No matter who you are - alpha, beta or gamma; ask the question - what is your DELTA

India is in the midst of a debate on privilege, meritocracy , affirmative action, reservations , ideology and nationalism. In the midst of it all, there is the underlying theme about class, caste and privilege . 

I am reproducing below an article I wrote on LinkedIn in January 2015 on the measurement of career success. Found it more relevant than it ever was ! 

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How would you measure career success ?

Through-

A designation: (CEO /CXO/ President / Chairman / Head/Big boss/Captain)

Or

A recognition (Nobel Prize winner / Best Business Leader)

Or

A nice bank balance

Or

A good balance between work and other aspects of life

Or

A state of being where you do what you love

All of the above ? None of the above ? Something else from the above ?

Every person would define, and measure, career success in a different way. Given this divergence, it is important to understand whose views should count when you assess your career.

Not your colleagues, not your bosses, not your juniors, not your friends, not your relatives.

What counts the most is the person you see in front of the mirror.

I have tried to define career success in a simple way. This works for me, and I hope it will be useful for you as well.

This definition is- If you are creating a positive delta, you have a successful career. (Delta is the Greek alphabet, Δ, which denotes the ‘change’, and is the difference operator)

How do you know you have a positive delta- here are a few ways in which i try to figure this out –

1) What is the direction of your career’s curve? Are you creating a delta ?

From where you started to where you are, how has the journey been ? Are you doing something worthwhile, meaningful and valuable ? Of special importance is the point where you started; the frame of reference; the direction of the curve.

Let me illustrate- I have a very close friend who was a batchmate at one of the most prestigious institutions I have been fortunate to go to. As a child, he used to live in a one room urban shanty, with electricity available for just a few hours a day and his parents struggling to make ends meet for him and his two siblings. On the other hand, I have been fortunate to have grown up in a setup in which my parents were very conscious of the need for education and made sure the best was available for my education. Both of us landed up in the same institution as batch mates, so it might seems like a common level of achievement. Truth is that my friend’s journey is far more impactful and commendable than my own, given where he started from, and the odds he had to overcome just to get there.

2) Are you learning ?

It is possible to measure your delta every day through the lens of learning. Did you learn something new today? Did you progress on your skillsets, understanding and way of doing things? Without constantly learning new stuff, we would be unable to progress on our journey. It is imperative to keep learning to keep a positive delta.

3) Are you helping others create a delta ?

It is not only important to progress, but also to help others progress. To help create leaders, help create people who can create impact. These could be people from anywhere in your operating network, or even outside. The people you nurture will carry (amongst other things) your legacy forward.

These are some of the ways you can easily measure your career delta,and through it, career success. Make sure you are honest and true to yourself in your assessment of the person in the mirror, so that you can face her/him confidently once your assessment is done. And if you can do that, you are well on your way. Good luck !