Pillars of professionalism

Power, position, pay package, profitability and of course profile………….

“You are what you do” is a famous statement in most widely (wrongly) quoted book, “the art of war”. I have heard this statement mostly from professors teaching competition and marketing strategies. Certainly B-Schools have their environment which compels you to believe and think only on the lines of position, profile, authority, business sense, profitability, pay package, brand name and of course power.

The question we often forget to ask all the while we are in school is that all there is to one’s existence?

Is there no other dimension to our identity? Why we always tend to classify everyone on only these lines, which we are taught to be the pillars of professionalism.

Even these pillars are very tenuous; they exclude some of the very basic and essential characteristics.

This process of commoditizing individuals, in certain set of characteristics, categories and classes is very dangerous. It prevents us from looking at those things which are beyond MBA. Things like basic goodness, honesty, ability to sacrifice, courage to blow a whistle etc.

There are so many day to day instances where we need not be super humans, but only simple individuals, but alas, simplicity is being fast rubbed off from our minds and hearts…..!!!

Turgid Truth

"The great source of both the misery and disorders of human life, seems to arise from over-rating the difference between one permanent situation and another... some of these situations may, no doubt, deserve to be preferred to others, but none of them can deserve to be pursued with that passionate ardour which drives us to violate the rules either of prudence or of justice, or to corrupt the future tranquillity of our minds, either by shame from the remembrance of our own folly, or by remorse from the horror of our own injustice."

Adam Smith
"Turgid Truth", Theory of Moral Sentiments, 1759

An afterthought on relationships...... some time back this was a note in my diary, I indeed was not wrong!!

On my recent trip I met a lot of my friends telling me that they were now “committed”. This made me feel odd at first. “I always thought you were focused more on career” was the reaction from me when one of my friends came to meet me with his (girl) friend. He gave me a stern look for this one!

Honestly speaking I was wonderstruck to find some of my friends all of a sudden declaring so big news that too with such high speed! At the same time I also felt a little ashamed at being agonizingly slow in that race to relationships!!!!

On my bus trip to my hometown Bhavnagar, from Ahmedabad, I brooded over this issue a little, just to ensure if I was the only one to be the last among all the runners. To my distress, I was certainly alone. Not only was I alone, people whom I wrote off as dumb and un-cool, also were ahead of me!!!! I felt a jolt. Little while later, a thought dawned onto me.

Why not being in a relationship is taken to be as a stigmatic or shameful thing? Like many other things, relationships are also possessions. Some have it, some may not have it. I felt the whole issue of being committed is slightly overrated.

While I agree that finding a match for oneself is certainly a sign of social guts and that an achievement of it is certainly something one would like to share with/ express to the entire world. However I believe that such a communication should never be a driving force of any relationship.

If it is, than that relationship is nothing more than a marketing gimmick, of a very cheap kind!!!!

Who solves a problem anyway?

I had got an interview call from 3 to 4 good (tier 2) MBA institutes of the country last year. In order to convert them into admissions and do well in my interviews I had met a lot of people who had done MBA from better institutes. One such meeting was with one of my seniors. She was to take my mock, practice (mild and fun sort of) interview.

I met her at one of the café coffee day outlets. First question she asked me was why do you want to do MBA?

I almost knew that this was to come, so had prepared that really well. I quickly snapped at that saying that MBA is the only programme that prepares one to solve the problems of the real world. It gives one an approach and a knack to solve problems!

Fantastic, was replied. Arguably one of the most good looking and successful (if you measure success by the kind of B-School you go to) ladies of her batch was floored by this answer. “Really well thought” was her reply.

She cleared a few more of my doubts and then we ended our small, interactive and enriching meet.

It has been more than one year to this meeting and I often wonder if I truly mean, what I had told that day.

This thought gives rise to couple of profound doubts.

Do we really, know what problems are out there in the “REAL” world? If by any chance we do, are we really able to solve these problems?

As an intern in a micro finance cooperative and a volunteer teacher at one of the support schools, I thought that that was it to the problem solving front.

That was certainly it, only if one wants to flaunt about his contributions to the society, however with the kind of realistic people around me, I can hardly be caught in that trap.

“The space between two of their houses is even lesser than the space between two rooms of our flat, we help those people buying better houses” I told in high pride to one of my flat mates, and a close friend.

“But you can never increase land though” Was his modest reply.

I have not tried to judge if that was a comment out of mere cynicism, or a sarcastic statement, or just a sighing remark.

But at times I wonder if we can really SOLVE any problem?

The thought provoking policeman!!!

Under a scorching sun of hot summer afternoon, an old man, was trying to cross a road. The place was one of the busiest crossroads of the city, so even at that hour, when sun had almost laid a curfew on the entire city, that place was reasonably crowded.

The old man tried crossing the road however the traffic had its own rule and he could not just get across. At that time, a traffic cop came to his rescue and took him by arm, guided him across safely to the other side of the road.

It would have been very easy for the cop to scoff at the old man for having moved out in such a hot afternoon, without adequate capacity of course! He did not do that, he did what was required of him. A help, to the right person at the right time, is indeed a good thing. I am not sure if that was a part of his duty as a traffic cop, but I am sure had he wished, he could have surely neglected the old man.

This incidence made me think of something. The cop did what the son of that old man would have done had he been with him. I.e. to help him cross the road. Similarly there are so many instances where people who are nowhere related to us, play the role of nearest relatives, at times even more. The old man did not even thank the cop perhaps, nor will he remember him. But there was something very basically good about that whole episode.

And that good was the fact that good people help other people as if they were their own, when they see others in need.

This goodness can at times be taken granted for, and that does trouble good people a lot. But that does not stop them from doing what they think they should be doing!!!

To take responsibility, to care, to love, to protect, to nurture, without any relation – is perhaps the basic goodness the world stands on.

Injustice

In the little world where children have their existence, nothing is so finely perceived and finely felt as injustice. - Pip from Great expectations, a novel by Charles Dickens

Three more balls to go.......

While as a middle order batsman I was in a habit of asking to the umpire, balls to go in the over whenever I went to bat. That habit is still with me, it just gives one a chance to assess how much has gone by and how much is yet to come.

While applying that to the present state of affairs in life, I found that now only three balls are left. Yes, half of my post graduation is over, a year later lot of things will be expected of me, by myself and by others. Just as in cricket, in life too last few overs play an important role. They can swing the game in either ways.

No wonder, there is an unnerving feeling in mind, however there are some things worth noting for the first half of this terminal over!

First, and foremost, I am still not out. Despite lot of hue and cry, losing faith at times, brooding over hits and misses, I am still on the crease. Firmly grounded. Anyone who has done MBA knows this as a fact of life.

Second, I have had my share of bouncers and beamers from the bowlers! This includes all the rough experiences that you think will never have an ending. From friends who never did their part of assignment in time to some truly malicious ones trying various machinations, they too have taught a lot. Crisis management is also another important thing I have learnt in the first half!

Third and most important of all has been the fact that just as in cricket, here too, I have had some brilliant team players to support me, guide me, correct me and encourage me. Be it a pat from the captain or a comment by a comrade to improve, all of it has and will go a long way to build a healthy partnership and post a huge total!!! This team spirit also has another advantage that seldom comes to our notice in day to day life; it is that it helps us being better individual in every sphere of life. Not only does it help by improving the communication with and understanding of others but it also allows us to give and earn respect among people who we value

I do not know the result of this game, nor do I dare to speculate or gamble. All I can say is, playing has been enthralling experience till now. And I hope it will have a befitting ending too.