When Lord Acton said- Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely- the old gent knew what he was talking about.
Does a position of great responsibility and power vest you with the right to take law into your own hands, even when you feel, your actions are for the larger good? Names like Satyam, ENRON & Parmalat scream out in anguish the follies and ethical failures of their top brass. In all instances, top executives from these organizations, while lining their own pockets, had little remorse for what they had done. Why ? Hadn't they slogged & sweated blood to set up the organization? Who was the law to interfere if they took a few short cuts. Arrogance of the powerful and an inability to see right from wrong are dangerous habits, when they reside in the powerful and decision makers.
Look at the following story.... With the curtains rapidly dropping on World War 2, the Nazi's were desperate to clear their concentration camps ( to hide evidence) where all anti socials ( as deemed by Adolf Hitler ), including Jews, Gypsies, Communists and Homosexual's were held prisoner. One such infamous camp was Auschwitz, in Poland. In clearing the camp, a group of women prisoners, on a long march, were sheltered in an old church for the night.As luck would have it, the church was bombed in the night and caught fire. What do you think happened to the 300women prisoners, in the church? Two hundred and ninety nine perished in the inferno ! Why could their guards, not let them out? A guard later said, that they were 'guards' and could not let the prisoners 'escape' from the church by letting them out, so they allowed them to burn! It is this kind of perverse logic that is dangerous and demonic. The top brass of Satyam, ENRON & Parmalat, are either dead or cooling their heels in prison. Just reward for their sins, but what about the innocent share holders and employees whose lives that they have destroyed, in pursuit of their greed.
( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hGvQtumNAY )
Follow the link to see an enthralling courtroom drama where....... Col. Nathan Jessop,is commander, of an elite group of marines, on Guantanamo Bay,off Cuba. He orders a banned disciplinary procedure, called the 'Code Red' on one of his marines ( Private Santiago ) to punish him, for slackness and breaking the chain of command. In the process, the marine dies ( a rag is stuffed down his throat & he is gagged, causing him to suffocate) & the marines buddies who were part of the 'Code Red' are charged with murder as the powerful and well connected Colonel, denies that he gave the order.The Colonel is finally cornered ( by a brilliant Lt. Kafee, played by a young Tom Cruise, who knows that the egoistic Colonel will self destruct if provoked), his arrogance gives him away and he faces a court martial.
Why does the Colonel order the 'Code Red'? Because he believes that he is the man on the spot and reserves the right to bend rules as he does a job more important than those that others do. Sheer arrogance! What about the troopers who are accused of murder, for following orders? Plain bad luck.........
When Ramalinga Raju was jailed, there was a school of thought which said that he should be treated 'kindly' as he had done a lot of good work, by providing jobs for many Indian's. Hitler provided a great many jobs in Germany, by mobilizing his nation for war and building the autobahns. Does that cut any ice with the six million Jews he murdered or people of the nations that he destroyed by following the diktat's of a crazed mind? I do not think so............
Ethics and morality are not words that exist only for the powerless and poor.It would do us good to remember that every day at work and if you find your ethical values being tested I suggest you find another place to work before the corrupt, corrupt you.
I know what my young friends would say...............discipline & rules are stifling.......maybe, but they provide the bedrock for a just society & keep us from descending into chaos.
It would also do us good, on occassion, to pause & reflect where we are heading......
I explore the last frontier..............humans!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
And never the twain shall meet.....
The East & West, will they ever meet, is a question that has occupied many a thinker from way back in the past. I'm not sure it is something that is going to have a ready answer in the future, too.
The unstoppable Alexander, in 326 BC ran into his first real resistance on the banks of the Indus, from where we in India draw our name - India.
While camping here he was intrigued by a holy men. In fact both were intrigued by the other. Alexander, the busybody, a Greek God felt that he had conquered the world, while the mendicants, felt that they had too, just by sitting on the banks of the river and meditating.
Their leader, Dandamis, tried to show his guest that his conquests were futile: 'You will soon be dead, and then you will own just as much of this earth as will suffice to bury you.' Although these comments were not very encouraging, Alexander insisted that one of them should come with him, and so it happened. Calanus (Indian Kalyana), became Alexander's adviser and must have played an important role in his dealings with the Indians.
Alexander, was so irritated by Dandamis,at the outset, that he threatened him with death, to which the seer laughed at his face.What are you going to kill, me or my soul he asked?
Alexander later, probably met his first military defeat, in India and died on his way back home. His wife and child were murdered by his Generals and he slipped into history.Dandamis too slipped into the sands of time, nary a footprint.So much for the impermanence of the permanence that Alexander was striving for.
The short story would indicate why it is likely that the East & West may never meet. Culturally we are poles apart and our perception of time and space are at the greatest variance.
Now look at the following story.......
To help retain new employees in India, software firm Sierra Atlantic uses a variation on the American "take your children to work" tradition.
The company invites parents of new hires to visit and learn about the company. There’s an introduction from company executives, lunch is provided, and guests--primarily fathers thus far--have a chance to ask questions about the firm and the workplace. Typical questions include: What are the career prospects for their children? What are the company’s plans for growth? And how does Sierra Atlantic support their children’s pursuit of higher education?
The company is based in Fremont, California, and has about 800 employees at offices in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad. The quarterly "take your parents to work" events are an attempt to recognize the importance of family and parental guidance in Indian culture--and to make Sierra Atlantic stand out in the competition for technical talent there.
In India, parents have a major say in the career moves of their children.If Sierra Atlantic is able to convince parents about our values, work culture and growth prospects for employees, (it can) increase company loyalty among their children. Since the initiative began last year, the annual attrition rate for new college graduates hired in India has dropped from 20 percent to 10 percent.The program also marks an attempt to ease the cultural strains of tech work in India. With the growth in technology and back-office operations, young Indians are at times required to work at night because of the time difference with the U.S., alter their accents to sound American and even take on Western names when handling customer calls.
East is East & West Is West, never the twain shall meet- said Rudyard Kipling, the British author, many a year ago. Maybe they won't, but that does not mean that we cannot be more accommodating and understanding of each other's cultural nuances in a flat world.Letting perception cloud decision making is disastrous for business.
Should we take our children to work or our parents? What is the answer ? Like always, I will leave it open for debate, because that is the spice of life!
The unstoppable Alexander, in 326 BC ran into his first real resistance on the banks of the Indus, from where we in India draw our name - India.
While camping here he was intrigued by a holy men. In fact both were intrigued by the other. Alexander, the busybody, a Greek God felt that he had conquered the world, while the mendicants, felt that they had too, just by sitting on the banks of the river and meditating.
Their leader, Dandamis, tried to show his guest that his conquests were futile: 'You will soon be dead, and then you will own just as much of this earth as will suffice to bury you.' Although these comments were not very encouraging, Alexander insisted that one of them should come with him, and so it happened. Calanus (Indian Kalyana), became Alexander's adviser and must have played an important role in his dealings with the Indians.
Alexander, was so irritated by Dandamis,at the outset, that he threatened him with death, to which the seer laughed at his face.What are you going to kill, me or my soul he asked?
Alexander later, probably met his first military defeat, in India and died on his way back home. His wife and child were murdered by his Generals and he slipped into history.Dandamis too slipped into the sands of time, nary a footprint.So much for the impermanence of the permanence that Alexander was striving for.
The short story would indicate why it is likely that the East & West may never meet. Culturally we are poles apart and our perception of time and space are at the greatest variance.
Now look at the following story.......
To help retain new employees in India, software firm Sierra Atlantic uses a variation on the American "take your children to work" tradition.
The company invites parents of new hires to visit and learn about the company. There’s an introduction from company executives, lunch is provided, and guests--primarily fathers thus far--have a chance to ask questions about the firm and the workplace. Typical questions include: What are the career prospects for their children? What are the company’s plans for growth? And how does Sierra Atlantic support their children’s pursuit of higher education?
The company is based in Fremont, California, and has about 800 employees at offices in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad. The quarterly "take your parents to work" events are an attempt to recognize the importance of family and parental guidance in Indian culture--and to make Sierra Atlantic stand out in the competition for technical talent there.
In India, parents have a major say in the career moves of their children.If Sierra Atlantic is able to convince parents about our values, work culture and growth prospects for employees, (it can) increase company loyalty among their children. Since the initiative began last year, the annual attrition rate for new college graduates hired in India has dropped from 20 percent to 10 percent.The program also marks an attempt to ease the cultural strains of tech work in India. With the growth in technology and back-office operations, young Indians are at times required to work at night because of the time difference with the U.S., alter their accents to sound American and even take on Western names when handling customer calls.
East is East & West Is West, never the twain shall meet- said Rudyard Kipling, the British author, many a year ago. Maybe they won't, but that does not mean that we cannot be more accommodating and understanding of each other's cultural nuances in a flat world.Letting perception cloud decision making is disastrous for business.
Should we take our children to work or our parents? What is the answer ? Like always, I will leave it open for debate, because that is the spice of life!
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Not all employees have equal value.......
A while ago a young friend of mine told me that she was petrified of facing interviews and selection processes.I was taken aback because this particular girl has a wonderful presence, a calm demeanour, is very articulate and to top it has a wonderful smile ! ( the strengths far outweigh the weaknessess )We are generally ( except for narcissists ) are our worst critics and my advise is to look at your strengths while managing your weaknesses and not to get bogged down by what we are not endowed with.
This is a debate which has gone back and forth for quite a while and as far as I'm concerned the truly successful ( not necessarily rich ) are those who leverage their strenghts, not those who keep trying to buttress their weaknesses.
Continuing in the same vein, I'm amazed at many an organization's inability to recognize its best people and work with them.Most organization's generally ponder upon their laggards and furiously debate as to either how they may be improved or jettisoned, even while ignoring their best performers ( who are expected to perform anyway).This to me is inherently flawed, because most high performers look for constant feedback and appreciation.
It would be prudent for organization's to identify their best people and closely monitor the loads that they carry.You do not want them to go up in flames and burn out or look for other pastures, as the job market for high performers is very competitive and alluring.
As a manager you do not want to be left holding the can and your under performers while the better ones have moved on. It is fundamental that you 're recruit' your top performers at regular intervals, by incentivizing them, not necessarily with money but by recognizing them and showing them that you care.
As a manager show your high performer that you value him/her. Many a time a pat on the back and an informal thank you will have the job done.Ignoring your best talent is done at your own peril because remember, your competitor is just around the corner waiting to snare your numero uno employee.
The 'Hawthorne Studies' are an example of this phenomenon. Just by creating a special group scientists found that employee productivity went up and sustained itself.
Hiring great employees is one part of the story, keeping folk motivated and gung ho is the tougher act to follow........
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Recruitment Culture!
It has been widely recognized that some of the most important decision to be made in the corporate world centre on recruitment and selection. Even with the best intentions one generally lands up with guys who do not measure up to the task and when firing decisions are to be made it is a sad day with much soul searching and breast beating. As a culture we do not fire easily in India.
Why fire if you can hire wisely, is the point of discussion. Poor manpower planning and recruitment and selection procedure land many a new employee on the ‘bench’ only to be told that they have warmed the bench sufficiently long and may now look for other pastures. This message generally comes from the junior most HR executive while the senior line managers and HR managers are either in a meeting or out playing golf. (It is little wonder that HR is feared and many an employee runs for cover when they see the HR)
Apparently one American company has adopted a method wherein the recruiters watch how a person crosses a street dense with traffic and then conclusions are drawn on the suitability of the candidate for various profiles & whether he/she should be on board or not.
While the method may raise a few eyebrows, I think it is well worth a try, because who knows………………………..what may succeed !
As an example, an owner of a large firm hired his SCUBA diving instructor as the CEO of his firm, as the man impressed him. Did the diver succeed? You bet he did……..much to the amazement of all and sundry.
Why did he succeed? It’s all about attitude, chum………………………………………………
The street crosser:
1. Matador. Fearless, the Matador thinks nothing of daring the cars and taxis with his elegant dance through traffic. Crosswalks are just paint to a Matador. Red lights are mere suggestions. Nor does the Matador care whether the oncoming traffic shows no sign of stopping. After all, what’s a little glancing blow? Best Positions: Entrepreneurs, super salesmen, and financial mavericks.
2. Wader. Bold but not fearless, the Wader is eager to cross, demonstrating ample initiative but a little more common sense. Waders may phone and text while on the move…but not when venturing into traffic. They recognize that getting struck by any part of a car is a bad thing. That’s why they let the Matadors run interference. While the hotshots are busy tempting fate, the Wader is getting to the other side first. Best Positions: Excellent CEOs, vice presidents, software designers, project leaders and design heads.
3. Text Walker. Having mastered typing, talking and walking at once, the Text Walker tends to forget that crossing a car-clotted street is real life while tapping keys on a little plastic box is not. Text Walkers may appear on the surface to be Waders or even Matadors, but with one critical distinction—progress in their case is often an illusion. The Text walker tends to meander, drift, and even pause midway. They lack the presence of mind to stay on task. Best Positions: Creative’s and lower-level programmers. They exhibit flashes of talent but are ill-suited for management or higher-level responsibilities.
4. Light Jumper. Though a Light Jumper starts out determined to follow the letter of the law, when the crosswalk light turns yellow he can’t help but jump the curb. Dr. Jekyll turns into Mr. Hyde. A Light Jumper is not above shouting and glaring at motorists who narrowly miss him even though they still legally have the right of way. Best Positions: Dependable but ballsy attorneys, independent CPAs and trusty managers with hidden tattoos.
5. Curb Huggers. No matter how empty the street, Curb Huggers would never dream of leaving the sidewalk for the crosswalk a second earlier than the law (or the “Walk” sign) allows. Ironically, Curb Huggers rarely make it across before the light turns and, by playing it safe, are often sitting ducks for signal-jumping taxis. Best Positions: Accountants, statisticians, or rules-based occupations. Excellent at scheduling and attending meetings, especially when the purpose is to schedule new meetings.
I'm thinking of introducing this concept to my students, next month, when I launch into a course on HRM.
Why fire if you can hire wisely, is the point of discussion. Poor manpower planning and recruitment and selection procedure land many a new employee on the ‘bench’ only to be told that they have warmed the bench sufficiently long and may now look for other pastures. This message generally comes from the junior most HR executive while the senior line managers and HR managers are either in a meeting or out playing golf. (It is little wonder that HR is feared and many an employee runs for cover when they see the HR)
Apparently one American company has adopted a method wherein the recruiters watch how a person crosses a street dense with traffic and then conclusions are drawn on the suitability of the candidate for various profiles & whether he/she should be on board or not.
While the method may raise a few eyebrows, I think it is well worth a try, because who knows………………………..what may succeed !
As an example, an owner of a large firm hired his SCUBA diving instructor as the CEO of his firm, as the man impressed him. Did the diver succeed? You bet he did……..much to the amazement of all and sundry.
Why did he succeed? It’s all about attitude, chum………………………………………………
The street crosser:
1. Matador. Fearless, the Matador thinks nothing of daring the cars and taxis with his elegant dance through traffic. Crosswalks are just paint to a Matador. Red lights are mere suggestions. Nor does the Matador care whether the oncoming traffic shows no sign of stopping. After all, what’s a little glancing blow? Best Positions: Entrepreneurs, super salesmen, and financial mavericks.
2. Wader. Bold but not fearless, the Wader is eager to cross, demonstrating ample initiative but a little more common sense. Waders may phone and text while on the move…but not when venturing into traffic. They recognize that getting struck by any part of a car is a bad thing. That’s why they let the Matadors run interference. While the hotshots are busy tempting fate, the Wader is getting to the other side first. Best Positions: Excellent CEOs, vice presidents, software designers, project leaders and design heads.
3. Text Walker. Having mastered typing, talking and walking at once, the Text Walker tends to forget that crossing a car-clotted street is real life while tapping keys on a little plastic box is not. Text Walkers may appear on the surface to be Waders or even Matadors, but with one critical distinction—progress in their case is often an illusion. The Text walker tends to meander, drift, and even pause midway. They lack the presence of mind to stay on task. Best Positions: Creative’s and lower-level programmers. They exhibit flashes of talent but are ill-suited for management or higher-level responsibilities.
4. Light Jumper. Though a Light Jumper starts out determined to follow the letter of the law, when the crosswalk light turns yellow he can’t help but jump the curb. Dr. Jekyll turns into Mr. Hyde. A Light Jumper is not above shouting and glaring at motorists who narrowly miss him even though they still legally have the right of way. Best Positions: Dependable but ballsy attorneys, independent CPAs and trusty managers with hidden tattoos.
5. Curb Huggers. No matter how empty the street, Curb Huggers would never dream of leaving the sidewalk for the crosswalk a second earlier than the law (or the “Walk” sign) allows. Ironically, Curb Huggers rarely make it across before the light turns and, by playing it safe, are often sitting ducks for signal-jumping taxis. Best Positions: Accountants, statisticians, or rules-based occupations. Excellent at scheduling and attending meetings, especially when the purpose is to schedule new meetings.
I'm thinking of introducing this concept to my students, next month, when I launch into a course on HRM.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
The way you learn is crucial................
Soon after my marriage in 1992, my wife & I were on board a ship with some pretty smart officers who played Table Tennis very well. TT is a sport that I love & I would head down to the TT room to play a few games every day. At first, my wife, would keep away as she did not play the sport. However, soon she was a spectator and after a few days, wanted to play. I was skeptical and tried to fob her off, as I was afraid of being embarrassed. My wife can be bull headed at times and play she did. The funny thing was that she was amazingly good & even more peculiar was that she had my style. The speed at which she had mastered the game puzzled me till I heard of vicarious learning.
Kirk uses very offensive language in talking back to Mr. Winters. Mr. Winters realizes that Kirk is just trying to get his attention, and so he calmly ignores Kirk and attempts to go on with the class. Soon, other students start using offensive language.
Vicarious Learning" (VL) is the notion that people can and will learn through being given access to the learning experiences of others.
There are four separate types of vicarious learning.
• Modeling Effect occurs when a person almost directly duplicates a behavior he has seen someone else perform and which the observer has not previously suppressed. The observer displays new behaviors that prior to the modeling had a zero probability of occurring. For example, my son bats the way he does because Rahul Dravid is successful with that batting stance.
• The Eliciting Effect occurs when the observer performs a behavior to the model's, but still somewhat different. For example, if I hear that a famous celebrity has donated Rs 50,000 to charity, I would be demonstrating the Eliciting Effect if this generosity prompted me to volunteer to umpire in the local cricket games.
• The Disinhibitory Effect occurs when a person who has previously refrained from a behavior goes ahead and performs that behavior after seeing a model perform the behavior without receiving any negative consequences. For example, if I already knew how to speed in my automobile but refrained from doing so out of fear of a speeding ticket, I could demonstrate the Disinhibitory Effect by driving more quickly after several cars passed me on the expressway with no apparent negative consequences.
• The Inhibitory Effect occurs when a person refrains from a behavior after seeing a model punished for engaging in that behavior. For example, I once stopped asking questions in a high school class after I saw several students receive assignments to write reports on topics about which they asked questions.
Vicarious learning as an OB concept is crucial in organizations, because it can determine the culture that an organization has.
As a senior manager, if you allow subordinates to be harassed and bullied, you may be sure that others in the organization will learn and repeat the behavior, unless punitive measures are adopted and the dysfunctional behavior is stamped out.
Similarly if you allow incompetence and sloth you are encouraging people to learn the behavior and mimic it, which eventually will pull the plug on your boat and sink it.
Organization learning is crucial to organization culture and it is important what employees learn and from whom……………………………..it is more important that managers understand learning concepts, well...............
I think it the reason why psychologists talk about the environment at home.
The Expatriate
An aspect that many HR practitioners ignore is the way they deal with Expatriate workers- their own or from another nation working for their organization.
Expatriate workers are a different kettle of fish, as dealing with them transcends normal HR activity that a firm would undertake.
A case in point is the recent brouhaha that has been created by the diktat that the MEA has issued, regarding Chinese workers, in India working on business visas.
The Chinese have been working on major power projects all over North India and this step has resulted in all of them leaving India jeopardizing the project, leaving the project contractors scratching their collective heads. The projects are in critical stages of construction using Chinese equipment, extensively and replacing these workers is difficult and expensive.
While the political situation in a country does not effect normal HR activity it does impinge upon International HR and if you as a manager deals with expats then it would be prudent to keep your ear to the ground.
Another example, is the police in Ahmadabad, asking people on business visas, who have overstayed, to leave the country. This has hit many of the upmarket hotels in the city.
"This is rather rude and a very short notice. We are not sure what to do now," said a US national, who has been living in Ahmadabad for the past two years.
According to sources, the Centre has decided to stop misuse of business visas by expats for employment. "Employment visa applications are examined thoroughly while business
"Employment visa has a limit of six months and requires constant monitoring by the employer. Business visas have much relaxed norms and can be issued for up to one year and can be extended by another six months," said an immigration official.
The impact of the notice has also been felt in other cities as well. Foreign nationals were vacating hotels in Surat.I can imagine the confusion, because when at Van Oord, I would put up with colleagues from Holland at the Taj and travel to Hazira Port not too far way. Three, four and five-star hotels have been instructed to ask such foreign nationals to vacate rooms at the earliest.
While that may the case in India, on occasions Indian workers live and work abroad in terrible conditions, particularly in many middle eastern nations as well as nations like the Maldives, where the schism between expats and locals is widening and at times resulting in violence.
Unfortunately as HR Managers, many of us miss out the International part and we do so at our own peril, in what is a globalized world................
Expatriate workers are a different kettle of fish, as dealing with them transcends normal HR activity that a firm would undertake.
A case in point is the recent brouhaha that has been created by the diktat that the MEA has issued, regarding Chinese workers, in India working on business visas.
The Chinese have been working on major power projects all over North India and this step has resulted in all of them leaving India jeopardizing the project, leaving the project contractors scratching their collective heads. The projects are in critical stages of construction using Chinese equipment, extensively and replacing these workers is difficult and expensive.
While the political situation in a country does not effect normal HR activity it does impinge upon International HR and if you as a manager deals with expats then it would be prudent to keep your ear to the ground.
Another example, is the police in Ahmadabad, asking people on business visas, who have overstayed, to leave the country. This has hit many of the upmarket hotels in the city.
"This is rather rude and a very short notice. We are not sure what to do now," said a US national, who has been living in Ahmadabad for the past two years.
According to sources, the Centre has decided to stop misuse of business visas by expats for employment. "Employment visa applications are examined thoroughly while business
"Employment visa has a limit of six months and requires constant monitoring by the employer. Business visas have much relaxed norms and can be issued for up to one year and can be extended by another six months," said an immigration official.
The impact of the notice has also been felt in other cities as well. Foreign nationals were vacating hotels in Surat.I can imagine the confusion, because when at Van Oord, I would put up with colleagues from Holland at the Taj and travel to Hazira Port not too far way. Three, four and five-star hotels have been instructed to ask such foreign nationals to vacate rooms at the earliest.
While that may the case in India, on occasions Indian workers live and work abroad in terrible conditions, particularly in many middle eastern nations as well as nations like the Maldives, where the schism between expats and locals is widening and at times resulting in violence.
Unfortunately as HR Managers, many of us miss out the International part and we do so at our own peril, in what is a globalized world................
Sunday, November 22, 2009
What is right?
I don’t know if Charlie’s silence here today is right or wrong; I’m not a judge or jury. But I can tell you this: he won’t sell anybody out to buy his future!
One of the most interesting, movies that I've seen undoubtedly is 'Scent of a Woman'. The movie primarily deals with Charles Simms, a poor student on a scholarship, with an upmarket school. While the rich kids head off to Switzerland to ski, Charlie takes a job attending to an irascible blind Colonel ( rtd ) Slade who makes his life tough, amidst trying to commit suicide on an out of town visit. The run up to the story is that Cahrlie's class fellows have played a prank on the school's headmaster Mr.Trax & the HM is desperate to find the culprits and bring them to book.His honor is at stake!
His ACE! Charlie Simms who has seen the pranksters, while putting in overtime at the library. Even when Charlie is offered a bribe ( scholarship to Harvard )bullied, coerced and threatened with expulsion he refuses to divulge the names of his classmates and is eventually saved by an inspiring speech by the blind Colonel, who turns up to save the boy acting as his 'in loco parentis'or local guardian, which is a lie.The Colonel labels Charlie to have great integrity!
The question however remains......
1.Was the HM right in offering to buy the truth?
2.Was Charlie right in protecting the guilty?
3.Was the Colonel right in defending Charlie's right in remaining silent?
4.The poor HM received no support from his faculty. Did they make a right decision is exonerating the whole crowd?
5. Why was the enquiry held in the slipshod manner that it was?
These are ethical questions that each one of us must answer for ourselves..... Unfortunately like much of life they fall in a twilight zone where interpretation is the key and definite answers are difficult to zero in upon.
It’s actually somewhat ironic that Colonel Slade, a military man, praises Charlie’s decision to stay quiet. Slade is presumably a graduate of West Point, where the famous Honor Code says: “A cadet will not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do.” In other words, if you know one of your fellow students has done something wrong, you have a duty to snitch. If you don’t, you’re just as guilty as they are.
The Colonel like most military men goes for the jugular straight away and leaves poor TRax devastated. The HM does not stand a chance in weathering the kind of oratory that is unleashed at the scool by the Colonel.He gets Charlie off the hook, but was he right, in doing so? Does he send the right message to young students?
Colonel Slade is inspiring and I had a faculty who spoke much like him.....biting sarcasm amidst brilliant English.........who was a little like Slade, brilliant, burnt out and frustrated.The Colonel is frustrated as his career has been stymied by blindness. The burntout man now hits out blindly at everyone that he meets and leaves a trail of broken relationships in his wake. Whom does he hurt most? Those who love him most, just like many of us!
Why is the movie called 'Scent of a Woman'. Apparently, the Colonel ( a ladies man ) can identify the Scent that a woman wears from a distance, with accuracy.( Does it help- I'm in the dark!)
While that is an amazing feat, what do you guys feel about the ethics of the piece?
Speech
Prank
One of the most interesting, movies that I've seen undoubtedly is 'Scent of a Woman'. The movie primarily deals with Charles Simms, a poor student on a scholarship, with an upmarket school. While the rich kids head off to Switzerland to ski, Charlie takes a job attending to an irascible blind Colonel ( rtd ) Slade who makes his life tough, amidst trying to commit suicide on an out of town visit. The run up to the story is that Cahrlie's class fellows have played a prank on the school's headmaster Mr.Trax & the HM is desperate to find the culprits and bring them to book.His honor is at stake!
His ACE! Charlie Simms who has seen the pranksters, while putting in overtime at the library. Even when Charlie is offered a bribe ( scholarship to Harvard )bullied, coerced and threatened with expulsion he refuses to divulge the names of his classmates and is eventually saved by an inspiring speech by the blind Colonel, who turns up to save the boy acting as his 'in loco parentis'or local guardian, which is a lie.The Colonel labels Charlie to have great integrity!
The question however remains......
1.Was the HM right in offering to buy the truth?
2.Was Charlie right in protecting the guilty?
3.Was the Colonel right in defending Charlie's right in remaining silent?
4.The poor HM received no support from his faculty. Did they make a right decision is exonerating the whole crowd?
5. Why was the enquiry held in the slipshod manner that it was?
These are ethical questions that each one of us must answer for ourselves..... Unfortunately like much of life they fall in a twilight zone where interpretation is the key and definite answers are difficult to zero in upon.
It’s actually somewhat ironic that Colonel Slade, a military man, praises Charlie’s decision to stay quiet. Slade is presumably a graduate of West Point, where the famous Honor Code says: “A cadet will not lie, cheat, or steal, or tolerate those who do.” In other words, if you know one of your fellow students has done something wrong, you have a duty to snitch. If you don’t, you’re just as guilty as they are.
The Colonel like most military men goes for the jugular straight away and leaves poor TRax devastated. The HM does not stand a chance in weathering the kind of oratory that is unleashed at the scool by the Colonel.He gets Charlie off the hook, but was he right, in doing so? Does he send the right message to young students?
Colonel Slade is inspiring and I had a faculty who spoke much like him.....biting sarcasm amidst brilliant English.........who was a little like Slade, brilliant, burnt out and frustrated.The Colonel is frustrated as his career has been stymied by blindness. The burntout man now hits out blindly at everyone that he meets and leaves a trail of broken relationships in his wake. Whom does he hurt most? Those who love him most, just like many of us!
Why is the movie called 'Scent of a Woman'. Apparently, the Colonel ( a ladies man ) can identify the Scent that a woman wears from a distance, with accuracy.( Does it help- I'm in the dark!)
While that is an amazing feat, what do you guys feel about the ethics of the piece?
Speech
Prank
Wandering Hazards............
A new term that I chanced upon a few day's ago was 'depersonalization'.
What does it mean?
It means that depersonalized people are people who view the world through grey foggy lenses and nothing, absolutely nothing can satisfy them. These folk have burnt themselves out in course of their lives and are wandering hazards ( a term coined by me ).
They are a threat to an organizations well being and will destroy much of what is there around them, unless treated with care. You may be more likely to have job burnout if:
You identify so strongly with work that you lack a reasonable balance between work and your personal life.
You try to be everything to everyone.
Your job is monotonous.
You feel you have little or no control over your work.
You work in a helping profession, such as health care, counseling, teaching or law enforcement.
Many Hr practitioners would fall under this category, so watch your step...... Ask yourself these questions to see if you're experiencing job burnout signs or symptoms:
Do you find yourself being more cynical, critical and sarcastic at work? Have you lost the ability to experience joy?
Do you drag yourself into work and have trouble getting started once you arrive? Have you become more irritable and less patient with co-workers, customers or clients? Do you feel that you face insurmountable barriers at work?
Do you feel that you lack the energy to be consistently productive?
Do you no longer feel satisfaction from your achievements?
Do you have a hard time laughing at yourself?
Are you tired of your co-workers asking if you're OK?
Do you feel disillusioned about your job?
Are you self-medicating — using food, drugs or alcohol — to feel better or to simply not feel?
Have your sleep habits or appetite changed?
Are you troubled by unexplained headaches, neck pain or lower back pain?
Many burn out victims try and combat burnout by compulsive drinking or turn workaholics. This can be particularly dangerous in high risk jobs, where rational decisions have to be taken under great pressure.
The attached video is a case in point where the Captain of a Nuclear armed submarine wants to launch nuclear missiles without adequate reason and forces subordinates to accept his point of view, subverting regulations........Unfortunately to many burnouts & their maverick behavior looks appealing because they can be a very persuasive.( see the opening speech )
Organizations neglect this aspect of Organization Behavior at their dire peril, because Burnouts are a disaster to themselves & the people that they lead......
More often than not burnouts need empathy and understanding, do not deny them the human touch.....
What does it mean?
It means that depersonalized people are people who view the world through grey foggy lenses and nothing, absolutely nothing can satisfy them. These folk have burnt themselves out in course of their lives and are wandering hazards ( a term coined by me ).
They are a threat to an organizations well being and will destroy much of what is there around them, unless treated with care. You may be more likely to have job burnout if:
You identify so strongly with work that you lack a reasonable balance between work and your personal life.
You try to be everything to everyone.
Your job is monotonous.
You feel you have little or no control over your work.
You work in a helping profession, such as health care, counseling, teaching or law enforcement.
Many Hr practitioners would fall under this category, so watch your step...... Ask yourself these questions to see if you're experiencing job burnout signs or symptoms:
Do you find yourself being more cynical, critical and sarcastic at work? Have you lost the ability to experience joy?
Do you drag yourself into work and have trouble getting started once you arrive? Have you become more irritable and less patient with co-workers, customers or clients? Do you feel that you face insurmountable barriers at work?
Do you feel that you lack the energy to be consistently productive?
Do you no longer feel satisfaction from your achievements?
Do you have a hard time laughing at yourself?
Are you tired of your co-workers asking if you're OK?
Do you feel disillusioned about your job?
Are you self-medicating — using food, drugs or alcohol — to feel better or to simply not feel?
Have your sleep habits or appetite changed?
Are you troubled by unexplained headaches, neck pain or lower back pain?
Many burn out victims try and combat burnout by compulsive drinking or turn workaholics. This can be particularly dangerous in high risk jobs, where rational decisions have to be taken under great pressure.
The attached video is a case in point where the Captain of a Nuclear armed submarine wants to launch nuclear missiles without adequate reason and forces subordinates to accept his point of view, subverting regulations........Unfortunately to many burnouts & their maverick behavior looks appealing because they can be a very persuasive.( see the opening speech )
Organizations neglect this aspect of Organization Behavior at their dire peril, because Burnouts are a disaster to themselves & the people that they lead......
More often than not burnouts need empathy and understanding, do not deny them the human touch.....
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
j accuse......................a trial that tore a nation apart.
Yesterday, after a long day at the office, I flopped down on my favourite chair in front of the TV and was audience to the most bizarre talk show, that I've been privy to in recent times. This was a talk show with the following, on Times News..... .Rahul, the anchor.
.Mahesh Bhat- Movie Mogul and known to sympathize with minorities.
.Pooja Bhat- Mahesh Bhat's daughter.
.Oza- Head of some kind of fringe group operating in Gujarat.
.Naveen/Nikhil ( ? )- Spokesperson for the BJP, in Gujarat.
The talk show was about, yesterday's vandal attacks on movie houses across Gujarat, screening Bhat's new release 'Tum Mile'. The vandals apparently are encouraged by the likes of Mr.Oza, who appeared to be a top level functionary in the group.
Why? Because Bhat's son Rahul ( Not the anchor )is in some way connected to a Headley who is connected to the LET which carried out the attack on the Hotel Taj, at Mumbai, last November. Everybody had their say. Mahesh, alternatively called Oza, a joker, a badmash, a gentleman, a scourge on the collective conscience of India and rounded it off by calling him Oza Saab. Pooja, kept referring to some mirror & was very verbose. Much of her talk went above my head and frankly she looked a wee bit tipsy. Mr.Oza, was amazing. He kept referring to the Mahabharat & Dritrashtra in particular.Left me flumoxxed. The anchor, Rahul, was pretty aggressive himself and had his share.
The crux of the story is that Rahul Bhat is being condemned even before he is proven to be guilty much to the sorrow of his family............I lost track after a while because dinner was served & I had to leave.... ( No TV while eating )
The sad story remind me of another amazing one, played out in France about a 100 years ago....... Capt. Dreyfus, a young, military officer in the French Army was accused of spying for the German's and sentenced to prison.........at Devil's Island French Guiana. Dreyfus was innocent, but the problem was that he was a JEW & at the height of anti Semitism, you did not want to be a Jew in Europe, in the 19th Century. Before being sentenced to prison, Capt.Dreyfus was cashiered and court martial led in public.
The drill...
His cap was removed & thrown on the ground. His eapulets ( badges ) were torn off & thrown. His decorations removed. His regimental stripes stripped off. His sword broken in two. All this in full view of his regiment. It leaves an officer naked. The tragedy of the episode was that there was mounting evidence that Dreyfus was innocent but French counter intelligence refused to look at it and in term fabricated fresh evidence to prove that Capt.Dreyfus was guilty. This is called escalation of commitment. An interesting OB theory, wherein you make a commitment, realize, it is wrong but continue on the course, because you cannot admit that you were wrong and cut your losses.
The Dreyfus affair grew steadily worse.................. Two years later, in 1896, evidence came to light identifying a French Army major named Esterhazy as the real culprit. However, high-ranking military officials suppressed this new evidence and Esterhazy was unanimously acquitted after the second day of his trial in military court. Instead of being exonerated, Alfred Dreyfus was further accused by the Army on the basis of false documents fabricated by a French counter-intelligence officer, Hubert-Joseph Henry, seeking to re-confirm Dreyfus's conviction, and uncritically accepted by Henry's superiors. Finally....... Word of the military court's framing of Alfred Dreyfus and of an attendant cover-up began to spread largely due to a vehement public protestation in a Paris newspaper by writer Émile Zola, in January, 1898. The case had to be re-opened and Alfred Dreyfus was brought back from Guiana in 1899 to be tried again. Eventually, all the accusations against Alfred Dreyfus were demonstrated to be baseless. Dreyfus was exonerated and reinstated as a major in the French Army in 1906. He later served during the whole of World War I, ending his service with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.He was an old & tired man. The spirit in him was gone for ever.......
I hope Rahul Bhat, fares better & the larger point that I'm attempting to make is that as a manager, if you have made a mistake, own up & correct course. Do not escalate commitment.....................
As for Gujarat, the mind boggles...............
Sunday, November 15, 2009
A literary romance!
Escape me? Never Beloved!
While I am I, and you are you,
So long as the world contains us both,
Me the loving and you the loth,
While the one eludes, must the other pursue.
My life is a fault at last, I fear:
It seems too much like a fate, indeed!
Though I do my best I shall scarce succeed.
But what if I fail of my purpose here?
It is but to keep the nerves at strain,
To dry one's eyes and laugh at a fall,
And baffled, get up to begin again, So the chase takes up one's life, that's all. While, look but once from your farthest bound,
At me so deep in the dust and dark,
No sooner the old hope drops to ground
Than a new one,
straight to the selfsame mark,
I shape me Ever Removed!
As I sift through my fairly large collection of books in preparation of my shifting home in the not too distant future, I chanced upon a book of collected poems that had been suggested to us in high school. Leafing through the book I stopped at the above poem, by Robert Browning. Browning was an enigma. A struggling writer, he was fortunate to have had a supportive family who stayed with him till he tasted success.Browning turned out to be hugely successful, but strangely, what endures today is not Browning's works, but his almost surreal romance with Elizabeth Barret, which started in 1844.
Barret an invalid and recluse, a prisoner in her home, was under the thumb of a selfish father and a suffocating family who encouraged her being a recluse. That is till, Browning appeared in her life & kindled a romance that has fascinated the literary world over generations. Their romance is recorded in 573 letters that went back and forth between their two homes, till finally Barret and Browning quietly eloped to Italy and thereon lived a wonderful life, till Elizabeth died twelve years later.They met 91 times at Elizabeth's house, The only time that they met outside was when they were married, in 1846. What mazes me, is the romance. When it started, Browning was 32 and Barret 38. No spring chickens.Browning was in love even before he met Barret. In Barret's poetry he was quite immersed and had fallen in love with the spirit of the writings.The romance was barely physical and mostly spiritual. One poet to another.Barret the shy, invalid responded like a caged bird set free and much of the correspondence, though coached in Victorian English is full of ardour.
My English teacher of the day was amazingly good at bringing out the nuances of poetry and made us see the softer side of life.I think as we grow, our hard skills take precedence and when we embark on a journey of a career, family and money we lose that tenuous link that keeps us anchored to humanity. In school reading poetry was as important as cracking the next geometry theorem and for that I must thank the people who taught me, because they taught us not just math & literature but a good deal of life as well.
Barret wrote in her Sonnets from the Portugese:
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints,—I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!—and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
What wonderful stuff!
While I am I, and you are you,
So long as the world contains us both,
Me the loving and you the loth,
While the one eludes, must the other pursue.
My life is a fault at last, I fear:
It seems too much like a fate, indeed!
Though I do my best I shall scarce succeed.
But what if I fail of my purpose here?
It is but to keep the nerves at strain,
To dry one's eyes and laugh at a fall,
And baffled, get up to begin again, So the chase takes up one's life, that's all. While, look but once from your farthest bound,
At me so deep in the dust and dark,
No sooner the old hope drops to ground
Than a new one,
straight to the selfsame mark,
I shape me Ever Removed!
As I sift through my fairly large collection of books in preparation of my shifting home in the not too distant future, I chanced upon a book of collected poems that had been suggested to us in high school. Leafing through the book I stopped at the above poem, by Robert Browning. Browning was an enigma. A struggling writer, he was fortunate to have had a supportive family who stayed with him till he tasted success.Browning turned out to be hugely successful, but strangely, what endures today is not Browning's works, but his almost surreal romance with Elizabeth Barret, which started in 1844.
Barret an invalid and recluse, a prisoner in her home, was under the thumb of a selfish father and a suffocating family who encouraged her being a recluse. That is till, Browning appeared in her life & kindled a romance that has fascinated the literary world over generations. Their romance is recorded in 573 letters that went back and forth between their two homes, till finally Barret and Browning quietly eloped to Italy and thereon lived a wonderful life, till Elizabeth died twelve years later.They met 91 times at Elizabeth's house, The only time that they met outside was when they were married, in 1846. What mazes me, is the romance. When it started, Browning was 32 and Barret 38. No spring chickens.Browning was in love even before he met Barret. In Barret's poetry he was quite immersed and had fallen in love with the spirit of the writings.The romance was barely physical and mostly spiritual. One poet to another.Barret the shy, invalid responded like a caged bird set free and much of the correspondence, though coached in Victorian English is full of ardour.
My English teacher of the day was amazingly good at bringing out the nuances of poetry and made us see the softer side of life.I think as we grow, our hard skills take precedence and when we embark on a journey of a career, family and money we lose that tenuous link that keeps us anchored to humanity. In school reading poetry was as important as cracking the next geometry theorem and for that I must thank the people who taught me, because they taught us not just math & literature but a good deal of life as well.
Barret wrote in her Sonnets from the Portugese:
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candlelight.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with the passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints,—I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life!—and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.
What wonderful stuff!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Why do you go to work?
A friend sent this piece to me a short while ago..............I thought it must be shared........
Ready for the root cause of most of your work issues? Here it is:
You (or the people you work with) forget why you go to work.
This may sound overly simplistic but let me share a story that will illustrate how powerful this really can be.
Tim, an old friend of mine has a long history of short stints at work. That frustrates me. He is a super-qualified, high-profile media guy. He’s personable, intelligent and……can’t keep a job.
He’s been married for 2 years. His wife Patti is working her tail off trying to keep them afloat and she’s just about had enough. She sees how qualified Tim is but thinks he gets himself fired (on purpose or subconsciously) because he’s lazy. She doesn’t want another 40 years of this kind of life. She’s threatened to leave if Tim doesn’t get it together. If that wasn’t enough pressure, the couple is just about to lose their home to foreclosure.
You can imagine that Tim was really relieved two weeks ago when he got hired at one of the most prestigious media companies in the world.
I asked him how it was going when we spoke a few days ago. His answer knocked me out of my chair.
He told me that his boss made a slight “remark” and it really made Tim angry. He was already complaining about his new boss and was “re-thinking” his decision to take the job.
Tim may have had a justifiable gripe but I didn’t think it mattered. I just couldn’t believe he was complaining. Here he had an opportunity to work again – and the alternative was foreclosure and divorce.
It occurred to me that Tim was either completely insane or he was going to work for the wrong reasons.
I asked him to tell me why he goes work and this is what he came up with:
a. To support his family.
b. To be of service to the company he works for.
c. To contribute to the world.
Intellectually…very nice. But to me, his answer wasn’t complete.
I asked him if there were other reasons. He couldn’t come up with any so I suggested he also goes to work to be:
a. Important
b. Right
c. Liked
d. Looked up to
e. Taken care of
f. Powerful and strong
I gave him examples of how he sought out those payoffs time and time again.
For example, I asked why he reacted so strongly to the remark his boss made.
I suggested that it was because we wasn’t getting what he wanted – which was to be important, strong, looked up to etc..
If all he wanted to do was to take care of his family and contribute to his new firm and the world, he would have let that remark made by the employer roll off his back…right?
Tim takes what other people do and say personally – especially at his job. As a result, work… doesn’t work. That’s why he usually finds himself unemployed shortly after he lands a job.
I suggested that he has a real opportunity to turn this situation around once and for all.
If you struggle with the people at work, this exercise can help you too:
1. Write down why you think you go to work.
Like Tim, this list probably includes paying your bills, taking care of your family, doing a good job for your employer, advancement etc.
2. Write down all the social and psychological payoffs that you don’t want to admit to.
This is show time. You have to be honest. Part of the reason you go to work is because you have social and personal needs that have nothing to do with money. Nothing wrong with that.
You probably want to enjoy yourself. Why not? You spend more of your waking time at work than any other place….right? You want to be liked and respected…..who doesn’t?
In moderation, these are all just human needs and they won’t get you into trouble. The real rough water starts when you want to be “important”.
This is something you may not want to admit to – I certainly don’t. But if you find yourself at odds with others, it may be something you need to look at.
This is all about ego. It has nothing to do with why you are really go to work. If you allow your ego to call the shots at work – always looking for a way to be revered by your co-workers or employer, you’ll alienate everyone around you. Just don’t be surprised when you don’t have a job.
Even if you are the smart one, it doesn’t matter.
If you go looking for worshipers at work, you’re going to tick people off.
You may not realize what you are doing but other people do. Need proof?
When the guy in the next office is positioning….you see what he’s up to…right?
Well…guess what……he knows it when you are doing the same thing.
3. Keep this list on your desk at all times.
You’re only human. You aren’t perfect. You have character flaws; everyone does. Review this list often and it will help you remain aware and “awake”.
Don’t beat yourself up – but it’s time to put a leash on your ego.
When you catch yourself trying to flex your muscles for all the wrong reasons, call it out. Laugh at yourself and tell your co-workers that your ego must have gotten the better of you – then get back on track. Don’t have a 3-day seminar on the subject but don’t try to cover it up either. If you make a mistake, be honest about it and then move on. Believe me, the people you work with will be amazed and appreciate your honesty.
4. Don’t expect the world to be perfect.
Believe it or not, not everyone is going to read this post. Your boss might be a huge ego freak and you can’t change it.
Realize that it’s not about you. If she’s looking for ego strokes and by so doing, puts you down, she probably does that to other people too. Don’t take it personally. I know that’s easy to say and hard to do.
If it gets to be too much, you’ll need to look for a different boss somehow. I’ll leave that part to you. Just don’t allow someone else to push your buttons if you can.
What make me such an expert on this subject?
I spent years trying to make sure everyone know how smart I was. When I didn’t get what I wanted, I went ballistic. I had to do a lot of work on myself in order to stop doing that. I’m not perfect…but I do it considerably less now.
That old behavior cost me so much time, life and love. It almost cost me everything.
That’s why this is such a hot button for me.
I still blow it from time to time. When I do, I try to call it out and move on. When people at work try to prove how important they are, I just try to remember that I have the same character flaw and it helps me stay calm.
Pardon me.
After all the years I spent making this mistake, I just think it’s really dumb to struggle when you don’t have to. If you are clear about why you go to work and get back on track when you forget……..most of your work challenges will disappear.
How about you. What do you think is the main cause of trouble at work? How does it impact you? What have you done about it?
Ready for the root cause of most of your work issues? Here it is:
You (or the people you work with) forget why you go to work.
This may sound overly simplistic but let me share a story that will illustrate how powerful this really can be.
Tim, an old friend of mine has a long history of short stints at work. That frustrates me. He is a super-qualified, high-profile media guy. He’s personable, intelligent and……can’t keep a job.
He’s been married for 2 years. His wife Patti is working her tail off trying to keep them afloat and she’s just about had enough. She sees how qualified Tim is but thinks he gets himself fired (on purpose or subconsciously) because he’s lazy. She doesn’t want another 40 years of this kind of life. She’s threatened to leave if Tim doesn’t get it together. If that wasn’t enough pressure, the couple is just about to lose their home to foreclosure.
You can imagine that Tim was really relieved two weeks ago when he got hired at one of the most prestigious media companies in the world.
I asked him how it was going when we spoke a few days ago. His answer knocked me out of my chair.
He told me that his boss made a slight “remark” and it really made Tim angry. He was already complaining about his new boss and was “re-thinking” his decision to take the job.
Tim may have had a justifiable gripe but I didn’t think it mattered. I just couldn’t believe he was complaining. Here he had an opportunity to work again – and the alternative was foreclosure and divorce.
It occurred to me that Tim was either completely insane or he was going to work for the wrong reasons.
I asked him to tell me why he goes work and this is what he came up with:
a. To support his family.
b. To be of service to the company he works for.
c. To contribute to the world.
Intellectually…very nice. But to me, his answer wasn’t complete.
I asked him if there were other reasons. He couldn’t come up with any so I suggested he also goes to work to be:
a. Important
b. Right
c. Liked
d. Looked up to
e. Taken care of
f. Powerful and strong
I gave him examples of how he sought out those payoffs time and time again.
For example, I asked why he reacted so strongly to the remark his boss made.
I suggested that it was because we wasn’t getting what he wanted – which was to be important, strong, looked up to etc..
If all he wanted to do was to take care of his family and contribute to his new firm and the world, he would have let that remark made by the employer roll off his back…right?
Tim takes what other people do and say personally – especially at his job. As a result, work… doesn’t work. That’s why he usually finds himself unemployed shortly after he lands a job.
I suggested that he has a real opportunity to turn this situation around once and for all.
If you struggle with the people at work, this exercise can help you too:
1. Write down why you think you go to work.
Like Tim, this list probably includes paying your bills, taking care of your family, doing a good job for your employer, advancement etc.
2. Write down all the social and psychological payoffs that you don’t want to admit to.
This is show time. You have to be honest. Part of the reason you go to work is because you have social and personal needs that have nothing to do with money. Nothing wrong with that.
You probably want to enjoy yourself. Why not? You spend more of your waking time at work than any other place….right? You want to be liked and respected…..who doesn’t?
In moderation, these are all just human needs and they won’t get you into trouble. The real rough water starts when you want to be “important”.
This is something you may not want to admit to – I certainly don’t. But if you find yourself at odds with others, it may be something you need to look at.
This is all about ego. It has nothing to do with why you are really go to work. If you allow your ego to call the shots at work – always looking for a way to be revered by your co-workers or employer, you’ll alienate everyone around you. Just don’t be surprised when you don’t have a job.
Even if you are the smart one, it doesn’t matter.
If you go looking for worshipers at work, you’re going to tick people off.
You may not realize what you are doing but other people do. Need proof?
When the guy in the next office is positioning….you see what he’s up to…right?
Well…guess what……he knows it when you are doing the same thing.
3. Keep this list on your desk at all times.
You’re only human. You aren’t perfect. You have character flaws; everyone does. Review this list often and it will help you remain aware and “awake”.
Don’t beat yourself up – but it’s time to put a leash on your ego.
When you catch yourself trying to flex your muscles for all the wrong reasons, call it out. Laugh at yourself and tell your co-workers that your ego must have gotten the better of you – then get back on track. Don’t have a 3-day seminar on the subject but don’t try to cover it up either. If you make a mistake, be honest about it and then move on. Believe me, the people you work with will be amazed and appreciate your honesty.
4. Don’t expect the world to be perfect.
Believe it or not, not everyone is going to read this post. Your boss might be a huge ego freak and you can’t change it.
Realize that it’s not about you. If she’s looking for ego strokes and by so doing, puts you down, she probably does that to other people too. Don’t take it personally. I know that’s easy to say and hard to do.
If it gets to be too much, you’ll need to look for a different boss somehow. I’ll leave that part to you. Just don’t allow someone else to push your buttons if you can.
What make me such an expert on this subject?
I spent years trying to make sure everyone know how smart I was. When I didn’t get what I wanted, I went ballistic. I had to do a lot of work on myself in order to stop doing that. I’m not perfect…but I do it considerably less now.
That old behavior cost me so much time, life and love. It almost cost me everything.
That’s why this is such a hot button for me.
I still blow it from time to time. When I do, I try to call it out and move on. When people at work try to prove how important they are, I just try to remember that I have the same character flaw and it helps me stay calm.
Pardon me.
After all the years I spent making this mistake, I just think it’s really dumb to struggle when you don’t have to. If you are clear about why you go to work and get back on track when you forget……..most of your work challenges will disappear.
How about you. What do you think is the main cause of trouble at work? How does it impact you? What have you done about it?
Friday, November 13, 2009
Conscientiousness!
A conscientious person is a manager's dream and conscientiousness is a personality trait that many interviewers look for in a candidate? What is it? Conscientiousness is the trait of being painstaking and careful, or the quality of acting according to the dictates of one's conscience. It includes such elements as self-discipline, carefulness, thoroughness, organization, deliberation (the tendency to think carefully before acting), and need for achievement. It is an aspect of what has traditionally been called character. Conscientious individuals are generally hard working and reliable. When taken to an extreme, they may also be workaholics, perfectionists, and compulsive in their behavior. People who are low on conscientiousness are not necessarily lazy or immoral, but they tend to be more laid back, less goal oriented, and less driven by success.
During my time I have seen, interacted and read about some amazingly conscientious people but to my mind, Ernst Shackleton would easily walk away with all the prizes. Shackleton was the explorers explorer & attempted to reach the final frontier, the South Pole by sea. The expedition was doomed and his ship the 'Endurance' was crushed between ice floes, but amidst desperately trying circumstances, Shackleton brought each of his 27 men back home alive, after being stranded on pack ice for over a couple of years. His men trusted him with their lives because they knew that he would never cut them loose to save his own skin.Shackleton's crew subsisted on penguin and seal blubber, for months together in biting cold but the team never lost its morale.
In 1914, Shackleton made his third trip to the Antarctic with the ship 'Endurance', planning to cross Antarctica via the South Pole. Early in 1915, 'Endurance' became trapped in the ice, and ten months later sank. Shackleton's crew had already abandoned the ship to live on the floating ice. In April 1916, they set off in three small boats, eventually reaching Elephant Island. Taking five crew members, Shackleton went to find help. In a small boat, the six men spent 16 days crossing 1,300 km of ocean to reach South Georgia and then trekked across the island to a whaling station. The remaining men from the 'Endurance' were rescued in August 1916. Not one member of the expedition died.
The story of Shackleton & his ship ( a wood hull one at that ) captured the collective imagination of the world and today Ernst Shackleton is celebrated as a great leader,and many a management school has run leadership courses on his expedition to the South Pole. Shackleton failed in his endeavour and lost his ship the Endurance, but in doing so became legend and to me remains the epitome of conscientiousness. In my book a conscientious person would stand taller than a brilliant one and I guess most HR Managers would agree!
During my time I have seen, interacted and read about some amazingly conscientious people but to my mind, Ernst Shackleton would easily walk away with all the prizes. Shackleton was the explorers explorer & attempted to reach the final frontier, the South Pole by sea. The expedition was doomed and his ship the 'Endurance' was crushed between ice floes, but amidst desperately trying circumstances, Shackleton brought each of his 27 men back home alive, after being stranded on pack ice for over a couple of years. His men trusted him with their lives because they knew that he would never cut them loose to save his own skin.Shackleton's crew subsisted on penguin and seal blubber, for months together in biting cold but the team never lost its morale.
In 1914, Shackleton made his third trip to the Antarctic with the ship 'Endurance', planning to cross Antarctica via the South Pole. Early in 1915, 'Endurance' became trapped in the ice, and ten months later sank. Shackleton's crew had already abandoned the ship to live on the floating ice. In April 1916, they set off in three small boats, eventually reaching Elephant Island. Taking five crew members, Shackleton went to find help. In a small boat, the six men spent 16 days crossing 1,300 km of ocean to reach South Georgia and then trekked across the island to a whaling station. The remaining men from the 'Endurance' were rescued in August 1916. Not one member of the expedition died.
The story of Shackleton & his ship ( a wood hull one at that ) captured the collective imagination of the world and today Ernst Shackleton is celebrated as a great leader,and many a management school has run leadership courses on his expedition to the South Pole. Shackleton failed in his endeavour and lost his ship the Endurance, but in doing so became legend and to me remains the epitome of conscientiousness. In my book a conscientious person would stand taller than a brilliant one and I guess most HR Managers would agree!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Are you self centred?
A concept from Organization Behavior that I find very interesting is 'narcissism'.All of us are self centred to an extent & rightly so because you need to survive this tough and competitive world. You need to get by and do that by protecting your interests.
Being a Narcissist, is another cup of tea. Narcissists are so self centred that they firmly believe that the world revolves around them and people exist to make their life easier. They take help and move on. They pretend that you do not exist anymore if they feel that you may not be of any future assistance.
Narcissism is an important concept, at the workplace, because, if your boss is one such person, then you either accept it as fate or run for cover. I would suggest the latter because working with narcissists can be very damaging to one's psyche.
Over the last few months I've followed the case of Maria Susairaj, with a fair amount of interest. The starlet from Mysore, connived with her fiance to murder her boyfriend!All very confusing, but then who said life is simple & straight.
Maria's fiance an officer with the Navy, apparently saw red when he caught Maria's colleague at her house, assumed it was a coup d’un soir & killed him. What followed was even more bizarre!
The lady saw which side of the bread was buttered and helped the fiance cut the corpse into small pieces with a kitchen knife and helped in disposing the body. What a bloody mess!
On being caught she sang like a Canary & implicated her fiance in toto.No qualms for this lady.Maria now cools her heels in jail but if you thought that that was the end of this sad story then you are mistaken.
Apparently she took time off last month to have her pretty face treated for acne!
Narcissism is a personality trait which can cause devastation at the workplace, if you let folk like this run amok.
Henry Ford was one and the only person who could control the man was his wife. Ford once had a banquet where the guest list ran into thousands. He then commissioned a painting of the banquet & much to the painter's chagrin would have people who had fallen foul of him removed from the painting. The harassed painter all but retained his sanity.
How do you recognize a narcissist?
Narcissistic personality disorder symptoms may include:
1. Believing that you're better than others
2. Fantasizing about power, success and attractiveness
3. Exaggerating your achievements or talents
4. Expecting constant praise and admiration
5. Believing that you're special
6. Failing to recognize other people's emotions and feelings
7. Expecting others to go along with your ideas and plans
8. Taking advantage of others
9. Expressing disdain for those you feel are inferior
10.Being jealous of others
11.Believing that others are jealous of you
12.Trouble keeping healthy relationships
13.Setting unrealistic goals
14.Being easily hurt and rejected
15.Having a fragile self-esteem
16.Appearing as tough-minded or unemotional
Although some features of narcissistic personality disorder may seem like having confidence or strong self-esteem, it's not the same. Narcissistic personality disorder crosses the border of healthy confidence and self-esteem into thinking so highly of yourself that you put yourself on a pedestal. In contrast, people who have healthy confidence and self-esteem don't value themselves more than they value others.Most narcissists have a high sense of entitlement which hides a very very fragile ego and they border on going over the edge at the slightest provocation. Unfortunately most of them live in a unreal world but hurt real people and therein lies the rub.........
I know I'm sticking my neck out here...... but I find the youngster's sense of entitlement disturbing and I hope they grow into well adjusted individuals and steer clear of being self centred.
Folk, anybody less than thirty I'm looking for a reaction!
Being a Narcissist, is another cup of tea. Narcissists are so self centred that they firmly believe that the world revolves around them and people exist to make their life easier. They take help and move on. They pretend that you do not exist anymore if they feel that you may not be of any future assistance.
Narcissism is an important concept, at the workplace, because, if your boss is one such person, then you either accept it as fate or run for cover. I would suggest the latter because working with narcissists can be very damaging to one's psyche.
Over the last few months I've followed the case of Maria Susairaj, with a fair amount of interest. The starlet from Mysore, connived with her fiance to murder her boyfriend!All very confusing, but then who said life is simple & straight.
Maria's fiance an officer with the Navy, apparently saw red when he caught Maria's colleague at her house, assumed it was a coup d’un soir & killed him. What followed was even more bizarre!
The lady saw which side of the bread was buttered and helped the fiance cut the corpse into small pieces with a kitchen knife and helped in disposing the body. What a bloody mess!
On being caught she sang like a Canary & implicated her fiance in toto.No qualms for this lady.Maria now cools her heels in jail but if you thought that that was the end of this sad story then you are mistaken.
Apparently she took time off last month to have her pretty face treated for acne!
Narcissism is a personality trait which can cause devastation at the workplace, if you let folk like this run amok.
Henry Ford was one and the only person who could control the man was his wife. Ford once had a banquet where the guest list ran into thousands. He then commissioned a painting of the banquet & much to the painter's chagrin would have people who had fallen foul of him removed from the painting. The harassed painter all but retained his sanity.
How do you recognize a narcissist?
Narcissistic personality disorder symptoms may include:
1. Believing that you're better than others
2. Fantasizing about power, success and attractiveness
3. Exaggerating your achievements or talents
4. Expecting constant praise and admiration
5. Believing that you're special
6. Failing to recognize other people's emotions and feelings
7. Expecting others to go along with your ideas and plans
8. Taking advantage of others
9. Expressing disdain for those you feel are inferior
10.Being jealous of others
11.Believing that others are jealous of you
12.Trouble keeping healthy relationships
13.Setting unrealistic goals
14.Being easily hurt and rejected
15.Having a fragile self-esteem
16.Appearing as tough-minded or unemotional
Although some features of narcissistic personality disorder may seem like having confidence or strong self-esteem, it's not the same. Narcissistic personality disorder crosses the border of healthy confidence and self-esteem into thinking so highly of yourself that you put yourself on a pedestal. In contrast, people who have healthy confidence and self-esteem don't value themselves more than they value others.Most narcissists have a high sense of entitlement which hides a very very fragile ego and they border on going over the edge at the slightest provocation. Unfortunately most of them live in a unreal world but hurt real people and therein lies the rub.........
I know I'm sticking my neck out here...... but I find the youngster's sense of entitlement disturbing and I hope they grow into well adjusted individuals and steer clear of being self centred.
Folk, anybody less than thirty I'm looking for a reaction!
What the Dickens?
My first memories of the British Broadcasting Corporation was the 2030 news which would ping into our home on our German Radio, with my father anxiously waiting for news of our ongoing war over Bangladesh, with Pakistan ( 1971 ). When India was giving the enemy a pasting in East Pakistan, there would be an easy smile on his face, but if we were taking a few body blows in the West, his mood would be somber.
Amidst all the action, the enduring mystery to me was why we had to get news of our war from far away Britain. Anyway, it was from that time, that I’ve been hooked to the BBC & have always marveled at British English and the wonderful diction that the news readers have.
So the other day, when the BBC channel, suddenly popped up on my TV (It wasn’t offered for quite a while by my cable operator) I was thrilled and as the clear Brit accent floated through our living room, I summarily summoned my son, to enjoy the BBC news. My son who apparently was playing a game of soccer between Liverpool & Chelsea on our PC was a reluctant visitor and a little annoyed as to what the fuss was all about. His rather lukewarm response to BBC did nothing to dampen my spirits and BBC has been the order of the day over the last week or so.
I have grown up on a staple diet of Sir Conon Doyle, Shakespeare and Wodehouse and have not been a great fan of American authors and keep a safe distance from the nasal twang that our friends from the Americas adopt. This also is a common theme around the dining table as my son has firmly set his sights on the US of A. To cut a long story short, I was a little surprised to see my son waving the main paper of the TOI at me. Surprised because he normally restricts himself to the Bangalore Times section which lists the latest gossip, movies and such other news of critical importance. He was drawing my attention to a small column, which talks about a letter the Prime Minister of Britain, had written to the mother of a soldier who had died fighting in Afghanistan. Not only was the lady’s name misspelled but there were other mistakes in spelling, causing the lady to throw the letter in disgust compounding her grief. (as reported). Gordon Brown has since apologized for the brouhaha and has promised to send a correctly worded letter.
My son had a twinkle in his eye & a smirk on his face even as I was left speechless. Are the Brits losing the last vestiges of their days of glory? Thus far they had at least clung on to the English language. Is that going down the tube as well?
My favorite fictional character Bertie Wooster would have screwed his monocle tighter into his eye socket and exclaimed ‘What the Dickens?’, while sadly shaking his head in disappointment.
What effect has the episode had on me? I have decided that as legitimate legatees of the Brits and their language, my correspondence, henceforth will be sans compare and in keeping with that have hidden my son's dog eared copy of 'Eragon' and have replaced it with, 'The Sign of Four', where Sherlock Holmes grapples with a few Aborigines from the Andamans!
As for the grieving lady my heart goes out to her...................
Amidst all the action, the enduring mystery to me was why we had to get news of our war from far away Britain. Anyway, it was from that time, that I’ve been hooked to the BBC & have always marveled at British English and the wonderful diction that the news readers have.
So the other day, when the BBC channel, suddenly popped up on my TV (It wasn’t offered for quite a while by my cable operator) I was thrilled and as the clear Brit accent floated through our living room, I summarily summoned my son, to enjoy the BBC news. My son who apparently was playing a game of soccer between Liverpool & Chelsea on our PC was a reluctant visitor and a little annoyed as to what the fuss was all about. His rather lukewarm response to BBC did nothing to dampen my spirits and BBC has been the order of the day over the last week or so.
I have grown up on a staple diet of Sir Conon Doyle, Shakespeare and Wodehouse and have not been a great fan of American authors and keep a safe distance from the nasal twang that our friends from the Americas adopt. This also is a common theme around the dining table as my son has firmly set his sights on the US of A. To cut a long story short, I was a little surprised to see my son waving the main paper of the TOI at me. Surprised because he normally restricts himself to the Bangalore Times section which lists the latest gossip, movies and such other news of critical importance. He was drawing my attention to a small column, which talks about a letter the Prime Minister of Britain, had written to the mother of a soldier who had died fighting in Afghanistan. Not only was the lady’s name misspelled but there were other mistakes in spelling, causing the lady to throw the letter in disgust compounding her grief. (as reported). Gordon Brown has since apologized for the brouhaha and has promised to send a correctly worded letter.
My son had a twinkle in his eye & a smirk on his face even as I was left speechless. Are the Brits losing the last vestiges of their days of glory? Thus far they had at least clung on to the English language. Is that going down the tube as well?
My favorite fictional character Bertie Wooster would have screwed his monocle tighter into his eye socket and exclaimed ‘What the Dickens?’, while sadly shaking his head in disappointment.
What effect has the episode had on me? I have decided that as legitimate legatees of the Brits and their language, my correspondence, henceforth will be sans compare and in keeping with that have hidden my son's dog eared copy of 'Eragon' and have replaced it with, 'The Sign of Four', where Sherlock Holmes grapples with a few Aborigines from the Andamans!
As for the grieving lady my heart goes out to her...................
Monday, November 9, 2009
Self appraisal.........
Appraisal is critical part of a HR's work & unless adequately done leads to much sorrow.
Self Appraisal is even more difficult & problematic because it is very difficult to judge ourselves objectively.
The following story is an eye opener................
A little boy went into a drug store, reached for a soda carton and pulled it over to the telephone.
He climbed onto the carton so that he could reach the buttons on the phone and proceeded to punch in seven digits (phone number).
The store-owner observed and listened to the conversation :
Boy : "Lady, Can you give me the job of cutting your lawn?
Woman : (at the other end of the phone line) "I already have someone to cut my lawn."
Boy : "Lady, I will cut your lawn for half the price of the person who cuts your lawn now."
Woman : I'm very satisfied with the person who is presently cutting my lawn.
Boy : (with more perseverance) "Lady, I'll even sweep your curb and your sidewalk, so, on Sunday you will have the prettiest lawn in all of Palm beach."
Woman : No, thank you.
With a smile on his face, the little boy replaced the receiver.
The store-owner, who was listening to all this, walked over to the boy.
Store Owner : "Son... I like your attitude; I like that positive spirit and would like to offer you a job."
Boy : "No thanks,
Store Owner : But you were really pleading for one.
Boy : No Sir, I was just checking my performance at the job I already have. I am the one who is working for that lady I was talking to!"
This is what we call "Self-appraisal" .
The boy,I'm sure is poised for bigger things............and will be a manager's dream!
Self Appraisal is even more difficult & problematic because it is very difficult to judge ourselves objectively.
The following story is an eye opener................
A little boy went into a drug store, reached for a soda carton and pulled it over to the telephone.
He climbed onto the carton so that he could reach the buttons on the phone and proceeded to punch in seven digits (phone number).
The store-owner observed and listened to the conversation :
Boy : "Lady, Can you give me the job of cutting your lawn?
Woman : (at the other end of the phone line) "I already have someone to cut my lawn."
Boy : "Lady, I will cut your lawn for half the price of the person who cuts your lawn now."
Woman : I'm very satisfied with the person who is presently cutting my lawn.
Boy : (with more perseverance) "Lady, I'll even sweep your curb and your sidewalk, so, on Sunday you will have the prettiest lawn in all of Palm beach."
Woman : No, thank you.
With a smile on his face, the little boy replaced the receiver.
The store-owner, who was listening to all this, walked over to the boy.
Store Owner : "Son... I like your attitude; I like that positive spirit and would like to offer you a job."
Boy : "No thanks,
Store Owner : But you were really pleading for one.
Boy : No Sir, I was just checking my performance at the job I already have. I am the one who is working for that lady I was talking to!"
This is what we call "Self-appraisal" .
The boy,I'm sure is poised for bigger things............and will be a manager's dream!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
The High Mach..................
Are great leaders High Mach's? Is it a personality trait that successful leaders require?
Machiavellianism is, "the employment of cunning and duplicity in statecraft or in general conduct", deriving from the Italian Renaissance diplomat and writer Niccolò Machiavelli, who wrote Il Principe (The Prince) and other works.
Machiavellian and variants became very popular in the late 16th century in English.The word has a similar use in modern psychology. Machiavelli, according to the popular view, although this is disputed at least in part by most Machiavelli scholars, held that people were by nature untrustworthy, malevolent and self-serving, and thus those in power could only maintain their position through exploitative and deceitful actions.
Strangely, one person, who came closest to Machiavelli's definition was a woman. She grew up in a palace filled with intrigue & deceit, where defeat was death. Cleopatra, the much vilified Egyptian queen, known for her legendary beauty was the epitome of brains and courage. She used her great skills to keep her kingdom of Egypt independent, amidst great political uncertainty and a rampant Rome.She married two of the most powerful Romans of the time- Julius Cesar & Mark Antony. When she was ordered to meet Mark Antony at 'Tarsus', she skilfully manipulated him to come aboard her skiff on the Nile. Imagine doing this to the most powerful man in the world, at the time! Her skillful maneuvering was the order of the day, till it all fell apart at the Battle of Actium where, she & Mark Antony were defeated in a Naval engagement, off Greece, by Octavian Cesar.
It's easy to dismiss the Machiavellian approach to running organisations in today's kinder, gentler world of new age, team-based management. Many believe ( privately ) that leaders can accomplish their goals only by being tough, manipulative, dictatorial, or paternalistic as the situation requires. Take this example of the manipulative and paternalistic style of management. ( It works & then it does not ) When Henry Ford set up his first plant, he was generous in providing for free schools, hospitals and subsidised food for his workers - something unheard of at that time. The "labour welfare" measures were then termed revolutionary and progressive, but Ford's approach was essentially Machiavellian (manipulative) in nature. His purpose was that his workers should have more disposable income so that they could turn out to be potential and captive buyers of the cars he produced. This met with some success. But to Ford's and the industry's utter surprise, the Ford workers one day went on strike as they found their owner was trying to be too much of a "paternalistic" manager by trying to control their lives through diktats such as one which said no worker's children could study in any other school but the one he had set up.
Why did Machiavelli recommend that a prince (read the CEO in the present context) must be ready to be cruel and devious? He himself gives the answer: in the long run, this is often kinder than to expose citizens (staffers in an organisation) to the turmoil let loose by a weak ruler. Even the worst of Machiavelli's critics should find nothing wrong with these arguments. After all, expediency is the name of the game in effective management.
His colleagues often derided one of the greatest business leaders of all times - GE's Jack Welch - as a modern-day Machiavelli. Listen to the Machiavellian ring in Welch's own words in 1982: "Managements that hang on to weakness for whatever reason - tradition, sentiment, goodness or their own weakness - won't be around in 1990". That explains Welch's vow to fix, close or sell any business that could not achieve market leadership. That meant layoffs - big ones - and by the end of 1982, GE squeezed out 35,000 employees, almost 9 per cent of the 1980 total.
Simple arithmetic done by Noel M Tichy and Stratford Sherman in their famous book Control your destiny or someone else will suggests why Welch took this step. "In 1982, GE's net income was $1.8 billion. Imagine that GE had not already terminated 35,000 employees. Their average salary and benefits of a little over $25,000 per person would have increased GE's pretax expenses by nearly $900 million". But while adopting this seemingly "cruel" style of management advocated by Machiavelli, Welch didn't forget the thinker's advocacy of a "human" face. Welch believed the victims of layoffs deserved compassionate treatment - not only generous financial settlements, but humane consideration of their feelings. He personally answered letters of complaint from laid-off employees, and directly intervened in cases of injustice that came to his attention. Executives who mismanaged the downsizing felt his wrath.
The past and present Machiavellis were only practising a dictum that has now become an all-too-familiar phrase in India: Labour reforms with a human face.
From Cleopatra to Jack Welch, we see a generous dose of Machiavellianism, coloring their personality! Are all of us to be High Machs? That's a choice that you have to make. Cleopatra committed suicide after Actium & Welch has been known to have had unsuccessful relationships at home.............
Machiavellianism is, "the employment of cunning and duplicity in statecraft or in general conduct", deriving from the Italian Renaissance diplomat and writer Niccolò Machiavelli, who wrote Il Principe (The Prince) and other works.
Machiavellian and variants became very popular in the late 16th century in English.The word has a similar use in modern psychology. Machiavelli, according to the popular view, although this is disputed at least in part by most Machiavelli scholars, held that people were by nature untrustworthy, malevolent and self-serving, and thus those in power could only maintain their position through exploitative and deceitful actions.
Strangely, one person, who came closest to Machiavelli's definition was a woman. She grew up in a palace filled with intrigue & deceit, where defeat was death. Cleopatra, the much vilified Egyptian queen, known for her legendary beauty was the epitome of brains and courage. She used her great skills to keep her kingdom of Egypt independent, amidst great political uncertainty and a rampant Rome.She married two of the most powerful Romans of the time- Julius Cesar & Mark Antony. When she was ordered to meet Mark Antony at 'Tarsus', she skilfully manipulated him to come aboard her skiff on the Nile. Imagine doing this to the most powerful man in the world, at the time! Her skillful maneuvering was the order of the day, till it all fell apart at the Battle of Actium where, she & Mark Antony were defeated in a Naval engagement, off Greece, by Octavian Cesar.
It's easy to dismiss the Machiavellian approach to running organisations in today's kinder, gentler world of new age, team-based management. Many believe ( privately ) that leaders can accomplish their goals only by being tough, manipulative, dictatorial, or paternalistic as the situation requires. Take this example of the manipulative and paternalistic style of management. ( It works & then it does not ) When Henry Ford set up his first plant, he was generous in providing for free schools, hospitals and subsidised food for his workers - something unheard of at that time. The "labour welfare" measures were then termed revolutionary and progressive, but Ford's approach was essentially Machiavellian (manipulative) in nature. His purpose was that his workers should have more disposable income so that they could turn out to be potential and captive buyers of the cars he produced. This met with some success. But to Ford's and the industry's utter surprise, the Ford workers one day went on strike as they found their owner was trying to be too much of a "paternalistic" manager by trying to control their lives through diktats such as one which said no worker's children could study in any other school but the one he had set up.
Why did Machiavelli recommend that a prince (read the CEO in the present context) must be ready to be cruel and devious? He himself gives the answer: in the long run, this is often kinder than to expose citizens (staffers in an organisation) to the turmoil let loose by a weak ruler. Even the worst of Machiavelli's critics should find nothing wrong with these arguments. After all, expediency is the name of the game in effective management.
His colleagues often derided one of the greatest business leaders of all times - GE's Jack Welch - as a modern-day Machiavelli. Listen to the Machiavellian ring in Welch's own words in 1982: "Managements that hang on to weakness for whatever reason - tradition, sentiment, goodness or their own weakness - won't be around in 1990". That explains Welch's vow to fix, close or sell any business that could not achieve market leadership. That meant layoffs - big ones - and by the end of 1982, GE squeezed out 35,000 employees, almost 9 per cent of the 1980 total.
Simple arithmetic done by Noel M Tichy and Stratford Sherman in their famous book Control your destiny or someone else will suggests why Welch took this step. "In 1982, GE's net income was $1.8 billion. Imagine that GE had not already terminated 35,000 employees. Their average salary and benefits of a little over $25,000 per person would have increased GE's pretax expenses by nearly $900 million". But while adopting this seemingly "cruel" style of management advocated by Machiavelli, Welch didn't forget the thinker's advocacy of a "human" face. Welch believed the victims of layoffs deserved compassionate treatment - not only generous financial settlements, but humane consideration of their feelings. He personally answered letters of complaint from laid-off employees, and directly intervened in cases of injustice that came to his attention. Executives who mismanaged the downsizing felt his wrath.
The past and present Machiavellis were only practising a dictum that has now become an all-too-familiar phrase in India: Labour reforms with a human face.
From Cleopatra to Jack Welch, we see a generous dose of Machiavellianism, coloring their personality! Are all of us to be High Machs? That's a choice that you have to make. Cleopatra committed suicide after Actium & Welch has been known to have had unsuccessful relationships at home.............
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Culture is fundemental......
I just could not resist having this on board.................
One fine day, in California, a bus driver went to the bus garage, started his bus, and drove off along the route. No problems for the first few stops - a few people got on, a few got off, and things went generally well.
At the next stop, however, a big hulk like Pathan got in. Six feet four, built like a wrestler, arms hanging down to the ground. He glared at the conductor and said, "Pathan doesn't pay!" and sat down at the back.
Conductor didn't argue with Pathan, but he wasn't happy about it. The next day the same thing happened, Pathan got on again, made a show of refusing to pay, and sat down. And the next day, and the next..
This grated on the bus driver, who started losing sleep over the way Pathan was taking advantage of poor conductor. Finally he could stand it no longer. He signed up for body building courses, karate, judo, and all that good stuff.
By the end of the summer, he had become quite strong; what's more, he felt really good about himself. So, on the next Monday, when Pathan once again got on the bus and said, "Pathan doesn't pay!"
The driver stood up, glared back at Pathan, and screamed, "And why not?"
With a surprised look on his face, Pathan replied, "Pathan has a bus pass."
Management Lesson: Be sure there is a problem in the first place before working hard to solve one.
It also reflects our perception of people..........As a manager be objective, leave your baggage at home!
One fine day, in California, a bus driver went to the bus garage, started his bus, and drove off along the route. No problems for the first few stops - a few people got on, a few got off, and things went generally well.
At the next stop, however, a big hulk like Pathan got in. Six feet four, built like a wrestler, arms hanging down to the ground. He glared at the conductor and said, "Pathan doesn't pay!" and sat down at the back.
Conductor didn't argue with Pathan, but he wasn't happy about it. The next day the same thing happened, Pathan got on again, made a show of refusing to pay, and sat down. And the next day, and the next..
This grated on the bus driver, who started losing sleep over the way Pathan was taking advantage of poor conductor. Finally he could stand it no longer. He signed up for body building courses, karate, judo, and all that good stuff.
By the end of the summer, he had become quite strong; what's more, he felt really good about himself. So, on the next Monday, when Pathan once again got on the bus and said, "Pathan doesn't pay!"
The driver stood up, glared back at Pathan, and screamed, "And why not?"
With a surprised look on his face, Pathan replied, "Pathan has a bus pass."
Management Lesson: Be sure there is a problem in the first place before working hard to solve one.
It also reflects our perception of people..........As a manager be objective, leave your baggage at home!
Language & International HRM
A challenge that many transnationals and multinationals face is that of communication. Geographical spread is an issue compounded by a workforce that operates in remote locations. Mnay MNC's do not give it the attention that it requires much to their despair at a later date...... Language becomes a major impediment to communication when you you have a global workforce. It is the reason why, many organizations adopt a 'Corporate Language' as against their national language and encourage their workforce to communicate in the Corporate language. At Van Oord, much of the work force conversed in Dutch, but the corporate language was English, to allow for an inclusive culture and make communication easier.When you attempt a strategy of having a corportae language you are bringing about change and resistance naturally follows.It is a challenge HR has to grapple with. India's Lakshmi Mittal, the astute business man that he is, has attempted to do this brilliantly and is getting the French to learn English.......! The 2006 acquisition of Arcelor Steel by Mittal Steel instantly created a global steel titan with plants in 26 countries. While the new ArcelorMittal Steel Co. became the world’s largest, it also became one of the world’s most multilingual. At Arcelor Steel, whose business was mostly in Western Europe and Brazil, engineers and managers had a predilection for their company’s French roots, while in Brazil, employees spoke Portuguese with a few French and German phrases. Mittal Steel, meanwhile, had its biggest projects in India and Indonesia and was moving briskly into Eastern Europe. Mittal had already made English its lingua operandi, and no sooner was the merger announced than plans were under way to make English the company’s common language and to extend online and traditional classroom training to those who needed it. In January 2006, as Arcelor’s lawyers wrangled over whether the company could resist Mittal’s acquisition, Mittal was busy expanding its online English language program. By the time the deal was finalized that September, 800 employees globally had registered. The merger created a company of 310,000 employees, but only 10 percent had worked the kind of white-collar jobs where communication across international borders was necessary to encourage innovation and collaboration and share best practices. Knowing English would also make it easier for employees to move within the company regardless of location and would aid in succession planning. The company says less than 15 percent of its employees are native English speakers. In the two-plus years since the company hired Global English, a Brisbane, California-based online English training company, more than 6,000 employees have taken classes. In some locations where English instructors are easily hired, the company provides traditional classroom training. The online courses focus on developing an industry-specific business vocabulary and work on pronunciation, reading, writing and grammar. Global English provides a productivity toolbar for Internet browsers that gives people quick access to English resources. This year, the company attempted to measure the effectiveness of the program. What it found was that 77 percent of the employees said they needed to speak English at least once a week to perform their job, but only 7 percent felt they had a sufficient grasp of the language. Almost all respondents said the Global English program was relevant to their job, and 89 percent have used what they’ve learned in their job to write and read documents and communicate via e-mail, on the phone and in person, Global English found in a survey. Perhaps most important, the company says, is the value placed on learning English by CEO Lakshmi N. Mittal, who told employees in a written statement, "Our business long ago evolved from being local to being global. We need, therefore, a common language to help drive the business forward. Fluent command of English is indeed a priority, and it is a valued asset that may expand your career opportunities." I remember, I once told my office, that 'I do not know what is on the Captain's mind?' This led to a lot of sorrow for me, as it was construed that I had said that the Captain does not have a mind!
Friday, November 6, 2009
The International Manager.......
I'm just through with a course on International Human Resource Management. The course went wonderfully well & I had a lot of fun. My course starts with a case on the ship 'Tampa' and her obstinate Captain Rinan. Right up my street,and the case brilliantly deals with many aspects and challenges that an international manager would face.The Captain has to grapple with a whole lot of Afghan refugees on board his craft who turn increasingly mutinuous as days go by and no country is ready to give them refuge.
A great challenge for MNC's is how do you deal with a workforce at a subsidiary and keep them motivated and raring to go.?
In today’s global economy, managers often supervise staffers who work thousands of miles away. But how?
Managing employees who work in the same office is challenging enough. But in today’s global economy, it’s often necessary to work with and for people thousands of miles away. E-mail and teleconferences are helpful, but they’re only tools; they can’t guarantee that you won’t misunderstand, offend, inconvenience or otherwise annoy co-workers and clients overseas.
So how can an executive keep a global workforce motivated and avoid slipping up at the same time? And is it possible to do it without working literally around the clock?
Some tips:
1. Use time zones to your advantage
Many companies take advantage of time-zone differences and cheaper labor to maintain around-the-clock workflow. But it takes constant communication.
2. Gather the team
For the past 11 years, Boston Consulting’s Sirkin and his 15-person leadership team have gathered twice a year, in Chicago and Paris, to talk business and, just as important, to build personal relationships.
it cost money but builds camaraderie.
3. Be sensitive to cultural differences
In 1998, Erin Peterson, now based in Lincolnshire as global head of talent acquisition for Hewitt Associates Inc., relocated to Germany for three years to lead a Western European recruiting team for another company. Faced with a large task, and unaware of the region’s hierarchical culture, she took a collaborative approach.
"I told the group that I didn’t have all the answers and that we’d figure it out together," she recalls. A Swiss colleague pulled her aside and told her that if she didn’t have all the answers, she wouldn’t be the boss. Peterson quickly changed her tone.
4. Provide meaningful opportunities
Software maker SPSS Inc. uses teams at its Chicago headquarters and in China to develop its flagship statistics software. When the U.S. workday ends, China takes over testing and customer support.
What makes it work?
"Our China team is doing true R&D work, not piecemeal projects," says Richard Holada, who is senior vice president of technology and oversees 400 employees in seven countries. "We want everyone to have a sense of ownership and accomplishment."
5. Recognize talent worldwide
Experts say the companies doing the best job of retaining top talent are looking beyond traditional boundaries for leadership.
Hewitt recently promoted its first global leader based in India.
6. Keep employees motivated
Like all things global, cultural preferences vary when it comes to motivating employees. In the U.S., people generally like to be recognized individually for their successes, while Europeans tend to reward teams for a job well done. Working in Germany, Hewitt’s Peterson singled out an employee for praise. "It was not welcome," she says.
But she finds her recruiting team in India responds well to a combination of both styles.
She uses regular monthly conference calls to praise the group and encourages individuals to share best practices.
7. Videoconferencing is your friend
While e-mail is a constant link, Smart of Bermuda-based Accenture says it’s critical to find the right mix of communications channels. She is based in Chicago, but the consulting giant has leaders in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and beyond.
Smart likes to see people when communicating, so she relies on videoconferencing technology in the office and a webcam on her home computer.
The internation manager has a job which is tough and challenging.It needs total engagement and involvement.
A great challenge for MNC's is how do you deal with a workforce at a subsidiary and keep them motivated and raring to go.?
In today’s global economy, managers often supervise staffers who work thousands of miles away. But how?
Managing employees who work in the same office is challenging enough. But in today’s global economy, it’s often necessary to work with and for people thousands of miles away. E-mail and teleconferences are helpful, but they’re only tools; they can’t guarantee that you won’t misunderstand, offend, inconvenience or otherwise annoy co-workers and clients overseas.
So how can an executive keep a global workforce motivated and avoid slipping up at the same time? And is it possible to do it without working literally around the clock?
Some tips:
1. Use time zones to your advantage
Many companies take advantage of time-zone differences and cheaper labor to maintain around-the-clock workflow. But it takes constant communication.
2. Gather the team
For the past 11 years, Boston Consulting’s Sirkin and his 15-person leadership team have gathered twice a year, in Chicago and Paris, to talk business and, just as important, to build personal relationships.
it cost money but builds camaraderie.
3. Be sensitive to cultural differences
In 1998, Erin Peterson, now based in Lincolnshire as global head of talent acquisition for Hewitt Associates Inc., relocated to Germany for three years to lead a Western European recruiting team for another company. Faced with a large task, and unaware of the region’s hierarchical culture, she took a collaborative approach.
"I told the group that I didn’t have all the answers and that we’d figure it out together," she recalls. A Swiss colleague pulled her aside and told her that if she didn’t have all the answers, she wouldn’t be the boss. Peterson quickly changed her tone.
4. Provide meaningful opportunities
Software maker SPSS Inc. uses teams at its Chicago headquarters and in China to develop its flagship statistics software. When the U.S. workday ends, China takes over testing and customer support.
What makes it work?
"Our China team is doing true R&D work, not piecemeal projects," says Richard Holada, who is senior vice president of technology and oversees 400 employees in seven countries. "We want everyone to have a sense of ownership and accomplishment."
5. Recognize talent worldwide
Experts say the companies doing the best job of retaining top talent are looking beyond traditional boundaries for leadership.
Hewitt recently promoted its first global leader based in India.
6. Keep employees motivated
Like all things global, cultural preferences vary when it comes to motivating employees. In the U.S., people generally like to be recognized individually for their successes, while Europeans tend to reward teams for a job well done. Working in Germany, Hewitt’s Peterson singled out an employee for praise. "It was not welcome," she says.
But she finds her recruiting team in India responds well to a combination of both styles.
She uses regular monthly conference calls to praise the group and encourages individuals to share best practices.
7. Videoconferencing is your friend
While e-mail is a constant link, Smart of Bermuda-based Accenture says it’s critical to find the right mix of communications channels. She is based in Chicago, but the consulting giant has leaders in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and beyond.
Smart likes to see people when communicating, so she relies on videoconferencing technology in the office and a webcam on her home computer.
The internation manager has a job which is tough and challenging.It needs total engagement and involvement.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
What is your locus?
Yesterday, a young lady boxer from Hyderabad, sadly ended her life with a dose of poison.
Post the event, theories as to the cause are as usual many. From a harassing coach, to family disputes to simple frustration.Whatever the cause may be, the death siganlled, a sad end to what could have been a promising sporting career......
What drives a person to take his/her own life? What gives them the courage? I'm no psychologist, but by experience, belive that personality has got a good deal to do, with it & also how a person views life or death.
Another aspect of personality, that would effect the current discussuion, is 'Locus of Control'.
What is Locus of Control?
Locus of Control refers to an individual's perception about the underlying main causes of events in his/her life. Or, more simply:
Do you believe that your destiny is controlled by yourself or by external forces (such as fate, god, or powerful others)?
The full name Rotter gave the construct was Locus of Control of Reinforcement. In giving it this name, Rotter was bridging behavioural and cognitive psychology. Rotter's view was that behaviour was largely guided by "reinforcements" (rewards and punishments) and that through contingencies such as rewards and punishments, individuals come to hold beliefs about what causes their actions. These beliefs, in turn, guide what kinds of attitudes and behaviours people adopt. This understanding of Locus of Control is consistent, for example, with Philip Zimbardo (a famous psychologist):
A locus of control orientation is a belief about whether the outcomes of our actions are contingent on what we do (internal control orientation) or on events outside our personal control (external control orientation)."
Is an internal locus of control desirable?
In general, it seems to be psychologically healthy to perceive that one has control over those things which one is capable of influencing.
In simplistic terms, a more internal locus of control is generally seen as desirable. Having an Internal locus of control can also be referred to as "self-agency", "personal control", "self-determination", etc. Research has found the following trends:
Males tend to be more internal than females
As people get older they tend to become more internal
People higher up in organisational structures tend to be more internal.
However, its important to warn people against lapsing in the overly simplistic view notion that internal is good and external is bad.
There are important subtleties and complexities to be considered. For example:
Internals can be psychologically unhealthy and unstable. An internal orientation usually needs to be matched by competence, self-efficacy and opportunity so that the person is able to successfully experience the sense of personal control and responsibility. Overly internal people who lack competence, efficacy and opportunity can become neurotic, anxious and depressed. In other words, internals need to have a realistic sense of their circle of influence in order to experience 'success'.
Externals on the other hand can lead easy-going, relaxed, happy lives.
Traditionally people from Eastern cultures have been found to be more fatalistic or with an External LOC. It would probably also go to explain why western cultures are materially more successful but also more stressed.
However just hang on..........This is what the Brihadranyaka Upanishad had to say..
Your are what your deep driving desire is,
As your desire is, so is your will,
As your will is, so is your deed,
As your deed is, so is your destiny..........
Did the lady in question have an external LOC and decided that events could not be controlled or was she strongly internal and decided that she was not good enough after about four years in training? Did LOC have anything to do with it at all?
Your guess is as good as mine.................................Please do let me know.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
The bomb goes tick-tock.................
It is one area I watch with morbid fascination. I watch with a sense of awe and expectancy,impending doom, because I can see, bit by bit, piece by piece the explosive being readied for detonation and when it does happen, it is going to be painful, cause a great deal of hand wringing and life in the work place is never going to be the same again or workplace dynamics are going to change for ever. If you think I'm alluding to Pokhran III, then you have got me wrong.I'm talking about 'Sexual Harassment' at the work place. By default we assume that the harassed are generally women, but that need not be. However its an area I'm not going into here. Sexual harassment is in the air, literally, these days due to the spat on Air India Sharjah-Lucknow-Delhi flight IC-884 on October 3rd,where an air hostess accused the Captain of harassing her, which in her opinion was sexual in nature. The charge, has since been dismissed and the air hostess suspended post an in house disciplinary enquiry.I watch these charges with morbid fascination, because in this area, we are babes in the wood. The Macho Indian man, high on Power Distance, thinks it his divine right to lord it over all women, at home and otherwise. The young, independent, Indian women, single and wanting to live life, are exploring a new path and on occasion are guilty of flirting with the wrong types, giving wrong signals which then leads to charges and counter charges.Unfortunately both men and women in India are new to the game, are exploring areas not visited before and therein lies the challenge. The bomb is waiting to go off because women are flooding the work place and most organizations have not the faintest clue as to how do deal with any kind of harassment and many a HR would run hearing the word 'Sexual' ( It takes an effort to discuss the issue in class ) Sexual Harassment as an issue, is a serious subject for discussion and must be dealt with in academic institutions if the force of detonation is going to be softened. Who & what is the type of harassment? There is usually more than one type of harassing behavior present, so a single harasser will often fit more than one category. These are brief summations of each type. Power-player - Legally termed "quid pro quo" harassment, these harassers insist on sexual favors in exchange for benefits they can dispense because of their positions in hierarchies: getting or keeping a job, favorable grades, recommendations, credentials, projects, promotion, orders, and other types of opportunities. One-of-the-Gang - harassment occurs when groups of men or women embarrass others with lewd comments, physical evaluations, or other unwanted sexual attention. Harassers may act individually in order to belong or impress the others, or groups may gang up on a particular target. Serial Harasser - Harassers of this type carefully build up an image so that people would find it hard to believe they would do anyone any harm. They plan their approaches carefully, and strike in private so that it is their word against that of their victims. Groper - Whenever the opportunity presents itself, these harassers' eyes and hands begin to wander, engaging in unwanted physical contact that may start innocuous but lead to worse. Opportunist - Opportunist use physical settings and circumstances, or infrequently occurring opportunities, to mask premeditated or intentional sexual behavior towards targets. This will often involve changing the environment in order to minimize inhibitory effects of the workplace or school or taking advantage of physical tasks to 'accidentally' grope a target. Bully - In this case, sexual harassment is used to punish the victim for some transgression, such as rejection of the harasser's interest or advances, or making the harasser feel insecure about himself or herself or his or her abilities. The bully uses sexual harassment to put the victim in his or her "proper place." Situational Harasser - Harassing behavior begins when the perpetrator endures a traumatic event (psychological), or begins to experience very stressful life situations, such as psychological or medical problems, marital problems, or divorce. The harassment will usually stop if the situation changes or the pressures are removed. Pest - This is the stereotypical "won't take 'no' for an answer" harasser who persists in hounding a target for attention and dates even after persistent rejections. This behavior is usually misguided, with no malicious intent. Intellectual Seducer - Most often found in educational settings, these harassers will try to use their knowledge and skills as an avenue to gain access to students, or information about students, for sexual purposes. They may require students participate in exercises or "studies" that reveal information about their sexual experiences, preferences, and habits. Incompetent - These are socially inept individuals who desire the attentions of their targets, who do not reciprocate these feelings. They may display a sense of entitlement, believing their targets should feel flattered by their attentions. When rejected, this type of harasser may use bullying methods as a form of revenge. Stalking - The persistent watching, following, contacting or observing of an individual, sometimes motivated by what the stalker believes to be love, or by sexual obsession, or by anger and hostility. Unintentional - Acts or comments of a sexual nature, not intended to harass, can constitute sexual harassment if another person feels uncomfortable with such subjects As an HR, I watch with interest, the drama unfold...........and hope that academicians and senior managers give the issue its due. What is at stake? The harassed suffer psychological damage which many a time is not reversible and the organization may have to live with disengaged employees and attrition rates that are not tenable, while the harasser gets off scot free.A situation that no decent organization, should be able to live with!
Interestingly in a experiential exercise in my International HRM class, I found that many of my students said that they would rather downplay the incident, than make an issue.
To me that would be suicide...............
Interestingly in a experiential exercise in my International HRM class, I found that many of my students said that they would rather downplay the incident, than make an issue.
To me that would be suicide...............
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