Resist the two year itch

I sound like a stuck record when I tell young people that frequent shifts in jobs may get short term gains, but is not a wise long term career strategy.  I point out as evidence the number of agency heads, creative heads and office heads who have been with their current agencies for a long time.  

Now there's a study done by a global research and analytics firm that supports my statement.  An article on this was published in today's Business Standard (click here) The study shows that across industries, senior executives look warily at people who change jobs too often.  It also shows that people who have changed jobs very quickly don't get sufficient training and other developmental inputs from their companies and hence suffer in the long term.  

I wonder if young people would heed advice such as this or just dismiss them as typical rants from old people.  I know that my own young relatives often look at me as a creature to be pitied rather than censored.  I am equally sure that saying "I told you so" is not going to improve my image.  

I guess the only way young people will learn is by making mistakes themselves.  It may well be too late.

Let's not talk ourselves into bad times

For the last few weeks the media is full of stories about the bad times coming to India.  There is data to show lower growth rates in many sectors, the stock market indices are going down, the real estate boom seems to have plateaued and there are features about how consumers are buying less than before.

I am not quite sure whether all this is media hype or a reality.  I have tended to think that it is hype.  When growth rates fall from 9% to 7.8% that is not a recession.  Especially when you consider that in a previous decade a growth rate of 7.8% would have been a huge cause for celebration.

Today, there is a comment from the Chairman of ICICI Bank, KV Kamath, which points out that it is too early to talk of a slowdown (click here).  I am so happy to see this statement - even though it is a little half hearted.

Slowdowns are about human sentiment and therefore if we all believe that there is a going to be bad times, then there will be.  The secret is to stay positive.  

Cheers