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An Introvert's Guide To Leadership

I think a lot of people assume I’m an extrovert because I’m relatively visible in my role at  BodeTree  and enjoy engaging with people across the board. The truth, however, is that I’m more naturally inclined towards introverted tendencies. I’m more than comfortable keeping to myself and cherish the time I dedicate to quiet introspection. As humans, we often have a tendency to mistake loudness for confidence, and aggression for strength. As such, extroverts often have an easier time rising to the top of an organization. Once at the top, however, I’ve found that the traits and behaviors most often associated with introverts are the ones that separate successful leaders from failures. The key for introverted leaders, then, is to take the things they’re naturally good at – deep thinking, empathy, and the ability to listen – and augment those skills with a strategic dose of extroversion. If you’re able to strike the right balance, you’ll develop a leadership style that is uniquely

The MIT Startup Giving Indian Women Access To Biodegradable Sanitary Pads

What began as a class project at MIT has taken a life of its own in India as a full-on startup, with the aim of bringing one million affordable, biodegradable, sanitary pads — made of banana fiber — to rural women in India. Saathi Pads started out as a design for a sanitary pad machine in Amrita Saigal’s senior design class at MIT in 2012 — the idea was to create a blueprint for a low-cost method of manufacturing sanitary pads, to promote access to the product for women across India. The subject of menstrual health, so long taboo in India, has experienced rising awareness in very recent years. Current estimates say that  88% of menstruating women  in the country are forced to use homemade alternatives such as rags, newspapers, wood shavings, even ash, due to lack of menstrual awareness and access to products. A Saathi Pads workshop in Ranchi, India. Photo courtesy of Saathi Pads. Saathi Pads estimate rural girls miss up to 50 days of school a year as a result of lack o

Google's New Video Calling App Duo Goes Live

Earlier in the year, during its annual developer conference, I/O, Google announced that it was working on a brand new video calling application called Duo . The promise made by the company on stage and in its promotional materials was that Duo would be the video chat platform for the every man. It was to be a stripped-down, no-frills, sans bells and whistles experience that users could just pick up and use with minimal instruction. It would also allow both Android and iOS users to chat with each other, seamlessly. Having tested the app out personally, I have to say that as a no-frills, easy-to-use video calling app, Duo is fantastic. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) You simply tap the call button, tap a contact’s name and the call is initiated automatically. The best thing is that Duo is tied to your phone number so you can call people in your existing contact list without having to maintain a separate one specifically for Duo. In essence, I like to think of Du

12 Fastest Fibre Optic Internet Providers in India

Here are the fastest fibre optic broadband providers in India. Hayai:  Hayai provides 1 Gb per second broadband connectivity in Mumbai. The broadband is available in certain pincodes in Mumbai satellite cities around Mumbai, including Badlapur, Thane and Vasai. The plans are available on a monthly or yearly basis. Hayai provides 1 Gbps connectivity in the most locations. For Rs 12,599 a month, you get a practically unlimited, all you can consume plan, without any free usage policy, with a connection speed of 1 Gbps. The plans are not truly unlimited to mitigate chances of abuse, such as running servers or enterprise services, or sharing the plan with everyone in the neighborhood. This is not just about maintaining the connection, but also about following regulations. Reliance Ultraband:  Reliance Ultraband is available only in two addresses in Mumbai. A speed of 1 gbps is offered. The locations are Seawoods Estate in Navi Mumbai and Imperial Towers in Tardeo. The pricing for th

Azim Premji, Shiv Nadar on Forbes list of richest tech tycoons

New York : Wipro Chairman Azim Premji and HCL co-founder Shiv Nadar are the only two billionaires from India in Forbes ’ list of the  World’s 100 richest people in technology , ranking in the top 20 ahead of Google boss Eric Schmidt and Uber CEO Travis Kalanick. The ‘100 Richest Tech Billionaires In The World 2016’ list has been topped by Microsoft founder Bill Gates with an estimated fortune of $78 billion. Azim Premji, Chairman, Wipro. Reuters Premji ranks 13th on the list with a net worth of $16 billion and Nadar comes in on the 17th spot with $11.6 billion of net worth. The other Indian-American technology czars in the list are Symphony Technology Group CEO Romesh Wadhwani and founders of IT consulting and outsourcing company Syntel Bharat Desai and his wife Neerja Sethi. Forbes  said Premji, who heads India’s third-largest outsourcer, Wipro has been on a buying spree in the past year to boost growth. Premji’s son Rishad, who heads strategy and sits on the board,

India Aims To Be The World's Newest International Arbitration Hub

India is seeking to become the world’s newest international arbitration hub by establishing a new arbitral center in Mumbai. The Mumbai Centre for International Arbitration (MCIA), which begins proceedings this month, will be India’s very first arbitration tribunal. Its supporters hope it will help bring the industry’s best practices to the country. The unveiling of the MCIA underscores the significant growth of India-related arbitration cases in recent years. It also highlights the government’s desire to make India an attractive destination for international arbitration and make it a more compelling destination for business by bringing more reliable adjudication to India’s corporate sector. Arbitration remains the preferred option for multinational firms conducting business in the country, but India is not the preferred venue to arbitrate claims. The majority of arbitrations currently taking place within India occur on an ad hoc  basis. This has resulted in a lack of uniform sta