Grow and Let Grow!

Private or Public, expectations are the same - and so are the rules of the game.

The popularity of Public Sector Enterprises never seems to have been at a high when it came to prospective employees. That's not to say that no one wanted to work for PSU's. They did. And that was when people considered "Job Security" sacrosanct. "Where else would you be safe but for the Government Sector?"

Now, that "S" word is long gone; people are a lot more used to uncertainty these days. PSU's dont splurge when it comes to compensation of employees. Bureaucracy rules in most Government undertakings - expect for a handful that have resolved to relegate the red tape into oblivion. Is this what makes the young aspirant think more than twice before applying for a job in a PSU?

What I could gather was that something else was the prime reason for youngsters opting not to aspire for a 'Government job' - "Lack of Growth Prospects"! This is the factor that comes first in inhibiting Generation Y! "What's in it for me in growth terms? Will be there a professional Employee Performance Appraisal system in place in a PSU? How long would I have to keep climbing up the ladder? How many hindrances would I have from the 'leaders'? Who would vouch for my progress?"

These questions are the most prominent ones in the minds of the youth. And this is followed by the factors mentioned earlier - bureaucracy, Red Tapism, lack of Professionalism, insufficient pay . . .

Upon receiving this feedback from a bunch of MBA students, I posed this question to them. "How many of you would be willing to work for Maruti Udyog?" Almost everyone expressed their ready agreement to be part of the company. A car maker that took the market by storm is still one of the most sought after employers.

The inference from the episode is two-fold: PSU's are being looked down upon not because of their being PSU's but because of the image that they have created for themselves. And "Growth" in career occupies prime time in the minds of an ambitious employee. Companies do have some lessons there.

The "Best" Companies

The "Best Companies" need not be the "Best Companies for YOU to work for"!

Try posing this question to a few - "Do you deserve the Best?". You could end up facing a variety of responses - most of them would be different forms of the "Affirmative"; and in some cases, the responses may not be necessarily polite or even Verbal, depending on the moods of the respondents ("How silly do you think you could ever get?"). But not many would say "No, I DO NOT deserve the Best" but for those who have gotten really serious about Self-Improvement and have decided to become Brutally Honest!

However, what evades our conscious attention is something very basic. It is the result of the human tendency to assume things and frame hypotheses by default. We normally tend to take for granted that what is best for one has to be the best for everyone else out there!

We come across this 'phenomenon', not to use a term as negative as 'Syndrome', all too often - and more so when it comes to one's all-important Career Moves! A 'Template' gets formed in our minds sub-consciously and we get into the trap of thinking 'Perfectly Logically', within the set template; and in most cases, we never get to acknowledge the presence of such a frame of mind until, for instance, something goes terribly wrong! It is then that we decide to sit back and extract ourselves from the scenario to analyse what we have been 'Tuned' to do, by default!

How many of us get frustrated on the job, in spite of being in one of the most "Enviable Positions" when it comes to one's peers? How many times have we asked ourselves, "What is the missing ingredient in my daily bread?" How frequently do we cry over the milk that keeps spilling, again and again? How often have we wanted to get back a few years and re-write our personal histories?

All that needs to be done to get out of this cycle is to realise one simple reality - "What is good for you, may not be good for me!" That precisely is the reason why one needs to think twice, or perhaps even a few times more, before one gets conditioned into applying to the "Best" companies, by default! "The Best Companies" convey the financial healths - and other parameters - of the companies in question. But when it comes to the quest to find yourselves in the "Best" place of work, it really has to be a "Match" between you, a part of the company, and your organisation, the "Whole" of your professional self. Every company has a 'soul' that is defined and formed by the thousands of people who give it its life - the onus lies on you to make sure that you would make a natural fit into the place where you would spend the majority of your remaining life time in!

Listen Carefully - It's being 'Assertive', not 'Aggressive!'

Listening is as much a part of being assertive, as is conviction.

People are not individuals any more - people are sets of groups. One ought to be ready for the buzz word - Team Work. While individual skills matter as much as ever, equally important is the ability of individuals to appreciate the phenomenon of groups.

It is here that one faces the question - am I being assertive enough to be heard by the rest? How could I make my presence in the group felt? When everyone has a view of one's own, how am I going to make my views reach the discussion table? Even if it does reach, am I being forceful enough to make it sound valid and plausible? Is someone suppressing me and my expressions? What if Im left out of the discussions? What if I never had a role to play in solving the problem? Will I be of any value at all? If Im not of any perceptible value, would I stay in the team?

The focus of the actions turns into one for existence. Survival is a big game - when one gets caught in a stampede! And the quest for survival could well turn into a game of power; and when it does, it does not remain a Team anymore!

The situation is a lot trickier than it sounds - and the onus definitely lies on the moderator to set a system up and running that values individual contributions and nourishes the team, simultaneously. However, the responsibility lies with every team member. And the key lies in something absolutely natural for human beings - "Listening Skills"!

Assertiveness is not about going for the jugular - and it is by no means about being Aggressive! Assertiveness is one's ability to be clear and concise about what one has to say - after having taken the opponent's views into consideration. Listening is as much a part of being assertive, as is conviction. For, the role of an individual in a group lies in his/ her contributions to the group - and not in promoting himself or herself through some Power Play!

Are you Sure?

When you are not sure, it reflects in your behaviour, in your body language, in your actions, in your effectiveness and in the results.

I was approached by a youngster; I had just conducted a session on Self Improvement for a group of young people. "Feel Confident" was the message that I had stressed on, in my session. "When you start off confidently, half of your job is already done".

The girl, after the session, reached up to me. "You said feeling confident was a major factor in success". I listened. "But you never told us how to feel confident?"

It was a valid question. "Can you please tell me how to build my Self-confidence?" I saw that many in the group were interested in my response. They all knew that winning required confidence - but they were not sure how to become confident!

To become confident is, in simple terms, to be sure. 'Is this the right pair of jeans for the rugged shirt that I'm wearing? Am I walking too fast? Is someone glaring at me? Am I being so loud that I may be disturbing others? . . .' Instances where we are not sure of ourselves, abound. When you are not sure, it reflects in your behaviour, in your body language, in your actions, in your effectiveness and in the results of your actions. When you don't achieve, you get even more doubtful of yourselves. When you doubt yourselves, you are not confident any more. When you are not confident, you would not stand a good chance of succeeding. . . you get caught up in a vicious circle that dumps you within your own shell.

Building confidence is not an extroverted effort where you keep monitoring every move of yours and seeing if you are sure of whatever you do. It involves going a lot deeper into yourselves, looking within and analysing the fabric that you are made up of. To study the deeds of a third person is easy; to criticise the runner who falls is fun; to suggest corrective measures for the dip in the prospect of a risk-taking individual has no stakes attached. But to read yourself takes a lot more concentration, dedicated attention and realisation of the inherent fallibility of every human being. Then starts the step-by-step process of building on your foundations till you know for sure, what you are and where you stand!

A Question has many Faces

Every response reflects a perspective - and perspectives merge to craft the ideal solution.

A recent debate among final year students in a college featured a hot topic that is being discussed by most aspiring graduates - 'Where to work?' Or, rather, 'Whom to work for?'

It was not a choice between working in India or working abroad that caught their imaginations as much as that between working for a home-grown "Desi" company and working for an MNC. The craze for moving to greener pastures wasn't all that evident, at least in that particular group. After all, why would one want to move, when the taste of "Videsh" is brought right into one's own home town by the MNC's?

What was striking was the way the debate focussed on one's "Responsibility towards the Nation", while comparing the two work environments - nothing was discussed about the relative levels of professionalism or other cultural differences that could be inherent! It made one wonder if the MNC's have been absolutely successful in demolishing the cultural barriers that would have made them stand aloof, as aliens, perhaps. "Would you not serve your Nation better if you worked for your own Nationals rather than sweating it out for the Multi-Nationals, who are bound to take over the "Desi" firms one day or the other?" was the theme of the debate.

The verdict is not important here - the Question is! For, a verdict is just one view - but a question has the potential to let views from different perspectives pour in. It unleashes the capacity of the mind to delve to the depths in search of a solution - and every by-product of the process is an invention in itself!

What makes you Tick?

How important is it to have an 'Objective' in place? Does it really matter where we go, as long as we keep going? Can anyone, after all, be perfectly in control over one's own destiny? How sure can one ever be that one would reach one's destination as per plan? If it is true that man never disposes, is it necessary at all to have an 'Objective'?

Factors that we could claim to be in control over are minimal; 'Handful' may not be the right word - perhaps, is it 'Insignificant'? Or, even 'Non-existant'? It's difficult to conceive of a world where none of the creatures ever had any degree of control over whatever it did! So, let's not assume the absurd! Yes, we do have some control - just as a cruising liner would strain every nut and bolt in its mechanism to take the most obtuse of turns, so would we have to give that "Cent per cent" to effect a perceptible change in our destiny. To give it a fifty and expect, say, an eighty may not make perfect sense.

Given the validity of having a valid 'Objective' as the guiding star in our lives, to let life run loose and chase the mirage that never existed is not a winning strategy. Leaders are leaders, not because they chase what they think they want; they win because, they know what they want - and do what it takes! An Objective is much more than a mere guiding star - it's our Life Line!

Waves are Good

Waves have neither an origin nor an end. The shore is not their destination - it might just be one of their purposes. They give peace to the mind that is bogged down with stress. They are tireless in their journey that is marked by an apparent objective. They are personifications of the intangible energy. They drive and seem to be driven by themselves. They never talk, still, are always listened to. They never discriminate on age, gender or any other perceived differences. They never teach, but always drive a lesson home. They are the ultimate haven for the perplexed mind. Waves mean Freedom, Waves are Fun. Waves are good!