In 2014, after getting diagnosed with migraine, I went on to see a doctor at a leading New Delhi hospital. Within 4 weeks, my condition became manageable.
One of my dearest friends with whom I was sharing the flat back then, called out saying, I seem to be gaining weight. I ignored given the stress of handling new work expectations and deteriorating mental health.
Fast forward a year later, I was obese, mildly migraine tolerant until my father accompanied me to a new doctor. This doctor with a quick look at my medicines asked whether I was gaining weight.
I was informed that while my meds were managing my migraine in short term, they were increasing my weight- a side effect completely uninformed by the first doctor.
So why didn't my first doctor bother to inform me about the side effects?
Because of lack of 'skin in the game'.
Most doctors have very little long-term 'skin in the game'. They don't care about what happens 20 years down the line. They care about solving your symptoms in the short term and you not coming back with lawsuits.
Lawyers, Journalists, Consultants are all prone to similar occupational hazards (mind you I have been a consultant before, hence no biases). I am also not painting all professionals with one brush. I respect doctors especially and there are definitely a few like my 2nd doctor who considered it their ethical duty to inform me about the side effects.
However, it's only recently I started appreciating the true value of skin in the game when I started my own venture. Where it is my benefit that my #education venture produces jobs for the beneficiaries because that's what creates a true network effect.
It's because of the skin in the game that I realized that we had created such a powerful program that now we have a no-question ask full-refund policy.
It is sad, today's gullible youngsters fall into the trap of funded ed-tech ventures (such as Lido) with no skin in the game, making false promises in the name of cheap marketing.
In life, if you genuinely care about your career, don't trust professionals who don't have their skin in the game.
Always, evaluate whether the other party has something to lose in the long term? Are they running a funded venture to Exit or are they looking to create a long-term value for society?
You always have a choice before transacting so that you don't regret it- like the way I did after gaining extra 10 Kgs.
If you are interested in learning about GGI's MBA Scholar program, you can learn here.
Author- Shatakshi Sharma, Cofounder Global Governance Initiative, Ex- BCG, Advisor, Tony Blair Institute
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