Some Thoughts that Traverse the Mind of Someone Who Finally Decides to Quit

It is interesting to analyze the psychology of someone who reaches to the conclusion "I think I need to move on". Here are some thoughts that traverse the mind of someone who finally decides to quit:
  • There is no future growth in the role one is currently in. Due to fundamental issues in the organizational hierarchy and reporting structure further growth is not possible. One scenario is when one group head (who is not a part of the executive team) has to report into another group head (who is a part of the executive team by virtue of being part of the trusted coterie of the CEO/MD).
  • There is constant intellectual difference with the CEO/MD or the executive team. The CEO/MD decides and everyone in the executive team follows suit due to the prevalence of a "Yes Sir" culture. One scenario is when one challenges the decision of the CEO/MD and is conveyed in an indirect, unprofessional manner (through another group head whom one reports into) that the decision is beyond questioning
  • There is a culture of too many emails being sent with copy to CEO/MD. One scenario is when very interestingly the CEO/MD always comes back with the statement "Let's do it folks (no questions asked and none answered)". The CEO/MD also gets the message conveyed in an indirect, unprofessional manner (through another group head whom one reports into) that the suggestion is beyond questioning
  • There is a culture of arrogance and self-aggrandizement where one of the group head who also happens to be a founder member carries the notion that his group (let's say A) is the the most important one. One scenario is when the company level strategic meet is called as A meet as if A only matters to the company's success.
  • There is a unbalanced organizational structure where various groups are manned by people with different designations (role-wise and accountability-wise the group heads are at par but grade-wise and authority-wise some are superior and others are inferior). This is further complicated by having the inferior ones report into the superior ones. It is no wonder that the superior ones are a part of the executive team by virtue of being part of the trusted coterie of the CEO/MD.
  • There is a tendency to demean and downplay the contributions made by an inferior group head and his team to the organization. The CEO/MD announces in the annual company meet about what the group helped to achieve as the biggest event of the year but there is no acknowledgement and appreciation of the group which was instrumental in the achievement.
  • There is a tendency to "show the true place" to the inferior group head. One scenario is while going out for lunch the CEO/MD bluntly ignores the inferior group head and at the same time warmly invites the superior group head - "I think you should come along with us"
  • There is a tendency of the CEO/MD to overrule the inferior group head. After a meeting where the inferior group head proposes a different view the CEO/MD tells the superior group head that "I heard that guy say there could be a delay, I don't care about that and want it to be done my way"
In above points many key cultural emerge as the factors at play in an organization. For the "inferior" group head stuck in such a situation there is one simple advise when one says "I think I need to move on" - You are absolutely right, you must move on and as fast as possible!

200 Kms Drive in Delhi NCR

Few days back I drove in the NCR covering a distance of around 200 kilometers. I started from my home in the morning and was back home the same evening. This shows how big Delhi NCR region is and more importantly the excellent roads that Delhi-wallahs enjoy.

The starting point was Gurgaon and the first stop was Sector Mu, Greater Noida. The next stop was Vasundhara, Ghaziabad and the last stop was Hindon, Ghaziabad (interestingly, this drive spanned across three states - Haryana, Delhi and UP). From Hindon I came back to Gurgaon. While driving I took the following route:
  • On old Jaipur-Delhi Highway from Sector 23 Gurgaon crossing till Kapashera Crossing
  • On the road from Kapashera Crossing till NH8 (Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway) under the last flyover before the Toll Plaza at Delhi-Haryana border (also known as KM24 Toll Plaza)
  • On NH8 till the exit on Outer Ring Road that goes towards Vasant Vihar
  • On Outer Ring Road till under the RTR Flyover
  • On the road going left from under the RTR Flyover till Inner Ring Road that passes through South Campus
  • On Inner Ring Road going towards left and then taking a big U-turn to come back towards Moti Bagh
  • On Inner Ring Road till the start of the DND Expressway a little beyond the Ashram flyover
  • On DND Expressway till the second left turn which exits on the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway that goes towards Greater Noida
  • On Noida-Greater Noida Expressway for another 25-30 Kms till the point where the Yamuna Expressway starts from where taking the road on the right side would take one towards Pari Chowk
  • On the road till Pari Chowk and then taking a right turn towards the Golf Course and then taking a left turn along the Gold Course
  • On the road next to Golf Course till the next crossing where taking a right turn would take one towards Sector Mu
  • On the road towards Sector Mu that passes through a village and finally reaching Sector Mu. From Sector Mu I returned to the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway having a brief stopover on the way at someone's house. 
  • On Noida-Greater Noida Expressway till Noida Mor on NH24, passing Mayur Vihar on the way
  • On NH24 till the left turn a little beyond the Gazipur flyover (the straight road goes towards Hapur and Moradabad). This road goes towards Hardwar and Dehradun
  • On the road towards Hardwar and Dehradun till the last intersection a little before Mohan Nagar flyover. This takes one inside Vasundhara area. At Vasundhara I had a stopover at someone's house. After that I came back to the same intersection and took a right turn into the same road.
  • On the road towards Hardwar and Dehradun till the intersection beyond the Mohan Nagar flyover. One needs to be careful as the road going towards Hindon is not easy to locate since it is at an angle. The road going towards right goes towards Meerut Bypass and Ghaziabad City.
  • On the road towards Hindon till the place I had to go. At Hindon I had a stopover at someone's house after which I started back for Gurgaon taking the same road going towards Mohan Nagar flyover.
  • On the road passing through Mohan Nagar flyover till the crossing a little before Gazipur flyover where one has to take a right turn to go towards Delhi.
  • On the road passing through Gazipur flyover till the point where it meets Inner Ring Road a little away from the Sarai Kale Khan flyover.
  • On Inner Ring Road till the point where the Barapullah flyover starts
  • On Barapullah flyover till the exit at INA market and then taking a left turn takes to meet the Inner Ring Road at the AIIMS flyover
  • On the Inner Ring Road taking the clover leaf that take one towards Dhaula Kuan and going till little beyond the Bhikaji Cama flyover where the left turn takes on towards Sector 1, R. K. Puram.
  • On the road towards R. K. Puram, going straight till the Munirka flyover where taking a right turn and then an immediate left turn takes on towards Vasant Kunj
  • On the road towards Vasant Kunj till the Masoodpur flyover where taking a right turn takes one towards Mahipalpur
  • On the road towards Mahipalpur that passes Vasant Kunj on the way till one reaches NH8 (Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway) under the Mahipalpur flyover where taking a left turn takes one towards Gurgaon
  • On NH8 till the last flyover before the Toll Plaza at Delhi-Haryana border (also known as KM24 Toll Plaza) where taking a left and then a right takes one towards Kapashera Crossing. This road passes the Mangal Mahadev on the left (a landmark that is hard to miss).
  • On the road towards Kapashera Crossing where taking a left turn at Kapashera Crossing takes one to Sector 22, Gurgaon passing Kapashera on the way.
  • And finally reaching the starting point in Gurgaon
One keyword that gets repeated many times in the route described above is "flyover" that shows why Delhi is truly the city of  flyovers.