Hard work is not enough; this book will tell you what you really need to do

The Seductive Illusion
of Hard Workby Utkarsh Amitabh

Is hard work enough for success? According to Utkarsh Amitabh, the author of this provocatively named book, it isn’t. In fact, the whole book is based on this contention. The author says hard work is necessary, but not sufficient. Too much hard work may in fact even lead to burnout or disillusionment with oneself or one’s career.

The book contains strategies that, as per the author, do work to obtain success in one’s career. Many of these strategies are taken from research articles in the realm of social sciences, some strategies are gleaned from the author’s personal experiences and bolstered with secondary research, while others are learned from the mentoring network that the author founded.

The author is the founder of Network Capital, which he describes as a ‘career intelligence community’; it is a worldwide mentoring network focused on work. The author is also a Chevening Fellow at Oxford. And he writes a weekly column for Mint, among numerous other accomplishments.

This book targets millennials, those who are young adults in the early 21^st century (as per Oxford Dictionary). Millennials are now part of the workforce across the world. The author says many millennials bear the brunt of poor but well-meaning advice such as ‘follow your passion’ and ‘be yourself’. As a result, many millennials are stressed out, overworked, and disappointed with their work and perhaps themselves. Through text and subtext, the author draws a portrait of the millennial worker as one looking for meaningful work that makes a difference in the world, to make friends at work, prone to quit a job that does not work for him or her, “busy, stressed and distracted”, and afflicted by fear of missing out (FOMO).

The book contains advice that millennials, as per the author, need to get ahead in their careers. The book is divided into multiple sections: one explains ‘principles of shaping a meaningful career’, the second, ‘building a tribe of mentors’, the third explains how to work in an organization, the fourth deals with enhancing personal productivity, the fifth has case studies of successful people, and the sixth section deals with cognitive biases and explains mental models that enhance clear thought. Running throughout is the thread of counterintuitive thinking. At numerous points in the book I had ‘a-ha’ moments that made me think, “Why didn’t I reach this conclusion by myself?”

The author busts several common workplace myths. He writes, “Usually we don’t discover our passions by sitting under a tree and waiting for the metaphoric apply to fall. (Carol) Dweck and Greg Walton published a paper in Psychological Science where they argue that passions aren’t found, they are nurtured and developed over time with the help of micro-experiments, grit and resilience. If we quit every time we find a stumbling block and blame it on a lack of passion, we are in for a rough ride”.
The point, the author says, is that “… passions, likes and dislikes can change over a period of time”. Other myths that the author busts include the ones saying that intelligence is inborn, that early specialisation is good, and that confusion about what to do with one’s life is bad.

The author is unafraid of technical jargon, and ably explains it and makes it accessible for us. For instance, we are introduced to the concept of ‘Adaptability Quotient’, “… the ability to change course and repivot in response to unanticipated changes”. Another such concept is the “passion economy”, “… where micro-entrepreneurs… monetize their individuality and creativity”. We are also peppered with such names as Dunning Kruger Effect and Matthew Principle. I would urge you not to be daunted by the names; the concepts to which these refer are explained clearly and simply.

The last section of the book is devoted to ways of improving one’s thinking – we are treated to eye-opening (and all too brief) explanations of common cognitive biases that come into play when we are forming opinions, negotiating salaries, debating our opinions, considering and ignoring available facts and opinions while making decisions. We are also told of ways through which politicians and companies can manipulate our decision making.

The book is structured into bite-sized chapters that will fit the smallest of attention spans. Some chapters are only a couple of pages long. This strategy works well for most chapters. There were places where I felt more explanation was needed. For instance, a chapter deals with the importance of rebels in the workplace. The author speaks of the ‘positive deviance rebel’, who “[breaks] rules in such a way that [creates] a net positive change in their organizations and in the world”. This rebel’s characteristics are mentioned in a single sentence, meaning that the reader is expected to do further research on his/her own.

There is much to like about this book, provided you know what you’re getting into. The book is not meant as a deep dive into any subject; it is a survey, a sampler, a buffet of ideas. Clearly, the author expects the reader to do his/her further research into topics that interest him/her deeply. If you read this book, I recommend taking notes about things that strike you forcefully, and then delving into other sources for deeper information.

This book is of course meant for the millennials in our workplaces, and I recommend it to them. Because the book is basically a list of things that millennials should consider in order to be satisfied and happy at work, I also recommend the book to companies that want to retain millennials in the workforce.

Suhit Kelkar is a freelance Journalist. He is the author of the poetry chapbook named The Centaur Chronicles.