Grow Coach versus Enough Coach

The world as we live in today is a world of economics and finance. Success today is a function of financial success.

There were these books by Amish Tripathi called the Shiva Trilogy. One aspect of the book talks about categorizing humans into 4 categories - the spiritual & learned (Brahmin), the Warrior / Protector (Kshatriya), the Trader / Businessperson (Vaishya) and the Worker / Doer (Shudra). And this was done basis an assessment of traits and temperament over a few years rather than by an entitlement / by birth. I thought this was a powerful and noble concept but I guess the codified caste system destroyed the original intent perhaps.

In any case the Hindu scriptures also state that over years (yugas) one quality becomes preponderant over the others.

If you look around today, it is evident that the preponderant trait around the world is economics. If you have financial savvy and are making money then you are considered a success. And everyone is therefore on a treadmill of economic success and wealth creation.

In this scenario when you consult with someone as a mentor or coach perhaps, things eventually veer around to how you become successful financially. You have to be growing - revenues and profits. So what do you need to do to get more customers, more visibility, better paying job, better investment avenues....

And therefore show me your goals and your step by step plan to achieve your goals. And the reviews and the suggestions to course correct and help you achieve your objectives. The Grow Coach.

Some of my "baniya" friends in Mumbai enviously or proudly describe other "successful" people as say "200 crore ka asami" (translates as "he is a Rs. 200 crore person") Everything else is forgiven. After all he has the moolah and money can buy almost anything isn't it?

I am wondering, is there a scope for an Enough Coach? Someone who counsels you not to chase wealth mindlessly & endlessly. Someone who makes you aware of the wealth that you already possess and shows you how to appreciate it. And this will become more and more meaningful as the world starts to adopt ESG and worries about impact of our actions on the planet. Because how long will we continue believing that we can continue to do whatever we do and hope that the planet will not respond adversely.

I sincerely believe that unless we adopt the word Enough more and more, we will not be able to make any significant impact on the planet saving actions.

Throttling back is the key.

We therefore need more Enough coaches who can coach us to be comfortable with what we have and not encourage us to get on the forever QoQ treadmill. Many years ago I was contracted by the founder of a small IT firm to be his advisor. On the first day what he told me was "Look please do not push me to grow. I am ok with what we are as a firm. We will grow naturally if we have to."

Clearly he had adopted and accepted the word Enough early in life. I continue to follow his company on the social media. They are doing quite OK and the employees are very happy too.

Likewise, success after an MBA degree need not necessarily be a high paying job in a top city. It could also mean a humble but meaningful job / vocation that lets you stay with family and friends and has an impact of the environment and society. Maybe the formula is not either - or. It could be one followed by the other.

Let me know what you think.

#PadiHaiwithKG.