These days I am meeting a lot of young people who are seeking balance in life. Maybe they have a safety net created by parents or maybe they are confident in their abilities to manage in their lives, but it is evident that many youngsters are not willing to sign up for a world of QoQ growth in perpetuity. I recently met a young boy from my alma mater SPJIMR who had quit a well-paying role with a large industrial group in India, to take up a startup role. And when I asked him about money, he just brushed it aside. (I wonder about his plans to repay his education loan)
I guess steep loans and the initial expenses of climbing the education ladder may result in younger professionals biting the bullet of the QoQ ladder. But soon they come to the realization that this was something they do not wish to do for perpetuity.?
How many times have we read this adage of “I was busy climbing the corporate ladder only to realize when I came closer to the top that it was leaning against the wrong wall”
Harvard University’s long-term research with kids who grew up to be older men and women clearly indicates that companionship, relationships and health are the premium acquisitions to work towards rather than money and fame.
Last year I got the opportunity to engage with graduate students at two universities in Mysore and Coimbatore, relatively smaller cities of India. As I chatted with the boys and girls, I realized that many of them wished to stay back in the same towns they came from. I was taken back and even more so because the Placement Officer was complaining that students would refuse to show up for interviews by companies that offered roles in other cities. I tried to “inspire” them and show them the path to prosperity with not much success I am certain.
And then a month or so later it struck me!!!
Why was I shaking them out of their state of contentment?
Because I had been programmed to believe that to “succeed” you had to be prosperous by standards defined by the world of capitalism. For me it was a moment of stepping back and my narrative changed to showing them the pros and cons of both choices. I stopped selling the capitalistic road to success.
But yes, it was important for them to realize the price to be paid in the case of both choices.
On a scale of Contentment (1) versus Ambition (10) you need to decide your place. Are you going to be a 2 or 3 or an 8 or 9? And this position may vary over your life. Many youngsters I know decide to get on to the treadmill early in life and take a position of 8 or 9 on the scale. And by the time they hit 45 they want to slide back to a 2-3 on the scale.
Realizing your position on this scale and making peace with it is the real challenge. Social Media influencers like Akshat Shrivastava have time and again repeated via their posts that having freedom and free time is far more important than having more money. In the early 80s my school mate Anantapadmanabhan Sarma who graduated from IIT Kharagpur quickly realized the folly of the QoQ treadmill. He told me that companies would like you to believe that your sole purpose in life is to become a CEO. He quickly pivoted to a public sector banking role which at that time may not be paid as well or given wealth creation opportunities but in the long run he was never the worse off for making that choice.
What I am noticing now is that there are much more of the Anants these days and they seem to have the determination and more than a foggy plan.
The operative word is ENOUGH!!!
You draw the line, pivot and move to a comfortable position on the scale and enjoy your free time and pursue your hobbies and LIVE YOUR LIFE.
About the Author
Krishna Gopal is a mechanical engineering graduate from VJTI (1981) in Mumbai, INDIA and has a Masters in Marketing from SPJIMR (1983), Mumbai.
At Tech Mahindra he incubated the AIM (Achievers in the Making) program that seeks to identify young software professionals with the right attitude and train them to become entry level sales people at the firm. Over time this program has created high performing sales professionals and given a RoI in excess of 100%. His simple “Padi Hai” mantra has inspired many a youngster to demonstrate ownership, collaboration and achievement orientation. AIM has since gone on to win accolades within the management fraternity including the prestigious NHRD Award at Bangalore in 2017.
KG’s work experience covers leading firms like Godrej & Boyce, Asian Paints, Sify and Tech Mahindra. He has a deep understanding of the Middle East & Africa region after having successfully incubated Tech Mahindra’s telecom business and grown it to $ 40 million. He has also played the role of a mentor and coach to several start-ups and SMEs in the IT sector in India.
At Tech Mahindra he is the Global Head – Sales Enablement.