The first time I came across something that was close to a professional relationship, sort of opening up to me, over a couple of drinks (had to be), and the first advice that came across was, “you need to be a poker face in the office!”.

Not knowing what to do with such an astonishingly unique advice, in the first instance, I thought about ignoring the same, but on second thoughts, I wondered whether what he was telling was true, considering that he was supposed to be the poster boy of the company, worth few crores at least, going by the little that I could think off at that point of time in my life.

I wondered whether all his success came from the magical formula that he had shared with me, or was it because he was trying to act wise after giving up his inhibitions, courtesy, the wonderful drinks that we were having.

I decided to observe. The more I did, the advice seemed to find validation in the offices that I happened to spend time within.

Though, a very poor emulator of sorts, I could never get into the groove and probably stayed away from treading the so called successful path.

Now that I look back at what has happened over the past decade or so, he has gone on to become one of the who’s who of business (wouldn’t want to get into the names 😉).

Had the pleasure of meeting him few days back, again over a couple of drinks, and reminded him of the good old days and his dynamism and of course his magical formula that he had been kind enough to share with me as part of the mentoring process, admitting at the same time, that I had been a bad student all through having not implemented the same.

He kept silent for a couple of minutes, then looked straight into my eyes,

“You know what, that was probably the most wise and the dumbest of advice that I ever gave you, depends on how you look at it. 

Wise, because of what seems obvious, and dumb, because what the world probably cannot see but has definitely transpired within me and throughout my life. 

Poker did bring some luck, but never brought friends, poker did help me accumulate the wealth, but never helped me experience the wonderful emotions, which I always controlled to the best of my ability, poker did fulfill lot of aspirations and aims, but never got me the peace of mind that I have been craving for. 

Good, that you were a bad student, I just pity those, who became the best students I ever had.”

And then we went on to spend the entire night, chit-chatting about what if!

Which makes me wonder, how many out there, spend their entire lives, playing to the tune of what the office politics has to offer, getting into a deep learning mode, where everyone is bent upon how to behave and what to do, in order to benefit the most from the system they happen to be in.

Food for thought, “should one really care about the same, and do you really need a poker face to succeed?”

Source for Image: http://www.parkingsuns.com/2015/04/16/parkinsons-poker-face-pays-off-pedagogically/