Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Another unpredictable path of thinking competency individual

Born in Kolkata to a family full of doctorates and postdoctorates. Graduate in Physiology from Utkal University. Learnt the art of cooking from in-laws, who hailed from Sylhet in East Bengal, a place well known for their uniqueness of cooking.

Did his Hotel management course from Taratala in Kolkata. Joined Taj group in Mumbai from Campus. Simultaneously did an evening course in Marketing. Joined Ananda Bazar Patrika's advertising department where he did space marketing.Set up his advertising agency in Mumbai. After 6 years, started up a restaurant in Mumbai. His wife designed the interiors of his restaurant.

Name of this person is Anjan Chatterjee, founder of speciality restaurants such as Mainland China, Oh ! Calcutta, Machaan, Sigree and Flame & Grill. It was 20 years when the first restaurant was launched. I read this story in TOI of 23 March 2011.

Is anything of Anjan Chatterjee's path predictable in the initial years of his? Family background of doctorates, degree in physiology, and then course in marketing. Only hint in the background was perhaps his learning cooking at in-laws place ! But this too cannot be predicted before the event, although it is 'obvious' after the event.

Observe some interesting career-tracks in this story. Cooking is a doing competency that he learnt at in-laws place. But was he a good cook much before that? Doing competency individuals typically dive deeper in their competency before they start a business from that. Business is too much of a diversion for masters !

Therefore, my guess is that Anjan Chatterjee , although passionate about cooking, may not be master cook. Instead, Anjan seemed to have combined his cooking passion with his intellect of marketing/business to find a unique calling for himself which combines head and heart. And this change seem to be driven by Gain, not Pain. ( See my blog on child's career for pain versus gain motivations!)

In this case, the uniqueness is about combining thinking competency with doing competency! In most of the cases, you will observe that thinking competency individuals change their paths in other thinking competency, related or unrelated.