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Beware of Corporate Duryodhans

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From Devdutt Patnaik article in Economic Times:
Vivek wants to make sure that he gets 100% of the promised bonus.For that he to get 5/5 on appraisal,something that according to the bell curve of the company less than 10% of the organisation can get.So he has spent the past three months doing everything that the boss has asked him to do.He knows that obeying his boss and ensuring the boss feels like a boss guarantees him that score.He does his tasks exactly the way the boss tells him to,he makes fun all the people the boss makes fun of,he admires everyone the boss admires,he reads the same books his boss reads,he does everything to please his boss.

In his team,there are people who much better at work,and who are of greater value strategically for the organisation.But they do not invest as much time on the boss.And so while Vivek and others get an equal score on quantitative matters,only Vivek gets full score on qualitative matters.A week after Vivek gets his bonus and his raise,he submits his resignation and moves on to the next job and to next boss.And the boss,who had told the management how committed and deserving Vivek was,feels like a fool.A victim of yet another corporate Duryodhan.



Arun Natarajan is the Founder & CEO of Venture Intelligence, the leading provider of data and analysis on private equity, venture capital and M&A deals in India. Click Here to learn about Venture Intelligence products that help entrepreneurs reach out effectively to the investing community.
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