Not all who lead are Leaders!

Leaders strike fear into the opposition and not their followers.

Think about it.

Think long.

Do not bark orders. Do not keep your people in perpetual fear. Do not make them tremble. Do not create situations so that they curse your parentage behind your back.

Embrace them, inspire them. They will deliver their best for you.

The whole world runs on incentives.Discover the right ones, invest in people. For that, you need to talk to them. If you cannot, if there is some reason you find it difficult to open up to people, get someone who can. And always converse with that man.

Accept failures. They teach you a lot.

If this is reading like a stupid sermon, I cannot help it. I am in that mood.

Discrimination in Corporates?

As part of our orientation session, we were made to attend different PPTS- one of them was made out to be particularly important- the one on Harassment and Discrimination.

It was detailed, simple to understand and was being delivered by our Country Head, an amazing speaker. But there is one thing that struck me as odd. And that I'm going to discuss in detail below.

The policies were admirable- I'm sure it had all the bases covered (if you know what I mean). If a person felt aggrieved/concerned/uncomfortable etc with respect to any other person's behaviour or misconduct, they are advised to prompt the matter immediately to the authorities.

Even the age-old problem of "who will guard the guards" problem has been dealt with by having a lot of people responsible for the matter. Once informed, the authorities will launch and investigation and based on the findings of that, will take action.

Sounds all good, on paper of course.

But suddenly, as a response to a question, he cites an example (only to illustrate how our company is concerned with its employees) where a female employee had been a little doubtful that after dropping her and her colleague, the cab driver kept checking them out with his rear-view mirror for a brief second or two and then drove away. Upon reporting this, the cab agency was informed and it was made sure that the driver was fired. Furthermore, the company also chose another agency to run the pick-and drop facility.

Tell me if I am wrong but isn't this unequal treatment? The white-collar, B-school guy gets investigation, an attempt to speak out his case, perhaps even a case for settlement. If there has been an misunderstanding, s/he gets an opportunity to clear it.

But the semi-literate, rustic and unsophisticated cab-driver gets fired from his job- no appeals, no investigation. Even his agency is not spared.

Do we blacklist the recruitment agency which forwarded the CV of the wrong-doer in office? No.

Do we blacklist the campus from where he came from? No.

I understand that it might be easier for the driver to shrug off his 'crime' and get another job, but is it essential that we have a separate set of rule for different classes?

Got my Business Card - only to give it back!

25th June, 2007: the date I got my first business card (my own business card!). I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. All this, courtesy Grail Research- the best(est) company in the world!

I was hoping to get a feel of it- the name emblazoned(is that the right word?) on the card with the details and all.

Man!

Somehow managed to get through the PPTs in the afternoon and went down to collect the cards from the front- office executive. She passed on the pack to me.

It never rains in England but it pours.

The surname has been spelt wrong. All the hopes dashed by the mere juxtaposition of letters. Celebration postponed!

It would never be the same. What I went through then will never be the same. Of course, I'll still call up my folks and tell them I have my card now (I might just wait for mom to call, as she does everyday). And I will not think twice before parting with one for any arbitrary stranger I meet on the street and happen to strike up a conversation.

Oh, how I long for my business card!

Self-obsessed, I say.

The fuss with Business Cards

Gawd, I long for my business card!
I mean what is the thing about them? why do I long for them so much? Is it because the Grail business card is really great- looking?
Bollocks!
I love the feeling I'd get when I'll be distributing them- it gives you a high. It's a sign that you've arrived. Man, I have a job and a respectable one at that. That's something in this job-deficit country!
I read somewhere that the Asians love B-cards and the Japs actually distribute them by the loads. Its a very important gesture there. But why?
Is it because we love our jobs? or is it because as societies, we still have not graduated to a point that we do not have to show off who we are or maybe that we still have not done anything major on our peronal, individual front so we still like to identify or align ourselves with the organisation we're working for?
Or is it the oft-quoted oh-so-occidental trait of 'individuality' that we do not possess?

D's Testimonial

Only posting Neha's testi on my blog can give people ideas, especially when there is actually someone spreading falsities between us. So here is the other testimonial that I wrote- for the great friend, and the truly inimitable Dikshant Chopra-

D, Dastardly, Dikshant... Same man, different labels? D has been my classmate for two years, a friend for somewhat less than that.When I was on stage on our farewell, and going through the ritual of thanking my friends, D's is the first name that came out. Why? I don't know and I am not the sort who'd spent hours thinking about it. The instinctive response is simple- I had shared the most memorable times at JNU with him, he has made me laugh like few ever had, offered me nuggets of wisdom in his own imitable way. He had also been with me when I nearly exercised my life insurance. D is cool, charismatic, smart, articulate, genuinely funny (sometimes he craps, but its rare), fashion-conscious and according to the most of the class, "the most desirable man of CESP". That's what everyone sees. Someone close can make out that he's also sensitive, knows how to defuse a situation, how to enjoy life. But D, has a failing- he has all that he needs to be great, but chooses not to. And that makes him unique.

Precociousness!

Precociousness! - I know there is precocious in English dictionary and so I hope to god there is also precociousness- otherwise I might get some unflattering comments on my blog.

What am i talking about? It does have a specific contest. A few days ago, I had to make my first conference call- it was low priority- engagement with the media.

I had been the one who initiated and kept in touch with the person and so it was natural that i would be the person who'd speak first. Normally, I'd have started like this-

"Hi, This is Abhirup Saha, calling from Grail Research" "...." "How are you, sir/madam?" "..." " Is this a right time to talk?" "..." " let me introduce you to two of my colleagues- **** , of the Human Assets and ****, our Project Manager."

What I managed was a pathetic "Hi,this is Abhirup Saha, from Grail..." and straight into "I have with me ****, human Assets and ****, our Project Manager" with the voice almost breaking towards the end.

The heart was thumping, the voice was unsure and the unease was apparent.

Hell, there was considerable unease!

But why? I'd been the Placement coordinator- I had talked, interacted professionally with a lot of big-wigs including practice heads, country heads, VPs but every time I came out unscathed. Hell, who am I kidding? I came out pretty good- they all seemed to like me.

I have made presentations, speeches before. There was a time when I was diffident, and used to get really scared about any public engagement. But not now.

Is the past catching up? or is it just that I take a little time to settle down?

Is this the way all batsmen behave when they first walk out to the crease? unsure about their footwork and stance and hand-eye co-ordination? All the centuries and the good work in the past suddenly does not seem to matter?

I could have named this something like "Growing Confidence" but I chose not too. If someone bothers to read this, do let me know whether that title would be more apt. Or you understood why I named it the way I have.

THIS IS NOIDA!

I had been putting it off for some time but no longer. Today I'll write about the place I've made my home and bare it all- thoughts, I mean!

Noida sucks, period.
Wide roads. No streetlights. Domino's. But no chinese takeaway. Outrageous takeaway prices. Pathetic public transportation. Unreliable electricity. Need I say more? But I will.
Everything, everything mentioned above can be forgiven and forgotten if the people are warm. They are the ones who matter- they make you feel at home.
People at Noida? well, they are only warm when they know they'll be able to con you. The autowallah's unreliable, charge you hefty fares, the shopkeeper's out to get ya- he'll stoop to the level of taking a hundred-rupee note from you and then claim he got fifty when he's put it inside a desk. And the less said about the landlord the better- a smiling face, a devious (and stingy!) mind.
And they call it the future of India, one of the fastest growing places in India and what not!

Bollocks!