Catalyst: The ultimate strategies on how to win at work and in life

CHANDRAMOULIVENKATESAN

catalyst

Theultimatestrategiesonhowtowinatworkandinlife

PENGUINBOOKS

CONTENTS

Introduction

PARTI

1.RealIndividualGrowth,theCatalystforSuccess

2.TimeSpentatWorkDoesNotEqualExperience

3.MaximizeLearningCycles

4.ImprovePersonalProductivity

PARTII

5.WinWhereItMatters

6.FirstHalfIstheCatalystHalf

7.BossesandMentorsasCatalysts

8.LongStintsatOneCompanyandtheDecisiontoQuit

PARTIII

9.ThePowerofLifeasaCatalyst

10.A‘PassionateStriving’HobbyasaCatalyst

11.ValuesasaCatalyst

12.TheTwinHs:TheKeyCatalystsforLeadershipImpact

13.Values,theCatalystforLeadershipImpact

14.BringingItAllTogether

Acknowledgements

FollowPenguin

Copyright

PORTFOLIO

CATALYST

ChandramouliVenkatesanisacorporateveteranwithovertwenty-sixyearsofexperienceintheindustry.HehasworkedwithAsianPaints,Cadbury/Mondelez,MircElectronics/OnidaandPidilite.Hehasservedinvariousseniorcapacities,includingasCEOandmanagingdirector.WhilethebulkofhisworklifehasbeeninbusinessandP&Lleadershiproles,therewasathree-yearperiodwhenhedidacross-functionalstintasHRheadforCadburyIndiawhichfurtherdevelopedhisunderstandingofwhatmakespeoplesuccessful.Chandramouliisakeengolferandsportsenthusiast,andbelievesinholding

hislifeinbalance.This,coupledwithhissenseofvaluesandspirituality,hasledhimtobelievethateverypersonmustimpactsocietypositively.Hehasconductednumerousspeakingsessions,whichhavebenefitedover1000people,andmentoredandguidedmanyotherstobesuccessfulintheircareers.

AdvancePraisefortheBook

‘Weoftengrowaspeopleandprofessionalsintuitively.Buthavingalearningmodelhelpsusrealizeourfullpotential.Mouliprovidespracticaladviceonthisandimbibingitwillbehelpful.Thesportsanalogiesaddtomakingitaninterestingread.Itisamust-readforanyambitiousmanager.’—PiyushPandey,executivechairmanandexecutivecreativedirector,SouthAsia,Ogilvy&Mather

‘Moulihascapturedrealinsightsfromeverydayeventsthathappentopeopleincompanies.Icouldrelatetomostlessonshavingexperiencedtheminmyowncareer.Anditiswrittenbysomebodywhohaspractisedallthatheispreachingnow.Amust-read.’—AnandKripalu,managingdirectorandCEO,DiageoIndia,andmember,Diageoglobalexecutivecommittee

‘Convertingtimetoexperienceisagreatinsightandanabsolutemustforasuccessfulcareer.Thisbookaboundswithmanyinsightslikethiswhicharehighlyactionableforthereader.’—HarshMariwala,chairman,Marico

‘Manybookshavebeenwrittenoncareergrowthandprofessionalsuccessinthepast.However,Catalystistrulyinsightfulandthought-provoking.Everychapterofthebookreflectsanewdimensiononthewayanaspiringprofessionalmayneedtolookattheircareerglidepathbyidentifyingtherightcatalystsforsustainedsuccess.MykudostoMouliforclearlyarticulatingacomplexsubjectinacompellingmanner.Thebookis“wisdominpaperback”.Irecommendalltheyoungandaspiringbusinessleaderstohaveacopyofthisbookintheiroffice.’—AnnaswamyVaidheesh,vicepresident,SouthAsia,andmanagingdirector,India,GlaxoSmithKlinePharmaceuticals

‘Moulihasdrawnfrompersonalexperiencetoconstructanoriginal,insightfulandthought-provokingbook.Amust-readifyouwanttokeepyourcareerandlifemovingatafastpace.’—BharatPuri,managingdirector,PidiliteIndustries

lifemovingatafastpace.’—BharatPuri,managingdirector,PidiliteIndustriesLimited

‘Over250teammembersacrosstheGodrejgrouphavelistenedtoChandramoulispeakonhowtohaveabettercareerandleadabetterlife.Icanconfidentlysaythateachoneofuswasincrediblyinspired.Thisbookisagreatcombinationofmotivationalwisdomandpractical,actionableinsights.’—VivekGambhir,managingdirectorandCEO,GodrejConsumerProductsLimited

‘Evenafterfortyyearsintheindustry,Ihavefoundthisbookinsightfulandfulloflearning.Mouli’spersonaasafinebusinessleaderandgoodhumanbeingleadshimtocrystallizeinvaluablethoughtsfortheyoungtohelpshapetheircareersandlives.’—SamBalsara,chairman,MadisonWorld

Tothecatalystsofmylife—myparents,Meera,Prerana,myfamily,myfriends,

andBharatandAnand

Introduction

SuccessNeedsaCatalyst

Igraduatedwithadegreeinchemicalengineering.ThoughIdidnotpursueatechnicaloranengineeringcareerafterthat,someconceptsfrommygraduationdayshavestayedwithme.Onesuchconceptishowreactionsarecatalysedortheimpactofthepresenceofacatalyst.Thebasicconceptisthatthepresenceofacatalystcausesoracceleratesa

chemicalreaction.Insomecases,theingredientsareavailable,butthereactiondoesnothappenspontaneously.Ittakesthecatalysttomakeithappen.Inotherwords,thereactionhastobecatalysed.Therearemanysuchexamplesaroundusinourdailylife.E.g.automobileemissionscontaincarbonmonoxide,whichishighlydangerous.Ithastobeconvertedtocarbondioxidetomakeitlessharmful.Thereisoxygenintheair,butitdoesnotautomaticallyreactwiththiscarbonmonoxidetoformcarbondioxide.Ittakesthecatalyticconverterfittedinautomobilesforthisreactiontooccur.Anotherexampleisthatofenzymes,whichcatalysethedigestivereactionsinourbody.Foralongtimeaftermygraduation,Icontinuedtothinkof‘catalysts’and

‘catalyse’asengineeringterms.However,overmanydecadesinthecorporateworld,Istartedtorealizethatevensuccessatworkandinlifeneedstobecatalysed—itdoesn’thappenbyitself.Manypeoplehavetheingredientsforsuccess,buttheymistakenlyassumethatjustthepresenceofthesewillguaranteesuccess.Unfortunately,thatisnotthecase;itneedsacatalyst,whichcomesintheformofspecificactionsandefforts.Thisnotionhasbeeninmyheadforalongtime.Ihavealsolearntfrom

experiencethatsuccessistheresultofaholisticprocess.Itisaboutcatalysingalotofreactionsthatmostofusassumehappenspontaneously.Ihavewantedtorecountandsharemyexperiencestohelpotherpeoplesucceedusingmylearning.Towardsthisend,afewyearsago,Ibuiltamodulecalled‘TeeoffwithMouli’(thenamecomesfrommypassionforgolf)andstartedsharingitwiththepeopleIwasworkingwith,insessionsofaboutthreehourseach.Igotaverygoodresponseandalsosomegoodfeedback,whichIusedtofurtherrefinethe

goodresponseandalsosomegoodfeedback,whichIusedtofurtherrefinethemodule.Inthemiddleof2016,IdecidedthatIneededabreakfromwork.Iwantedto

takeasabbatical.Iwasalsokeenthatitshouldnotbeonlyaboutrelaxationandfunbutalsoaboutmakingsignificantsocialimpactusingmyexperienceandlearning.Ispenttimethinkingaboutthebestwayofgivingbacktosociety.Ihadseveralideas,includingworkingwithNGOs,butfinallyfeltthatnoneofthesewouldgiveahighROI(returnoninvestment).IstronglybelievethatonemustlookforROIinone’ssocialefforts.Justbecausewegiveourtime/money/knowledgedoesnotmeanitismakinganimpact.Thisdoesnotmeanthatwestopgivingourtime/money/knowledge.MyonlysuggestionisthateachoneofustryandinvestitwhereithasthehighestROI.E.g.ifyouareadoctorandyouwanttomakeasocialimpact,perhapsthehighestROIforyoursocialcontributionisintryingtoimprovethehealthoftheneedy.Adoctorcouldmakeanimpactteachingmathstounderprivilegedchildren,buttheROIherewouldbelowerthantheROIinhealthcare.AsIstartedthinkingalongtheselines,itcametome—myhighestROIwasgoingtobeinhelpingpeopleinthecorporatesectorachieveevengreatersuccessintheircareersandlives.Theirsuccesswouldcatalysesocialimpactand,overtime,createemploymentand,ingeneral,createawell-rounded,values-drivensociety.Asthisbecamecleartome,Istartedtotake‘TeeoffwithMouli’toany

companythatwasinterested.Inafour-monthperiod,Itookaboutthirtysessionsofthreehourseachforoverathousandpeopleatvariouscompanies.Itwasapartofmysocialmissionandhence,Ididnotchargeanything;myonlyconditionwasthattheseniorpeopleshouldbepersonallyinvolvedinthisprocess.Asthisunfolded,Istartedtogettremendouspositivefeedbackforthesessions.Manypeoplesaidthatitwaslife-changingandthattheywishedtheyhadreceivedtheseinsightsearlierintheirlives.Manyofthemurgedmetoconvertthiscontentintoabook.Theirbeliefwasthatitwastoovaluable,anditcouldhavegreatersocialimpactifmanymorecouldaccessit.That,dearreaders,istheinspirationforthisbook.Inamedthemodule‘TeeoffwithMouli’asitwasmorethanjustacatchy

title.Itwasintendedtobeaninspiringanalogy.Golfisnotapopularsport,andsomanypeopledon’tknowmuchaboutit.Theteeshotisthefirstshotinanyholewhenplayinggolf—youputateestickontheground,placetheballonthe

teeandthenhitit.Thatprocessiscalledteeingofforteeoffinshort.Awell-hitteeshotisoneofthemoststirringspectacles—theballflies,andcantravelwellover250yards.Considerasixerincricket,whichtravelsabout80yards,andasoaringgoalkeeper’skickinfootball,whichtakestheballabout60yards.Ateeshotislikethreecricketsixesorfourgoalkicksinarow.Theballsoarsandsoars,andtakesforevertocomedown.Mymissionistohelppeoplesoar,achievegreatheightsandgoveryfar,andthatwastheanalogythatmademenamethesession‘TeeoffwithMouli’.Itwasthemissionofgettingpeopletosoarlikethegolfball,highandlong.AndthatiswhatIhopeeveryreaderofthisbookwillget—theinspirationto

soarhighandlong,toachievegreatsuccessandabalancedlife.Iwantthereaderstounderstandthathavingtheingredientsofsuccess—education,IQ,EQ,hardwork,agoodjob,etc.—doesnotmeanthatapersonwillautomaticallybecomesuccessful.Theyhavetounderstandwhatthecatalystsforsuccessareandmakeanefforttoembedthesecatalystsintheirworklives.Unfortunately,manypeopledonotunderstandthisandhence,oftendonotachievethesuccessforwhichtheyhavetheingredients.Idohaveanimportantdisclaimertomake.Thisbookiswrittenfromthelens

ofapractisingmanager,andisbasedontheinsightsIhavegainedintohowtocatalysesuccess.Hence,itisprincipallymypointofviewthatIhaveputacross;ithasnotnecessarilybeenvalidatedorproven.Inmanycases,IamsimplypresentingwhatIbelievein.Ifyourbeliefisdifferentfrommine,feelfreetoholdontoit.Pleasebeawarethatthecontentsofthisbookarenotscientificallyproven,buthavebeenvalidatedthroughthejourneyofmylifeandmywork.

PARTI

1

RealIndividualGrowth,theCatalystforSuccess

Inallmyexperiencesandtravelsacrosstheworld,theonethingthathasstoodoutisthehungerforsuccessthatmostpeoplehave,Indiansinparticular.Often,thathungerforsuccessissimplifiedbymostpeopleintoadesireforsuccessandgrowthintheircareers.Successinlifeisequaltosuccessincareerisoftentheoperatingassumptionofmostpeople.Inthelatterportionofthebook,Idotrytogiveamoreholisticdimensiontosuccessinlifebyincludingvalues,characterandotherrelatedaspects.However,inthefirsthalfofthebook,Ifocusprimarilyongivingpeoplewhattheywant—thekeystosuccessatwork.Ihaveasimpleequationforcareergrowth:

Careergrowth=Realindividualgrowth±Environmentalaspects

‘Realindividualgrowth’isthegrowthweexperienceinthedurationofourcareers—howmucheachoneofusgrowsourknowledge,ourskills,ourjudgement,ourinfluence,ourcommunication,etc.Thesecondfactoris‘environmentalaspects’,whichcoversthingslikethebuoyancyofthejobmarket,industry-relatedfactors,relativeavailabilityoftalentinyourskillareas,etc.Letmefirstcovertheimpactofenvironmentalaspectsoncareergrowth.Our

careersaretypicallyfortyyearslong.Westartinourtwentiesandwinditupinoursixties.Duringthesefortyyears,wewillhavebothenvironmentaltailwindsandheadwindsinourcareers.Anexampleofatailwindwouldbethetimesinyourcareerwhenthejobmarketishyper-hotfortheskillsyouhaveandthereisashortageoftheskillsyoubringtothetable.Peopletendtogetjobsandsalariesbiggerthanwhattheydeserve,sometimesleadingtoshort-livedgrowth

biggerthanwhattheydeserve,sometimesleadingtoshort-livedgrowth‘bubbles’.Anotherexampleofatailwindiswhenyourbossquitsthecompany,youarenotyetfullyreadytotakeonthatrole,butthecompanydecidesitwouldrathergowithaninsiderandthusgivesthejobtoyouregardless.Suchtailwindsareboundtosupportmostofusinourcareersatonetimeortheother.Similarly,wehaveallalsoexperiencedheadwindsinourcareers.Thereare

timeswhentheeconomyisdragging,thejobmarketisweakandthereareveryfewopportunitiesforgrowth.Anotherexampleofaheadwindiswhenyouhavebeensteadilygettingreadyforabigjob,equippingyourselfwiththerightexperiences,apprenticingundertherightleadersandpreparingyourselffortheopportunity,andwhentheopportunitycomes,thecompanydecidesitwantsnewthinkingandachangeinstrategy,andhencepreferstohireanoutsiderfortheroleasopposedtopromotinganinsider.Youdidnothingwrong,butthedicedidnotrollyourway.Myexperienceisthatinaforty-yearcareer,theheadwindsandthetailwinds

balanceeachotherout.Youhavetobeaveryluckypersonforthetailwindsoverfortyyearstobegreaterthantheheadwinds,andsimilarly,youhavetobeveryunluckyfortheheadwindstobegreaterthanthetailwinds.Formostpeople,thetwobalanceout.Hence,goingbacktoourcareergrowthequation,thismeansthattheenvironmentalaspectswillnotbethedecidingfactorindrivingcareergrowth.Thecatalystofcareergrowthtendstoberealindividualgrowth.Simplyput,

yourcareerwillgrowonlyasmuchasyouareabletogrowasanindividualandasaprofessional—whatIcallrealindividualgrowth.Ifyoumanagetogrowyourskills,yourknowledge,yourdecision-makingability,yourjudgement,yourinfluenceonothers,yourcommunicationskills,etc.,thenyouwillexperiencecareergrowth.Careergrowthisdirectlyproportionalto,andisafunctionof,realindividualgrowth.Ifyoustoppushingyourselfatanystage,yourcareergrowthalsocomestoascreechinghalt.Hencetheequationofcareergrowthcanbesimplifiedto:

Careergrowth=Realindividualgrowth

OnewayIliketostatethisisthroughtheexpression‘Yougetwhatyoudeserve’.Fartooofteninourcareers,wefocusonthegettingpartofit.Wefocusongettingthepromotion,gettingthenewjob,gettingcareergrowth.We

focusongettingthepromotion,gettingthenewjob,gettingcareergrowth.Wedonotfocusondeservingmorebyincreasingourcapabilities,ourskillsandsoon.Inacareer,yougetonlywhatyoudeserve.Itisusefultorememberwhatisinourhands,andfocusondeservingmoreanddrivingourrealindividualgrowth.Mybeliefisthatifwestopfocusingoncareergrowthandputallourenergies

intorealindividualgrowth,towardsdeservingmore,thenwewillexperiencegreatercareergrowth.Itkeepsourfocusfirmlyonwhatwecaninfluence,workingonourselves,ratherthandistractingourselveswiththethoughtofcareergrowthallthetime—whichcancauseanxietyandresultinpoorchoices.Touseasportinganalogy,ifyouwanttobecomethecaptainoftheteam,youmustfocusonhittingthenextballoutoftheground.Ifyoucontinuouslykeephittingtheballsoutoftheground,thereisachancethatoneday,youwillbethecaptain.Ifyouaredesperatelytryingtobecomethecaptain,therewillbesomuchanxietythatyouwillstophittingtheballoutofthepark,whichwillthendiminishyourchancesofachievingyourgoal.ThereisasimilarthoughtinIndianphilosophy—‘Tukarmkar,phalkichinta

matkar’.Looselytranslated,itmeans,‘Focusonthedeeds,don’tworryabouttheresults.’Iamsuresimilarthoughtsexistinallculturesandreligions.ThisparticularonecomesfromtheBhagavadGitaandwasspokenbyLordKrishna.Forawhile,Iusedtobeintriguedonwhetheritisevenpossibletopractisethatphilosophy,tofocusonlyonthedeedsandnotbotherabouttheresults.Aren’tresultsimportant?Howpracticalisittonotbotherabouttheresultsandonlybotheraboutthedeeds?Ittookmemanyconversationsandcarefulreflectiontogetmyownthinkingandunderstandingonthissortedout.Myunderstandingnowis—theprobabilityofgettingtheresultyouwantincreaseswhenyoustopthinkingabouttheresultsandstartfocusingonthedeedsforgettingthatresult.Goingbacktooursportinganalogy,ifyouwanttobecomethecaptainofthecricketteam,thenthedeedstowardsthatresultarescoringconsistently,becomingaleaderamongyourfellowplayers,understandingthestrategiesofthegame,etc.Ifyoufocusonthesedeeds,thenyoumaximizetheprobabilityofbecomingthecaptain,butifyoufocusonbecomingthecaptainwithoutfocusingonthedeeds,youactuallyreduceyourprobabilityofattainingyourgoal.Ibelievecareergrowthissomethinglikethat—themoreyoufocusonit,the

lesseffectiveitis.Insteadthemoreyoufocusonthedeedswhichleadtocareer

growth,whichisrealindividualgrowth,themorelikelyyouaretohavepositivecareergrowth.Ifyoustopthinkingaboutcareergrowth—thenextjob,thenextpromotion—andinsteadberelentlessingrowingyourselfandbecomingcontinuouslybetter—improvingyourknowledge,skills,judgement,influence,communication,etc.—themorecareergrowthyouwillexperience.Realindividualgrowth,myfriends,isthecatalyst,the‘deeds’fortheresultcalledcareergrowth.Sowhatdoesrealindividualgrowthmeanandhowdoesonedriveit?Thisis

whereCatalyst,thebook,comesin.Oneofthemostcommonmisconceptionsisthatrealindividualgrowthhappensbyitself.Mostpeopleassumethatiftheyworkhardandspendyearsatwork,thentheyaregrowingtheirskills,knowledgeandcapabilities.Thatisamisconception.Timeandhardworkalonedonotdriverealindividualgrowth;itneedstobecatalysed.Therearefourcoreareaswherethishastobedone,andthisbookwillcovertheseareasindetail.

ExperienceNeedsaCatalyst

Thefirstareaisthatofourlearningmodel.Oursimplisticassumptionisthatifwespendenoughtimeatworkandworkhard,thenwearelearningandgainingexperience.Thisisfundamentallywrong.Timespentatworkisnotequaltoexperience.Ifthatweretrue,allthosewiththesameamountofworkexperiencewouldbeequallysuccessful.Experienceisnotgainedautomatically;ithastobecatalysed.

HigherProductivityNeedsaCatalyst

Thenextassumptionisintheareaofpersonalproductivity.Weassumethataswekeepgrowing,ourproductivitykeepsincreasingaswell.Thisassumptioniswrong.Ithastobecatalysed;itwillnotgrowbyitself.Manypeoplegettoseniorlevelsorevenhigherlevelsandfail,notbecauseofalackofcapability,butbecausetheirproductivityhasnotgrownbyitselfovertheyears.Nowtheyarecaught,astheyfacethecomplexmulti-stakeholder,multitaskingenvironmentofseniorrolesrequiringhigherpersonalproductivity—theimprovementthattheyhavenotcatalysed.Productivitydoesnotincreaseby

improvementthattheyhavenotcatalysed.Productivitydoesnotincreasebyitself;ithastobecatalysed.

CatalystsforCareerManagement

Thenextareathatrequiresacatalystisthatofcareermanagement.Oursimplisticassumptionisthatifwesucceedinthefirsthalvesofourcareers,wewillautomaticallysucceedinthesecondhalvesaswell.Thisassumptionisalsoincorrect.Thesecondhalfneedsthecatalystsofspecificeffortsandactions.Let’staketwopeoplewithroughlysimilarqualificationsandcomparetheircareersuccessaftertheyhaveretired.Letusassumeforamomentthatonehasbeenverysuccessfulwhiletheotherhasbeenmoderatelysuccessful.Youwillfindthatthebulkoftheirsuccessdifferencedevelopedonlyinthesecondhalvesoftheircareers.Attheendofthefirsthalves,theywouldhavebeenequallysuccessful.Mostpeoplearesuccessfulinthefirsthalvesoftheircareers,butveryfewinthesecond.Careersuccessinthesecondhalfdoesn’thappenbyitselfbasedonsuccessinthefirsthalf;ithastobecatalysed.

LifeandValuesasCatalystsforSuccess

Thenextareaisthatofthework–lifeinteraction.Anothersimplisticassumptionwemakeisthatworkhasahugeimpactonlife,hencethefocusonareaslikework–lifebalance,stressmanagementandsoon.Inmyopinion,theimpactofworkonlifeislowerthantheimpactoflifeonwork.Howweleadourliveshasahugeimpactonhowsuccessfulweareatworkand,indeed,inlife.Thereareasetofthingswhichcanhaveatremendouspositivecatalysingimpactonourlong-termsuccessatwork.Successatworkdoesn’thappenbyjustsloggingatwork;itiscatalysedbythewayweliveourlives.Careergrowthisdrivenbyrealindividualgrowth.Andrealindividualgrowth

doesnothappensimplybyworkinghardandspendingyearsgatheringexperience.Howyoucancatalyseyourrealindividualgrowthistheobjectiveofthisbook,andthefocusofthefollowingchapters.Whiletherearethreedistinctsectionsinthebook—thefirstonexperience-building,thesecondoncareermanagementandthethirdonlifeandvalues—itisnotnecessarytoseethemina

managementandthethirdonlifeandvalues—itisnotnecessarytoseetheminasequentialway.Youneednotworkfirstonexperience,thenoncareermanagementandthenonlifeandvalues.Itisfinetoworkonallofthematthesametime.Pleasedoreadthebookwiththisinmind.

2

TimeSpentatWorkDoesNotEqualExperience

Interviewer:Tellme,whatexperiencedoyouhave?Candidate:Ihavefourteenyears’experiencedoingfinancialaccounting.Conversationsliketheoneaboveplayoutallthetimeinthecorporateworld.

Theseperpetuatethemyththatexperienceisequaltotimeandcanbemeasuredinyears.Nothingcouldbefurtherfromthetruth.Oneofthefoundationaldriversofrealindividualgrowthisexperience.Allof

usknowthatexperienceisimportant.Itiscriticalforsuccessincareers.Weallagreethatwemustgain‘goodexperience’intherelevantareastobecomesuccessful.Andwearewillingtoinvestourtime,themostvaluableandlimitedresourcewehave,ingettingit.Experienceisimportantforsuccess,folks—infact,itissuperimportant—andyetmostofushaveanincompleteandinadequateunderstandingofit.Ioftenstartmytrainingsessionsbyaskingsomebodyintheaudience,‘How

manyyearsofexperiencedoyouhavewalking?’Itoftendrawsachuckle.ThenIfollowupwith,‘Howmanyyearsofexperiencedoyouhavesleeping?’andthechuckleturnstolaughter.Thenthere’susuallyaseriousquestion:‘HowmanyyearsofexperiencedoyouhaveinfinanceorsalesormarketingorHR?’andthereisaseriousanswer,nolaughter.Whyisitthatwedonotconsiderthetimespentinactivitieslikewalkingandsleepingas‘experience’?Howarewesosurethatthetimespentatworkonsalesormarketingorproductionautomaticallybecomesexperience,whilethatspentwalkingorsleepingdoesnot?Timedoesnotbecomeexperiencebyitself,evenatwork;ithastobecatalysed.Thereasonwebelievethatthetimespentwalkingandsleepingisnot

experienceisbecauseweperformtheseactivitiesinahighly

experienceisbecauseweperformtheseactivitiesinahighlymechanical/thoughtlessway.Wedonothaveanactivelearningmodelassociatedwithwalking;wedonotsaythemorewewalk,thebetterwebecomeatwalking.Itfeelslikewewalkroughlythesamewayweusedtoyearsago,withnosignificantimprovementovertime.Thebulkofourlearninginwalkinghappenedinthefirstfewyearsofourchildhood.Welearntrapidly,therewasalearningmodel,andthemorewewalked,thebetterwebecame.Thenthelearningstoppedaswestarteddoingitmechanically/thoughtlessly.Havingestablishedthattimespentwalkingisnotexperience,exceptduring

childhood,nowletmeestablishthatthecontraryisalsotrue.Walkingisnot‘experience’foryouandme,butforanathletewhoparticipatesintheOlympicswalkingeventwithhisorhereyessetonthegoldmedal,itsurelywouldbecountedasexperience.Theyobviouslyhavealearningmodelassociatedwithwalking,whichhelpsthemgetcontinuouslybetter.Similarly,takethecaseofsomeonewhoisaprofessionalmodelandwalkstheramp.Theyspendhourstryingtoperfecttheirwalk.Sowalkingis‘experience’forboththeOlympicathleteandthemodel,butnotforyouandme.Thisestablishesthatitisnottheactivitythatdetermineswhethersomethingcountsasexperienceornot,butthewayinwhichitisdone.Thepresenceofalearningmodelasacatalystdetermineswhethertheactivitybecomesexperienceornot.ForboththeOlympicathleteandus,theactivityisthesame—walking.Buttheformercatalysesthatactivityintoexperiencewithalearningmodel,whilewedon’t.Thesamecanhappenatworktoo.Oneofthegreatestmythsofourtimesisthatexperienceatworkismeasured

inunitsoftime.Timeisnotanaccuratemeasureofexperience.E.g.ifyouarehiringandyouseetwocandidates,onewithtenyearsofexperienceandtheotherwithfifteenyearsofexperience,yourautomaticassumptionisthatthelatterhasgreaterexperience.Whatifthepersonwithfifteenyearsofexperienceworkedasiftheywerewalking/sleepingatwork,whilethepersonwithtenyearsofexperienceworkedinahighlylearning-orientedway,catalysingtheirworkintoexperience?Thenumberofyearsofexperienceapersonhasatworkisameasureofjustthat—howmuchtimetheyhavespentatwork.Itdoesnotmeasurehowpowerfultheirlearningduringthatperiodwas,anditisnotameasureoftheexperiencetheyhavebuiltintheprocess.Ifexperienceisnotequaltotime,thenhowshouldweunderstandanddefine

it?Letusgobacktoourhiringanalogy.Ourassumptionisthat,giventhesame

it?Letusgobacktoourhiringanalogy.Ourassumptionisthat,giventhesamesituationinthefuture,thecandidatewithfifteenyearsofexperiencewilldobetterthantheonewithtenyears.Hence,ourimplicitunderstandingofexperienceisabouthowitenablesustorespondtofuturesituations.Thus,thepurposeofexperienceforusisnottomeasurewhatwehavedoneinthepast,buttouseittodobetterinthefuture.Thereinliesthenuboftheissue,whichishowweshoulddefineexperience.

Shouldwedefineitaswhatwehavedoneinthepastorshouldwedefineitaswhatithasbuiltinusforustodobetterinthefuture?Ifundamentallydisagreewiththeparadigmofdefiningitbasedontimespentinthepast.Thereisonlyonepurposetoit,whichishowitenablesustodobetterinthefuture.Iliketodefineexperienceasthealgorithmthatwehavebuiltinourselves

doingwhatwehavedone.Youcouldalsothinkofitasthesoftwareinyou,theprograminyou.Aswedostuff,wearecontinuouslyaddingtothesoftware,theprogram,tryingtomakeitbetter,andthatalgorithm/software/programisourexperience.Thatiswhatrespondstosituationsinthefuture.Hence,putsimply,themorepowerfulthealgorithm,thebettertheresponseto

situationsinthefuture.Thismeansthatthemoreexperiencedpersonisonewhosealgorithmisstronger,notnecessarilyonewhohasspentmoreyearsordonemoreoftheactivity.Thepurposeofthetimespentandtheactivitydoneistobuildthealgorithm,tomakeitstrongerovertime.Anytimespentoractivitydonethatdoesnotaddtothealgorithmisnotexperience.Oneofthegreatestsuccessfactorsatwork,therefore,isourabilitytoconvert

timeandactivityintoexperience(thealgorithm).Myviewisthatwhatdifferentiatesmoresuccessfulpeoplefromlesssuccessfulpeopleistheeffectivenesswithwhichtheyconverttimeintoexperience.Itdoesnothappenbyitself;itneedsacatalyst.Therestofthischapterdescribesthatcatalyst.

TMRR:TheCatalystforConvertingTimeintoExperience

LetusgobacktoourexampleoftheathleteintheOlympicwalkingevent.Weagreedthatwalkingisnotexperienceforyouandmebutitisforanathlete.Whatanathletedoestoconvertthatactivityintoexperience,whenyouandIcan’t,willhelpusunderstandthecatalystrequiredforconvertingtimeand

can’t,willhelpusunderstandthecatalystrequiredforconvertingtimeandactivityintoexperience.Thefirstthingtheathletedoesistosetatargetfortheactivity.Heorshehasa

targetof,let’ssay,threehoursandforty-twominutesfora50kmwalk.Thentheathletemeasurestheactualperformanceagainstthattarget.Let’ssaytheathleteactuallyclockedthreehoursandforty-nineminutesintherace.Heorshethenreviewstheactualperformanceagainstthetarget,andtriestounderstandthereasonsfortheperformance.Inthiscase,theathletemightanalysedifferentsegmentsoftherace,say,thebeginning,themiddleandtheend,andmightconcludethattheendingwaspoor,whichmeanstheirstaminawaspoorandhencetheyneedendurancetraining.Ortheathletecouldreviewdifferentterrainsandconcludethattheperformanceintheuphillsectionoftheracewaspoor,whichcouldmeanthatthelengthofthestridegoinguphillwasshorterthanrequired,whichcouldbebecauseofthehamstringmusclenotbeingstrongenough.Basedonsuchanalysis,thepersonwouldbuildaplantoworkonperformanceimprovement.Thepresenceofthelearningmodelandthewilltowanttoimprove—thesearethetwodriversthattheathletehasinwalkingthatyouandIdon’t.Hence,itbecomesexperiencefortheathlete,butamindlessactivityforus.Tosummarize,havingatargetfortheactivity,measuringtheactual

performanceandthenreviewingtheperformancetounderstandwhyitwasthewayitwas—thatisthelearningmodelthatweneedtoemployineachandeveryactivitytocatalyseandconvertourtimeandactivityintoexperience,thealgorithm.IcallthistheTarget,MeasureandReview(TMR)model—themosteffectivelearningmodelatwork.Itsoundssimple,butthetragedyisthatmostpeopleusuallydonotemployalearningmodelatwork,andhencedonotconverttheirtimeintoexperience.Inmyjudgement,halfthetimepeoplespendatwork,theydonotemploya

learningmodel,theydonothaveatargetfortheactivity,theycertainlyhavepoormeasurementsystemsandtheydonotreviewtheirperformancetounderstandthereasonsforit.PeoplemightfinditdifficulttoacceptthatthereisnoTMRmodelinplayforoverhalftheirtime.Thisisbecausethecompanieshavetargets,whichareoftenpassedontoemployeesthroughannualgoal-setting,incentiveprocessesandothersuchactivities.Hencepeoplebelievethattheyhaveatargetforeveryminutetheyspendatwork.Butletusdivedeeper

theyhaveatargetforeveryminutetheyspendatwork.Butletusdivedeeperintothisandanalysethetruth.LetussayMrAisasalesmanagerinareputedfirm.Salesisahighly

measurablefunction—therearetargets,ameasuringofactualsalesandaconsequentreview.Hence,MrAcouldbethinking,TMRformeisanautomaticoccurrence—Ihaveatargetforeverything,ImeasuremyactualsandIreviewtheperformanceallthetime.Soallmytimemustbegettingconvertedintoexperience.However,thequestionweareaskingisnot‘Doesyourrolehaveatarget?’but‘Areyouconvertingyourtimeintoexperience?’Todothat,itisnotenoughforyourroletohavetargets.Whatisimportantisthateveryunitoftimethatyouspendatworkhasatarget.Hence,thequestionforMrAisnotwhetherhehasasalestarget,butwhetherhehasatargetforeveryhouroftimehehasspentonanactivity,andwhetherhedoestheTMRforeachhourandeachday.LetussayMrAspends5percentofhistimeonhiringpeopleforhisteam.Doesthat5percenthaveaneffectiveTMR?ThisactivityhasanindirectcontributiontothesalesperformanceandhenceonecouldarguethattheTMRforthis5percentalsohappensthroughtargeting,measuringandreviewingthesalesnumbers.However,thatlinkageisindirectandnotadirectTMRoftheactivityandtimespentinhiringpeople.Thefactis,MrAprobablydidnothaveatargetforhisperformanceinhiringpeople,didnotmeasurehowheperformedanddidnotreviewthereasonsforthatperformance.TheTMRforthesalesperformancedoesnotmakeupfortheabsenceoftheTMRforthe5percentoftimespentonhiring.Thereis,therefore,aquestionmarkoverwhetherMrAindeedcatalysedthat5percenttimeintoexperienceandimprovedhisalgorithm.Myguesswouldbeno.AsimilaractivityonwhichMrAspendsalotoftimeismarketandcustomer

visits—again,asituationinwhichtimeisoftennotconvertedintoexperience.Thisisbecauseofthemistakenbeliefthattargeting,measuringandreviewingthesalesnumbersattheendofthemonth/yearisafairwayofmeasuringandlearningfromeachcustomervisit.However,thequestionweareagainaskingisaboutMrAconvertingtimeintoexperience,andthattimeisnotspentonamonthly/annualbasis,buthourbyhour,visitbyvisit.IfMrAwantstoconverttimeintoexperience,hehastohavetheTMRprocessforeachcustomervisitandnotassumethattheTMRforthemonth/yearisaproxyforthat.Thekeything,folks,isthatwearetalkingaboutconvertingtimeinto

experience,andtimeatworkisnotspentatanaggregatelevelforeachactivity,

experience,andtimeatworkisnotspentatanaggregatelevelforeachactivity,butisspentbythehour,bytheday.ThatiswhyTMRatanaggregatelevel,forthequarterorfortheyear,doesnothelp.Thereallyeffectivepeopleunderstandintuitivelythattheyhavetolearneveryhourandeveryday,andhaveacatalystforconvertingtimeintoexperienceonanhourly,dailybasis.HenceIbelievethatmostpeoplespendover50percentoftheirtimeatworkasiftheywerewalkingorsleeping.Theydonotconvertitintoexperienceandtheydonotuseeveryhourtoimprovetheiralgorithm.Thereisasecondreasonwhymostofusdonotconverttimeatworkinto

experience.Thatisbecausewemistakenlybelievethatorganizationalprocessesareequaltoindividualprocesses.Ihaveoftenheardpeoplesay,‘IhaveaverydemandingbosswhoreviewseverythingIdoeveryday,somyexperiencebuildingishappeningautomatically,thankstomyboss.’Yes,thereisaroleyourcompanyandyourbossesplayinbuildingyourexperience,youralgorithm,andwewilldiscussitingreaterdetailinchapter7.However,letusexaminewhetherthatalonecanhelpinindividualexperience-building.Tounderstandthatwemustunderstandtheintentofthebossinreviewingyoueveryday.Itismostlytoensurethatthedesiredresultsareproducedforthecompany.Yourbossdoesnotreviewyouwiththeintentionofimprovingyouralgorithmforthetimeyouspentatworkthatday.Yes,thereissomeoverlapbetweenareviewforthecompanyandyouralgorithmimprovement,butthereviewforthedesiredresultsisnotfullyeffectiveinconvertingtimeintoexperienceforindividuals.Letmegiveanotherexampletoexplainthisfurther.Letusassumethatyou

arepartofateamthatexecutedanimportantprojectforyourcompany.Likeallimportantprojects,thisonewouldalsohavehadatarget,measurementsandactiveprojectreviews.Inaway,thereisaveryactiveprojectTMRprocess.WouldthatprocesssubstitutefortheindividualTMRprocessandbeeffectiveinconvertingyourtimespentonthatprojectintoexperience?Idonotthinkso.Letmedescribesomescenariosandreasonsforthat.Theprojectmighthavebeenverysuccessfulforthecompany,butdoesthat

meanitwasagreatexperienceforyou?Thatwoulddependonhoweffectiveyourcontributionwasinmakingthatprojectasuccess,andhoweffectiveyourpersonallearningmodelwaswhenmakingthatcontribution.Justbecausetheprojectwasagreatsuccessdoesnotmeanitwasagreatexperienceforyou.Nowletusassumethattheprojectwasafailureforthecompany.Doesthat

Nowletusassumethattheprojectwasafailureforthecompany.Doesthatmeanitwasapoorexperienceforyou?Itneednothavebeen.IfyourcontributionwaseffectiveandyouhadaveryactivepersonalTMRlearningmodelforthetimeyouspentonthatproject,itislikelytobeagreatexperiencebuilderforyou.TheprojectTMRprocessisthelearningmodelthecompanyputsintoplace

foritself,somethingIcalltheorganizationalexperience-buildingprocess.Thiscanbuildtheorganizationalexperienceandalgorithm,butthatdoesnotmeanthateverymemberofthatprojectteamgetsthesameexperienceoutofit.EachteammemberbuildsadifferentexperiencebasedonhoweffectivetheirpersonalTMRwasforthetimetheyspentontheproject.

TheFourthR

ToensurethatthepersonalTMRishighlyeffectiveinsuchsituations,IadvocateaddingafourthRtoTMRandmakingitTMRR.ThisfourthRis‘Reflection’.AndIlikepeopletoreflectusingaveryspecificquestion:‘WhatcouldIhavedonebetter?’Asisobviousfromtheemphasis,thetwomostimportantwordsinthatquestionare‘I’and‘better’.Thereasonforthisisthepurposeofreflection,whichistounderstandhowtoaddtoyourexperienceandthusbuildyouralgorithm.Toensurethat,youshouldfocusonthe‘I’.Ifyoureflectonthequestion‘Whatcouldhavebeendonebetteronthisproject?’withouttheI,thenitwillgenerateanswerswhichimprovetheoverallorganizationalexperienceanditmightnotbespecifictoyou.Butifthequestionis‘WhatcouldIhavedonebetterinthisproject?’thentheanswerswillstrengthenyourexperienceandyouralgorithm.Thesecondcriticalwordinthatquestionis‘better’.Itdoessoundlikea

negativeword.Butthequestionisnot‘WhatdidIdowell?’Thereasonforthefocuson‘better’againgoesontoshowwhywearedoingthisreflection.Evenifyouhavedonewellandachievedalotofsuccessintheproject,onlywhenyoureflectonwhatyoucouldhavedonebetterwillitaddtothealgorithm.Onlythiswillhelpyoubuildtheexperiencethatwillenableyoutorespondtosituationsinthefuturebetterthanhowyouarerespondingtoday.TheTMRprocessisthecruciallearningmodelthatconvertstimeinto

experience.Often,however,whenpeopleworkinacompany,organizational

experience.Often,however,whenpeopleworkinacompany,organizationalTMRprocessoverlapswiththeindividualTMRprocess,andhencereducestheeffectivenessoftheindividualsconvertingtimeintoexperience.Tomakeupforthat,Irecommendthecatalystofreflection.WhenyouaddthefourthR,whenTMRbecomesTMRR,itwillcompletetheprocessofyouconvertingyourtimeintoyourexperience,distinctfromthecompanyconvertingitstimeintoitsexperience.

AnExampleofTMRRIrecentlyinteractedwithayoungmanagerwhohadjustcompletedaproject.Isaid,‘Letmehelpyoucatalysethattimeyouspentontheprojectandconvertitintoexperience.Letusstartwiththequestion“WhatcouldIhavedonebetterinthatproject?”’Theyoungmanagergavemeasetofanswers,butIfelttheylackeddepth.SoIwordedmyquestiondifferently.‘Ifyoustartedtheprojectagain,withallthelearningyouhavenow,havingdoneitonce,whatwouldyoudodifferently?’Aclearerlistemergedofwhatcouldhavebeendonebetter.AndthenIaskedanotherquestion,‘Whycouldyounotanticipatetheseareasrightupfrontanddotheprojectevenbetterthefirsttime?Weretheyimpossibletoanticipateandcouldtheybeknownonlyaftertheproject’scompletion?Orwasitthatyoufailedtoanticipatewhatwaspossibletoanticipate?’Youcanimaginethequalityofreflectionthatisrequiredtoanswerthatquestion,andhowthatwouldbuildexperienceoutofthetimespentonthisproject.Theyoungmanagerspentthreemonthsdoingtheproject,butdidnotspendthefewhoursrequiredtoconvertthesethreemonthsintoexperience.Aseriesofreflectionquestionslike‘WhatcouldIhavedonebetter?’iscrucialfortrulyconvertingtimespentintovaluableexperience.Ifthatisnotdone,thenitisnottimespent,butalas,timewasted.

Ifthereisonethingyoutakefromthisbookandpractiseregularly,Ihopeitisreflection.Itisacatalystthatiscapableofsignificantlygrowingyourexperienceandhencedrivingrealindividualgrowth.Justthisonething,Ipromise,willmakeyoumoresuccessfulinyourcareer.Thekeytruth,however,isthatmostof

makeyoumoresuccessfulinyourcareer.Thekeytruth,however,isthatmostofuswillstruggletopractiseitregularly.Weknowitisgoodforus,butwemaynotbeabletodoitwithregularityandconsistency.Evenifwehavegoodintentions,likedieting,exercisingandreadingregularly,wedonotconverttheseintobehaviourandaction.AndIamafraidthatevensomethingasimportantastheTMRRprocess,acatalystthatcansingle-handedlytransformhowsuccessfulyouareinyourcareer,mightremainagoodintentionwithmostofyou.

BuildingtheReflectionHabit

What,then,isthekeytoconvertingintentiontolastingbehaviourandaction?Ibelievethatkeyisbuildingahabit.Goodintentgetsconvertedtoactionwhenitgetsingrainedasahabit.Mostofyoudidnotforgettobrushyourteethtoday,evenifyousleptlatelastnight,becauseitisingrainedasahabit.Ifwecouldingrainreflectionasahabit,likebrushingourteeth,thenwewouldreflecteveryday,andwewouldbuildgreaterexperienceandachievemuchmoresuccessinourcareers.Thekeytobuildingahabitispersistenceinthefirst15–30reps(repetitions)

ofbuildingthehabit.Today,brushingourteethisaneffortlesshabitforus,butforourparents,whoensuredthatthisbecameahabitforus,itmeantchasinguswhenwewerechildrenandensuringthatwedidit.Theyforcedus,inducedusandconvincedustodoiteverydaytillitbecameahabit.Thehabitofreflectionissimilar;itrequiresustoshowthesamepersistenceintheinitialphasetillitbecomesaningrainedhabit.Onewayofensuringahabitisthroughtheconceptofanchoring.Ifourparentshadtaughtusthatitwasacceptabletobrushourteethanytimewewantedduringtheday,notnecessarilyfirstthinginthemorning,thenmaybe,onsomedays,wewouldforgettodoit.Butbecausethehabitisanchoredintheoccasionofwakingupinthemorning,thereisamuchgreaterchancethatwepractiseiteveryday.Similarly,ifwecouldanchorthereflectionhabit,thenthereisamuchgreaterchanceitwillbepractisedeveryday.Myownanchorforthereflectionhabitisattheendoftheworkday,whenIgetintomycartogobackhomefromwork.Ispendthefirstfifteenminutesreflecting,answeringthequestion‘WhatcouldIhavedonebetter?’Itisnowananchoredhabit—everyeveningafterwork,whenIaminthecar,Iautomaticallystarttoreflect,andithappenseverydaywithoutfail.Idohavetheprivilegeof

starttoreflect,andithappenseverydaywithoutfail.Idohavetheprivilegeofhavingachauffeur.Forthoseofyouwhodrive,itmightnotbesafetoreflectwhiledriving,sodofindadifferentanchor—maybetheeveningdriveorrideback,maybefifteenminutesoneithersideofthelunchbreak,maybejustbeforeyousleep.Whatevertheoccasion,anchoringisgoingtomakeithappeneveryday,andifithappenseveryday,thenyouhaveasignificantlyhigherchanceofincreasingyourexperience,growingyouralgorithmandbeingmoresuccessful.

UnleashtheCatalyst

1. Timeisthesinglegreatestinvestmentandresourceyouputintoyourcareer.However,thistimeisnotautomaticallyconvertedintotheexperienceandalgorithmthatwilldriveyourrealindividualgrowthandcareersuccess.

2. Toconverttimeintoexperience,yourequireacatalyst,andthatcatalystisTMRR:Target,Measure,ReviewandReflect.

3. Tomakethiseffective,youmustbuildananchoredhabitofreflectiononthequestion‘WhatcouldIhavedonebetter?’

ThesinglegreatestdifferenceIhaveseenbetweenmoresuccessfulpeopleandlesssuccessfulpeopleistheirabilitytocatalyseandconverttimeintoexperience.Hence,itisworthalltheeffortthatyoucanputintoadoptthecatalystofTMRRinyourworkanddevelopananchoredhabitofdailyreflection.

3

MaximizeLearningCycles

Ihavewitnessedtheprofessionaljourneysofseveralsuccessfulpeople.Onecommonaspectintheirjourneysisthattheyhaveallhadtheopportunitytobeanintegral,end-to-endpartofaveryimportantprojectorinitiativeortransformation.Additionally,thatprojectorinitiativeseemstohaveplayedasignificantroleinbuildingtheexperientialalgorithmforthesesuccessfulindividualsandhascontributeddisproportionatelytotheirlearningandrealindividualgrowth.Inmyworklife,Iwasinvolvedearlyoninaprojectforcreatingafull,new

segmentformycompany.Thisinvolvedstudyingthemarket,identifyingtheopportunity,formulatinganentrystrategyanddevelopingtheproduct,followedbylaunchingtheproductandtakingnecessaryactiontobuildthatsegment.Iwasinvolvedwiththisprojectforclosetothree-and-a-halfyears,andIlearnttheend-to-endgameofcreatingasegmentfromitsinfancy.Thiswasanimportantprojectforthecompany,andcompaniesoftenuse

termslike‘project’or‘transformation’or‘initiative’forsuchefforts.Forme,asanindividual,itwasmorethanjustaproject,itwasmorethanjustbuildinganewsegment.Itwasanextraordinaryexperience-buildingprocesswithhugelearning.Aprojectofthiskindimpactsexperience,learningandrealindividualgrowth.Hence,fromanindividualperspective,insteadofcallingita‘project’,Iliketousetheterm‘learningcycle’.Eachoftheseprojectsorinitiativesrepresentsapotentiallearningcycleforindividuals.Alearningcycleisanyproject,initiativeortransformationthathappens

routinelyincompanies.E.g.anewproductlaunch.Thatlearningcyclestartswiththeprocessofidentifyingtheneedforanewproduct,buildingabusinessproposalforit,goingthroughtheproductdevelopmentcycle,including

prototyping,researchingandtestingasrequired,buildingthemanufacturingorservicecapabilitiesrequiredandthenlaunchingitintothemarket.Thelearningcycleendsafterthelaunch,whenthenewproducthasstabilizedinthemarket,andcorrectiveaction,ifrequired,hasbeentaken.Thiswholething,end-to-end,isonelearningcycle.Anymajorprojectorinitiativerepresentsapotentiallearningcycle.Itcould

betheconceptualizationandexecutionofamajororganizationalstructureandculturechange,itcouldbeaninitiativeforsignificantnewdistributioncreation,itcouldbeaprojectforcostreductionandfundamentaltransformationoftheend-to-endsupplychainoritcouldbethelaunchofanewenterprisesoftware.Eachoftheseinitiativesorprojects,andothersofthisnature,representsasignificantpotentiallearningcycleforindividualstogrowtheirexperienceanddriverealindividualgrowth.LetusfirstunderstandtherelationshipbetweenTMRR,describedinthe

earlierchapter,andthelearningcycle.TheTMRRisthe‘how’ofbuildingexperienceandrealindividualgrowth,whilethelearningcycleisthe‘what’ofit—asinonwhatopportunitydoyouapplytheTMRR.Bothcreateahugeimpactasthecumulativelearningbasedonthesetwoaspectsismultiplicative.Thelearningcyclerepresentsthepotentialofexperience-buildinginaproject/initiative,whileTMRRisaprocessbywhichyouextractthatexperience-buildingopportunity.Ananalogytounderstandthatwouldbetovisualizeanartistandaperformanceopportunity.Thelearningcycleisequivalenttothesize,scaleandstatureofthestageonwhichtheartistperforms;thegreaterthesizeoftheaudience,thegreatertheprestigeofthestage—thegreatertheopportunityfortheartisttocreateanimpact.Havingsaidthat,thatopportunityforcreatingimpactwillberealizedonlyiftheartistperformswell.HowwelltheartistperformsistheequivalentofTMRRforexperience-building.Hence,thecumulativeimpacttheartistcancreateisacombinationofthescale/statureofthestageandtheperformanceoftheartist.Ifbotharegreat,theartistcreatesatremendousimpact.However,ifeitherofthemissmall,thenthecumulativeimpactissignificantlyreducedbecauseitisamultiplicativeequation.Hence,agreatperformanceonasmallstagedoesnotcreategreatimpactfortheartist.Equally,apoorperformanceonagreatstagealsodoesnotcreateimpactfortheartist.Onlywhenboththestageandtheperformancearegreatdoestheimpactbecomegreat.

greatdoestheimpactbecomegreat.ThatishowoneneedstothinkofthelearningcycleandtheTMRR

experience-buildingprocess.Thelearningcyclerepresentsthestage—themoresignificantthelearningcycle,thegreatertheopportunitytodriverealindividualgrowthandbuildupexperience.TheTMRRisequivalenttotheartist’sperformance—howmuchexperienceyouextractoutofthelearningcyclewillbedrivenbyhowwellyouappliedtheTMRRprocessonthelearningcycle.Hence,ifyouwanttodriverealindividualgrowthinthequestforsuccess,

thenyouhavetomaximizeboththesizeandscaleofthelearningcyclesyouparticipateinandtheextractionofexperiencethrougheffectiveTMRR.AndwhenIobservedmoresuccessfulpeopleintheircareers,thatispreciselywhatIfoundtheydid.Ihaveobservedthatmoresuccessfulpeopledothesetwothingsbetterthan

lesssuccessfulpeople:

1. Successfulpeopleseemedtohaveparticipatedinmoremajorlearningcyclesthanthosewhoarelesssuccessful.

2. Successfulpeopleseemedtohaveextractedmoreexperienceandrealindividualgrowthoutofthelearningcyclestheyparticipatedinthanlesssuccessfulpeople.

MakeMajorLearningCyclesHappen

I’mstartingwiththefirstobservation:Successfulpeopleseemedtohaveparticipatedinmoremajorlearningcyclesthanthosewhoarelesssuccessful.ThemoreIengagewithandobservesuccessfulpeople,thecleareritistomethateachoneofthemhashadtheopportunitytobeanintegral,end-to-endpartofamajorlearningcycleintheircareers.Inmanycases,thesepeoplewereresponsibleforleadingthoseinitiatives,notjustparticipatinginthem,andhencetheimpactofthelearningcyclewasevenmoreprofound.Insomecases,veryearlyonintheircareers,bysheergoodluck,serendipityorbeingintherightplaceattherighttime,theygotdraftedintokeyinitiativesthatprovedtobemajorlearningcycles,andhencehadatransformationalimpactontheirexperience,realindividualgrowthandconsequentcareersuccess.Someofthemaskedforandbecamepartofamajorinitiativeeveniftheywereoriginallynota

askedforandbecamepartofamajorinitiativeeveniftheywereoriginallynotapartofit,andthatinitiativebecameamajorlearningcycleforthem.Insomecases,theydevelopedapowerfulnewinitiativeortransformationasapartoftheirdayjobandwentontoleadit,andthatcreatedapowerfullearningcycleforthemthatfundamentallytransformedtheirgrowthandcareer.Whicheverwayithappened,thefactremainedthatmajorlearningcycleswereaveryimportantcatalystinthesuccessofthesepeople.Toquotearealsituation,manyyearsago,Ihadahigh-qualitybrandmanager

workinginmyteam.ThatwasthetimeIinitiatedaprojectonfundamentalbrandtransformation,goingtotheverycoreofwhatthebrandstandsfor,andworkedwithabrandconsultingcompany.Intheinitialphase,thebrandmanagerworkedwithmeonthatproject,andthenIhappenedtoleavethecompany.Hence,hegottheopportunitytoleadtheproject,whichhedidwithgreatsuccess,completelyreinventingthebrand.Itwasathree-yearlearningcycleofbrandtransformation,withinitialtutelagefromme,andthenindependentcharge.Thatpersonhasgoneontobecomeextraordinarilysuccessfulinhiscareer,garneringmuchglobalacclaim,andIhavenodoubtthatthebrandtransformationlearningcycleintheformativestagesofhiscareerwaspivotalinbuildingtheexperiencealgorithmonwhichhissubsequentsuccesswasbuilt.Thisandmanyothersuchexamplesmadeitapparenttomethatifyouwant

morethanaveragesuccessinyourcareer,youmustnotonlydoyourdailynine-to-fivejobbutalsoseekanopportunitytoparticipateinamajorproject,initiativeortransformationthatcanbethesuccess-creatinglearningcyclethatyourcareerneeds.Formanyofthesepeople,themajorlearningcyclehappenedbychance.Yet,somethingthathappenedbychancehadaprofoundimpactontheirprofessionalsuccess.Thequestionthenis,canyoumakeamajorlearningcyclehappeninyourcareer,preferablyintheearlierstages,orareyougoingtodependonchance?Whatdoesittaketoengenderamajorlearningcycleinyourcareer?Thereare

manywaystomakethishappen.Firstandforemost,keepyoureyesandearsopen.Suchinitiativesaboundinanycompany.Seeifanyofthesefityourskills,ifyoucanmakeacontributiontoanyofthem,andthentryandbecomeapartofthatinitiative.Youcandothisbyasking,volunteeringorputtingyourselfinaplacewherethatinitiativeneedsyou.Anotherwayistoconceptualizeatransformationalinitiativeasapartofyourdayjob,andthenleadthatandmake

itamajorlearningcycle.E.g.ifyouareinmarketing,youcanconceptualizeasignificantnewproductopportunity,whichthecompanyfindssointerestingthattheygiveyouthemandateandtheresourcestoleadthatprojectend-to-end,makingitabiglearningcycle.Orifyouareheadingafactory,youcanconceptualizeasignificantcapacityexpansionopportunityandthatbecomesamajorinitiativeforthecompanyandamajorlearningcycleforyou.OrifyouareanITprofessional,youcanconceptualizeasignificantartificialintelligence–baseddecision-makingprocessthatcanautomatemanymanualdecisions,andthenyougettoleadthatinitiative,makingamilestonelearningcycleforyourcareer.OrifyouareanHRprofessional,youcanconceptualizeanewwayofincentivizingemployeesandthenleadthatinitiativeinend-to-endimplementation,makingitarewardinglearningcycleforyou.Whicheverwayithappens,whetheryouconceptualizeitorparticipateinan

alreadyconceptualizedinitiative,theopportunitytobeapartofit,whichcanbeamajorlearningcycle,isakeycatalystinasuccessfulcareer.Itissadtomeetpeoplewhoarecapable,butforwhateverreasonhaveneverbeenpartofamajortransformationallearningcycleopportunity,andhencehavenotexperiencedthecareersuccesstheyhadthepotentialfor.Ifyougetluckyandgettoparticipateinabiglearningcycle,thatisfantastic.Butifyouarenotluckyandamajorlearningcycledoesnotcomeyourway,thenyouhavetomakeonehappeninyourcareer—itisabsolutelyimperativeasacatalystforsuccess.

GetMoreoutofIt

ThesecondobservationImadewas:Successfulpeopleseemtogetmoreoutofthelearningcyclestheyparticipateinthanlesssuccessfulpeople.Sowhilethefirstobservationwasabouttheopportunitytoparticipateinalearningcycle,thesecondobservationisaboutwhatyougetoutofit.Manypeoplegettoparticipateinmajorlearningcycles,butareunabletogetrealindividualgrowthoutofit.Hence,itisnotcorrecttoassumethatjustparticipatinginalearningcycleisenoughtoextractexperienceandrealindividualgrowth.Thatexperienceandrealindividualgrowthhastobecatalysed.Twopeopleparticipatinginthesameinitiative—thesamelearningcycle—canendupwithverydifferentexperiencesandrealindividualgrowth,dependingonwhether

theycatalysedthelearningopportunityornot.Sowhatdoesittaketocatalyseexperienceandrealindividualgrowthfrom

theopportunitytoparticipateinamajorlearningcycle?TherearefourthingsIhaveobservedsuccessfulpeopledo,andIwouldliketodescribetheminthefollowingparagraphs.

EffectiveTMRRApplication

ThefirstobservationgoesbacktotheTMRRdescribedinthepreviouschapterandhowwellthatisappliedonthemajorlearningcycle.ThemoreeffectivetheTMRRapplicationonthelearningcycle,themoreexperienceapersonextractsoutofit.Andthekeytothat,asdescribedinthepreviouschapter,istodistinguishtheorganizationalTMRfromtheindividualTMRbyaddingtheRofreflection.Amajorlearningcyclefortheindividualoftenalsorepresentsamajorprojectorinitiativeforthefirm.Hence,thefirmalwayshasveryrigoroustarget,measureandreviewprocessesbeingappliedontheproject.BecauseoftherigouroftheTMRprocessfortheproject,manypeoplemistakenlyassumethatitisenough,thatthefirm’sTMRprocessontheprojectiscreatingexperienceforyou.Itisnot—youhavetofocusonextractingexperienceforyourselfbyaddingthelastRofreflection,basedonthequestion‘WhatcouldIhavedonebetterinthislearningcycleopportunitythatIgot?’SuccessfulpeoplewereclearlybetteratapplyingtheTMRRprocessinamajorlearningcycleandcreatingexperienceforthemselves.

BeatYourBest

Thesecondthingthatsuccessfulpeopleseemtoinstinctivelydoisseizetheopportunityofamajorlearningcyclebyincreasingtheintensityoftheirengagementandprioritizingthelearningcycleovertheotheractivitiestheydoonadailybasis.Again,goingbacktoouranalogy,greatartistsarethosewhoareabletoraisetheirperformancemuchabovetheirmeanwhentheygetabigstage.Theseartistsinstinctivelyrealizethattheyhavetobeattheirverybestonthebigstage—thedailynormalwon’tdo.Similarly,successfulpeopleseemtorealizethatmajorlearningcyclesrepresentafantasticopportunitytogainexperience

thatmajorlearningcyclesrepresentafantasticopportunitytogainexperienceanddriveasteepjumpinrealindividualgrowth.Hence,theyincreasetheintensityoftheirengagementandprioritizethelearningcycleintheirworklives.Theytrytobeattheirbestinamajorlearningcycle.Theydothisbyincreasingtheextentoftimetheyspendonthelearningcycle,beingattheirbestintermsofconcentration,creativityandcommunicationandbeingultra-disciplinedontheTMRRexecutionforthemselves.Lesssuccessfulpeople,onthecontrary,seemtonotrealizethataparticularinitiativerepresentsamajorlearningcycle.Theyengagewithitasifitwerejustanotherregularthingtheydidatworkandsimplydonotcatalysetheopportunitythatthelearningcyclerepresentsforthem.Thecatalysthereistheintensityofengagementandprioritization,andthepresenceorabsenceofitdetermineswhatdifferentpeopleextractoutofamajorlearningcycle.

BroadentheLens

Thethirdthingthatsuccessfulpeopleseemtodifferin,beyondtheintensityofengagement,ishowbroadtheirengagementisonmajorlearningcycles.Onaday-to-daybasis,mostpeopleengagewithissuesatworkbyasking‘Whatismyroleinit?’Often,welimitourcontributiontowhatisrequiredfortherole.E.g.ifyouareanHRprofessionalandsomebodyengageswithyouonabusinessinitiative,youtendtorestrictyourselftotheHRpartofthebusinessinitiative,i.e.,thebreadthofyourengagementwiththatinitiativeisfromthelensofyourroleandexpertiseonly.Whatsuccessfulpeopleseemtodoinamajorlearningcycleisrealizethatithashighpotentialfordrivingtheirrealindividualgrowthandbroadentheirengagementbeyondthescopeoftheirroleandexpertise.Theymakeanefforttoengageholisticallywiththatinitiative.TheyalsobroadentheirTMRRtobeyondtheirlens.Thequestiontheyaskthemselvesis,‘WhatcouldIhavedonebettertomaketheprojectsucceedholistically?’Incontrast,lesssuccessfulpeoplekeeptheirengagementnarrow,limitedtotheirlens,eveninamajorlearningcycle,andthequestiontheytendtoaskthemselvesissomethinglike,‘WhatcouldIhavedonebetterinthisprojectonHRissues?’

BetheThoughtLeader

BetheThoughtLeader

Thefourththingthatsuccessfulpeopleseemtodoinmajorlearningcyclesistounderstandthatprojectleadershipisdifferentfromthoughtleadership.Asmentioned,majorlearningcyclesmoreoftenthannotalsohappentobeimportantinitiativesandprojectsfororganizations.Successfulpeopleseemtoinstinctivelyrealizethattheserepresentanopportunitytocontributeandlearnbeyondtheusual.Onewaytomaximizethelearningvalueofamajorlearningcycleistotryandcontributeatthethoughtleadershipleveltotheproject.Intheseinitiatives,organizationsarefocusedongettingthebestthoughts,irrespectiveofwheretheycomefrom,andwhenyoupushyourselftocontributeatthethoughtleadershiplevel,youmaximizeyourlearningfromthelearningcycle.Youareabletoassessyourabilitytooperateatahigherlevel,thethingsyoudowellatthatlevelandthethingsyouneedtoimprovetoonedaybetheleaderofamajorlearningcycle.Tryingtooperateatalevelhigherthanyourorganizationalpositioninamajorlearningcycleisafantasticwaytomaximizethelearningvalueofthatcycle.

UnleashtheCatalyst

Learningcyclesareimportantcatalystsforrealindividualgrowth.LearningcyclesandTMRRoperateintandemtobuildyouralgorithm.Thelearningcycleisthe‘what’,thestage,theinitiativefromwhichyoulearn,andtheTMRRistheprocessbywhichyouextractthelearning,the‘how’.Experience-buildinghappensonlywhenbotharestrong.

1. Successfulpeoplehaveparticipatedinmajorlearningcycles,andthesehaveoftenhappenedrelativelyearlyintheircareers.Foryoutosucceed,youhavetosimilarlyparticipateinamajorlearningcycle,andifonedoesnotcomeyourwayinthenormalcourseofthings,thenyoumusttryandcreatetheopportunityyourself.

2. Successfulpeoplealsoextractthemaximumoutoftheopportunitytoparticipateinmajorlearningcycles.TheydothisbyeffectiveimplementationoftheTMRRprocess,beingattheirbestinthelearning

cycle,broadeningtheirlensofengagementbeyondjusttheirfunctionalanddomainareasandoperatingatalevelofthoughtleadershipirrespectiveoftheirorganizationallevel.

4

ImprovePersonalProductivity

Manyyearsago,Ihadaverycapableindividualworkingforme,somebodywhomIthoughtveryhighlyof,thekindyouproclaimas‘excellent’.Whenaveryseniorpositionopenedup,Igrabbedthechancetoelevatethatpersontothatseniorrole.Afterayear,muchtomydismay,thingsdidnotworkoutandIhadtoactuallymovethatpersonfromthatroletoalesschallengingone.Ireflectedonthewhysofitandrealizedthatwhilethepersonhadallthenecessaryskillsandcapabilitiesfortherole—whilehehadawell-developedexperiencealgorithm—hedidnotpossessthenecessaryproductivitytomakeacomplexrolework.Hecouldnothandlethemultitaskingthecomplexrolerequired—thefactthatmanythingshavetobedoneatthesametimeandyouhavetobeontopofallofthem—couldnotdecidewhichmeetingstospendtimeon,whichissuesneededlongdeliberations,whichissuesshouldnotbeallowedtotakemorethanfiveminutes,andsoon.Noneofthesewerecapabilityissues.Iftherewereforty-eighthoursinaday,thatpersonhadallthetoolsandwherewithaltosucceed.Butthereareonlytwenty-fourhoursinaday,andthatiswhereproductivitycomesin.Thatepisodetaughtmethatsuccessisapartnershipoftheexperience

algorithmandproductivity.Thealgorithmisyourabilitytorespondtoasituationandgettotherightanswer;itistheabilitytogeneratesolutionstocomplexproblems.Inaway,theexperiencealgorithmisthesummaryofyourcapabilities.Thatsummaryofcapabilitieshastobeputtoproductiveusetobeabletofinallycreatevalueandafavourableoutput.Theoutput,then,isamultiplicationofthealgorithmandtheproductivityusedinemployingit.Wehaveallseendifferentkindsofpeople.Therearepeoplewhoarehighlycapableanddazzlewithinsights,strategicthinkingandknowledge,butattimesthey

leaveyouexasperatedbytheirlackofoutputandtheirinabilitytogetthingsdoneandmanagecomplexity.Thesearethepeoplewhoareoftenlabelledashighpotential,butareyettofirefully.Theypossessahigh-qualityalgorithmbutarepooronproductivity.Thentherearethosewhoaremoderateoncapability,cannotcreatebreakthroughsolutionsorstrategies—ineffect,haveamoderatelydevelopedalgorithm,butseemtogetthingsdonewhentoldwhattodo,followupdiligentlyandareverydisciplinedabouttimelines,commitments,etc.Suchpeopleareoftenreferredtolooselyasthe‘doers’.Theyarehighonproductivitybutmoderateonthealgorithm.Realhighperformers,thosewhoachieveexceptionalsuccess,arethosewho

aregoodatboth.Theyhaveahighlydevelopedalgorithmwhichtheyemploywiththehighestproductivityandhenceareabletodeliverbothhighqualityandhighquantityofoutput,makingthemhighlysuccessfulintheircareers.Suchpeoplearefewandfarbetween.Ifyouwantthehighestlevelofsuccessinyourcareer,youhavetoaimforthathighbarofboth,afantasticalgorithmrepresentingthesummaryofyourcapabilitiesandexcellentproductivitytoconvertthatalgorithmintooutput.Productivityisthemeansbywhichyouconvertyouralgorithmintooutput.Mostpeoplewhowanttosucceeddoseemtorealizetheneedtogrowtheir

algorithm/capabilitiesasanecessaryprerequisiteforsuccess.Idescribeitusingthephrase‘experiencealgorithm’.Thesepeoplemightnotdescribeitthesameway,buttheyallunderstandthatiftheyhavetoachievehighersuccess,thentheyhavetocontinuouslygrowtheircapabilities.Thereisahighdegreeofawarenessthatsuccessrequirescapabilities,andthatifIhavetobesuccessful,Ihavetomakeanactiveefforttogrowmyalgorithm,orwhateverwordsIusetodescribeit.However,interestingly,thereisnotthesamedegreeofself-awarenessabouttheneedtogrowproductivity,andsothereisoftennoeffortputintoincreasingit.Thisisoneofthemostimportantmistakespeoplemake,andisoftenthereasontheydon’tachievethefullsuccesstheyotherwisecan.Thereasonforthislackofeffortingrowingone’sproductivityistwo-

pronged.Thefirstisthelackofself-awareness—asImentionedabove,mostpeopleareawarethattosucceed,theyhavetogrowtheirskillsandcapabilities,theiralgorithm,buttheydon’trealizethatitisequallyimportanttogrowtheirproductivity.Thesecondreasonisthemistakenassumptionthatproductivitygrowsbyitself—thethoughtthatifyouworkhardeveryday,ifyoukeep

growsbyitself—thethoughtthatifyouworkhardeveryday,ifyoukeepachievingresults,yourproductivitywillgrowbyitself.ItisthesamemyththatIpointedoutinthecontextofexperience—themistakenassumptionthatifyoukeepworkinghardandputtingintime,yourexperienceisbuildingupbyitself.Thesamemythisprevalenttoanevenhigherdegreeinthecontextofproductivity.No,folks,productivitydoesnotgrowbyitself;ithastobecatalysedtogrow.Inthischapter,Iwanttodealwiththesetwoissues:first,tomakeyouaware

thatyouneedtoimproveyourproductivity,andsecond,toshowyousometechniquesbywhichyoucancatalysethegrowthofyourproductivity.

The‘Why’ofProductivity

Whydoyouneedtogrowyourproductivity?Whyisitsoimportantforlong-termcareersuccess?Aspeoplegoupthecorporateladder,gettohigherpositions,hereiswhathappens.Theymusthavebuiltupthehigherorderalgorithmandcapabilitiestosucceedatthehigherlevel,soletusassumethatisthecase.Butisthatenough?Astheygohigher,thedemandsofthejobalsorise—nocompanygivesyouahigherorderjob,highertitleandhigherpaywithouthavingahigherexpectationofoutputfromyou.Youdon’tgohigherwiththeaskbeingthesame.Todeliverthathigherask,let’ssayyouhavebuiltupthehigherorderalgorithm.Butapartfromthat,youalsoneedmoretimeandenergytomeetthathigherorderask.Unfortunately,asweallknow,timeisaconstantattwenty-fourhoursaday.Ialwayssay,theonlythingcommonbetweenawatchmanandachairmanistwenty-fourhoursaday.Ifsomebodyprogressesfrombeingawatchmantoachairman—andIdowisheverybodysuchgreatsuccessintheircareers—theyhavetodealwiththefactthattheyhavetomeettherequirementsofbeingachairmanwiththesametwenty-fourhourstheyhadasawatchman.Asyougettoseniorlevels,twothingschange:first,thecomplexityoftheproblems/issuesyoudealwith,andsecond,thenumber/quantity/breadthoftheissues.Superiorcapabilitiesandalgorithmhelpsyoudealwiththehighercomplexityoftheproblem,butitisonlyhigherproductivitythatwillhelpyoudealwiththequantity/breadthofissues.Atseniorlevels,thenumberofpeoplewhowantyourtimeisfargreaterthanthetimeyouhave,thenumberofthingsthatneedyourattentionisfargreaterthanthenumber

have,thenumberofthingsthatneedyourattentionisfargreaterthanthenumberyouhavehandledearlierandthenumberofsimultaneousthingsyouhavetomanageisfargreaterthanwhatyouhaveeverdone.Thebreadthissuchthatonedayinthemorning,youcouldbediscussingthelong-termstrategicplanandintheafternoonthesameday,youmighthavetodealwithnextweek’sissues.Thereisanexponentialchangeinthenumber/quantity/breadthofissuesthatyouhavetodealwithasyouclimbupthecorporateladder,andtomanagethat,youhavetodriveanexponentialincreaseinyourproductivityaswell.Againandagain,Ihaveseenpeoplemovefromjuniortomiddlelevelsand

thentoseniorlevels,andfailsomewhereontheway.Usually,theirfailureatthehigherlevelsismistakenlyattributedtoalackofcapability.Itisnotthat.Often,itisbecausetheyhavenotgrowntheirproductivityinproportiontothehigheraskoftheseniorlevel.Andfolks,aproductivityincreasedoesnothappenbyitself,itcan’tbetakenforgranted—ithastobecatalysedbyyou.Aclassicmanifestationofthiswasaseniorpersonwithafairlyindependent

responsibility.Thispersonwasoverworked,overwhelmedandtryinghislevelbest.Yet,thebusinesswasgoingnowhere,peoplewereunhappyandtherewerenoresultstoshow.ThispersonsawhimselforherselfasAtlas,carryingtheentireloadofthebusinessonhisorhershoulders,oftenexternalizingtosayeverythingisbrokenandneedstobefixed,andhenceheorshehastoworkfourteenhoursadayandsoon.Theseareclassicsymptomsofpoorproductivity—lackofknowinghowtobeproductiveinacomplexenvironment,howtoorganizeoneselfandmanageyourenergyandtime.TheAtlasstereotypeisapositivemask,butitisamask—itsimplyhidestherealproblem,whichispoorproductivity.Sothenexttimeyouareworkingyourbuttoffbutnothinggetsdone,youknowwheretheproblemis.Orthenexttimeyoufeelthattheentirecompany,yourteamandyourbusinessneedsyouandyouareAtlasandthatisthereasonyouworksohard,youknowwhattheproblemis.Itispoorproductivity.

The‘How’ofProductivity

Nowthatyouareawareoftheneedtocatalysegrowthinyourproductivity,letusmoveontohowtoachievethat.Productivityisacomplexsubjectcomprisingmanyfacetsincludingtimemanagement,prioritization,discipline,learningto

manyfacetsincludingtimemanagement,prioritization,discipline,learningtodifferentiatetheimportant/urgentfromthelessimportant/lessurgent,theartofdelegation,theskillofmultitaskingandsoonandsoforth.Eachoftheseaspectscanbeabookinitself,andIwouldencourageallreaderstomakeaneffortatgettingbetterateachofthem.AgoodwayisthroughyourTMRRprocessandreflection—identifywhatyouthinkyouneedtogetbetteratandthenstarttofocusonthat.Inthischapter,however,Iamnotgoingtofocusonthesevariousfacets.

Instead,Iamgoingtosharesomeofmyexperiencesofboostingproductivity,whichcatalystshaveworkedformeandhowIhavefocusedongrowingmyproductivity.Thisisnotareplacementforthefacetsabove;thesearejustmybeliefsandlearning.Ihavefoundtwomethodsthathelpedcatalysethegrowthofmyproductivity.OneisderivedfromStephenCovey’sconceptofthe‘circleofinfluence’andtheotherismyownmethodofallocatingtimetomypriorities,somethingIcallthe‘rocksfirst’method.

FocusontheCircleofInfluence

Twodecadesago,IreadStephenCovey’sTheSevenHabitsofHighlyEffectivePeople,oneofthegreatestself-developmentbooksofthemodernera.OneoftheconceptsinthebookthatIfoundveryinterestingwasthatofthecircleofinfluence.Forthoseofyouwhohavenotreadthebook,Ishallbrieflyexplaintheconcept,focusingonthoseaspectswhicharerelevanttoincreasingproductivity.Thecoreoftheconceptisthatbroadly,everythingthathasaneffectonyou,

impactsyouandisofconsequencetoyoucanbedividedintotwobroadcircles.Oneiscalledthecircleofinfluence,whichcomprisesallthosethingsthatyouhaveaninfluenceon,andtheotheristhecircleofconcern,whichcomprisesthingsthatimpactyoudirectlyorindirectly,butwhichyoucan’tinfluence.Thesearetwoconcentriccircles—theinnercircle,thesmallercircle,whichcomprisesthingsthatyoucaninfluence,andtheoutercircle,thebiggercircle,whichcomprisesthingsonwhichyoudon’thaveaninfluence.Thisisschematicallyrepresentedinthedrawingbelow:

Whilethisconceptcanbeusedforallaspectsoflife,forthepurposeofthischapter,Iwouldlikeyoutovisualizethisinthecontextofthingsatwork.Youdreamofbeingverysuccessfulinyourcareer,buttobesuccessful,youmustdeliverhighqualityandhighquantityofoutputatwork.Youmustdeliverresultswhicharecompellingsothatpeopletakenoteofthem,andthuscreateagoodreputationandlong-termcareersuccessforyourself.Foryoutodeliverthoseresults,thereareasetofthingswhicharewithinyoursphereofinfluence,inyourcircleofinfluence.Equally,therearethingsthatimpactyourabilitytodeliverresultsatworkthatarenotinyourinfluence,andthoseareintheoutercircle,thecircleofconcern.AsIbecameasenioratwork,andstartedfacingtheproductivityproblems

thatallseniormanagersinevitablyface,Ifelt,‘Iamworkingdamnhard,yetIdon’tseemtobeproducingresultsaseasilyasIdidwhenIwasajunior.’Iwasquiteconfidentthatitwasnotanissueofmyability,andhenceIknewIhadtofindtheanswerinmyproductivity,inwhereIspenttimeandhowIorganizedmyselftoproduceresults.ThatiswhenIappliedtheconceptofthecircleofinfluencetoproductivity.Irealized,throughTMRRreflection,thatIwasmostproductivewithmytimewhenIfocusedonaspectswithinmycircleofinfluence.Inthosethings,Iwaslikeamagician,producingimpactfulresultsatwill.Equally,IfoundthroughmyreflectionthattherewereareasonwhichIspentalotofmytimeandstillcreatedlimitedoutput.ConsistentTMRRinthose

spentalotofmytimeandstillcreatedlimitedoutput.ConsistentTMRRinthoseareasledmetotheconclusionthatmostofthoseareaswereinmycircleofconcern.Irealizedthatspendingtimeonareasinmycircleofconcernwasproducingminimalresultsandwasanextraordinarywasteofmytime,thegreatestproductivitykillerIhad.There,folks,ismysimplest,mostobviousandyetsupereffectivekeyto

productivity.Youareatyourproductivebestwhenyoufocusonthingswhichyouhaveaninfluenceon,whichyoucanimpact.Avoidspendingtimeonareaswhereyoudon’thaveanyinfluenceorimpact.Theotherwayofstatingthesamethingisthat‘highlyproductivepeoplearethosewhospendalltheirtimeonthingstowhichtheycanmakeadifference,wheretheyhaveaninfluence’.Suchpeoplearehighlyproductivewiththeirtime,andassumingtheyhavegoodqualityexperiencealgorithms,theycreatefantasticvalueandresults.Suchanindividualoftengetsalotdoneforonepersonandcanberatherawe-inspiringattimes.Ofcourse,thebenefitsofthishabitgobeyondjustproductivity,asStephen

Coveyexplains.Themoreyoufocusonyourcircleofinfluence,themoreitgrows,andslowlyandsteadily,itstartstocovermoreoftheareasthatearlierfellunderyourcircleofconcern.Hence,thishabitisalsoaneffectivemeansofgrowingyourinfluenceovertime.IwouldurgereaderstoreadStephenCovey’sbookforaclearerunderstanding.Iamlimitingmyarticulationheretotheimpactthishasonpersonalproductivityatwork.Letusfurtherexplorewhathappenswhenyoudon’tfocusonyourcircleof

influenceandinsteadspendtimeonyourcircleofconcern.Clearly,youdon’tproducegreatresultsandvalue.Henceitisobviousthatthecircleofconcernisakillerofproductivity.ButasIreflectedonmyownexperiences,myTMRRtoldmethattheimpactwasonmorethanjustproductivity.IrealizedthatwhenIspenttimeinmycircleofconcern,Ifeltirritated,angry,frustrated,attimesincapableofcreatingresultsandinadequate—awholehostofnegativeemotions.Icametotherealizationthatthecircleofconcernwasnotjustaproductivitykillerandatimewaster,butitwas,moreimportantly,anenergykiller.Andthebiggestrealizationformepersonallywasthatitkillsenergydisproportionatetothetimeyouspendonit.IrealizedthatImighthavespentonlyhalfanhouronsomethingthatwasinmycircleofconcern,butitoftendestroyedenergyandcreatedenoughnegativitytokilltheproductivityofawholeday.This,then,ismysecondkeytoproductivity—thatproductivityisnotjust

This,then,ismysecondkeytoproductivity—thatproductivityisnotjustaboutproductivityoftimebutalsoaboutproductivityofenergy.Irealizedthattheproductivityofenergyisdestroyedbyspendingevenasmallamountoftimeonthecircleofconcern,andthatenergylosshasanimpactevenwhenyousubsequentlystartfocusingonyourcircleofinfluence.Timeinthecircleofconcernislikepoison—ittakesonlyasmallamounttohaveanegativeimpactonthelargerwhole.Hence,mytwokeystosuperhighproductivity,basedonmylearninginmy

worklife,are:

1. Toincreaseyourproductivity,focusrelentlesslyonwhateverisinyourcircleofinfluence.Spendallyourtimeonwhatyoucanmakeadifferenceto,evenifinthebeginningitlookssmall.

2. Avoidthecircleofconcernliketheplague.Itisnotabouthowmuchtimeyouwastethere—maybeyoucanaffordtowastethattime—butthemoreharmfulimpactofitistheenergyitdestroys,thenegativityitcreatesinyou,whichthenhasacascadingimpactevenonthetimeyouspendinyourcircleofinfluence.

Aquestionthatoftencomesupinmysessionsis—‘DoesthatmeanIignorewhatisinmycircleofconcern?Whatifsomeofthatisveryimportant?’Idobelievethatyoumustsummonthecouragetoignorewhatisinthecircleofconcernandfocusallyourtimeandenergyonwhatisinyourcircleofinfluence.Thatwillcreateavirtuouscycleofproductiveresults,whereinwhatisinthecircleofconcernwillbecomelessandlessimportantovertime.However,foramoment,letusassumethereissomethinginthecircleofconcernthatissocriticalthatitcan’tbeignored.Letussayyouareasalespersonwhohasbeenpursuinganewlargedealforalongtime.Finally,aftermanyattempts,thecustomergivesyouatrialorderandyouknowthatensuringdeliveryofthatorderontime,withnoqualitydefects,isimportanttocreatefuturebusiness.However,thisisinthehandsofthesupplychainteamandnotfullyunderyourinfluence.Whatthenistherightwaytodealwithit?Therearetwoapproachesonecantakeforwhatisinyourcircleofconcern.Atruismoflifeisthateverythingthatisinyourcircleofconcernisin

somebodyelse’scircleofinfluence.Inanorganization’scontext,itcouldmeana

co-workeroutsideyourteam,avendor,etc.Agoodwayofdealingwithimportantthingsinyourcircleofconcernistoidentifyinwhosecircleofinfluencetheyare,andthenstrikeapartnershipwiththatperson.Andforanypartnershiptowork,therehastobeawin-winsituation.Thismeansthatthereissomethinginyourcircleofinfluencewhichisofvaluetothatpersonandyouhavetocreatevalueforhimorherinreturnforyourcircleofconcernissuebeingaddressed.Sothefirstapproachistostrikeuppartnerships.Thesecondapproachtodealingwiththingsinthecircleofconcernistofinda

pathtothemthroughyourcircleofinfluence.Let’ssupposethatyouaredependentoninformationanddatafromacolleaguewhoisnotinyourteamandwhomyoudonothaveadequateinfluenceon.Inthepast,thisindividualhasoftengivenyoupoorqualityinformationandthishasimpactedthesubsequentworkthatyoudowiththatdata.Now,thisisinyourcircleofconcern,andthinkingaboutthiscreatesallthestressandnegativeenergythatcircleofconcernitemscreate.Aretherepathsthroughyourcircleofinfluencethatleadtoasolution?Youcouldpossiblycallthatpersonandactivelyteachandcoachthemhowtocollectthatdataandsendittoyou.Inaway,youaredoingsomethingwhichthatperson’smanagershouldhavedone.Youmightthinkitisawasteoftime,butdoingthisisbetterthanbeingstressedaboutyourcircleofconcern.Anotherpossiblepaththroughyourcircleofinfluenceistogiveyourselfenoughtimetocheckthedatawhenitcomesandtoredoitifrequired.Boththeseapproachesarewithinyourcircleofinfluence,stuffyoucando.Butwhatmostpeopledoisspendalotoftimeagonizingaboutsomethingintheircircleofconcern,intheprocesscreatingnegativityanddestroyingproductivity,insteadoffindingsimplepathwaysthroughtheircircleofinfluencetoissuesintheircircleofconcern.Inchapter7,wewillapplythisapproachoffindingpathwaysthroughthecircleofinfluencetothemorecomplexproblemofhowtofindagoodboss,anissuethatisineverybody’scircleofconcern.

The‘RocksFirst’Method

Apartfromthecircleofinfluenceapproach,theothermethodIhavepersonallyusedtokeepmyproductivityhighisthe‘rocksfirst’method.BeforeItalkabout

it,IwouldliketonarrateastorythatIamsureeachoneofyouhascomeacrossatsometimeortheother.Ateachertakesaglassjarandplacesitonthetablealongwithsomesandandrocks.Inthefirstinstance,shepoursallthesandintothejar,whichbecomesnearlyfull,andthereaftercanaccommodateonlyacoupleofrocks.Inthesecondinstance,sheputsalltherocksintothejarandthenpoursthesandontopofthat.Thesandflowsintothespacesbetweentherocks.Afairamountofsandisinthejar,onlysomeisleft.Sointhefirstinstance,allthesandisconsumedbutveryfewrocks;inthesecondinstance,alltherocksandagoodquantityofthesandareconsumed.Thetricklayinputtingtherocksinfirst.Theteacherthengoesontotelltheclassthattherocksarethemoreimportantthingsinyourlife—yourhealth,yourrelationships,yourlearning,etc.Thesandisthelessimportantortrivialthings.Ifyoucometotherocksafterdealingwiththesand,youwillonlydealwithafewimportantthings;thebulkoftheimportantthingswillnotbedealtwith.However,ifyouturnitaroundandfirstdealwiththerocks,theimportantthings,thenyouwillgetalotdoneandwillhavetodealwithonlyasmuchsandasyouhavespacefor.ThisiswhatIseeonadailybasisinworkplacesaroundme—peoplespending

alltheirtimeonsandandgettingveryfewrocksintothejar.Mostpeoplefeelthattheyknowtheirpriorities,theyknowwhatisimportant.However,theymistakenlyassumethatjustbecausetheyknowwhatisimportant,theyareactuallyprioritizingitanddealingwithit.Thatisamyth.Itismorelikelythatyouknowwhatisimportant,whatyourrocksare,butthebulkofyourtimeandenergyisstillspentonthesand.Tomakesurepeopleunderstand,Ioftendoanexercisewiththem.Onone

sheetofpaper,Imakethemwritewhattheythinkisimportant,thingswhich,iftheydidthemwell,wouldcreatelearning,leadtocareersuccessandmakethemfeelproductive.Oncetheyhavewrittenthisonasheetofpaper,wefolditaway,nottobeopenedtilllater.ThenIaskthemwhatalltheydidthepreviousmonth—whichactivitiestheydid,wheretheyspenttheirtime,energyandmoney/resourcesandwheretheygottheirteamstospendtheirtime/money/resources.It’sadetailedexercise.Afterthat,basedonwheretheyspenttheirtime/energy/resources,wetryandwritedownwhichofthesecouldhavebeenimportant.Iftime/energy/resourceswerespentonthem,thenthesewouldhavebeenconsideredimportant,soinaway,weretrospectivelyderivewhatwouldhavebeenimportant.Thislistof‘derivedimportant’thingsisthen

whatwouldhavebeenimportant.Thislistof‘derivedimportant’thingsisthenwrittenonanothersheetofpaper.Thencomesthemostinterestingpart.Wecomparethetwosheetsofpaper—

thefirstsheet,whatpeoplethoughtwasimportanttothem,andthesecondlist,thederivedimportantthings.IamsureyouarenotsurprisedwhenIsaythatinmostcases,thereisverylittleincommonbetweenthetwolists.Thisisthegreatesttragedyofproductivity—thatmostpeopledonotactuallyspendtheirtime/energy/resourcesonwhattheythinkisimportanttothem.Thisistrueoflifeingeneral,butletusfocushereonwork.Atwork,peopleknowwhatisimportant,theyknowthatfocusingontheimportantthingswillproduceresults,getthemsuccess,createvalueandlearningandsharpentheiralgorithms.Thetragedyisthatdespiteknowingthat,mostpeopledonotspendtheirtime/energy/resourcesatworkonthosethings,andhenceneverachievethesuccesstheyarecapableof.Inmyownprofessionaljourney,IknowIwasblessedtohaveanin-built

God-givenTMRRmodel,whichkeptsharpeningmyalgorithm.Itismyprivilegeandmyblessingtohavebeenbornwiththat.Butdespitethat,forafairshareofmycareer,IknewIwasnotproducingthekindofimpactIcould,thekindofvalueIwascapableof.Andthenoneday,theboltfrommyTMRRstruck.Ireflectedandrealizedthereasonforit—itwasthesandandrocksdisease.Iknewwhattheimportantthingswere,butIdidnothaveaprocesstoensurethatIspentmytime/energy/resourcesonthesethings.Mytimewasbeingconsumedbythesandfirst.ThatiswhenIcameupwiththesecondapproachIhavebeenfollowingtomanagemyproductivity,themethodofallocatingtimetothe‘rocksfirst’.ItisaverysimpleapproachIhavebeenfollowingformanyyearsnow.Atthe

beginningofeachmonth,Imakealistofimportantthings,thingsIconsiderpriorities.Iforcemyselftoorderthisaswell,puttingthemostimportantonesatthetop.Mosttimes,thislistisnotverydifferentfromthelistofthepreviousmonth,andthatishowitshouldbe;prioritiesshouldnotchangeoften.ButIdomakethislisteachmonth.ThenIstartbyallocatingtimeinmycalendarforthenextmonth,startingwiththemostimportantthingsatthetop.OnceIhavegivenasmuchtimeasthetopitemrequires,Imovetothenextitem,andsoon.IkeepmovingdownmyprioritylisttillIhaveallocated85percentofthetimeIhaveforthenextmonth.Thebalance15percentiswhatIleavefortheunavoidablesandthatallofushavetodealwith.This85percentisformalized,itisinmy

sandthatallofushavetodealwith.This85percentisformalized,itisinmycalendar,andIhavedevelopedthedisciplinetonevercompromiseonthis.Ineverallowthesandtoreplaceoneoftherocks.Thisapproachofaformal‘calendared’allocationoftimeatwork,towhatIconsidertherocks,hasbeenamongthegreatestproductivityunlocksofmyworklife.Thisalsohadsomeinterestingunintendedbenefits.Itsignificantlyimproved

mydelegation.Itbecameverysimpleforme—ifitwasnotoneoftherocksIhadtimefor,ifitwasnotinmycalendarwithallocatedtime,thenIdidn’tneedtodoitmyself.Everysuchthingisdelegableandoneofmyteammemberscandoit.IdelegatedagreatdealandensuredthatIgotoutofthewayofmyteaminsuchthings.‘Youdecide,youdoit,itisnotinmycalendar,itisnotarockforme’wasmymantra.Andthatdelegationfreedmeandatthesametimeenergizedmyteam.Theyhadasetofthingstheycoulddowithcompletefreedom,withoutworryingthatthebosswasconstantlybreathingdowntheirnecks.Myassertiontoeachoneofyouisthattoomuchofyourtimeisbeingspent

managingthesand.Itisamythtoassumethatbecauseyouknowwhattherocksare,youarespendingyourtime,energyandmoneyonthese.Itdoesnothappenbyitself;youneedtocatalysetheprocessofensuringthatyouareactuallyfocusingontherocks.Itoldyouwhatmymethodis.Itissimple,andyoucanfollowitaswell.Equally,youcanfindyourownmethod.Eitherway,makesurethatyouarecatalysingtheattentiontotherocks.Lefttoitself,itisalwaysthesandthatflowsintothejarfirst.Sothesearemytwomethodstohigherproductivity—thecircleofinfluence

approachandthe‘rocksfirst’approach.Despitetheseapproaches,Iwouldn’tsayIamatmyproductivebestallthetime;itisaverydifficultthingtobe.Butagain,thankstomyTMRR,IhavefiguredouthowtorecognizewhenIamnotatmyproductivebest.Ihavelearntthatthesymptomtolookoutforisthefeelingoffrustration.Frustrationhappenswhenyoufeelyouaredoingyourbestandyetthingsarenotmovingahead.ThenIgobackandanalysewhy.Iassesswhetherthecircleofconcernistakinguptoomuchofmyfocus.IgobackandcheckwhetherIamspendingmytime/energy/resourcesontherocks.Typically,theproblemwouldbeinoneoftheseareas,andonceIcorrectit,Icansensemyproductivitycomebackupfairlyquickly.Iwouldurgeeachoneofyoualsototryandrecognizethesymptomsforyourselfwhenyouareinalowproductivity

tryandrecognizethesymptomsforyourselfwhenyouareinalowproductivityphase.Recognizethesymptomsandfixtheproblemsoon.Iwouldbewillingtoplaceawagerthatwheneveryoufeelfrustrated,ifyoustopandanalysewhy,thereisaveryhighprobabilitythatyouareinyourcircleofconcern.Timeandenergythatisgonecannevercomeback.Beatyourproductivebestforasmuchofyourworklifeaspossibleasitiscrucialforyoursuccess.

UnleashtheCatalyst

1. Tobesuccessful,togeneraterealindividualgrowth,justdevelopingyourexperiencealgorithmisnotenough.Youhavetoemploythatalgorithminahighlyproductiveway.Yourproductivityisthemeansbywhichyouconvertyourexperiencealgorithmintovalueandresultsforyourselfandyourorganization.

2. Thehigheryougointhecorporateladder,themoretheneedtogrowyourproductivity.Andyourproductivitydoesnotincreasebyitself;ithastobecatalysedtogrow.

3. ThecatalystsIhaveusedinmyworklifeformyproductivityare:

a. Relentlessfocusonthecircleofinfluenceandavoidinglikeaplaguewhatisinthecircleofconcern.

b. Havingadisciplined‘rocksfirst’time-allocationsystem,whereIensurethatIprovidemytime/energyfortherocksandnotthesand.

4. Ifyou’dliketo,youcanusemymethods.Ifnot,youcandevelopyourown.Whateverbethemethod,pleasedonotignoreyourproductivity.

UnleashingtheCatalyst:SummarizingPartIandSettingUpPartII

InPartI,wehavecoveredthemeanstodrivingrealindividualgrowthinthreeimportantconcepts:

1. Convertingtimeintoexperienceistheverybedrockofrealindividualgrowth.AneffectiveTMRRmodelisthekeytoconvertingthetimeyouarespendingatworkintoanexperiencealgorithmthatwilldriveyoursuccessinthefuture.

2. ApplyingtheTMRRalgorithmonmajorlearningcyclesisanexponentialwaytodriverealindividualgrowth.

3. Justbuildingtheexperiencealgorithmisnotenough.Youhavetoparallellygrowyourproductivity.Productivityisthemeansthroughwhichyoucanconverttheexperiencealgorithmintoresults.Thekeytogrowingproductivityistofocusonthecircleofinfluenceandtomakesureyouallocateyourtimetotherocksandnotthesand.

However,realindividualgrowthhastobebackedbygoodcareermanagement.Ihaveoftenseenindividualswithfantasticexperiencealgorithmsandproductivitybeingtrippedupbypoorcareerdecisionswhichtheythenstruggletorecoverfrom.WeareverymuchinaVUCA(volatility,uncertainty,complexityandambiguity)world,includinginhowcareersdevelopandhowtheyaremanaged.Itisimportanttohavetherightapproachtomanagingyourcareer,tomaketherightcareerdecisions,ifyouwanttoconvertyourrealindividualgrowthintolong-termcareersuccess.Andthebeautyis,theprincipleremainsthesame—focusonthedeedsandtheresultswillcome.Focusonrealindividualgrowth,whichisthedriverofcareersuccess,andthatcareersuccesswillbeyours.Thenextsection,PartII,isaboutcareermanagement.Itisabouthelpingyou

understandhowtomakecareerdecisionswhilefocusingonrealindividualgrowth.

PARTII

5

WinWhereItMatters

Mostofushaveheardthestoryofthehareandthetortoise.Itisthestoryoftheracebetweentheswift,agilerabbitandtheslow,lumberingtortoise.Therabbitstartsatarapidpaceandthentakesabreak,whilethelumberingtortoisecarriesonwithoutabreakandfinallywinstherace.Themoralofthestoryisthatslowandsteadywinstherace.WhenIseeyoungsterstodaychasingcareers,itoftenlookslikethestoryoftherabbit.Theygetoutoftheblocksinahurry,wantafreneticpaceofcareergrowthintheinitialstagesandthenlosesteamwhereitmatters,nearthefinishline.Idonotadvocate‘slowandsteadywinstherace’forcareers.ButIdohaveanadaptationofthatmoralforprofessionalsuccessandthatis—winwhereitmatters.Youdon’thavetowinallthetime.Ifyouwanttohaveatrulygloriouscareer,thenitisimportantthatyouwininthesecondhalfofyourcareer.That’stheonlythingthatmatters;everythingelseisimmaterial.Thatismycareermoral:winwhereitmatters—inthesecondhalfofyourcareer.Careerstodayareroughlyaroundfortyyearslong,anditisimportantto

internalizethatitisamarathon,notasprint.Aperson’scareercanbroadlybesplitintotwohalves,thefirsthalfandthesecondhalf.Thelengthofthetwohalvesisnotimportantanddoesnothavetobemathematicallyequal—itcanbetwentyyearseach,itcanbetwenty-fiveandfifteenoreighteenandtwenty-two.Thebroadconceptisthatcareershavetwohalves.Ihaveobservedmanypeoplethroughthejourneyoftheircareers.Ihaveseen

thosewhosucceeded,thosewhowerelesssuccessful,thosewholookedliketheyhadagoodstartbutdidnotachievetheirpotential,thosewholookedliketheyhadabadstartbutseemedtooverachieve,thosewhosecareershadtwistsandturnsandthosewhosecareershadmoresteady,straightpaths.Havingobservedallthesepeopleandtheircareers—anditisalifetimeofobservation—I

observedallthesepeopleandtheircareers—anditisalifetimeofobservation—Ihavecometotwoconclusions:

1. Themoresignificantcareerachievementsareofteninthesecondhalfofthecareer.

2. Mostpeoplesucceedinthefirsthalvesoftheircareers,veryfewinthesecond.

TheSecondHalfIsWhereTrueSuccessIsCreated

Letusstartwiththefirstconclusion:Themoresignificantcareerachievementsareofteninthesecondhalfofthecareer.Agoodwayofunderstandingthisistocomparetwopeoplewithsimilarqualificationsandcapabilitieswhopassedoutofthesamecollegeatthesametime.Letussaywecomparetheircareersafterfortyyears,whentheyhanguptheirboots,andconcludethatoneofthemhadaverysuccessfulcareerwithgreataccomplishmentsandthesecondhadamoremoderatecareerwithfeweraccomplishments.Letussaythefirstpersonhadacareerof100pointsandthesecondpersonhadacareerofsixtypoints,andthegapintheircareersuccesswasfortypoints.Theinterestingthingyouwillfindisthatthefirsthalfofthecareeroftenexplainsonlyaverysmallportionofthesuccessdifference,sayonlyfiveofthefortypoints,whilethebulkofthesuccessdifference—thirty-fivepoints—isexplainedbythedifferenceintheirsuccessinthesecondhalf.Ifyoucontinuetodothiscomparisonforvariousprofessions,youwillfind

thesamestoryplayingout.Letuscomparetwopeoplewithamarketingmajorfromthesamebusinessschool.Youwillfindthatbothwerepossiblyheadsofmarketingfordecent-sizedbusinessesattheendofthefirsthalvesoftheircareers,butattheendofthesecondhalves,oneofthemwentontobecomeaglobalCMOofabigMNCwhiletheotherdidnotmakemoreprogressthanwhatheorshehadachievedattheendofthefirsthalf.Ifyoulookattwoengineerswhopassedoutatthesametime,youwillfindthatbothofthemwentontopossiblyheadlargeplantsasaplantmanagerattheendofthefirsthalvesoftheircareers,butoneofthemwentontothenbecometheheadofacompany’send-to-endsupplychainandmanufacturingwhiletheothercontinuedtostayasplantmanagerordofunctionaljobs.Onecoulddothisagain

continuedtostayasplantmanagerordofunctionaljobs.Onecoulddothisagainandagainandinmostcasesyouwillreachthesameconclusion—mostpeopleofsimilarqualificationsandcapabilitiesachieveroughlythesamecareersuccessandresultsinthefirsthalvesoftheircareers,butthereisanextraordinarydifferenceofsuccessinthesecondhalves.Thisthenledmetotheconclusionthatthemoresignificantcareerachievementsareofteninthesecondhalfofthecareer.

CareerSuccess—EasyintheFirstHalf,DifficultintheSecondHalf

AsIobservedthecareersofseveralpeople,Isawthatmostseemedtohaveachievedsomethinginthefirsthalvesoftheircareers.Differencesincapabilitiesandpotentialdidnotseemtohavecreatedastarkdifferenceinthefirsthalvesofcareers.Equally,Ifoundthatmostpeoplefinditdifficulttosucceedinthesecondhalves.Itisalmostlikeyoukeepprogressingsteadily,growinginyourcareerinthefirsthalf,andthenthatgrowthsuddenlyslowsdownandalmostcomestoastopinthesecondhalf.Asathumbrule,Iwouldsay95percentofpeoplearesuccessfulinthefirsthalvesoftheircareers,butitistheotherwayroundinthesecondhalveswhereonly5percentsucceedand95percentfail.‘Fail’isaprovocativeword,Iadmit,butwhatIreallymeanisthat95percentdon’treallymakemuchprogressintheircareersinthesecondhalvesbeyondwhattheyhavealreadyachievedinthefirst.Thequestionthatnaturallyfollowsisthe‘why’ofit—whydomostpeople

finditeasytosucceedinthefirsthalvesoftheircareersanddifficulttosucceedinthesecond?Therearethreefactorsthatexplainthis:

1. Thenatureoftheorganizationalpyramid.2. Theimpactofthebossandsupervisors.3. Thepreparationrequiredtosucceedateachlevel.

TheNatureoftheOrganizationalPyramid

Thenatureoftheorganizationalpyramidinthefirsthalfofaperson’scareer

Thenatureoftheorganizationalpyramidinthefirsthalfofaperson’scareerdiffersfromthesecondhalf.Intheearlyphaseoftheircareers,peopleareatthebottomofthepyramid,whichhasawiderbase,whileinthelaterstageoftheircareers,theyareinthenarrowerpartoftheorganizationalpyramid.Inthefirsthalf,thewiderbaseoftheorganizationalpyramidcreatesmoreopportunities.Theoperatingprincipleisthatifyouaregoodenoughtodothejobatthenextlevel,thenopportunityisnotaconstraint.Thereareenoughopportunitiesatthatlevel.Hence,careerprogressinthefirsthalfisafunctionoftheabsolute,nottherelative.Ifyouaregoodenough,thenbyvirtueofthepyramid,youwillmoveahead.However,inthesecondhalf,theorganizationalpyramidisnarrower.Feweropportunitiescomeup.Also,everytimeanopportunitycomesup,therearemanymoreclaimants.Hence,movingupisnotjustafunctionofhowgoodyouare,butalsoofhowgoodyouarerelativetoothers.Anotherfactoristhatifanopportunitycomesaroundandyoudon’tgetit,thenthepersonwhogetsitstaysinthatrolefor4–5years.Tenuresattheseniorlevelsarelonger,andsothenextopportunityoftendoesnotcomeimmediately.Tosummarize,therearefeweropportunitiesinthesecondhalfandthosefewopportunitiesaredeterminedonrelativityandnotabsolutecapability.Hence,opportunitybecomesaconstraintinthesecondhalfofyourcareer.

ImpactoftheBoss

Thesecondfactoristheimpactofthebossandofsupervision,whichismuchhigherinthefirsthalfthaninthesecond.Inthefirsthalf,theresultsweproducearenotjustafunctionofourcapabilitiesandwhatwedo,butalsoafunctionoftheveryactivesupervisionwegetfromourbossesandthehierarchyofourorganization.Inthefirsthalf,bossesandtheorganizationalsystemsandprocessesmakeupforweaknessesthatindividualshave,andhence,itdoesnotimpedetheircareerprogress.However,inthesecondhalf,thesupervisionthatpeoplereceivefromtheirbossesandothersintheorganizationislimited.Resultshavetobeproducedbasedonyourowncapabilities,andimpactcanbemeasuredfarmoreaccurately.Thereisnobodytocompensateforweaknesses,whichareoftenexposedatthisstage,andsopeople‘fail’moreofteninthesecondhalvesoftheircareers.

PreparationfortheNextLevel

Thethirdfactoristhepreparationrequiredtosucceedatthenextlevel.Inthefirsthalvesofcareers,thenext,higherroleissomewhatsimilartothecurrentrole,andsothecurrentroleoftenallowsadegreeofpreparationforthenext.E.g.somebodycouldgofrombeinganassistantbrandmanagertoabrandmanagerorfromanareasalesmanagertoaregionalsalesmanagerforalargergeography.Ineachoftheseexamples,thecurrentlevelofferedtheopportunityforadegreeofpreparation,asthenextlevelissimplyamorecomplex,higher-scaleversionofthecurrentjob.However,inthesecondhalvesofcareersatseniorlevels,thenextjobisoftenfundamentallydifferentfromthepreviousone.ItcouldbeatransitionfrombeingheadofsalestobeingaCEO,whichisthetransitionfrombeingafunctionalexperttoabusinessleader.Itcouldbeatransitionfrombeingaplantheadtobeingtheheadoftheend-to-endsupplychain,atransitionfromtechnicalskillstoamorestrategicandholisticresponsibility.Ineachofthese,thecurrentjoboftheindividualdoesnotpreparethemadequatelytosucceedatthenextlevel,andsopeopleoftenhavetolearnaftergettingthereinordertosucceed.Thisisanotherkeyreasonwhypeopleexperiencemoresuccessinthefirsthalvesandmorefailureinthesecondhalvesoftheircareers.Toreiterate,thethreefactorsthatexplainwhymostpeoplesucceedinthefirst

halvesoftheircareers,andveryfewinthesecond,asexplainedaboveare:thenatureoftheorganizationalpyramid,theimpactofthebossandsupervisorsand,lastly,thepreparationrequiredtosucceedateachlevel.Solet’slookatthetwoconclusionsthatwehavearrivedat:

1. Themoresignificantcareerachievementsareofteninthesecondhalfofthecareer.

2. Mostpeoplesucceedinthefirsthalvesoftheircareers,veryfewinthesecond.

Thetwotogethersetupthecareerchallengeformostpeople:whereyouneedtosucceediswhereitismoredifficulttosucceed.Thesecondhalfiswhereyouneedtosucceedandyetthatiswhenitismoredifficulttosucceed.Andhence

youneedacatalyst,thecatalystoffoundation-buildinginthefirsthalf,toensuresuccessinthesecondhalf.Whilethesuccessthatmattersissuccessinthesecondhalf,thefoundationof

thatsuccessisoftenlaidentirelyinthefirsthalf.Fartoooften,peoplegettothesecondhalvesoftheircareers,recognizethattheydonothavethenecessaryskillsandcapabilitiestosucceedthereandcometothepainfulrealizationthatitistoolatetopickuptheseskillsandcapabilities.Theyhavenotinvestedintherightfoundationinthefirsthalves,onwhichthepillarsofsuccessinthesecondhalvesarebuilt.Themostvisiblesymptomofthisisthespectreofpeoplepasttheageoffiftynearingtheendoftheircareerswhooftenstagnateandarenotabletocontributemeaningfully.Mostly,thesepeoplealsorealizethattheyfailtokeepupandcontribute,butdespitetryinghard,theyfailtoacquiretheskillsatthatagetomakeadifference.Thisisvisibleinmostorganizations,especiallyinmorehumaneorganizationswhichletsuchpeopleserveouttheirtenureandretiregracefully.Youngstersintheseorganizationsoftenlookatthesepeopleandsniggeramongthemselves.Inprivateconversations,theyareoftenreferredtoasthe‘oldguard’or‘passengers’.Whatisinterestingisthattheseyoungstersareusuallynotthinkingofhowtheycanbuildtheirfoundationsinthefirsthalvestoavoidthesametrapofturningintothe‘oldguard’oftomorrow.

WhatAreYouManagingYourFirstHalffor?

Successinthesecondhalvesofpeople’scareersislargelyafunctionofthefoundationandpillarsbuiltinthefirsthalves.Thismeansthateveryperson,inthefirsthalfofhisorhercareer,mustbefocusednotonlyonwinningthenandthere,butmusthaveaverysharpfocusonbuildingthefoundationforsucceedingwhenitmatters.Iwantyoutopauseforaminuteandanswerthisquestion:‘AmImanagingmyfirsthalftosucceedinthefirsthalf,oramImanagingmyfirsthalftosucceedinthesecond?’Reflectonthisquestionforawhileandgetaclearanswerforyourself.Theidealanswertothisquestionisobvious.Asexplainedearlier,mostpeople

succeedinthefirsthalvesoftheircareers,andsothereislittlemoretobegainedbyfocusingallyoureffortsinthefirsthalfforimmediatesuccess.Equally,wehaveconcluded,thegreatercareerachievementsareofteninthesecondhalf,and

veryfewsucceedinthesecond.Basedonthis,onewouldthinkitwouldbeobviousthatmostpeoplewouldspendsomeoftheirfocusinthefirsthalvesonpreparingtosucceedinthesecond.Unfortunately,inmyexperience,thisdoesnothappen.MostpeopleIobservearesobusychasingtheirtailsthattheyhardlybuildthefoundationrequiredtosucceedwhenitmatters.Theydon’tfocusonbuildingthefoundationinthefirsthalf,whichisthecatalystforsuccessinthesecondhalf.Thequestionthenis,ifitissoobviousthatthereistremendousROIin

focusingonfoundation-buildinginthefirsthalfratherthanchasingshort-termcareersuccess,thenwhyisitnotpractised?Ibelievetherearethreereasonsforthis:inabilitytodelaygratification,beingintheratraceofcomparingselfwithothersand,lastly,lackofknowledgeandguidanceinbuildingthefoundation.

DelayingGratification

Focusingonfoundation-buildinginthefirsthalfdoesrequirethemindsetoffoundation-buildingand,sometimes,theabilitytodelaygratification.Letmemakeacoupleofanalogiestoexplainthis.Let’stakeajuniorartistwhoisapprenticingunderaseniorartist.Inart,allthe

kudosalwaysgoestotheseniorartist,whoisthefaceoftheartform.Thejuniorspendsafewyearswiththeseniorandlearnskeyskillsonarapidbasis.Butthereisagnawingthoughtinthebackofthemind—‘WhenwillIgetrecognizedasagreatartist?’Alltherecognitiongoestotheseniorartist,evenifthearthasbeencreatedjointly.Togetrecognition,however,thejuniorartisthastobreakfreeanddohisorherownwork.Thatwouldbringrecognition,butthatistheendofthelearningintheapprenticeship.Ifajuniorartistbreaksfreetooearlybecauseheisnotabletomanagethethoughtofnotbeingrecognized,thenhemightgetsomeearlyrecognition,buthewouldn’thavebuiltthefoundationforasuccessfulcareerinartforfiftyyears.Thisisaboutthemindsetofdelayinggratification—themindsetthatsaysthatIcanlivewithoutrecognitionforafewmoreyears,butbybeinganapprenticeIwillinvestinmyfoundation-buildingduringthisperiodsothatIamsuccessfulinthelongerterm.Anotheranalogyistheliteralanalogyoffoundation-buildingforatowerora

monument.Themorecomplex,tallerandmoreimposingthebuildingyouwant

monument.Themorecomplex,tallerandmoreimposingthebuildingyouwanttomake,themorethetimerequiredinpreparingthedrawings,planningtheconstructionandthenlayingthefoundationundertheground.Often,foracomplexbuilding,overhalfthetimecouldbespentplanning,preparingdrawingsandinthefoundation-buildingprocess.Tillthatisdone,thereisnothingtangibletoshow.Ifsomebodydoesnothavethepatienceforfoundation-building,andtheyshort-circuittheprocess,theymightputupatallbuilding,butinallprobability,itwillcrashsoon.Constructingatallbuildingrequiresthatyouspendenoughtimeplanning,drawingandbuildingthefoundation.Careersarelikethat—tobuildatallcareer,enoughtimehastobespent

preparing,planning,apprenticingandbuildingthefoundation.Thescienceofthatandthelogicofthatareoftenintuitivelyunderstoodbymostpeople.However,despitethatunderstanding,manypeopledon’tdoitbecausetheydon’thavethemindsetthatcandelaygratificationinthepreparationandfoundation-buildingphase.Thelackofthismindsetiswhy,despiteitbeingsoobvious,mostpeopledonotspendtimeinthefirsthalfbuildingforthesecondhalf.Instead,theymistakenlyfocusonsuccessinthefirsthalf.

ThePressuretoBetheBest‘Rat’intheRace

Thesecondreasonwhypeopledonotfocusonfoundation-buildinginthefirsthalfistheconstantneedtobeintheratraceandwinit.Unfortunately,inmostcases,themarkerswesetforhowwellwearedoinginthefirsthalfarenotdefinedbyhowwearelearning,whatexperiencewearebuilding,whichskillsweareacquiringorhowwearesettingourselvesupforsustainablesuccessthroughfoundation-building.Instead,theyaredefinedbyhowwearedoingintheratrace,howourcareerislookingversusourpeers’,howmanypromotionswehavehadversusanotherpersonwhoisofasimilarprofile,etc.Thisneedforconstantcomparisonwithothersandforwinningtheshort-termratraceisoftentheprimaryreasontheymakepoorchoicesinthefirsthalvesoftheircareers—choiceswhichmakethemthinktheyarewinningtheracethenandthere,butwhicharenotgoodforfoundation-buildingandhenceactuallyreducetheirabilitytowintheracewhereitmatters—thesecondhalf.

LackofKnowledgeandGuidance

Thethirdreasonforpeopletonotfocusonfoundation-buildinginthefirsthalfisactuallythelackofknowledgeandguidanceonhowtodoso.Thereisverylittlequalityguidance,mentorshipandtabulatedknowledgeonhowtomanageone’scareerinthefirsthalfforsuccessinthesecondhalf.Howdoesonemaketherightchoices?Whatdoesfoundation-buildingmean?Whichskillsandknowledgearerelevant?Whatistherightbalancebetweenwidthanddepth?Therearemanysuchquestions.Often,thekeyquestioninpeople’smindis,ifIamlettinggoofsomethingthatlookslucrativehereandnow,thenhowdoIknowwhatIamdoinginsteadisindeedbuildingmyfoundation?Sometimes,peopledorelyontheirseniorswithinthecompaniestheyworkforsuchguidance,butthechallengeinthesesituationsisoftentheimpartialityoftheguidance.Istheguidanceimpartial,orisitmotivatedbytheinterestsoftheorganizationandtheseniors?Andeveniftheadviceisimpartial,istherecipientwillingtobelievethat?Letussupposethereisafinancemanagerwhohasspenttimelearningsupplychainfinanceandthesalessideoffinancefortenyearsinalargecompany.Oneday,outoftheblue,asmallcompanywantsthatpersontobetheCFO.Itispossiblethatpeoplewithinthecompanyadvisethatpersonoftheneedtostilllearntreasuryandaccounting,andthatthelearningisincomplete.However,thechallengeforthepersonistobeabletodistinguishbetweengenuineadviceandaneffortbytheorganizationtopreventthatpersonfromleaving.Itisindeedverydifficulttoknowthat,toknowifitisgenuineornot.Onlywhenindividualshaveenoughknowledgeoftheprinciplesoffoundation-buildingwilltheyhavetheabilitytoprocessthatadviceandselecttherightone.Insummary,thereisafundamentalknowledgelacunainwhatittakestobuild

thefoundationtosucceedinthesecondhalf.Amajorfocusofthisbookinthesucceedingchaptersistofillthisknowledgegap.However,themindsettodelaygratificationandtheabilitytonotbeintheratraceallthetimeareaspectsyouwillhavetobuildintoyourpersonalitiesandintoyourbehaviours.Theseaspectsareasimportantforsuccessastheknowledgeyouwillgainfromthisbook.

UnleashtheCatalyst

UnleashtheCatalyst

1. Totrulysucceedinyourcareer,youneedtowinwhenitmatters,whichisthesecondhalf.Mostpeoplewininthefirsthalf,veryfewinthesecond.

2. However,successinthesecondhalfdoesnothappenbasedonwhatyoudointhesecondhalf.Ithastobecatalysedbythefoundation-buildingyoudointhefirst.

3. Foundation-buildinginthefirsthalfiseasiersaidthandone.Therearethreekeybarrierspeoplehavetoovercometodothefoundation-building:

a. Inabilitytodelaygratification.b. Thepressureofwinningtheratrace.c. Lackofknowledgeandsuitableguidanceonhowtodo

foundation-building.

Thenextfewchapterswillfocusontheknowledgeoffoundation-building.However,theinabilitytodelaygratificationandthetemptationtobeintheratracearebarriersthatyouhavetoovercomeyourself.

6

FirstHalfIstheCatalystHalf

Ayoungmanager,withaboutfiveyearsofexperience,oncecametomeforadvice.Ayearago,hehadmovedtoafactoryafterfouryearsatthecorporateoffice.Withinayearofmovingtothefactory,heheardthathisearlierbossinthecorporateofficewasleaving,andthecompanywantedhimtocomebackandtakeupthatrole.Hewasnotsurewhattodo.Hehadspentjustoneyearatthefactory,butthemoreseniorcorporaterolethatwasbeingofferedtohimaheadoftimewastempting.Shouldhestayinthefactoryandcompletehisfoundation-buildingthereorshouldhetakethemoreseniorcorporaterole,whichprovidedapromotionandmoreseniormanagementexposure?Thisisthekindofquestionpeopleoftenfaceintheircareersinthefirst

halves.Thechallengetheyfaceisthattherearenoclearprincipleslaidoutonhowtotakesuchdecisions.Andintheabsenceofsuchprinciples,peoplemostoftenchoosehigherpromotions,higherpayandwhatevermakesthemfeelmoresuccessfulintheircareersthenandthere.Inthepreviouschapter,weestablishedtheneedforfocusingonfoundation-buildinginthefirsthalf,whichbecomesthecatalystforsuccessinthesecondhalf.Thequestionis,whataretheprinciplesoffoundation-building,andhowcanonehelppeoplemakecareerdecisionskeepingthecatalystoffoundation-buildinginmind?Thereareasetofthreecareermanagementprincipleswhich,ifyouadoptin

yourfirsthalf,caneasilycatalysefoundation-buildingforthesecondhalf.ThesethreeprinciplesthatIstronglyadvocateare:focusondepthoverwidth,completemajorlearningcyclesandgetouttherewhenyoucan.

DepthoverWidth

Thefirstcareermanagementprincipleforfoundation-buildingis‘depthoverwidth’.Inmyjudgement,depthinafewthingsinthefirsthalfofyourcareerismuchbetterforbuildingthefoundationthanwidthinmanythings.Isaythatbecausedepthbuildsskills,whilewidthprimarilybuildsknowledgeandinformation.Ibelievethatintheerawearein,itisprimarilyskillsandcapabilitiesthatdeterminelong-termsuccess.Knowledgehasbecomeuniversalandaccessibleandisnolongerthedriveroflong-termsuccess.LetmegiveyouanexampleofwhatImean.Alotofpeopleintheearly

stagesoftheircareersgettodofront-linejobs.Let’sassumetherearetwopeople,AmitandVijay,whospendthreeyearsinfront-linesales.AmitspendsthethreeyearsinthesamecitymanagingthesameproductlinesandaccountswhileVijayspendsthethreeyearsinthreedifferentcities,oneyearineach.Vijaygainsalotofknowledgeandinformation.Hefindsouthowthemarketisdifferentindifferentcities,howtheproductlinesthatsellineachcityaredifferentandhowtheretailersofeachcitybehavesomewhatdifferentlyfromthoseinothercities.Hepicksupamuchhigherwidthofinformationandknowledge.Amit,ontheotherhand,acquirestheknowledgeofonlyonecity,andhencehaslesswidthofinformationandknowledgecomparedtoVijay.However,Amit,byvirtueofhavingspentthreeyearsindepthinthesamecity,buildsbetterskillsandcapabilities.E.g.Amit,inthesecondandthirdyear,willbeabletoassessandlearnfromtheimpactofwhathedidinthefirstyear.Hewillbeabletoseewhatworkedwellandwhatdidnotinsubsequentyears.Thatunderstandingallowshimtobuildtheexperiencealgorithm,andifhecanuseTMRRinadisciplinedway,thenthealgorithm-buildingisevenstronger.ComparethattoVijay,who,becauseheisnotinthesamecitythenextyear,cannotassesstheimpactofwhathedidinthepreviousyearandhencecannotbuildthesamequalityofalgorithm.Whathappenswhenthesetwopeoplegettothesecondhalvesoftheircareers?Vijay,whospenttimeinthreedifferentcities,getstothesecondhalfwithalotofinformationandknowledge,butnotastrongexperiencealgorithm,whileAmitgetstothesecondhalfwithlessknowledgeandinformation,butwithastrongeralgorithm.Andwhatdrivessuccessinthesecondhalfisthequalityofthealgorithmyoucomewith.Knowledgeiseasilyavailable,informationcaneasilybefoundinthisInternetera,anditisnotaprerequisiteforsuccessinthesecondhalf.Infact,toomuchknowledgecanbea

barrierattimes,asknowledgeandinformationiscontinuouslychanging,andifyouareaprisonerofpastknowledge,thenyouarenotabletoacceptnewknowledgeandinformationeasily.Whatyouwouldratherhaveinyoursecondhalfisthefoundationalskillsandtheexperiencealgorithmthatgivesyoutheabilitytoanalyseanddealwithanyknowledgepoolthatyouhavetoface.TheotherdifferencethatdevelopsbetweenAmitandVijayistheskillof

capturinghigh-hangingfruit.Ihavealwaysbelievedthatthefirstyearofanyjobyoudoistheeasiestyearfortworeasons.One,therearetypicallylowexpectationsinthefirstyear,andhenceitiseasiertomeetthem.Theotherreasonisthatinthefirstyear,onecanhavesuccessbyfindinglow-hangingfruit.Inanysituationinanewjob,itisrelativelyeasytofindsomethingthatisnotworkingwellorsomethingthatisanobviousthingtodo,basicallylow-hangingfruit,andfocusingonthatmakesyousuccessful.However,ifyoudothesamejobforthreeyears,itbecomesdifficulttofindlow-hangingfruitinthesecondandthirdyears,whichmeansperforceonehastobecomeskilledandexperiencedatfindinghigh-hangingfruitandinpluckingit,solvingproblemsforitandcreatingvalue.Nowimagineapersonwho,inthefirsthalfofhisorhercareer,hasdonemanyjobs,eachforbriefperiods,andsohasprimarilylearntonlytofindandsolveforlow-hangingfruit.Whensuchapersongetstothesecondhalf,wheresuccessdoesnotcomeeasy,where,tobesuccessful,youhavetobeabletofindhigh-hangingfruitandsolveproblemsforit,theyarenotabletodoit.Theyhaveneverbuilttheskillrequiredforthat,aclassiccaseofnotbuildingthefoundationinthefirsthalfforsuccessinthesecondhalf.Soitisveryimportant,inyourfirsthalf,tofocusondepthincareer

management.Manageyourcareersothatyougetrelativelylongperiodsinrolesandyouacquiresignificantdepthinsomefunctionalareas—whichenablesskillandalgorithm-building—forthesearethefoundationsyouneedtobuildtocatalysesuccessinthesecondhalfofyourcareer.Equally,donotfallintothetrapofchasingwidthinthefirsthalfofyourcareer.Theneedtobeintheratrace,theneedtofeelcontinuouslysuccessful,canoftenpushyoutomakingcareerdecisionswhereyouexperiencealotofwidth,manyjobs,manycompanies,manycitiesandmanyfunctions.Thiswillbuildalotofknowledge,butunfortunately,thisisunlikelytobeeffectiveinthefoundationalskillandalgorithm-buildingthatyourequire.Suchpeoplefeelhyper-successfulinthefirsthalf,theyfeeltheyareaheadintheratrace,andthengettothesecondhalf

firsthalf,theyfeeltheyareaheadintheratrace,andthengettothesecondhalfandgetashock.Theyhavesimplynotbuiltthealgorithmandskillstosucceedthere,andtheratracecomestoastop.

CompleteMajorLearningCycles

Thesecondprincipleofcareermanagementinthefirsthalfdealswithhowyoumanagelearningcycles.Therearetwokeythingstomanagetoensurethatyourcareerbenefitsfromlearningcycles.

1. Areyoutakingcareerdecisionsinyourfirsthalfinawaythatresultsinyouexperiencingfull,end-to-endlearningcycles,asopposedtoexperiencingmanyhalfandincompleteones?

2. Areyourcareerdecisionsmaximizingtheopportunitytoparticipateinmajorlearningcyclesandtofullyjuicetheonesyouparticipatein?

Startingwiththefirst,inmyjudgement,theexperiencealgorithmicbenefitoffulllearningcyclesismanytimeshigherthanthatofmanyhalfcycles.Goingthroughtwohalflearningcyclesisnotequaltoonefulllearningcycle.E.g.let’ssayinanewproductlearningcycle,youlearnhowtospottheopportunityanddevelopthebrief,doproductdevelopmentandtesting,andthenyouchangerolesorjobs.Thenwithanothernewproduct,youlearnhowtobuildalaunchstrategy,launchinthemarket,askforfeedbackandtakecorrectiveaction.Onpaper,youhaveexperiencedthefullproductlearningcycle,butintwohalves.Experiencingalearningcycleintwohalvesissignificantlylesseffectivethanexperiencingafulllearningcycleend-to-endinonego.Thereasonforthisisinhowitaidsalgorithm-building.Ifyouparticipateintwohalflearningcycles,youmightlearnalltheactivitiesconcerningthatprocessandinitiative,butyoudonotgettounderstandhowthedecisionsyoumadeinthefirsthalfofthelearningcycleworkedout.YoudonotgettheopportunitytoapplyTMRRinaholisticway,andhenceyousignificantlyreducethealgorithm-building.Ifyoufindthatyourcareerdecisionsarerepeatedlymakingyouexperienceseveralincompletelearningcycles,thenyouareriskingfailureinthesecondhalfofyourcareer.Havingestablishedthat,itwouldbeimpossibleinyourcareertocomplete

everysinglelearningcycleyouhavetheopportunitytobeapartof.Youwould

havetoleavemidwayasyouchangerolesormovealonginyourcareer.Sowhilethepreferredsituationistoachievethecompletionofalllearningcycles,thequestionis,ifyoudohavetoexitmidway,thenwhatisthekeyguideline?Myadviceistoneverwalkoutofamajorlearningcycleinyourcareer.Overall,youwillexperiencemanycyclesinalongcareer.However,amongallthosecycles,therewouldbeonlyafewmajorlearningcycles.Majorlearningcyclesarethosewhicharecareer-defining,thosethathavethegreatestimpactonbuildingyouralgorithm.Ifeelmostpeoplegettheopportunityforabout4–5majorlearningcyclesintheirentirecareerofaboutfortyyears.Thesefewmajorlearningcyclesareoftenwhatdetermineaperson’sfuturesuccess.Oneofthegreatskillsofcareermanagementistorecognizewhenyouareinamajorlearningcycle,andthentobesurethatyoudonotmakeacareerchoicethathampersthecompletionofthesaidlearningcycle.Sometimes,inthefirsthalfofyourcareer,youmightbetemptedbyapromotionoranewjobwhenyouareslapbanginthemiddleofamajorlearningcycle.Thesearethetoughestcareerdecisionstomake.Myadviceremains—wheninthefirsthalfofyourcareer,alwaysfavourwhatdrivesrealindividualgrowth,alwaysfavourcompletingthemajorlearningcycle.Sometimespeoplesaytome,‘IaminamajorlearningcycleandIwantto

completeit,butmyorganizationwantsmetodoanewjobthatwillresultinmeleavingitincomplete.’Thismighthappentoyoutoo.Evenwhenyoufindyourselfinsuchasituation,Iamoftheviewthatyoumusttrytocompletethemajorlearningcycleifyouareinone.HereishowIthinkaboutthissituation:ifyouareinamajorlearningcycle,italso,inallprobability,meansthatyouaredoingsomethingveryimportantandcriticalforthebusiness.Itishighlyunlikelythatyouareinamajorlearningcycledoingsomethingthatisunimportanttothebusiness.Hence,itshouldbepossibletohaveconversationswithyourmanagersandleadersinwhichyoutellthemthatyouwanttocompletethelearningcycleandintheprocessalsowanttomakesurethatyoucompletethecriticalinitiativeforthecompany.Mostcompaniesarereasonable,theywillactuallyappreciatesomebodyhavingsuchaviewpoint,andIamsuretheywillmorethanmakeupinthefuturefortheopportunitythatyouletgonow.Sowhenyouareinamajorlearningcycle,tryyourbesttocompleteit.Thereareveryfewmajorlearningcycleopportunitiesandtheyaretooprecioustobemissed.Inacareerspanningtwenty-fiveyears,whileIhaveexperiencedmany

Inacareerspanningtwenty-fiveyears,whileIhaveexperiencedmanylearningcycles,therehaveonlybeenfourmajorlearningcycles.Iwanttodescribesomeofthemforthebenefitofthereaders.Itwasinmyfirstcompany,AsianPaints,thatIexperiencedtwomajorlearningcyclesinaboutadecade.Thefirstwasearlyon,whenIwasabrand/productmanager.ItwasacycleinwhichIspentoverthreeyearsatago,learningthefundamentalsofmarketing,somethingthathasstoodmeingoodsteadallmylife.Mostpeopleatanearlycareerstagelikethatdonotspendthreeyearsinonerole.Idid,anditwasamajorlearningcycleforme.Iresistedthetemptationtokeepseekingchange,andIhadamentorwhohelpedmemaketherightchoicesatthatstage.ThesecondmajorlearningcycleformewaswhenIwasfortunatetobemadepartofanend-to-endorganizationtransformationproject,workingalongwithaconsultingcompany.Theprojectlastedsixmonths,possiblythemostenlighteningsixmonthsofmycareer,butthelearningcyclelastedoverthreeyears.Duringthesethreeyears,manyoftherecommendationsfromtheprojectstagewereimplemented,andIcouldcontinuouslyaddtomyalgorithmbyunderstandingwhatwedidintheprojectstagewasworkingandwhatwasnot.Inhindsight,IthinkImadeapoorcareerchoiceafterthosethreeyearsasIwasstillinasuperzoneoflearning,butwastemptedbyabiggersalaryandtitlefromanothercompany.IfeelthatifIhaddoneonemoreyearinthatlearningcycle,Iwouldhavebuiltanevenbetterexperiencealgorithmformyself.Iprobablygotonly75percentofthevaluefromthatcycle.ThenextlearningcyclewaswhenIjoinedanewcompanyinaturnaroundsituation.ThebusinesswasnotperformingwellwhenIjoined,andthereweremanydayswhenIfeltitwasahopelesssituationandthatitwastakingtoomucheffortfornoreturn.Yet,withsomepersistence,Istayedthereforfouryears,effectedasuccessfulturnaroundand,intheprocess,experiencedoneofmymajorlearningcycles.Ittaughtmehowtoturnaroundanunderperformingbusiness,howtodealwithadversityandhowtomotivatepeopleindifficultsituations.MynextmajorlearningcyclewaswhenImadeacross-functionalmovefrombeingabusinessleaderallmylifetobeingtheHRheadforCadburyIndia.Thiscycleinvolvedlearninganentirelynewspaceandthencreatingvalue.Ididitforthreeyearsandsawthevaluebeingcreated,understoodwhichofmybusinessskillsmatteredinHRand,mostimportantly,gavemyselfenoughtimesothatthetheoreticalaspectsofHRactuallypenetratedthepracticalaspectsofmyleadershipstyleandchangedmeasaleader.Thegreatestimpactofamajor

leadershipstyleandchangedmeasaleader.Thegreatestimpactofamajorlearningcycleiswhenitchangesyouasahumanbeing,andIgavemyselfenoughtimeandopportunityinthatlearningcycletoseemyselfchange.

GetoutThereWhenYouCan

Thethirdprincipleformeisgettingouttherewhenyoucan.Oneofthekeyfoundationalelementsofcareermanagementisbuildingbusinessunderstandingfromthetrenches,notfromtheivorytowers.Itisvitalinthefirsthalftospendenoughtimeinthetrenches.Thiscouldbeinfront-linesalesfacingcustomers,infactoriesorinhighlytransaction-intensiveoperationalroles.Thiscouldmeanspendingtimeinchallenginglocationsthatarenotidyllictolivein.Muchlikehowyoucan’tbecomeaneffectivegeneralleadinganarmyifyoudon’thaveanunderstandingofwhathappensinthetrenches,youcan’tbecomeaneffectiveseniorleaderifyoudon’tunderstandthenutsandboltsofhowbusinesshappens.Thecriticalthingistotryanddoasmuchofthisasyoucaninthefirsthalfofyourcareer,preferablythefirstquarterofyourcareer.That’sbecausetherearemoreoperationalnuts-and-boltsrolesavailableatthatstage.Itisdifficulttogettotwentyyears’experience,realizethatyouhavenotdoneyourtimeinthetrenchesandthenfindarolesuitablefordoingthatatthatlevelofseniority.Equally,lifestageandpersonalpreferencesalsoplayarole;earlyintheircareers,peoplehavegreaterflexibilitytochooselocationsthatmightbemorechallengingtolivein,rolesthataremoreoperationalandtime-intensive,thanatalaterlifestage,whereotherprioritiesmightcomein.Successinthesecondhalfisoftenafunctionofbeingabletounderstandandrelatetowhatishappeninginthebowelsofthebusiness,thechallengesinthetrenchesandhowthestrategythatyouaredevelopingwillactuallyworkwhereitmatters—outthere.Ifyouhavenotbeenoutthereinthefoundationalstageofyourcareer,thenyouarenotgoingtobeabletoleveragethisunderstandingwhenyouneeditinthesecondhalf.Whenyoulookbackatyourfirsthalf,youmustbeabletoseethatsomeofthetimeyouspenttherewaslikeannealingsteelinafurnace—challengingandintense.Ifithasbeenacomfortablerideallthetime,itispossiblyanindicatorthatyouhavenotgotoutthereyet.Apersonalannealing,‘outthere’experienceformewasrightaftermyMBA,

duringmyfirstyearatAsianPaints.IwasoutthereinJaipurasatrainee.Right

duringmyfirstyearatAsianPaints.IwasoutthereinJaipurasatrainee.Rightinthefirstmonth,thegodownkeeperhadanexigencyandthegodownwasunmanned.Sincethecrucialfestivalseasonwasahead,Iwasaskedtomanagethegodownforthenextfewmonths.HereIwas,anMBAfromapremierbusinessschoolcountingboxesinagodown,makingsureitmatchedwhatwasintheinvoicesandeverythingthathadtobedispatchedforthedaywassentoutbeforeIwenthome.Onemightask,wasthereanyfoundation-buildingexperienceincountingboxes?Icanassureyoutherewas.Ifiguredoutinthosefourmonthsthatalotofpeoplewhodesignboxeshaveprobablynotspentenoughtimecountingboxesingodowns.Themarkingsontheboxesoftenmadeitchallengingtopicktherightones,andthebatchnumbersanddatesdidnotmakeFIFOeasy.Someproductsneversoldinfullboxes,whichmeantthateveryboxhadtobeopened,whichmeantthecountofitemsineachboxwasnotplannedwell.Icouldgoonandon,buttoputitsimply,inthemanyyearsthatfollowedandthemanyboxesIdesignedinmycareer,Ialwayskeptthatgodowninmind.Iknewwhatittooktoworkinthegodown—thetrenches,sotosay.Sothese,then,aremythreeprinciplesforfoundation-buildinginthefirsthalf

—favourdepthoverwidth,completemajorlearningcyclesandgetouttherewhenyoucan.Thebasisoftheseprinciplescomesdowntobeingclearthattheobjectiveofcareermanagementinthefirsthalfisfoundation-buildingforthesecondhalf,asopposedtosuccessinthefirsthalf.Onewayofcheckingifyouaremakingfoundation-buildingdecisionsisto

askthisquestion:howwouldyourcareerdecisionsinthefirsthalfbedifferentiftheobjectivewassuccessinthefirsthalf,insteadoffoundation-buildingforthesecondhalf?Inmanycases,thecareerdecisionsrequiredforsuccessinthefirsthalfandfoundation-buildingforthesecondhalfmightcoincide.Thesearetheeasydecisionstomake.Thechallengeiswhenyoucomeacrossasituation—thekindIdescribedatthebeginningofthischapterwhereayoungmanagerhadtochoosebetweencontinuinginthefactoryandtakingthepromotionatthecorporateoffice—wherethecareerdecisionyouhavetomaketomaximizesuccessinthefirsthalfisatoddswithwhatwillbegoodforfoundation-buildingforthesecondhalf.Myexhortationtoyou,dearreaders,ispleaseprioritizefoundation-buildingforthesecondhalf.Don’tgettemptedbylow-hangingfruit,bytheallureoflookingsuccessfulearlyinyourcareer.Itwillnotreallybeimportantbythetimeyouhangupyourboots.Makedecisionsbasedonwhat

importantbythetimeyouhangupyourboots.Makedecisionsbasedonwhatwillleadtorealindividualgrowth,whatwillimproveyourexperiencealgorithmandwhatwilldrivefoundation-building.Whenindoubt,adheretotheprinciples—favourdepthoverwidth,completemajorlearningcycleswhenyouareinthemandgetouttherewhenyoucan.

UnleashtheCatalyst

1. Foundation-buildinginthefirsthalfisthecatalystforsuccessinthesecondhalf.Tomaketherightcareerchoicesinthefirsthalf,takedecisionsthatmaximizerealindividualgrowthratherthanshort-termcareersuccess.

2. Focusingoncareerchoicesthatfavourdepthoverwidthisimportantforfoundation-building.Depthdrivesskill-building,whichismoreimportantfortheexperiencealgorithminthelongerterm.Lengthinrolesalsoallowsyoutolearnhowtogettohigh-hangingfruit,whichisimportantforsuccessinthesecondhalf.

3. Therewillbemanylearningcyclesthatyouwillexperienceinyourcareer.However,outofthesemany,therewouldbeonly4–5majorlearningcycles.Thesewillbethecareer-definingones.Itisimportanttoknowwhenyouareinoneofthem.Alwaystakedecisionsthatallowyoutocompleteamajorlearningcycle;neverleaveoneincomplete.

4. Getouttherewhenyoucan.Itisimportanttolearnthenutsandboltsofbusinessearlyinyourcareer.

7

BossesandMentorsasCatalysts

AsIobservedandanalysedthecareersofsuccessfulpeopleandlesssuccessfulpeople,onethingbecameamplycleartome—successwasnotjustafunctionofwhateachpersondid,therewasasignificantimpactthatothershadonthesuccessofpeople.Andoften,themostimportant‘other’personwasthebosstheyhadintheirfoundationalworkyears(saythefirstfifteenyearsoftheirworklife).Inthiseraofalphapeople,whobelievetheycandoanythingandeverythingbythemselves,itwasinterestingtoobservethatactually,alotofsuccessthatpeopleexperienceintheircareersisnotjustbecauseofwhattheydid,butalso,ingreatmeasure,becauseofthequalityofbossestheyhadintheirfoundationalyears.ThemoreIobservedpeople,thecleareritbecamethatthereisacatalysingimpactthatyourbossesinyourfoundationalyearshaveonyourlong-termcareersuccess.Thisisaninescapabletruth.Itisveryeasytosucceedinyourlong-termcareerifyouhavehadgreatbossesinyourfoundationalyears.Equally,theoddsoflong-termcareersuccessaresignificantlydiminishedifyouhavehadpoorbossesinyourfoundationalyears.Inaway,whatIamsayingisthatyourcareersuccessisnotjustafunctionofwhatyoudo,butisalsogreatlyimpactedbyothers.Athoughtthatisdifficulttoaccept,butasIsaid,it’saninescapabletruth.Letusfirsttrytounderstandthe‘why’ofit.Whydobossesinfoundational

yearsmakesuchadifferencetoyourlong-termcareersuccess?FromwhatIhaveseenofbossesandmanagers,therearebroadlytwokinds.Thefirsttypeofbossisonewhoisfocusedongettingresultsoutofhisorhersubordinates.Theirprimaryorientationistogetthejobdone,andsotheyfollowup,supportanddriveyoutogetresults.Thesecondtypeofbossisonewhoisequallycommittedtodeliveringresults,butdoesthatsothatyounotonlydeliverresultsbutalsolearnandbuildyourexperiencealgorithmbetterwhiledoingso.This

butalsolearnandbuildyourexperiencealgorithmbetterwhiledoingso.Thispersonprioritizesresults,butalsofocusesonaskingyouquestionsinawaythatmakesyoureflect,pushesyoutogettothesolutionsyourselfratherthangivingyoutheanswersatthefirstchanceandhasareviewprocessthatnotonlyfocusesonthedeliveryofthetask/resultbutalsoondrivinglearningforyou.Thesebosses,inaveryintuitiveway,areresponsibleforestablishingtheTMRRframeworkinyouinyourfoundationalyears.Ofcourse,theypushforthetargetandthemeasurement,butthereviewtheydoisnotjustforresultsbutalsoforlearning.Theybuildthereflectionhabitinyoubyaskingtheuncomfortableandchallengingquestions,especially‘Whatcouldyouhavedonebetter?’Theyarethecatalystsinconvertingthetimeyouspendatworkintoanexperiencealgorithmforyouwithoutyourealizingitand,moreimportantly,inestablishingtheframeworkinyourheadforeffectiveTMRRfortherestofyourcareer.Theothertypeofbossensuresthatyoudelivertheresults—youmightevengetapromotionbecauseofthat—buttheydonotaidyourconversionoftimeintoexperienceandtheyarenotenablersinestablishingtheTMRRalgorithminyourhead.Theyhavenotmadeapermanentpositivedifferencetoyou;theyhavesimplybeenmanagersforatime.Thesecondthingthatgoodbossesdoisrealizethatmajorlearningcyclesare

notjusttransformationalopportunitiesfordeliveringsuperiorbusinessperformancebutequallytransformationalopportunitiesfordevelopingtheirteams.Whensuchanopportunitycomes,youcanalmostseethemgoingintohighgearinhowtheyinvolveandengagetheirteams,andensuringthattheirteamsandsubordinatesgetasmuchoutofthemajorlearningcycleastheorganizationdoes.

NotJustMrNice

ThisbringsustoaquestionIamoftenasked,whichis,‘Whoisagoodboss?’andanopportunitytodebunkapopularmyth.Agoodbossisoftenconfusedwithaniceperson,apersonwhomakesyoufeelgood,iscaring,speakspleasantlyandcomesacrossaswhatcanbedescribedasa‘nice,decent’person.Allthesequalitiesarehighlydesirableinagoodboss,butthisisnotwhatyouareafterinyourfoundationalyears.Inthoseyears,youareinterestedinabosswhobuildsyouralgorithm,whohelpsyouexpandyourcapacitiesby

whobuildsyouralgorithm,whohelpsyouexpandyourcapacitiesbychallengingyoutooperatebeyondyourcomfortzone,whocanaskyoutheuncomfortablequestion‘Whatcanyoudobetter?’andwhodoesnotallowyoutogetintoacomfortzone.Now,inyourfoundationalyears,ifyougetsomebodywhocandothisandisalsoaniceperson,fantastic,butsometimesthat’slikeaskingforutopia.Inthefoundationalyears,ifIeverhavetomakeachoicebetweenanicepersonwhodoesnotbuildmyalgorithmandsomebodywhoseemslikeaverytoughperson,whomakesmefeeluncomfortable,butwhoiscontinuouslybuildingmyalgorithmandstretchingmeandexpandingwhatIamcapableof—then,anyday,Iwouldchoosethesecondperson.Inyourfoundationalyears,evaluateagoodbossbasedonwhattheydoforyouralgorithm,whatpermanentgoodchangetheybringinyou,andlessbywhethertheymakeyou‘feelgood’.Iofcoursedonotwantthebosseswhoarereadingthisbooktointerpretthisasalicensetonotbenice.Beingniceisagoodhumanqualitywhichallofusmustaimfor.

IsItJustLuck,Then?

This,then,bringsustothefundamentalquestion—ifagoodbossinthefoundationalyearsissoimportantforlong-termcareersuccess,thenhowdoesonegetagoodboss?That’salmostlikesayingthatalotofcareersuccessisdependentongoodluckratherthanwhatyoudo.Asitissaid,thereareonlytwothingsyoucan’tchooseinyourlife—yourparentsandyourbosses.Asanaside,itmeansthatforeverythingelsethatyoufeelunhappyaboutinyourlife,it’sachoiceyoumade,sodon’texternalizeit.Ifabossissoimportantforlong-termcareersuccess,thenisluckthedriverofcareersuccess?Isitthatmoresuccessfulpeoplearesimplythosewhowereluckytohavehadgreatbossesintheirfoundationalyearsandlesssuccessfulpeoplesimplythosewhowereunluckytohavehadlesseffectivebosses?Yes,thereisanelementofluckandserendipityinthebossesyouget,thereisnodenyingthat.Butequally,thereisalotthatyouhaveinyourownhands,andIwanttodescribewhatyoucandotocatalysetheprobabilitythatyouhaveagoodbossinyourfoundationalyears.Inaway,thisisachancetopractiseoneofthethingswediscussedinchapter

4onproductivity.Whetherornotyougetagoodbossisinyourcircleofconcern,andaswediscussed,thebestwaytodealwithwhatisinyourcircleof

concern,andaswediscussed,thebestwaytodealwithwhatisinyourcircleofconcernistofindpathstoitthroughyourcircleofinfluence.Letusthenseewhatthepossiblepathstogettingagoodbossthroughyourcircleofinfluenceare.Therearethree,andtheseareallthingsthatyoucando,thingsthatarewithinyourinfluenceandnotamatterofchance.

WhatYouSeekIsSeekingYou

Pathwayno.1togettingagoodbossistobeagoodsubordinate.Justaseachoneofusislookingoutforagoodboss,goodbossesarelookingoutforgoodsubordinates.Theyarelookingforpeoplewhocanimplementtheirvision,whohavethedrivetodeliverresultsandwhohavetheinitiativeandcapabilitytooperateindependently.Ifyoucanbeagoodsubordinate,youwillbenoticedbythegoodbossesinyourecosystem.Goodbossesalsohavealotofleverageintheorganizationstheyworkin.Iftheyspotagoodsubordinate,theyhavetheleverageandinfluencetogetthatsubordinateworkingforthemintheirteamsoon.Ihavepersonally,inmycapacityasaboss,donethisoften,andyes,Ido

considermyselfa‘good’boss.Once,Ihadaveryyoungbrandmanagerworkinginmyteamonanimportantnewlaunch.Thispersondidagoodjobandwasagreatsubordinate,asIdescribedabove.Hence,whenachancecameuplaterforamoreprestigiousroleinmyorganization,arolethatIconsideredcriticaltodrivingthegrowthvisionIhadformybusiness,Ihadnodoubtthatthispersonwastherightoneforthejob.Havingspottedagoodsubordinate,Iensuredthatthispersonworkedwithmedirectlyorindirectlyinthecomingyears.AssumingthatIwasagoodmanagerandleader,Iwassignificantlyenhancingthatperson’schanceofsuccessintheirlong-termcareerbygivingthemanopportunitytoworkcloselywithmeforalongdurationinthefoundationalyears.

WorkinCompanieswithGoodBosses

Pathwayno2togettingagoodbossistoworkinorganizationswherethereisahigherprobabilitythatmorebossesare‘good’bosses.Ifthereisacompany

higherprobabilitythatmorebossesare‘good’bosses.Ifthereisacompanywhere30percentofthemanagersaregoodbossesandanotherwhere70percentofthemanagersaregoodbosses,thenobviously,theprobabilityofgettingagoodbossishigherinthesecondcompany.Peopleoftenask,howdoyouknowwhichcompanyhasahigherpercentageofgoodbosses?Ithinkthereareaseriesofgenericindicatorssuggestiveofwhetheracompanyhasmoregoodbossesornot,anditwouldbeadvisabletolookfortheseindicatorsinthecareerchoicesyoumakeinyourfoundationalyears.Thefirstindicatoristhecompany’sstandinginthetalentmarket.Ifithasareputationforhiringhigh-qualitytalent,thenithasahigherprobabilityofhavingmoregoodbosses.Theotherindicatoristheimportancethecompanyplacesonthedevelopmentofitspeople.Arethemanagersinthecompanyevaluatedonlyontheresultstheyproduceoraretheyalsoevaluatedonhowtheydevelopandgroomtheirpeople?Thisindicatorwouldbedifficulttomakeoutfromtheoutside,butifyouaremakingacareerchoice,thenitisimportanttomakeafewreferencecheckcallstoinsiderstounderstandthisaspect.Hence,avitalpartofcareerdecision-makingisdeterminingwhichcompaniesoneshouldworkforinthefoundationalphaseofyourcareer.Inthiscontext,Iamoftenaskedwhetherapersoninthefoundationalphaseof

hisorhercareershouldworkinstart-upsorinmoreestablishedbusinesses.Thereisnoeasyanswertothissincebothhaveitsprosandcons.Theprosofworkinginstart-upsarethatthereisalotmoreentrepreneurialopportunity,theopportunitytocreatethingsforthefirsttime,theopportunitytolearnbydoingand,lastbutnotleast,thepossibilityofcreatingwealththroughstockoptionsifthecompanybecomeshighlysuccessful.Theconsofworkinginstart-upsarethatbynature,start-upsareinaphasewheretheyarechasingdeliveryofresultsfortheirownlong-termsurvival,andsothemanagersandbossestherearemainlymanagingsubordinatesforresultdeliveryratherthanmaximizinglearninganddevelopment.Equally,becauseofthecompellingneedtodeliverresults,therecanbesituationswherethemanagersarelesswillingtogivesubordinatesspacetomakemistakesandlearn.Theyaremorehands-oninsuchspaces,withlessempowermentofsubordinatesasaresult.Hence,Iwouldrecommendthatyouconsidertheseprosandconsinthecontextofthestageofyourcareerandthenmakeaninformeddecision.

RidetheGoodLuck

Thethirdpathwaytogettingagoodbossisaninterestingone.Sometimes,bysheergoodluck,weendupwithgoodbosses.Goodbossesaregolddustandifyoudoendupwithone,itisworthwhiletomakecareerchoicestotryandprolongworkingwiththatboss.Thisisparticularlyimportantinyourfoundationalyears.IhavedeployedthisstrategyagainandagainandIdobelieveIhavegainedverymuchbydoingthat.Hencetherearethreeclearpathways,threethingsyoucandotoimprovethe

probabilityofgettingagoodbossinyourfoundationalyears.Theseare—beingagoodsubordinate,workingincompaniesthathaveahigherpercentageofgoodbossesandhangingontogoodbosseswhenyoufindthem.Eachoneoftheseiswithinyourinfluence,thesearethingsyoucancatalyse,andthesearenotamatterofchance.Andgivenhowimportantagoodbossinthefoundationalyearsistolong-termcareersuccess,Iwouldurgeeachoneofyoutoactivelytrythesethreepathsandcatalyseyourrealindividualgrowthandcareersuccess.Onelastthing—theterm‘boss’isoftenusedonlyfortheimmediatemanager,butthewayIseeit,itismorethanthat.Italsocoversothersinthehierarchy,whichcouldbethemanager’smanagerandotherswhoareasrelevant,asallthesepeopleimpactthealgorithmdevelopmentofemployeesintheorganization.

MyBossesandtheImpactTheyHadonMeInmyowncareer,twoofmybosses,BharatPuriandAnandKripalu,haveplayedanextraordinaryroleindrivingmyrealindividualgrowthandhelpingmesucceed.BharatwasmyfirstbossinAsianPaintsaftermytraineestint,andhewasagreatrolemodelonhowtobalancethehardandthesoft,howtobalancetaskorientationandahumantouch,howtothinkconsumerandbrands,andsoon.Hekeptgivingme‘stretchprojects’wheneverpossible,andgavemethespacetohaveapointofview,expressmyselfandbeavoiceonthetableevenwhenIwasveryyoung.Iworkedwithhimforthefirstsevenyearsofmycareer,afairlydefiningfoundationalsevenyears.ThenhewenthisownwayandIwentmine,tastingsuccesswiththeskillshehadhelpedmedevelop.Then,

mine,tastingsuccesswiththeskillshehadhelpedmedevelop.Then,aftermanyyears,theopportunitytoworktogetheragaincamewhenIjoinedCadbury,andthatdecisionwasmotivatedbythedesiretoworkwithBharatagain,anexampleofhangingontogoodbosseswhenyoufindthem.IjoinedCadbury,butsoonlifetookanunexpectedtwist-BharatwasmovedtoSingapore,andAnandjoinedthecompanyinhisplace.Thatstartedaneight-yearrelationshipwithAnandasmyboss.Fromhim,Ilearntthepowerofvisionandambition,andthewillingnesstostretchandputyourneckonthelinewhileencouragingotherstobeambitioustoo.Ilearntfromhimtheabilitytobehighlystrategy-focused,tochoosewhatyoudoand,mostimportantly,toleadanorganizationthroughpersonalvaluesandcharisma.Thesetwogentlemen-thoroughleadersandbossesboth-havebeentrulyimpactfulinhowtheydroverealgrowthinme.Ihaveabsolutelynodoubtthatafairpartofmysuccessisthankstothesetwobosses,andnowfriends,forhavingshowntheway.

Theotherimportantpersonwhocanhelpcreatelong-termcareersuccessisamentor.Mentors,mentorshipandsoonareoftenabusedwords,usedlooselyforeverythingandanythingstartingfromafriendlychatandadvicetodeepcoaching.Idon’twanttogetintodefiningmentorship.ButIdowanttopointouttheimportanceofgoodmentorsforlong-termcareersuccess.Thekeychallengeintoday’sworldisthatcareerplanningisnotaslinear,as

predictableorassafeasitwasmaybeafewdecadesago.WedoliveinaVUCAworld,notjustfromabusinessenvironmentlensbutalsofromapeoplecareerlens.Today,thereareseveralchoicesthatpeopleareconfrontedwithintheircareers,andmanyofthesearenon-predictable,non-linearcareerchoices.Manyofthesecareerchoicesareforkswhereonewaycanleadtolong-termsuccesswhiletheothercanpossiblybehighlydetrimentaltoit.Ihaveseenalotofpeoplewithhighpotentialfailtoachievethecareersuccesstheydeservedsimplybecausetheymadethewrongcareerchoicesandthenneverrecoveredfromthem.Ifeeloverhalfthecareerchoicespeoplemakearepossiblynottherightonesfortheirlong-termrealindividualgrowthandcareersuccess.Thesechoices,however,lookrightwhenevaluatedintheshort-termandwiththelimitedexperienceandjudgementpeoplehaveinthefirsthalvesoftheircareers.Thisiswhereamentorcomesin.Theprimaryroleofamentoristohelpyou

Thisiswhereamentorcomesin.Theprimaryroleofamentoristohelpyoumakechoicesthatmaximizetheprobabilityoflong-termcareersuccess.InaVUCAworld,withcomplexcareerchoices,mentorsareimportanttohelpmakethischoice,becausemanytimes,itisnoteasytogetitrightallbyyourself.

WhoIsaMentor?

Thisbringsustothequestion,whoshouldbeamentor?Thereisatendencytobeflexibleand,ifImaysayso,tobeloosewiththis.TherearethreecharacteristicsIwouldadviseyoutolookforinamentor:

1. Amentorisnecessarilyseniortoyou,notapeerorsomebodyofsimilarprofile,butsomebodywhoisdistinctlyaheadofyouinthecareercurve.Thereasonforthisisthatyouexpectamentortoprovideadifferentviewofyourcareerfromtheoneyouhave.Let’svisualizeyourforty-yearcareerasa40km-longroadyouaretravellingon.Letussayyouhaveworkedfortenyearsandhenceyourviewofyourcareerislookingforwardfromtheten-yearpointtowardsthenextthirtyyearsinaforty-yearcareer.Inthatthirty-yearview,maybethenextfewyearscanbevisualized,butthereafter,itbecomesdifficulttovisualizeclearly.Letussayyourmentorhasworkedfortwentyyears,andhastwoviewsofyourcareer.Forthe10–20-yearpath,yourmentorhasaviewlookingbackwards,aviewdifferentfromyours.Forthe20–40-yearphase,theyhaveaviewlookingforward.Fundamentally,thismeansyouareabletogettwoviewstomakingacareerdecision—yourview,whichisaviewlookingforward,andyourmentor’s,whichisacombinationoflookingforwardandbackwards.Yourmentor’sdifferentviewcangiveyouaperspectiveonyourcareerchoicesthatmaynotbeapparenttoyou.Youcannotgetthisdifferentviewifyourmentorisnotseniortoyouoraheadofyouinthecareerpath.Yourpeersandfriendsoftenhaveasimilarprofileandtheiradviceisusefulinmakingcareerchoices,butitisoftenfromaviewwhichissimilartoyours.Agoodmentor’sadviceisinvaluableinmakingtherightcareerchoicebecauseofthedifferentviewtheybring.

2. Amentorisnecessarilysomeonewhoknowsyouwellandhencedoesnotgivegenericcareeradvice,butgivesadvicebasedonagoodunderstandingofyou.Agoodwayofthinkingisthatyoudon’twantacareercounsellor,butsomebodywhodeeplyunderstandsyou,whatdrivesyou,yourstrengthsandmotivations,whatyoucanbesuccessfulin,andhenceisabletoprovideyouaperspectivewiththatin-depthunderstandingofyou.

3. Amentorshouldnotbeinyourlineofauthorityandleadership.That’sbecauseyoudon’twantthementortohaveaconflictbetweentheirallegiancetotheorganization,theirowninterestsandwhatisrightforyou.Youwantamentortoadviseyoufromonlyonelens—whatisgoodforyouinthelongerterm—withnootherconflictofinterest.

Itisclearfromthesecharacteristicsthatgoodmentorscan’tbefoundonefineday,butmustbecultivatedovertime.Itrequiresaninvestmentfromyoursidetocultivatethatrelationshipinaselflesswayforlong-termbenefits.Ihaveseenmanypeopleneglectsustainingtherelationshipwithprospectivementorsandwhenthereisaneedtomakeanimportantcareerdecision,thereisanabsenceofthattrulytrustedandcapablementor.Youcannotexpectyourmentortobeavailabletoyouatatimeyouneedtomakeadecisionifyouhavenotkeptintouchforafewyears.Iwanttogiveexamplesofthekindofmistakesgoodmentorscanhelpavoid.

ThefirstoneisacommonmistakeIseepeoplecommitintheirfoundationalyears—tonotputthemselvesoutthere.Theytendtonottakethestretchassignment,tonotdothehighlyoperational,intensiveroleandtoprefermorecomfortable,qualitativeandstrategy-inclinedroles.IrememberhowanHRpersononcequitbecauseshewassentasanHRmanagertoaunionizedfactory.Comingfromthecorporateoffice,withitscomfortableatmosphereandfrequentinteractionswithseniormanagement,thechangetoamoredifficultfactoryenvironmentwaschallenging,wheremostofthetimeyourinteractioniswithblue-collarworkersandalotoftimeisspentresolvingproblemslikecanteenfood,bustimings,etc.Andshequit,notrealizingthatthisexperiencewascrucialtoherfoundation-buildingandtemperament-buildingforbeinganHRleaderoneday.However,thiswouldneverhavebeenapparenttoherfrom

whereshewas;itwouldrequireamentorshetrustedtoguideherthroughthatdecision.TheotherkindofcareermistakeIhaveseen,whichagoodmentorcanhelp

avoid,isallowingtheshorttermtoclouddecision-making.Achallengingfewmonthscansometimesdrivepeopletomakepoordecisions—theygetpressured,sometimestothepointofbeingdesperate,andmakepoorcareerchoices.Ortheymightjustbetemptedbywhateverlooksgood.E.g.whenitiswidelyreportedinthenewsthatastart-uphasjustraisedbigmoney,youngstersdecidetojoinitjustbecauseitlookslikethe‘inthing’atthattime.Helpingpeoplemakedecisionsthataregoodforthelongterm,withoutbeingswayedbyshort-termstimuli,isarolethatmentorscanplay.

UnleashtheCatalyst

1. Externalstakeholderslikeyourbossesandmentorsaretremendouscatalystsforrealindividualgrowthandlong-termcareersuccess.

2. Therearethreethingsyoucando,thatareinyourinfluence,toimprovethechancethatyougetagoodboss—beingagoodsubordinate,workingincompanieswhichhaveahigherpercentageofgoodbossesandhangingontogoodbosseswhenyoufindthem.

3. MentorsarecriticaltoensuringthatyoumaketherightcareerdecisionsinanincreasinglyVUCA-filledbusinessandcareerworld.Findingtherightmentorisimportant,andwhenyoufindtherightone,cultivatingyourrelationshipwiththemovertimeiscritical.

8

LongStintsatOneCompanyandtheDecisiontoQuit

Oneofthemostchallengingcareermanagementdecisionsisthedecisiontoquitfromyourcurrentjobandcompany,toeitherjoinanotherorganizationortostartyourownventure.AsImentionedinthepreviouschapter,Ihaveseenmanypeoplenotachievecareersuccesscommensuratewiththeirrealpotential.AsIobservedthesepeople’scareers,inmanycases,Ifoundthattheunderachievementwasquiteoftenduetopoorcareerdecisionsand,inmostcases,apoorlythoughtthroughdecisiononwhentoquit.Asinglepoordecisiononwhentoquitcanhaveaveryhighimpactonyourlong-termcareersuccess.Arelatedquestionis,howlongshouldoneworkinonecompany?Often,I

find,especiallyamongyoungerpeople,thefeelingthatworkingtoolonginonecompanymightbedetrimentaltoone’scareer.Theyseetheirfriendshoparoundandsometimestheyalsoconsiderchangejustbecausetheyfeeltheyhaveworkedtoolonginoneplace.Thedecisiontoquitmightberationalizedandjustifiedbyahundredotherreasons,butoften,therealunderlyingreasonisthesensethatIhaveworkedtoolonghereandnowitistimetochange.TheseareamongthepoorestcareerdecisionsIhaveseen.Sohowlongshouldoneworkinonecompany,oneorganization?Theanswer

tothatquestionliesinwhatitisdoingtoyourrealindividualgrowth,yourexperiencealgorithm.Isthelongstinthelpingyousolidifyyourexperiencealgorithmorhasitstartedtostagnateatsomestage?Inmyownjudgement,longstintsinonecompanyarehighlybeneficialtotheexperiencealgorithm.Letmeexplainwhy.Atanygivenpointoftime,whenyouareinajob,youarelearningfromthat

jobandyourexperiencealgorithmisbeingbuiltbasedonthejob/roleyouare

jobandyourexperiencealgorithmisbeingbuiltbasedonthejob/roleyouaredoing.Whathappenswhenyouhavealongstintinoneorganizationisthatafterapointoftime,youarelearningnotjustfromtherole/jobthatyouarecurrentlydoingbutfromallthepreviousrolesthatyoudidinthatorganization.Letmeexplainwithmyownexperience.InmystintwithMondelez,whichwasoverelevenyearslong,Ihadthe

privilegeofbeingcloselyassociatedwithtwobrands—CadburySilkandOreo.Ihadtheopportunitytoworkonthesebrandsintheirformativelaunchyears,andwithoutsoundingarrogant,IwouldsaythatthesetwobrandsarepossiblyamongthebestnewproductsuccessestheIndianFMCGsectorhasseeninthisdecade.ThefirsttimeIworkedonthesebrandswaswhenIwasheadingthechocolateandbiscuitcategoriesbetween2010and2013.Inthatstint,Iwascloselyinvolvedinlaunching/growingthesebrands,anditwasextremelyrewardingtoseethescorchingpaceofgrowthboththebrandshadduringthistenure.Thereafter,ImovedoutofthisroleintoanotheronethatwasintheAsia-Pacificregion,andmydirectlineofsightofthesebrandswaslimited.Afterafewyears,Icamebackasmanagingdirector,India.WhenIreturned,Iagainhaddirectlineofsighttothesetwobrands,andIcouldassesstheperformanceofboththebrandsand,moreimportantly,analysethecurrentperformancewiththelensofactionsIhadtakeninmypreviousstint.WiththedisciplineofTMRR,Iaskedmyself,‘WhatdidIdointheformativestagesofthesebrandsthatstillhaveanimpactontheirperformanceevenafterafewyears?’Andmostimportantly,‘WhatcouldIhavedonebetterattheformativestage?’Theanswerstothesequestionshelpedmeinfurtherbuildingmyexperiencealgorithmonnewproductlaunches.Toputitsimply,asmanagingdirector,Iwaslearningandbuildingmy

algorithmnotjustfrommyjobasMD,butalsofromaroleIhaddoneinthesamecompanyascategorydirector,chocolatesandbiscuits,3–4yearsago.Itmeantthatmyexperiencealgorithmwasbeingbuiltatarapidscale;itwasnotjustbeingbuiltonwhatIwasdoingatthattime,butonwhatallIhaddoneinthesamecompanyforoveradecade.That,inaway,isthesimplebenefitofalongstintinonecompany—onceyoucrossthecriticalmassofyears,say,fiveyears,youarenotjustlearningfromtherole/jobyoudobutalsofromallthepreviousrolesyouhavedoneinthatcompany.Normally,whenyouareinajob,yourexperiencealgorithmisbeingbuilt

basedonthatrole—onecancallitthelinearcurveofbuildingexperience.But

basedonthatrole—onecancallitthelinearcurveofbuildingexperience.Butwhenthelearningisnotjustlimitedtowhatyouaredoingatthatpointoftime,whenyouarelearningandbuildingtheexperiencealgorithmfromallthatyouhavedoneinthepastinthatcompany,thealgorithm-buildingbecomesanon-linear,exponentialcurve.Ihavehadtheprivilegeoftwodecadalstintsintwocompanies,andatboththeseplaces,thedecade-longtimemeantthatIdefinitelyhadtheexponentialalgorithm-buildingandveryrapidexperience-buildinginthesecondfiveyearsofthedecadeIspentinthosecompanies.Wouldthatmeanoneshouldnotquitatallandworkalltheirlifeinthesame

company?TherearesomecaseswhereIhaveseenpeopleworkinonecompanyalltheirlivesandendupwithhighlysuccessfulcareers.Butveryfewpeoplehavecareerslikethat.SowhileIdoadvocatelongstintsinorganizations,Iequallywanttohelpyoumaketherightcareerchoicesifyoudowanttochangeorganizations.Thereareasetofcareerdecision-makingguidelinesandthoughtsthatIwanttoleaveyouwithinthischapter.Mostcareersdoinvolvethedecisiontoquitandthedecisiontojoinanother

place.Animportantquestiontoconsiderinthiscontextis:arethedecisiontoquitandthedecisiontojointwodifferentdecisionsorarethesepartsofonedecision?Treatingthesetwoaspartofthesamedecisionisoftenwheremanypeoplefalterintheircareers.Inmyunderstanding,quittingandjoiningelsewhereareseparatedecisionsandmustbetakenindependentofeachother.Thatmeansthatthedecisiontoquithastobetakenfirst,andmustbetakenindependentofthedecisiononwheretojoin.InacountrylikeIndia,andindeed,inmanyothercountries,opportunityisnot

theconstraint.Atanygivenpointoftime,thereisanopportunityouttherethatlooksandfeelslikeitisbetterthanwhatyouaredoingrightnow.Istherelativeattractionofthatopportunitycomparedtoyourcurrentroleagoodenoughreasonforyoutoquityourcurrentorganization?AmongthepoorestcareerdecisionsIhaveseenpeoplemakeisthedecisiontoquitasaconsequenceofthedecisiontojoin.Therearealwaysbetteropportunitiesoutsideatanypointoftime—thatisnotreasonenoughtoquit.Takentotheextreme,youcandoitonceinawhile,quitbecauseyoufoundsomethingbetter.Butsuddenly,atsomestage,theopportunitiesdryupforsuchaperson.Moreimportantly,theprocessoffoundation-buildingandexperiencealgorithm-buildingcantakeasevereknockbecauseoftheunnecessarychange.

Ifoneweretomakethedecisiontoquitindependentlyandmakeitfirst,preferablyevenbeforeyoustartsearchingforopportunities,thenhowshouldonemakethedecisiontoquit?Ifyouwanttoquit,thenyouhavetohavetherightreasonstoquit,notreasonstojoinelsewhere.Togiveananalogy,onemusthavestrongsupply-sidereasonstoquit,notdemand-sidereasonsofjoiningelsewhere.Andaccordingtome,thedefaultmodeisnottoquit,itistostay.Theremustbecrediblereasonstoquit,ratherthanthedefaultbeingtoquitandthenfindingreasonstostay.Sowhatthenwouldbecrediblereasonstoquit?Ibelievethereareonlytwo

crediblereasonsthatcanallowyoutotakethe‘quit’decision—learningandfit.Ifatsomestage,youfeelyouarenolongerlearningandyouralgorithmisnotbuildingup,andyouaresurethatitisbecauseoftheorganizationandnotbecauseofyou,thenyoucanconsiderquittingyourcurrentorganization.Thesecondaspectis‘fit’.Whenyoufeelyourvaluesandculturenolongermatchthoseoftheorganizationandyouarefundamentallyamisfitinyourcurrentorganization,thatisthetimetoquit.Thesearetheonlytworeasonsthatshoulddriveyourreasontoquit.Itshouldnotbepay,designationandotheremotionalaspects.Mostofthesereasonswillcomeupagainandagaininyourcareer,andwilltendtofixthemselvesifyoubuildyouralgorithmandperform.Butwhenthelearningstartstostagnateorwhenyouexperienceaseriousfitissue,youshouldconsiderquitting.Itisimportanttoexaminetheseindetailandbesurethatthesefactorsarereal,

notaresultofrationalization.Sometimes,peopleexperiencenegativetriggers—itcouldbeabadproject,anewbosswhomyoudon’tlikeatapersonallevel,abadquarterofperformance,etc.Thesetriggerssometimesmakeyoufeelthatthereisnotenoughlearningandthatyoudon’tfit.Itisimportantwhenyoumakethedecisionthatyouareabletoisolatethecurrentnegativetriggeryouareexperiencingfromthemorefundamentalissuesoflearningandfit.Triggerswillcomeandgo,includinginthenewplacethatyoujoin,soyouhavetobesureaboutthefundamentalreasonsforyourdecision.Thetwocommon‘quit’mistakesIhaveseenaregettingtemptedbyan

externalopportunityandquittingwithouthavingafundamentalreasontoleaveandconfusingshort-termnegativefactorsinyourcurrentorganizationwithfundamental,long-termreasonstoquit.Inmostsuchcases,peoplemakethedecisionfirstandthencreatethereasonsforthejustification/rationalizationof

decisionfirstandthencreatethereasonsforthejustification/rationalizationofthedecision.Careerchangedecisionslikequittingyourcurrentcompanyareamongthemostimportantdecisionsyouwillmake.Youmustnotfallintoatrapofpoordecision-making—makingdecisionsfirstandthenfindingthereasonstojustifythem.Youmustobjectivelyevaluatethereasonsfirstandthencometothedecision.Inmycareer,Ihavehadtheopportunitytoguideandmentormanypeople,

andmostofthecasesIhavehadtodealwithhavebeenrelatedtothetwoquitmistakesabove.ThetechniqueIhaveusedmostoftentohelpsuchpeopleevaluatetheobjectivityoftheirdecisionissomethingIwanttodescribeusingthediagrambelow.

Asyoucansee,itisaclassic2/2matrix.Ononeaxisismycurrentorganizationandmyfutureorganizationandontheotheris‘whatisgood’and‘whatisbad’.Thisgetsyouthefourquadrantsasdescribedinthediagramabove.Whenpeoplefirstmakethedecisiontoquitandthenfindthereasonstojustifyandrationalizeit,whattendstohappenisthattheyactuallyseeonlytwoquadrantsproperly.Thosetwoquadrantsare‘Mycurrentorganization—Whatisbad’and‘Myfutureorganization—Whatcanbegood’.Inmanyways,thisisasymptomofasuperficial,poorlymadedecision—whenonlytwoquadrantshavebeenthoughtaboutbythedecision-maker.Ofteninmyroleasaguideandmentor,Igetpeopletofirstrealizethattheyhavenotthoughtwithequaldepthaboutallthefourquadrants,andthenIgetthemtothinkaboutthetwoquadrantstheyhavemissed.Gettingthemtoastateofmindwheretheyarenotfindingreasons

havemissed.Gettingthemtoastateofmindwheretheyarenotfindingreasonstojustifyadecisionalreadymade,buttoobjectivelyconsiderallthefourquadrantsandthenmakethedecision,iswhatItrytoensuresothattheymaketherightdecisionfortheirlong-termcareersuccess.Everytimeyoudecidetochangeorganizations,awayofevaluatingifyou

havemadeagooddecisionorasuperficialdecisionistoanalysethefourquadrants.Ifyoufindthatyouareveryclearaboutthetwoquadrantsthatjustifythedecisiontoquitandtakethenewopportunity,butarestrugglingtomeaningfullyfilltheothertwoquadrantsthatwouldpushyoutostay,thenthatisasymptomofadecisionthathasbeenmadefirstandthenrationalized.Agoodquitdecisionwouldbeonewhereyouareabletofillallthefourboxesclearlyandfairly,andthequitdecisionstillholds.Havingdescribedthefour-quadranttechnique,Istillwanttogobacktomy

originalpremisethatthedecisiontoquitmustbetakenindependentofthedecisiontojoin,andideallybeforethedecisiontopursueopportunitiesoutsideyourcurrentorganization.Thefour-quadranttechniqueisapplicableonlywhenyouhavenotdonethat,andhenceendupinasituationwhereyouhavetomakeadecisiontoquitwhenyouhavealreadygotanewopportunitylineduptojoin.IdowanttoclarifyherethatIamtalkingofthedecisiontoquitandnotactualquitting.Actualquittingissomethingyoucandoeitheratthetimeyoumakethedecisiontoquitorafteryoufindanewopportunity—thatisyourchoice.Let’sassumethatyouhavemadethedecisionto‘quit’independentofand

priortothedecisionto‘join’.Whatthenshouldbetheguidelinesonwheretojoin?WhatIhaveobservedisthatmostpeoplemakethe‘join’decisionbasedonpay,designation,role,careerprospects,reputationoftheprospectivecompany,etc.Ifweweretogobacktoourcoreprinciple—thatwhatdriveslong-termcareersuccessisrealindividualgrowth—thenisitnotimportantthattheopportunityandenvironmentforrealindividualgrowthbeconsideredimportantcriteriainthe‘join’decision?Pleasemakesureyouevaluatethenewopportunitybasedonhoweffectiveitwillbeinbuildingtheexperiencealgorithm,howlikelyitistoprovideyoumajorlearningcyclesandhowlikelyyouaretogetgoodbossestherewhowouldbuildyourfoundationanddriveyourlearning.Thesearemoreimportantaspectsinevaluatingthe‘join’decisionthanpay,designationandcareerprospects.Theotherkeydimensiontoconsiderinthe‘join’decisionisthe‘fit’

dimension.Ifindthatpeopleunderemphasizetheimportanceofthissofter

dimension.Ifindthatpeopleunderemphasizetheimportanceofthissofterdimensioncomparedtotheharderones.Mostpeoplemistakenlyassumethatifyouaresuccessfulinoneenvironment,thenyouwouldbeequallysuccessfulinallenvironments.Thisisnotthecase.Mostofusarewiredtosucceedmoreinsomeenvironments/culturesthanothers.Veryfewwomenandmencansucceedinallenvironments.Ihavemadethismistakeonceandrealizeditthehardway.Equally,Ihaveseenothersmakethismistake.Manyyearsago,Ihadanabsolutesuperstarworkinginmyteamwhoquitandjoinedacompanythatwasmuchmorereputedonpaper.Intwoyears,thatpersonwasstrugglingtodeliveranyimpactinthenewcompanyandhiscareertookaknock,whichwasdifficulttocompensateforinthefuture.Somysincererequestis,pleasemakeanefforttounderstandhowgoodafityouareinthenewcompanyandenvironment.Istheculturetheregoingtobeatailwindforyoursuccessorisitgoingtobeaseriousheadwind,giventhekindofpersonyouare?Anddonotignoresignalsthatsayyouwon’tfit—youcanbeassuredthattheywillcomebackandbiteyoulater.

MyQuitandJoinDecisions

IwanttodescribesomeofthequitandjoindecisionsImadeinmylifeasexamplesforreaderstounderstandgoodandbaddecisions.IstartedinAsianPaintsandspentclosetoadecadethere.Mydecisiontoquitthecompanywasapoorone.Firstly,Imadethemistakeofnotmakingthequitdecisionindependentofthejoindecision.ThequitdecisionwasdrivenbyafancytitleandpayfromGECountrywide,aconsumerfinancecompany.ThefundamentalreasonstoquitAsianPaintswereabsent.Iwasexperiencingtremendouslearningthereandhadagreat‘fit’withthecultureandvalues.Equally,ontopofapoorquitdecision,Itookapoorjoindecision,inwhichIdidnotevaluatemyfitwiththenewcompany.ItwasapparenttomeonjoiningthatIhadzerofitwiththatcompany,whichhadaverydifferentcultureandvalues.Thenextcareerdecision,hence,wastoquitGECountrywideandjoinMirc

Electronics(Onida).Thequitdecisionwasobvious,asstatedabove,duetothelackoffit,butthejoindecisionwasnoteasyforme.Ihadtwooffers,onefromOnidaandtheotherfromamorepedigreed,reputedorganization,butforaslightlylower-leveljob.Ididagonizeoverthejoindecision,andfinallychoseOnidaforthehigherscaleandcomplexitytheroleprovided,whichIthought

Onidaforthehigherscaleandcomplexitytheroleprovided,whichIthoughtwouldhelpmyalgorithm-building.AnditwasprovenrightasIbuilttremendousexperiencethere.IspentfouryearsinOnidaandthenmadethequitdecisionwellbeforethe

joindecision,wellbeforeIstartedlookingforopportunities.Thequitdecisionwasdrivenbylearningstagnation,asIknewthatinOnida,apromoterorganizationwithapermanentCEO,Ihadlimitedopportunitiestoprogresstohigher-order,morecomplexrolesformylearning,andthatIwouldbedoingthesamejobthatIhaddoneforthepreviousfouryearsinthefutureaswell.Havingmadethequitdecisionindependently,IthenmadethejoindecisionwithCadbury.Again,itwasadecisionbasedonlearningandfit.IknewCadburywouldproviderealindividualgrowthopportunities.IalsoknewthatIhadatremendousfitwiththeculture,havingknownmanypeoplethere.Iemphasizedlearningandfitandhence,didnothesitatetomoveatalateralleveltoCadbury,asIknewthatoncelearningandfitfallinplace,everythingelsefollows.

UnleashtheCatalyst

1. Careerdecisions,includingthedecisiontochangecompanies,areamongthemostimportantdecisionsyouwilltakeandusuallyimpacthowsuccessfulyouareinyourcareer.Therightdecisionswillmaximizerealindividualgrowthandthewrongdecisionswillcurtailit.

2. Inthatcontext,Idobelievelongstintsinthesamecompanyarehighlybeneficialtotheexperiencealgorithm-buildingbecausetheexperiencecurvemovesfrombeingalinearcurvetoanexponentialcurveinlongstints.

3. Thedecisiontoquityourcurrentorganizationandthedecisiontojoinanewonearetwodifferentdecisions.Theyarebestmadeindependentofeachother.Ideally,thedecisiontoquitmustbemadeevenbeforeyoustarttoexploreandconsideroutsideopportunities.

4. Thedecisiontoquityourcurrentorganizationshouldbedrivenbythefundamentalreasonsoflearningandfit.Learningisaboutsayingyourexperiencealgorithmgrowthhassloweddownandfitisaboutvaluesandculture.Otherreasonslikepay,designationandnegativetriggerslikea

temporarybadphaseshouldhavealowerweightageinthequitdecision.5. Thefourquadranttechniqueisagoodwayofevaluatingifyouhave

madeasounddecisionorifyouhavemadethedecisionfirstandthenfoundreasonstojustifyit.

6. Forthejoindecision,evaluatingprospectivelearningandfitinthenewcompanyismoreimportantthanpayandotherprospects.Willthenewplaceaccelerateyourrealindividualgrowth?Willthenewplacehaveacultureandvaluesystemwhereyouwillfitinandfinditeasytodeliverin?

UnleashingtheCatalyst:SummarizingPartsIandIIandSettingUpPartIII

InPartI,wehavecoveredthemeanstodrivingrealindividualgrowth.Thethreeimportantconceptsinthiscontextare:1. Convertingtimeintoexperienceistheverybedrockofrealindividual

growth.AneffectiveTMRRmodelisthekeytoconvertingthetimeyouarespendingatworkintoanexperiencealgorithmthatwilldriveyoursuccessinthefuture.

2. ApplyingtheTMRRalgorithmonmajorlearningcyclesisanexponentialwaytodriverealindividualgrowth.

3. Justbuildingtheexperiencealgorithmisnotenough;youhaveto,inparallel,increaseyourproductivity.Productivityisthemeansthroughwhichyoucanconverttheexperiencealgorithmintoresults.Thekeytogrowingproductivityistofocusonthecircleofinfluenceandtomakesureyouallocateyourtimetotherocks.

However,fantasticrealindividualgrowthhastobebackedbygoodcareermanagementdecisionsandapproach.Thekeytothatistomakecareerdecisionsbasedonwhatdrivesrealindividualgrowth.InPartII,wecoveredwhatthekeyprinciplestothisendare:

1. Incareers,winwhenitmatters—whichisthesecondhalf.Itispossibletowininthesecondhalfonlyifyoudofoundation-buildinganddriverealindividualgrowthinthefirsthalf.

2. Todofoundation-buildinginthefirsthalf,makecareerchoicesthatfocusondepthoverwidth,ensurecompletionofmajorlearningcyclesandgetouttherewhenyoucan.

3. Gettinggoodbossesiscrucialtofoundation-building,andmentorsarecrucialinmakingtherightdecisionsintheVUCAworldofcareersandbusiness.

4. Longstintsinonecompanycanhaveapositiveandexponentialimpactonbuildingyourexperiencealgorithm.

5. Thedecisionstoquityourcurrentcompanyandjoinelsewherearecrucialandmustbedoneright.Togetthemright,focusonseparatingthequitdecisionfromthejoindecision.Thequitdecisionmustbebasedontheabsenceoflearningandfitinyourcurrentworkplace.Thejoindecisionmustbebasedonopportunitiesforrealindividualgrowthandthepotentialfit,nottitleorpayorothertrappings.

Ifyoumakecareerdecisionsbasedontheaboveprinciples,basedonalwaysaskingwhatwillhelpdriverealindividualgrowth,youwillmakegoodcareerdecisions.Thecombinationofapowerfulexperiencealgorithm,highproductivityand

goodcareerdecisionscansetyouupforextraordinarycareersuccess.Thatbringsustothelast,butveryimportant,sectionofthebook.Wehaveallheardofthework–lifeequation.Oneofmyfirmbeliefsisthatthelifepartofwork–lifehasahugeimpactonthesuccesspeopleachieveintheworkpart.Itisahighlyerroneousnotionthatsuccessatworkisonlybecauseofwhatyoudoatwork.PartIIIwilltalkabouthowyoucanmakeyourlifeacatalysttohelpyouachievemoresuccessatworkand,indeed,inlife.

PARTIII

9

ThePowerofLifeasaCatalyst

‘Work–Lifebalance’isamuchbandiedaboutterm,andoftenusedlooselywithoutadequaterigour.Itisatermwhich,whilebeingneutralinitswording,isoftenusedtoconnotehowworktakesawayfromlifeandhow,topreservethebalance,itisimportanttoworklessandhavemoreofalife.Thistermhasalmostalwaysbeenusedinaone-dimensionalwayinwhichitconveystheimpactofworkonlife.Itisseldomusedinamoreholisticway,whichnotonlycoverstheimpactofworkonlifebutalsocoversthereverse—theimpactoflifeonwork.Inmyexperience,theimpactofworkonlifeismuchlessthantheimpactoflifeonwork.Firstly,letmestartbyexplainingwhyIthinkso.Whenwethinkoftheimpact

thatworkhasonlifeandtrytoimprovethework–lifebalance,wearefocusedonafewkeythings.Firstandforemost,mostpeopletrytoreducethetimetheyspendatworkinordertofindmoretimetospendwiththefamilyandonwhattheyrefertoasmore‘meaningful’things.Inessence,thework–lifebalanceoftencomesdowntowhetheryoucanfindafewextrahoursperweektospendwiththefamily.Theotheraspectofwork–lifebalance,whichmanypeopletrytomanage,arethestressandpressureatwork,andhowtoensurethatthesedonotnegativelyimpactlife.Boththesearegoodobjectivesanddefinitelyworthpursuing.However,letusexploretheothersideofit,whichistheimpactoflifeonwork.Lifeistheforcethatdefinesyourpersonalityandhowyoucomeacrossasapersonatwork—thevalues,beliefs,integrityandotherhumancharacteristicsyoubringdailytowork.Iamentirelyconvincedthatthese‘lifecharacteristics’haveahugeimpactonhowsuccessfulapersonisatwork.Henceitismyconvictionthattheimpactoflifeonworkisfundamentaltosuccessatwork,whiletheimpactofworkonlifeislimitedtoafewhoursmoreforlifeperweek.Istronglybelievethattheimpactoflifeonworkismoreimportant,and

week.Istronglybelievethattheimpactoflifeonworkismoreimportant,andeachoneofusmustfocusonhowweleadourlivesandseehowthatcatalyseshowsuccessfulweareatwork.OneofthemostimportantanecdotesonthiscomesfromthelifeofAlbert

Einstein,thecelebratedNobelPrize–winninggiantoftheworldofscience.Einstein,asthestorygoes,wasapassionateviolinplayer.Moreimportantly,hebelievedthatthefactthathewasaviolinplayerpositivelyimpactedhisabilitytobeasuccessfulscientist.Formostofus,itisdifficulttoexplainhowplayingtheviolinor,forthatmatter,anymusicalinstrument,canbringaboutsuccessasascientist.However,onewouldassumethatapersonofEinstein’sintellectandscientifictemperwouldhavehadsomereasonforbelievingthatplayingtheviolinhelpedhimbeabetterscientist.Maybeittaughthimtobemorepatientwhenpursuingcomplexproblemswhosesolutionswerenotevident.Maybeitallowedhimtomakemoreabstractconnectionsbetweenunrelatedthings,whichhelpedcreateinsights.Maybeitsimplyhelpedhimconcentratebetterwhenhewasatwork.Findinganexplanationisbothdifficultand,tobehonest,unimportant;lifeisalotmorecomplexthanthat.However,thefactthatlifehasahighdegreeofimpactonwork,inavarietyofwaysandoneverysingleminutewespendatwork,isatruismthatdoesnotneedalotofvalidation.Therearemanywayslifeimpactsworkandsuccessatwork.Lifeimpacts

workbyshapingourpersonality,ourvalues,ourintegrity,ourcharacteristics,ourfriendliness,ourbehaviourwithothercolleaguesandsoon.Iwillnotattempttocovertheimpactoflifeinallthesedimensions;itistoocomplexatopic.However,justbecausetheimpactoflifeonworkiscomplexanddifficulttounderstand,itdoesnotmeanyouletlifeplayout.Assumingthatitautomaticallyimpactsworkpositivelywouldbeamistakenassumption.Wehavetoactivelycatalyselifeforittohaveapositiveimpactonsuccessatwork.TherearetwocriticalaspectsoflifeIwouldliketofocuson,whichIbelieve

wouldbethefocusareasforeachoneofustoactivelycatalysesuccessatwork.Theseare:

1. Developingahobbyyouarepassionateabout.2. Deepeningyourvaluesystemanddevelopinglodestarvalues.

10

A‘PassionateStriving’HobbyasaCatalyst

Oneoftheimportanteffectsoflifeonworkcanbeseenwhenyoudevelopa‘passionatestriving’hobbyinyourlife.Ichanceduponthisinsightthroughmyownlifeandbyobservingothersovermanyyears.Istartedrunningseriouslyaboutadecadeago,andhaverunacoupleofhalf-marathons.WhenIfirstbeganrunning,Inoticedthatmanyseniorandsuccessfulpeoplefromthecorporatesectorwereintorunning,andmanyranwithadegreeofpassionandcommitmentthatwascommendable.ThenIstartedplayinggolf.Inoticedthatthereweremanyseniorcorporate

headsplayinggolftoo,andagain,withadegreeofpassionthatwasincredibletosee.Oflate,Ihaveseenpeopletakeupcycling,asportthatseemstobegrowinginleapsandbounds,withpeoplesettingoffon50kmbikeridesat4.30inthemorning.Again,Ihavebeenseeingasimilarpattern—manysuccessfulcorporateleaderstakingupthissportwithgreatpassion.Mountaineeringisanothersportthatispopularwiththehighlysuccessfulset.AsIobservedthistrend,Iwonderedwhysomanyseniorandsuccessful

peopleweregravitatingtosuchsports.OnedoesnotoftenhearthatthelegendaryCEOofalargecompanyhassuddenlystartedplayingtabletennisattheageoffifty-five,butyouwouldoftenhearofaCEOwhohasrunafullmarathonandisnowpreparingtoruntheultra-marathon.Therewasapatterninthistrend—allthesesports,beitrunning,cycling,golformountaineering,weremostlyindividualsports;thesearenotwhatyouwouldcharacterizeasteamsports.Theotherinterestingthingaboutthesesportsisthatyoudon’tnecessarilyplaythesetowin.Thesesportsaremostlyaboutcompetingwithyourself,continuouslytryingtoimprove,competingagainstyourpreviousbestandtryingtogetbetterincrementallyallthetime.Iliketotermthesesports‘striving’sports,thekindwhereyouhavetokeepworkingveryhardandwhereyouneeda

sports,thekindwhereyouhavetokeepworkingveryhardandwhereyouneedahighdegreeofperseveranceandcommitmenttostaywhereyouareandimproveincrementally.Strivingsportsareverydifferentfromrecreationalsports.Ifyouweretovisualizeabilliardstableinaverycoolroomwithaglassofwineinyourhand,youwouldgetthepictureofarecreationalsport.Youdon’trunamarathonforrecreationorpleasure;itisastrivingsport,eventhoughyoumightfeelgoodattheendofit.AsIsawthesepatternsofstriving,ofmainlyindividualsports,ofmainly

aimingatself-improvementandnotwinning,Ikeptwonderingwhy.Whydothesesports,andnotanyother,moreconventionalsports,seemtoattractseniorpeoplefromthecorporateworld?AsIstartedunpeelingtheonionofthisanswer,manyinsightsandanswerscametome.ButthefinalbreakthroughcamewhenIstartedtounderstandmotivations—themotivationsofpeopleatlifeandthemotivationsofpeopleatwork.MostofusknowMaslow’shierarchy,whichexplainsthemotivationsofour

lifeinaclassicpyramid(figurereproducedbelow):

Maslow’shierarchyattemptstoexplainourmotivationsinlife.Itstartswithourbasicphysiologicalandsafetyneedsatthebottomofthepyramidandgoesallthewaytoself-actualization—achievingourpotential.Thesearethemotivationsthatdriveus,andeachoneofusiscontinuouslytryingtogohigherinthispyramid.WhilemotivationsinlifewereeasiertounderstandgivenMaslow’shierarchy,

Ihadtoworkhardtotryandunderstandthemotivationsatworkbetterformyself.IntryingtounderstandthisIwasinfluencedbytheworkofDavidMcClellandandDanielPink.Agoodwayofthinkingaboutitistoimagineitasapyramid.ThisisthewayIwouldliketovisualizethatpyramid:

Thispyramidexplainswhatmotivatesusatworkandinourcareers.Atthebaseofthepyramidisourneedforachievement,ourneedtoachievematerialsuccessandwealth,ourneedtoachievecomfortablelivingstandardsforourselvesandforourfamilies,ourneedtoachieverespectandrecognition,etc.Alargeportionofourcareersisspentmeetingourachievementneed.Thenextlevelofmotivationismastery.Thisisourneedforbeingthemasterofourtrade,fortheabilitytosaythatwhatwedohasourpersonalstampofquality,asenseofrepresentingahighstandardofexcellenceinwhatwedo,andforbeingareferencestandardtotheworldinourareaofwork.Thelastandfinalmotivationatthetopofthepyramidispurpose.Wearehighlymotivatedbyasenseofpurposeatworkthatgoesbeyondourownachievementsandmastery.Thisisaboutthe‘why’ofwork,whichisbeyondourpersonalneeds—thesenseofhavingacause,avision,apurpose.Thecombinationofachievement,masteryandpurposerepresentsthemotivationsthatdriveusatworkandinourcareers.TherearesimilaritiesbetweenMaslow’shierarchy,whichexplainsthe

motivationsoflife,andtheworkpyramid,whichexplainsourmotivationsatwork.Theprimarysimilarityisthatbotharepyramids,theinferencebeingthat

work.Theprimarysimilarityisthatbotharepyramids,theinferencebeingthatwestartatthebaseofthepyramidandworkourwaytothetop.Theothersimilarityistheunsaidfactthatthehigherinthepyramidyouoperate,thebetteritis.However,thereisonefundamentaldifferencebetweenthetwopyramids,and

understandingthatdifferenceiscrucialtounderstandingtheimpactoflifeonwork.InMaslow’shierarchy,mostofushavefounditrelativelyeasytomeettheneedsofthebaseofthepyramid,namely,thephysiologicalandsafetyneeds.Myguessismostreadersofthisbookarefromfamiliesthathaveprovidedfortheseneedsintheearlystagesoftheirlives,andlateron,theyhavefoundjobs,whichmeansthattheyarenotfightingtomeetthesebasicneeds.Aswemeetthebasicneeds,theycangrowabit,buttheydon’texpandcontinually,sowecanmeettheseneedsandmoveon.ThisrelativelyeasyconquestoftheearlypartofMaslow’spyramidmeansthatagreaterpartofourlivesarefocusedonthemotivationsinthemiddleandthetopofthepyramid.Thisiswheretheworkmotivationspyramidisfundamentallydifferent.Atthe

baseoftheworkpyramidistheachievementneed,aneedwhichIliketocallahungrybeast.Icallitabeastbecausethisneedkeepsgrowing—themoreyouachieve,themoreyouneedtoachieve.UnlikeMaslow’shierarchy,whereyoucansatisfythephysiologicalandsafetyneedsandthenmoveontothenextlevel,intheworkpyramid,theachievementneedisahungrybeast.Itcannotbesatiatedeasily.Themoreyoufeedit,themoreitgrows.Thatmeansitismoredifficulttomoveonandoperateatthenextlevelsofmotivation,namely,masteryandpurpose.Thisisparticularlyparadoxicalinthewayitmanifestsinseniorpeople,folks

whohaveachievedsomethingworthwhileintheircareersandhencearenowinpositionsofimportanceandseniority.Atseniorlevels,oneofthecriticaldriversofsuccessisleadership—howyouengage,motivateandleadothersisoftenthemake-or-breakforyoursuccess.Tobeabletomotivateandengageothers,itisimportanttooperatefromthelevelsofmasteryandpurpose.Masteryiswhatbringstheteacher/coachoutinaleader,whichallowsotherpeopletolearnandbuildtheirskills/capabilities.Theleader’ssenseofpurposeisoftenwhatgivestheteamthesenseofamission,thesenseofdoingsomethingmeaningfulintheirotherwisemundanework.Leaderswhoarefocusedonmeetingtheirownachievementneeds,andnotoperatingfrommasteryandpurpose,willbe

achievementneeds,andnotoperatingfrommasteryandpurpose,willbeineffective,oftendysfunctional,leaders.Mostofusatworkhaveseensuchdysfunctionalleaders—seniorpeoplewhoarefocusedonfurtheringtheirowncareers,theirownsuccessandachievements.Suchleadersareoftenquitedysfunctionalinmanagingtheirteamsandareverypoorleadersandmotivators.Inaway,themoretheyfocusontheirownsuccess,thelesssuccessfultheyare,becausetheydon’tleveragethebiggestdriverfortheirsuccess,whichistheirteam.Andthiscanoftencreateaviciouscycle—theleaderfocusesonachievingmoreforhimselforherself,whichdemotivatestheteam,whichmakessuccessevenmoredifficultfortheleader,whichmeanstheybecomeevenmoreself-achievement-driven,whichdemotivatestheteamfurther,andsoon.Sometimes,thesecyclesdeveloptoapointwheretheleaderandtheteamactuallybecomecompetitors.Suchcyclesoftenendonlywitheithertheexitoftheleaderor,attimes,sadly,theexitoftheentireteam.Ataseniorlevel,operatingfromasenseofmasteryandpurpose,andnot

focusingonyourownachievements,iseasytosay,butdifficulttodo.Thisisbecausemostseniorpeoplereachseniorpositionsbecausetheyhaveachievedalotintheircareers.Inmanyways,theyaresuperachievers,whichisthereasontheygettheseniorjobsinthefirstplace.Itmeanstheirachievementneedisverystrong,itisaparticularlyhungryandoverdevelopedbeast,andthat’swhythey’vegottothisseniorlevel.Now,whentheyhavetogobeyondandoperatefrommasteryandpurpose,itbecomeschallenging,givenhowoverdevelopedtheirachievementneedis.Seniorleaderswhomanagetoreconcileandovercomethiscontradictionaretheleaderswhogoontoachievegreatersuccesses.Sothecorechallengeisthatwhatgotthemhere,theirachievementneed,won’ttakethemfurther.Infact,itwillbecomealiability.Thisistheparadoxtosolvetocatalyseleadershipsuccess.

ResolvetheParadox,theRoleoftheStrivingHobby

Bynow,youmustbewondering,whatdoesallthishavetodowithstrivingsports—running,cycling,golf,etc.?Thatiswherethisnarrativestarted.IdidmentionearlierthatIsawapatternofseniorpeoplegravitatingtosuchsportsandshowingremarkablecommitment,passionandeffortatself-improvementinthesesports.Andifyouremember,thekeycharacteristicsofthesesportswere

thesesports.Andifyouremember,thekeycharacteristicsofthesesportswerethatthesewereindividualsports,notteam-oriented,thereisreallynoclearwin-loseandthereisadegreeofpassionatestrivingrequired.Itriedtofindthereasonforseniorcorporatefolksgravitatingtosuchsports,andthat’swhenIfoundtheconnectiontothepyramidofworkmotivations.Successfulseniorleadersarethosewhomanagetooperatefrommasteryand

purposedespitehavinganoverdevelopedandhungryachievementneed.Onekeywaytoresolvethisparadoxistofindalternateavenuestofulfiltheirachievementneed,tofindwaysoffeedingtheirhungryachievementbeastoutsidework.Thatiswherethestrivingsportscomein.Inaway,theseseniorleaderswerefindingwaysofmeetingtheirachievementneedoutsidetheirworkthroughthesestrivingsports.Thehardertheytrytoreducetheirnextmarathontimingbyafewminutes,themoretheyarequenchingtheirachievementneed.Thelongerthebikeridetheytakeovertheweekend—andsometimestheseridesarealmosttothenextcity—themoretheyarepedallingtomeettheirachievementneed.Themorepassionatetheyareintheirgoalofreducingtheirgolfhandicaps,themoretheyreducetheirneedforachievementsatwork.Thesestrivingsportsareliberatingthemfromhavingtomeetalltheirachievementneedsatwork.Andthisliberationallowsthemtocatalyseandactivatetheirmasteryandpurposemotivationsatwork,makingthemgreaterleadersoftheirteamsandorganizationsand,mostimportantly,makingthemmoresuccessful.Tovalidatethisinsight,Ihaveoneexample,butIhaveahighdegreeof

confidenceinthatoneexample—myself.Ihaveobservedmyownevolutionasaleaderovermanyyears.Intheearlytomiddlephaseofmycareer,Iwasanachievementjunkie,asuperachiever.AsIstartedtogettomiddlemanagementandlowerleadershippositions,Istartedseeingtheearliestsignsofdysfunctionalityinmyleadershipstyle.Thesimplesymptomwasthatdespitealotofachievement,myteamwasnotnecessarilyhappyandmotivated.However,Iploughedon,beingasuperachiever.Inastrangeway,myachievementorientationmademeenrolmyselfinahalf-marathon.Iwasinchargeofgettingcolleaguesfrommythencompanytosignupforthemarathon,andastheleaderofthatinitiative,IfeltIwouldbeencouragingmanypeopletojoinbyleadingfromthefront.SoIstartedrunning,andgivenmyachievementbeast,naturally,Iwantedtoexcelatthemarathonalso.ThefirsttimeIranthehalf-marathon,ittook2hoursand52minutes.ThesecondtimeIran,itwas2hoursand20minutes,areductionof32minutes.ThenIstartedplayinggolfandagain,my

minutes,areductionof32minutes.ThenIstartedplayinggolfandagain,mysuperachieverkickedin.Iusedtorelentlesslypractisetoimprove,andreachedadecenthandicapverysoonafterIstartedplaying.Butmorethanmysuccessatthesesports,whatInoticedwasagradualbutsurechangeinmyleadershipstyle.Iwaslessofanachievementjunkieformyteamatwork.Iwasmoremotivating.Iwascoachingthem,providingavisionandasenseofpurpose.ItwasasifmydesperationtosucceedatworkhadreducedandIwastrulydrivenbyhigher-ordermasteryandpurposemotivesatwork.Myownachievementwassecondary.ThebeautyofthiswasthatthelessIfocusedonmyownachievement,themoresuccessIgotatwork.Someofmygreatestcareersuccessescameaboutinthisphasebecausemypeoplewerenowasuper-motivatedandengagedteam.Weworkedtogetherwithpassionandforacause,notformyachievement.Mentorswhohadknownmeovertimecouldclearlyseethechanged,moremotivatingleaderinme.Ihadchangedmateriallyforthebetterinaphaseoffiveyears.AndIhavenodoubtthatthischangeinmyleadershipeffectivenessatworkwascatalysedbythepassionsinmylifeoutsideofwork—runningfirst,andthengolf.Mydearreaders,thischangeinmecameaboutbysheerprovidence.

However,foreachoneofyou,thereisanopportunitytoactivelycatalysethischangetobecomeamoreeffectiveleader.Andthesecrettothatistodevelopa‘passionatestriving’hobbyinlife,onethatgivesyouasenseofachievementandbroadensyoursourceofachievementbeyondwork.Itshouldbeahobbyinwhichyoustriveforachievementandonethatliberatesyoufromfeedingtheachievementneedatwork,andhenceletsyougraduatetomasteryandpurpose.ThequestionthatIamimmediatelyaskednextiswhatqualifiesasa

‘passionatestriving’hobby.Let’sstartwithanexampleofwhatdoesnotqualifyasone—watchingalotofmovies,evenifyouarepassionateaboutit,becauseitdoesnotgiveyouasenseofachievementanditdoesnotmeetyourachievementneed.Itmighthelpyoumeetyourentertainmentneed,yourcuriosityandknowledgeneed,oryourneedforsocialconnectedness.Ahobbycanbeconsidered‘passionatestriving’onlyifittakesalotofstrivingandhelpsmeetyourachievementneed.ThemostcommonstrivinghobbiesaretheonesImentioned—running,

mountaineering,cycling,golf.Tothis,Iwouldaddthingslikegardening,andsocialcauseswhereyouaretryingtomakeadifferencewithasignificantand

consistenttimecommitment.Doesagameoftenniseveryweekfortwointensehourswithyourbuddyqualifyasa‘passionatestriving’hobby?Iwouldleantowardsno,thereasonbeingthatitmightbemeetingfitnessandfunneedsbutnottheachievementneed.Thereisadifferencebetweenplayingatennisgameeveryweekendfortwohoursandpractisingforthenextmarathoneveryweekendfortwohours.Botharephysicallytaxing,butthepracticeforthemarathonisdonewithadeterminationtogetbetter,toachievebettertimingsthenexttime,whilethegameoftennisisoftenplayedforfitnessandfun.Ifyou,however,doworkcontinuouslyattennistogetbetter,ifyousetyourselfgoals—likequalifyingforthenextlevelamateurtournamentatyourclub—ifyoupractiseandplaywithanintensitytotryandgetbettereachtime,thenitcanbecomea‘passionatestriving’hobbythatcanhelpyoumeetyourachievementneed.Butinthewaymostofusplayweekendtennis,itdoesnot.AndIamusingtennishereasanexampleforthemanysportsthatpeopleplay.Sotosummarize,evaluateyourhobbyonthesetwocriteria:

1. Isthereadegreeofstrivinginvolved?2. Doesithelpmeetyourachievementneed?

What,then,istheroleof‘passionate’inthe‘passionatestriving’hobbythatItalkabout?Isn’tthisallaboutstrivingtobuildasenseofachievement?Theroleofpassionisthatyoustaythecourse.Manypeopleembarkonstrivinghobbies,buttheyquicklydropthem.Theyareunabletosustainthem,andhencenevergettothebenefitsIamtalkingabout.However,ifsomebodyisdeeplypassionateaboutthathobby,thentheypersevereatitand,hence,gettheachievementbenefits.Soyes,afteryoureadthisbook,manyofyouwillstarttodabbleinhobbies.Thequestionis,willyoustaythecourse?AndthatiswhereIstronglyadvocatethatyoudevelopadegreeofpassiontowardsthathobby,sothatthereisagreaterchanceyoucontinueandreapthebenefits.Sofolks,gooutandbuildaninterestordevelopahobbythatyouare

passionateaboutthatgivesyouasensethatyouareachievingsomething.Thenseehowitchangesyouasapersonatworkandhowmuchmoresuccessfulyoubecomeasaresult.Goforit!

UnleashtheCatalyst

UnleashtheCatalyst

1. Motivationsatworkisdefinedbythepyramidcomprisingachievement,masteryandpurpose.Thekeytosucceedingatleadershipistooperateatmasteryandpurposeatworkandnotbedrivenonlybyyourneedforachievement.

2. Tooperateatmasteryandpurposeyouhavetofindawayofmeetingyourachievementneedoutsidework.A‘passionatestriving’hobbyisthemeanstothat.

3. Itisimportanttobepassionateaboutyourhobbyasotherwiseyouwouldnotbeabletosustainthestrivingforalongtime.

11

ValuesasaCatalyst

Oneofthemostimportantaspectsoflifeisourvalues,whichareattheverycoreofwhoweare.Ifindthatpeopleusuallythinkofvaluesprimarilyfromthelensofcharacter,i.e.,theydefinethenatureandcharacterofaperson.Buttome,itismorethanthat.Valuesnotonlydefinewhoyouareandwhatyoudo,butifcatalysedeffectively,canplayasignificantpartinbecominganassetinyoursuccesstoolkit.Intheearlierchapters,wefoundthekeytoconvertingyouralgorithmandyourproductivityintocatalystsforsuccess.Thischapterwillhelpyouconvertyourvaluesintoacatalystforsuccess.Ifyougotoanyorganization,workinanycompany,youoftenfindagreat

dealoftalkaboutvalues.Thereisalotofemphasisonvalues—therearebooklets,websites,eventsandforumsdedicatedtoit.Theimportanceofvaluesisslowlybutsurelypercolatingdowninthecorporateworld,andkudostothemforthisprogress.However,Ifindthatinmanyplaces,corporatespeakonvaluesvergesontheone-dimensional.Inaway,whatiscontinuouslyemphasizedisthatifyouhavepoorvalues,youwillnotsucceedandinsomecases,youmightevenhavetofacedisciplinaryaction.Hence,simplyput,youaretoldsubtlyordirectlythatifyoucheat,ifyouhaveaconflictofinterest,ifyouindulgeinanyformofsexualorotherharassment,ifyoumisrepresentfactsforyouradvantage,ifyoupractisenepotismorfavouritism,etc.,thenyourcareercouldbefinishedoratleastseverelyimpacted.However,thereisnotenoughemphasisontheupsideofgoodvalues.Thefocustendstobeprimarilyonthedownsideofabreach.Thereisnoexistingliteratureorculturethatsuggeststhatifyouhaveexcellentvaluesorifyouareapositiveexemplarofgoodvalues,thenallotherthingsremainingequal,youhaveahigherchanceofcareersuccessascomparedtosomebodywhoismorelaxonvalues.Poorvalueshaveadownside,butthefactthatgoodvalueshaveanupsideisnotspokenaboutenough.

factthatgoodvalueshaveanupsideisnotspokenaboutenough.Itisnotjustaboutwhatisspoken,itisalsoaboutwhatisdemonstrated.In

mostgoodcompanies,therewouldbedemonstratedprecedencethattheydon’ttolerateanysignificantbreachofvalues.Therewouldbeexamplesofpeoplefacingdisciplinaryactionbecausetheydidsomethingwrong.E.g.itisfairlycommontoseepeoplelosingtheirjobsbecauseofhavingfudgedtheirtravelbills.Whileeverywrongdoingmightnothavebeencaught,enoughprecedentsexistinmostorganizationsforittobeaneffectivedeterrent.Likeitisdifficulttofinddiscussionontheupsideofgoodvalues,itisequallydifficulttofinddemonstratedactionsandprecedentsthatrewardgoodvalues.Itisdifficulttofindpeoplewhohadacareerjumporpromotionorasignificantrewardbecausetheydisplayedexemplaryvalues.E.g.itisdifficulttofindsomebodywhowasatruechampionofcreatingadiverseandinclusiveenvironmentactuallybeingrewardedforthat,despitethefactthatorganizationscontinuouslyemphasizediversityandinclusion.Theincidentsofbeingrewardedforexemplarydemonstrationofvaluesarefarfewerthandemonstratedincidentsoftakingactiononbreachofvalues.

LimittheDownside,LeveragetheUpside

Mostofushavebuiltanimplicitunderstanding,animplicitcoding,whenitcomestovalues.Ourimplicitunderstandingistoavoidmakingamistakeonvalues.Yearsofsaidandunsaidaspectsofcorporateculturehaveestablishedthatimplicitcodinginmostofus—limitthedownside,don’ttakeariskwithvaluesanddon’tbreachtheestablishedcode.ThatiswhatIseektochange.Iseektochangeyourunderstandingonvaluesfromacodingthatsayslimitthedownsidetoacodingthatsaysleveragetheupside.Iamafirmbelieverthatexemplaryvaluescanbeahugecatalysttosuccessincareersand,indeed,inlife.Idoneedtoexplainmyconvictionandthereasonsforit,whichIhaveanalysedanddevelopedoverafairlylongperiodoftime.Andthatconvictioncomesfrommyunderstandingofthepositiveimpactthatsuperiorvalueshaveonaperson’sleadershippotential.Aswegohigherupinthecorporateladder,oneofthekeyingredientsof

successisleadership.Ibelievethatsuperiorvaluesarethemostimportantdriveringeneratingthatleadershippotential.Leadershipisacomplexsubjectand

ingeneratingthatleadershippotential.Leadershipisacomplexsubjectandoften,thegreatestchallengeisinsimplydefiningandmeasuringleadership.Peopleconfuseleadersandleadership.Leadersareoftenequaltopeopleinseniorpositionsinthecompany.Thestartingpointtounderstandingthisconceptistoseparatethepositionfromleadership.Iftherearetwovicepresidents,thatdoesnotmeantheyautomaticallyhavethesameleadership.Theymightbebothcalledleadersincompanyparlance,though.Howdoesonethendeterminewhohasgreaterleadership?Iliketomeasureleadershipbasedontwometrics—followershipand

influence.Followership,asthewordimplies,ishowlargethenumberoftheirfollowersisandhowstrongtheconvictionofthefollowersisinfollowingtheleader.Thegreaterthefollowership,thegreatertheleadership.Aleaderwhohashundredsandthousandsoffollowers,whoallhavetremendousbeliefandconvictionintheleader,hasmuchgreaterleadershipthansomebodywhohasfewerfollowersorwhoisunabletogenerateastrongconvictionamongthem.Influenceisabouttheextentofinfluencetheleaderhasontheirfollowershipbase.Thiscombinationoffollowershipandinfluenceiswhat,Ibelieve,definesthestrengthofaperson’sleadership.Thegreatertheleadershipstrength,thegreatertheirfollowershipandinfluence.Hereafter,wheneverIrefertoleadershipinthischapter,Iamtalkingofthecombinationoffollowershipandinfluence.ThatishowIliketomeasureanddefineleadership.

BuildingLeadership

Thatautomaticallybringsustothequestion,howdoesonebuildleadership?Whatmakesastrongleader?Inmyjourneyofdevelopingthisdefinitionofleadership,quiteearlyon,Ifoundtwokeyelementsofbuildingleadershipandthecommensuratefollowershipandinfluence.Representedmathematically,itlookedlikethis:

Leadership=Function(PositionandContent)

Letmeshareafewthoughtsoneachofthese.Inthecorporateworld,thereisnodoubtthataperson’spositionimpactstheextentofleadershiptheycangenerate.Putsimply,thehigherthepositionofthepersoninthecorporateladder,the

Putsimply,thehigherthepositionofthepersoninthecorporateladder,thegreatertheopportunityforleadership.Amoreseniorpersonstartswithadegreeofleadershipwhich,aswedefined,isthecombinationoffollowershipandinfluencewhentheytakeontheseniorrole.Thentheybuildonitorsubtractfromitbasedonwhattheydo.SoanewpersontakingontheroleofaCEOstartswithadegreeofinfluenceandfollowership,whichishigherthanwhat,say,anewVPstartswith.Thisstartinglevelofleadershipiswhatinherentlygoeswiththeposition—thereisadegreeoffollowershipforeachpositionandthereisadegreeofinfluenceeachpositionhas.Themoreseniortheposition,thehigheristheinherentstarting-pointfollowershipandinfluence.Thesecondthingthatbuildsleadershipisthecontentoftheleader.Whatdoes

theleadersayaboutstrategies,whatishisorherviewpointonissues,whatkindofdecisionsdoesheorshemakeandwhichcausesdoesheorshemaketheirownandfightforinthecontextofthebusinessandtheorganization?Thesearethethingsthat,overtime,definethecontentoftheleader,andthecontenteitherbuildsuponthefollowershipandinfluenceordiminishesit.Forexample,aCEOmightbelievethatthereisnospaceforsmallbrandsinthebusiness,thatthesemustbedivestedandbiggerbrandsmustbegrownandnurtured.ThisispartoftheCEO’scontentandguideswhattheysayanddo,andimpactsthefollowershipandinfluencetheyhave.Similarly,aVPHRcouldhaveacontentwhichisabeliefonsharpdifferentiationbasedontalentandperformance.Sotheyhavegreaterrewardsforhigherperformersasopposedtoamoredemocraticapproachtothisissue.ThisisapartoftheVPHR’scontent,andimpactsthefollowershipandinfluenceofthisperson.Overtime,asIobservedleaders,Icoulddefinitelyseethatpositionand

contenthadanimpactontheleadershiptheygenerated.However,whenIcompareddifferentleaderswhohaddifferentlevelsoffollowershipandinfluence,Ifoundthatthesetwofactors,positionandcontent,couldexplainonlypartofthedifferenceintheirfollowershipandinfluence.Iobservedthisparticularlyinleadershiptransitions—oneleadermoveson,anewpersoncomesinandreplacesthepreviouspersoninthesamerole,andyouassesstheleadershipofthetwoovertime.WhenIcomparedtheleadershipofthepreviousleaderwiththatofthenewone,Ifoundasignificantdifferenceintheirfollowershipandinfluence.Thiswasdespitethefactthatthepositionwasthesameandoften,thecontentwasverysimilaraswell—theytooksimilardecisions.Yet,thereweremassivedifferencesinleadership.AsIobservedthat,

decisions.Yet,thereweremassivedifferencesinleadership.AsIobservedthat,itbecamecleartomethatpositionandcontentarenecessarybutnotsufficientexplanationsforleadershipdifferences.TherewasanXfactorthatexplainedthedifferenceintheleadershipthatdifferentpeoplecommanded,despitesimilarpositionandcontent.Inparticular,Iobservedasetofleadershiptransitionsveryclosely.To

understandwhatdrivesthisdifferenceinleadershipandtheconsequentimpactonfollowership,Imadealistofninetransitions,whichIhavepersonallybeenclosetoandhavebeenabletoobserveoverameaningfulperiod.ThesewereninesituationswhereIsawonepersonbeingreplacedbyanotherinthesamejob.Ihadaringsideviewtoassessboththepreviouspersonandthenewperson.Ifirstdidtheleadershiplevelassessment.Ineachtransition,Imadeanassessmentofthefollowershipandinfluencetheearlierleaderhad.ThenImadeanassessmentofthefollowershipandinfluencethenewleaderwasabletobuildaftertwoyearsintherole.Ithencomparedtheleadershiplevelsofthetwoleaders.Basedonthat,Iwasbroadlyabletocategorizetwotypesoftransitions—onewherethelevelofleadershipofboththepreviousleaderandthenewleaderwasroughlythesameandtheotherwherethelevelofleadershipofthetwoleadershadasignificantdifference.SinceIwantedtounderstandthedriversofleadership,Ifocusedprimarilyonthesecondtype,wherethelevelofleadershipofthetwoleaderswasverydifferent.AsIstudiedthesecondtype,Ifoundthatexceptinonecase,whereIcould

attributethedifferencetocontent,inalltheothercases,Iwasunabletoattributethedifferenceinleadershiptoeitherpositionorcontent.Oneparticulartransitionwasveryinteresting.ThepreviousleaderwasSmitaandthenewleaderRita,whowasateammemberofthepreviousleaderandhencesharedexactlythesamebeliefsonthecontent.Infact,RitahadhelpeddevelopmuchofthecontentofSmitaandhencetherewascompletealignmentonwhattheybelievedaboutthebusiness.Yet,aftertwoyears,Ifoundastaggeringdifferencebetweentheleadershipthetwohadmanagedtogenerate.Thissealeditinmymind—positionandcontentarenottheprimarydriversofleadership.Ilookedhardinthiscase,andthenitcametomelikeaboltfromtheblue—it

wasthedifferenceintrustthetwogenerated.Itwasalldowntotheirvalues.Oneofthemgeneratedsignificanttrustintheteamandthewiderorganization,andhencecommandedhugefollowership,whiletheother,whilebeingoutwardly

hencecommandedhugefollowership,whiletheother,whilebeingoutwardlyfriendly,generatedlesstrustandhencecouldnotbuildthatmuchofafollowership.Thedifferencewasintheirvalues.ThenIappliedthistotheothertransitionsIstudiedanditfitagainandagain—valuesweretheprimaryreasonforthedifferenceinleadership.Hence,itbecamecleartomethattheleadershipequationwasnowafunctionofthreevariables:position,contentandvalues.

Leadership=Function(Position,Content,Values)

Thenextquestioninmymindwaswhetherallthethreevariableshadanequalimpactonleadership.AsIstudiedthetransitionsfurther,Ifoundthatpositionandcontentcouldexplainsomepartsoftheleadershipdifference.However,thehugeswingswerereallycausedbyvalues.Goingbacktoourpreviousexample,Smitawasaverystrongleaderwithexceptionalfollowershipandinfluence.Twoyearsafterthetransition,itwascleartomethatRitadidnothaveevenasmallfractionofthefollowershipandinfluencethatSmitahad.However,asmentionedearlier,RitawasamemberofSmita’steamandhadhelpedSmitadevelopmuchofhercontent.ItwasobviousthatcontentandpositionwerenotthereasonswhyRita’sleadershipwasmuchlessthanSmita’s.IobservedthatRitacouldnotinspirethetrustthatSmitahad;Ritawasseentobeprincipallyfocusedonmeetingtheneedsofherbossandotherseniorsand,intheprocess,shehadlostthetrustofherpeersandtherankandfileofherteamandtheorganization.Itshowedmethatgivenaroughsimilarityinpositionandcontent,valuesweretheextraordinarydriverofaleader’sfollowershipandinfluence.A50percentdifferenceincontentcancausesomedifferenceinleadership,buteven10percentlessinvaluescancreateamuchbiggerswinginleadership.Andhencetheequationforleadershipstartedtolooklikethisinmymind:

Leadership=(Position+Content)×Values

Itwascleartomethatpositionandcontentweretherawmaterialsforcreatingleadershipimpact.Ifthereisnocontent,eventhehighestvaluesdon’tcreateleadership.Suchapersonwouldbelikedalot,butwouldnothaveinfluenceandwouldnotbefollowed.Equally,positiondoesplayarole.Averyjuniorpersonwillfinditdifficulttocreatefollowershiponalargescale,albeitjuniorfolkswithgoodcontentdogeneratesignificantinfluence.Sopositionandcontentgohand-in-hand.Buttheexplosiveconversionofthatrawmaterialintothefinished

hand-in-hand.Buttheexplosiveconversionofthatrawmaterialintothefinishedproductofleadershipisdrivenbyvalues,andthatiswhyIsawitasamultiplicativeequationforvalues.Foragivenpositionandcontent,theextentofleadershipdifferencethatvaluescancreateisstaggering.Ithentriedtovalidatethisequationthroughwhatweseearoundusonadaily

basis,andthroughsomeofthegreatleadershipimpactswehaveseeninIndiaovertime.Thestandoutexampleformeontheimpactvaluescanhaveonleadershipisthefatherofthenation,MahatmaGandhi.Allofusknowofthestaggeringfollowershiphegenerated,theextraordinaryinfluencehehadonthepopulationofthecountry.Ifwedecodehisleadershipdriversusingmyequation,youwillfindthatpositionwasnotabigdriverforhisleadership.Heneveroccupiedanyimportantposition,hedidnotcomefromapowerfulpoliticalfamily.Hewasoneofthemanyleaderswhowantedtocontributetothecauseofindependence.Butovertime,despitenothavingtheadvantageofaformalposition,hegrewtobecomethepre-eminentleaderoftheindependencemovement.Movingfromposition,ifweexamineGandhiji’scontent,itwasabouttheindependencemovement,andmanyleadershadsimilarcontent,thougheachexpresseditintheirownwaysandwords.Soitisdebatablewhetherhiscontentwasthereasonhegotsuchextraordinaryfollowershipandinfluence.Whethersuperiortoothersornot,Gandhijididbringinsoundcontent—hisexpressionofthedemandforindependencethroughnon-violenceandahimsawaspowerfulrawmaterialforbuildingleadershipimpact.Butwheretheexplosiveimpactofleadershipkickedinwasinthevalues,themultiplicativefactorofmyequation.Gandhiji’svaluesarelegendary—wehaveallheardandreadaboutthem.Startingwithpristinehonesty,tobeinghumbleenoughtocleanhisowntoilet,totheextremesimplicityinwhathedid,howhelived,thefoodheate,hisvaluesarefolklore.AndthoseexemplaryvaluesmeantthateverysingleIndianwaswillingtotrustandfollowGandhijithroughamostdifficultjourneyofsecuringindependence,whichoftenincludedseveresacrifices.TheleadershipequationIdevelopedwasvalidatedinmymind—yes,positionandcontentdomakeadifference,butvaluesmakeamultiplicativedifferencetotheleadershipimpactyoucanhave.Comingtomorerecenttimes,manyofusinIndiawerewitnesstotheanti-

corruptionmovementthatgeneratedamassivefollowershipundertheleadershipofAnnaHazarein2011.LetusexaminetheleadershipimpactthatAnnaHazare

had,thefollowershiphecommandedandtheinfluenceheenjoyed.Again,interestingly,AnnaHazarehadnoposition.Hewasnottheleaderofanylargepartynorwasheinthegovernmentorintheopposition;hewasprincipallyanactivist.Ifweexaminethecontent,werealizethatitwasanti-corruption.Anti-corruptionascontenthasexistedinIndiaforalongtimenow.Manyleadershaveespousedthecause,electionshavebeenfoughtonit.Onecouldarguethatitwasnotoriginalcontent.Annadidtweaktheanti-corruptioncontenttohaveafaceintheLokpalBill,sotherewassomethingspecificforpeopletograsp,ratherthanjustgenericanti-corruption.However,IstillbelievethatcontentwasnottheprimaryreasonAnnaHazaregeneratedthefollowership,influenceandimpacthehadin2011.Themissingpuzzlepiecewasvalues,whichwastheextraordinarydriverofAnna’sleadershipimpact.Withnosignificantpositionandoft-usedanti-corruptioncontent,butmagnifiedbythemultiplicativeimpactofhisvalues,AnnaHazareachievedahugefollowership.Manyotherswithsuperiorpositionandsimilaranti-corruptioncontenthaveseldommanagedtocreateanyfollowership.Thestaggeringdifferenceisinvalues,themultiplicativedriverofleadership.Sooverall,Idofeelreasonablyconfidentinmyequationofleadership.To

remindreadersagain,Imeasureleadershipbytheextentoffollowershipandinfluence.Andinthatequation,valuesarethemultiplicativefactor.IcallittheVMLequation,shortforValues,theMultiplicativedriverofLeadership.

Leadership=(Position+Content)×Values

Iamsurebynowyouaresaying,yes,Iunderstandthatleadershipisallaboutthefollowershipandinfluenceyoucancreateandyes,Iunderstandthatvaluesarethemultiplicativefactor.Butdoesthishaveanythingtodowithcareersuccess?Itdoes,andattwolevels—howleadershiphelpsgeneratesuccessandwhattheprobabilityofhighvaluesleadershipis.

Leadership’sImpactonSuccess

ConsiderAdityaPuriatHDFCBank,whotransformedthebankingindustryfromastaid,PSU-ledindustrytoathriving,technology-ledcustomer-centricindustry.ConsiderAnandKripalu,whotransformedCadburyfromahighly

industry.ConsiderAnandKripalu,whotransformedCadburyfromahighlyrecognizedandrespectedsmallcompanytoafoodgiantinIndia.Icouldgoonandquotemoreexamples,butthekeyisthecommonthemeintheseexamples—thethemeoftransformationalchange.Greatcareersuccessalwayscomesonthebackofgreatchangeand

transformation.Ifyouseegreatcareers,youwillfindthateachoneofthosepeopledrovegreattransformationsandchangeintheircareerjourneys.Ihavenotseengreatcareersbuiltonmaintainingstatusquo.Todrivetransformationalchange,positiongivesyoutheauthorityandcontentiswhatyoucreateforthechangethatisneeded,butit’sthefollowershipthatyougeneratethatwillensurethatpeopleinyourteamandyourorganizationfollowyouthroughthatdifficultjourneyoftransformationalchange.Andthekeytothatleadershipisthevaluesyoubringtothetable.Hence,valuesareahugedriverofcareersuccess.Peoplewhocreatethepositionandcontentforchangejourneys,butcan’tgeneratetherequisitefollowershipandinfluence,leadfailedchangejourneys.Theydon’thavethevaluestogeneratetheleadershipimpactrequired.Toputitsimply,greatsuccessrequiresyoutodrivegreatchange,greatchangerequiresyoutohavegreatleadershipimpactandtohavegreatleadershipimpactyouneedtohavegreatvalues.Ineffect,greatsuccessrequiresthecatalystofgreatvalues.

TheProbabilityofHighValues

GoingbacktoourVMLequation,

Leadership=(Position+Content)×Values

Wediscussedthattransformativesuccessisdependentonleadershipandhencetheprobabilityofhavingatransformativelegacycreatingsuccessisequaltotheprobabilityofdevelopingveryhighleadership.IntheVMLequation,positionissomethingalotofpeopleeventuallygettoiftheyworklongenough.Contentisagainsomethingmostpeoplegetto,especiallywiththehighlyeducatedpopulationwehave.However,exemplaryvalues,themultiplicativefactoroftheVMLequation,isatoughnuttocrack.Exemplaryvaluesareeasytoreadabout,butdifficulttodevelopandpractiseconsistently,andhencethereisalowerprobabilitytoachievethelevelofleadershipthattransformativesuccess

probabilitytoachievethelevelofleadershipthattransformativesuccessrequires.Thatiswhymanypeoplegetleadershippositionsandcontent,butveryfewcanleveragethemintolegacy-creatingtransformationalchange.Theprobabilityofdevelopinghighvaluesislow,andhence,ifyouwanttobealegacy-creatingleader,startfightingthevaluesbattlestraightaway.Itisabattleveryfewfightandevenfewerwin.Now,youareprobablysaying,yes,IunderstandtheVMLequationandyes,I

willembracevaluesasadriverofsuccess,butwhichvaluesarewetalkingabout?Iwillnotgiveyouascientificallyvalidatedanswerforthat—itistoocomplexaquestionformetoanswer.However,Iwillsharemythinkingonthissubject.Therearemanyvalues—honesty/integrity,simplicity,humility,authenticity...thelistcouldgoon.Mybeliefisthatyoumustmaintainahighleveloverallinallvaluesandyoumustbeanexemplarinafew,your‘lodestarvalues’,whereyouareheadandshouldersaboveanyoneelse.Ithinkthatisthecombinationthatcreatesleadershipimpact.ThatistheapproachIhavetaken,andIwanttosharewithyoumyjourneyandexperienceintryingtodevelopmylodestarvalues.IembracedthetwinHs—honestyandhumility—asmylodestarvalues.Iwillsharemyexperienceandunderstandingofthesetwovaluesinthecomingchapter,andIdohopeitinspiresyoutocreateyourownjourneyofpursuingyourownlodestarvalues.

12

TheTwinHs:TheKeyCatalystsforLeadershipImpact

ThefirstvalueIwanttotalkaboutishonesty,oftenalsoreferredtoasintegrity.Ilikethesimplerandbroadertermhonesty,soletususethatforthischapter.Ihavenodoubtinmymindthatpristinehonestyisanextraordinarydriverofleadershipimpact.Itistheonevaluewhich,ifembracedinitstruestform,willgiveyouimmense,loyalfollowershipandinfluence.Thechallengewithhonestyis,howdoesonesetthestandardforhonesty,pristinehonestyatthat?Inmyfiftyyears,Ihavemetpossiblyhundredsofthousandsofpeople.Iamyettomeetevenonepersonwhobelievesthattheyaredishonest.Eachoneofusbelievesthatwearehonest.Thereasonforthatisthatthereisnosetstandardforit.Thereisnospecificationorcontrolstandardthatsaysthisisthelevelabovewhichyouareanhonestpersonandbelowwhichyouaredishonest.Hence,eachoneofusfeelswearehonest,notbecauseofourabsolutelevelofhonesty,butbecausewealwayssetthestandardlowerthanourcurrentpersonalhonestylevel.Ifyouwanttosetahighbenchmarkforvalues,withhonestyasyourcore

lodestarvalue,thenthestartingpointhastobedefiningastandardofhonestyforyourself.Letmetryanddothatforyouwiththehelpofthediagrambelow.

Asyoucanseeinthatdiagram,ontheYaxisis‘I’andtherearetwoboxes—‘Idoright’and‘Idowrong’.OntheXaxisis‘others’,andtherearetwoboxes—‘othersdoright’and‘othersdowrong’.Wewillusethisdiagramtounderstandourcurrentstandardofhonestyand

thentryandseehowwecansetanewstandardforourselves.Thequadrantof‘Idowrong’,evenwhen‘othersdoright’,iswhatIliketo

callthequadrantof‘deviants’.Thisisthesmallminorityofthepopulationwhodoeswrongevenwheneverybodyelseisdoingright.Theyarethecriminals,thefrauds,theharassers,theembezzlers,etc.Theyareasmallminority.IhopeGodwillblessthemandreformthem.Iamsurenoneofyoufallintothatquadrantofdeviants.MostofusfallintothetwoquadrantsofwhatIcall‘majorityhonesty’,which

iswedorightwheneverybodyelsedoesright,butwefinditacceptabletodo

iswedorightwheneverybodyelsedoesright,butwefinditacceptabletodowrongwheneverybodyelsedoeswrong.NothingtypifiesthisbetterthanourbehaviourattrafficsignalsonIndianroads.Atatrafficsignal,rightandwrongaredeterminedbythesignal,notbyothers.Ifthesignalisred,youstop,andifit’sgreen,yougo.Butwhatisourbehaviourtherereallydrivenby?Ifthesignalisredandeverybodyelsehasstopped,westop.Butifthesignalisredandothersarenotstopping,whatdowedo?Dowestopbecauseitistherightthingtodowhenthesignalisred?No,wedon’t,mostofthetime.Ifeverybodyelseisignoringthesignal,weignoreittoo.Ineffect,wefinditeasytodowrongbecauseeverybodyelseisalsodoingwrong.Andwhenwedowrongthatway,wedon’tthinkwearedishonest;wethinkitisacceptableforhonestpeopletodowrongbecauseeverybodyelseisdoingwrongaswell.Thatdoesnotmakeusdishonestinourowneyes.EvenourIndianbiologicalconstitutionisthatway.WhenIamonthestreets

ofMumbaiandIfeelspitrisingtomymouth,thenmybiologicalconstitutionissuchthatIcannotkeepthatspitinmymouth—itmustcomeoutontothestreetsofMumbai.Andthenoneday,Itakeafive-hourflighttoSingapore.Ilandinthepristine,cleancity,andsuddenly,mybodychanges.ThespitinmymouthrefusestocomeoutontothestreetsofSingapore.DespiteyearsofspittinginMumbai,justonefive-hourflightcanchangehowmyspitbehaves.Apologiesforthesarcasmintheparaabove,butasyoucansee,Iwantto

drivehometheconceptofmajorityhonesty.WefinditacceptabletospitonMumbaistreetsbecauseeverybodyelseisdoingit.ButthemomentwelandinSingapore,whereothersarenotspitting,wesuddenlyfeelit’swrongtospitonthestreets.Andthenafteraweek,anotherfive-hourreturnflighttoMumbaiandmajorityhonestykicksin.Suddenly,spittingonthestreetisacceptableagain.Spitting,intheaboveanecdote,issimplyanexampletoexplaintheconcept.Itappliestoallthosethingslikenotstandinginaline,givingortakingbribes,leavingtoiletsdirty,etc.,whichwedojustbecauseeverybodyelsedoesthemtoo.Thebasicconstructofmajorityhonestyisthatwhatweuseasthestandardof

honesty,thestandardtodeterminewhatisrightandwrong,isnotourownjudgement,ourownmoralcompass.Instead,itisbasedonwhatthemajoritydoes,andifthemajoritygetsawaywithdoingsomethingwrong,thendoingwrongbecomeshonestyforustoo.

Hence,ifwewanttobetrulyhonest,tobeconsideredsomeonewithhighintegrity,tobeamongthesmallpercentageofpopulationthatcantrulystandupandsay‘Iamgenuinelyhonest’,thenwehavetochangeourstandardofhonesty.Ifyoutrulywanttobehonest,thenyoumusthavethecouragetodorightevenwheneverybodyelsedoeswrong.Youmustmovetothequadrantofpristinehonesty.ThequadrantofpristinehonestyiswhenIdoright,evenwhenothersdowrong.Thecrucialchangerequiredtomovetothepristinehonestyquadrantis

changingthereferencestandardofwhatishonest—from‘whatthemajoritydoes’to‘whatIthinkisright’.Itisaneasychangetodescribeinwords,adifficultonetoexecuteinlife.Letmegiveyouasimpleexamplefrommyownlife.WhenIjoinedanewcompany,therewasanexistingcultureofallmeetingsstartinglateandendinglate.Intheearlydays,Ialsofellintothattrapofbeinglatetomeetings.Basically,Iwasdoingwhatothersdid—Ihadallowedmystandardtochangefromwhatisrighttowhatothersweredoing.Thenonefineday,therealizationdawned.Irealizedthatdespiteallmypreachingonhonesty,Iwasnotpractisingitonthesimplestofthingslikebeingontimeformeetings,evenifotherswerenot.ThenIreorientedmyselftosayingIwilldowhatIthinkisright,whichistobeontimeformeetings,evenifothersarelate.Itisasimpleexampletodemonstratethatpristinehonestyisadifficultthingtopractise.Everynowandthen,thereisatemptationtolapseinto‘sinceothersdowrong,itisacceptableformealsotodowrong’.Youhavetoconstantlyremindyourselfandfocusondoingwhatyouthinkisrightandtakeadecisionthatyouwillnotdoanythingwrongsimplybecauseeveryoneelsedoesit.Theimpactofpristinehonestyasacatalystongreaterleadershipimpactis

extraordinary.Trulygreatleadershaveoftenbeeninflexiblyobdurateonwhattheybelieveisright,evenagainsttremendouspopularsentiment.GoingbacktoGandhiji,thenumberoftimeshestoodfirminhisbeliefs,evenwhentheentirepopulationstoodagainsthim,iswell-documented.Thereweretimeshewentonafasttodeathbecausehebelievedtheentirepopulationwasdoingsomethingwrongandhewaswillingtostakehislifeonwhathethoughtwasright,evenifitwasagainstpopularsentiment.Thestoryisthesameinthecorporateworld.Trulygreatleadershavestood

forwhattheybelieveisright,evenagainstpopularsentimentintheircompanies.Thispristinehonestyandintegrity,overtime,iswhathasgiventhemthe

Thispristinehonestyandintegrity,overtime,iswhathasgiventhemtheleadershipimpact,theextraordinaryfollowershipandinfluence,whichveryfewcorporateleadersareeverabletobuild.Mostcorporateleadersarenotabletosuccessfullybuildleadershipimpactbasedontheirvaluesbeyondtheleadershipimpactcreatedbytheirposition.Youhavethatchoice—doyouwanttobeamongthemanyleaderswhoareprimarilygovernedbypopularopinionordoyouwanttobeamongthefewleaderswhoaregovernedbywhattheybelieveisright?Ifyouwanttobeamongtheveryfewleaderswhoarelargerthanlife,whoarebeyondthechairandthepositiontheyoccupy,andwhoarelegacy-creating,thenyouhavetocatalyseyourleadershipwiththepowerofpristinehonesty.

TheOtherH,Humility

ThesecondvalueIwanttotalkaboutistheotherH,humility.Iwanttodescribethisvaluefrommyowncontexttostartwith.IbelieveIamreasonablysuccessfulinmyworklife.Ihaveoperatedatseveralseniorpositionsandcreatedimpact.Whenyougettoseniorlevelsinthecorporateworld,youdokindofgetademi-godstatus,andpeopleinthecompanymightoftenflatteryou.Itispossibletoallowthistogotoyourheadandforyoutostartthinkingthatyouareindeedextraordinary.IhavealwaysdesperatelytriedtoremindmyselfthatIamjustanotherperson.IjusthappentobesuccessfulinmycareerandthatdoesnotmakemeGod.Itrynottoflytoohighandalwayskeepmyfeetontheground.Andtalkingoffeet,Iwanttotellyouthestoryaboutmyfeetandlegs.Iwasbornwithaseveredeformity.Allofushaveourkneesinfrontofour

legs.WhenIwasborn,thekneeonmyleftlegwasonthebacksideofmyleg.MyfamilyusedtosaythatitwasbecauseIbentmyleftlegatthekneesuchthatmyfeetmovedinthedirectionofmychestwhenIwasborn.Itwasbutobviousthatwiththatkindofdeformity,Iwouldpossiblyneverbeabletowalkinmylife.Now,thiswasinthelate1960sinChennai.Withinaveryshorttime,my

familytookmetomostorthopaedicsinthecity.Noneofthedoctorshadseenmanycaseslikemineandtherewasnoclearsolutioninsight.Myfamilywasoflimitedmeans,andtheycouldnotaffordtoflymetoadifferentcityorcountrytoassessthesituationandseektreatment.

toassessthesituationandseektreatment.Ihadanextraordinarygrandmother,aladywhoneverwenttoschool,got

marriedatfourteenandhadfivekidsbytheageoftwenty-two,withmymotherbeinghereldest.Ihavenodoubtthatifshewereborninthemodernera,withmoreequalopportunitiesforbothgenders,shewouldhaveattheveryleastheadedacountry—trulyacourageousladywithgreatcapacityfordecision-makingandconsensus-building.She,alongwithmyparents,wasfacedwiththedecisiononwhattodowithmeinthissituation,wherenodoctorwaswillingtoassurecompletesuccessofthetreatment.Theyhadtomaketwodecisions—one,whethertheyshouldtaketheriskofaverycomplextreatmentonanewbornforwhichtherewasnoguaranteeofsuccessand,two,whichdoctortogoto,sincenoneofthedoctorspromisedsuccess.Everybodygavethemprobabilities.Theytookbothdecisions.Theytookthefirstdecisionofgoingaheadwiththe

treatment.Thelogicwassimple,theysaid,letusgivetheboyachance.Intheworstcasescenario,afailedtreatment,therisktolifewasminimal,andsoitsimplymeantthatIlivedwiththedeformitymywholelife,whichwouldhavebeenthecaseanywayiftheydidnotdoanything.Inhindsight,aneasy,obviousdecision,butittooktremendouscourageandforesightfrommyfamilytomakeitunderthosedifficult,stressfulcircumstances.Theseconddecisionwaswhichdoctortogoto—again,notaneasydecisiontomake.Eachhadtheirownapproachtothatsituationandagain,myfamilymadetherightchoice(Ishallnotrevealthenameofthedoctorforprivacyreasons,butIremainevergratefultothatpersonformylife).Thedoctordidagreatjob.MyfamilytellsmeIwasflatonthebedformore

thanayear.Ididnotstartwalking,likemostkids,beforetheageoftwo;therearemanyversionstowhenIstartedwalking,butmostofthemagreethatItookmyfirststepnotbeforetheageofthree.Myearliestmemoriesareofhavingaverylargemetalliccontraptiononmyleftleg,frommyhiptomyfoot,withwhichIwouldgotoschoolinthebeginning.ButlifemovedonandIcouldsoonwalknormally.Inmythirties,Istartedtastingsuccessinmyworklife.Oneday,my

grandmothersatmedown.Shesaid,Iamsoproudofyouforbeingsuccessful,butneverforgetwhyyouarehere.YouareherebecauseDrXhadtheskilltosuccessfullycarryoutadifficulttreatmentmanydecadesago.Hecoulddoitinanerawhenneitherthetechnologynortheresourcesforsuchacomplexprocedurewasavailable.Hisskillandtheprayersofthefamilyarewhyyouare

procedurewasavailable.Hisskillandtheprayersofthefamilyarewhyyouarehere,whyyouarewhatyouare.Istillrememberthatday,andthewayshesaidithitme.Iwasfacingthefirstflushofsuccessinmycareer,startingtoflyabit,startingtothinkIamSuperman.Thatday,Ilandedonmyfeet,onthosefeetwhichweredeformedwhenIwasbornandthencorrected,thankstothedecisionsmyfamilytookandtotheskillofthedoctor.Eversincethen,Ihavestayedonmyfeet,nomatterhowsuccessfulIhavebeen.WhenIwasinmyearlyforties,Iranmyfirsthalf-marathon.Icovered21km

in2hoursand52minutes.Notgreatbyanyathleticstandards,butgivenhowIwasborn,possiblyasmallmiraclethatIcouldrunatall.AfterIhadcrossedthefinishline,IcalledmygrandmotherandtoldherwhatIhadmanagedtodo,andshecriedonthephonethatday.Andtruetoherstyle,againtoldme,neverforgetwhyyouareabletorun,neverforgetwhyyouareabletoleadthelifeyouareliving.It’sindeedthetruth—mysuccessinlifecanbeattributedtothedecisionsmy

familytookandtotheskillofthedoctor.Ifmyfamilyhadgotitsdecisionswrongorifthedoctorhadgotsomethingwrong,Iwouldprobablyneverhavewalked.ItmighthavemeantIneverwenttoschool,nevergoteducated,neverworked,neverbecamesuccessfulinmycareerandneverwrotethisbookeither.Yet,whenIwassuccessful,itwouldhavebeeneasyformetoforgetthisandstarttothinkthereasonformysuccesswaswhatIhaddone,tolosemyhumilityandtothinkIandIalonemadeithappen.Inthecorporateworld,quiteoften,onedoescomeacrosspeoplewhochange

alotwithsuccess,wholosetouchwithhumility,withthemselves,andstarttofunctionafewfeetoffthegroundintheirminds.Oneofmyfavouritequotesis,‘Youarenotasgoodasyourbestsuccess;you

arenotasbadasyourworstfailure.’WeareclearlyinahighlyVUCA-filledworld,wheresuccessandfailurebothhappenatafairpace.Thebestofcompaniesandthebestofleadersexperiencethem.Failure,especially,seemstorearitsheadwhenthereismuchsuccess,whenyoustarttothinknothingcangowrong,whenyoulosetouchwithhumility.HumilityisthevaluethatIbelievegroundspeople.Itisthisvaluethatallows

youtobecentredandnotflyoffwhenyouexperiencesuccess.Ifyouarehumble,youknowthatnosuccessisevercreatedbyyoualone;thereareotherpeopleinvolved,therearecircumstancesthatcontributedtoyoursuccess,andso

peopleinvolved,therearecircumstancesthatcontributedtoyoursuccess,andsoon.Humilityallowsyoutoenjoythesuccesswithoutlettingitaffectyou,withoutitcreatingarroganceinyou.Equally,thegroundednatureofahumblepersoniswhatalsoallowshimorhertodealwithfailurewhenithappens.Ifyouarehumble,yourabilitytostaygroundedthroughcyclesofsuccessandfailureismuchhigher,andyourabilitytosustainlong-termsuccessismuchhigheraswell.Humilityhasatremendousimpactonleadershipandincreatingfollowership.

Often,powerfulleadersarethosewhohaveaveryambitiousvision,buthavethehumilitytonotletthatambitiousvisionmakethemarrogant.Suchpeoplecreateasenseof‘cause’intheirteamsandorganizationsbecausetheirhumilityiswhatassurespeoplethattheleaderischasingtheambitionnotforhisorherpersonalgain,butbecauseitistherightthingtodo,becausetheybelieveinit.Whenthereisapowerfulvisionandaleaderwho,becauseoftheirhumility,isseentobechasingthatvisionforunselfishreasons,thenthatcombinationiseffectiveincreatingleadershipimpact.

13

Values,theCatalystforLeadershipImpact

Let’sagaincomebacktothewhyofvalues.Yes,thereisamoraldimensiontoit,butthatisnotthesolereasonwhyIbelieveitisimportant.Ibelieveitisacatalystthathelpsyousucceed.AsIsaidearlier,

Leadership=(Position+Content)×Values

Iseektochangeyourunderstandingofvaluesfromacodingthatsayslimitthedownsideofpoorvaluestoacodingthatsaysleveragetheupsideofsuperiorvalues.Andthatupsideisthemultiplicativeimpactthatvalueshaveontheleadershipimpactyoucanhave.IdescribedthevaluesthatIhavebeenparticularlypassionateabout,thetwinHsofhonestyandhumility.Ihavenodoubtthatmyvaluescreatedthemultiplicativeimpactinmyleadership.Iampassionateabouteachoneofyouusingvaluesasacatalystforcreatingleadershipimpact.Socreateyourownvaluesjourney—ithasatremendousimpactonyourlong-termsuccessand,ofcourse,ithasthemoraladvantageofmakingyouabetterpersontoo.Onceyoudecidethatyouwanttousevaluesasacatalystincreating

leadershipimpactandsuccess,thequestionis,howdoyoudeveloptheselodestarvalues?Ifindthatmostpeoplebelieveinthemyththatvaluesareintrinsicandthattheydonotneedtobeworkedupon.Ifweneedtoimproveourtechnicalskills,weworkonthem.Ifwehavetoimproveourphysicalfitness,weworkonit.Butwhenitcomestovalues,wedon’tconsciouslytrytoimprovethem,weneverhaveavaluesimprovementprogrammeforourselves.Wethinkthatjustleadingourliveseverydayisenoughtoimproveourvalues.Idothinkthatisamyth.Whilethereissomethingintrinsicaboutvalues,theyalsoneedworktoimprove.Muchlikehowsimplyspendingtimeatworkdoesnotbuild

worktoimprove.Muchlikehowsimplyspendingtimeatworkdoesnotbuildexperience,muchlikehowjustgoingupthecorporateladderdoesnotautomaticallyimproveproductivity,livinglifeeverydaydoesnotimprovevalues.Improvementinvalueshastobecatalysed,especiallyifyouwantittoreachthelevelofbeingalodestarvalue.Myownjourneyofimprovingmyvalueshasbeenahighlyrewardingone,not

tomentionchallenging.Iwouldsaythattillaboutmylatethirties,Iwasfirmlyinthecampofmajorityhonestymyself,feelingnoqualmsaboutdoingwrongwhenothersdidwrong.AndthenonceIdecidedIwantedtochangemystandardofhonestytopristinehonesty,ofdoingwhatIthoughtwasright,evenifothersweredoingwrongandgettingawaywithit,itwasnoteasy.Itwaslikeanyotherskillimprovementprogramme;itneededworkingon.ThesimplestthingIstartedwithwastosetmyselfgoalsinareaswhereI

wouldnotdowrongjustbecauseothersdidwrong.E.g.IsetmyselfthegoalthatIwouldneverdowrongatatrafficsignalevenifeverybodyelsewasnotfollowingthesignal.IalsosetmyselfthegoalthatifIuseapublictoilet,Iwillalwaysleaveitcleanforthenextperson,irrespectiveofhowdirtyIfoundit,irrespectiveofthefactthatseveralpeopledonotbothertoleavepublictoiletscleanaftertheyusethem.Theseareareaswhereitisveryeasytofollowmajorityhonestyprinciplesanddowrong,andIsaidtomyself,Iwillstartbychangingintheseareas.Whileitmightlooklikeafewtrivialthings,thewayitworkedformewaseachtimeoneoftheseinstanceshappened,whenIstoodatatrafficsignalwheneverybodywasbreakingitorwhenImadetheefforttoleaveapublictoiletclean,itwasreinforcinginmyownmindtheconceptofpristinehonesty.Ididthisforayearorso,afterwhichthenextstepItookwastobuilditinto

mydailyreflectionintheeveningonmywaybackinthecar.Everyevening,alongwiththequestion‘WhatcouldIhavedonebetter?’IwouldreflectonwhethertherewereanyinstanceswhereIpractisedmajorityhonestythatday.Thatreflectionwouldmakemerealizesomeuncomfortablethings.E.g.intheworkplace,oneofthemostpractisedformsofmajorityhonestyiswhenthebossdoessomethingwrongandnobodyconfrontshimorherwithit.Peopleknowthebosshasdonewrong,peopleknowtherightthingintheinterestofthecompanyistopointitout,yetthemajorityhonestyapproachisthatwhennobodyelseisdoingit,whyshouldIstickmyneckoutandpointitout?Istruggledwiththis

one.Mypristinehonestyalwaystoldme,Mouli,everytimeyoufindsomethingwrongbeingdonebypeopleseniortoyou,youneedtohavethecouragetopointitoutwithgoodintentforimprovement,notfault-finding.Ididitmoreoftenthanmostpeople.Yet,sometimes,itwasdifficulttoimplement,andIwouldlapsetomajorityhonesty.Iamjustgivingthisasanexampletodemonstratehowimprovementinvaluesisnoteasytoaccomplish.Itisquitecomplexanditneedsworkingatitinasustainedway.Mylearningisthattherearethreestagestovaluesimprovement:

1. Thefirststageissensitivity—facingwhatyouaredoingwellinthatvalueandwhatyouaredoingpoorly.Creatingself-awarenessofhowyoufareatthelodestarstandardofthatvalueistheverystartingpointofimprovingit.

2. Thesecondstageispractice—forcingyourselftopractisetherightvaluesbehaviour.Choosingafewclearpracticeareasandbeingextremelydisciplinedinpractisingthesewillhelpbuildtheconsciousnessofthelodestarstandardinyou.

3. Thethirdstageisembeddingitintothepersonyouare—thestagewherethepracticenolongerrequiresconsciouseffortbutgetsintegratedintowhoyouare.

Valuesareamongthemostdifficultthingstobegoodat,andtobeatalodestarlevelischallenging,tosaytheleast.Itiseasiertobeasmartchemicalengineerthantopractisepristinehonesty.Itiseasiertobeamarketinggeniusthanitistobetrulyhumble.Valuesimprovementtoalodestarlevelhastobecatalysedbyyouthroughanimprovementplan.Itwillnothappenbyitself.

UnleashtheCatalyst

1. Thebulkofthecorporatecultureonvaluesistorestricttheoccurrenceofabreach.I,however,believethereisanupsidetosuperiorvaluesforlong-termsuccess.Forthat,itisessentialtochangethecodingofyourunderstandingonvalues,fromonethatsayslimitthedownsidetoonethatsaysleveragetheupside.

2. Theupsideofcatalysingvaluescomesfromthehigherleadershipimpactthatsuperiorvaluescancreate.Leadershipimpactismeasuredbythefollowershipandinfluencethatyouhave.LeadershipimpactaspertheVMLequationisdrivenbypositionandcontentand,mostimportantly,values,whichhaveamultiplicativeimpactonleadership.

3. ThevaluesIbelievedinwerethetwinHs,honestyandhumility.Thekeytohonestyistoreachthelevelofpristinehonesty,whichmeansyoufocusondoingrightevenwhenothersaredoingwrongandgettingawaywithit.Humilityisaboutstayinggroundedthroughcyclesofsuccessandfailure,knowingthatyoualonearenotthereasonforyoursuccess.

4. Leadershipimpactbasedonsuperiorvaluesallowsyoutodrivetransformationalchangebasedonstrongfollowership.Itistransformationalchangethatisthesignofalegacy-creatingleader,andallowsyoutocreatelong-termsuccessforyourself.

5. Superiorvalueshavetobecatalysedthroughanimprovementplan.Justlivingyourlifeeverydaydoesnotimproveyourvalues;youhavetoworktowardsimprovingthem.

6. Remember,greatsuccessrequiresyoutodrivegreatchange,greatchangerequiresyoutohavegreatleadershipimpactandtohavegreatleadershipimpact,youneedtohavegreatvalues.Ineffect,greatsuccessrequiresthecatalystofgreatvalues.

14

BringingItAllTogether

Webeganbydiscussingthatcareersuccessisafunctionofrealindividualgrowth.Hence,ifyoufocusondrivingrealindividualgrowth,careersuccesswillfollowasaconsequence.InPartI,wespokeaboutcatalysingtheexperiencealgorithmusingtheTMRR

processandleveraginglearningcycles.Wealsospokeoftheneedtogrowyourpersonalproductivityasyouclimbupthecorporateladder.Ithinkofexperiencealgorithmandpersonalproductivityasthenecessaryrawmaterialsforsuccess.Thesearethefoundationalblocks.Withouttherawmaterialoftheexperiencealgorithmandproductivity,itisdifficulttocreatecareersuccessevenifyouhavegoodvalues.Inmyjudgement,alargemajority,saybetween70–80percentofpeople,cancatalysethedevelopmentofthenecessaryrawmaterialstohavemeaningfulsuccessintheircareers.AndifyoutrulyembracethecatalystsofTMRR,learningcyclesandproductivitydrivers,thenyouwillbuildanalgorithmthatisgoingtosetyouupforexceptionalsuccess,notmoderatesuccess.However,therawmaterialsalonearenotenough.Thecatalystofgoodcareer

decisionsisrequiredtoconvertitintocareersuccessascoveredinPartII.Thekeyprincipleistotakedecisionsthatcatalyserealindividualgrowthinthefirsthalf,whichwillhelpyousucceedwhenitmatters,inthesecondhalfofyourcareer.Havinggoodbossesinthefoundationalstageofyourcareerandhavingmentorswhohelpyouwithdecision-makinginaVUCAcareerworldarecrucialcatalystsforgoodcareerchoices.Themostimportantcareerdecisionstomakearethedecisionstoquitandjoin,andsegregatingthetwo,makingthemindependentlyandbasedonlearningandfit,willgetyoutomaketherightchoices.Inmyjudgementhere,over50percentofpeopledonotmanagetheircareers

Inmyjudgementhere,over50percentofpeopledonotmanagetheircareerswell.Thebiggestmistakeismanagingthefirsthalfforsuccessinthefirsthalfonly,asopposedtofoundation-buildingforthesecondhalf.Theotherkeymistakeispoorquitandjoindecisionsbasedontrappingsratherthanintrinsicfactors.Hence,ofthe70–80percentwhomanagetodevelopthenecessaryrawmaterialsofthealgorithmandtheproductivity,over50percentdonotachievethesuccesstheydeserveduetocareermistakes.Combiningtherightrawmaterialsandtherightcareerdecisions,asanaggregate,wearedownto35–40percentwhosesuccessintheircareersiscommensuratewiththeirpotential.InPartIII,wespokeofhowwecanbringthe‘life’of‘work–life’intowork,

howthewayyouliveyourlifecanbeacatalystforyoursuccessatwork.Developinga‘passionatestriving’hobbyisthecatalystthatallowsyoutomeetyourachievementneedoutsideworkandthushelpsyouoperatefrommasteryandpurposeatwork.That,coupledwiththeleadershipimpactthatsuperiorvaluescancreate,canplaceyouinthehighestechelonsofsuccess.Ifyoutrulywanttobreakfreeofthe35–40percentmentionedearlierandifyouraspirationisforlegacy-creatingleadershipandthebreakoutsuccessthatveryfewachieve,thenyouhavetobringthecatalystoflifeintowork.Youhavetobringthepowerofwhoyouare,yourvalues,yourpassion,intowork,andyouhavetokeepimprovingthese.Veryfewpeoplebringthepoweroftheirentirebeingtosuccessatwork.Veryfewdevelopthelevelofvaluesrequiredtobecomelegacy-creatingleaderswholeaveanimpact.Ifthatisyouraspirationthenyouhavetosetastandardforyourselftobeinthe1–2percentofthehighestvalues-driven,self-awareindividuals.Achallengingtask,butnotimpossible.TheotherkeyaspectIwanttodealwithishowyouusethisbookandits

learning.Donotthinkofitassequentialsections—Ihavetobuildthealgorithmfirst,thenIhavetomakegoodcareerchoicesandthenIwillthinkaboutlifeandvaluesandhobbies.Itisnotsequential.Atthetimeyouarereadingthisbook,youalreadyhaveanalgorithm.Whileyoumustmaketheefforttodevelopitfurther,youmustalsomakegoodcareerchoicesforthealgorithmyoualreadyhave.Hence,youmustmakegoodPartIIcareerchoicesevenasyoustartthePartIjourneyofTMRRtofurtherimproveyouralgorithm.Andasforintegratinglifeandvalues,itisnevertooearlytostartthatjourney.Thejunior-mostpeople,evenstudents,canembarkonthatjourneyofimprovingwhotheyare.Somysincereadviceistoembraceallthethreesectionsofthebookandnot

are.Somysincereadviceistoembraceallthethreesectionsofthebookandnotseethemassequential.Myotherrecommendationforbenefitingfromthisbookistoreaditmore

thanonce.Readingitafewtimeswillgetthewholestructureinyourheadandbuildmoreconviction.Iwouldalsorecommendthatonceamonth,youpickupanyonechapterandreadit.Itwillbearefresherandmakeatremendousdifferenceinyourquestforsuccess.Myvisionforyou—mywishforeachoneofyouwhoreadsthisbook—isthat

thisbookbecomesthecatalystthatinspiresyoutobeamongthe1–2percentofpeoplewiththehighestsuccess.Allthebest.Maytheforcebewithyou.

TheFinalQuestion

Idohopeeachoneofyouachievesthesuccessthatyouwantinyourcareerbydintofyourefforts,andwiththisbookasacatalyst.However,itdoesbringustothefinalquestion—whydoyouwanttosucceedinyourcareer?Issuccessameanstoanendorisitanendinitself?‘WhydoIwanttosucceed?’isanimportantquestionyoumustaskyourself.Myownjourneyinthisregardhasseenchangeovertime.WhenIstarted

working,intheearlydays,successwasallaboutknowingthatIwasgoodenough.Itwasaboutmaterialprogressandcareerachievement.Overtime,itevolvedtoadegreeofpersonalpride,notthearrogantkind,butadegreeofprideinbeingsuccessful.Butasisobvious,noneoftheseweremeaningfulenoughandhence,noneofthemstuckforlong.Then,afterfifteenyearsofworking,IgotanopportunitytobeintheHRfunctionforafewyears.Inthosefewyears,unknowntomyself,Istartedtodevelopasenseofmission.Itwasaboutmakingadifferencetopeoplearoundme,makingthembetter,makingthemproductiveandmakingthemmoresuccessful.And,overtime,Ibecamemoreandmoreconsciousofit,andstartedtorealizethatwhenIdothingswiththemissionofimpactingpeoplearoundmepositively,Igetatremendoussenseoffocusandenergy.AndwhenIdidstuffwiththatenergyandmission,Istarteddoingevenbetter,gettingmoreeffectiveandproductive.Slowly,Istartedbuildingthatasapersonalmission—themissionofmaking

peopleIreachouttobetterbecauseoftheirinteractionswithme.Iwantedtohelpthemrealizetheirdreams,understandthemselvesbetterandbecometheir

helpthemrealizetheirdreams,understandthemselvesbetterandbecometheirbestselves.ThisdidnotmeanIdidnotfocusonworkandresultsatwork,butthiswaswhyIwaschasingresultsatwork.Itmeantsmallchanges.ItmeantthatwhenIsetahighambition,partofmymissionwastoproduceresults,butpartofitwasalsotocoachanddeveloppeopleinthatprocess.ItmeantthatwhenItravelledtovariousofficesofmycompany,Ialwaystookthetimeouttointeractwiththepeopleinthatofficeonaverymeaningfulbasis,notjustformetoknowwhattheyweredoingbutalsototryandmakeasmalldifferenceintheireffectivenessandlife.ItmeantthatwhenIreadabook,notonlydidIuseitformyownimprovementbutIalsospokeaboutittootherstohelpthemmakeasmalldifference.The‘TeeoffwithMouli’sessions,whichImentionedinthebeginning,were

adirectresultofthismission.Andwritingthisbook,takingofffromthesessions,ispartofthesamemissionofhelpingmakepeoplebetter.ThatdoesnotmeanIdonothavethesameambitionforthesuccessofthisbookasanyotherauthorhasforthesuccessofhisorherbook.Ihavethesameambition,Iwantthisbooktosucceed,butmysuccesshasapurpose—itisameanstoanend,notanendinitself.Mysuccesshasthepurposeofmakingeverybodywhoreadsthisbookbetteratwork,betterintheirlearning,betterinhowtheylivetheirlivesandbetterpeoplewhowillfurtherpropagatethegoodmessagesinthisbooktotrytomakeadifferencetopeoplearoundthem.AndthatsenseofpurposegivesmeevenmorefueltotryandsucceedwiththisbookthanifIhadwrittenthisbookwithoutasenseofmission.Hence,hereismyfinalquestiontoyouattheendofthisbook.Iknowyou

wanttosucceed,otherwiseyoumightnothavereachedtheendofthebook.Butdoyouknowwhyyouwanttosucceed?Whatissuccessthemeanstoinyourlife?Thisbookwillhelpyouinthejourneyofsuccess,butfindingthepurpose

behindwhyyouwanttosucceedissomethingthatyoumustdoforyourself.

Acknowledgements

Ihavetostartbyacknowledgingthosewhohelpedmeinmyjourneyinthecorporateworld.Ifithadnotbeenforthisjourney,Iwouldneverhavebuiltthelearningandinsightsrequiredtowriteabooklikethis.Foremostinthishavebeenthetwoinfluentialbossesofmine,AnandKripaluandBharatPuri.Iamalsodeeplythankfultoasetofleadersandcolleagueswhohaveinspiredandtaughtme:P.M.Murty,AshwinbhaiDani,AshwinbhaiChoksi,AbhaybhaiVakil,JalajDani,ManishChoksi,K.B.S.Anand,AmitSyngleandP.G.PonnapafromAsianPaints;GuluMirchandani,VijayMansukhani,G.SundarandSashaMirchandanifromOnida;andToddStitzer,KenHannah,MarckReckitt,BobStack,RajivWahi,NickFell,AmitBanati,IreneRosenfeld,TimCofer,KarenMay,MaryBethWest,ManuAnandandPradeepPantfromCadbury/Mondelez.IamalsothankfultothepartnersIhaveworkedwithwhohavebeengreatteachersandfriends:PiyushPandey,MadhukarSabnavis,GovindPandey,Kinu,HepsibahPathak,SonaliandGanapathyfromOgilvy;RaviDeshpande,UmeshShrikhandeandRohitShrivastavfromContractandLemonandthereafter;SamBalsara,BikramSakhuja,Dnyanadha,ShekharandGautamfromMadison;andVispyDoctor,Jasmeet,GitaandMeerafrommyresearchagencies.EachoneofthemhascontributedinsomewaytowhatIhavelearntandsomeoftheirteachingsarewhatisreflectedinthisbook.Ialsowanttothankthosewhomadethewritingofthisbookpossible.Imust

startwiththosewhotriggeredthethoughtthatImustwriteabook.WhilemanypeoplehaveoftentoldmethatImustwriteone,haditnotbeenfortheproddingofGovindPandey,SavithaShivshankarandChavviBindal,Imightnothaveevenseriouslyconsideredthis.ImustthankmypublishersPenguinRandomHouseforreadilyacceptingmysynopsisandbeingtremendouspartnersinthisjourney.IwanttothankalltheteamsinPenguinRandomHouseformakingthishappen—yourcommitmentandprofessionalismareoutstanding.AspecialthankstomyeditorRadhikaMarwahforherpartnershipwithme.

thankstomyeditorRadhikaMarwahforherpartnershipwithme.IwanttothankmyauthorfriendsAmbiParameswaranandPrakashIyerfor

providingadebutantauthorlikemesomevaluabletips.Iamalsoindebtedtomycurrentemployers,PidiliteIndustries,M.B.ParekhandBharatPuriforgivingmethespaceandencouragementtowriteabook.IamthankfultoAnandKriplau,SiddarthaMukherjeeandmybrothersBalajiandSwamiforreviewingthebookandgivingmevaluablefeedback.ManythankstoHarishThawaniandthestaffofIndusClub,whereIhavesatmanyadayfrommorningtilleveningwritingthebook,forprovidingafantasticenvironment.Ialsowanttothankacoregroupofdearfriendswhohaveselflesslyhelpedmeinthemarketingofthisbook.Godblessthem.LastlyIwanttothankeverycompanywhereIdid‘TeeoffwithMouli’

sessions,theleaderswhoinvitedmethereandeveryparticipantofthesesessions.TheenergyIgotfromthemwasphenomenalandthequestionstheyaskedhelpedmesharpeneverypointIhavemadeinthisbook.Thankyouall.

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Thiscollectionpublished2018

Copyright©ChandramouliVenkatesan2018

ThemoralrightoftheauthorhasbeenassertedJacketimages©HaitenloSemyISBN:978-0-143-44247-9

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e-ISBN:978-9-387-62547-1

Thisbookissoldsubjecttotheconditionthatitshallnot,bywayoftradeorotherwise,belent,resold,hiredout,orotherwisecirculatedwithoutthepublisher’spriorconsentinanyformofbindingorcoverotherthanthatinwhichitispublishedandwithoutasimilarconditionincludingthisconditionbeingimposedonthesubsequentpurchaser.