LIFT Newsletter 044 When you can see something new, you can do something new. Last week we talked about O + A = R: how your observation drives your action, which creates your result. This week, let's go deeper into the "O." Because not all observations are created equal. Two people face the same workplace challenge and get completely different results. One sees "politics." The other sees "information gaps." One sees "rejection." The other sees "misaligned timing." One sees "r

LIFT Newsletter 043 Same situation, different outcome. The difference is how you see. Two people sit in the same meeting, hear the same words, and walk out with completely different realities. One feels clear and ready to move. The other feels tense, doubtful, and stuck. Nothing changed in the room. Everything changed in how they saw it. Here's the framework that explains why: We act from what we see. And we keep getting results that match the way we've been seeing.Which mean

LIFT Newsletter 042 If results are moving, keep going. If they're not, shift the question and move. March 1st. Two months into the year, and you're probably doing one of two things right now. Either you're gaining real momentum, with opportunities flowing, conversations happening. If that's you, keep going. Don't interrupt what's working. Or you're feeling stuck in the same patterns, wondering why your hard work isn't translating into the results you want. If you're in the se

LIFT Newsletter 040 Why voluntary restraint creates better leaders. Ramadan began this week, and with it comes practices that reveals something powerful about the leadership capacity you already possess. What happens when you choose to pause before reaching. Leading yourself with intention When you decide to wait before grabbing that coffee, or choose stillness instead of scrolling your phone, something beautiful emerges. The space between wanting something and acting becomes

LIFT Newsletter 040 If results are moving, keep going. If they're not, check one thing: self-trust. 45 days into 2026, and I'm seeing two types of professionals in my community. Those gaining momentum, showing up consistently, keeping their pace. If that's you, pause for a moment and acknowledge it. Don't overthink what's working - just keep going. And those still waiting for results to show up. If that's you, this isn't about your ability or talent. It's time to check someth

LIFT Newsletter 039 Less noise. More clarity. Better decisions. The GEM Summit is a global gathering of founders, leaders, creatives, and policymakers focused on one thing: building impact-driven ventures through collaboration, purpose, and long-term thinking. January 2026 didn’t feel like business as usual. AI is accelerating execution. Capital is cautious. Teams are leaner. And more people, at any age or stage, are asking the same question: Should I build something of my ow

LIFT Newsletter 029 Read Time: 5 mins Content; Critical thinking, success in 2026 Last week in Jakarta, I stood in front of the top private university lecturers and asked a simple question: "In the age of AI, what's the one thing your students need most from you?" The room went quiet. Then one professor raised her hand: "To think for themselves. But honestly, I don't know how to teach that anymore." That moment? It crystallized everything I've been thinking about as we close

LIFT Newsletter 028 Read Time: 5 mins Content; Accelerated performance, executive presence, strategic influence Last week, we explored how your emotional brain determines whether stakeholders feel confident trusting you. But even with emotional steadiness, there's one final brain that decides whether you advance or plateau. Your executive brain. It's the part that turns calm into clarity, and clarity into credibility. The executive brain or the neocortex is the newest, most

LIFT Newsletter 027 Read Time: 5 minutes Content: Performance review, seize the promotion, score the performance appraisal Last week, we covered how your survival brain hijacks performance reviews — turning executives into defenders instead of demonstrators of value. But here's what most professionals miss: even when you manage your survival response, there's another layer that determines whether stakeholders see you as promotion-ready. Your emotional brain. It's the bridge b

LIFT Newsletter 026 Read Time: 5 minutes Content: Performance review, 3 brains trap, 2026 proactive wins Your heart races before you even walk into the room. You know your work is solid. Your results speak for themselves. But something happens the moment that meeting starts, you rush to justify instead of confidently present. You over-explain when you should pause. You defend when you should lead. Sound familiar? It's not imposter syndrome. It's not lack of preparation. It's

LIFT Newsletter 025 Read Time: 3 minutes Content: Strategic review, advantageous actions, 2026 proactive wins November is your secret advantage. While everyone else will scramble through December's budget shifts, priority changes, and year-end panic, you can consolidate now before the chaos hits. Most professionals wait until January to "get organized." But the ones who actually get ahead do something quieter in November: they take stock of what worked, accept what changed, a

LIFT Newsletter 024 Read Time: 3 minutes Content: Strategic clarity, career advancement, overlooked oportunities Year-end pressure is building: performance reviews, budget shifts, and the familiar urge to add more goals, more courses, more activity to stay competitive. Here's what we've learned from 200+ professionals in our programs: the ones who truly advance don't do more - they choose better. Strategic clarity isn't about productivity hacks. It's about seeing what other

LIFT Newsletter 023 Read Time: 3 minutes Content: Strategic positioning, career relevance You do great work. Your boss knows it. Your team knows it. YOU KNOW IT. But somehow, other people are getting the opportunities, the recognition, the roles you thought you'd be perfect for. And you're wondering: What am I missing? Here's what I've noticed working with hundreds of professionals: The gap isn't in your performance. It's in your positioning. You're solving today's problems w

LIFT Newsletter 022 Read Time: 2 minutes Content: panic, lost and anxious, responding better Your job search is making you crazy. You're sending applications into the void. Refreshing your email every ten minutes. Applying to anything that remotely fits. And despite all this activity, nothing's happening. This isn't about your qualifications or the market. It's about your brain. When your career feels threatened, your brain defaults to survival mode. It screams "DO SOMETHING

LIFT Newsletter 021 Read Time: 3 minutes Content: Professional identity, transition, career planning I've been thinking about professional identity lately. Not because of some dramatic story, but because I keep seeing the same pattern: accomplished professionals who feel completely lost the moment their role changes. It turns out there's research behind this. Harvard Business Review recently explored how professionals tied too closely to their roles suffer disproportionately

LIFT Newsletter 020 Read Time: 3 minutes Content: prices for reacting, transition, neuroscience A few weeks ago, I spoke with a senior executive who had just lost his job. Twenty years of experience, gone overnight. His response? Panic mode. He sent out 200+ applications in 48 hours, rewrote his CV four times, and cold-messaged every connection on LinkedIn. Within days, he was exhausted. Within weeks, he felt hopeless. And worst of all, he was getting terrible responses becau

LIFT Newsletter 019 Read Time: 2 minutes Content: birthday and gratitude Yesterday, I turned 51. We kept it simple, just a quiet dinner with my family. This year felt different. I was deeply grateful, perhaps more than ever, yet the joy I usually feel wasn't quite there. And I know why. It's the first year without my Mum's birthday call. Every year, she would call to bless me, wishing me health and happiness. She passed away last December. A few days ago, while praying, it st

LIFT Newsletter 018 Read Time: 3 minutes Content: staying competitive, promotion, job security, soft power skills The half-life of professional skills is now 2.5 years. What you learned five years ago? Half of it is already obsolete. Yet most professionals are still betting their careers on technical expertise alone. Here's what the research reveals: 90% of top performers share one trait that has nothing to do with their diploma or years of experience. High emotional intelli

LIFT Newsletter 017 Read Time: 3 minutes Content: job lost, transition, clarity, taking charge "I sent out 47 applications this week. Zero responses." If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. In the last year, thousands of professionals have faced retrenchments, hiring freezes, or roles disappearing overnight. And what most people do next actually makes everything harder. They panic. They spray résumés everywhere. They apply to anything that sounds remotely close to their e

LIFT Newsletter 016 Read Time: 5 minutes Content: Courage, stigma, mental well-being, leadership “I need you to be our rock” How many times have you heard this as a leader? How many times have you said it to yourself? For all our progress in leadership development, one truth remains stubborn: we still expect leaders to be unbreakable. We expect leaders to inspire, motivate, and carry the weight of uncertainty. But when they are the ones who need help? Silence often feels saf