One needs a Zorba

Human behaviour is complex and difficult to understand analytically. Humans are broadly similar from a genetic perspective, yet each individual is distinctive from a psychological perspective. That is why there are no formulaic or prescriptive approaches possible with respect to human relationships, except for the general awareness and recognition that each person is different.

There are opposite forces that determine a person's psychological response to a given situation; they need to be in balance. Such a balance can be found through a release mechanism of 'letting go.' As the epitaph of the Greek author Nikos Kazantzakis in Herakleion reads, 'I hope for nothing. I fear nothing. I am free.' Kazantzakis wrote the novel Zorba the Greek. He created the character called Zorba, one of the greats of modern fiction. The book was later made into a fine film starring Anthony Quinn. It is a story about the relationship between two men. 

One is 'The Boss' who has the looks, intelligence, health, money and education. He is a lignite miner who has his eyes set on money and wealth. He is a good person, but is all locked up inside, a bit like the modern business manager. He does not enjoy life. He reads and thinks, but has no fun. 

Zorba is his assistant in the lignite venture. Zorba is a very different person from 'The Boss.' Zorba is fun-loving and takes each incident and day as it comes. Towards the end of the story, Zorba tells his boss, 'You have got everything, Boss, except one thing - madness. A man needs a little madness or he never cuts the rope and gets free.' At the end of the book, Zorba teaches the Boss to let go, dance and laugh. 

Managers are like 'The Boss.' They take themselves far too seriously. They need to let go sometimes and for that they need a Zorba in their career and lives. A Zorba serves as a lightning rod. Someone needs to help you to view your psyche as a balance between your inherent strong points and weak points without being into professional counseling. 

The above is an extract from the chapter, The Psychological Self in R Gopalakrishnan’s book “When the Penny Drops.” Since almost a decade back I had wanted to read this. During the current lockdown, I instinctively picked it up and now about to complete reading the whole of it while absorbing most of the practical lessons that the author has so interestingly presented through anecdotes from his illustrious career and other stories. I agree with the author that for most of us “the penny drops” only when we are at the end of our careers. I am a bit fortunate to have “picked up the penny” a little earlier! This book has surely helped me advance the rate of my learning, as a practicing manager, by a few years. As I look back and wonder, I wish I had read it earlier.