You are a superstar. You have a few years of quality post-graduation experience under your belt. But you are not the laid-back kind; you want a lot more from your talent, leveraging your background in advanced Applied Math. Lately, you have spent many evenings and weekends working on a super-duper scientific application that will standardize and harmonize humans' food habits across all significant primary cultures and around the globe. You have also concluded the person inventing the applied science leading to humans' classic cuisine will be the first trillionaire. Granted, the vast majority of the current billionaires will agree with you, perhaps regretting that they took a much safer IT route. The good news is, they are now way too involved in their business to compete with you anymore.
Now that you have decided to quit your job and give your concept a full-time go, you should finally know who your real friends are at your workplace. You can apply the same logic to your previous workplaces too. Meanwhile, don't make too much splash until you patent your know-how, including the algorithm. This chapter is not about making a value judgment about whether you are (financially) ready to leap; instead, this is offered to help you understand who your real friends are.
When you are part of the system, you are always under the impression that the people around you are all your friends. Not really! Now is the time you will figure out who your real friends are. Given your near-perfect IQ, you will see that there are four emerging groups. The first two groups comprise the largest population, followed by the two much smaller ones. The fourth emerging group includes a handful, perhaps fewer.
Okay, let's end the suspense!
Group 1: Those who have been Encouraging you to become an Entrepreneur – These are the folks who have been encouraging you to become an entrepreneur by constantly reminding you, "You are too brilliant to waste your life here." These are generally the most ordinary people who are threatened by your presence. That is an essential characteristic of the average at workplaces. They do not like the presence of a superstar so they tend to fake up in their minds that their performance is continually being compared with yours, though you know it quite well that that's never been the case. It's the other way around: Your presence not only protects them but helps them improve their overall efficiency level. Now that they know you are on your way out, they are incredibly relieved, perhaps ending their worst nightmares. Wherever you meet them – by the watercolor, at the lunch table, in the elevator, etc. – they will congratulate you, not once or twice, but over and over again. These folks are neither your friends nor your well-wishers. Of course, you will expect the same from an over-rated boss and average peers, often broadening this group's base. In the end, you will be inundated with their contact information. You have to write them off and toss their info on to the first trash can outside your office building. Try not to use such average bosses and peers as references as they often go on a mindless rant confusing the counterparty.
Group 2: Those who are Openly Congratulating You – Invariably, this will be the largest group. These are also very ordinary people who, deep down, are either very uncomfortable or are moderately threatened by your presence. While these folks will not directly encourage you to leave, your resignation will be welcome news. They do not like a superstar's presence either, but they tend to be less aggressive and proactive in getting rid of a superstar than the prior group. Of course, they will also congratulate you every day upon face-to-face encounters until you leave. This group will also take the maximum initiative in arranging your farewell party (and what not), which has nothing to do with any gratitude or respect for your contribution to their general upliftment but to celebrate their final liberation from their hysterical mindset. Needless to say, while the last group is more like your enemy, this group is neither your friend nor your well-wisher. Again, you will be inundated with their contact information. Just toss them.
You will still hear from these two groups initially (as the free hand-holding suddenly ends) but not for too long. After your departure, departmental expectations will take a nosedive, paving the way for their favorite consultants and vendors to return and take over. Of course, your departure will make these outsiders as ecstatic as their inside counterparts. The lost paradise has been regained. Happy days are here again!
Group 3: Those who are trying to talk you out of it – While this tends to be a small group of smart people, they are not yet fully convinced that you are ready for the plunge. They are worried that it's premature, and you might be in severe financial trouble down the road. These folks will usually convince you to defer the departure until you line up some financing as an alternative way of validating your concept. Some will even mobilize their successful contacts and arrange for you to meet them to retest your overarching self-belief. Out of the deep sadness of losing an outstanding employee and a great mentor, they won't be too forthcoming with their contact information. In fact, until the last day, they will remain optimistic that there could be a change of heart. Either way, these are your good friends and stay in touch. They will be calling you from time to time, expecting exponentially-growing good news from you, and they will always be proud of your achievements. That's how the generous hearts bind into a larger than life group.
Group 4: Those who are Talking to your Boss to Hold You Back – A handful of people, often fewer, in your department will be frantically chasing and trying to talk to your boss to hold you somehow back. Unlike Group 3, these people are not only concerned about your well-being, but they are also profoundly alarmed at the thought that the department would be losing its hero. Sometimes they go this extra mile by risking their future. Case in point: When the boss is of the average kind, he would love to see you leave, heaving a big sigh of relief. When these folks approach such a boss with this plea, they unknowingly jeopardize or sacrifice their future. Of course, to them, the overall good is a lot more important than their future. It is part and parcel of their nature so that they will repeat it all through their lives. These are generally the future superstars too.
Have you ever wondered why the above-average folks are so much more successful at workplaces than the genuinely brilliant ones? The above-average ones follow the proven format while the genuinely brilliant ones could care less, usually walking away from the herd. Anyway, these are your best friends. They are very few and far between. In poor counties, people even sell blood to bail out their best friends.
From now on, your paycheck stops, so stay focused and stick to your mission. You will soon be there. When you become the first trillionaire, remember some of your friends perhaps silently sacrificed their future to see you become successful.
For now, know who your real friends are!
-Sid Som, MBA, MIM
homequant@gmail.com
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