Career Anchors, Shutdown Rituals, The Midnight Library & More…
read time 5 minutes
We Cover
Trends: Career Anchors & Work Shutdown Ritual
My Takeaway from The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Weekly Musing: Learning from The Week
Finance Demystified: Budget On Salary Class
Listed for Funded Startups
Business Case Study: Lenskart’s Founder Piyush Bansal
Investing in Real Estate
My Weekly Explorations…👀
Career Anchor Framework⚓
Identifying what you want to work on comes from experimentation, knowing yourself, and understanding external constraints or dependencies.
With this thought, this week I stumbled upon a framework by a renowned professor, Edgar Schein called Career Anchors.
Schein suggests that each individual has specific and unique ‘anchors’—their perception of their own values, talents, abilities, and motives. These anchors form the basis of individual roles and development. By comparing themselves, their values, and motivations with the main anchors, one can better understand the type of job that will bring the most satisfaction.
The anchors are:
Technical/Functional Competence: These individuals excel in a specialised field.
Managerial Competence: These individuals love being responsible for managing people and projects.
Autonomy/Independence: These individuals seek freedom to define their own work.
Security/Stability: These individuals value job security and long-term employment.
Entrepreneurial Creativity: These individuals build something of their own.
Service/Dedication to a Cause: These individuals want to contribute to a greater good.
Pure Challenge: These individuals seek constant stimulation and difficult problems to solve.
Lifestyle: These individuals aim to balance work with personal and family needs.
I found this to be a nice approach to consider, and something every professional should do from time to time. I will be taking time for the reflection this week; hopefully, you will too :)
Work Shutdown Ritual 💻
Do you have a work shutdown ritual?
Confused? It’s a series of activities performed at the end of the workday to signal the end of work-related tasks and the beginning of personal time.
These can be as simple as:
Reviewing and updating your to-do list
Checking and responding to any last-minute emails
Setting priorities for the next day
Tidying up your workspace
Physically shutting down your computer
These simple activities can be extremely powerful as a professional and will keep your head clear, improve productivity and most importantly will reduce stress.
As we grow in our roles, the lines between our professional and personal lives keep getting blurry. Creating rituals like these will help you stay sane, trust me 🤞
List of Funded Startups
This is a list of all funded startups that the audience can consider when applying for jobs https://bit.ly/StartupFundingTSG
Business Case Study | Lenskart’s Founder- Piyush Bansal
I have recently started working on business case studies. In this series, we aim to provide insights into the lives of founders, their innovative business models, and the leadership qualities that drive their success.
In this video, I discuss Piyush Bansal, the visionary founder and CEO of Lenskart. We delve into his life, achievements, and the transformative impact he has made on the eyewear industry in India. You can check the video here
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
I keep switching between fiction and non-fiction. This again picked up from a recommendation of a close friend.
It is a beautiful narrative on regret, choices, and the meaning of life through the story of Nora Seed, who finds herself in a magical library that allows her to live different versions of her life.
We can absorb many lessons from Nora but one that I found profoundly relatable was accepting imperfection.
In the book, Nora learns that every version of her life has its flaws and that perfection is an illusion. This acceptance helps her find peace and contentment. Likewise, in the pursuit of career success, us professionals often strive for perfection, which can often lead to burnout and dissatisfaction. Accepting that imperfection is a part of life and focusing on progress rather than perfection can lead us to a healthier, more balanced work life :)
P.S. Should definitely be on your reading list.
Weekly Musings
A reflection from the week would be..
“Fear of failure is highest when you're looking at the ultimate destination. To reduce fear, close the gap. Focus on the smallest action that moves you forward..”
Finance Demystified
(An attempt to break & simplify one finance concept)
Indian Budget 2024
If you missed understanding the budget our government presented, here are some high-level insights on how it affects you as a working professional:
Here 🔽
The number of tax slabs has been reduced from six to four.
The tax rebate has been increased to ₹7 lakhs, ensuring individuals with an annual income up to this level won't pay any tax.
The standard deduction for salaried employees has been increased by 50% to ₹75,000 under the new tax regime.
Short-term capital gains (STCG) tax increased from 15% to 20% and Long-term capital gains (LTCG) tax is now 12.5%, up from 10%.
The 2% Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) on mutual funds has been withdrawn.
New Podcast Alert: Investing in Real Estate
In this episode, we deep dive into real estate as an investment option and cover all the important aspects you should know before making your investment decisions. From market trends and property valuation to legal considerations and financing options, we leave no stone unturned.
I am joined by the cofounders of one of the fastest-growing real estate brokerage firms, Property Station, Rohit and Vishal.
Youtube:
Spotify: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/RhnR3J7fyLb
That’s a wrap for this this week.
Also, if you know someone who might like this newsletter, forward this to them.
Please write to shashank@salaried.club if there’s anything you’d like to share with us.
See you next week :)
Regards,
Shashank Srivastava