vacation. A working Tuesday.

Work backwards from there.

Most never do.

One CEO I coach built a ₹500 crore company.
"My biggest mistake?" he told me.
"I built a prison and made myself the warden."

Now he works 4 days a week.
Resigned from 3 boards. Joined his son's startup.
Making less money. Making more memories.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿
𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Stop chasing the next decade.
Start designing tomorrow.

The titles will matter less when the days matter more.

💬 What are you chasing that's actually chasing you away from happiness?

🔁 Share this for the executive who needs permission to want less.

🔔 Follow Ramkumar R for mirrors that turn ambition into alignment.

𝗠𝘆 𝗜𝗦𝗕 𝗪𝗜𝗦𝗘 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱.

Still got reactions. Still got comments.
Still worth more than the 100 perfect posts I never published.

Ten years ago at WNS, Yogendra (Yogi) Goyal, our Chief Sales Officer, told me:
"You're doing incredible work. You should write about it on LinkedIn."

I spent the next 6 months "preparing."

Reading every viral post. Analyzing every framework.
Three hours daily consuming content about creating content.
30 minutes would have been enough to actually write.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:
𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲.
𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗮𝗱𝗹𝘆.

Now? I write every working day.
With typos. With mistakes. With repeated carousel pages.

And discovered something nobody tells you:
My worst posts taught me more than any course.
My mistakes got me more clients than my masterpieces.

Because people don't connect with perfect.
They connect with progress.

A client told me last week:
"I've attended 47 webinars on scaling this year.
My revenue hasn't moved."

We all have that one habit.
The one that feels like work but isn't.

Mine was "research mode."
Yours might be "planning mode."
Or "learning mode."

All sophisticated ways to avoid the thing that scares us:
Doing the work badly until we do it better.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵:
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗴𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗲.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:

Ship daily with mistakes.
Not when you're ready.
Not when it's perfect.
Daily.

My repeated carousel page taught me about attention to detail.
The 100 perfect drafts in my folder taught me nothing.

Yogi was right 10 years ago.
I had stories worth sharing.
I was just too scared to share them imperfectly.

Now I know: Preparation is procrastination with a better resume.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵:
𝗕𝘂𝘀𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲. 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴.

Choose terrifying.

💬 What are you researching to avoid doing?

🔁 Share this for someone stuck in preparation mode.

🔔 Follow Ramkumar R for mirrors that turn hiding into shipping.

𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝗔𝗜 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗲𝗱.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁.

A CEO messaged me last week.
"Should I tell clients we're using AI for strategy work?"

"Are you using their confidential data?" I asked.

"No, just market analysis."

"Then they care about results, not your research tools."

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝗔𝗜 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.
𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻𝗲.

The first: "Look how innovative we are with AI!"
Nobody cares. AI is table stakes now.

The second: "Here's how we protect your data while delivering faster results."
Now you're talking business.

Your client with the ₹500 crore revenue plateau?
They don't care if AI analyzed trends.
They care that revenue hit ₹750 crores.

But feed their customer list into ChatGPT without asking?
You just became their biggest problem.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵:
𝗔𝗜 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆.
𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀.

Public information + AI = Your competitive advantage
Client data + AI = Requires consent

Simple as that.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:

Know your boundaries:
- Market research = Your toolkit
- Client data = Full transparency required
- Regulated industries = Compliance first

Wrong conversation: "We use cutting-edge AI"
Right conversation: "We deliver results 5x faster"

AI is like having 20 junior analysts.
You wouldn't brag about team size.
But you'd disclose if they handled confidential data.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.
𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

💬 Where's the line between your tools and their trust?

🔁 Share this for the professional navigating AI ethics without the handbook.

🔔 Follow Ramkumar R for mirrors that show you what actually matters.

"𝗜 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗶𝗱-𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀. 𝗚𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗺𝗶𝗱-𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲.
𝗧𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗙𝗢 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.
𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 '𝗵𝗶𝘀' 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮."

A 38-year-old COO sat across from me, exhausted.
This happens every executive committee meeting.

"How many women in that room?" I asked.

"Just me and one other. Out of twelve."

There it was.

She wasn't imagining it.
Men interrupt women 33% more often than other men.
In mixed meetings? 46 out of 48 interruptions come from men.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:
𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁.
𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱.

"Watch what the Obama White House women did," I told her.

They created 'amplification':
When one woman made a point, another would repeat it.
"Sarah's insight about X is critical because..."
A third would build on it.

They stopped letting their ideas get stolen.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵:
𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝟴𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺.

When outnumbered, women use only 72% of their fair share of speaking time.

"So what do I do?" she asked.

"Three things," I said.

"First, find that other woman. Make her your amplifier.
When you speak, she repeats and credits you.
When she speaks, you do the same."

"Second, change your physics.
Men lean in 40% more often in meetings.
Lean forward. Both hands on table. Hold eye contact.
Your body claims space before your words do."

"Third, use verbal anchoring.
Start with: 'I have three points to make. First...'
When interrupted: 'I'll take questions after I complete my three points.'
They can't steal what you haven't finished saying."

She took notes. Then looked up.

"What if they still interrupt?"

"Name it. Calmly. Directly.
'I've been interrupted three times. I'd like to complete my point.'
Most men don't realize they're doing it.
The data shows they genuinely don't."

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:

1) The Amplification Alliance: Find one person. Just one.
2) Physical Presence: Lean in. Hands visible. Eyes locked.
3) Verbal Anchoring: Number your points. Control the flow.
4) Data Shield: Lead with numbers. They can't interrupt facts.
5) Name the Pattern: Call it out. Without emotion. With precision.

The boardroom doesn't need women acting like men.
It needs women using strategies that actually work.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗽 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱?
𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲.
𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆.

These exact strategies are being explored at ISB WISE conclave's Boardroom Ready roundtable on Nov 29.
Because knowing the rules changes the game.

💬 Which strategy will you try in your next meeting?

🔁 Share this for the woman who needs these tools today.

🔔 Follow Ramkumar R for mirrors that turn interruption into influence.

𝗔 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗺𝗲: "𝗜 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗳𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘆."

"Good," I said. "That means you're doing it right."

He looked at me like I'd lost my mind.

"What makes you feel like a fraud?" I asked.

"Everyone else seems to have answers.
Real CEOs know what they're doing.
I'm just making it up as I go."

"I've coached 100+ CEOs," I said.
"Want to know their secret?"

He leaned in.

"They're all making it up as they go.
Every. Single. One."

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:
𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘆𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗮 𝗯𝘂𝗴.
𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲.

Think about what you're actually doing:
Building something that's never existed.
In a market that's still forming.
With a playbook you're writing in real-time.

How could you possibly feel qualified?

Steve Jobs? Started Apple at 21.
Bill Gates? Dropped out at 19.
Zuckerberg? Built Facebook in a dorm room.

They weren't qualified.
They were just first.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵:
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗜𝗦 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

It means you're doing something that matters.
Something hard.
Something new.

If you felt completely qualified,
you'd be playing it too safe.

That founder I mentioned?
He'd just raised ₹50 crore.

His investors weren't betting on his qualifications.
They were betting on his ability to figure it out.

The "experts" who feel qualified?
They're usually people who've never built anything.
They have answers because they've never faced your questions.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:

Stop trying to cure impostor syndrome.
Start using it as a compass.

Feeling like a fraud about fundraising?
→ Good. Learn from someone who's done it.

Feeling unqualified to lead?
→ Perfect. Your humility will make you coachable.

Feeling uncertain about decisions?
→ Ideal. You'll actually listen to your team.

The CEOs who scare me?
The ones who never doubt themselves.

They're usually six months from disaster.

Because confidence without doubt is just ignorance with funding.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘅 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽:
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁.

Real qualification comes from knowing you don't know.
And building anyway.

That founder went on to scale 3x in 18 months.
Not because he stopped feeling like an impostor.
Because he stopped waiting to feel qualified.

The difference between founders who make it and those who don't?

The successful ones realize everyone's an impostor.
Then they get back to work.

𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿,
𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵.

💬 What makes you feel most like an impostor? That's probably your biggest opportunity.

🔁 Share this for the founder who needs to hear they're not alone.

🔔 Follow Ramkumar R for truths that make leadership make sense.

"𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝟭𝟬𝘅 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲!"
"𝗜 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗰𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝟲 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗹𝘆."

But you don't know my practice.
You don't know my clients.
You don't know if I even want 10x.

A lead generation expert messaged me.
Same template every coach on LinkedIn gets.

I replied: "Which coach did you help achieve that?"

Silence.
Then: "That's confidential"

Translation: The success stories are still in beta.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁:
𝗬𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲.

Some coaches want 100 clients.
Some want 5.
Both are right.

But assuming everyone wants scale?
That's like assuming every restaurant wants to be McDonald's.

Some of us chose to be the small place
with a three-month waiting list.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗵:
𝟭𝟬𝘅 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 = 𝟭𝟬% 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗵.

A consultant friend scaled to 50 clients.
"I became a human chatbot," she told me.
"Same advice. Different faces. Zero breakthroughs."

She's back to 5 clients now.
Makes more money. Works less. Loves Mondays again.

In 8 months with one CEO, we turned around his ₹200 crore company.
That doesn't happen with 50 other clients competing for attention.

It happens when you go deep enough to find what's actually broken.
Not the symptom. The source.

My best referral source this year?
A CEO whose business I helped transform.
Years later, still sending me clients.
That's the compound interest of depth.

You can't 10x that.
You can only earn it.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀:

Know what you're optimizing for.

Empire builders need systems.
Impact creators need depth.
Freedom seekers need boundaries.

All valid. All profitable.
None requiring a templated DM.

The coaches who actually need help scaling?
They're getting warm introductions.

From clients whose businesses they transformed.
Not whose inboxes they invaded.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆
𝗶𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀.
𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴.

💬 What are you optimizing for - volume or value?

🔁 Share this for the entrepreneur who needs permission to stay small.

🔔 Follow Ramkumar R for mirrors that show you what growth actually looks like.

40+ Linkedin Money-Making-Influence Resources I Toxic Boss Immunity I Frequency of INFLUENCE: ETHICAL PERSUASION I $20k Brain-Based Sales System | HarvardX Neuroscience Research I Keynote 🎤 I X-Microsoft I Captain ⛵

$20k Monthly Brain Based Sales System Without Chasing the "Yes"

You know the feeling:
😳 Your brain lights up with “What if they think I’m pushy?” the second you open a DM.
😬 You’d rather post and pray the right people find you than risk being ghosted.
😅 You tell yourself that if you were really good, clients would just show up.

You don’t want to fake connection just to pitch.
You want sales that feels human. Real conversations, not pressure tactics.

You’re not bad at sales.
Your brain is just protecting you.

The amygdala flags rejection as danger.
Your prefrontal cortex freezes.
And boom hesitation, overthinking, silence.

That’s where my work comes in.
I teach the Neuroscience of No-Pressure Sales so you can sell with calm confidence instead of fear.

No scripts. No manipulation.
Just science, psychology, and simple tools to retrain your nervous system so selling feels natural again.

When your brain is relaxed, your authenticity returns.
You stop pitching and start connecting.
Outreach stops feeling like an intrusion and starts feeling like service.

This is sales made easy for coaches who hate selling.

✨ Ways to get started with me:

✅ If you're a coach DM me "Butter"
✅ If you're a business owner DM me "Butter"
✅ If you're a sales leader DM me "Butter"
✅ Attend my next workshop for FREE BRAIN BASED SALES SECRETS. https://forms.gle/HvTRDEZEuu7bgQEF8
✅ Subscribe to the Be Like Butter Bugle: Weekly brain hacks for resilience and influence. https://synaptic-solutions.kit.com/newsletter

Personal interests: 
- Captain ⛵️ 
- Recovering Sugar Addict 🍭 
- Trash TV consumer 🗑️

Sales Coach | Toxic Boss Coach | Neuroscience Coach | Executive Coach | Master Behavioral Strategist | Speaker | Advisor | Expert | 7 figures | Virtual Speaking | Sales Performance Brain Hacker | Mindset Coach I Corporate Trainer I Influence I Key Note Speaker

🧠 Shannon Smith, J.D., M.S. 🚀

Leaders don't do things for you. 

They inspire you to grow into someone who can do them 

Your brain's mirror neurons are fascinating...

When we observe great leadership, 
Our neural networks literally reshape themselves 🧠

Here's what happened in my team's brains 
When I shifted from problem-solver to growth catalyst:

1️⃣ Neural Leadership Networks
↳ Prefrontal cortex activation in decision-making up 
↳ Stress response pathways decreased
↳ Reward circuits fired during problem-solving

2️⃣ Learning Circuit Activation
↳ Neuroplasticity peaked during challenges
↳ Dopamine loops strengthened team bonds
↳ Cognitive flexibility increased 

3️⃣ Performance Neuroscience
↳ Cortisol levels dropped 
↳ Oxytocin boosted trust signals
↳ Group synchronization improved

Science shows: When leaders step back,
The team's collective neural networks step up.

Learn how to build a $20k - No Chasing the Yes - Sales System
Apply here --> https://lnkd.in/eZRF_jZe

PS: What neural pathway did your best leader help you strengthen? 🧠

Video credit: Unlnown

-------------------------------------------------

♻️ Share to build stronger leadership brains
➕ Follow 🧠 Shannon for more brain-based growth insights

The hard things you avoid 

Are the exact things that free you

Most people avoid the hard stuff.
Not because they are lazy.
Because their brain is trying to protect them.

The prefrontal cortex wants long term wins
But the amygdala wants immediate comfort
So every hard task feels like a threat
And your brain tells you to delay it
Even when it hurts you later.

Here is how to flip the switch
So your brain stops fighting you
And starts working for you.

1/ Reduce the threat signal
 Big tasks feel dangerous
 So your brain freezes
 Break the task into the smallest next move
 Science: Small steps lower amygdala activity
 And increase dopamine for starting

2/ Front load the friction
 Do the hardest task first
 Before your brain is overloaded
 Science: Your decision making power is highest early
 And cortisol rises as the day goes on

3/ Create a reward loop
 Your brain needs a reason to try
 Pair the hard task with a positive cue
 Tea, music, a small celebration
 Science: Dopamine releases faster
 When a reward is tied to effort, not outcomes

When you train your brain to face hard things
You stop leaking energy
You build momentum
And the tough stuff becomes automatic

P.S. Whats your best procrastination buster? 

Learn how to build a $20k No Chasing the Yes Sales System
Apply here → https://lnkd.in/eZRF_jZe

Video Credit: Unknown

-----------------------------------------------------------------

➕ Follow 🧠 Shannon  to get more brainy tips
♻️ Repost to help more people train their brain to thrive

I used to shrink parts of myself to fit into corporate.

It quietly drained the life out of my ideas (and me).

At the time, I thought success required self-erasure.
I hit every goal on the board.
But I felt empty.

 🧠 Promotions
 🧠 Pay raises
 🧠 Prestige

None of it mattered.
My spark was gone.
And so was my creativity.

Have you ever noticed how your brain invents ideas
When you’re not even trying?

Your imagination lights up your neural networks
Like a synchronized light show.

Brain imaging reveals that
Most of your regions activate during visualization.

Here’s what fuels your imagination 👇

1/ Your Brain’s Creative Engine
 ↳ Default Mode Network turns on as the PFC steps back
 ↳ Memory blends with emotion to create new associations
 ↳ Your brain recombines patterns without limits

2/ The Moment Insight Strikes
 ↳ Gamma bursts peak during big realizations
 ↳ Hippocampus sends raw material to the DMN
 ↳ New pathways strengthen the more you play with ideas

3/ Your Creativity Enhancement Tools
 ↳ Take short intentional pauses for DMN activation
 ↳ Change scenes to trigger fresh circuitry
 ↳ Welcome boredom because it sparks innovation

Creativity is not magic.
It is a neural process you can train.
All you need is the space and permission to
Reconnect with curiosity and let your mind roam.
Don’t lose your spark chasing goals that dim you.

BIG NEWS! SALES SAGE IS LIVE!
See the truth your reps won’t say out loud (before it blows up your number)
Taking 100 beta testers - 14 day free trial
Minority Report for Sales Teams
https://salessage.co/ 

PS: When does your imagination run wild?

Video Credit: Unknown

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

♻️ Share to help others reclaim their creativity
➕ Follow Shannon for more brain-based growth insights

Your brain won't save you.

Your heart will. 

For two weeks, I volunteered to help rescue animals.
Feeding, cleaning, comforting the scared and the broken.

They had nothing to give back
but showing up still felt right.

Because giving changes you.
It pulls you out of fear and back into purpose.

And right now, the world needs more of that.
 💔 People are hurting.
 💔 Jobs disappearing.
 💔 Markets spiraling.
 💔 Stress levels through the roof.

Everyone’s doing their best just to stay afloat.
But when everything feels unstable,
most people grip tighter.
They try to control.
They chase.
They push harder for the “yes.”

That’s exactly why it stops working.
The brain senses pressure and shuts down trust.
You can’t sell, serve, or lead from scarcity.
You can only do it from calm generosity.

That’s why I’m giving away what I’ve learned.
The exact framework that helped me break free from corporate,
build consistency on my own,
and stop chasing clients who weren’t ready.

It’s called Stop Chasing the Yes.
A workshop to help you
 – Build your own predictable client system
 – Shift from pressure to presence in every conversation
 – Lead with calm confidence instead of fear

If you’ve been giving everything and still feel stuck,
this is your next step.

Because giving works best
when you give to yourself too.

Learn how to build a $20k - No Chasing the Yes - Sales System
Apply here --> https://lnkd.in/eZRF_jZe

P.S. Do you volunteer, if so where?

------------------------------------------------------------------------

➕ Follow Shannon for more neuroscience tools for calm influence
♻️ Repost to help others give without burning out

The only true failure in life is quitting. 

Success is never a straight line. It certainly wasn't for me.

I've had many failures and setbacks along my path.
Layoffs.
Failed ventures.
Bad investments. 

Life is messy. 
Mess is a part of life.

Enjoy the messiness. 
And, your brain kinda likes it messy too.

Why your brain craves zigzag paths 🧠

(The science of why progress feels so messy) 👇

Your neural pathways aren't built in straight lines
And neither is your path to greatness
Here's what's really happening in your brain:

1️⃣ The Neural Reality
↳ Growth pathways form through trial and error
↳ Each "failure" strengthens neural connections
↳ Your brain requires contrast to learn

2️⃣ The Resilience Loop
↳ Setbacks activate problem-solving networks
↳ Stress actually enhances memory formation
↳ Recovery periods boost cognitive flexibility

3️⃣ The Growth Paradox
↳ Progress activates dopamine reward system
↳ Plateaus create new neural foundations
↳ Breakthroughs happen during apparent standstills

Your "messy" journey is how your brain is designed to learn and grow.

P.S. What was your latest messiness?

Learn how to build a $20k - No Chasing the Yes - Sales System
Apply here --> https://lnkd.in/eZRF_jZe

Video Credit: Unknown

-------------------------------------------------

♻️ Share if you're ready to embrace the zigzag
➕ Follow Shannon for more brain-based insights

Most people’s LinkedIn strategy: grind harder and hope

Mine: close clients while living life on my own schedule

I’ve wandered through the Greek islands
- Boat rides to hidden beaches
- Mornings working with seaside views
- A weekend in Skopelos without realizing it was a movie set

I spent a month in Athens
- Day trips to Agistri, turquoise blue waters
- Afternoons coaching clients

Why am I sharing this?
 Because your brain says “that’s not for me”
 Because it tells you to stick with the familiar
 (It’s called comfort bias and it keeps you stuck)

But here’s what no one will tell you:
If you want it, this life is closer than you think

Here’s how your brain makes it happen:

1️⃣ The Belief Reset
 ↳ Your brain avoids what feels out of reach
 ↳ Turn “impossible” into doable with simple shifts
 ↳ Stack wins until change feels normal

2️⃣ The LinkedIn Advantage
 ↳ Know what your ideal client looks for before they decide
 ↳ Post and message in ways that feel safe and personal
 ↳ Use a system that works even while you’re away

3️⃣ The Lifestyle Flywheel
 ↳ Every yes starts before the offer is made
 ↳ Match your approach to their decision process
 ↳ That’s how I work from coastlines and mountain trails

The point?

It’s not about more work
It’s about the right work for the brain

I am offering a once in a lifetime DONE FOR YOU SYSTEM
For One Month, I will revamp your LI system
- ICP Subtext Discovery 
- LI Optimization
- DM Framework that gets sales calls
- 1 month of content that gets inbound leads
- Engagement that builds your reach

I will only take ONE client. 
If you want me to build your system,
the way I went from 3k to 50k followers, then DM me
"DFY Butter" and we'll chat.

P.S. Where would you take your laptop first?
P.P.S. Pic from Poseidon's Temple (10/10)
-----------------------------------------------------------

♻️ Share if your goal is freedom without the hustle
➕ Follow 🧠 Shannon for more brain-based sales strategies

One more trip around the sun.

It's been a doozy.

Every birthday, I pause and reflect on my last year.
This year was the year that stretched me in every direction.

I lost my favorite person (my Belley Bean)
That loss began an 8 month walkabout across the globe.

I found my spiritual side.
I found strength I didn't know I had.

I escaped 3 typhoons
I sailed the Mediterranean
I ate the most amazing food 
I chopped a bajillion bananas
I swam in the Blue Cave in Croatia
I cared for 140 elephants and 700 dogs
I got bit and headbutted by deer in Nara
I moved what felt like a million watermelons
I spoiled myself at a Japanese Onsen regularly
I calmly navigated a stalker sitch right up to my airplane 
I lost a toenail trying an advanced yoga post in Cabo San Lucas

I missed my family.
I missed my friends.

I grew.
I grew so much.
I think I grew more this year than any year before.

I admired the precision of Japanese trains.
I learned Thai people do not use chopsticks.
I went from a 3k to 50k community in 8 months.
I was stunned by the beauty of the Greek islands.
I made new friends in the most unexpected places.
I built a predictable, brain-based revenue machine.
I helped countless clients do the same for their businesses.

This year was not easy.
It was not predictable.
But it was deeply transformative.

Here is to another year of becoming.
Here is to letting go, leaning in, and staying open.

And if you are reading this…
Thank you for being part of my journey.

P.S. Today, I am Seattle celebrating!
Wanna celebrate with me?

I am offering a once in a lifetime DONE FOR YOU SYSTEM
For One Month, I will revamp your LI system
- ICP Subtext Discovery 
- LI Optimization
- DM Framework that gets sales calls
- 1 month of content that gets inbound leads
- Engagement that builds your reach

I will only take ONE client. 
If you want me to build your system,
the way I went from 3k to 50k followers, then DM me
"DFY Butter" and we'll chat.

-----------------------------------------------------------

♻️ Share if your goal is freedom without the hustle
➕ Follow 🧠 Shannon for more brain-based sales strategies

You have more answers than you think. 

You just don't know it...yet.

Most people say they want to think outside the box.
But few ever leave it.

Because the box feels safe.
It’s made of habits, rules, and comfort.
It’s your brain’s way of protecting you from uncertainty.

But that same safety is what keeps you small.
Every great idea, every business, every leap
starts the moment you question the walls around you.

When you think differently, new neural pathways fire.
Your prefrontal cortex lights up.
Dopamine releases as you connect unfamiliar dots.
That’s not chaos. That’s creativity.

Thinking outside the box trains your brain to
🧠 see possibilities instead of patterns,
🧠 stay adaptable when the world shifts,
🧠 and turn fear into curiosity instead of paralysis.

Inside the box, life feels predictable.
Outside, it feels alive.

If you want freedom, income, and purpose,
you can’t just color outside the lines.
You have to stop believing they’re even there.

That’s the work we do inside my workshop
Because the world doesn’t reward safety.
It rewards those who think beyond it.

🧠 Learn how to build a $20k - No Chasing the Yes - Sales System
Apply here --> https://lnkd.in/eZRF_jZe

Usually, the answer is already within you 
(channeling Yoda today).

P.S. When was the last time you already knew the answer...you just had to remember you did?

Video credit: Unlnown

---------------------------------------------------------

➕ Follow Shannon for more neuroscience tools for clarity and creativity
♻️ Repost to help more people break out of their mental box

Persuasion isn't manipulation

Persuasion is making the prospect feel safe.

The top 8 secrets to ethically persuade 👇

Most people think persuasion means convincing or winning.
But real persuasion begins in calm awareness.
Your nervous system leads the conversation 
Long before your words do.
When your energy is steady, others feel safe to open.

Here's the 8 secret ways to ethically persuade

1️⃣ Regulate before you relate
 Take one slow breath before you speak.
 This quiets the body and steadies your focus.
 Your calm signals safety and builds connection.

2️⃣ Lead with curiosity
 Ask questions that invite reflection.
 “What feels most challenging right now?”
 Curiosity keeps the brain open and the energy light.

3️⃣ Validate before you redirect
 When people hesitate, meet them with empathy.
 “I understand why you’d feel that way.”
 Validation relaxes tension and rebuilds trust.

4️⃣ Keep autonomy intact
 People need to feel in control of their choices.
 Invite, don’t push.
 “Would you like to explore this together?”

5️⃣ Reframe with clarity
 Fear narrows focus, clarity opens it again.
 Ask, “What might shift if this were already solved?”
 It helps people see beyond the problem.

6️⃣ Align around shared intention
 Focus on what matters to both of you.
 “We both want this to create real results.”
 Shared purpose turns pressure into partnership.

7️⃣ Match energy before guiding change
 People follow what feels familiar.
 First, attune to their tone and pace.
 Then gently guide the conversation toward calm and clarity.

8️⃣ End with clarity, not pressure
 Unfinished conversations keep the mind spinning.
 Summarize, confirm, and close the loop.
 “Are you ready to get started?"

Ethical persuasion is calm, curious, and choice-based.
🧠 Regulate first. 
🧠 Match energy. 
🧠 Keep autonomy strong.

That’s how influence becomes trust.

P.S. Have you ever felt pressured to buy?

Starting up my workshops again!
Learn how to build a $20k - No Chasing the Yes - Sales System
Apply here --> https://lnkd.in/eZRF_jZe

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

➕ Follow Shannon for more brain-based sales tools
 ♻️ Repost to help more people influence with integrity

The real threat to your number isn't the market.

It's the things your reps never say.

Everyone talks about activity.
Everyone talks about coaching.
Everyone talks about pipeline discipline.

But nobody talks about the truth gap.

The space between what your reps say...
...and what is actually happening.

That gap is where bad quarters grow.

😱 The rep who says “all good” while confidence tanks.
😱 The pipeline that looks clean but is full of dead deals.
😱 The silent fear that turns into quiet quitting.

You see these problems too late.
You take the hit.
You carry the blame.

And you never get the early signal
that could have saved the quarter.

Your top threat is not performance.
It is blind spots.

Sales Sage closes them.
Ten minutes.
A simple pulse.

✅ Signals you will never see in a meeting.
✅ Patterns no CRM can surface.
✅ Emotional shifts that predict misses

BEFORE they show up in your number.

If you want to know what your team is really telling you
before it becomes a fire you have to put out

Take advantage of the 14 day free trial
https://salessage.co/
See the truth your reps won’t say out loud 
(before it blows up your number)

You will never manage your team the same way again.

P.S. The pic looks like a mix of me and Data from Star Trek, right?

----------------------------------------------------

♻️ Share if you are tired of surprise misses
 ➕ Follow 🧠 Shannon for more brain based sales insights

"Get out of my head."

That is what I hear a LOT. 

It's also what my clients hear.
If you want to win in business
Learn to enter your ICP’s mind.

Not their surface answers.
Their unspoken thoughts.
The quiet stuff they never say out loud.

Your ICP is thinking about risk, safety, and reputation.
Their nervous system scans the world for certainty.
Your job is to understand the subtext they hide.

Here are 5 ways to read your ICP’s real inner world:

1️⃣ Listen for the pause
 When they hesitate, note the silence.
 Write down what fear that pause might signal.
 Ask one gentle question to explore it.

2️⃣ Name the problem better than they can
 Say the thing they hint at but avoid.
 Use words they have not said yet.
 Their brain relaxes when it feels understood.

3️⃣ Track their emotional patterns
 Notice where their tone shifts.
 Spot excitement, tension, or doubt.
 These shifts reveal what they truly value.

4️⃣ Map their failed attempts
 Ask what they have already tried.
 Look for frustration in their answers.
 This reveals hidden pain they rarely voice.

5️⃣ Reflect their vision back to them
 Repeat their goals in simple language.
 Show them the future they want.
 The brain trusts what it can picture clearly.

When you understand the thoughts they never say,
your ICP feels seen at a deeper level.
They think you can read their mind.
And trust becomes the easiest part of the sale.

P.S. When is the last time you thought someone was in your head?

BIG NEWS! SALES SAGE IS LIVE!
See the truth your reps won’t say out loud (before it blows up your number)
Taking 100 beta testers - 14 day free trial
Minority Report for Sales Teams
https://salessage.co/ 

-------------------------------------------------

♻️ Share to help others build resilient minds
➕ Follow Shannon for more brain-based growth insights

The number 1 reason you’re invisible on Linkedin...

You aren't breaking through the RAS filter

Your prospect never sees most of what you say.
Their brain deletes it before it gets inside.

The Reticular Activating System filters everything.
It looks for relevance, novelty, safety, and clarity.
If your message feels routine, it gets ignored.
If it feels vivid and personal, it gets through.
Here are ten ways to pass the filter fast.

1/ Pattern breaks win
Don’t start predictable
Do open with novelty
Science: RAS flags newness first

2/ Short lines keep attention
 Don’t write long blocks
 Do use simple spacing
 Science: Low load keeps thinking open

3/ Make it about them
Don’t lead with yourself
Do mirror their world
Science: RAS checks for self relevance

4/ Signal credibility fast
Don’t over explain
Do give one strong proof
Science: Fast heuristics shape trust

5/ Use micro commitments
Don’t push for yes
Do ask tiny questions
Science: Micro wins open dopamine

6/ Use visual outcomes
Don’t stay vague
Do paint clear images
Science: RAS tags vivid scenes

7/ Match their energy
Don’t push your pace
Do mirror tone
Science: Mirror neurons sync fast

8/ Validate their words
Don’t jump to fixes
Do echo their phrasing
Science: Neural validation needs match

9/ Create safety, not pressure
Don’t force urgency
Do slow the tempo
Science: Threat shuts attention down

10/ Give one next step
Don’t dump info
Do guide clearly
Science: Sequence reduces neural noise

When you speak to the brain instead of the ego
You stop sounding like everyone else
You bypass resistance
You increase trust
And your message finally lands

P.S. Which one has worked for you??

Learn how to build a $20k No Chasing the Yes Sales System
Apply here → https://lnkd.in/eZRF_jZe
Dec 15 - 11am - 2pm PST

----------------------------------------------------------------
➕ Follow 🧠 Shannon  to get more brainy tips
♻️ Repost to help more people train their brain to thrive

Persuasion isn’t pressure.

Persuasion is helping someone feel safe.

Here are 8 ethical persuasion swaps that actually work 👇

Most people try to persuade with logic or force.
But the brain listens to safety signals first.
When you protect autonomy and reduce threat,
People open up, not shut down.

Here are the 8 upgrades:

1️⃣ Regulate before you relate
❌ Don’t say: 
“Let me just explain why this makes sense.”

✅ Say this:
“Before we dive in, take a breath. I want this to feel clear.”

🔬Science:
 A calm nervous system sends safety cues.
 Their mirror neurons match your steadiness, lowering resistance.

2️⃣ Lead with curiosity
❌ Don’t say:
 “Here’s what you need to do.”

✅ Say this:
 “What feels hardest about this right now?”

🔬 Science:
 Curiosity keeps the amygdala quiet.
 Questions activate the prefrontal cortex, the part that evaluates options calmly.

3️⃣ Validate before redirecting
❌ Don’t say:
 “I understand, but…”

✅ Say this:
 “It makes sense you’d feel that way.”

🔬 Science:
 Validation reduces cortisol.
 It signals “You’re safe to express hesitations,” which reopens trust pathways.

4️⃣ Protect autonomy
❌ Don’t say:
 “You should really move forward.”

✅ Say this:
 “Want to explore this together?”

🔬 Science:
Autonomy is a core human need.
When someone feels in control, dopamine rises and decision-making improves.

5️⃣ Reframe with clarity
❌ Don’t say:
 “You’re overthinking this.”

✅ Say this:
 “What might shift if this were already solved?”

🔬 Science:
Reframing widens cognitive perspective.
It moves the brain out of threat mode and into problem-solving mode.

6️⃣ Align intentions
❌ Don’t say:
 “I just want you to see my point.”

✅ Say this:
 “We both want a solution that actually works for you.”

🔬 Science:
Shared goals increase oxytocin.
Oxytocin boosts collaboration and reduces defensiveness.

7️⃣ Match energy before guiding
❌ Don’t say:
 “Relax, it’s not a big deal.”

✅ Say this:
 “I hear how this feels for you. Let’s slow it down together.”

🔬Science:
Attunement regulates the nervous system.
The brain trusts what feels familiar before it trusts new direction.

8️⃣ Close with clarity, not pressure
❌ Don’t say:
 “So… are you ready or not?”

✅ Say this:
 “Here’s what the next step looks like. Does this feel right to you?”

🔬 Science:
Clear choices reduce cognitive load.
When the brain knows the path, uncertainty drops—and commitment rises.

Ethical persuasion is simple:
 🧠 Lower threat
 🧠 Raise clarity
 🧠 Protect autonomy

That’s how influence becomes trust.

P.S. Ever notice how pressure makes you want to run?

My workshops are open again.
Learn how to build a $20k No Chasing the Yes Sales System
Apply here → https://lnkd.in/eZRF_jZe

----------------------------------------------------------------

➕ Follow 🧠 Shannon for more brain-based sales tools
♻️ Repost to help more people influence with integrity

Your biggest risk is the rep who says they're "fine."

Your rep's "fine," is eerily similar to your spouse's "fine."

TL:DR It's definitely not "fine."

You don't lose a quarter in one moment.
You lose it in tiny blind spots.

A rep who says they're fine.
A pipeline that looks clean.
A deal that feels safe until it slips.

Then your forecast cracks.
Your VP starts asking questions.
And you wonder what you missed.

What every manager thinks but never says out loud:

You're managing stories, not data.
Your team tells you what feels safe to say.
Not what protects your number.

Sales Sage shows you the parts they leave out.
A simple 10 minute pulse surfaces early risk.

😶‍🌫️ Stress signals. 
😶‍🌫️ Confidence drops.
😶‍🌫️ Hidden struggles that turn into missed targets...
If you catch them too late.

We give you visibility your dashboards say they give you
But can't

The minority report for sales teams. 
14-day free beta: https://salessage.co for early adopters

taplio

The Battle

Ramkumar R

🧠 Shannon Smith, J.D., M.S. 🚀

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Performance ScoreRamkumar R's LinkedIn Performance

Performance Score🧠 Shannon Smith, J.D., M.S. 🚀's LinkedIn Performance

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The Battle

Ramkumar R

🧠 Shannon Smith, J.D., M.S. 🚀

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Ramkumar R's LinkedIn Performance

Performance Score🧠 Shannon Smith, J.D., M.S. 🚀's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreRamkumar R's LinkedIn Performance