Few months back I wrote one blog on OSCAR Strategy (Organizations Strategy and Cars Across Roads [OSCAR] Theory) which I conceptualized how when looking at cars across roads can give you interesting insights and useful strategy tips for Corporates and also highlights the state of economy. But this tool according to me is not limited only to corporate strategies. Rather it can be extended to understand and can be used in personal life as well.
Suppose you are a fresh IIT or IIM or top engineering college or top B School freshly pass out guy. Now lets consider 2 friends Ram and Sam pass out from same institute. One chose to join a PSU or a reputed business house within India and joins as management trainee. The other chose to pursue higher study in US and make his career there only afterwards.
What happens say after 20 years. Your friend Sam is now heading Google and world knows him as Sundar Pichai or he is now heading Microsoft as Satya Nadella or he is heading Softbank as Nikesh Arora or she is heading Pepsi as Indra Nooyi. While Ram is working as DGM in the Indian firm (he might be having house loan of 1 crore).
There was one another blog which I wrote very recently and useful in this context: Indian Organizations VS Foreign Origin MNCs: Key Differences
Some time back I read a good book by Amy Chua: The Triple Package
Amy explained how an average Indian family/ Jew family earns almost twice of an average US family in their own country. According to her 3 key reasons are there which drive this difference: Superiority Complex; Insecurity; and Impulse Control (You will have to read this book to understand in detail how some races excel)
But I think the reason which I’m going to mention here in this blog is probably also an important point which others might miss to note.
Now coming back to the topic of this blog.
Suppose you are not a human being but a car. (Please read my Oscar Strategy blog to understand this perspective).
If you are a car coming out of IIT or IIM or other top institutes then lets take it that you are a 6000 cc engine high performance car. If you are passing out from many other institutes your cc can vary from 600 to 6000 cc depending upon the competition to get into these institutes.
The road ahead of you of life is proportional to the state of economy of the nation. Right.!!
Hence if you want to run at a speed of 300 km/hr which is possible from a 6000 cc car, you simply can’t run beyond 60 km/hr because of the road and traffic conditions. (please note that traffic is proportional to jams on roads and analogically proportional to inefficiency of the system and economy of nation).
VS
(on a jam road of life both cars are as good)
So more or less throughout your life Ram or you are bound to run no speedier than 60 km/hr despite your potential of 300 km/hr when you are in India or any developing country. On the other hand Sam can take speed to 300 km/hr. When you apply compound interest on your perks vs Sam’s perks, later in some stage of life say after 20 years the difference will be of more than 100 times. You might be earning as DGM 25 lakhs p.a. while Sam must be making 25 crores p.a. back there in US.
When I was doing my MBA at IIM Calcutta, I still remember that how many fellow batch mates of engineering time wanted to return from US to India after a career stint of several years because of love for the country or because of family reasons. In last few years we have seen several successful entrepreneurs in India who are US returnees. We all know many names. For e.g. Mr. Dinesh Agarwal whom I know personally. He is founder of IndiaMart. He is one of the rare entrepreneurs who was in this arena long back when there were hardly any start-ups. He withstand the long slow pace growth of e-commerce but he remained resilient.
There are few examples always like this. But this number is far less than people who are making real money and career growth successfully in western countries.
My blog is not recommending that leave this great nation and head to US. I’m simply analyzing the growth pattern and flaws of the system. Nevertheless I enjoy to be here.
My thoughts only. God Bless.!!
rishabhagarwaldotin 