“Yeah, sunaina so we can meet on Tuesday and take forward the proposal then. Cool?”
“Sure rajat, see you then on Tuesday… have a great weekend!!”
And that’s how my conversation with a client on a Thursday afternoon ends.
(In my mind, here’s another add on to the ‘Tuesday Tellers’ for whom I always have my favorite unanswered question – where in your calendars is Friday & why have you conveniently forgotten a Monday also???)
Well but this is the truth because Rajat works with a large firm. He has the privilege to go on a ‘working leave’; there are enough and more team members to get the tasks completed. Fridays are ‘the week’s going to end’ and Mondays are ‘the week’s just begun’!!
As a matter of fact between this beginning and end there is this other tribe running around doing myriad things- attending networking events, hosting ex colleagues and getting their reviews, meeting that friend with whom they have a weekend deal, asking people to share with them a piece of their mind (and also share with the world about their work) and so on, spending countless hours perfecting their product, the ones who strictly believe in the equality of all days. The startup folks 🙂
Image Courtesy: Cartoonstock.com
This leaves me wondering ‘can entrepreneurs ever disconnect themselves completely from their start up? Can the startup breed completely switch off from work ever??? Do entrepreneurs take the privilege of turning on their automated responder saying “I’ll be on leave till xx with limited email access. Please leave a message and I’ll get back to you on my return.’’
I think not… though I could be wrong..
I recall one of my friends mentioning how her boss while on a vacation had spent $50 an hour extra just to call her and get the work done. And that also reminds me of another anecdote I heard where the North Region Sales Head of an MNC could be easily spotted leisurely walking around his apartment area be it 10:30 AM on a Wednesday morning or 6:30 PM on a Monday evening. We are all used to disparities now!
Whether skydiving in Dubai (if at all it permits them) or dancing to the drum beats at a best friend’s wedding there seems to be no real vacation from those email beeps along with the constant back up noise in the head. I mean we definitely go on a holiday but we also respond to client’s problems, team mate’s calls, associate’s emails whilst also checking how our social pages are progressing. Are we fully relaxing? Frankly, I have never disconnected myself altogether in the past 5 years of my professional life therefore I think not, though I could be wrong again…
That being the case switching off completely is also an art I presume then!!
So while I’m at constant wars with myself oscillating between these two contrasting beliefs, fellow rodinhooders, I would love to know what’s your pick and what’s your story?
1. Going on a vacation? I think I have lost it?
2. Ahhh.. a vacation!! That makes me better as an entrepreneur
And to all the Mr. Rajats you might as well carry on your Thursday Tantrums till the entrepreneurial bug bites you & you come to this side of the fence to face the Thursday Troubles. (No offence intended)
P.S. Rajat is a fictional name.