Professionalism

Professionalism is the hallmark of any organization
In my long corporate  innings
I have come across a few leaders
and many more in leadership positions

From the ones who could be called 'Leaders'
perhaps one or two could be called 'Professional'
in the strictest sense of the term
the ones who retain the purity of quality
refusing to mix the professional with the personal

So, you may be a very dear disciple
yet,  rest assured that you will receive
no favours or compromises
from him for  you
at the time of  promotion

Similarly, the professional
may dislike a person of  poor  reputation
but does not allow that
to influence decision
on a genuine request of the employee

Contrast that with the 'Non professional'
 at the other end of the bar
who takes decisions not at the office
consulting the entire team
but in a resort or a bar in the evening
with cronies whose biggest contributions
are  drinking,clapping ,smiling
when he would like them to...

Yes, professionalism is the hallmark of any organization
yet, do we give this 'line' it's due
while choosing people for a position
for that matter, even leadership positions?

Legacy

What legacy  do you leave behind
after a career of 25 to 30 years
Have you left behind followers
sharing your values, conviction and drive?

Or is your legacy one
in which everything
falls like a pack of cards
the moment you are gone?

Is it possible that you are the victim
of a conspiracy that does not allow a legacy
with everything being dismantled
all traces removed by the new person
who would like to create his own legacy?

For a Better Impact

Get off  the high horse
Get off the fads,
and get going...
how long will you hold on
continue playing these games
if others aren't fed up
aren't you  fed up yourself?

Surviving on jargons and big talk
that mean nothing on the ground
no difference to day to day work
of internal customers

customers see you
as talking gibberish
360 degree appraisal, change management
core competency or empowerment
mean nothing to them
unless and until you first solve
contribute to solving simple 'real' problems
of say absenteeism or attrition

More time explaining concepts
and convincing customer
of its use to him
generate better enthusiasm
ensure better impact
for  the HR role

If not, you are doomed to be seen
as a nuisance or at best
a necessary evil....

Value Add

Running around a pole
a number of times
purpose not known..
yet it looks busy,feels busy
appears effective in the
eyes of self and others!

Work flowing smoothly
yet putting spokes
rules, regulations
to prove your existence
feed your ego!

So much more achieved
so much more gained
by looking into the mirror
for the truth of what you're doing
and taking corrective steps
and ensuring value add
in all that you do!

With Leaders like These....

Bosses, they say are always right
what then, can one say of CEOs
 that they are always, always,always  right ?


So, in a senior executive  review meeting
everyone watched silently
as the CEO took phone call mid meeting
then spoke for 5,10, 15 minutes...
oblivious, scornful
of wasted  executive time


Some started talking to neighbour
the mood of meeting temporarily disrupted
no surprises, or complaints though
they knew their leader well
had  got used to his style of functioning

As the presentations resume
 clarifications are sought and given
when the presenter proceeds to the next slide
leader talks of something else
to someone else attending the meeting


The presenter is left high and dry in mid sentence
no one pays any attention to him
all eyes are on the leader, to what he is talking
and to whom he is talking
our presenter, a senior executive waits in discomfort
 for five to ten  minutes
like an actor on stage who has forgotten his lines!

A repeat of drama happens with subsequent presentations
the trend established for all review meetings...

With leaders like these ...
what is the message?
"You may adorn  a senior executive designation, ,
but, you are simply there to do my bidding
Humiliation is a part of being a junior to a senior
and you don't count,.you just don't count!"

If parents are the role models for children
leaders like these become role models
 for the future CEOs, leadership aspirants


With leaders like these
damage caused is  not to one generation
but generations of employees
the culture scarred for many years to come..

Damage is caused  to the mother,  the organization herself
with leaders like these....
...

The Point is...

The other day
I was part of a
professional evening event
speaker with impressive credentials
and an exciting topic
"Winning qualities of Highly successful People"

The session started well
with tales of a couple of
successful people and
 their winning qualities

Later came many more
being proactive,overcoming adversity
persistence, self discipline
self believe, pursuing excellence....

The heroes cited included president Roosevelt
Arnold Schwarzenegger. M.K Gandhi
Bill Gates, Charlie Chaplin...

As the number of examples
 came as a deluge
I  and some in the audience became
a little distracted, a little bored...

The speaker though, was back with a bang
after all, he was a multi dimensional talent
author, speaker, ventriloquist            
cartoonist and  hand shadow expert!

While he drew caricatures
of  some heroes mid presentation
towards the end entered
charlie the monkey
who enthralled the audience
with his witty remarks
It was ventriloquism at its best!

This was followed
by the hand shadow display
if only all this, one wished
was part of main presentation
and connecting to the topic,,,

 At the end it was a standing ovation
for the multi talented speaker
who deserved every bit
of the applause and  ovation!

Did he entertain?
share valid thoughts?
have the audience eating out of his hand?
yes, yes, many times over!

Yet, the point is...
when you have a live person
speaking face to face
you would gain
much more, understanding
how he avoided procrastination
instances of how he benefited
from being proactive..
how the speaker went about setting goals
and how the process helped him achieve ..

While fine are the  tales  & examples of achievers
 whether,JFK, Jim Cary or Varghese Kurian
these  can be  accessed and available on net
yet,the story, learning and insights of speaker
are  unique and can be shared
by him and him alone!

Yes, the point is "How"
makes a more lasting impression than "What"
"What"  connotes knowing
while "How" is all about doing!

Hypocrisy

A friend shared his experience

that is shocking, chilling, horrifying

shows present day corporates

in poor light!

Recruitment done by someone

for someone else

in another part of the world

interviews over skype, telephone calls

with left hand not knowing

what the right hand is doing or wants!

When my friend joined

he found that his JD

explained & approved by recruiter

was not what his place

of joining wanted!

He was dubbed

incompetent and unsuitable

terminated six days

 Short of one month!

Who is to blame for the callous approach?

Is it ego or lack of homework?

Or lack of Synergy between departments?

Who will compensate for

the loss of previous  job,

for the  costs of relocation

for the humiliation

and loss of self-esteem?

Or is accountability alien

to big branded companies

that espouse corporate values

but seldom practice?

Are values only for the book

and for the speeches from public platforms?

How many more such cases

are out there in the jungle?

If this is the true face of branded companies

What can be expected from the small little companies?

Ps JD refers to Job Description

Avalanche- at work

A poet’s poem on the ‘first kiss’
 loaded with so much passion,

So much longing and desire

drawing readers to drown in  its  intensity

With all the five senses!

Similar  passion as from  the ‘first kiss’

 Is generated for others , reminiscing  of conquests

in their favourite sports-  Cricket, soccer, volley ball

For some though  the same intensity happened

when glued to  romantic  or mystery thrillers

those were  times when everything was a flow

when time seemed to run
and disappear so fast…

The passion of the past

of cherished times

brushed aside

all obstacles, doubts

that stood in the way

of the  heart, its 'ardent desire..

Delving in to that passion

and reclaiming the same spirit

for  your work,  work goals &  destination

 sweep away all obstacles 

big or small, real or imagined! 

 The avalanche of  heart's desire

 intensity. and passion at work

triumphing over obstacles many

reducing mountains to mole hills!

'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....