It might matter how you feel about AI. Whether you’re worried, scared, excited, curious, or calm. But maybe what matters more is simply that you feel something about it.
Sure, having a clear perspective and thoughtful approach helps. But just feeling something at all about it already places us humans in a better position.
Think about AI. Does it feel anything about us? Most probably not!
It isn’t anxious about not being able to replace humans, nor thrilled about the possibility of doing so. It simply doesn’t care!
One big misconception about creativity in the workplace is this: “Creativity has no space here.”
This isn’t a small misunderstanding. It’s a mindset that blocks creativity completely.
Many organisations focus on repetitive tasks, maintaining the status quo, and doing what has always worked. They prioritize serving immediate needs and wants.
This approach might help an organisation survive for a while. But survival without creativity is temporary.
If an organisation isn’t thriving, it won’t survive for long. Avoiding creative thinking is the fastest path to irrelevance in a rapidly changing world.
True growth happens when companies embrace curiosity. When they challenge old patterns and explore new possibilities.
It’s about having a vision for the future. Not just reacting to the present.
Organisations that embrace creativity stay ahead. They’re the ones defining what comes next.
This applies to individuals too. Employees who only rely on “what’s always worked” may survive—but they won’t grow.
Individuals thrive when they’re curious, proactive, and unafraid to bring creativity into their work.
Because creativity isn’t just about survival. It’s the key to thriving—for organisations and the people within them.
Two days ago, I had an encounter that left me reflecting on persistence, feedback, and growth.
I was parked outside a bakery in my hometown, waiting for my friend to finish shopping. A man approached me, holding packets of pappad.
Image generated using ChatGPT
“Would you like to buy some?” he asked. I politely declined.
But he wouldn’t give up. He began pleading, asking if I could take just one packet. I said no, repeatedly, but he persisted. Frustrated, I finally told him, “If you’re going to beg like this, you won’t get far in your sales career.”
He stiffened slightly and replied, “I wasn’t begging—I was just asking you to buy.”
He continued explaining himself. I thought he might feel better if I simply listened, so I gave him a minute. He explained how he wasn’t pleading, why it wasn’t begging, and why I had misunderstood.
When he finished, I calmly said, “You came to sell me something. I felt you were being pushy and told you. I may be right, I may be wrong—you can take it or leave it. You wanted to explain, and I listened. Now it’s even. So, bye.”
For a moment, he seemed to reflect on what I said. Then, as if something clicked, he asked, “So, you mean I was being pushy?”
“Yes,” I replied, “now you’re getting it.” 😁
And then something remarkable happened. His tone shifted entirely. He seemed to take the feedback to heart and started pitching differently as if he was doing a roleplay in a sales training. “Sir, this pappad is made at a home near mine. It’s made with the best ingredients, no chemicals, and is healthy and delicious. Would you like to try?”
I smiled. “Now that “would-you-like-to-try” part sounds better.”
I explained that not all strategies work everywhere and he may still have to use some of his old ways as long as he is selling the current items but learning and adapting is key. I bought a packet for ₹30 and wished him well. (Yeah, the coach paid for the coaching. 🥹)
All the best to that young salesman. He might just go far.
I was in the seventh standard, and it was the day of our school excursion to Mysore. The excitement in the air was palpable as the bus rattled down the road, students chattering and teachers trying to maintain order. Along the way, we were to pick up our headmaster, Appukkuttan ‘Sir’, near his home.
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A few minutes before we reached his stop, one of our teachers suggested something unusual: she asked us to hail him loudly as he boarded the bus. It sounded odd, but we didn’t question her. However, as the bus pulled up to his stop, something strange happened—no one actually shouted. Except me.
With hesitation, I opened my mouth, “Appukkuttan—” but before I could finish, the boy sitting next to me gestured to shut up. He must’ve thought I was yelling our headmaster’s name, something strictly taboo in Indian culture. By then, I realized I was the only one doing it. I froze, mid-sentence.
What followed next still haunts me.
The headmaster stepped onto the bus. His eyes landed directly on me, and his expression turned into a storm of anger. Without asking what had happened or why, he unleashed a torrent of scolding. In front of the entire bus—students, teachers, everyone—I became the villain.
I wasn’t just reprimanded. I was humiliated.
I sat there, stunned and shaking, tears streaming down my face. None of the teachers, not even the one who had instructed us to hail him, came to my defense. They stayed silent, complicit in my shame.
Hours later, during a break, a teacher finally came to console me. But by then, the damage was done. The joy of the excursion was replaced with fear and sadness. And to make things worse, the headmaster declared that I had to meet him in his office the moment we returned to school.
The fear followed me for years. I internalized it. I began to see myself as arrogant, as someone who might unintentionally offend or attract criticism. To avoid that, I made myself small, invisible.
But years later, I realized something: I wasn’t wrong that day. I wasn’t arrogant. The headmaster, the teachers, and their silence were the real culprits. They judged me without understanding, reacted without empathy, and failed to see a scared, well-meaning child caught in a moment of confusion.
This incident taught me a lesson I carry to this day: never judge someone without understanding their intent.
Now, I strive to listen and try to understand before reacting, and to intervene when someone else is treated unfairly. That moment gave me immense pain, but it also made me more empathetic and less judgmental. 🌟✨ (Image generated using ChatGPT)
A few months ago, I visited my hometown branch of a private sector bank to open an account. The Customer Relationship Manager who assisted me seemed polite and reassuring, but something felt… amiss.
Still, I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.
As we wrapped up the formalities, he told me in an overly reaffirming tone: “Sir, whatever issue you face, just give me a call or send me a message. I’ll be there to help you. I’ll support you with anything you need.”
At first, I appreciated his eagerness. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that he was trying too hard to please. And soon enough, my doubts proved valid.
When I encountered a technical issue with my account, I reached out to him—several times over a few days. Every time, his responses followed the same pattern: • “I’m out of office, I’ll be back in 10 minutes.” • “I’m in a meeting, but I’ll call you in 10 minutes.” • “I’m speaking with another client, I’ll wrap up in 15 minutes.”
But no matter how many 10 or 15 minutes passed, he never called back. He never followed through.
Frustration built up, and I finally told him I wanted to close the account and end my relationship with the bank. His response? Yet another polished reassurance: “Sir, I truly understand how you’re feeling.”
And that’s when it hit me: his empathy wasn’t real. It was a facade. A performance designed to give the impression of care, but with no genuine intent or action behind it.
This experience made me reflect on a troubling reality.
In many company cultures and training programs, employees are often taught to project empathy: • “Make the customer feel you care.” • “Show them you understand.” • “Make them feel your empathy.”
The emphasis is often on creating a feeling, not on actually caring, understanding, or empathizing.
As a corporate human skills coach, this concerns me deeply. Authentic relationships—whether with customers, clients, or colleagues—aren’t built on empty reassurances or scripted responses. They’re built on action, consistency, and genuine follow-through.
Yes, words matter. But actions matter more.
If your professional relationships are just about appearing to care, while neglecting the actual work of caring, it’s time to rethink your approach.
Empathy isn’t a script. It’s a practice. And it’s one of the most powerful skills you can genuinely bring to the table.
We are living in the era of AI—a time when so many tasks that humans once handled are being delegated to machines and tools. This brings us to an important question: What is the most human about humans?
The individuals and organizations that answer this question—and lean into the answer—are the ones that will stand out and thrive in 2025 and beyond.
For me, it boils down to three key aspects: creativity, empathy, and purpose.
1️⃣ Purpose
Being intentional is the most uniquely human trait. Machines can do the work, but humans bring the why. It’s about anchoring everything you do to something meaningful. Organizations and individuals that operate with a clear purpose and act with intention will stand out. Purpose is what separates good from great, and those who embrace it are the ones who will thrive.
2️⃣ Empathy
Empathy isn’t just about giving someone the sense that you understand them—it’s about actually understanding. It’s about connecting to someone’s pain, their dreams, their hopes, and showing them you truly get it. This is where humans have an edge over machines. Real empathy is going to be one of the biggest differentiators in this era of AI.
3️⃣ Creativity
There’s this ongoing debate that AI is now the epitome of creativity, even more creative than humans. But I see it differently. AI is great at generating ideas based on data and patterns, but human creativity comes from a different place. It’s driven by emotions, intuition, lived experiences, and, most importantly, purpose. That’s the kind of creativity that organizations and individuals need to tap into to truly stand out.
So, as we step further into the AI era, now is the time to double down on what makes us most human. The future belongs to those who are intentional about their purpose, deeply empathetic in their connections, and authentic in their creativity.
Vineeth Vinnie Corporate Human Skills Coach | On a mission to help individuals and organizations thrive in the AI era
Last month, Suhail Babu at ATBC gave me an interesting challenge: conduct a vision percolation training for the sales team of PalmTree Group in Cochin. The catch? The entire session had to be in Hindi.
Now, here’s the thing—before this, I’d never done a full-day session in Hindi. In fact, my total experience of speaking Hindi was limited to just a few hours in my life. Despite living in Delhi for two years during my linguistics studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, many of my friends there preferred to practice their English with me, and some others made fun of me when I made a mistake, so I ended up not practicing much Hindi myself.
When I asked Suhail Bhai, who contacted me about the session, if I could mix some English with Hindi, he said mixing Malayalam, but not English, might work since many participants were in Kerala for some years now. But I found it really hard to imagine switching between Hindi and Malayalam—it just didn’t feel natural. So, I decided to go all in and deliver the entire session in Hindi.
With jast over a week to prepare, I started warming up by listening to Hindi podcasts daily. That’s when I realized that, even though I hadn’t spoken much Hindi over the years, I had absorbed enough to build on. I decided to trust myself and give it my best.
The session itself was another challenge—talking about something as abstract as vision, purpose, and values isn’t easy, especially in a language you’re not used to. But I worked hard to simplify the concepts and make them relatable. By the end of the day, the feedback was overwhelmingly positive. Participants from all over India—Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Assam—told me they not only enjoyed the session but also appreciated my Hindi!
This experience taught me that stepping out of your comfort zone can lead to surprising discoveries. It wasn’t just about the language; it was about connecting, adapting, and delivering value.
Looking back, I’m grateful for the challenge. If you’re ever faced with something that seems outside your expertise, take the leap. You never know what you’re capable of until you try.
As a coach, I see every client and trainee as someone with wings—wings of creativity, communication, problem-solving, and purpose—invisible to them at the moment. My role is to help them see those wings, believe in them, and empower them to soar.
The greatest joy in my work comes when I witness my clients rise into the sky, realizing what’s possible for them. In those moments, I am reminded that I too have wings, and I am inspired to keep flying higher.
This is the vision I bring to every session: helping others find their flight—and never settling for less.
Vineeth Vinnie Corporate Human Skills Coach | Deep Success Coach
It’s true that people fail despite wanting to succeed, but have you ever considered that sometimes people fail because they don’t want to succeed? This may sound counterintuitive, but through my deep coaching engagements, I’ve encountered this mindset in many forms.
Here are some reasons why people might resist success:
1️⃣ They’ve decided they won’t succeed. Some people make a decision at some point in their life: “I’m not the kind of person who succeeds.” This belief becomes part of their identity. Succeeding would mean challenging their ego and proving themselves wrong, which can feel uncomfortable or even threatening.
2️⃣ Someone else decided they wouldn’t succeed. When someone close to you—family, a mentor, a friend—labels you as someone who won’t succeed, you may internalize it. Success might feel like betraying their belief in you, even if it’s a limiting one.
3️⃣ Success feels selfish. Some people believe their success means taking something away from others. “If I shine, others fade. If I’m in the spotlight, someone else is in the shadows.” This belief leads them to shrink themselves, to stay humble to the point of invisibility.
4️⃣ Fear of losing what they gain. The idea of achieving success can come with the fear of losing it. “What if I get there, and then it’s taken away? Would that pain outweigh the joy of succeeding?” This fear keeps people in their comfort zones.
These are just a few from the list.
Beliefs like these can be subtle but powerful barriers to growth. The good news? They can be transformed.
Through coaching, I help individuals uncover and challenge these perspectives, creating space for meaningful success—success that aligns with their values and aspirations. If this post resonates with you, book a free 40-minute discovery call with me. It’s an opportunity to experience a real coaching session and discover how we might work together to create the success you desire: https://calendly.com/vineethvinnie/free-discovery-call-coaching
