Author: Sandeep Choudhari

LeadershipLeave a comment

Rewarding A While Hoping for B: Why Smart Organizations Make Predictably Poor Decisions

Sandeep Choudhari

Have you ever promoted a “star” performer who consistently hit the numbers—only to discover, a year later, that the culture had weakened and the strategy had drifted. Or, for that matter watched a sales team smash quarterly targets on legacy products while your supposedly strategic new offering struggled for oxygen? I spent a year maxing out the metric my organization said mattered. At review time, a completely different metric got rewarded. It took me a while to realize this wasn’t bad luck or a biased manager — it was a design flaw baked into how most organizations operate. Most of … Continue reading Rewarding A While Hoping for B: Why Smart Organizations Make Predictably Poor Decisions

Leadership, Neurosience, Self ImprovementLeave a comment

The Flow State: Unlocking Peak Performance

Sandeep Choudhari

If you went through Engineering in India, the name Ferdinand L Singer likely triggers a specific kind of trauma. I remember sitting with his “Engineering Mechanics” for days. I read the chapters. I looked at the diagrams. Nothing stuck. The internal exams were looming, and I was staring at a wall of incomprehensible vectors. Then, one Saturday before my internals I did the only thing I could: I shut the door and stayed in the chair. Thankfully mobile phones existed in the sci-fi world then. For five hours, the world disappeared. No distractions. Just the friction of the problems meeting … Continue reading The Flow State: Unlocking Peak Performance

Behavioral Sciences, Emotional Intelligence, LeadershipLeave a comment

Sunflower Bias in Leadership: Why Following Blindly Can Cost Your Organization

Sandeep Choudhari

The article discusses “sunflower bias,” where team members conform to a leader’s opinion, stifling genuine debate and diverse views. This bias leads to poor decision-making, reduced innovation, and employee disengagement. To combat it, leaders should foster psychological safety by encouraging dissent, using anonymous feedback, and modeling openness to challenges, ultimately seeking true engagement over mere agreement. Continue reading Sunflower Bias in Leadership: Why Following Blindly Can Cost Your Organization

AI, Boards, LeadershipLeave a comment

APIs: The Overlooked Cybersecurity Risk Boards Need to Understand

Sandeep Choudhari

A recent cyberattack leveraging APIs through Salesloft’s Drift chatbot highlights a critical oversight in cybersecurity—APIs as vulnerable points. Despite their essential role in digital operations, APIs often lack board-level attention, posing significant financial, regulatory, and reputational risks. This post talks of what boards can do, and what questions they must ask relating to API threats to keep teams accountable. Continue reading APIs: The Overlooked Cybersecurity Risk Boards Need to Understand

AI, Boards, LeadershipLeave a comment

Wise Up, Scale Up: The Board’s Playbook for Winning in AI

Sandeep Choudhari

AI presents a transformative opportunity for businesses, but boards face a dilemma: accelerate growth wisely to avoid risks like regulatory scrutiny and cultural distrust. Effective governance, responsible AI use, and talent readiness are crucial. By ensuring management balances speed with foresight, boards can help companies thrive in the evolving AI landscape. Continue reading Wise Up, Scale Up: The Board’s Playbook for Winning in AI

AI, Boards, Emotional Intelligence, Leadership1 Comment

Centaur Employees: Why Humans and AI Are Better Together

Sandeep Choudhari

“Is AI going to take our jobs?” It’s the question everyone’s asking—whether you’re in a boardroom, a classroom, or just chatting with friends. And honestly, it’s a valid worry. AI and automation are moving fast, faster than anything we’ve seen before. So yeah, feeling a bit uneasy about what the future holds is natural. But here’s the thing: history shows us that technology doesn’t usually kick humans out of the picture. Instead, it changes our roles. The folks who win will be the ones who don’t try to go head-to-head with machines but team up with them instead. I like … Continue reading Centaur Employees: Why Humans and AI Are Better Together

Emotional Intelligence, Self ImprovementLeave a comment

How Not to Get in Your Own Way When Going on Your Own Way

Sandeep Choudhari

“We are all in our way, Chachu … Move.” That line from the Bollywood flick Aap Jaisa Koi is more than just a sweet moment between a niece and her uncle — it’s a mirror we could all hold up to ourselves. Because let’s be honest: often, the only real obstacle between us and where we want to go… is us. Not always in dramatic ways either. Sometimes it’s obvious — like talking yourself out of a job you’re actually qualified for. Other times it’s sneakier — like waiting for “the right time” (spoiler: it never comes). We tell ourselves … Continue reading How Not to Get in Your Own Way When Going on Your Own Way

AI, Emotional Intelligence, LeadershipLeave a comment

Why Even Smarter AI Might Still Be Socially Clueless

Sandeep Choudhari

Thinking ≠ Theory of Mind Let’s start with something basic — but deeply human. We humans just get that other people have thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and intentions — which may be wildly different from our own. This ability is called Theory of Mind (ToM). It’s how we sense when someone’s upset even if they say, “I’m fine.” It’s how we pick up on sarcasm, irony, and all the delicious messiness of human interaction 😊. By the age of four or five, most children begin to develop ToM. Before that, they assume everyone sees the world exactly as they do. You’ve … Continue reading Why Even Smarter AI Might Still Be Socially Clueless