

Code and Capital are the two highest forms of leverage. I use both.

I spent the first half of my career as an Operator: building, scaling, and exiting.

I am spending the second half as an Architect: designing systems that run without me.

Currently building a sovereign ecosystem bridging Private Equity and AI.

The Work:
- Writing: #dhandhekafunda — Deconstructing the algorithms of success.
- Guiding: House of Starts — Funding the next generation of founders.
- Building: Engines of freedom, not just companies.

If you are building at the edge of AI, Finance, or Systems Thinking, follow my linkedin profile. 

Utpal Vaishnav

We often promote people for their Execution (Column 4):

Then we are shocked when they fail because they have zero Self-Mastery (Column 1).

Leadership is not a single skill. It is a "Full Stack" discipline.

If you treat Leadership like an engineering problem, these are the 5 subsystems you need to maintain:

1. Self-Mastery: The Operating System. (EQ, Discipline, Gratitude). If this crashes, the whole server goes down.

2. People & Communication: The Network Layer. (Listening, Feedback, Trust). You cannot lead people you cannot understand.

3. Thinking & Decision Making: The Processor. (Critical Thinking, Problem Solving). The ability to be right when the data is incomplete.

4. Execution & Productivity: The Output. (Delegating, Saying No, Time Management). Vision without execution is hallucination.

5. Growth & Resilience: The Antivirus. (Learning from failure, Combating Imposter Syndrome). How fast do you reboot after a crash?

I mapped out the 50 Essential Skills across these 5 pillars.

Don't try to master all 50 today. Pick one column where you are weak. Focus there for Q1.

Which column is your "bottleneck" right now? (I am doubling down on Column 3 this year.)

~~~
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Founder & Architect • Systems & Models for Builders, Ventures & Capital

50 Skills of a Great Leader: The Complete Executive Skill Stack (2026 Checklist)

by 

Utpal Vaishnav

#DhandheKaFunda

Most smart people know strategy buzzwords.
Very few actually use them when the next move really matters.

They think in quarters, not decades.
They obsess over plans, not failure points.
They protect today, but never place small bets on tomorrow.

This document gives you 10 simple upgrades you can steal before your next big decision.

1. The 10-year horizon. Think in decades. Decide in years. Execute in weeks.

2. SWOT without self-deception. Strengths you can prove. Weaknesses you will pay for.

3. Second-order thinking. Ask. And then what. Twice.

4. Inversion. Design around how this fails.

5. Kaizen plus Kaikaku. Small improvements keep you sharp. Big shifts keep you alive.

6. Game theory. Stop only playing your own game. Start playing theirs back.

7. Category of one. Compete on a new axis, not a crowded leaderboard.

8. Barbell strategy. Protect the base. Place small bets on asymmetric upside.

9. Skill stacking. Top 10 percent in three skills is rare leverage.

10. Regret minimization. If future you will regret it, present you is already late.

Strategy is not knowing.
Strategy is choosing.

Which of these 10 upgrades do you need to use this quarter?

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10 Strategy Upgrades for 2026 (The High-Agency Playbook):

You think you are a rational decision-maker.
You are actually a rationalizing storyteller.

According to Daniel Kahneman (Nobel Prize winner), our brain has two modes:

• System 1 (The Autopilot): Fast, emotional, intuitive. It runs 95% of your life.
• System 2 (The Pilot): Slow, logical, effortful. It only wakes up when you force it to.

The problem? System 1 is terrible at math and statistics. It relies on shortcuts (Heuristics) that create "Cognitive Illusions."

I mapped out the Thinking Fast & Slow Cheat Sheet to help you debug your own brain:

The Top 3 Traps to Watch For:

1. WYSIATI (What You See Is All There Is):
System 1 builds a story based only on the data in front of it. It never asks: "What data am I missing?" This is why we are so confident in bad decisions.

2. The Planning Fallacy:
We always underestimate time and cost. We imagine the "Best Case Scenario" and treat it as the "Most Likely Scenario." (System 1 is an optimist).

3. Loss Aversion:
The pain of losing $100 is 2x stronger than the joy of finding $100. This makes us play "Not to Lose" rather than "Playing to Win."

How to use this sheet:
Whenever you are making a big decision (Hiring, Investing, Strategy), stop.

Ask yourself: "Is this System 1 jumping to a conclusion? Or has System 2 actually reviewed the data?"

Which of these biases is your personal nemesis? (I suffer from the Planning Fallacy every single week).

~~~
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Thinking Fast & Slow: A Visual Summary of Daniel Kahneman's Framework (System 1 vs. System 2)

Utpal Vaishnav


The biggest mistake new managers make is trying to be “fair”.

They think fairness means treating everyone the same.

It does not.

Treating a junior with low skill the same as a senior with high skill is not fair.

It is negligent.

The junior drowns from lack of guidance.
The senior quits from micromanagement.

Great leadership is situational.
You must diagnose the person before you prescribe the management style.

I use the Skill / Will Matrix to choose the right tool.

1. High Performer (high skill . high will)
Strategy. Delegate and empower.
Trap. Getting in their way. Give them the goal and get out.

2. Contributor (low skill . high will)
Strategy. Guide and support.
Trap. Assuming enthusiasm equals competence. They need training, not just praise.

3. Potential Detractor (high skill . low will)
Strategy. Excite and engage.
Trap. Ignoring them. They are smart enough to undermine the culture if bored or bitter. Find out why their will is low.

4. Low Performer (low skill . low will)
Strategy. Direct or exit.
Trap. Hoping they will change. Give clear expectations. If they do not execute, make the hard call.

Stop looking for one leadership style.
You need four.

Which quadrant is your most difficult team member in right now.

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The Skill / Will Matrix: How to Adjust Your Management Style (Situational Leadership Cheat Sheet)

By Utpal Vaishnav

Upsquare

As a Senior HR Manager, my focus areas will be Talent Acquisition and Learning & Development.

 I am dedicated to build high-performing teams and nurturing individual growth.  I am passionate about driving organizational success through people."

Senior Human Resources Manager

Linearloop

Developing and implementing HR Strategies and initiatives
aligned with the Overall business strategy.
Identify and recommend areas of improvement to internal
standard Operating procedures, including Team
restructuring and Morale.
Maintain management guidelines by preparing, updating
and recommending human resource policies and
procedures.
Knowledge of latest trends, best practices, regulatory
changes and new technologies pertaining to Human
resources and knowledge of latest technologies in IT
industry which is useful for talent Management and
employment laws.
Handling employee grievances and try to resolve the
issues in such a way that it should be a win win situation to
the Management as well as employee.
Ensure Legal Compliance throughout Human Resource
Management.
Handling Compensation Management of the whole
Organization.
Ensuring that the whole Performance Appraisal process is
going on properly by following 360 Degree Feedback
Method.
Ensuring the Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) process
is going on fairly.
Ensuring a smooth On Boarding, Induction process and
smooth Exit Formalities to all the employees.
Handling the complete Talent acquisition process of the
Company.

Senior Manager HR

Amnex Infotechnologies 

Being a HRBP to be the first point of contact for a particular defined BU which is R&D, Product &
Technology and Support functions.
Talent Management – To ensure recruitment effectiveness (Target Vs actual) for the allocated BU,
maintaining a tracker of open positions and meet the TAT adherence and closing the critical roles in
defined timeline.
Grievance Handling – To address employee grievances appropriately and accurately and resolves it
proactively.
Employee Connect – Keep connecting with employees on a daily basis. Do one on one meeting and
identify the gaps or differences in the team to gather the pulse of the business and to maintain a
smooth level of work. A trusted source for TL’s and employees and be a coach for them.
Performance Management – Releasing KPIS, Review forms to all the employees every quarterly,
getting self assessment and manager reviews done, Collate the final ratings and release the appraisal
letters and take other actions as and when asked.
Attrition Analysis & Retention Report – To prepare an attrition report quarterly and find out the
retention ratio with supporting docs to represent to the CXO’s.
Training Need Analysis – From the reviews identify the engagement and learning needs of the
function for the BU and helping them to design the same.
Others – To help operations team in data providing as and when required, to help in designing HR
policies etc.

Assistant Manager - HR

Freelance Human Resources Consultant

Guna Consulting

Making Cold calls, fixing appointments and meeting with the clients.
Meeting clients, explaining our procedures and getting the deals. Screening the candidates through
various job portals and other means.
Conducting interviews through phone calls, face to face interview and for final Screening sending the
candidate to the respective organization for final interview.
Follow up with the clients and candidates, Monitoring and training my team according to organization
needs Budgeting, forecasting, planning to develop the organization.
To plan monthly review meetings with employees and respective departmental managers to find out
the gaps and performance issues.
To line up necessary training sessions for employees to work on their weak areas.
To plan employee engagement activities every quarterly for refreshment of employees.

Proprietor

Mafoi Consultant Limited

Human Resources Associate

Phoenix Management Pvt. Ltd.

Human Resources Trainee

With more than 10 years of experience in human resources, I am a senior HR manager at Upsquare, a leading IT company. My mission is to build high-performing teams and nurture individual growth through talent acquisition and learning and development initiatives.

I have a strong background in developing and implementing HR strategies and policies that align with the overall business vision and objectives. I have successfully managed employee engagement, performance management, and organizational development programs that have enhanced employee satisfaction and productivity. I have also led and mentored HR teams across different functions and locations, fostering a culture of collaboration and excellence.

As a HR professional, I am passionate about staying abreast of the latest HR trends and technologies, and applying them to improve HR performance and outcomes. I have a MBA in human resources management and an executive education programme in HR analytics, which have equipped me with the skills and knowledge to leverage data and insights to drive HR decisions and actions. I am always looking for new ways to innovate and optimize HR processes and practices, and to deliver value to the organization and its people.

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