Reading as a habit is relevant today for both professional and personal development. In the attention war amid other distractions, it can lose out. This is a conversation with Aniket Rai on reading and cultivating it as a habit. Here are the highlights of this podcast episode ➡️How we lose touch with reading as professionals ➡️We are competing agai…

Sharing a conversation on Innovation with Robyn M. Bolton. She has collaborated with Prof Clayton Christensen and has transformed numerous industries. In this conversation, Robyn Bolton, Founder and Chief Navigator at MileZero, shares insights on innovation. We talk about the following: How to navigate ambiguous problems for innovation How creativi…

This is a conversation with Garima Bharadwaj, Co-founder and CTO of Enlite Research. In this free flowing discussion, Garima shared insights about the Building Management Systems industry. Here are the key areas covered: How Garima discovered the problem to address at Enlite Difference between customers and users How Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns are ado…

Grab a tea or coffee for this one. We are discussing an insight on Scenario Planning drawing examples from cricket. I came across this interesting article by Rick Lynch and Jay Galeota in the Harvard Business Review Guide on Strategy. It discusses 4 ways to bullet proof your strategy. However, I chose to spend time on the first one on scenario plan…

Paul is a season executive in the cpass and mobile services. He has worked as a lobbyist and has a comprehensive strategic consulting background. He’s also a skiing coach for more than 25 years. I truly had a fun discussion with him ranging from sports to business strategy to books and how emerging economies are spurring new innovations. This is an…

There are a lot of traditional industries where tech can play a huge role in its transformation. Using innovative approaches, the customer experience can be greatly improved. For a startup, traditional businesses are an exciting opportunity to increase market size When the mere thought of death unsettles us, carrying out the final rites of a loved …

Innovation frequently emerges from the act of reimagining the commonplace. What happens when you create an export supply chain around an everyday Indian commodity like bananas? Join this captivating conversation as Aryamman Agarwaal unveils the remarkable journey of Trident Foods, illuminating how they are spearheading the transformation of Indian …

In a world where the marketplace is becoming more democratic, developing a product mindset and creating valuable solutions for people is crucial. Meet Mr. Vishal Purohit, the co-founder and CEO of Wooqer, a platform that helps business processes go digital with a do-it-yourself approach. Vishal shares important insights on what product managers sho…

Podcast Interview with Vinod Bhat, CFA the author of The Financial Independence Marathon https://amzn.to/3E1VRF6 In this podcast, Vinod Bhat takes us on a journey towards achieving financial independence and building a prosperous future. Chapter 1: 0:00 Speaker Introduction Get acquainted with Vinod Bhat, a Certified Financial Analyst (CFA) and a h…

Learn how Design Thinking and Quality Management frameworks intersect. Questions answered: 1. Does Quality Management apply for startups and SMEs 2. Example of how a startup can approach quality management 3. Plan Do Check Act framework 4. Design Thinking and Quality Management 5. How you should think about both topics Full Episode with @manage-bet…

Join us in this captivating podcast conversation as we delve into the inspiring journey of Shajan Samuel, a Corporate Ultra Runner. Through a series of insightful interviews, we explore the mindset, motivation, and preparation behind tackling difficult terrains, staying motivated for a 100 km run, and the challenges faced by an "aam aadmi" (common …

This is a conversation with Anshuman Tiwari - TIQS Professional. We discuss the following Quality management for startups Is Quality Management an after thought? How innovation and quality management are interlinked Do they intersect? Confusing innovation with artistic creativity? Quality professionals outlook to life Book recommendations Follow An…

This is a conversation with Sucheta Deb Burman. In this podcast, we discuss the following 1. Long distance swimming 2. Her swim across the Palk Strait (Ram Setu), from India to Sri Lanka and back 3. Water, creatures, and challenges in open water swims 4. Her training plan for ultra swims 5. Diet and nutrition, what's carb loading and how regular In…

In this episode, we are joined by Pro Indian Golfer Rahil Gangjee. We dive into the world and life of a pro golfer. This episode touches upon the following: 1. Rahil's introduction to golf 2. How he manages training, travel, and competitions 3. Keeping himself physically and mentally fit 4. Golfer's life 5. How a coach and caddy help a golfer Tune …

This is a conversation with Ved Krishna, the founder of Pakka Inc. At Pakka, they build and invest towards sustainable packaging (bags, flexible packaging and moulded products) from agricultural residues. We talk about their innovation process, company culture, sustainability, and more. This was a very insightful conversation and Ved shares some wo…

In this episode, we learn about sustainable ceramics from Shashak Nimkar. The podcast discusses the following: Origins of Earth Tatva Research process at National Institute of Design Recycling of ceramics Innovation process used to finalize the process Linear vs circular ceramic production Sustainability impact Supporting Earth Tatva About Shashank…

In this episode, we sit down with Coach Jiwanjot Teja, who has won the prestigious Dronacharya award for coaching in India. Coach Teja shares his top tips for training, nutrition, all-weather conditioning, and controlling heart rate for competitions. He also shares his journey to becoming India's top archery coach and the challenges he faced along …

Today on #InnovationSportsLife we have someone who runs insane distances. She recently ran 100km non-stop (about 11 hours), and holds three Guinness world records. In 2019, she ran from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, The Trans India Run Challenge. She covered almost 4000 km in 87 days (13 days before the world record timeline), became the fastest female r…

This is a discussion with Bob Burg, the author of the book The Go Giver https://amzn.to/3FkwHnl We talk about the following in our conversation 🎯 What is the Go Giver Way 🎯 Non-monetary giving 🎯 5 Principles of Giving 🎯 How do you measure value added to others 🎯 Authenticity in social media 🎯 Side gigs and hustle culture 🎯 Mentorship - How to find …

The investment industry moves at a breakneck speed. Information of all levels from highly-specialized sources to the WhatsApp university hits you in the face. How does a mutual fund strategist navigate through these waters? I learned a bit about this world from Vinod Bhat, CFA, a Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager at a leading AMC. In this…

In this episode, Ramit Tandon joins us right before he left for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. He is India's top squash players while leading a corporate life simultaneously. At the time of recording, Ramit is India's ranked at #2 for India and #36 in the world. We discuss the following Preparation for a high level squash tournament Str…

This episode is a conversation with Udit Goenka on SaaS, Ideal Customer profiling, Three Stage Ideation process, and more. Udit is the founder of PitchGround his most successful startup to date, currently valued at $20M as of 2022. PitchGround is a SaaS Marketplace that bridges the gap between early-stage SaaS companies and early adopters, small-me…

This conversation is about high-performance training. We are all striving to perform at the highest levels in our domains. What can we do to improve our mental faculties. That's where Aditi Surana comes to the rescue. Recently, she coached the Femina Miss India 2022 finalists. In this conversation, we talk about the following How a dyslexic became …

This is a conversation with Priyal Keni, an athlete who has represented India at International Shooting competitions. She is a Chartered Accountant by profession. Having won +117 medals & broken three national records, she represented the great Indian athlete story across four countries & multiple international championships, with career-best perfo…

In this episode, Rajiv Vaishnav shares the behind the scenes for his writing. Rajiv has been a stalwart in the Indian IT and Startup space. Rajiv has a talent to merge different domains into stories that connect. His writing covers philosophy, startups, movies, personal matters, and more. Its profound and yet pratical. You can read his work at his …

This episode is a conversation with Kuntal Joisher, the first vegan to summit Mount Everest. I’ve known Kuntal for many years – we went to the same college and later took different paths. Thanks to social media, I’ve been able to follow his work. Kuntal is a computer engineer turned mountaineer who’s accomplished four summits of 8000’ers and 20+ su…

In this episode we learn about tennis and how it inspires startups with Vaniya Dangwal. She picked up tennis when she was 12. Soon she made the Top 10 rankings of Indian junior tennis, turned pro and achieved a WTA ranking of 1031. She now helps startups in India reach the next level. More about her below. We spoke about her tennis story and how it…

In this episode, we learn the power of micro habits from Amit Agarwal, the author of Small is Big. He discovered this principle during a painful experience in a meditation program. The discovery changed his life and he's on a mission to share it with the world. We can complete challenging exercises such as a marathon by focusing on one step at a ti…

I had an opportunity to interview Michael Haase, the CEO and founder of Plant Jammer. They have developed an innovative AI solution to reduce food wastage at home. 33% of food is being wasted every day. Of that, our homes contribute to approx half of that problem. One way of solving it is by emptying the fridge. I've tried this but genuinely do not…

A good football team in NFL, the American Football League, is known for how well it executes the two-minute offense. When its back is against the wall facing a time constraint, it has to march the troops across the field and score points. The two-minute drill defines a team and usually its performance in the playoffs. How does all this relate to in…

Concussions are a very serious topic that affects both adults and children alike. As we expect, they occur during strong physical impacts including accidents or hard contact sports such as American football. However, they are prevalent in a larger variety of sports. In this episode, we talk to Dr Piya Sorcar, founder and CEO of CrashCourse and Teac…

An innovation exercise generally means an ultra-positive event. It's kind of like an all you can eat sugary, sweet experience. And as we all know, anything unbalanced is not stable. Today, I want to talk to you about criticism and the key role it plays in innovation. One common misconception is that innovation means only positive thoughts. Anything…

In this episode, we talk about how you can capture attention of your customers of your consumers in the shortest amount of time. With the least budget. We analyze marketing at mega sporting events such as superbowl, and world cup finals for cricket and football. We draw examples from movie marketing. Finally, we derive the technique to increase you…

Every sports team has at least one standout player. This person is someone that every team member looks up to. When the team is doing well, it's easy to attribute the success to this person. However, I'm sure you realize that the crew matters a whole lot more. Similarly, in innovation projects you need to blend the talents of the creative thinkers …

In this episode we talk about the principle of surprise - If you want to target new customers, want to offer than new products and services you must introduce a principle of surprise. Just the introduction of something new will not make then customers for life. There is a small nuance which we have to take care of and you will be successful in the …

In this episode, we discuss what do we mean by systems thinking and systems planning. This is a concept that a lot of businesses can benefit from. When it comes to entrepreneurs of small and medium sizes, adopting systems thinking can dramatically change your operations. You will eliminate most of the inefficiencies and this will directly impact yo…

In this episode, we dig into how great companies are able to charge a premium that the customer is happy to pay. There's a very simple, clean, and straightforward process that they follow. We will discuss an amazing thing the blue bottle coffee company does. We also cover restaurants and car dealerships. The learnings will apply to other industries…

There's something uncanny about great sports teams. They figure out a way to get things done. There's something different about how they conduct their business. It's like wins show up for them even when they are not playing "hard". That's where the non-sports folks can draw good examples from. In this episode, we talk about how we can work on innov…

In this episode, we will talk about journey mapping, and how you can use it to bring about interesting innovations. Whether you are making a product or services, mapping a customer's steps is one of the best ways to learn their journey. Learn what their pain points are, where you have opportunities for improvement, and what to solve. Follow Hemang …

When it comes to prototyping, there is a common error all of us make. We spend a whole lot of time and energy and effort in the journey leading up to the prototype. We are so convinced in our process that we end up creating the best thing possible. However, we have a huge blind spot - the user. The after-effects of this blind spot are huge. The use…

Welcome to innovation sports and life. This is your friend Hemang. First off, an apology with all of you. I then share why I like this intersection of innovation and sports and why do I think it really applies to how we live our lives. You see, any time we are involved in intense physical activity. For example, running. I used to be a long distance…

The customer discovery phase calls for a number of approaches to understand your customers. It is important for product developers to really understand what matters to their users. Survey forms are one of the frequently used tools to capture feedback. However, they must be used in a strategic manner because there are times when they may give incomp…

Let's look at how you can navigate a situation when an innovation problem has you stuck for a long time. When should you persist and when is it ok to call it quits. Follow Hemang Shah at https://www.linkedin.com/in/hemang Join his FREE newsletter at https://www.innovationsportslife.com/By Hemang Shah

Let's take an example to understand the difference between true, meaningful innovations and jugaads or hacks. Both are important and there is a key differentiator between the two. Follow Hemang Shah at https://www.linkedin.com/in/hemang Join his FREE newsletter at https://www.innovationsportslife.com/…

The best racquet sport players always prefer a certain spot. No matter what the opponent does, they try to reach their preferred location on the court. Once there, they dominate the game. Their process is very much applicable to our lives and especially in the field of product management. Follow Hemang Shah at https://www.linkedin.com/in/hemang Joi…

Let's take a look at reality shows, the Got Talent shows and see what they teach us about scaling up. We also analyze the business of sending someone glitter. Follow Hemang Shah at https://www.linkedin.com/in/hemang Join his FREE newsletter at https://www.innovationsportslife.com/By Hemang Shah

Picking ice creams is a fun challenge. I had one and chose an interesting flavor for some guests visiting over. I wanted to share my experience of how a brand missed out on an essential element for ice creams. How it, sort of, screwed up the customer journey and hence, the customer experience. Let's learn from this and how we can ensure customers w…

Ever seen amateurs play tennis? Observe their game closely once and you'll see clues of how you might be living your life. I am an amateur and there are some harsh observations. We all share certain behaviors and they reflect in our products. Amateurs can also teach us a few things too :) Follow Hemang Shah at https://www.linkedin.com/in/hemang Joi…

Small and Medium Enterprises can sometimes give up too easily on an innovation project. Test Cricket, the long format of the game, has certain elements that capture our life well. There are many instances where you have to persist to get the result you want. It's a game of patience and how we apply it to Innovation. Follow Hemang Shah at https://ww…

I love how the San Antonio Spurs play the game of basketball in a beautiful manner. Their brand is being unselfish. No matter which superstar they have on the roster, each one does the right thing. The way they play the game teaches us a lot to us too. We can implement some of these observations for all our projects. Especially for innovation proje…