For the rest of the year, I would like to take a moment and thank the people who have had a significant impact on me as an individual.

The way they have lived their lives and their body of work has had an outsized impact on how I think about life in general and and work, in particular.

Some of these are contemporary thinkers and some of them are just a memory. Some of them are famous in their own rights and some of them are yet to be found by others. Some of them are young and some of them are old. Some of them are business leaders, some thought leaders, some sportsmen and some coaches. Some of them are artists and some spiritual leaders.

However, if we look deeply, all of them are like you and me, ordinary people who’ve had an extra-ordinary impact on me and potentially a lot of others. And once you get to know them, may be they will have a similar impact on you as well or maybe not, only time will tell.

The reason I am putting together this list and share what I have learnt from them, to thank them publicly for being a teacher and teaching me important lessons in life and in the hope that some of you might be inspired by their company and they can impact you and your life as they have impacted mine.

So, let’s get started.

5. Porus Munshi

When it comes to contemporary thinkers and thought leaders, I think Porus Munshi is probably one of the best people that I have come across when it comes to innovation and breakthrough thinking. I have had the pleasure and privilege of having worked with him on an innovation project, hosted him on my podcast and having been mentored by him over the last decade.

What I really envy him and his ability to shift frames for people in his conversation with people. Irrespective of what question you go to him with, irrespective of what challenge you seek his help with, his ability to redefine the frame and therefore the entire conversation is just phenomenal.

Another ability that he has that is super helpful is his ability to simplify things. As someone very wise once said, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. By simplifying the challenges that people bring to him, he is already able to make them feel comfortable and confident of solving the challenges that they face.

He is the author of the best selling book – “Making Breakthrough Innovations Happen“. In the book, he shares the stories of 11 people or organisation who were faced with unbelievable challenges that they overcame with their thinking and process.

One of his maxims is that it is easier to go for a 10x impact than an incremental improvement. He often says

If you are given a 10x challenge, dive in. If you are given a 2x challenge, run from there.

– Porus Munshi

He believes this to be true because when we are given a 2x improvement challenge, the typical response is to do more of what we are already doing (put more people, put more time, put more money), which is an antidote for innovation. When we are going for a 10x challenge, it is very clear that we cant continue to do what have been doing and still achieve the goal. So, everyone is not only open but is looking for new ways of doing things, which leads to innovation.

You can experience him and his ability to setup leapfrog challenges in his talk that he delivered to a community that I work with.

Another one of his maxims is about process and talent. He deeply believes that an organisation doesnt need any new talent to acheive breakthrough success. All it needs is the belief that they can and a process that enables them to achieve the breakthrough success that they are going after. His experience working with the many clients that have engaged him also proves the same.

“Process Beats Talent”.

– Porus Munshi

Another of his maxims is about performance. He believes most performance issues stem from what the team believes in and the how they interact with each other. Once we ensure that the team has nailed their Ichchha Shakti (Power of Purpose), Gyan Shakti (Power of Knowledge) & Kriya shakti (Power of action), any team can transform their performance and achieve breakthrough results.

Past Performance is no indication of future performance.

– Porus Munshi

Another one of his maxims around performance is that the laws of physics don’t apply in the organizational performance realm.

The Laws of Physics or Nature do not apply to Organisational Performance

– Porus Munshi

In our experienced reality, the laws of physics dictate that we are born, then we grow into a toddler, then we learn to crawl, then to walk, then to run. This doesn’t hold true when it comes to organisational performance. Organisations could be birthed fully grown and performing at their peak from day 1. In his book, he does provide examples of such organisations.

You can also watch him share 4 strategies that businesses can use to drive significant growth in a downturn, all by applying a few simple principles.

He also applies the same principles to redesign his life. You can hear him share his experience at this TEDx talk.

There is a lot more wisdom from where all of these came about. If you are not already aware of him and his work, I would highly encourage that you check his work out. If you are looking for a mentor or a coach who can help you achieve breakthrough results and teach you how to do it repeatedly, I do hope that you reach out to him here.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, I would only say that Porus has been a phenomenal teacher and mentor to me over the last decade. Every time I have reached out to him for support or with a question, he has always been generous with his time, insights and encouragement. All I can say is that every leader needs a mentor like him.

Insanely Interesting People who Influenced me: #1 Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt.

Insanely Interesting People who Influenced me: #2 Paulo Coelho.

Insanely Interesting People who Influenced me: #3 Swami Vivekananda.

Insanely Interesting People who Influenced me: #4 Seth Godin.