V. Rajesh offers ‘bucketfuls' of career planning tips in Out Of Syllabus , a book intended to prepare young professionals and college students for the challenges at work that are not discussed in textbooks. He expounds a ‘Three-Bucket Theory of Career Planning' in this unpretentious, slim 94-page book that largely explores the inevitable lacunae between classroom theories and workplace realities. It reflects the practical wisdom gleaned from around two decades of service in the retail sector — discussed at length in his earlier work, The INDIAN reTALEs — and from an association with corporate leaders.
For a fulfilling career, each of the three buckets has to be filled with elements essential for a successful career. Internalised lessons go into the first one. In the early part of his career, a young professional is challenged to go beyond the textbook. He is forced to ‘customise' techniques taught in the ivory tower of education. “Sam Walton's famous Ten Foot Rule — which enjoins a salesman to look the customer in the eye, smile brightly and greet him warmly when the two are separated by just ten feet of space – works at a conceptual level. In the Indian context, it has to be two or three feet. The student of sales must make these changes while following broad rules,” says Rajesh.
Broad persepctive
Knowledge about the industry one works in — and not just one's limited function within it — also goes into Bucket One. “Learning should not be predefined and compartmentalised,” says Rajesh. Curiosity about the other departments in one's company and an effort to figure out how various functions fit into the whole can help a junior executive find smarter and quicker ways of doing his job. He should also be given to a pursuit of life skills.
The second bucket is devoted to developing expertise. It's often a lonely road with self-discipline and practice serving as guideposts. Personal Success Secret (PSS) must be dropped into Bucket Two. There are no universal success formulas. Each one impacts the world around him in his own unique way, and has to find out what will work best for him. By becoming aware of his strengths, everyone can work out his PSS, says Rajesh. An internalisation of the positive behavioural patterns that make success possible, an attempt to achieve balance in all areas of life and the ability to tell the truly important from the merely urgent should be in this bucket.
Even at this stage, the young professional should follow only ‘the interest trail' and shun ‘the money trail'. “Recognition and fat pay packets are a natural outcome of being passionate about something,” says Rajesh.
The third bucket comes into prominence when the professional is viewed as an authority in his field. It's the time for personal branding. He should guard himself against slipping into a destructive overconfidence. A realistic view of his strengths and weaknesses is an effective bulwark against becoming arrogant and thinking it is all about oneself. The ‘Wallenda Factor' is another pitfall to be avoided. A desire for self-preservation —or protecting conquered citadels — can lead to stagnation and slow death. The professional should still invite new ways of doing old things. A ‘People's First' attitude is another essential. A leader should know he is as dependent on his followers as they on him. Without followers, there is no leader. This is reason enough for him to respect them.
Rajesh's three-bucket theory does not end there, but leads to a fourth and important bucket. It's about mentoring. The professional has to guide others along the path he has traversed. In this bucket, he collects mentoring skills.
“Even after someone has reached the fourth bucket, the other three stay with him. Nobody can ‘out-fill' any of these buckets. Because, learning is a land without horizons. There is no end to developing expertise. A leader is never too big to serve his followers.”
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