Mr. Gopalakrishnan succeeds Mr.Ratan Tata as Chairman of Tata Sons Ltd., the holding company for many of the Tata Bluechips like
Tata Steel, Tata Motors,Tata Power, Tata Chemicals, Voltas, etc., Possibly he is the first non-Tata person to head the Tata Empire.
The below article written by him is really interesting!
The grass isn’t always greener on the other side !!
Move from one job to another, but only for the right reasons.
It’s yet another day at office. As I logged on to the marketing and advertising sites for the latest updates, as usual, I found the
headlines dominated by ‘who’s moving from one company to another after a short stint, and I wondered,why are so many people
leaving one job for another?
Is it passe now to work with just one company for a sufficiently long period? Whenever I ask this question to people who leave a
company, the answers I get are: “Oh, I am getting a 200% hike in salary”; “Well, I am jumping three levels in my designation”; “Well,
they are going to send me abroad in six months”.
Then, I look around at all the people who are considered successful today and who have reached the top – be it a media agency, an
advertising agency or a company. I find that most of these people are the ones who have stuck to the company, ground their heels and
worked their way to the top. And, as I look around for people who changed their jobs constantly, I find they have stagnated at some
level, in obscurity!
In this absolutely ruthless, dynamic and competitive environment, there are still no short cuts to success or to making money. The only
thing that continues to pay, as earlier, is loyalty and hard work. Yes, it pays!
Sometimes, immediately, sometimes after a lot of time. But, it does pay. Does this mean that one should stick to an organisation and
wait for that golden moment? Of course not. After a long stint, there always comes a time for moving in most organisations, but it is
important to move for the right reasons, rather than superficial ones, like money, designation or an overseas trip.
Remember, no company recruits for charity. More often than not, when you are offered an unseemly hike in salary or designation that
is disproportionate to what that company offers it current employees, there is always unseen bait attached.
The result? You will, in the long-term, have reached exactly the same levels or maybe lower levels than what you would have in your
Current company.
A lot of people leave an organisation because they are “unhappy”. What is this so-called-unhappiness? I have been working for
donkey’s years and there has never been a day when I am not unhappy about something in my work environment-boss, rude
colleague, fussy clients etc.
Unhappiness in a workplace, to a large extent, is transient. If you look hard enough, there is always something to be unhappy about.
But, more importantly, do I come to work to be “happy” in the truest sense?
If I think hard, the answer is “No”. Happiness is something you find with family, friends,may be a close circle of colleagues who have
become friends.
What you come to work for is to earn, build a reputation, satisfy your ambitions, be appreciated for your work ethics, face challenges
and get the job done. So, the next time you are tempted to move, ask yourself why are you moving and what are you moving into?
Some questions are:
* Am I ready and capable of handling the new responsibility? If yes, what could be the possible reasons my current company has not
offered me the same responsibility?
* Who are the people who currently handle this responsibility in the current and new company? Am I as good as the best among
them?
* As the new job offer has a different profile, why have I not given the current company the option to offer me this profile?
* Why is the new company offering me the job? Do they want me for my skills, or is there an ulterior motive?
An honest answer to these will eventually decide where you go in your career- to the top of the pile in the long term (at the cost of
short-term blips) or to become another average employee who gets lost with time In the wilderness?
“DESERVE BEFORE YOU DESIRE” –
Dr.Gopalkrishnan,
Chairman TATA Sons.
Success is not about reaching your destination before everyone, but how you reach your destination
Management Accountant 