The Hindu Business Line : Learn to manage success

If one were to be better connected to the ecosystem, it would be akin to velcro — multiple points of contact that keep the contact from unravelling suddenly. What next? Ideas to keep achievers interested

The Olympic motto is `Citius, Altius, Fortius', which means `swifter, higher, stronger' in Latin. Today, these words could very well form the leitmotif of the lives of all professionals. The pace at which we are being dragged along by the march of constant and accelerating change imposes severe strains on our ability to smell the flowers as we go by. While technology has shrunk distances, it has also shrunk the time available for reflection and measured responses. The delights of dum pukht cooking have perforce yielded to the exigencies of pressure-cooked meals.

Careers are in fast forward mode and most young people reach positions of increasing responsibility faster than in the past. In many ways, this is a good thing as it challenges professionals to constantly seek knowledge to address tomorrow's needs rather than continue to deliver based on yesterday's experiences. This also naturally creates an expectation in people's minds that the many tomorrows to come will provide equally exciting growth. This is where difficulties crop up, when, in most cases, the rate of growth starts tapering off with consequential effects on morale. This is a situation that calls for a planned approach to facing an uncertain future; it is most difficult to put in coping mechanisms once the point of diminishing returns is reached.

Enjoy the journey

One way to prepare oneself is to be able to understand that while achieving the goals one has set is very important, it is equally important to enjoy the journey that leads one to that goal. The journey not only has the potential to throw up learning opportunities directly related to one's career, but also has the ability to help build a network that will nurture one's future.

There are also occasions when exceptionally gifted young professionals achieve very early success and reach positions of authority very rapidly. For such achievers, ironically, the way forward becomes even more challenging. They have a sense of having arrived; the question that then troubles them is about where they should go next. This can be very traumatic and can often lead to a tendency to experiment with their careers — many a time with mixed results.

The biggest challenges are faced by senior professionals in their 40s and early 50s, who, after a life of hard work, have achieved great success. They are at the top of their game and they have scaled their personal Everest. Even as they admire the view, it becomes apparent to them that one day soon they have to think `Quo Vadis' — loosely translated as whither goest thou from here?

Connect with the environment

The same singular and ruthless focus that leads to great professional success also leads to a blinkered vision that constrains people from connecting with the ecosystem at a broader level. This is much like a button holding together two pieces of a garment. However strong the button and the thread, it is but a single piece of contact and any sudden jerk pulls the garment apart. If one were to be better connected to the ecosystem, it would be akin to velcro — multiple points of contact that keep the contact from unravelling suddenly. This points to the need in today's complex world to develop multiple touch points with the ecosystem even as we intensely focus on the primary objective of great success in our chosen profession.

In effect, it helps to develop a range of interests and engage with a large set of people with differing perspectives and abilities. Once such a beachhead is established, slowly but steadily, and at one's own pace, it can be expanded. The touch points can be based on one's areas of strength to start with and gradually expanded to cover aspirational goals, as well, over a period of time. This not only leads to enhancement of self worth and self esteem, but can also have a significant beneficial effect on one's career prospects as well; positive external feedback tends to reinforce internal assessment of merit.

A life that is lived in the fast-forward mode brings with it many thrills. However, by its very nature, it also force fits people into situations that are inherently antithetical to a holistic living. So, velcro your way to a soft landing in life.

(The writer is advisor to 3i Infotech, Blue River Capital and IDFC Pvt Equity.)

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