Corporate Mughal

Like any company, our company too serves a client. Recently the country technical head of our client was supposed to have a meeting in our office. Of course all the preparations were made for his visit. Relevant data was collected, presentations were made, mock meetings took place and managers were given a list of do’s and don’ts to be strictly adhered to in the meeting.

The day finally arrived. Our managers of course were in top form. They came out with their best dresses and put on their best smiles. No stone was left unturned to make the country head happy. What happened later was a perfect anti climax. The client came and took everybody left and right. The choosiest of offensive language that can be used in a corporate setting was used. He literally shook up everyone. He conveyed in clear terms that it is output that he wants – nothing more and nothing less. Not a single person could stand up and speak back, because of the position and power that he commanded.

This made me think. How do people at the top of the food chain in corporate setting get there? What is it that separates them from the rest? What might be going on in their mind when there were in my stage of their carrier? Were they always brilliant? Were they born leaders or life’s experience thought them to become leaders? A torrent of question came flooding in my mind. The bottom line being – I too want to be in that position some day and command power – How do I do that?

I have always had my own set of corporate heroes. I have liked their tenacity and the fire in their belly to succeed and do something great. Some of my corporate heroes are – Steve Jobs (Apple), Jack Welch (GE), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Naryan Murthy (Infosys), Azim Premji (Wipro), Linus Trovolds (Linux), Richard Stallman (GNU)….etc. I am sure I will be writing a lot about these guys in my future posts. I have read one or the other book written by these people. I have always tried to find some common points in these kings which made them great. One thing of course is that they always knew they are here for something BIG. But there is also one Negative thing common in all these Guys (at least I think so) and that is – Neglect of personal life.

Steve Jobs at one point did not know what he was supposed to do and joined Hare Krishna movement and was a hippy for long time. Jack Welch’s wife divorced him because she thought he was not giving much of his time to family. Bill Gates was a college dropout. Azim permji took over the business because his brothers were not willing to take up the work. Linus Trovolds is considered by many to be too secretive and does not how to socialize with people. What I want to tell is, if you are on your way to greatness on the corporate world, somewhere down the lane, personal life takes a backseat (or at least that is what I feel).

Is it possible to be at the top of the food chain and still be a great family person? Is it possible to strike that perfect balance with work and life? Is it possible to be CEO of some company while being a faithful son, great brother, loving husband and a sincere friend to some human being? If the answer to these questions is YES – then that person is a true Corporate Moughal. And someday I would love to be a true corporate mughal

 

Has this ever happened to you??

There is a strange and intriguing experience that happened to me recently in office…

Have you ever been very angry about something/someone? So angry that when you think about that particular person, anger starts seething within you? You feel that he is the only person responsible for all your misery?I am sure that everyone will be having such kind of anger for someone at one point of time or other….

Like many people I too had such kind of a person, recently I happened to confront this particular person. It was mayhem, an all out barrage of accusations and counter accusations. I squeezed out every bit of my anger right in front of that person.

After I had this no holds barred fight with this person, I felt certain calm within me. When I sat and thought over the entire thing, I began to feel that the person was not that bad after all. I began to feel that the reason why I was getting angry on that person was because my perception about that person himself was clouded because of my anger. I felt that after all everything was there in my mind and “Maybe” that person was not that bad after all.

I think I have always been very different and unique in the way I look and feel things. This duality of thought is also something that has always been there with me. I don’t know if this is something that happens only to me or others people also experience such kind of “strange” things? People might say I am not good at handling my emotions. But I personally don’t agree to it. I know my shortcomings, am aware of my emotions and have courage enough to talk about them.

Now I don’t know how to face that person next time I visit him. Should I say sorry to that person (which my ego does not allow me)? Should I forget everything and go about my work coolly? Should I act as if I am still angry? How should I avoid such kind of things in future?

Life sometimes throws puzzles at you which are so difficult to understand. It angers you, amuses you, makes you think and puzzles you – all at the same time. It’s something like the attached picture, It’s a true lie

 

What happens when Ideology clash happens??

Again it’s an observation I did in office. I was previously working in a very good Company (Am not naming any names here). The boss I had there was one of the very best bosses anyone can ever get. He was intelligent, sensitive and dedicated. I loved the way of his work, and as a person I learnt a lot from him.

Due a series of mergers’ and acquisitions I landed in a different company. The new boss who is now at the helm of affairs is Practical, outspoken and Professional. Though most people don’t like the way of his work, he does get the work done and as a professional he has a lot to teach me as well.

In short terms – if my old boss is north, the new is south. If the old is day, the new is night. There are huge differences in their way of working, thinking and getting the work done. If old boss is innocent and goes about doing his own work, the new boss is a charmer; he gets his work done from others.

But one thing which is common in both these guys is the immense confidance they have in themselves, the power they command is same,both think their style of working is the best and both are the the best in managing a telecom network.

Now due to some turn of events, both of them are made to take care of the same network. One as the owner of the network and other as the vendor for that network. The ensuing clashes that take place, the misunderstandings that takes place and the sheer mayhem that occurs due to these two giants being at the helm is simply huge.

I for one have been stuck in a very critical position. I have tremendous respect for my old boss, but I have commitments towards my new boss. And so many times there is a clash between my respect and commitments. And I can tell you – It’s very difficult to take decision and act.

All said and done, what I personally feel is when such kind of a thing occurs, it is the people who are working at ground level that suffer the most. Due to the top level fighting (and both being genius in their own rights) the lower level engineer’s are lost. They do not know what to do and whom to support.

And in this entire scuffle, you will find some people who will take advantage of this confusion and go about spoiling others names, settle personal scors, back biting and playing the cheapest of politics. I hate these kinds of people – because I have been victimized by such kind of people.

In any case, this clash of ideology and clash of titans has taught me some very good lesson, it has taught me how people play politics when confusion is in vogue, I now am very careful before Judging a person, I have learnt the lesson that no matter how big a genius you become – Its nothing till you conquer your ego….Thanks to both of them I am more mature today then I was a few years ago.

 

Ohh Lord!!!! Forgive me for I know not what is happening….

I am frustrated, angry pained and Sad. This is not because of my Personal life; I am rather the luckiest guy when it comes to personal life. I have great family and one of the best friends that a person can have. I am frustrated because of my official life. For Name sake I am working in a MNC, a respectable company but as an insider all that I can see in Politics, back biting, hypocrisy, favoritism and nepotism.

I mean, I have been working in this company from the last almost 2.5 years (of course now the company along with the manager has changed due to a meager). I have worked hard for the company. I stayed put in a department which has the highest rate of attrition. At some point of time (and regret for it now), I placed higher importance to my office work as compared to my personal life. By with each passing day I feel after all maybe it was not worth it after all.

What I see in office sometimes makes me sick. I see a manager who is afraid of his own team, who does not place trust in his own team – the team (including me) which works for him in the office. I see team leaders, who even after having almost double my work experience having insecurity feeling. I see people playing blame games, I see people whom I once thought to be epitomes of Goodness changing their colors depending on the occasion. It irritates me very much. Work does not seem to get any recognization. Favoritism is in vogue…. In short, nowadays – It stinks in office.

People who read this might feel that if there are so many problems, why I am staying there. Well, to that I need to say that I have been trying left right and center to get away from this place. But each time something or the other happens and I miss an opportunity. I don’t know what the Lord all mighty has written out for me. One of my friends recently said to me that the reason why I get so upset due to office affairs is because I have a lot of expectations from my Manager/team lean in particular and the company in general. Well, maybe that’s true. But for an emotional guy like me, it very very difficult to Just go about everything in a robotic fashion. I cannot turn a blind eye to what ever is happening around me. And this weakness in me piles up my misery.

After my experience in this company post meager, I am convinced that No company is good or bad. It’s the people who compose it that make a company good or bad. I am also convinced of the fact that employees do not leave company but they leave bosses

All said and done, I really do not know what’s happening around me. I only have one prayer to God – Help me to get out from this company and get me a better opportunity.