Being heroic pays, until it doesn't!

There is an incident I remember, quite vividly from the last days of engineering college, when I was taking classes to prepare for MBA exams. It is a very interesting experience, after 6 years (11th and 12th included) of hanging around with the ‘science, math, logic and reasoning’ crowd to a diverse group of students from different backgrounds. ‘CAT’ of course was the object of our collective obsession.

One HR student raised a pertinent question during one of the classes to a very erudite teacher. She asked, “With all the math and reasoning in the CAT exam, wouldn’t engineers have the advantage”? Sure enough, our general understanding at that time was that this was true. But the teacher said, “It may not always be so.” MBA papers are about ability, yes. But there are also other key aspects of your character and approach to life that show up when you handle an exam like CAT.

For instance, students with scientific backgrounds may obsess over some of the difficult questions in the exam (especially mathematical and logical ones) and lose precious time, leaving them behind in the total scores. Those who are smarter and more practical, be it from any stream, may instead optimize their time and quickly decide to move on to other questions, thereby getting ahead.

One of our professors in MBA did something similar in a paper on strategic management as well. He started the question paper with a story. The instructions said, "Read the story carefully to answer the questions that follow." A lot of students got into reading the story for a good 10 minutes. On the other side of the page, there was just 1 question (out of 50 multiple choice questions in the paper) on that particular story! And imagine what one of the choices for that question was?

“I was a fool to waste so much time and effort on this one question!”

A third interesting example was about an HR project by a group of students. When the teacher asked questions on the project, it was clear that only one of the students had actually worked on it, and the rest were tag-alongs. That one student was brimming with confidence and self-assuredness till the teacher gave them all a very terrible grade. If one had to do it, what was the purpose of a team at all?

Schools teach you to work hard. And after taking up Science and then Engineering, our life was always about working hard through school and college, and hitting the tough challenges head-on. It seems from my experience that a lot of people carry the same approach to their careers, at least in their initial years (and if they unfortunately do not learn their lessons, later in life as well). But these two examples I stated above are important caveats to that kind of life philosophy.

It is not always about the 'Force'

Stories in the Mahabharata, more particularly the decisions taken by Lord Krishn at critical moments in the war, give us very important life lessons in this regard. During the 18-day war, almost every major warrior from the Kaurava side – Bhishm, Karn, Dronacharya, Duryodhan – is killed by means you may not consider to be ethical. But the message one needs to take from these stories is that 'ends' matter, even if the means are not always of your choosing.

Arjun had to kill Karn when the latter’s chariot wheel was stuck in mud. He would have thought about the lost glory in doing so. This was, after all, a battle for honour as well, between two of the greatest archers of that time. But he did so on Lord Krishn’s advice nevertheless. The actual goal was winning the war, as early as possible, and that took precedence.

So what do we learn from these two examples?

While attacking a particular question (read ‘life challenge’) is brave, it is not always sensible. That question has to be viewed in context of its criticality to the larger objective that you are looking to achieve. Does it merit the time and attention you are giving it? Or is there something else you need to prioritise for the larger goal? And is the method you are deploying necessarily the best, or do we need some improvisation?

This is where the Pareto 80:20 rule, which states that approximately 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes, comes in very handy. Around 20% of your tasks are responsible for 80% of the impact of your work. Around 20% of your customers account for 80% of your business. Business strategy, as we discussed, earlier, is indeed about prioritising efforts and resources by focusing on the most important factors or areas that yield the greatest results. Break it down into smaller challenges and chip away. Talk to others. Engage. Take help when needed and gain a more informed perspective from experts. ??

When dealing with a complex project that has several variables, you need to first sit and identify all the variables or factors that impact the success of the project. Identify those few that are expected to have maximum impact on its success and allocate maximum resources to those variables. ?

Leaders have the responsibility to not just set priorities for themselves, but also for their team members. When a new person joins the organization, management needs to spend a lot of time with them discussing their role, what are the critical success factors and what is expected from them. That is why things like Job Description, interviews and selection processes need to be much more carefully planned than they usually are.

Another key area where people fail is to be able to ask for help when they need it. You may call it the hero complex (that sealed the fate of the team project). People with a hero complex often seek out opportunities to be seen as heroes and may engage in grandiose gestures or self-sacrificing behaviors to fulfill this need. They may take on unnecessary risks or put themselves in danger to rescue others, even in situations where it may not be warranted or safe. Their sense of self-worth is often tied to being seen as heroic or exceptional.

Overdose of reel life maybe? While they will be considered virtuous in the movies, such people tend to put themselves and team efforts in danger. People with such a complex should acknowledge that they can have vulnerabilities and may be wrong in some aspects. They need to make every project a team effort, and ensure collective accountability. Being the hero works at times, but it is neither the best nor the sustainable approach to work life.

Finally, what it takes to resolve any challenge with equanimity is to get out of your head. "Getting out of your head" refers to the act of shifting your focus away from excessive internal thoughts, self-doubt, or overthinking and redirecting your attention to the external world or the task at hand. It involves transcending mental barriers and distractions to actively engage with the present moment and take effective action.

Like Arjun, you must only be able to see the eye of the bird.?Success is built not just by the extent, but also by the direction of your efforts.