Pissed on and passed over

The term is used for people who despite hard work , integrity and dedication do not fare well in an organization. They are always left out when it comes to performance reward, promotion, recognition and other form of appraisals. They are silent onlookers when their craftier colleagues grab their share of credit. They feel trampled, self esteem at nadir and unwillingness to contribute.
What exactly are such people’s problems? It’s simple: they are not smart enough and don’t know how to play the game. They are too soft and allow themselves to be other’s doormat. We live in a world corporate which has become more style rather than substance oriented. Therefore, proper packaging and presentation are indispensable to take you places. You need to be gregarious, communicative and approachable.
I would like to share an incident. There was a person who was part of the launch of a retail store . He was a part of the team and had worked day and night to get it started. Hence, he was quite passionate and emotionally attached to the store. He was quite a principled and diligent fellow. Then a relative of the owner of the store was appointed from the head office to supply material to the store. He started supplying sub standard materials which was not taken well by that person. He opposed to it tooth and nail and ultimately was thrown out of the organization on a slight pretext. What did he gain for all his efforts, hard work, emotions. Nothing…….
Politics is part and parcel of an organization and there’s no escape from it. You need not be a part of it but you should know how to manage it.
Another important aspect is communication and grooming. Communication is something that one needs to pay heed to. You need to talk continually about your efforts , what you are trying to do and what you are trying to achieve. Keep your boss updated about your work from time to time. Communication should keep flowing and people should be aware that if you are working on it then others either positively contribute or need to perturb unnecessarily. Talking to your colleagues, boss and peers is one way to save yourself from popo.
If I work then I should ideally get the credit and not allow anyone to steal it from m else will end up as a spectacular underachiever.

Why workplace sucks……

O God its already 8:00 o’clock and I’ll be late for work. Don’t feel like going to office . Everyday is same: the same schedule, the same people, the same boss and the same 9:00 to 6:00 mundane work routine . When will I get rid of all this? When will I be able to do what I want to do....Maximum of us face similar kind of work trauma every day. Work is mandatory and workplace is where we have to go necessarily unless one makes a windfall or receives a fortune from someone. Though both are improbable situations hence, lets accept the bland truth that we have to necessarily work to survive, feed the family and maintain a lifestyle. How many of us enjoy going to office.? From philosophical perspective we live on this earh to perform some karma. Therefore ,work is essence of life and it gives a motive and reason to live. Apart from money we work to fulfill our other aspirations like recognition, boost self esteem, prove oneself etc. At the same time depression, anxiety, stress are also the gifts of workplace.

We spend almost 60-70% of our time at workplace. But if the same workplace becomes a centre of dirty politics, stress, mental and physical illness then we face a constant threat of breakdown.

Let’s examine the factors that make a workplace traumatic.

Office politics: office gossips, office politics, badmouthing take a toll on someone’s life. Politics of any kind is detestable and if the politics is to overload someone, make him a scapegoat or deprive him of some benefit it demotivates a person immensely. Politics to stunt someone’s growth or career affects the organization’s overall productivity because it has a cascading effect.

Nagging bosses: we often have bosses badgering us incessantly for everything right from the time you walk into the office, time taken for coffee break , lunch break , smoke break apart from sales and target. Then we feel like a robot with the remote control in our bosses’ hand.

Workplace competition: when competition no more remains a competition but a mad rush with everyone slugging out for incentives, promotions, bonus, hikes all the time, one’s life becomes deplorable. Work should not become an obsession.

Work culture: If the work culture is such that you feel like an alien then its better to quit else the mire of odd situation will take a toll on your self esteem and confidence . In many organizations both the employees and company have a negative attitude At such a place working even for one more day sucks.

No clarity in roles: If the job is defined one is at peace. You know what you are required to do and what’s expected from you. Else you are constantly bombarded with clichéd statements “ why you did this , it’s not your job” or “ why didn’t you finish the task , don’t you know you are supposed to do that”. If the person’s job is defined he can plan his day accordingly and can balance his life effectively. When I started working in an export house my key job was to do marketing but gradually I was doing everything designing, sampling, pricing etc. Result at the end of the day none of the jobs were 100% accomplished. At such a place you can’t stay for long.

Too many approvals: There are organizations where one has no liberty to execute an idea. For everything one needs to inform the boss and take his approval. In such an atmosphere monotony sets in fast and there are no challenges left after sometime.

Workplace should be soothing instead of sucking. Both the employees and organizations should understand this and make a concerted effort to make workplace as comfortable as home and treat each other as a part of family. When you are happy you feel like contributing else keep thinking of excuses for non performance and frequent leaves.

Rules or no rules

A man was addicted to smoking cigarettes.He asked someone for help. He was asked about how he started smoking. He replied," I never wanted to smoke .Infact, i hated the smell.One day i was talking to my friend on the street. My friend was smoking a cigarette. My father saw us from a distance and he thought that i too was smoking.When i went home he shouted and yelled at me. He didn't listen to me. Then i decided how does it matter if i smoke now. I have already been punished for it.So, i started to smoke."

Why rules are created and expected to be abided.It's primarily to inculcate discipline, to organise and manage, to create uniformity . Parents impose rules on kids, teachers on students and managers on employees.Rules are assumed to generate some good results.But are the rule makers actually the followers? Managers command their employees to honour time but they are the ones who are mostly late to the office.Parents restrict child from eating junk stuffs but they hardly circumscribe themselves from eating what they like

Now , lets understand why do we break rules.It's for the thrill , adventure , fun in doing something unconventional or feeling of unfetterd freedom. How many of us are thrilled by breaking traffic rules and saying no to our parents to prove that we are grown ups. At times " No " we feel is an expression of self esteem, it satisfies our ego and we feel like a winner. Beware, saying no could also become an addiction. Its in the form of rebellion without any reason.Like in 70's counter culture-hippie movement in western US- a rebellion against society.

It brings up the fact to what extent should the rules be broken. Our this feeling of thrill and adventure can ruin someone's life.There had been numerous car accidents for the sake of thrill.

I feel boasting indiscipline is more easy than following the tough path of rule. First we need to understand why the rule was created. Work towards that understanding . Then can either follow the rule or bend the rule or break the rule.

Mall Eye

It's to caution the people who frequently visit malls. A number of mall shoppers are complaining about red and itchy eyes due to prolonged exposure to strong lighting inside the mall. It especially shoots up during the weekend.

ARE MANAGEMENT GURUS GOOD MANAGERS TOO…..

We are often told that there’s a difference between preaching and practicing. Does the same apply to B schools professors. Business school professors make a living by teaching management. Should we presume that they know to manage things well ? Many people think so.

Professor who specializes in conflict management should never get divorced. A professor of behavioral science may not get along with his colleagues. One who teaches investment management ideally should be a billionaire by playing in the market. Faculty who teaches leadership should be an automatic choice for director’s post. Marketing faculties should be able to market themselves very well and some of them should become famous brands themselves. Soft skills trainers family and kids should be quintessence of good manners and discipline. One who teaches entrepreneurship should have one's own business.

This is not usually the case. Knowing is something else and applying is different. We all know honesty is the best policy but only few follow.

Peter Drucker , the greatest management guru, once confessed that he would make a poor executive. He simply can’t delegate though preaching delegation comes easy to him.

Stars association with brands

Stars and celebrities endorsing products is a common sight. Stars brand association enhances the value and faith of customers in that product. This is especially true in case of children and teenagers who are often overwhelmed by the stars they like. Especially if a new product is launched, and a famous star endorses it , it immediately bonds with the customer. There are numerous examples when this association has resulted in increased sales and profit for the company and therefore , special budget allocated for advertising and promotions by celebrities.

Now - a - days the product endorsement is done not only by the stars but the entire movie. Example: Shahrukh khan endorsed dish tv in my name is khan , santro in rab ne bana di jodi, Hrithik endorsed Acer and Provogue in Kites. It provides brand an apportuinity to go beyond 30 sec commercials and break ad clutter.

Though promoting brand within movie is a tough task for script writers and film directors. It may not go with the script of the movie. In that case a particular brand ambassador cannot replace it with another brand of the same category due to strict contractual obligations.

Is the language Hindi dying?

English is fast pervading into every aspect of our life right from education to entertainment and office to home. English has become a status symbol .Modernity is reflected by how embellished and enriched is our English language. Speaking Hindi in public places , parties is considered low class . I remember someone complaining that her son used the word “ kura “ instead of garbage and she was abashed.

None of the countries abandon their mother tongue so apathetically as we have . English has its own role which is substantial. But taking the support system of our mother tongue will make it crippled and vanished in sometime.

Hindi is fast losing its sheen and soon, it will be diminished into a regional or rural language spoken by a handful people in some part of the country. Time has come that we take some steps to save the language from becoming extinct.

Pass mark in Hindi language should be made compulsory in all schools. Hindi should be fostered by our politicians and bollywood actors who have maximum impact on society. Steps like making Hindi an official language of United Nations would take the cause further.

It’s a part of our culture and tradition. Bountiful books and sahityas written in Hindi are gathering dust in libraries and book shelves. Our kids should also read and understand the epics and mythologies reading and hearing which we have grown up.

Hindi should not be subjected to be a functional language used solely for conversation but should look forward to enrich the language as we learn enthusiastically new vocabulary in English.

It requires lot of support and sustainment from the present generation. Hindi has numerous experiences to share. Please do justice to the language and give it its due share.

With love,
An English teacher.

THE 3 MISTAKES OF MY LIFE

It is the story of Govind Patel and his two friends Ish and Omi . All of them were of different temperament , skills , passion and demeanour in life.

The book resembles a Bollywood flick as it portrays everything friendship, breach of trust, shattering of dreams, political and naturalcalamities , love, passion , hatred et al . Govind, a young boy in Ahmedabad , with an aptitude in maths opens a cricket shop along with his two friends Ish and Omi in a temple premise. They face varied hiccups in realising their goals in life.

As the name suggests , the book revolves around the three prime mistakes committed by Govind owing to most mundane reasons .
First, out of greed he lays all his eggs in one basket and puts all his savings and his friends to own a shop in a mall. Unfortunately, due to earthquake the shop gets destroyed and he loses all the savings of his life.

Second mistake committed out of lust and overwhelming impulse when he screws up his friend Ish sister . Ish had asked him to teach his sister Vidya maths.He gradually falls in love with her and crosses all limits of trust and faith. Almost at the end of the plot Ish comes to know about their coition and break all ties with Govind for three years. Ish’s apathy and his own culpableness coerces Govind to pop up sleeping pills and write an Email to Chetan Bhagat.

Third mistake committed was out of fear while saving a muslim boy Ali from the mob. The boy was gifted in cricket. Ish pledges to give him a national presence . But while a mob attack , Govind gets delayed by a second in taking decision and the boy’s wrist gets injured which damages his flair of batting

The book depicts multiple emotions like all three of them betting their lives for a stranger and counter religion boy Ali, Ish’s passion for cricket and how he tries to fulfill his unrealised dream through Ali,the ugly face of politics and much more

The language is quite simple and lucid ,hence, can be enjoyed by all age groups.

GO KISS THE WORLD

My profuse thanks to Subrato Bagachi for providing us such a wonderful book to read. It is a magnificient collection of his real life experinces, learnings and answering most pertinent questions we face in our day to day life.

He had a humble beginning of his career as a clerk in a government office and went up to co-founding MINDTREE – India’s first venture funded IT Services Company and get publicly listed. All this was possible by sheer hard and smart work , picking up from his own mistakes , listening to his senior’s suggestions and adhering to his mentor’s advice.

I have quoted a few excerpts from the book which I found quite relevant and practical.

Blessed are the one’s who get a genuine adviser at some point in their life. They will not only caution and prevent you from falling into a trap but also bolster and guide you through as you tread different walks of life. In his words:

“ Most people covet good jobs , great postings , higher salaries etc. what they call as job satisfaction. I would , however , trade all of that for opportunity to work for a great boss. “His mentor was Dr. Sridhar Mitta who has set up Wipro’s R&D from scratch. From him he learnt his first rule for managing is to listen. “This most bosses find difficult to do because in order to listen, you must first suspend all judgement”. This is a clear stark portrait of today’s managers who barely have any time to listen to their subordinates or advice him.

One of subrato’s challenge when he returned to India was to give Wipro’s R&D office a contemporary look.On the contrary, his this endeavor was negatively reflected in his 360 degree feedback as not being cost conscious. Being upset he went to Dr. Mitra wherein he was advised “ we live in a world in which perception is reality . And that it takes time for perception to build up “. Understanding the implication he went back and worked with same fervour but this time conscious of his actions and words.Again, next year he got same feedback from his peers . Devastated he once more went to Dr. Mitra . Dr. Mitra said, “ while it takes time to build perceptions , it takes even longer for perceptions to change .” He understood the significance of the fact and says that “ in our work , we need to be sensitive to feedbacks and work to correct ourselves but shouldn’t expect people to change what they think of us overnight . Negative public opinion most often has some basis and we must have the grace to accept it. “. Over a period of five years he was finally able to transform the R&D division.


He has discussed in the book the importance of a salesperson and the essence of selling. He exhibits a brilliant insight on sales. As per him:
“ No other profession teaches you the true worth of your own abilities than a sales job. Reason , the outcome is completely binary. Either you have made sale or not. It requires one to listen so much . Learn to read body language and emotions. Learn to isolate the stated needs from unstated concerns of customer. Like an iceberg nine-tenths of a customer’s needs and requirements are hidden below the surface of what he’s telling you as you are pitching your products. A good salesperson learns to understand and address these.
Selling and negotiations are intertwined . You negotiate with your colleague, boss, peer, children and complete strangers. Only selling teaches you nuances of negotiation. “

I found his tip on frustration quite germane . He says:
“Frustration without capability to change things is like a radioactive material burning inside you. It is the difference between your ambition and your capability. Either improve your capability or lower your expectation. Don’t sit there with the radioactive turned inward. Not everything around you can be changed by you. Focus on issue that fall in overlap of your zone of concern and zone of influence. Concern without influence is of no use. “

His book is full of such interesting anecdotes, tips and quotes. A must read for all.

DAYCARE : A boon or a bane

A child is born. He’s welcome with loads of greetings, love, gifts and celebration. As he grows up there’s another thing waiting for him. It’s DAYCARE. Today’s parents are quite mature and are quite planned. Planning starts right from when to conceive, delivery dates and sharing of responsibility post birth.

Initially there used to be joint families and the child used to grow up amongst grandpa, grandma, chacha, chachi etc. There was no room for loneliness. Childhood was all about love, care and lots of pampering.

Now as more and more working class are moving to metro cities and quite many women are taking up job , the concept of joint family is fast fading and is ushering an era of nuclear family. To keep up to a certain lifestyle and to obtain acceptance amongst peer and social class it’s becoming mandatory for both the parents to earn.


All the above factors have resulted in mushrooming of daycares in all cities whether big or small. Daycare as the name suggests means the enterprise will take full care of your child , give him healthy food , friendly and loving environment, pollution free atmosphere with A/Cs in all rooms, fantastic study material, lots of activities like karate, gym, dance, paintings etc. What else the parents need??????? All is being taken care of without an iota of hurdle in their daily schedule. Thus carefree from child’s side, parents can concentrate more on their career and bring home more money.


Now lets look from the child’s perspective. Even he or she is happy amongst friends. They all eat together, sleep together, dance together and everything together. Discipline is maintained. There’s time for eating, sleeping, playing, studying. They gradually learn to adjust, become extrovert, sharing, friendly, independent, and everything good seems to be happening.

But on the flip side, we see the parents leaving their three to six month baby in a daycare because of the above facilities. For such parents, kids are no more the gifts of God but more of an unavoidable responsibility. I don’t deny that love and care is required at all age but at such a small age more tender care and love is necessary. The child is small and immunity is non existent. In such a case falls an easy prey to loads of diseases.

Daycare seems to be a paradise for parents to live their angels behind. The facilities are world-class like cctv’s , a/c, splash pool. Better the facility, higher the fees.
Beautifully decorated rooms, lots of toys, amazing hygiene….what else the child needs???
We should ask this question to ourselves. How long can we stay in a mansion, with good food, lots of people, modern facilities but no one amongst our loved ones. At the end of the day you would like to run away to be free and to be with people whom you love.

But what can even the parents do????. In such a competitive world it takes much time and effort to build career. It’s not possible for everyone to sacrifice everything, sit ideal for 2-3 years and restart from zero.

To wrap up of what I think, overall, daycare has become a very lucrative profession. It provides a win win situation to all. Parents are assured of child’s supervision and care and they can follow their career and growth path without hesitation. But at the same time parents should make sure that in their rat race “ kho na jayen kahin ye, Taare zameen pe “