The
response to my post on Resistance Learning has been considerable. Even more,
friends and colleagues located in different countries and markets and from
diverse sectors - the US, the UK, New Zealand, public sector and private; from
the traditional manufacturing sector to the growing service industries; from
marketing professionals to HR people- have responded. They all say that the
post rung a loud bell as they experience much the same. A friend who lives in
NZ says she literally made notes to remind her of the salient points and shared
the piece with her boss. Another said it was her experience all the time- it
wasn’t personal most often, it was the situation. Yet another interestingly
pointed out from the participant’s point of view- he said he had never thought
that he could be conveying this while participating in a program.
It
may be interesting to study that while organisations are always investing in
‘acculturising’ their employees to fit into customer markets, there is a core
which is common. While the top layers may be different, on the inside we all
seem to live with the same fears and apprehensions; with common likes and
dislikes; with the same needs for friends, mentors and guides. It becomes more
and more awkward to express these needs as we grow in our jobs and age. But
deep inside we yet have them if we haven’t been able to quell them.
I
can recall some interesting incidents:
1) Meeting
an Indian CEO posted abroad, who needed to know how to open up with employees,
and had spent sleepless nights over it.
2) Identifying
the primary cause of discontent and dissent in a company that called me as an
external mediator. Turned out that it was the CEO- no less- who everyone
complained about not communicating effectively with them. Kudos to the CEO for
taking the criticism well and talking across the table. That was surely an amazing
experience.
3) Sometimes
the foreigner is a threat: While working in a foreign market, I realised how my
local counterpart felt threatened that I may try to wriggle into her company
even though she knew clearly that I had to leave in a month.
4) The
new white factory manager with an impressive record spoke to me in private
about handling the local factory shop floor workers. He felt them resisting all
his proposals, albeit silently. The silent protest of the Indian worker
flummoxed him.
5) And
at other times the foreigner is the friend they had always been looking for: I
can recall a middle-level manager in a media company speaking professionally
over the phone and then swearing, as she replaced the receiver. She confided in
me in hushed tones that people in her country just didn’t understand
communication! She complained that they were lackadaisical, nit-picking and
resistant to change. I could have been sure that she was echoing the words I
had heard so often back home.
In this fluid world of similarities and
differences it is then oftentimes difficult to define the perfect work
personality. However, sincerity towards the job, targeting a problem not a
person, keeping an open mind and rising above the temptation of pettiness score
as the highest attributes in my experience. But you are cordially invited
to fine-tune this list so that we can jointly try to create a perfect
prototype!
Very nice. Would like to hear more about your views on handling the new generation of employees who seem to be motivated by money alone and are almost mercenary about it.
ReplyDeleteRon, I did a simple exercise with a group of freshly inducted engineers in a telecom company.About 20 of them. Asked them how many had nokia phones- about 14 raised their hands. How many with samsung- 3 raised their hands. 2 had sony and 1 had another name i don't recollect - a china make.
ReplyDeleteI asked the samsung owners why did they choose samsung. They very clearly stated that they did not have money to buy Nokia. Please note the words they used - they didn't say nokia was expensive,they said they didn't have the money. The point I wanted to bring out was that 'quality' is a universally sought attribute in people, things and services. They demonstrated this themselves.They perceived the quality of nokia and were willing to accept it at its price.
Secondly nobody doubts your quality once you have established it.
However the challenge is in maintaining that level. Money comes. You don't need to run behind it.Work on building yourself as an asset your returns will be ample. I an happy to say at least they thought about it.Some said they had never looked at life this way.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteresponse via email:
ReplyDeleteThough I haven't had too many experiences with employees, I have had similar experiences in the numerous workshops that I have conducted in various schools where one gets to meet all types of students, from the interested, bored, indifferent to the downright hostile. One thing I have learnt in my interactions is, that creating a rapport, breaking the ice, establishing a working relationship to winning the popularity polls is all a process where one needs to be patient and alert at the same time. Being observant and perspicacious are qualities that one needs to develop as one goes along. A teacher/trainer should surely have the content, but more important is to have a passion to share it with others. Winning arguments are never a great way of establishing a relationship. To quote Dale Carnagie, "if you convince a man against his will, he is of the same opinion still" !
Ajoy Chakraborty
Yes, Ajoy, you could win the battle but lose the war! To rise above the obvious clash of personalities- as Niru points out- is not just important but critical to be an efficient and appreciated facilitator.
ReplyDeleteIt seems true that people are as similar on the inside as they seem dissimilar on the outside. I can recall my interactions with colleagues and outsiders from different nationalities and ethnic backgrounds. We all want the same things. But somehow, sometimes we forget about delivering them to others! So someone's got to rise above the situation. And in the training room it has to be the trainer.
Charubala has made a few pertinent comments, but i differ on one aspect. All of us donot want the same thing. i agree with Niru, when she says that quality is universally appreciated, but what constitutes quality is a matter of individual/cultural/national perception.I would like to add good listening,ability to see the bigger picture, calmness in adversity,out of the box thinking as some more prerequisites.
ReplyDeleteanother response via email from Sandy Foster:
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastically well written thought process. I totally agree and found this informative, resonated with me and can be added to and I love the idea of adding ideas I will go through the right process to add my take on it , but really enjoyed this.
Rgds Sandy