Personal & Career Growth

What I’ve learned about cultural adaptation didn’t come from a handbook. I picked it up slowly, sometimes awkwardly, over years of working with people from different backgrounds in both academia and industry.

Over Thanksgiving break, I returned to Florida with my family to revisit the mentors, friends, and familiar places that shaped my early years in the U.S. Walking those old paths reminded me of the people who helped me grow - and why it matters to stay connected to where we began.

Workplace dynamics is really about people. By staying curious, communicating respectfully, leading with emotional intelligence, and holding onto our integrity, we can work better with others and create healthier teams.

Inspired by Donovan Livingston’s comet metaphor, this Mind Spark reflects on how our bold movements, challenges, and “collisions” shape who we become. A reminder to lead with intention, grow through impact, and leave a meaningful trail behind.

Inspired by a line under Tiny Thoughts Section of Brain Food : “When people feel like you deserve more than you have, they'll go out of their way to help you. But the minute you forget you were once the underdog, they'll root against you.” It made me think about how success changes both how others see us and how we see ourselves. When we are still working our way up, people often want to help. They notice our determination, our hard work, and sometimes see their own struggle

Inspired by a book found unexpectedly on my children’s bookshelf. The other evening, while reading with my four-year-old daughter, I came across something unexpected. When she went to get a drink, I started browsing through the bookshelf filled with my children’s books. Among the colorful covers, one title caught my eye: Success: The Psychology of Achievement  by Deborah Olson, published by DK. At first, I thought it was a children’s book because of its clean design, thick pa

Inspired by Rebecca Okamoto’s TEDx Talk “ How to introduce yourself—and get hired ” Have you ever frozen up when someone asks during an interview or a social event, "Tell me about yourself?" It's okay to feel nervous and ramble. Even people with lots of experience can find this question hard. Rebecca Okamoto, a communication expert, found that how you introduce yourself can matter even more than your resume. Okamoto shares that early in her career, she tried to impress interv

Many of us highlight, underline, or bookmark passages while reading books, but how often do we really put those words into practice? Most...

Have you ever been caught off guard in a meeting, during a Q&A session, or even in a casual conversation, unsure of what to say? Speaking on the spot is something we all face, yet few of us actively practice. I recently tuned into Matt Abrahams’ Think Faster, Talk Smarter  podcast (Episode #229: Rethinks—How to Speak Successfully When You’re Put on the Spot ). It got me thinking about how small mindset shifts can make a big difference when we’re under pressure to respond. Her

Inspired by a LinkedIn post by Steven Bartlett after being interviewed by Jimmy Fallon. Here is what Steven said: "You absolutely...

Effective communication is essential in every aspect of life, whether at work or at home. Being able to convey our message effectively,...

Inspired by a recent Career Firechat webinar on Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling. Last Saturday evening, I attended a webinar titled “Career...

Have you ever held onto something so tightly, a goal, an idea, a relationship, or an outcome, that when things didn’t turn out the way...

Today, I want to share a story that made me pause and reflect more deeply. One of my former colleagues, Matt West , recently shared an...

This post was inspired by an article published in Bits and Pieces  (The Economic Press), which Dale Carnegie cited in his classic book...

Reflecting on a speaker’s powerful mentorship journey " Not all mentors have faces or titles; some guide us quietly through their words...

Inspired by a speech on building an unstoppable team by Scott J. Medeiros "The manager or team leader alone accounts for 70% of the...

Inspired by the book "Rich Kids: How to Raise Our Children to Be Happy and Successful in Life" by Tom Corley. “ Life is about rising...

Reflections on why I write on ShujianZhangInsights. “ Writing is formalized thinking." Why writing? Writing has become one of my most...

Inspired by Palena Neale’s article in Harvard Business Review, " Empathy Is a Non-Negotiable Leadership Skill. Here’s How to Practice It...