Nobody would have envisioned the term
“Mid Life Crises” coined by Mr. Elliot Jacques to become an endemic issue
across the world. While conventional
wisdom and understanding denotes that typically GenY remain agnostic over and suffer
from “Mid-Career Crises” some shorn of job/business, well-nigh with-in job or
in whatever business we have, for variety of reasons best known to us, but are
these the ‘real’ reasons? Do we really know the reasons? If yes, do we have an
answer for all the possible bouncing questions with “How”, “What”, “Why”?
Off late I was wondering if I am one
those numerous cynical and negative fellows cribbing daylong of their work? This
comes without asking when every other colleague of mine keeps humming of more
than 10 things which make them unhappy or at least not very satisfied with their
current role, sucking boss or often their team.
Now since I happen to know them
closely, I admit some of them are too bright, meritorious and set high
benchmark for themselves and therefore harsh and cynical words from them make
me think deeper of the reason.
But we all have a common symptom of
being unhappy vis-à-vis outside view of good role, decent job for our exp vs career
level. I have 8years experience with 7 consecutive outstanding rating, 3
different distinct roles to perform, with many different roles to play in
between, so if someone would have asked me, when I started my career 8years
back, would you be happy if you get all this 8years down the line. I would have
happily taken it and went home being most satisfied person on the earth. But
today if you ask me, I am unhappy with lot many things in my professional remit
and that leads us to question WHY?
So why do we live the life of
perpetual unhappiness? It is safe to say that we live alternative life (Because
this is not what we want)! In other words, the prime reason for this
unhappiness is the gap between what I am? And What I want to be? While most of
us have answer to later in forms on CHRO, CEO, Indian Cricketer, IPS and IAS
etc . Point B is clear but where we are lacking is to have honest answer to first
question, “what am I”? If at all we can answer that honestly we’ll know whether
our point B is in line to who we are? Or perhaps we need to change our point B.
If we look at this picture from 2*2
matrix, X axis has “Aspiration” with “what am I” and “What I want to be”. Y
axis has “Actions” which I “know” And “don’t know”.
Example-
“Imagine if there is a doctor who
happens to have good name as cardiologist
and he aspires to be a best cardiologist in the town, he will make
journey from left hand side bottom corner box to upper one that journey is
simple since he “knows” what is takes to be a Best cardiologist in town. But If
same doctor aspires to be a politician or Chief Minister of his state, he
doesn’t know the skills/competencies it takes to be a Chief Minister of state
therefore will fall in right hand side top corner box.”
What I want to be ?
|
High on aspirations and low on action
|
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Who I am?
|
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KNOW
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DON’T KNOW
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Most of us are stuck in TOP right
corner box in below matrix, high on aspirations, to be the best, to be a CEO,
to be CHRO but we don’t know what it takes to be there? What are the
competencies, skills, required to make journey from our current position, to
the position we aspire for.
We (GenY) are full of energy positive
and negative both, negative we tend to develop when our aspirations are not
meted. Low energy transpires in Low action thereby impacting the result on the
contrary high energy transpire the high action and more often than not turns
the result in your favor.
We (GenY) are different when I compare
ourselves to our predecessors and biggest differentiator is “CHOICES”. We have
abundance of choices today wherein our parents (baby boomers) had limited
choices, therefore they were ‘ACTION’ oriented to prove a point and grab one of
the choices wherein we have many to choose from therefore we are ‘Thought’
oriented since decision making becomes difficult with more choices and hence
dilemma of TO BE or NOT TO BE. The Paradox of Choices is notion is already
spelled in“The Paradox of Choice:
Why More Is Less” is a book from 2004 by
Barry Schwartz” , it explains that companies selling 24 different types of jam make
less sales than those who only offer 6 varieties of jam: at a certain point,
too many options get suffocating & turn us off making a choice at all.
Summing up top 3 reasons for unhappiness
of GenY or “Mid-Career Crises’ it can be following-
- Ø Disconnect between Aspiration and Knowledge/skills
- Ø Negative Energy result into low actions
- Ø Paradox of choices (To many choices to choose from)
Now since we know above are 3 primary
reasons of our happiness and Mid-Career Crises, how do we attack these to come
out as winner? All of us set a goal but that goal should be break into small
short term objectives with actions in ‘Step-up model’ to reach the ultimate
goal.
References- My dialogue with founder Sampark
Foundation Mr. Vineet Nayar and some soul searching.
