The human resources (HR) director had a chat with the VP about his new role. But the young man listened carefully and then dropped a bombshell. He said he was grateful to the company for considering him for such an important role, but didn't think he was ready for it and would like to be excused. The top management was stunned - after all, why would the young man let go of an opportunity that could turbocharge his career? The company did whatever it could to convince him - the managing director had a chat with him to make him aware of what the new role meant, why he was selected and so on. Nothing worked, as the VP said he didn't think he was mentally ready for the new role.
The HR director says his initial disbelief prompted him to figure out why the young man behaved the way he did. Discussions with his peers in other companies and numerous case studies have now made him realise it's not an uncommon problem. There are many people (not business executives alone) who want to be brilliant, but also find it terrifying, he adds.
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For example, remember the time when you were in college and the professor asked who among you would write a great novel, be a great composer or a great leader. An overwhelming majority would just start giggling, blushing and squirming even if they knew they were perfectly capable of being one. Or, remember those group discussions where most of us allowed someone else to initiate the talks even though we knew the topic inside out.
The concept was first mooted by psychologist Abraham Maslow, who termed it the "Jonah complex" in his book, "The Farther Reaches of Human Nature". It is the fear of success that prevents the realisation of one's potential. This complex might result in people not doing what they actually could have done well - they even avoid exploring their potential.
The Jonah complex has its origin in the old testament of the Bible. Jonah was told by God to go to the city of Nineveh and tell the people that God was displeased with them and would bring terrible judgement upon them unless they changed their ways. Jonah decided to evade this assignment and headed to Tarshish instead, a place where he thought he could escape the presence of God and the assignment he had been given. But after a series of events, he realised there was no escaping God and went on to fulfil the assignment and his destiny.
To be simple, the Jonah complex shows the fear of growing up - people are not only in the fear of failure, but also are in the fear of success. So, when people have the opportunity, they usually choose to escape and turn back in fear. Too many people, Maslow said, relegated themselves to live in mediocrity and conformity as they didn't want to cope with a life at the top, where they would always be afraid that at any moment they could tumble. So they spend their life fighting to stay away from being brilliant, fearing that if they should reach their potential, it would only make them lonely and stressed.
Psychologists say as life gets more hectic and stressed, the number of people with Jonah complex will grow exponentially. But unlike in the past, the fact of the matter is that for the 21st century executive, there is no place to hide and nowhere to run. In any case, by limiting themselves to their so-called comfort zones, these executives run the risk of being in a prison where their choices are diminished. As Maslow said: "If you deliberately plan to be less than you are capable of becoming, then you'll be deeply unhappy for the rest of your life. You will be evading your own capacities, your own possibilities."