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What makes a workplace toxic or not?

5 signs that your workplace is toxic:

1. You are disrespected as a person.
2. Your manager's unpredictable reactions make you fearful of approaching them.
3. Your mistakes are called names but it is not explained where you faltered.
4. Politics is the way to gain power in the organisation.
5. Your colleagues constantly undermine each other's efforts, creating a culture of competition rather than collaboration.

In short, you feel constant tension and anxiety, are unable to relax or be yourself in the environment.

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However, one could feel constant tension and anxiety, unable to relax or be oneself in the environment even when the environment isn't toxic.

In my experience over 17+ years, I have found nearly an equal measure of instances, where people have mistaken work cultures to be toxic when, in my opinion, they weren't.

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5 things that seem to make a workplace toxic but they aren't really toxic:

1. Priorities around what to do keep changing; sometimes rapidly.
   You may feel that your hard work went to waste, but this is the (perhaps unfortunate) nature of business, especially in startups.
2. Your work is not up to standards and you are singled out for it.
   A business will never act like a charity. Its responsibility is to always have the best team at all costs.
3. Your manager doesn't give you feedback.
   It is your career. Thus, your responsibility to seek it. As much as it is your manager's to give.
4. There are disagreements/conflicts.
   Conflict is a natural part of any workplace as people bring different perspectives and ideas to the table.
5. The workload is heavy and deadlines are tight.
   Many industries require this - and upon research, you might realise it's been the case always and with everyone.

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Every industry is like a person.
It has traits that define its existence, its nature, and its growth.
And it has developed over a period of time.

You will find many companies within the same industry to have similar personalities.
That's the nature of the animal.

Don't expect agility and flexibility from, say, the banking industry. You will rarely experience it.
Don't expect precision and accuracy in, say, the filmmaking industry. You will rarely experience it.
Don't expect flat-hierarchical structures from, say, the manufacturing industry. You will rarely experience it.
Don't expect work-life balance from, say, the logistics industry. You will rarely experience it.

Find the company/industry that aligns with your personality and you will often find fewer examples of toxicity.

It is not people that are toxic.
Relationships are.
The same can be said about companies too.
​(Share on X)​

Book I am reading this week

Started reading Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents​

A brilliant book, based on a mega survey executed in the US, on how technology is bringing a cultural shift in the way generations are being raised and what they care about.
If you are someone who struggles to make sense of today's generation or finds themselves disconnected with people only slightly younger or older than you - this is a book for you!

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Speaking of books, a lot of people ask me how I decide which book to read next.
Imagine if you could dive into the essence of each book without actually reading it.
That's what Shortform does for me.
Whether it's books or long-form articles, Shortform provides me with detailed chapter summaries, insightful analysis, and thought-provoking commentary. Helping me decide which book should I, if at all, pick up to actually read.
Whether it's the amazing book by Sahil Lavingia (founder of Gumroad, who I hosted recently in Delhi) - The Minimalist Entrepreneur or the quintessential classic, Thinking Fast and Slow by Dan Kahneman (which I had attempted to read several times before Shortform made it super easy for me) - it's amazing how transformational a service such as Shortform can be.

Shortform has graciously offered a free 7-day trial and 20% off on the annual subscription for the first 500 readers of this email, yay :))

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Here is a list of all the books I have shared in this newsletter so far (in alphabetical order).

Results of last week's survey

My next book (releasing Jan 2025) is on careers. Which of these titles do you like best?

• Make EPIC Careers
• Build an EPIC Career
• Design your EPIC Career
• EPIC Career Moves
• Make EPIC Career

Here are the results:

Build an EPIC Career it is!! Thank you for all voting :)))

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Quotes to share
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It is not people that are toxic. Relationships are.

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The days you don’t want to, are the days you have to.

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Everyone is running a different race. In fact, we are not even in a race. We are on our own paths.
Some walk. Some run.

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📸 My week, in pictures

In this section, I share my week in pictures, for those who do not like to read as much as I write :))
I do so not to show how cool a life I live, but instead to show you what are the highlights of every day. As you will see over time, my days are mostly in repeat mode - the same things, but different experiences from them.
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Watercolour painting from last week - this wasn't as much fun :((

For this Friday's lunch date, Ruchi and I went to a lovely mud house in Faridabad. The entire house is made of mud (as you can see).

It was a beautiful serene setup.

The oasis in our home - I read almost every day sitting on this chair :))

We finished our latest course designed for teachers - How To Launch A Courses Business. This is the entire team that pulled it off. Love them! :))

Held the offline convocation for the founding batch - 30 super sharp, bright, and driven teachers - ready to launch their course :))

What time do you get up every day? :))

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That's it for the week in pictures. Have a lovely weekend and week ahead, all of you lovelies :)))

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Question of the week

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What is the most important thing for you, when it comes to your career?

• Money
• Career growth
• Work-life balance
• Job security
• Mentoring

(and see the results of others, too)
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🎙️ Podcast I shared last week

Kismat | Luck

🚀 Content I shared this week

📹 YouTube:​

​I increased my income 11 times in 5 years​

📱 Instagram:​

​The diet that transformed me​

🐥 X:

​Our concept of discipline is twisted​

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You can, of course, always write to me by simply replying to this newsletter.

I love reading all your emails, even though I may not be able to reply to them all.
Yes! I READ ALL MY EMAILS. ALL OF THEM.​
​(Garmi ne kar diya haal behaal ki kasam)

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