If you work in tech and you survived the past year, congratulations. Market forces, interest rates, global politics have not been kind to the sector - and our group faced them all in that order, head on. Although now in Q4, this year has been a year of recovery and growth, but, not much scope left for ‘healing’ – and I use that term broadly, as it means many things to many people.
Call it what you like; taking stock, re-evaluation, or as I like to see it – a complete reset – is what I craved and sought. So, this past August I found myself in a RV en route to Nevada’s Black Rock Desert. Cue clichéd images of sarongs, dark eye liner, Birkenstocks and fluffy neon fleeces for nighttime desert temperatures, yet they all served their purpose.
Unlike other festivals, Burning Man requires a sense of community and active involvement for you to make it through the week. You can’t just buy stuff, you have to barter and go prepared with what you value, and what will benefit others in your commune. There isn’t really a VIP lane unless you flew in on a PJ, but once on the ground, it was all pretty democratic, in that the notorious desert where dust got into every crevice.
You have to share and be open to all sorts of exchanges. Don’t let your mind wander too much on that point. But the rules of ‘on tap’ living just melted away and causes you to be a little more humbled about your position, resources and conduct.
But why did I really go? Whenever I’ve embarked on a longish holiday or had an experience which required me to get out of my head completely I would always return wiser and with greater mental acuity to tackle the next challenge. After my previous tumultuous year, I needed to make this reset count.
Inverting ‘fake it, till you make it’
Looking at our business, a corporate investment group comprising a number of tech and financial services firms, the clarity that came to mind is that I needed to treat the reset as if our business was near-bust – an inversion of fake it until you make it - even though we’re in a good position right now.
This is obviously a frightening reality, but if the idea is to build up stronger, it required me to strip back and treat our operations as if it were on life support. Sounds severe but it this unlocked several immediate actions I could take which has subsequently brought results across our business.
Ego: 0, Capability: 1
While it dawned on me that the above-mentioned extreme mindset I applied was to our operations, it was my personal aspirations I needed to deal with next. The moment of clarity, once again, ensued following many conversations with a number of top business people I met, all mostly peak of their careers. The conversations that emerged was ‘I’ve mostly achieved material and career goals, so what next?’
Erasing all these milestones and achievements helped keep the ego in check. But also removes the fog clouding the future. Many people at I spoke to where at proverbial life and career cross-roads. What would Michael Jordan or Jack Dorsey be without their exceptional achievements? The answer is exceptional ability and potential without the cult of public expectation clouding their egos. Just because you’ve been good, it doesn’t guarantee a future of unbridled success. There are too many hubristic examples from well-known leaders proving this theory true.
Burning the man
There is no guaranteed method for a reset. For some it’s an Ayahuasca trip in the Amazon, for others it’s the cold water plunge shock of nearly going bust. What Burning Man meant for me, however, was not to carry the track record of seeming greatness as a guarantor in future success. Stripping everything back reveals the mindset, experience, skills and confidence to tackle a new challenge from a place of humility. Yes, you have to ‘burn’ your old self, but have the consciousness as to when and how, whether it is in a Nevada desert, walking the dog or simply a quiet reflective moment. This calls for being objective, not subjective in the knowledge your Burning Man moment can always be drawn on.
