Humility at the Top

Okay...so I am writing after a year. Ok....so I'm irregular. Can we now move on to what "moved" me to write again (unlike the common wisdom of keeping your blog updated regularly, I like to write when I REALLY feel like it.) And what moved me was my growing conviction about a thought which I have been sharing with many a friends "the most attractive and admirable qualities in anybody at senior management is HUMILITY and respect for others". Now, there is enough management literature describing what leaders need to do, what is leadership about, the guide to be a successful CEO etc. etc. But honestly, if I look back at all the individuals who I've held in very high esteem across my career, I recognize one trait pattern: it's humility and upholding dignity of others. The fact that these people have been brilliant at their jobs, worked extremely hard to reach the top, and are in positions of considerable power, yet been most humble and respectful in their interactions with others, really put them ahead of many in my eyes. Oh, of course they have their share of arguments, conflicts, and even screaming. But one would rarely catch them not treating the others with dignity, or not willing to apologize when its been their fault. On the other hand, it really saddens me to see other "leaders" who believe their point of view is the only right one, and can be condescending, even viscious to people below the ranks. Power corrupts....some.Corporate politics and all apart, if you are someone who people below the ranks are cursing forever, becuase you step on their dignity, and only hear your own point of view, could you really be called a "success"? Leaders, more than anybody else, need to remember this quote on kindness, which I found in one of the presentations on Tom Peters' blog http://www.tompeters.com/.

Are you happy with your job? Look for another one!!

This blog is a complete reaction to this recent commercial I saw on TV. It's an advertisement of this website www.jobsahead.com, which is a famous Indian online recruitment portal.

So what's different about this commercial? As any human resources professional will tell you- this commercial is a punch below the belt. Unlike usual commercials for these websites, which target people who are NOT happy with their jobs, either because of a bad boss, low salary, boredom...or whatever, this one targets people who ARE happy with theirs....

Can you think of anything more exasperating for an HR person?

I mean, here you are rolling out "employee engagement" initiatives, introducing "fun at work", trying to build critical experiences into their profiles, providing international exposure......all to get people to be HAPPY with their jobs.....and there it goes...pooof!!

As this commercial says, if you are NOT looking out for a change because you happen to be HAPPY with our job, you are really stupid because you're closing your eyes to phenomenal oppurtunities.....

..phew.....so while this advertisement continues to be aired.......let me go and work out the plan for our latest employee engagement initiative to make people.....well....HAPPY!

Go after your dreams.......

It's a sound all of us hear now and again. Some of us pay attention to it, and do something about it. But such people are really few in numbers. Most of us simply drown it under the noise of everyday chores, responsibilities , those " highly urgent and highly important" things-to-do in a day.

It's the sound of dreams- grand visions buried under layers of denial and cynicism.

An article in the Times of India last Sunday made me rethink of all the dreams I had as a kid ( and that was really a LOOONG time ago!!). The author's father, lying in the hospital bed, told her " don't wait to go after your dreams. Do it before it's too late" or something to the same effect.

Reminds me of one of my favourite ads- the Safari Dicor commercial saying "Reclaim Your Life". The visual that stands out for me in that ad is a pregnant woman saying "I wanted to travel around the world".

How many times we keep putting off what we REALLY REALLY want to do- whether it's as simple as taking a dance class, travelling to our dream places or as big as going after the career we have always wanted to.

The excuses we give ourselves vary- "I need the money", "Where's the time" "It's too much risk!!"

But little do we realise, we may soon enough land in a state where we are incapable of fulfilling those dreams. life can be quite unpredictable , and you never know what happens tomorrow.

So I have decided, the next time my dreams heave a long sigh inside my heart, I'm gonna listen to it.

tell me...what's that one dream you've been putting off, and what's the excuse you are giving yourself today?

A new year wish...at the press of a button...

"Wish you and all at home a very happy and prosperous 2007. Have an awesome , fun-filled year".........press "send"

One of the many new year wih smses that I'm sure you would have recieved many of !!

I have to admit it...it irks me to no end to recieve these mass produced smses, each trying to be unique, with a bit of twist of the words....
I mean, how IMPERSONAL can you get? Whatever happened to warm personal wishes, whether it's through a phone call or a greeting card. Nothing pleases me more than to receive a small greeting card, a species which is so rare to find these days. But no......while the telecom industry laughs it's way to the bank, you are flooded with these mundane forwards, sent in bulk one after the other, without being addressed to you in specific.

Some can get really funny....one sms sent a little in advance , said " Happy New Year 2007, kyonki, Kabir das ne kaha tha KAAL KARO SO AAJ KAR, AAJ KARO SO AB. NETWORK BUSY HO JAYEGA WISH KAROGE KAB". Full marks for creativity and innovation (I hope the guy who sent me this never hits upon my blog!!!)

So what are the funny, weird, crazy yet mundane sms forwards you got this New Year's eve?

Why do singles need a holiday?

You know, i don't want this to sound as something straight out of the TV series "Sex and the City"...but really.....the corporate world is definitely not a fair world for singles (especially the ones who should have been married long ago according to Indian social norms)

My married colleagues with children seem to have every right to leave the office early or get a holiday for any of the given reasons:
- I need to pick up my baby from the creche
- My mother-in-law is over for dinner
- My parents are over for dinner
- My kid is performing at the annual function at his/her school
- My daughter is getting married!
- It's my wedding anniversary....
- It's my son/ daughter's birthday
.......and you know the list goes on.

BUT...on the other hand, have you ever seen a boss gladly give a day off to a single for any of the following reasons?
- I am going on a date
- My boyfriend is leaving for a long trip, so I need to help him shop
- I need to visit the parlour so I can remain attractive to potential suitors
- My girlfriend's performing on stage
- I want to just be at home and spend time with MYSELF
- My girlfriend's dog is turning two today

I mean, all of these are perfectly valid reasons for a day off for me......but alas!!

Singles would need to simply pretend to fall ill if they need a holiday!!!

Quarter Life Crisis

It is quite curious. This phenomenon in our generation.

Most of my friends are doing extremely well professionally, most are happily married, already own a house (in some cases a penthouse), party every weekend and have enough disposable income to do whatever they want.

Then why are so many of us still searching? Why do we get up each morning and question the very meaning of life? Why are so many of us already dreaming of and planning of retirement and what all we'll do when we don't have to come to work anymore?

Too much too soon? Is that what we Gen Xers have got? Well, if the baby boomers are to be believed, then yes! Our parents don't feel we have had to struggle as much as they did. We enjoy luxuries they had to work hard for.

Mabe it's the "Quarter life crisis" that we are facing...

Given below is one of my favourite articles on this phenomenon, which gives me a little solace in the knowledge that it's a normal phase to go through.....

The Quarter-Life Crisis
by unknown

It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are a lot of things about yourself that you didn't know and may or may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now.

You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you do not realize is that they are realizing that too and are not really cold or catty or mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you.

You look at your job. It is not even close to what you thought you would be doing or maybe you are looking for one and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and are scared.

You miss the comforts of college, of groups, of socializing with the same people on a constant basis. But then you realize that maybe they weren't so great after all.

You are beginning to understand yourself and what you want and do not want. Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging a bit more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and add things to your list of what is acceptable and what is not. You are insecure and then secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward.

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you or you lay in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough to get to know better. You love someone but maybe love someone else too and cannot figure out why you are doing this because you are not a bad person.

One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap and getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision.

You worry about loans and money and the future and making a life for yourself and while wining the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender!

What you may not realize is that everyone reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out.

Everybody is first an Executive Assistant

We all have job descriptions which mention everything from the results expected to the competencies and their levels required. But one aspect that any job description fails to mention is "First and foremost, you are an Executive Assistant". So....you could be a Head- Finance and Executive Assistant, you could be Director Rewards and Remuneration AND Executive Assistant.

Basically, it doesn't matter were in the organizational hierarchy you are, how many years you have spent slogging in the corporate world, how strategic your thinking is- at the end of the day, you are FIRST an Executive Assistant.

If your boss has a presentation to make to the CEO the next day, and you aren't working on it, then all you strategic initiatives can go take a hike. If she/he needs some data, and you haven't burnt the mid-night oil to make sure it's with him/ her, your ratings in the appraisal will be certainly southward bound.

So, no matter if your title says "officer" or "vice-president"- Executive Assistantship is a great equalizer across organizations.

Alas!! That's what they don't teach you at Harvard Business School. Or ANY other school for that matter!!