The Equalizer years
20 years hence, I will be a healthy 47 years of age and at the helm of 3 stalwart global firms. A career that would have led me through 3 boom and bust cycles, resulting in a tough and sharp businessman at the core. Together with five of my co-CVOs (Chief Vertical Officers), owning over 50% of the firm, we'd be investing 1 day of our 6 day work week in understanding and resolving day to day business issues of each of our concerned firm. Work is tough and challenging, yet extremely fun since I get to delve deeper into each of my 3 firm's issues and improve my Globally indexed specialist ratings every day.
I get a deep sense of satisfaction that while my co-CVOs (I call them 'civo') are still getting used to handling two firms each, I have mastered the art of leading three firms successfully to 5 Star ratings, a skill that puts me in the top 3 percentile in the world among all civos. My week is very organized. I devote Wednesdays for the greatest FMCG firm globally, since I usually get the most work done in the week on Wednesdays. On a parallel note, I've switched to Wednesday to Monday workweeks ever since 2020 when the increasing city traffic on weekdays necessitated that all firms revert to a shift-based working week cycle. Tuesdays are accordingly the off days for me and my FMCG firm. It was initially difficult to let go of the 'Sunday' is Holiday culture, but it was none the less, amazing to see the Indian youth's solidarity when it came to revolting against prevalent traditions, passing off Sundays as yet another artifact of our ill-gotten beliefs. However, with the UniGadget 20.1 it has become a lot easier to schedule 3 hour meet ups between friends and family every now and then, when all our synchronized calendars and locations align.
I love the travel in my work. Since the path breaking research by erstwhile-Google on productivity-location correlation, most of my meetings are held at vastly different yet scenic places such as Niagara Falls, Grand Canyon, or on a Thames river cruise. The research cited that the mind's relaxed state at these states correlated with out-of-the-box and innovative solutions being proposed by attendees. I can personally vouch and say that the Unison concept I came up with for my firm on the bellowing Brahmaputra cruise gave me the break into the top 3% civo group. Membership of this group entitles me to compensation in the top 0.1 percentile globally, since there is a huge demand supply gap for top CVOs.
What really amazes me is the pace with which globalization has brought about the rapid dismissal of the luck factor in executive compensation. I often reminisce about my initial years as a BLT at Unilever, primarily because of the reminiscence bump (I am told so by Unigadget), an inherent bias in episodic memory for early adulthood. Back then, I would often get bouts of self-doubt when I compared the top 0.1 percentile results of my intelligence tests and competitive exam performances with my pay which was barely in the top quartile. To see pay levels increasingly aligning with intelligence and ability levels across the board is a boon of our times. It will ensure continued improvement in chances of mankind’s survivability beyond 2050, as we continue using specialist skills of each able individual towards innovating and steering around the natural resource crunches that we keep encountering every month or so.
