Sumit Singla (he/him/they)'s Linkedin Analytics

Some days, I feel weary. Nope, not tired. Soul-weary (if that's a word, if not, I've just invented it) This is the kind of tiredness that doesn't go away with sleep. It is the weight of holding space for others, of showing up when you know you're needed, of being held responsible for finding answers, even if you don't have any. In the middle of all that, you try to keep the flame alive, to be kind, curious, productive, and present. You don't want to look at your phone. You don't want a client following up. You don't want someone asking about an injured animal. You don't want to be sold credit cards to. You don't want to track your infinitely delayed GST approval. You don't want to decide on your colour palette. All you want is peace and to not have to make decisions. For a while. This isn't a post to complain or rant. I mean it as a gentle note to say that if you're weary, you are not alone. You are not weak, you've just been strong for too long without taking a break. TAKE IT. The world will wait. Let it. When you return, you'll bring light with you. And it'll be worth it. #burnout #selfcare #wellbeing

It's been a rough couple of weeks and 'wins' have been in short supply. But let me try. 1) I found time to watch this lovely movie called 'Flow' with a friend and my daughter. 2) The parents are house-hunting. We were able to spend time going around the city without me having to worry about deadlines and timelines. 3) Two clients acknowledged that their businesses have changed for the better since working with me. 4) I finished reading 4 books. (Still massively behind on my reading goals, but well... I'll quote 'tsundoku' in my defence.) 5) The daughter and I identified 15 unique species of birds in our vicinity. We were both thrilled with this and are now planning a scrapbook for her to help her remember details. 6) The website is taking shape. It's exciting (and exhausting) to build it up. 7) I've got 'Pay what you want' on my topmate.io page - not using it as a revenue source, but donating the proceeds to animal rescue. I GOT MY HIGHEST EVER INR VALUE BOOKING on the page this week. (That's enough to keep 10 dogs fed for a month) 8) 51 people applied to intern with me. Of course, hiring someone for my own company is a bit terrifying, but some of the DMs were beyond just heartwarming. 9) I FINALLY managed to dispatch 3 packages of books - two to friends who I owed books and one to a random stranger who wanted to participate in a giveaway. (Sigh... now, I need to practice what I preach and respectfully respond to each applicant as well) That sounds a bit like a highlights reel, so I'll also tell you about where all I failed: - I have an inbox that's clogged up with DMs from people who are probably thinking I've ghosted them. - I had planned to step up my client outreach but it's at a bit of a standstill (Blaming ill-health and near-burnout status with too much work) - I'm still working through the paperwork needed to register a company. (Ease of doing business, seriously?) - I've been pretending to read 'Dracula' for a book club, but have only reached Chapter 1 in 17 days of March. (Beware the Ides of March, the soothsayer said, didn't he?) - I'm weeks late for a feature article I was supposed to have written. The image in the post is how I think Smitha Murthy would look at me. I hope you have a better week than mine. Also, please don't share this post with Elon or his desi clone otherwise, I might have their angry employees to contend with. #mondayMotivation #accountability #goals #productivity #wins

Been laid off? That's terrible. Been laid off twice? That's not terrible, YOU are terrible. Clearly, there must be something wrong with you. Ever heard that? Or agreed with that? If yes, get yourself a coin. Toss it. Call it. Does getting Heads on the first toss mean you won't get Heads again? (If your answer to that is 'Yes', you need classes on Probability theory, my friend.) "I know I'm great with my work. I've delivered results. And still, here I am..." the person lamented. It wasn't their fault - they had been caught in a wave of large-scale corporate restructuring. TWICE. They were facing a tidal wave of self-doubt. I tried reiterating that: - being laid off doesn't cancel your value - a layoff doesn't diminish your worth (or at least it shouldn't diminish your self-worth) - your 'situation' definitely doesn't mean you should undersell yourself We reworked their story. Instead of 'covering up' the layoff, we put it under the spotlight and embraced it. Of course, they got their share of lowballers and folks trying to exploit their situation. But, they also landed opportunities with large brands giving them good pay hikes. Layoffs aren't really red flags. You have the right to aim higher. You have the right to land better. And if you're a founder, a hiring manager, or an HR Head willing to look past the label, you may just find your next star as a result of someone else's layoff. This story is real. I'm willing to share details if you DM me. And I have no $9.99 courses on landing jobs to sell to you. Yes, I do offer career advice and negotiation tactics on my topmate.io page, but for folks facing a layoff scenario, I'm more than happy doing it for free. Hit me up! #Hiring #Layoffs #JobSearch #HRconsulting #PeopleStrategy #Culture #ThinkHRPlus

Anyone who's not a ninja, whizkid, wizard, evangelist etc. is welcome to apply... Age/gender/campus or other factors don't really matter.

~15 years, I have worked with family/founder-led businesses. They've ranged in size and scale from Vedanta/Tata sized companies to small companies with <15 employees. What none of them want (or ask for): - Fancy recruitment metrics like time-to-hire, employer brand score, offer reject ratio - New age policies like menstrual leave, companion animal insurance, gender affirmation surgery, etc. - Employee engagement surveys - HR management tools and technology What every single one of them has asked for: - RoI of HR interventions - Retaining top talent - Reducing cost/time taken to hire right CEOs don't know what to expect from HR, because we don't make it clear enough. The moment you stop thinking of yourself as a fulfillment function and more as a strategic one, you'll earn that elusive 'seat at the table'. TL;DR version: Think about the results your leaders strive for and build systems that deliver those. The rest is just noise. #HRmetrics #data #storytelling #businessresults #outcomes #HRstrategy #HR

For a small company, every hire counts. That's why founders want to meet and spend time with each candidate. Culture matters. And they don't want the wrong kind of crowd sneaking in. But soon, this becomes a bottleneck that prevents business from growing. - Roles stay open for weeks and months. - Great candidates walk away because of the interminably long process. - Existing teams face the brunt of overwork and stress. What I recommend to founders is to create processes they can trust. What does that mean? 1. Defining the technical & behavioral skills of a good hire 2. Helping managers to learn interviewing skills 3. Make data-backed decisions instead of relying on 'gut feel' Of course, it's their business so they should be able to step in whenever they want. But it helps to be present only when presence adds real value. Founders, your job is to create systems that scale, not be those systems. ------------------------------------------------------------- I'm building HR+, a consulting firm that helps businesses become founder-proof. If you're looking for bigger business results through better people decisions, let's talk. #Hiring #Consulting #MSME #FounderLed #Culture #PeopleStrategy #ThinkHRPlus #HR+

I need an intern as a second brain for my consulting business. 51 applicants. Zero time to look through them. So now I need an intern to help find me an intern. I have Inception feels. #meta #inception #hiring #interns

I think I'm kinda done with consulting. There are far better ideas to serve clients (and earn a livelihood). The idea that's foremost in my mind goes like this: 1. Create a lead list of people who are undertaking home/office renovation projects and need demolition services. 2. Hire a social media expert to publicise shows by a famous comedian at sites needing demolition services. 3. Rake in the money after quick, decisive, and FREE demolitions by various clowns. 4. Rinse and repeat. If you would like to apply for any of the following roles, let me know: 1. Lead gen specialist 2. Social media marketer 3. Personal security guard 4. Volunteer/Intern as part of the demolition squad (off-roll, UNPAID position) P.S. One thing I haven't figured out yet is how illegal encroachments or unapproved structures exist for years without municipal authorities moving a finger. And then, the moment something political happens at the place, KABOOM!

Hail the Ghibli-fication of images as the inevitable march of civilization. Or lament the death of civilization due to a lack of critical thinking caused by AI-generated garbage. But please don't do both. When YOUR livelihood is threatened due to people creating poorly thought out solutions using chatgpt, you feel insulted and angry. But when an artist's life's work is turned into cheap caricatures, you call it democratization of art? Isn't that what hypocrisy smells like? #AI #StudioGhibli #GenAI

Friends, Romans, Countrymen (or countrypeople), lend me your skills. I've got terrible aesthetic sense - my PowerPoint skills are about 10 years too old, and so I need someone who can polish up slides and create client-ready materials with me. The work is going to be ad hoc and not full-time. Use AI by all means, if you want to. (I don't care if the intelligence is natural or artificial, as long as it exists) Send me a couple of samples of your best presentations along with a 300-word essay on why one shouldn't support Manchester United. (I'm kidding, don't send me an essay - just a one line written in blood that says, "I promise to never support Manchester United"**) Also, I'd appreciate some leads on: - someone who can handle a bit of website design (ONLY IF THEY HAVE EXPERIENCE WITH durable.co) - someone who can either create social media content or give me a crash course on social media marketing P.S. **I didn't say the line about Manchester United needs to be written in your own blood. #hiring #jobpost #graphicDesign #SMM #socialmedia

I recently worked with a founder whose people thought he was toxic. (Actually, a lot of 'founderbros' seem to have that reputation, tbh) While the T-word wasn't said out loud, it was clear what people thought. There was hesitation before knocking on his door. Or before calling him up. People overthought before responding to his emails. There was squirming and discomfort before walking in to 1:1 reviews. He didn't really shout at people or humiliate them. But his feedback was biting, his silences loud, and his urgency - exhausting. One of his direct reports told me, "Half my energy goes in recovering from my interactions with him" When I told him about the feedback, he didn't deflect. Or blame. Instead, he humbly acknowledged the issue and accepted the need to change. I coached him to be a better listener and to give feedback without breaking anyone's spirit. We created spaces for team members to speak without fear. He's still sharp as nails. And demanding. But people aren't struggling to survive him. They are growing. That's the shift. A toxic leader isn't always a lost cause. Especially, if they're willing to embrace change over their ego. And when they do, the impact on performance, culture, and trust is truly transformational. #CultureMatters #LeadershipDevelopment #ToxicWorkplaces #Performance #TheCultureGuy

April 1 isn't All Fools' Day, you know. On LinkedIn, that's pretty much every damn day. - you have 19-year old CEOs dispensing advice on 'how I manifested an 8-figure startup with nothing more than mindset and Horlicks' (What would I know, I'm just a jealous old sourpuss) - every third post talks about 'how I fired my top performer...' and then pivots into how 'fired' was actually a euphemism for promoted or something. Haha, very funny. (Firing people is hilarious, didn't you know that?) - people talk about pizza parties and thank you notes in the name of culture (All your toxicity disappears the moment you unbox a pizza, as everyone knows) - 6 months of experience is enough to sell 'Harvard-level courses on HR strategy' (May I return my MBA, please?) - random people claim to have been rejected from 289 jobs and turn into job search coaches (I've been rejected by IRCTC half-a-million times. I now own my personal rail network.) - random people endorse me for skills I don't have (Thanks, Ramesh, but I don’t know Python.) As a consultant, it’s a bit of a comedy show, but not when one has to rescue clients from the real damage caused by bad advice. So, this April 1st, repeat after me: 1. Not all that trends is rooted in reality. 2. Not everyone calling themselves an expert is one. 3. Not every story out here necessarily happened. Real HR takes nuance, context, and a lot of behind-the-scenes messiness. But hey, that doesn’t go viral, does it? #HR #consulting #aprilFools #stories #coaching

"What, are we back to school?" A senior manager said when we were talking about measures to get people to reach work on time. Well, fair point. No one likes being policed. But, deadlines were slipping. Customers were unattended. People were turning up late for meetings (or missing them completely). It wasn't about workload. It was only about pushing boundaries. Basic discipline. So, I proposed a simple solution. No new rules. No passive-aggressive emails. No conversations about discipline. All I requested the leaders to do was to start modeling the right behaviour. Every meeting would start on time, even if only one person came. Every follow-up would be done as scheduled. Each reminder would involve a gentle check-in - not to scold, but to understand. Within weeks, things changed. People noticed. They adjusted. Because the culture nudged them to. Discipline doesn’t have to come from top-down control. In small teams, it often comes from small signals. People don’t resist discipline. They resist being disrespected in the name of discipline. What do you think? #HR #EmployeeExperience #Culture #Discipline #HRPolicies

"I won't be coming in from tomorrow." A lot of employees, especially those who work at junior levels seem to be leaving, after saying this. Don't kid yourself. They aren't looking for better opportunities, they are looking for themselves. Financial security is vital. Imagine what it would take for someone to compromise it by leaving without a backup in mind. Yes, people make mistakes. Yes, some of them don't perform at optimal levels. But you're hanging on to them not because you want to do them a favour. You're employing them because you know you can't do 100% of the job by yourself, so you're accepting the 70-80% that they do. (And perhaps, you're unwilling to pay more for better talent or unable to attract better talent) So here's the thing: - if someone isn't a 'fit', just say it - if performance is an issue, help them improve or let them go Don't drag them through months of passive-aggressive behaviour, ridicule, and bouts of anger. You don't have to fill up your seats while emptying someone of their self-worth. By all means, let people go if you have to but without attacking their dignity in the process. As they say, "help them grow, or let them go" #culture #engagement #EmployeeExperience #HR #peopleStrategy #layoff

I'm delighted that my impressive work as %Jobtitle% is finally being recognized. I guess this kind of junk outreach is why tools like Apollo are being banned. What say?

Each time I write (I mean, really WRITE), I bleed a little. Each sentence, each word, has a storm of moods, memories, and moments within it. It could be about a day when I didn't feel like leaving my bed to face the world, or about a time when someone's words cut me deeper than they should have. It could be about the ache I feel when a certain song plays on my Spotify, reminding me of someone long gone and yet here in my heart. My commas are hesitations, my full stops are defiance, my line breaks are longings. My writing (even digitally) has fingerprints. Smudged. Sweaty. Real. Me. AI can analyze my tone. It can probably mimic my rhythm. It can even generate from billions of words to give you something coherent. But it'll never have heart. AI has no idea what it is like to choke mid-sentence because a memory rakes you with its claws. It doesn't know what it is like to wrestle with doubt - and to rewrite the same line umpteen times till it's just 'right'. AI's writing (if you want to call it that) doesn't carry all the baggage that mine does. The baggage that makes my writing heavy. And messy. And mine. Does AI have a favourite pen? Has AI ever bled out its heart at 3 am because sleep is elusive? Does it flinch when it reads a piece from the past, cringing at who it used to be? By all means, let AI write (some of) your emails. Let it summarize meetings for you. Have it spit out tweets. But if you want something that feels, that hurts, and that heals, you'll need a human. You'll need me. P.S. On the left is a someone whose eyes I could gaze into all day long. On the right is a something, who reminds me of someone. But isn't that someone. THAT is the difference. #writing #AI #human

Burnout is a bit like bad WiFi - you persist with it till things completely stop altogether. A few weeks ago, I found myself staring at my laptop, fingers on the keyboard, mind completely blank. I wasn't merely tired. I felt like I was done. Sleep didn't fix it. Rest didn't help. The weight of expectations sitting on my chest, made it tough to breathe. Emails piled up. Messages went unread. I might have ghosted some folks (who thought I was annoyed with them). Work I usually enjoyed started feeling like a chore. Even reading became a task - a checklist item to be addressed. At first, I blamed it on being "just a busy week." But days turned to weeks and I found I wasn't low only on energy, I lacked motivation, creativity, and joy. Burnout had disguised itself as productivity and crept in. Quietly. Persistently. I think I've kinda dealt with (some of) it. Here’s what helped: - I stopped pretending I was fine. I admitted (mostly to myself) that I was burned out. That honesty was liberating. - I said 'NO'. A lot. No extra projects, fewer late-night emails, and hardly any social invites that felt draining. - I took time off — proper time off. Not "working from somewhere else" or "catching up on admin." I switched off. - I let go of the guilt. Things look like they've shifted a bit. Burnout still lurks in the shadows. I guess it's a recovery, not a reset. If you're reading this and it hits close to home, this is your nudge to pause, breathe, and check in with yourself. Please don't wait till you hit a wall. Oh and if you need to chat, hit me up. #burnout #wellbeing #EmployeeExperience #Culture

It's the end of the school term and my heart is full. On the little one's progress report, there's a page that talks about what she would like to invent - drones that travel the world to watch over animals that need help. Clearly, we must've done something right. The world probably doesn't need fake stories of Blinkit ambulances, but real ones of future generations leading us back from the brink. #animalrescue #technologyforgood #parenting

The hardest part isn’t saying goodbye. It’s knowing that you're on the way there. She doesn't jump up when the door opens. Her naps stretch across the afternoon hours. Her walks are slower. Her once eager steps now carry the weight of arthritis. We've both grown a bit in the last 8 years, learning to find joy in each other's company. A comforting presence, a safe smell. She's still here. And still mine. Still magical. Still wagging her tail and putting the fear of God (or rather, dog) in the hearts of errant cats who cross her path. Still leaning in for cuddles. Still showering me with more love than I probably deserve. But time has settled into her bones. And I’ve started memorizing the shape of her breathing when she sleeps. And that lovely, warm smell of her fur. Just in case. No one tells you that loving an animal means signing up to have your heart broken very slowly. But I’d still do it again. A thousand times over. For the quiet companionship. For the soft paws and loud snores. For the goofy moments and 'zoomies'. For the unconditional, unshakeable love. Because Chia isn't a 'pet', she's a companion. She’s family. And I am better, softer, more human because she chose me. (This picture was taken a few years ago when Chia would steal soft toys and divest them of their eyes/ears. She's stopped doing that now, but does seem to love ripping out cardboard chunks.) P.S. Do you have a companion animal story to share? #dogs #companionship #sundaystories

"How dare you?" A teenage girl saying these words to world leaders sent everyone into a tizzy. Some called it courage. Others called it performative activism. Still others called it brainwashing and what not. But conversations with a precocious child (a 7yo in this case) can be eye-opening. "Dada, I saw a boy pooping by the side of the road. Why don't they use toilets?" "Samiah, not everyone has access to a toilet. Or even a home." "Oh yeahhhh, some people stay on the streets. Why can't we build them homes?" "Because it would take more money than what's in all the piggy banks of your friends" "Then, why don't the grownups help? All of you earn money." "Good question, we do. And we pay something called tax, which the government is supposed to use to help the poor." "If that is so, why are they still poor? And why don't they try working? Can we help them set up juice stalls? Or coconut water shops? You and I drink a lot of coconut water - they could make money from others like us." "There are a lot of poor people, and not enough money to help them. Also, most of them would work if they could find work..." Before I could continue my feeble explanations of how economics works, a bus from DPS International Gurgaon (Route No. 5) ran through a red signal and swerved in front of us, forcing us to dodge. Now, the little one's attention turned to, "Why is he driving like that? Doesn't he know there are kids on board and he needs to be careful?" I had to pull over and call the number under, "If I'm driving unsafely, call xxxxxxx". Some guy called Chander Mohan answered. "Hi, your bus on Route 5 just ran through a traffic signal and the driver was driving very dangerously." "OK" "OK? Is that all you have to say?" "What else can I do?" At this, I hung up in disgust. The little one just shrugged. The day she starts making calls that begin with, "How dare you?" isn't far. I'm proud. And also sad that it has to be this way. #parenting #stories