Live & fight another day!

Having time to spare over a long weekend, I watched Kathryn Bigelows 'Hurt Locker', once again and noticed a few nuances that I had missed earlier.The dark underbelly of battle is there to see but one gets to watch the how war touches the everyday lives of people in its perimeter and by default those connected to the front line actors.

Staff Sgt.William James, is a man possessed with a passion for his job, that can best be described as dedication beyond the call of duty, but does that entail or give him the right to disregard safety protocol of his bomb squad and endanger his team? Does it give him the right to distance himself from his family back home.
The movie is a managers delight because it brings in management facets that occur on a regular basis at the workplace.

It is interesting that in high risk jobs, such as being part of a bomb disposal unit, you need people who have a strong conscientious streak in their personality, rather than gung ho cowboys who place, their fellow workers at risk while pursuing personal agendas on the field of Battle.A poignant moment is when he places his team in danger and then risks his life to rescue a captured soldier. Brilliant!

Good organizations select people on attitude, a throw off from their intrinsic personality.People believe that you can teach employees most things if they have the chutzpah and the right attitude.

As William James spends more time on the job, his recklessness grows and he finds that he does not have a life without his profession.On returning home, the mundane jobs, that he does comes as a culture shock and his now 'divorced' wife is not interested in his exploits in Iraq. A classic expatriates tale of woe!

It also brings home the point that high pressure jobs not only lead to burnout but also lend a touch of insanity, which may pass off as skill and bravado.

The irony of the tale, for me, is that Jame's predecessor, who is killed in action, is the epitome of safety and a great team person, while James the quintessential cowboy lives to tell his tale. Napoleon the French emperor is once said to have said ' I don't need good generals, I want lucky ones!'

I can live with that!It is that luck which gives you that second chance to live and fight another day.........

The golden compass!

Yesterday, I spent, some time with a friend, from many years ago. I had invited him to be the Chief Guest, of our Executive Management Program here at ABS. He had reluctantly agreed & I'm glad he did because we had a few good laughs.Purushottam is now the CEO of a IT firm here at Bangalore.

As youngsters, he preparing to crack the CAT exam & me the Merchant Navy & Defense exams, we would spend time playing cricket or stuffing ourselves at small joints serving Marwari or Punjabi food, where the food was great & easy on the pocket.Soon we parted ways, he heading for the IIM( B ) & I the Merchant Navy.We lost touch.

Post the program, while he declined to eat anything, he told me that as very senior guy at a major IT firm, he had quit his job one day, to do nothing, as he feared a burnout.After doing absolutely nothing for a while, he returned to head a small IT firm & takes life easy.

What is burnout?

"Burnout is the gradual process by which a person, in response to prolonged stress and physical, mental and emotional strain, detaches from work and other meaningful relationships. The result is lowered productivity, cynicism, confusion...a feeling of being drained, having nothing more to give."

Unfortunately the phenomenon is getting to be quite common these days & fortunate are the few who recognize the warning signs and course correct.Burnout is not for the wimps, but for those who have gone the distance and then decided to jump ship!

I'm reasonably certain that with the pace of change that we have today, burn out is going to be a word much bandied about and folks will have to reinvent themselves, if they are to remain competitive and lead meaningful lives.( What is meaningful is debatable?)

In today's hyper-competitive economy, we can easily fall prey to burnout that comes from information overload,perpetual busyness and constantly racing against the clock. In his book Crazy Busy, Edward Hallowell writes that being too busy can become a habit so entrenched that it makes us slaves to a lifestyle we don't like, but can't escape: "You can be so busy that you don't even take the time to decide what actually does matter the most to you, let alone make the time to do it." What's more, many of us "get lost in work" while watching our health, relationships, and outside interests suffer.

In this context it is fundamental to be 'selfish' and look at what is good for you and your little world.Next time you have that 'empty' feeling & little things do not make you laugh,or you are unable to respond to affection, probably it's time to get the compass out and check your course......................Every one of us has a compass, deep within ourselves, delve & get the damn thing out!

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.....