STOP Being A Caged Lion

POSTED BY MANOJ VASUDEVAN  · WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2020

What’s the bigger problem here? Panic, pandemic, stock market crash, economic slowdown, fear of large-scale retrenchments or lack of independence?

Several highly qualified leaders and top executives with immense expertise, are getting increasingly worried about the longevity of their employment, securing their future, and more.

Here’s the thing to remember.

Don’t be too dependent on your employer. Take charge of your destiny.

Looking at the way most organizations are designed, the scope for individual growth is reserved for those who take charge of their careers. In the corporate jungle, it is survival of the fittest.

Here is the thing to note: when you are in salaried employment, you are conditioned to become a caged lion. You are fed regularly, groomed periodically and taken care of for so long, that you forget your natural instincts to hunt:

• for what you really want,
• to eat what you like, and
• to do what you love.

This increasing dependency on the keeper (employer), curtails your ambition, diminishes your personal focus, and degrades your self-confidence. (Reference: Before Your Company Stops Loving You)

Have you wondered why several competent people can’t see a brighter future outside the walls of their organizations? Having been caged into comfort, their confidence shrivels over time to conform to the constraints of corporate controls. Eventually, even smart people can’t see beyond their conditioning. They lose confidence in their abilities (in spite of a pile of qualifications, accomplishments, and expertise). They forget how to hunt for what they want. (Reference: 7 Barriers That Might Be Preventing Your Career Progression)

They forget how to hunt for what they want!

There is hope.

Take stock of your competencies

What are you good at? What are you passionate about? What are you willing to learn? What would you love to do? What are the skills you lack that are slowing you down?

Bridge your skills gap that stops you from the next move (or next level)

While many organizations do groom their employees, the primary objective of all organizations is to equip employees to achieve the organization’s KPIs – NOT the executive’s career growth, professional development, or employability.

Executives, in turn, become lazy, lethargic and live from served meal to served meal like a caged lion, expecting the keeper (employer) to take care of all their needs! This is a career-limiting attitude. They rationalize by asking “It feels so good here. Why should I rock the boat?”. The counter-question to ask is “What if that boat is sinking or not taking you anywhere in particular?. This acquired habit of waiting to be fed with opportunities, craving to be groomed, and leaving personal development to the mercy of the organization, silently accumulates long-term costs and fatal instability. (Reference: 23 Key Focus Areas To Demonstrate Your Next Level Leadership Readiness)

Hunt for better opportunities: Reframe your thoughts to remember that there is someone out there looking for the services and competencies of someone like you. It could be within your organization or outside your organization or in the organization you plan to build. Do yourself a favor by preparing yourself to be ready by investing in your development, and bridging your skills gaps. Self-education is the best education because you can choose what you should learn, how you will learn, and how deep you want to go. Learning should never stop. Put your prior experience to good use!

Self-education is the best education because you can choose what you should learn, how you will learn and how deep you want to go. Learning should never stop. Put your prior experience to good use!

 

It’s time to take charge of your destiny.

Stay ready for your next move.

Don’t get caught up in a situation where you forgot how to hunt!

Rebound is coming

The biggest opportunities lie hidden in the darkest hours. The world has survived 1918, World War I, World War II, the Great Depression, 1997, 9/11, 2008, and many more. In hindsight, each of those downturns provided us with the best time for investments! Still, most people did not invest in their future during those dark times because they were busy panicking like others similar. Despite all those setbacks, the long term trajectory of global growth went upwards. Those who noticed the trend won in the end. History is set to repeat itself, again!

No matter what setback you might face, charge ahead with the optimism that things will get better and rebound soon. The time now is to pause, reflect, and reinvest in your future!

Are you going to stay inside the cage forever? OR Are you preparing ahead for the rebound and opportunities that lie ahead? The choice is yours to make.

Call To Action

1. Be crystal clear of what you want to do and have.
2. Uncover hidden challenges and blind spots (find the gaps that you are not even aware of)
3. Act with a sense of urgency to take the steps that close the gaps and prepare you to make the LEAP

If you like to have a chat, you can set up a session for Next Level Clarity at the link below.