Friday Reflections

What kind of people do you work with?

 

 

Point to Ponder: Wherever there is a town, there is treasure and there is trash. It all depends on what you see (or what you are looking for).

 

Story Line (an old Sufi story customized for work environment): A tale to remember when looking for a new job, or even a new organization, culture/country/city to move to.  

 

A guy was in his final job interview with the hiring manager. The guy said, "I am deciding whether I should move here or not- and I wonder what people here are like?" 

The hiring manager said, "Tell me what kind of people work in your current company?" 

The guy said, "Nothing but politicians, idiots, and self-centered people." The hiring manager said, "You know, that is exactly the kind of people you will find here, too." So the guy left and never came back.

 

Another person came for an interview at the same place and asked the same question of the hiring manager. "I am thinking of moving here- can you tell me what kind of people work in your company?"

Again, the hiring manager asked, "Tell me what kind of people work in your current company?" 

The new person said, "Oh, they are kindest, brightest, most teamwork-oriented, compassionate people. I really love them. I shall miss them terribly." The hiring manager said, "Those are exactly the kinds of people you will find here, too."

 

Reflection: What are the fondest memories of places you have lived, worked and traveled? What are the greatest things about your current environment?

Don't burn your Bridges

Point to Ponder: You meet some of the same people going up as you do going down

Storyline: (.. applies to all ages, but great for the young and the restless.)

Once upon a time, there was a young fellow named Andy who graduated with high credentials and got a job within a respected company. Bright that he was, he started doing good work and received numerous recognitions. His group also had a very good manager named Joe Z, whom everyone liked and respected immensely.

As often happens in industry, such managers move on to do bigger and better things, and Joe Z got promoted. The company brought in a replacement manager from outside, who had a very crude and rough style in dealing with people.

Not happy with the new manager, Andy found multiple job offers outside and handed in his resignation. Joe Z, his old manager who was now the Director, told him how much he respected his talent and needed his further contributions. Joe requested that Andy be patient for a while and stay on.

Young and restless that he was, Andy declined. Joe advised him "It is not good to leave in anger. I advise that you don't burn your bridges". This young and yet immature fellow replied, "I don't burn bridges, I bomb them" (no traces left behind).  He left angrily anyway.

As fate would have it, thirteen years later, during an economic downturn, Andy badly needed a contract for the consulting business he had established after a few years of working. Andy bid for one contract where his proposal was selected for the final stages of the approval cycle - the presentation to the top management of the client company.

He was waiting in the conference room for the top management people to arrive, and as soon as Andy saw the first person to walk in, drops of perspiration started flowing all over his face. That person was Joe Z, his old boss, who had moved to this new company several years ago. Andy saw all his dreams of winning the contract evaporating.

Surprisingly, Joe Z approached him and gave him a hug. Smiling, Joe said to him "Don't worry. I had done very similar thing in my early career as you did with me. But I know that you realize that you have learned  a very valuable lesson in life today. Go ahead and Break a Leg (make a great presentation)"

Relieved, Andy did well in his presentation and got the contract.

Reflection: Going through ups and downs, and at times dealing with seemingly unreasonable situations, is all part of growing up - and no one has been spared from those agonies. What differentiates a pro from an amateur is how one responds to variety of situations and conquers them with a great attitude. Especially since understanding and compassionate people like Joe Z are so rare.

This reflection was originally published on April 3, 2008. Reader's views from original reflection are in the comment section. Reflections are periodically repeated because of new audiences and reflecting on the learning from the originals by veteran readers.

Children seldom misquote you

Point to Ponder: Children seldom misquote you. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn't have said.

Story Line: Last week our four years old grandson had come over for bonding time with us. In one of his previous visits he had noticed a statue of Buddha in our garden and asked several questions about it.  From then on he calls us “Buddha Grand Pa and Buddha Grand Ma” and other Grand Parents by another special name; I guess it must be for clarity in communication.

While he was at our place, we took him on many field trips including a visit to Intel Museum. On the way, the little guy asked, “What does Intel do?” We told him that Intel made silicon chips.

To that he said: WOW! I like chips. I will eat a lot.

We told him: You can’t eat those chips. But he kept insisting that he wanted to eat them.

Unable to persuade him with technical explanations, we resorted to the last option “You can’t eat them. They are made with poisonous chemicals “

In the late evening he was FaceTime with his parents and cautioned them “Don’t eat Intel chips. They have poison in them”

As the call ended and realizing that he needed to follow his routine of taking bath before going to sleep, I told him in hurry “ Go and tell Grand Ma, I want to take bath now.”

A few minutes later he returned and said “I told Buddha Grand Ma that you want to take bath now.”

Reflection: Yes indeed, clear and crisp communication has been my area of improvement (IR) and it has resulted in many funny episodes in and out of home all my life. But no major harm done and a lot of entertainment.

Exceptional Employees: Last I heard, we get paid for making things possible

Ability is what you are capable of doing, motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. - Lou Holtz.

Storyline:

Early in my career, one boss gave me sage advice: “Companies hire us to make things possible, not to report why things are not possible”. Throughout my career, I have seen many examples of people who do not stop for the “impossible”. Here is one such story:

You don’t have the right degree.

Many years ago, while looking for a person to manage our business systems, we interviewed a young man who had just graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in business. Knowing fully well that he did not have a degree in Computer Science, as was normally required; we took into account the fact that he was a computer fanatic from the age of eight and displayed tremendous enthusiasm to tackle new challenges. It was a risk, but the interview team felt that it was worth it.

You can’t get onto the corporate roadmap.

During the first month, he noticed that our small group needed some key applications, but was told that it was impossible to get on the corporate group’s roadmap. So he decided to learn programming himself. Instead of going to a full semester course with a fee of $3,600 that others had done, he bought a book for $32 and got started on the basics.

We don’t have the budget.

Then came the second hurdle. We did not have the budget for the server to host our applications. He found out that a local IT department had recently upgraded some systems and had put the old ones in the warehouse. He got one for free. In the process, he made friends with the technician who provided invaluable support, and who was later himself promoted into new roles.

The customers hate dealing with IT.

His customers were used to support groups that measured their success by the number of tools delivered, instead of tracking if it had solved the customer’s real needs. As a refreshing change, he patiently listened to various internal customer/user groups’ needs and then focused on delivering solutions rather than just systems and tools. Customer satisfaction had never been higher.

Starting up a business is the biggest challenge.

When, after 5 years with us, he left to pursue his own venture, the stamp on his exit paper read “Eligible for Re-hire” (as soon as he is available.) I expect these same qualities will help to overcome the next level of obstacles in starting up two businesses destined for success.

Originally Published: July 2007. Repeated because of many readers requests

Update 2019: His business has grown very well with delighted customers and great team of highly motivated employees.

Reflection:

In the words of one my mentors, “The difference between a very successful person and not-so-successful one; between a 5 figure and 7 figure income is not in the technical or content knowledge. It is given that you need that. The key differentiation is in how you carry yourself with respect to attitude, relationships, communication, commitments…