Transforming Your Journey to Success with Dr. Gurnek Bains

Discover practical strategies to savour every step of your personal and professional growth, no matter how big or small so that you end your working life with no regrets. Whether you're leading a global corporation or tending to your garden.  

"A series of studies have shown this….when you ask people at the end of their working lives to look back, 'What are the main regrets or lessons or advice that you would have for others?' And three things emerge, typically, and are really quite significantly ahead of all the other kinds of regrets."

Embracing Risk: "I wish I'd taken more risk in my life, more risk in doing what I really wanted to do, more risk in relationships.”Enjoying the Journey: "I wish, instead of just going down tramlines on autopilot, I'd ask myself, am I enjoying this journey? Am I really being satisfied here?"Legacy and Fulfilment: "I wish I'd thought about the legacy I was going to leave behind."

Mentorship as a Catalyst: But here's the most exciting part for me. When it comes to embracing risk and crafting your legacy, mentorship is a powerful and positive way to achieve both. Mentors guide you in taking those leaps of faith, and they inspire you to envision the lasting impact you can create. And being a mentor also allows you to enjoy your own journey more and ensure that you’re passing on your learning and legacy to the next generation. Join the Oka waitlist to be part of our psychologically backed mentoring. 

Biography

Gurnek Bains was born in Bhangal, a relatively poor village in the north of India. Although his parents and three sisters slept in one room with no electric lighting, Gurnek’s father grew up believing that they shouldn’t be as poor as they were. He dedicated himself to bettering his family’s life chances and became school principle at the age of 32. When he and the rest of Gurnek’s family eventually moved to the UK, he worked multiple jobs and always encouraged his children to learn.

Watching his parents make huge sacrifices, Gurnek developed what he described as a huge “compensatory drive”. He managed to make it into grammar school and after many years of hard work went on to earn a PhD in social psychology at Oxford University.

While he first practised as a clinical psychologist, it wasn’t long until Gurnek moved into business psychology and set up Britain’s first consultancy dedicated to harnessing the power of psychology, YSC. Two decades later he and his colleagues had built YSC from a company of two to employing over 250 people in over 25 offices around the world, and were working with over half the FTSE 100. His company became known as one of the best for driving performance, improving cultures and unleashing the power of potential at work. To be “YSC’ed” became a familiar verb in business circles around the world.

Gurnek has always been interested in how psychology can serve society as well as business. While he continues his consulting work at his smaller boutique firm, Global Future, he also leads its sister think tank NOUS  and works privately with a number of senior political figures. He has written two books; ‘Meaning Inc.’, which explores how to build meaning and purpose into work, and ‘Cultural DNA’, a book dedicated to helping people empathise with different cultures. He also regularly contributes as a writer and commentator to Psychology Today.

Gurnek is hugely grateful to the UK for the opportunities it has given him, and feels a strong need to give something back. Over recent years he has become dedicated to helping people understand how we can navigate the turbulence of modern society with purpose and investment, with our mental wellbeing intact and ultimately, with optimism.