Leadership

  • 5 Life Lessons we learned from Coco Chanel

    coco chanel

    By Bhumika Ramesh

    coco chanel

    One of the most famous designers in the world, Coco Chanel never gave up a chance to help women rise to the top. She made her way from the bottom and redesigned the idea of womanhood in everyone’s eyes. Her fashion empire remains one of the largest to date. Leading a completely innovative life compared to the society prevailing back then, there are many pearls of wisdom Coco Chanel hoped one would implement in their lives.

    Here are a few of them:

    1.Keeping it simple – Simplicity remains one of the greatest hallmarks of fashion and rightfully so. Simplicity makes way for the things we focus most on. Clutter which isn’t useful just slows down the process of absorbing new events and tasks. Coco Chanel made sure she didn’t add more to create more; the opposite is what she followed. Happiness arrives from the small simple moments.

    2. Experiment creatively – Messing around sometimes comes with a silver lining. Coco realised her freedom was essential to experiment with her business and clothes the way she seemed fit. The massive positive response she received from women all around the world speaks for the results she achieved. Sticking to old ideals and traditions may not always be the way forward. Creativity helps you look at problems differently.  

    3. Staying Authentic and Unapologetic – Self-belief was the core that allowed Coco to shine. She never really took people’s criticism seriously and went forward with the designs she believed in. The little black dress remains one of the most iconic fashion pieces today. Entrepreneurs of this age can look up to this lesson: second-guessing oneself can be one action left in the past.

    coco chanel

    4. Taking risks – Every successful person has taken risks. In the 19th century no one expected women’s fashion to change from corsets and ball gowns to petite dresses and relaxed clothing. However Coco was instrumental in making this possible. Don’t try to fit in and do what the majority does – standing out does more good than harm if you get the timing right. 

    5. Dreaming Bold – One of the most famous perfumes in the world, Chanel No.5 wouldn’t have existed if Coco restricted herself to only developing clothes and not broadening her sights. She set the perfume revolution in motion and it is said that a bottle of the Chanel No.5 perfume sells every 30 seconds. Growth always favours the bold who dare to reach for the stars. 

    Coco’s empire stands strong and her lessons are as valuable, if not more, in the 21st century for anyone looking to improve the quality of their lives and their businesses.

    Want more of these kind of posts – see this post here on women entrepreneurs we admire.

    For more on lessons from Coco Chanel see this post by Career Girl Daily

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  • What are high performance habits?

    high performance habits

    By Bhumika Ramesh

    Most of us designate a high position to productivity in our daily lives, making it a priority in some cases. We can begin by cultivating a few habits that can make this process easier. High-performance habits are key to exponential success. Maintaining consistency in these habits will aid in the elevation of one’s qualities too.

    Let’s talk about some of these High performance habits:

    • In pursuit of clarity – Seeking out opportunities that provide challenges. Or focusing on oneself to find out what might be right are all different ways of pursuing clarity. Everyone has a unique mix of passions and obstacles. Taking time to reflect and understand them better and making an effort to incorporate them in your life sets you a level above others. Reflection – What passions do you cultivate and practice consistently?

    • Energy, consistency and momentum – Feeling exhausted in the afternoon or evening after a hectic day isn’t new for us. But have you ever wondered how people keep themselves driven all day long? Balancing physical and mental energy throughout is key. Giving yourself short focused breaks, making time for relaxing activities promote the release of tension accumulated from the daily grind. It’s a way to refresh and rest your mind and body.

    • Find purpose: When you associate your work with a deeper meaning or purpose, your dedication increases. It’s important to know your purpose, have a Why. You tend to excel at it more frequently. Intertwining identity with performance is not common, but once you do so, quality and excellence follow. 

    Nothing is achieved without hard work. Implementing these habits may not be a piece of cake for us, however the changes that arrive after doing so are worthwhile. Stepping out of the comfort zone is what matters in the end.

    The inspiration for this post comes from Brendon Burchard’s Book – High Performance Habits.

    We share a number of posts on peak performance and productivity on our Blog. See this post

    for more.

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  • 5 things to keep in mind while choosing a mentor

    Mentoring is a great way to create support for you while scaling in your career or business

    “A mentor is someone who sees more talent and ability within you, than you see in yourself, and helps bring it out of you.” 

    – Bob Proctor

    Oprah Winfrey once said, “Surround yourself only with people who will lift you higher”. 

    When it comes to building a strong, successful business, brand, career or life, you need to have a mentor in order to push yourself to achieve all those big, hairy, audacious goals you set for yourself. No matter your industry or niche, finding a great mentor can really help leverage your experience to build your business and your personal brand. Good mentors inspire you, stretch you and open up your mind. They give you a safe place to experiment, ask questions and save you time by helping you find the pathway you need quickly. They give you the confidence and assurance you need to know that you’re going the right way. In fact, 87% of mentees found that they feel empowered by their mentoring relationship. Good mentors save us mistakes and open us up to their networks. 

    So how do we find the right mentor?

    1) Know your goals. Be clear about what you’re trying to achieve in the next 12 months. 90 days is too short for a strong mentor relationship and five years is too long. Focus on what you want by the end of the year. 

    2) Look for a person who has achieved your goal. Ask your friends, colleagues, Facebook mates, LinkedIn connections or even Google it or tweet it. Industry bodies can also be a good place to start. 

    3) Ask if they mentor people. Sometimes you may want someone to be your mentor but they may not be into mentoring at all. They might not have the time or bandwidth to do that. Reach out to them and ask them if they want to mentor you. Once you’ve found the right person, you may have to pay them for their time. This is an investment in your future. A coffee or buying lunch for them is not going to cut it always. Alternatively, you can offer to do something for them, like helping them on a project. 

    4) Be respectful of the value they bring. It has taken them years to work out what you want to learn in an hour. Listen to them, pay attention and then go in with the questions.

    5) Rapport is key. Make sure you like and trust them. You may start the mentoring relationship but then find that your energies don’t match. Make sure you like and trust them before you begin this engagement. They don’t have to be your best friend, but you need to be comfortable enough to have open conversations. You can have different mentors, to guide you in different areas of expertise and different skill sets.

    Every mentor-mentee journey is unique. A good mentor can help bring you out of your shell and help you get closer to the goal you are chasing.

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  • 7 Habits that made Steve Jobs remarkable

    success with savitha

    By Jivitha Shobashree

    There have been many entrepreneurs and CEO’s who have all been through failure and defeat, broken through those glasses/risen from the ashes and are now successful. One name which stands out from the others is the tech titan: Steve Jobs 

    Steve Jobs requires no introduction.

    His name inspires and intimidates at the same time.

    He was a charismatic pioneer, widely considered a visionary and genius.

    He was the founder of Apple along with Steve Wozniak and also the founder of PIXAR. 

    Yet, before all of this he was also a person struggling to make a sense in this world. While Steve Jobs was trying to achieve his goals, he also went through struggles and hardships and tried hard not to let his stress, anxiety and fear overwhelm him.

    To overcome these feelings and to achieve your goals is to have the right set of habits.

    So here are some habits which made Steve Jobs remarkable.

    1. ATTENTION TO DETAIL 

    One of the most important traits of Steve Jobs is his attention to detail. His work experience with his father instilled in him the importance of this which later paved way to his success. Attention to detail is essential where errors can be costly in an organisation. Steve Jobs meticulous nature is what made his ideas and visions into a well-executed plan.

    In the words of Steve Jobs – “Details matter, it’s worth waiting to get it right”

    1. DON’T GIVE UP

    Everyone has their own set of failures and difficulties but rising above them is what makes you different from the others. Steve Jobs was an orphan and college dropout but that didn’t stop him from dreaming big. Overcoming those struggles, learning from them and to never lose hope is one of the mantra.

    In the words of Steve Jobs – “Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith.”

    1. SET NEW GOALS

    Steve Jobs used to set goals for the long term and short term. It helped him in strategizing and planning things out on the long run.

    When Jobs was fired from Apple by his own (CEO), he still didn’t lose hope and started another company NeXT which later on merged with apple and Jobs came back to his beloved company.

    Therefore setting new goals and learning to move on was key.

    1. LEARN FROM YOUR FAILURES

    Steve Jobs was a perfectionist and his meticulous nature was not appreciated by everyone. He used to fire people who couldn’t meet his idea of perfection but after he was fired from his own company, he learnt from his mistake and started pushing people to achieve the impossible.

    Like people say don’t take failure as the end but take it as the beginning of something new.

    In the words of Steve Jobs – “Life goes on and you learn from it.”

    1. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH THE RIGHT PEOPLE 

    Apple was founded not just by Steve Jobs alone but with a great partner Steve Wozniak.

    You need to find the right people or partner in your life to be successful.

    The people who you surround yourself with will either make or break your life.

    1. TAKE RISKS 

    You may have the opportunity to try something you love and are excited about.

    Sometimes the situation cannot always be in our favour we might face rejections or failures but without trying we won’t know what the future holds for us.

    1. BE OPTIMISTIC

    Steve Jobs was adopted, he had a difficult childhood but that didn’t stop him from achieving the impossible. It is important to always be optimistic it helps you to have a clear view of things, to make decisions and focus on what’s important.

    The biggest problem?

    Habits can’t be developed overnight, you will have to consistently build it.

    It should be fostered, cultivated and nurtured. 

    In the words of Steve Jobs – “In the first 30 years of your life, you make your habits. For the last 30 years of your life, your habits make you.”

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  • 3 Inspirational Women Entrepreneurs we Admire

    By Anusha Bapat

    Here’s a list of some fabulous, intelligent and entrepreneurial women who have built some of the most impressive and ingenious businesses out of nothing. These women have helped countless communities and solved major problems with their technology-based businesses. 

    Jasmine Crowe

    “I’m really motivated by all the naysayers. As long as you’re going after something that you love, you shouldn’t give up on your dreams. That’s the biggest thing” says Crowe. 

    She launched her brand, Goodr, in 2017. Goodr is an Atlanta based, sustainable surplus food management platform that leverages technology with a goal to reduce food waste and combat hunger. The platform provides an end to end logistic solution to pick up and donate excess food and distribute it to underprivileged communities. Crowe started out as a solo entrepreneur in a one-bedroom apartment; despite facing a lot of doubt from investors, the venture is now valued at over $12 million. We commend this hunger hero and business savvy do-“Goodr”!

    You can find her on Linkedin here

    Ritu Narayan

    Ritu Narayan started Zūm, a mobile app that enables parents to schedule rides for their kids from fully vetted drivers. It also partners with school districts to support their transportation needs. A lot of women stagnate their career because of the hassle of childcare. Ritu’s goal was to create a reliable service for easier and safer transportation for kids. 90% of the zūm drivers are women with childcare experience. Zūm has expanded to 7 states and partnered up with more than 2000 schools. 

    Find her on Linkedin here

    Yunha Kim

    Yunha Kim founded the #1 wellness and sleep app called Simple Habit which offers short audio meditations to help with issues including stress, weight loss, relationships and even better sleep. The app has a library of over 1600  paid and unpaid guided meditations. Yunha made an unforgettable appearance on Shark Tank where her pitch was rejected. She went on to feature in the 30 under 30 list in 2017. 

    We applaud these extraordinary, hardworking women who have broken through in a man’s world and built breathtaking, lucrative business empires.

    Find her on Linkedin here

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