The document provides lessons and insights the author has gained over time. Some of the key points made include: - It's easier to avoid mistakes by doing things right from the start than having to fix errors later. - Leaders often prefer convenient lies over inconvenient truths and have trouble understanding complex issues. - Continuous learning is important, especially in fast-changing fields, and ability to adapt is critical. - Surrounding yourself with smart, trustworthy colleagues helps performance and progress.

1. FEW THINGS…I LEARNT ALONG THE WAY

2. “YOU DON’T REGRET THE MOST
ON WHAT YOU DID.
BUT SURE ON WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE DONE”
Not a single year passed by without making this
mistake

3. MOST OF THE LEADERSHIP TEAM
PREFERS
CONVENIENT LIE THAN INCONVENIENT TRUTH.
I never understood why

4. “AVOIDING STUPIDITY
IS FAR EASIER THAN
BEING SMART
& PAYS MUCH BETTER RETURNS”

5. “RISK NEVER COMES FROM DOING NEW
THINGS. BUT FROM NOT KNOWING
WHAT YOU ARE DOING”
Most of the leadership team can’t understand the
difference

6. “WE TEND TO
OVERESTIMATE WHAT WE CAN DO IN A YEAR
AND
UNDERESTIMATE WHAT WE CAN DO OVER FIVE YEARS”
Poor understanding of ‘power of compounding’

7. HIGHER ORDER VALUES CAN NEVER BE
BUILT WITHOUT ROCK-SOLID CORE
VALUES.
THATS HOW EVEN EVOLUTION WORKS.
Most of the projects fail in this test

8. COMPANIES TEND TO OVERWEIGH EXPERIENCE &
UNDER-WEIGH ‘ABILITY TO LEARN’.
IN SOFTWARE INDUSTRY IT SHOULD BE THE
OTHER WAY.
When the rate of change is faster, ability to cope is
critical.

9. EASY WAY TO EXTRACT THE BEST OUT
OF AN ENGINEER IS TO HAVE
ANOTHER GREAT ENGINEER NEXT TO
HIM/HER.
3 million years of evolution never made a dent in
our fighting spirit.

10. ITS VERY HARD TO IDENTIFY THE
FOOLISHNESS WITHIN YOU.
I.E. VERY EASY TO FOOL YOURSELF.

11. “YOUR (SOFTWARE ASSET) INFLATION
IS FAR HIGHER THAN YOU THINK”
~ AFTER 3 YEARS ITS USELESS.
BEST WAY TO COPE IS TO BE A CONTINUOUS LEARNING MACHINE.
Software not just eats the world. It eats itself.

12. GREAT DESIGN NEVER LIES IN ADDING
MORE COMPLEXITY. IT LIES IN
REMOVING UNNECESSARY THINGS.
Great Mgmt is about removing overhead, not about
adding process (bureaucracy).

13. To go far, surround yourself with smarter and trust
worthy team

14. MERITOCRACY MUST BE
ENCOURAGED IRRESPECTIVE OF
YOUR GAIN FROM IT.

15. BEST WAY TO GET A THING IS SIMPLY
DESERVING IT
Gravitational pull eventually wins

16. “FINANCIALLY INDEPENDENT”
Don’t do anything if you can’t walk away from it