'Yes Man'

It’s natural
To like the person
Who agrees with you

You may claim
To be a thorough professional
Yet you cannot deny
that you are basically human
and love to be fawned over..

Knowingly, unknowingly
'Yes' men surround you
With time, any dissent annoys you

Guys singing a different tune
Seen as an enemy
to be left behind
Sacrificed  for  the
Needs of the ego

Couldn’t care less for the needs
or interests of the mother
your  organization…

Pygmalion Effect

The Greek fable on Pygmalion, the sculptor

‘Pygmalion’, the play of Bernard Shaw

HBR studies on the phenomenon

and book of Moid Siddiqui

All beckon  us  to pay heed

to the power of expectations

When treated as a lady

And expectations made as from a lady

The flower seller transformed

in all aspects to be hailed

“My fair Lady”

but when scorned

and treated like dirt

she slipped back

to an uncouth flower girl!

The same thought expressed

in Goethe’s famous quote -

 “ treat people as if

they were what they ought to be

and you help them to become

what they are capable of being”

When will corporates take the cue

and treat all their people with respect?

not just in speeches from decked up platforms

But in day to day little matters

that matter a lot to employees

When will corporates

harvest the benefits of becoming Pygmalion leaders?

NB: The 'Pygmalion'written by Bernard Shaw in the thirties was made into a successful Holywood movie "My Fair Lady"in the sixties. J. Sterling Livingston wrote the HBR classic in 1969. Mr Moid Siddiqui, management author wrote the book -"Pygmillion Manager" in 2008.

Visibility

Pressure on  leaders to be visible
for leadership today is all about visibility
so speak something, anything in a meeting
cut down to size the other guy
even if he's talking sense...

Be wary of a junior
in the visibility race
'Delegation', a nice word for the books
not for the practical corporate world...

Lao Tzu, a philosopher
may have said all sorts of things
like, the leader not visible is the greatest
that 'best' scenario is when your people say
"we did it ourselves!"

But then he belonged to
another age and time
how could he foresee
realities of 21st century corporates?!

Catch Them Right!

"Who is responsible?"
blaming questions all the time
in the corporate environs
may seem effective

Yet more effective is catching employees
doing things right
appreciating and acknowledging
when they do things correctly

Blaming immobilizes ....
cause knee jerk actions
instead of well thought out responses

Appreciation energizes...
makes better sense to
spend  more time appreciating
and catching your people
doing right!

Strategy

Strategy is a term
conceived by the army
to  plan and plot
the doom of enemies

Borrowed by corporates
it means plans against competitors
suppliers,  employees
why even customers-
ensure that they buy product
needed or otherwise!

How do I out beat enemy
before he out beats me?
how do I pay less
and get more?
how do I win any which way
against an enemy?

Looked at this way
other stake holders
no longer friends , cocreators
mutually beneficial beings...

It's matter of time that
mistrust sets in and reigns
and short term gains
pale before long term losses

Deep losses that cuts
at the root of "Shub Labh"
of fair profits, fair deal for all
and peace of mind...

Merry Go Round

At the fun fair
the merry go round
attracts many children
though the fee paid is for 3 rounds
many kids aren't satisfied
they want more & don't want
fun to stop so fast

But what if the merry go round
 never stopped
went on endlessly..
children would begin
to lose the thrill
become sleepy, hungry & thirsty
and start crying..please,please stop!

The corporate merry go round
 is similar...
after the initial thrill
many want to get off
but can't...
On the merry go round
like it or not, they need to be merry
as it goes round & round
on and on....

I Love My company!

Presently we are running
a learning program unique
participants include the blue collared
the white collared
the sandwiched supervisors as well..

Activities many, to empathise
 to appreciate the roles of others
remove from mind the feeling
" I , my cadre alone contributes
  all others have a ball"

An art piece completion
to which  each one contributes
painting  a small portion
and the sum parts make the picture
the final product
born out of team work!

A drum jam session finale
a musical session on drums
 and the truth hits you like a bolt
that discordant beats cause noise
while perfect unison creates music!

Aim of the program
to drive home the point
of everyone together-
"I love the company
 you love the company
 we all love our company!