SHIFT
Whether working at large corporations or small innovative entrepreneurial ventures, some templates have found repeated success. SHIFT is a set of those templates. Templates or mental models that I practiced at work gave me an edge. My mother use to say I was good at decision making and that became my base to get better at critical thinking. I consciously honed my thinking skills and developed an appetite for creative thinking. The combination of creative thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making is what leads to continuous, exponential growth. 

The race for everyone is the same - obstacles and leaps. How we navigate our race is based on our decision making and creative thinking. 

PEOPLE FIRST remains my mission and SHIFT is my effort to enable your life with tools and templates that give you a life of growth. 

Competencies

Design Thinking (from MIT)
Business & Brand Strategies
Products & services Innovations
Communication & Content Strategy

Entrepreneurial Profile

Right Box- a consumer service for unused gift items 
Red Polka- a curated fashion commerce venture
Aurora Comms- A shopper marketing firm

Corporate Profile

Future Media- Strategy & Insights
Times Now- Business & Brand Strategy
CNBC TV 18- Marketing & Alliances
Times Entertainment- Brand Marketing
As seen on

Say thank you, always and always to the lift door operator and to anyone who opens a door for you. Also, open doors of opportunities for others.

- Vishakha Singh

Practice first, teach later- habits built during my worklife

Though my worklife of more than 20 years, I have practiced mental models & ideas to succeed. Here are some habits, included in SHIFT, that have been used at different workplaces. While they have been repeated in practice, mentioned here is the first time that I felt the impact of using it.
Writing is a weapon
In my early years at work, I wrote a note against a project to the CEO. To dissent, I had to write clearly so as to make logical sense. Writing reflects clear thinking & ideas.
Work place :
Times Now, 2005
Impact :
Clear thinking brought me growth
People around us
Our neighborhood has stories that are relevant and impactful. Look for ideas & stories in people around us.
Milestone :
Times Now, 2006; Red Polka 2015
Impact :
Successful marketing campaigns.
Together we listen
Not just data, but also noting consumer behavior became a part of everyday ritual for the team.
Work place :
Future Media, 2009
Impact :
Nudges change shopper behavior.
Purpose is a compass
Helpless to see the Nirbhaya case, I wrote Stree Samman to change behavior towards women. It focused on removing derogatory dialogues and disrespectful tones towards women across two shows of Zee. The idea was to seed respect for women.
Work place :
Aurora Comms, 2013
Impact :
Dialogues stopped being derogatory towards women.
Show, don’t tell
Content strategy that built a business from day 1. Storytelling is the best form of marketing.
Work place :
Red Polka, 2016
Impact:
The fashion commerce got recognition and business in its first year.
Ask 2 Grow
Asking for clarity, insight and understanding is a habit that I have practiced fearlessly. I have asked questions to myself to set goals. My role as a content curator for large events helped me ask questions to inspirational speakers to help the audience learn, get inspired and grow.
Milestone :
Learning lessons from achievers
Empathy is a strategic move
Mentored a team to conceptualize a fitness band for the elderly for an innovation challenge in Robotics. They used empathy mapping to get to the users’ needs.
Work place :
Habits for Thinking, 2021
Impact:
The team earned a semi-finalist award globally.
Simple Habits & Ideas for Forward Thinking
A course on thinking skills that will make you a better leader to steer yourself and your teams to success by enhanced creative thinking, astute problem-solving, and influential decision-making.
The Read Aloud Club
Being a mother of two children made me experience the magic of engaging conversations. The purpose of Read Aloud Club is to help you experience that.

ASK Vishakha
Simple Practical Advice on Work-related concerns

#Ask Vishakha is your way to ask questions related to the work environment. With years of experience in innovative projects and emerging talents, she understands both business objectives and human dynamics.

What should we be doing first: To Schedule list or To-do list?

To enhance productivity I recommend following a schedule list instead of a to-do list. The schedule list is your work hours divided into blocks and your tasks planned according to the time blocks… ( read here )

I am curious to know if Pranayam helps you in your Deep Work?

I started Pranayam only recently, one year ago. I am still not a regular practitioner. I do it with the guru, rarely on my own… read here

My challenge on weekdays at the office DeepWork is less productive than deep work at weekends at home?

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Was it hard after shutting down?

The context: I have shuttered a business venture (Red Polka) after running for more than three years and building it with blood, sweat, and love of people and an entrepreneur asked me if it was hard after shutting down. How did it feel to fail?

It is ok to fail and it is also not ok to fail. Philosophically, it is ok to fail in the larger scheme of things but personally, it is a disaster to fail. It is true that if the idea is not working out, it is absolutely fine to accept the reality and bring it to a closure. But it is also true that when you are by yourself, away from your teammates and partners, you will have your own way of reacting to the situation.

Despite being extremely busy doing a course, simultaneously launching new project research which went viral even in the concept stage, and giving time and attention to children’s varied and time-demanding sporting needs, I found it difficult to accept failure. It hit hard. The only way out for me was to accept it and work gradually to come out of it.