My Management Guru

This blog was originally written on Friday, April 6, 2012

http://mymanagementgurubysouravr.blogspot.in/2012/04/my-management-guru.html

‘’Zakir, if I ever become a writer, I would write him in my book’’ sitting on pool side (broken window side in our dinning-hall) I quoted. Zakir nodded in appreciation and I felt like chilled breeze showering me rose petals.

A person wearing a yellow Tee came to our table and collected the mess that we had created while having dinner. Expressionless, sincere, focused as if he is the only person who is working on earth, rest are just eating and flushing.

Everyday me and Zakir (Zak is not only my li’l brother but a person whom I saw crying when I left LPU, that’s enough to describe him) accompanied each other during dinner as girl were not allowed to roam outside after 6 PM. Every day we used to sit and notice that yellow Tee man roaming like Pikachu among the zigzag hurdles of dining tables.

‘’Zakir, muje lagta hai ye bol ni skta’’, I murmured as I never wanted this. Zakir was confused too. But Yellow Tee man had some other ideas; well I don’t know what those were? Continuous in his speed, collecting coca-cola trays containing the messed dinning plates, he was just another punctual man ever I seen.

Why the hell coke and pepsi don’t think about small factories? These trays containing glass bottles are used by us for keeping utensils, for sitting by covering it with a glossy matt cover. Mere room mai b doh coke ki trays hain, ek pe inverter hai aur ek pe battery. Thanks to Asian Paints for such a b’ful buckets otherwise I can’t fit myself under the tap.

Finally the day came when I had to leave my beautiful destination of life, my love LPU. On very last day I went inside the dining hall, I was feeling like crying.

ab yaadon k siva zindgi k pas kuchh nahin tha;

dundli ho chali thi raahein, vo jo apna sa lgta tha, apna nahin tha..!!

Suddenly, for the first time I found that yellow Tee man sitting calmly and unproductively on the chair. I offered him a douce request for a photograph, he nodded and I got a cover for my book.

Iklavya of Mahabharata learnt his archery skills from a statue of Guru Dhrona. Yeah, I can’t be perfect like him but I credit a lot of my management learning to this yellow Tee man. Never spoke to me, never took a lecture of mine, even I am sure he never knew the meaning of management. Yet he taught me a few lessons of life and management. He acted as guru for me when everybody was busy in imparting me the bookish and air-bubble kind of stuff.

He taught me three things;

· Work hard and be focused

· Let yourself speak your silence

· Be an ambassador of yourself

Work hard and be focused:-

During my interview with respected Deepak Verma (at that time Area Manager- ASIAN PAINTS, now Regional Manager-CASTROL, North and West), the question was aroused that whether a person need to do hard-work or smart-work? I answered him that hard work is something that comes with guarantee and it is the only way to succeed in life. A good amount of smart-work and a lot of hard-work can pay you lifetime success. Smart work means to search short-cuts for temporary success. In today world people says that smart-work pays more, it’s objectionable.

A trophy that you won after cheating others may give bring you fame and words of appreciation but inside your soul never going to cheer you and slightly you find yourself doubting your capabilities and strengths.

If he would have been not a hard worker, I never write about him. There is a famous quote-

‘’May God bless me with countless hurdles because the more difficulties one has to encounter, within and without, the more significant and the higher in inspiration his life will be’’

-Author unknown

He was such a hard worker, yeah, I saw ‘second-needle’ of a watch waiting a few milli-seconds to jump for another second but I never saw him sitting idle, avoiding or waiting for an opportunity to come his way. He never showed that he dislikes his work and even I can bet no-one would like to do such kind of work.

He never left any table unclean, we used to mess the same tables again and again but he never mind to clean them again and again. He was focused at work instead of people who act as hurdles to his work.

Let yourself speak your silence:-

Silence speaks louder than words. A man who remains silent and speaks whenever is important and wherever is required gains more respect in society of humans (I swear, I am not criticizing women at all). We never seen him in an argument, rather his work used to speak his words.

Be an ambassador of yourself:-

Wearing Gucci, Gant, Gas etc never going to describe your identity, it’s the recognition of brand, not yours. Be a man of character, be a man of words. It is a human tendency that we often judge people from their outer look, great are those who able to find the reality of inside. Mahatma Gandhi and Vivekananda never wore Nike or Adidas, they were known because of their great doings. Recognize yourself better from crowd and be an ambassador, so that people can follow as I did.

Today when I look back and think,”Who taught me real management and life skills?’’ I find him among some great faces….