Being a teacher, it is imperative for me to update myself on a regular basis. Hence, i always ensure to get new ideas. And as the great Indian Vedas have very rightly said it, " Let noble ideas come to you from all sources and directions"; i try to learn from all possible sources. But two sources are so powerful learning tools that they overshadow every other tool. And they are : students and books.
I want to mention one particular experience that i had with a student many years ago. I was sitting in my 144 square feet front office cum class room. The year may have been 1993 or 1994. And this young boy, let us call him Rakesh, came asking for me. I asked him to sit down and observed him. He seemed to me to be an average boy passing through very struggling phase of life. He initiated the discussion. "Sir! Mujhe CA karna hai." I began the examination.
"What is your percentage of class 10?
"48"
"Oh! And how much is class 12?"
"47"
"Okay! And what do you do presently?"
"Sir! I have just completed B.Com."
"With 46%!", i mocked.
"Yes sir! Exactly!!", he replied.
"And what is your father?"
"Sir! He is a rickshaw puller."
The analysis was complete. And i had made up my mind. I decided to keep aside my commercial considerations and call a spade a spade. I said to him in very clear terms, " Dekho Rakesh! Mujhe nahi lagta ki tum CA kar paoge. Kahin Typing Computer seekh kar koi chhota mota job kar lo." He looked at me with a rude shock on his face. Then he nervously said, "Theek hai, sir" and left. I was very happy with myself for being honest, straightforward and saving his valuable time and money.
Time and tide wait for none. After about 6 or 7 years, when i was sitting in the same office at around the same time, a smart youthful person entered and asked, "Mujhe pahchana?" I could not and said so. He fired, "Aaj se 7 saal pahle tumne kaha tha ki mai CA nahi kar sakta aur maine CA kar liya hai. Ab Bolna mat kabhi kisi ko Aisi baat. Tumne bahut discourage kiya tha mujhko us din!" After applying some pressure to the memory, i was able to have a partial recall of the earlier case. I was shocked and ashamed. I desperately wanted to make up for my wrong deed. I decided to do some marketing. I smiled, offered my hand to him and requested him to sit down. In a very friendly voice, i commented, " I am sorry, dost, but you will have to agree with me that my bad behaviour in fact encouraged you to perform better to teach me a lesson." He agreed. And i then said, " So, you must agree that i also have some role in your success." He also smiled at this and we became friends.
Today Rakesh is state accounts head of a very prestigious newspaper. We meet once every year on Dussehera, when he comes to Ujjain.
And in this manner, every year i am reminded of a simple fact. Never underestimate any human being. Every individual have a tremendous potential of transforming himself or herself totally. First impression can be faulty, specially in the case of people with will power and commitment. And of course, the package you get at your first job is never reflective of your true potential. I am sure, every reader of this post has met at least one senior person who has told him about his initial salary of Rs. 50 or 60 per month and then compared with present day income of lakhs.
You are creating history! Every moment, every time. And never underestimate yourself! No one can make you feel inferior without your own consent. Not even your average first salary figures in times of recession!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
A very common experience!
Recently, i got a new home. The construction had been going on for the last 15 months. We had earlier expected it to be over by February, 2009. Then i kept on asking the Engineer of the project every month about the probable date of completion. And he would always reply, "withing the next thirty days". This went on for six months unabated. The same questions and the same answers were repeated month after month.
When i lost my patience, i fixed the date of housewarming. I went to meet my astrological consultant ( the Pundit , of course!) on 20 September. He suggested 28 September. I took the risk and played the gamble. I told the engineer and every other work contractor involved that i wanted them out of site on or before 27 but not before completing the work. They looked at me in disbelief. Then i daily went to the site and would repeat the same thing on a regular basis. After 3 days, all of them suddenly came to action. Everybody began to work whole night and with a stronger work force. My home was ready on 27 evening!
I know that it's not a unique experience. Everyone of us comes across similar situations in our normal course of life. But can we derive some learning here? Let me try to present them one by one.
1. Always assign deadlines. Otherwise we never tend to complete any work at all. Deadlines give birth to a sense of urgency and target. But more importantly, they make the job at hand a game which everybody wants to win. And of course, achievement motivation also plays its role.
2. Nobody, absolutely NOBODY is an exception to this rule. I realised that each one of us, of whatever background or profession, falls in the same category. Without having a last date approaching fast, we just can't avoid the omnipresent and omnipotent habit of procrastination taking over us.
3. Reinforcing the target regularly is even more important than setting it. Do you remember the habitual process of preparing time tables for personal studies during school days and then discovering the soothing fact that following them is practically impossible? When anybody gives us something to do and never reinforces it, we tend to believe in medium to long term that he has also forgotten it and nothing more should be done now!
4. When you change your ways, people do not trust you initially. Your regular efforts are required to convince them of your sincerity. Your keenness to obtain the positive results alone is not sufficient. Your tenacity and regular follow up is a better management tool that works.
5. All of us are able to perform faster than how we normally do. Yes! It's a fact! We can and hence we should always try to work more and faster. It's not only more rewarding but satisfying too.
I have an idea to share here. I would love to have the feedback from the readers of this post on this. Try to find out any 5 events of your past life that you could have completed in less time, in case you were given a stricter deadline. And then, try to list out the possible implications of the same.
I understand that the world is becoming more and more challenging and demanding day by day. and I KNOW that we are ready for the same.
When i lost my patience, i fixed the date of housewarming. I went to meet my astrological consultant ( the Pundit , of course!) on 20 September. He suggested 28 September. I took the risk and played the gamble. I told the engineer and every other work contractor involved that i wanted them out of site on or before 27 but not before completing the work. They looked at me in disbelief. Then i daily went to the site and would repeat the same thing on a regular basis. After 3 days, all of them suddenly came to action. Everybody began to work whole night and with a stronger work force. My home was ready on 27 evening!
I know that it's not a unique experience. Everyone of us comes across similar situations in our normal course of life. But can we derive some learning here? Let me try to present them one by one.
1. Always assign deadlines. Otherwise we never tend to complete any work at all. Deadlines give birth to a sense of urgency and target. But more importantly, they make the job at hand a game which everybody wants to win. And of course, achievement motivation also plays its role.
2. Nobody, absolutely NOBODY is an exception to this rule. I realised that each one of us, of whatever background or profession, falls in the same category. Without having a last date approaching fast, we just can't avoid the omnipresent and omnipotent habit of procrastination taking over us.
3. Reinforcing the target regularly is even more important than setting it. Do you remember the habitual process of preparing time tables for personal studies during school days and then discovering the soothing fact that following them is practically impossible? When anybody gives us something to do and never reinforces it, we tend to believe in medium to long term that he has also forgotten it and nothing more should be done now!
4. When you change your ways, people do not trust you initially. Your regular efforts are required to convince them of your sincerity. Your keenness to obtain the positive results alone is not sufficient. Your tenacity and regular follow up is a better management tool that works.
5. All of us are able to perform faster than how we normally do. Yes! It's a fact! We can and hence we should always try to work more and faster. It's not only more rewarding but satisfying too.
I have an idea to share here. I would love to have the feedback from the readers of this post on this. Try to find out any 5 events of your past life that you could have completed in less time, in case you were given a stricter deadline. And then, try to list out the possible implications of the same.
I understand that the world is becoming more and more challenging and demanding day by day. and I KNOW that we are ready for the same.