This morning, on my way to the office, I saw a man getting a haircut under a tree—completely at ease, soaking in the moment.

Meanwhile, I walked into a high-stakes meeting on strategic initiatives for 2025—big goals, big responsibilities.

Yet, my mind kept drifting back to that scene.

A leader from a multibillion-dollar tech company called me with a problem:

“We’ve built powerful AI tools, but my managers barely use the insights. They skim the surface, make poor decisions, and it’s frustrating!”

“What’s your approach?” I asked.

“We send detailed AI reports to everyone,” she replied. “But they’re overwhelmed and disengaged.”

Let me tell you about the time a night guard at my office went from securing doors to securing votes as an MLA and much more. It was 1993, and we had just started our company, Comnet.

Let me share a secret: some of the most visionary leaders I’ve met, brilliant as they are, have a surprisingly destructive habit — they use divide and rule to control their teams.

A CEO friend once called me in a panic:

"My employees have ZERO initiative, Vineet! They just sit around, waiting for someone else to act. The entire burden falls on me. Can you talk to them and sort this out?"

I replied, "Sure, Mike (name changed). But first, let me chat with some of your team."