They tell me that I am highly risk averse. That I don’t take even the slightest of chances.
That my life is so predictable. Everything is run by a schedule. Everything falls into a routine.
That I am so disciplined that I am boring.
I get up at the same time every day. I sleep at the same time every night.
I have my breakfast at the same time every morning. I come to office at the same time every day. I have my lunch at the same time every afternoon. My meals are fixed most days. I use the same fixed plate and sit in the same fixed chair at the table in the same fixed way every day.
They tell me my exceptions to the schedule are also scheduled. Cheat meal on Wednesdays. Sleep late on Saturdays. No staff meetings on the last Monday of the month.
Well, I tell everyone that it is not because I am risk averse. It is because I don’t like to change what is already working for me. Well, I guess it means one and the same thing.
I get it. They tell me that due to my risk aversion, I miss out on adventure. That I don’t smell the roses. Or is it smell the coffee? Whatever.
That I don’t consider new paths. That some ideas just don’t get any consideration.
I understand what they say. But I have been successful this way.
When I do the same thing again and again, I realise that I can beat any targets.
That’s the problem, they tell me. That there is no need to be so obsessed with targets on everything.
Well, I ask that if a CEO doesn’t get obsessed with targets, who does? Didn’t I become CEO that way?
But still, I consider everything they say on its own merit. I am open to inputs. I take my risk aversion and focus on discipline as an area of improvement.
Everyone tells me that I should chill out a bit. That I should let creative ideas come to myself. That as a CEO, I need to strategize, to think things through before setting them into action.
I get it. I finally get it after all these years.
So, I have decided to make some changes this year.
I am going to set some time aside for chilling out. I am going to consciously let creative ideas come to me. I am going to deliberately strategize before getting into action.
Starting this Friday, 3-4 pm is set aside for strategizing and creative ideas. 4-5 pm is chilling out time.
I have marked it in my calendar.
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