YEIE not YOLO
Roopa Unnikrishnan
Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer at IDEX | Board Director | Author | Speaker ? Global Strategy. M&A. Innovation. Corporate Governance. Transformation.
Yolo I thought, this morning in the shower, as I contemplated a conversation with a friend that could be a little difficult. But then I realized that the reason I was making the choice was not because I think I'll only live once. It's because I actually in some deep way, believe in some kind of eternity. Maybe it's got to do with my cultural background (Hindu - and yes, we do believe in reincarnation) but also my deep commitment to be scientific and data-bound in my thinking. So no, we're no creatures of the moment - our molecules and energy are eternal. You don't only live once, Your Energy Is Everlasting.
See what I did there? Not YOLO, YEIE.
And the conversation I contemplated this morning was trivial, but that same mental model underlies a lot of my recommendations. I've nearly always been in advisory roles - as a consultant where you counsel a client, a strategist recommending options to a leader, a board member with her nose in and fingers out. And actions. Its the consistency that's needed, and the modulation to help a team or group along. I used that judgement earlier this week as I looked at an incoming memo around a potential acquisition. It didn't meet many of our criteria on profitability and growth, but as I thought of the future of the company, the community it was situated in and the market, I knew that this was not a space we'd want to be in. That's a big choice and it helps to have core values baked in as you look into each of them. Would I have been swayed if the financial criteria were amazing? I'll ponder that, but I hope the answer is no.
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Small choices as well. I looked at my closet and the urge to modernize takes over ever so often. But then the thought of fast fashion stays my hand. Sigh.
I could go on. But a small shift to long-term thinking is all it takes to test your convictions - think generationally, and maybe you'll find a way to make that turtleneck last a few more seasons.
Founder, Principal Investigator, and Consultant - Human Performance Exoskeletons
2 年Thanks Roopa... it makes me wonder regarding how businesses are funded. A number of mutual funds now have options to support sustainable/longer-term investments. There are also microloans (think Kiva and and Vivriti). Which of these are having an impact on how businesses shift their thinking to a longer time horizon? We need more conversations to amplify this point and help shift people's mindsets to a longer term. Do professors in finance and accounting have a way to incorporate this into MBA curricula?
Great Piece Roopa, Similarly, I have been shifting my FOMO into JOMO (Joy of Missing Out) and living more simply
Writer, Professor, VP Education @Digimentors (a social, digital and virtual-events consultancy), Social Media Strategist, Idea Generator
2 年I love this.
Head of Corporate Development
2 年I subscribe to YELE philosophy! I agree with you and remind myself of the wise saying "when you want to do a deal real bad, you end up doing a really bad deal". Not advising swaying from core values but acquisitions purely for stream of cash flows is not solely a PE domain.
Private Equity Performance Improvement at Alvarez & Marsal
2 年Very fascinating read, Roopa! If we think of the business organizations (vs. the individuals running them), they certainly are not designed to live just one human life, so more deliberate thoughts will have to be put in to make sure the leaders’ decisions are made with a long term view in mind.